AM Best Revises Issuer Credit Rating Outlook to Negative for Palmetto Surety Corporation

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has revised the outlook to negative from stable for the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of B (Fair) and the Long-Term ICR of “bb+” (Fair) of Palmetto Surety Corporation (Palmetto) (headquartered in Mount Pleasant, SC). The outlook of the FSR is stable.

The Credit Ratings (ratings) reflect Palmetto’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as adequate, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

The revised Long-Term ICR outlook to negative from stable reflects the pressure on Palmetto’s overall balance sheet strength assessment, as well as risk management given the challenges related to the timely collection and reporting of its premiums and agents’ balances that in 2024, resulted in a reduction in admitted assets and corresponding decline in overall surplus. Concerns related to ERM relate to management’s failure to collect its premium in a timely manner and its consequential effects on capital management.

Negative rating action could occur if there continues to be volatility of Palmetto’s risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), or if the overall balance sheet strength assessment deteriorates further as a result of a continued uptick of uncollected premiums and agents’ balances in the course of collection. Additionally, negative rating action could occur if the company fails to strengthen its risk management, accounting and reporting controls resulting in the continued augmentation of uncollected premiums and outstanding agents’ balances in the course of collection. Management is aware of the over 90 aging of uncollected premium receivables and has been instituting better collections procedures to improve the overall non-admitted assets for the company.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best’s website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best’s Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best’s Credit Ratings, Best’s Performance Assessments, Best’s Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best’s Ratings & Assessments.

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