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Business Science

Rocket Pharmaceuticals highlights anticipated 2022 milestones across lentiviral and AAV gene therapy clinical programs

— Top-line data from pivotal LAD-I and Fanconi Anemia trials anticipated in Q2 and Q3, respectively —

— Danon Disease pediatric patient cohort data expected Q3 —

— In-house AAV GMP manufacturing initiation anticipated in Q2 —

— Danon Disease pivotal Phase 2 trial initiation planned for Q4 —

— PKD data from Phase 1 and pivotal Phase 2 trial initiation planned for Q4 —

 

CRANBURY, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT), a clinical-stage company advancing an integrated and sustainable pipeline of genetic therapies for rare childhood disorders, today shares expected milestones for 2022, which were discussed yesterday during the Company’s virtual presentation at the 40th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

The Rocket team together with our partners made significant progress across our pipeline of first-and best-in-class lentiviral and AAV gene therapies in 2021,” said Kinnari Patel, Pharm.D., MBA, President and Chief Operating Officer of Rocket Pharma. “We are excited to share our expected milestones for 2022 as we progress toward potential near-term U.S. and EU regulatory filings for our Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I) and Fanconi Anemia programs as well as continue our strong progress across our pipeline. Notably, with the most recently treated patient now engrafting with neutrophil CD18 expression of 61% at three months, all nine severe LAD-I patients who have been treated with RP-L201 in our pivotal Phase 2 trial with at least three months of follow-up have engrafted with CD18 expression ranging from 26% to 87% of normal.”

 

Dr. Patel continued, “As our AAV-based gene therapy for Danon Disease advances in the clinic including anticipated data from our pediatric cohort in Q3, we continue to ready our in-house AAV manufacturing capabilities in our Cranbury, New Jersey facility to support commercial product. We are excited for the year ahead and look forward to continuing to leverage Rocket’s strong team and resources to drive our vision of seeking and delivering gene therapy cures for patients facing such rare and devastating diseases.”

 

Anticipated 2022 Milestones

RP-A501 for Danon Disease (AAV)

  • Report data from pediatric patient cohort of Phase 1 trial – Q3 2022
  • Initiate Phase 2 pivotal study activities – Q4 2022

RP-L102 for Fanconi Anemia (LVV)

  • Report top-line data from pivotal Phase 2 trial – Q3 2022

RP-L201 for Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LVV)

  • Report top-line data from pivotal Phase 2 trial – Q2 2022

RP-L301 for Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (LVV)

  • Report data from Phase 1 trial – Q4 2022
  • Initiate pivotal Phase 2 trial – Q4 2022

Manufacturing Facility in Cranbury, New Jersey

  • Achieve in-house AAV Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) manufacturing – Q2 2022

 

About Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) is advancing an integrated and sustainable pipeline of genetic therapies that correct the root cause of complex and rare childhood disorders. The Company’s platform-agnostic approach enables it to design the best therapy for each indication, creating potentially transformative options for patients afflicted with rare genetic diseases. Rocket’s clinical programs using lentiviral vector (LVV)-based gene therapy are for the treatment of Fanconi Anemia (FA), a difficult to treat genetic disease that leads to bone marrow failure and potentially cancer, Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), a severe pediatric genetic disorder that causes recurrent and life-threatening infections which are frequently fatal, and Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD), a rare, monogenic red blood cell disorder resulting in increased red cell destruction and mild to life-threatening anemia. Rocket’s first clinical program using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy is for Danon Disease, a devastating, pediatric heart failure condition. For more information about Rocket, please visit www.rocketpharma.com.

 

Rocket Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Various statements in this release concerning Rocket’s future expectations, plans and prospects, including without limitation, Rocket’s expectations regarding its guidance for 2022 in light of COVID-19, the safety and effectiveness of product candidates that Rocket is developing to treat Fanconi Anemia (FA), Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD), and Danon Disease, the expected timing and data readouts of Rocket’s ongoing and planned clinical trials, Rocket’s plans for the advancement of its Danon Disease program following the lifting of the FDA’s clinical hold and the safety, effectiveness and timing of related pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, may constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions. You should not place reliance on these forward-looking statements, which often include words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “will give,” “estimate,” “seek,” “will,” “may,” “suggest” or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Although Rocket believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Rocket cannot guarantee such outcomes. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation, Rocket’s ability to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on its business operations and take steps to ensure the safety of patients, families and employees, the interest from patients and families for participation in each of Rocket’s ongoing trials, our expectations regarding the delays and impact of COVID-19 on clinical sites, patient enrollment, trial timelines and data readouts, our expectations regarding our drug supply for our ongoing and anticipated trials, actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials of its product candidates, Rocket’s dependence on third parties for development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of product candidates, the outcome of litigation, and unexpected expenditures, as well as those risks more fully discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Rocket’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed March 1, 2021 with the SEC. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and Rocket undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts

