AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Central States Indemnity Co. of Omaha and Its Subsidiary

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “aa-” (Superior) of Central States Indemnity Co. of Omaha (CSI), and its subsidiary, CSI Life Insurance Company (CSI Life), collectively referred to as CSI. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. Both companies are domiciled in Omaha, NE.

The ratings reflect CSI’s and CSI Life’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as their adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

CSI maintains risk-adjusted capitalization at the strongest level, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). Additionally, CSI benefits from its very conservative underwriting leverage, above average liquidity position and the implicit support from its ultimate parent, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Berkshire) [NYSE: BRK A and BRK B] via investment management services, capital and risk management.

CSI’s investment portfolio includes a relatively elevated level of common stock leverage, which may bring volatility to the company’s surplus. However, a mitigating factor is CSI’s reserves, which have more than enough backing from cash and short-term investments. Investment income has accounted for the bulk of total earnings in the last 10 years. CSI currently writes more non-credit insurance premiums on a gross basis compared with its long-standing credit insurance business. Most of CSI’s gross premiums written are related to long-term fronting agreements.

CSI is a specialty insurance company, which provides credit card credit insurance and has fronting agreements with multiple insurers. While CSI’s business is somewhat concentrated by lines of business, CSI carries the Berkshire brand name and benefits from its implicit support, which helps mitigate these risks. CSI benefits from the formal structure of Berkshire’s ERM. This provides it with resources to monitor and manage risks. CSI has developed its own management program to control company-specific risks.

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.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

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