AM Best affirms credit ratings of Fidelity Life Association, A Legal Reserve Life Insurance Company
OLDWICK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” of Fidelity Life Association, A Legal Reserve Life Insurance Company (FLA) (Chicago, IL). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. FLA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vericity, Inc. (Vericity or the Company).
The ratings reflect FLA’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
FLA has maintained the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization, even though total capital and surplus has been declining for the past couple of years. Reinsurance leverage remains high against industry trends, as the company continues to utilize reserve financing as part of its capital structure. While AM Best considers the operating performance results to be adequate, operating performance in 2019 was impacted by a portion of non-recurring costs associated with the initial public offering. Direct premiums written remained strong and have been increasing steadily, with somewhat improved return on equity from prior years, but still lags behind the industry average.
On Aug. 7, 2019, Vericity completed the initial public offering of its common stock, and as a result of the conversion, it became the holding company for converted Members Mutual Holding Company and its indirect subsidiaries, including Fidelity Life Association and eFinancial, LLC, and began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol VERY. The completed Subscription Rights Conversion raised $148.8 million. A majority of the net premiums written are associated with ordinary life products and tend to have higher lapses than the industry average. The Company’s strategic alliance with affinity partners has added client growth, creating an opportunity for value-added capital deployment.
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 media use of Best’s Credit Ratings and AM Best press releases, please view Guide for Media – Proper Use of Best’s Credit Ratings and AM Best Rating Action Press Releases.
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Jim Peavy
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