Media

Kevin Giordano

Director, Corporate Communications

kgiordano@rocketpharma.com

Investors

Mayur Kasetty, M.D., M.B.A.

Director, Business Development & Operations

investors@rocketpharma.com

Categories
Business Technology

NICE Actimize ActOne awarded inaugural ‘Best Case Management Solution’ honors by the Canadian RegTech Association

The award highlights NICE Actimize ActOne Case Management solution’s innovation and customer service in a very competitive field

 

HOBOKEN, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — #NICENICE Actimize, a NICE (Nasdaq: NICE) business, was named the category winner for “Best Case Management Solution” in the inaugural Canadian RegTech Association (CRTA) awards competition announced recently by the CRTA’s Board of Directors in partnership with Ernst & Young (EY) Canada. The CRTA, a non-profit association dedicated to collaboration to solve regulatory challenges, announced the award as part of its recent event, “The Innovation Game: Adopting RegTech in a Digital Age.”

NICE Actimize’s ActOne alert and case management system is purpose-built for financial crime and compliance alert and case investigations. The system is an open, scalable development platform with integration tools and low-code automation to build enterprise workflow apps that are agnostic to source analytics and other systems. ActOne has the flexibility to support other use cases and the extensibility to build on top of and integrate with other types of solutions.

 

“The number of high-quality nominations that were received for this year’s inaugural competition speaks volumes to the vibrancy of the RegTech ecosystem that exists in Canada. Our esteemed panel of industry judges were pleased to select NICE Actimize as the winner in this year’s ‘Best Case Management Solution’ award category,” said Donna Bales, President, Canadian RegTech Association. “The award highlights NICE Actimize ActOne Case Management solution’s innovation and customer service in a very competitive field.”

 

“NICE Actimize’s award-winning case management system provides financial institutions with centralized control over financial crime applications and enterprise-wide intelligence,” said Craig Costigan, CEO, NICE Actimize. “We thank both our Canadian customers and the Canadian RegTech Association for honoring our innovation and customer service in a highly competitive category.”

 

NICE Actimize’s global customer base ranges from top tier enterprise financial institutions to regtech firms and neo banks.

 

The Canadian Regulatory Technology Association

The CRTA is a not-for-profit organization focused on solving regulatory challenges through collaborative efforts among key RegTech stakeholders: regulated entities, technology vendors, regulatory bodies, government, and professional service providers. The goal is to facilitate dialogue, raise standards, and promote growth and innovation within the Canadian RegTech ecosystem. The organization endeavors to solve regulatory challenges through collaborative discussion and engagement in proof-of-concept initiatives. For more information, please see the CRTA website: www.canadianregtech.ca.

 

About NICE Actimize

NICE Actimize is the largest and broadest provider of financial crime, risk and compliance solutions for regional and global financial institutions, as well as government regulators. Consistently ranked as number one in the space, NICE Actimize experts apply innovative technology to protect institutions and safeguard consumers’ and investors’ assets by identifying financial crime, preventing fraud and providing regulatory compliance. The company provides real-time, cross-channel fraud prevention, anti-money laundering detection, and trading surveillance solutions that address such concerns as payment fraud, cybercrime, sanctions monitoring, market abuse, customer due diligence and insider trading. Find us at www.niceactimize.com, @NICE_Actimize or Nasdaq: NICE.

