A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of A (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of "a" of National Grid Insurance Company (Isle of Man) Limited (NGICL), a captive of National Grid plc (NG). The outlook for both ratings remains stable.
The ratings reflect NGICL's very strong risk-adjusted capitalisation, as well as its importance as a risk management tool within the NG group. In addition, the ratings reflect NGICL's strong but volatile earnings track-record.
NGICL's risk-adjusted capitalisation is expected to remain very strong, supported by the captive's low underwriting leverage ratio and comprehensive catastrophe reinsurance protection.
Prospective underwriting performance remains subject to volatility, due to the captive's exposure to low frequency, high severity losses in its property damage and business interruption (PD/BI) accounts. However, the impact of large losses on the captive's balance sheet is partly mitigated by extensive catastrophe reinsurance protection. The captive has a track-record of strong technical performance, reflected in a five-year average combined ratio of approximately 31%. NGICL has demonstrated its ability to take corrective pricing actions following large losses.
NGICL remains core to NG's risk management strategy as its principal captive. It is well integrated into the parent's overall risk management framework, with its primary objective to mitigate the NG group's European exposure to casualty, property damage and business interruption risks.
A.M. Best remains the leading rating agency of alternative risk transfer entities, with more than 200 such vehicles rated throughout the world. For current Best's Credit Ratings and independent data on the captive and alternative risk transfer insurance market, please visit www.ambest.com/captive.
This press release relates to rating(s) that have been published on A.M. 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 A.M. Best's Recent Rating Activity web page.
A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.
Copyright 2016 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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