 

About NICE

With NICE (Nasdaq: NICE), it’s never been easier for organizations of all sizes around the globe to create extraordinary customer experiences while meeting key business metrics. Featuring the world’s #1 cloud native customer experience platform, CXone, NICE is a worldwide leader in AI-powered self-service and agent-assisted CX software for the contact center – and beyond. Over 25,000 organizations in more than 150 countries, including over 85 of the Fortune 100 companies, partner with NICE to transform – and elevate – every customer interaction. www.nice.com

 

Trademark Note: NICE and the NICE logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NICE Ltd. All other marks are trademarks of their respective owners. For a full list of NICE’s marks, please see: www.nice.com/nice-trademarks.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements, including the statements by Mr. Costigan, are based on the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of NICE Ltd. (the “Company”). In some cases, such forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “seek,” “may,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “project,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “estimate,” or similar words. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results or performance of the Company to differ materially from those described herein, including but not limited to the impact of changes in economic and business conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; competition; successful execution of the Company’s growth strategy; success and growth of the Company’s cloud Software-as-a-Service business; changes in technology and market requirements; decline in demand for the Company’s products; inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications; difficulties or delays in absorbing and integrating acquired operations, products, technologies and personnel; loss of market share; an inability to maintain certain marketing and distribution arrangements; the Company’s dependency on third-party cloud computing platform providers, hosting facilities and service partners;, cyber security attacks or other security breaches against the Company; the effect of newly enacted or modified laws, regulation or standards on the Company and our products and various other factors and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting the company, refer to the Company’s reports filed from time to time with the SEC, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise them, except as required by law.

Contacts

Corporate Media Contact:

Cindy Morgan-Olson, +1 646 408 5896, ET, cindy.morgan-olson@niceactimize.com

Investors:

Marty Cohen, +1 551 256 5354, ET, ir@nice.com
Omri Arens, +972 3 763 0127, CET, ir@nice.com

Categories
Business Lifestyle

Sole Source Capital portfolio company Peak Technologies acquires Avalon Integration

Transaction Marks Fifth Add-On Acquisition for Peak Technologies Since Being Acquired by Sole Source Capital

 

DALLAS — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Sole Source Capital LLC, an industrial-focused private equity firm, today announced that its portfolio company, Peak Technologies, a leading full life-cycle system integrator and provider of digital supply chain, retail and mobile workforce solutions, acquired Avalon Integration Inc (“Avalon”). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition of Avalon marks Sole Source’s 12th investment in the Automatic Identification & Data Capture (AIDC) industry. Sole Source has supported Peak Technologies in four prior add-on acquisitions including Optical Phusion, Inovity, Bar Code Direct and DBK Concepts.

 

Headquartered in Lebanon, NJ and founded in 2002, Avalon is a regionally focused system integrator and provider of digital supply chain, retail and mobile workforce solutions. Avalon sells primarily to enterprise-level customers in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, grocery, and consumer channels.

 

Peak Technologies provides industry-leading digital supply chain, retail and mobile workforce solutions to Fortune 500 customers, along with mid-market businesses, that enable them to become more efficient and responsive to their customers. The acquisition of Avalon provides Peak Technologies with significant cross-selling opportunities to blue-chip enterprise customers, strong exposure to attractive healthcare, pharmaceutical and grocery end markets, and additional geographic reach into the Northeast.

 

“We are excited to welcome the Avalon team. Avalon’s extensive technical capabilities drive a differentiated solutions offering to its customers, which is a perfect fit within the Peak Technologies portfolio,” said Tony Rivers, CEO, Peak Technologies.

 

“We are thrilled to be joining one of the strongest teams in the digital supply chain, retail, and mobile workforce solutions industry and are excited to bring the capabilities of Peak Technologies to our client base,” said Dan McCabe, CTO, Avalon Integration.

 

About Sole Source Capital

Founded in 2016 by David Fredston, Sole Source Capital is a private equity firm that thematically invests in fragmented, high-growth industrial subsectors. Sole Source seeks founder-owned businesses or corporate carve-outs that will benefit from the team’s operating and M&A capabilities. The Firm has a strong operating heritage that enables it to execute a buy and build strategy with significant downside protection. The Firm is headquartered in Dallas, Texas with offices in Santa Monica, California. For more information, please visit www.solesourcecapital.com or contact investor.relations@solesourcecapital.com.

 

About Peak Technologies

Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, Peak Technologies is a leading full life-cycle system integrator of digital supply chain, retail and mobile workforce solutions. With over 35 years of supply chain, field mobility and retail services expertise, Peak Technologies has an insider’s perspective of the market; its origins, participants, and dynamic forces of change. With extensive application experience across industry segments, Peak Technologies is able to provide objective consultancy on business processes, software, hardware, as well as turn-key solutions for equipment repair, life cycle support, technology, vertical/application and business services. For more information, please visit www.peaktech.com.

 

About Avalon Integration Inc.

Headquartered in Lebanon, NJ and founded in 2002, Avalon is a regionally focused system integrator and provider of digital supply chain, retail and mobile workforce solutions. For more information, please visit www.avalonintegration.com.

Contacts

Media Contact:

Bill Mendel

Mendel Communications LLC

(212) 397-1030

bill@mendelcommunications.com

Sole Source Capital Contact:

Sumil Menon

Head of Investor Relations

Investor.relations@solesourcecapital.com

Categories
Business Culture

CompoSecure to present at the 24th Annual Needham Virtual Growth Conference

SOMERSET, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–CompoSecure, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMPO) (“CompoSecure”), a leading provider of premium financial payment cards and an emergent provider of cryptocurrency storage and security solutions, today announced it will present at the 24th Annual Needham Virtual Growth Conference.

 

President and Chief Executive Officer, Jon Wilk, will present on Friday, January 14, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time and it will be webcast live. The live audio webcast will be available on the Composecure Investor Relations website at https://ir.composecure.com/. After the event, an archive of the webcast will also be available for a limited time on the Composecure Investor Relations website.

 

About CompoSecure and Arculus

Founded in 2000, CompoSecure is a pioneer and category leader in premium payment cards and an emergent provider of cryptocurrency and digital asset storage and security solutions. The company focuses on serving the affluent customers of payment card issuers worldwide using proprietary production methods that meet the highest standards of quality and security. The company offers secure, innovative, and durable proprietary products that implement leading-edge engineering capabilities and security. CompoSecure’s mission is to increase clients’ brand equity in the marketplace by offering products and solutions which differentiate the brands they represent, thus elevating cardholder experience. For more information, please visit www.composecure.com. ArculusTM was created with the mission to promote cryptocurrency adoption by making it safe, simple and secure for the average person to buy, swap and store cryptocurrency. With a strong background in security hardware and financial payments, the ArculusTM solution was developed to allow people to use a familiar payment card form factor to manage their cryptocurrency. For more information, please visit www.getarculus.com.

Contacts

CompoSecure Media:

Wes Robinson

626-201-2928

wrobinson@olmsteadwilliams.com

CompoSecure Investor:

Marc Griffin

ICR for CompoSecure

646-277-1290

CompoSecure-IR@icrinc.com

Categories
Business

AM Best affirms credit ratings of Hong Leong Insurance (Asia) Limited

HONG KONG — (BUSINESS WIRE) — #insuranceAM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” (Excellent) of Hong Leong Insurance (Asia) Limited (HLIA) (Hong Kong). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect HLIA’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

 

HLIA’s balance sheet strength is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalisation at the strongest level, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). The assessment also reflects HLIA’s low underwriting leverage and a reinsurance programme of good quality. Offsetting factors include the company’s modest capital size, some concentration risk in a real estate and moderate reinsurance dependency.

 

HLIA’s strong operating performance is evidenced by positive underwriting results, with a five-year average net combined ratio of approximately 80% and a five-year average return on equity of 8.7%. The underwriting profitability was affected negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic due to less travel business, but the net combined ratio still outperformed the market. Acquisition expenses may increase in the future as the company expands its distribution channels, diluting the proportion of direct channel, but the company expects its overall underwriting profit to increase as the insurance portfolio grows. The company’s unrealized losses from investments reduced the overall net profit in recent years.

 

HLIA maintains a small market presence in Hong Kong’s general insurance market. While the company focuses on personal lines, it is expanding its commercial lines business to offset the drop in premium from travel insurance amid COVID-19. In regard to distribution, HLIA continues to utilise its online platform and direct channel to source new personal lines business and cross-sell with low acquisition expense. The company also plans to expand its distribution channels by cooperating with some intermediaries.

 

The company’s risk profile shows moderate business concentration risk given that it is a local insurer in a small market and has some asset concentration. Nevertheless, AM Best considers the company’s risk management capabilities to be aligned appropriately with its risk profile, supported mainly by the company’s prudent underwriting guidelines and robust reinsurance programme.

 

Negative rating actions could occur if there is significant deterioration in HLIA’s operating performance; for example, due to adverse investment losses or a diminished underwriting margin. Negative rating actions also could occur if there is significant deterioration in the company’s risk-adjusted capitalisation. A deterioration in the credit profile of HLIA’s parent companies, Hong Leong Financial Group Berhad and Hong Leong Company (Malaysia) Berhad also may impose a negative impact on HLIA’s ratings.

 

Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication.

 

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 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 specialising 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.

 

Copyright © 2022 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Contacts

Ken Lau
Financial Analyst
+852 2827 3426
ken.lau@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey
Manager, Public Relations
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159
christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

James Chan
Associate Director
+852 2827 3418
james.chan@ambest.com

Jim Peavy
Director, Communications
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644
james.peavy@ambest.com

Categories
Business Science

Merck to hold fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 sales and earnings conference call on February 3

KENILWORTH, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — $MRK #MRK–Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, will hold its fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 sales and earnings conference call with institutional investors and analysts at 8:00 a.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 3. During the call, company executives will provide an overview of Merck’s performance for the quarter and outlook.

Investors, journalists and the general public may access a live audio webcast of the call on Merck’s website at https://www.merck.com/investor-relations/events-and-presentations/. A replay of the webcast, along with the sales and earnings news release and supplemental financial disclosures and slides highlighting the results, will be available at www.merck.com.

 

Institutional investors and analysts can participate in the call by dialing (833) 353-0277 or (469) 886-1947 and using ID code number 1774118. Members of the media are invited to monitor the call by dialing (833) 353-0277 or (469) 886-1947 and using ID code number 1774118. Journalists who wish to ask questions are requested to contact a member of Merck’s Media Relations team at the conclusion of the call.

 

About Merck

For over 125 years, Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals – including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases – as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

 

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA

This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

 

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19); the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

 

The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).

Contacts

Media:

Melissa Moody, (215) 407-3536

Investor:

Peter Dannenbaum, (908) 740-1037

Steven Graziano, (908) 740-6582

Categories
Business

Phibro Animal Health Corporation to host Webcast and conference call on December 2021 quarterly financial results

TEANECK, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Phibro Animal Health Corporation (Nasdaq:PAHC) expects to announce its second quarter financial results on Wednesday, February 9, 2022, after the market closes. Phibro management will host a conference call and webcast on Thursday, February 10, 2022, at 9:00 AM Eastern Time.

Interested parties are invited to listen to the conference call and view the presentation slides by visiting https://investors.pahc.com. The discussion will also be available by dialing +1 (888) 330-2022 in the U.S. and Canada, or +1 (365) 977-0051 for international callers. Provide the conference ID 3927884.

 

A replay of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the live event. To access the webcast recording, visit https://investors.pahc.com.

 

About Phibro Animal Health Corporation

Phibro Animal Health Corporation is a diversified global developer, manufacturer and supplier of a broad range of animal health and mineral nutrition products for livestock, helping veterinarians and farmers produce healthy, affordable food while using fewer natural resources. For further information, please visit www.pahc.com.

 

Our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission are available online at www.sec.gov, www.pahc.com or on request from the company.

Contacts

Damian Finio

Chief Financial Officer, Phibro Animal Health Corporation

+1-201-329-7300

investor.relations@pahc.com

Categories
Business

AM Best affirms credit ratings of National Indemnity Company and its affiliates

OLDWICK, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — #insuranceAM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A++ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of “aaa” (Superior) of National Indemnity Company (Omaha, NE) and its affiliates (collectively referred to as National Indemnity). These companies are subsidiaries of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Berkshire) [NYSE: BRK A and BRK B]. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings of National Indemnity reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its very strong operating performance, very favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

 

National Indemnity’s management team continues to manage the underwriting cycle successfully. The group’s overall operating results have outperformed AM Best’s reinsurance composite, as measured by a broad range of profitability metrics, over a prolonged time period. National Indemnity maintains extensive financial resources and expertise that places the company in a strong position to seize unique market opportunities and occasionally absorb surplus declines, usually related to temporary unrealized investment losses. In addition, Berkshire provides substantial financial flexibility, diversification and long-term competitive advantages associated with its non-insurance businesses. Furthermore, the ratings reflect the benefits of being part of Berkshire, which includes the proven investment acumen of the organization.

 

Partially offsetting these strengths is National Indemnity’s exposure to higher levels of equity investments compared with other players in the market. These higher levels of equity investments can result in volatility in the group’s profitability and capitalization; however, AM Best’s concern is alleviated somewhat by the superior long-term performance of the group’s investment portfolio and its strong liquidity.

 

The FSR of A++ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of “aaa” (Superior) have been affirmed for National Indemnity Company and its following affiliates:

  • Columbia Insurance Company
  • National Fire & Marine Insurance Company
  • National Liability & Fire Insurance Company
  • National Indemnity Company of Mid-America
  • National Indemnity Company of the South
  • Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company
  • Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance 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 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.

 

Copyright © 2022 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Contacts

Gregory Dickerson
Associate Director
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5161
gregory.dickerson@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey
Manager, Public Relations
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159
christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Carlos Wong-Fupuy
Senior Director
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5344
carlos.wong-fupuy@ambest.com

Jim Peavy
Director, Communications
+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644
james.peavy@ambest.com

Categories
Business Culture

Visual Lease appoints Guy Zerega as Chief Revenue Officer

Company continues to prepare for its next phase of growth

 

WOODBRIDGE, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Visual Lease, the #1 lease optimization software provider, today announced that Guy Zerega, Senior Vice President of Sales, will advance to become the organization’s first Chief Revenue Officer. In his new role, Zerega will continue to oversee the company’s Sales, Account Management and Alliance Partner teams.

 

“When Guy first joined our company in June 2021, it was the perfect time to bring on an experienced sales leader,” said Visual Lease’s founder and CEO, Marc Betesh. “Organizations across all industries are becoming increasingly aware of the risks and opportunities associated with their lease portfolios. As a result, the demand for our software is growing, and Guy’s leadership will be instrumental in our ability to continue to meet that demand.”

 

Before joining Visual Lease, Guy worked at Veriff where he managed their global sales organization and business expansion. During his tenure, he helped the company receive the largest Series B investment in the identity verification space to date. Prior to his time at Veriff, Guy served as Executive Vice President of Revenue at Stack Overflow where he grew their revenue organization from three to more than 130 people.

 

“Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to help scale revenue organizations from the ground up,” said Zerega. “I was drawn to Visual Lease because of its unique position. Having been around for 25 years, it is a clear market leader with a very solid foundation. As more organizations prepare to transition to the new lease accounting standards, they will look to adopt the required technology. I’m looking forward to helping Visual Lease continue on its path as the software partner of choice for lease accounting, management and optimization.”

 

In 2021, Visual Lease further strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Erinn Tarpey as Chief Marketing Officer and Alexandra Betesh as Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy.

 

Visit Visual Lease’s career site to learn more about career opportunities.

 

About Visual Lease

Visual Lease is the #1 lease optimization software provider. We help organizations become compliant with FASB, IFRS and GASB lease accounting standards, while simultaneously improving the financial, legal and operational performance of their leases. Our easy-to-use SaaS platform is embedded with more than three decades of best practices from major corporations and leading industry professionals. Our award-winning solutions are used by 900+ organizations to manage 500,000+ real estate, equipment and other leased assets. Committed to ongoing innovation and unparalleled customer service, Visual Lease helps organizations transform their lease compliance requirements into financial opportunities. For more information, visit visuallease.com.

Contacts

Erica Bonavitacola

Visual Lease

T+1 732 860 4838

ebonavitacola@visuallease.com

Katie Vroom

Gregory FCA

T+1 212 398 9680

kvroom@gregoryfca.com

Categories
Business

Fortitude Re enhances reinsurance capabilities

  • Forms new Bermuda multi-line reinsurer
  • Acquires U.S. life insurer
  • Obtains Reciprocal Jurisdiction Reinsurer status

 

HAMILTON, Bermuda & JERSEY CITY, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Fortitude Re announced today the formation of a Bermuda multi-line reinsurer and the acquisition of a U.S. life insurer. In addition, Fortitude Re’s subsidiary, Fortitude Reinsurance Company Ltd. (“FRL”), Bermuda’s largest multi-line reinsurer, obtained approval to operate as a Reciprocal Jurisdiction Reinsurer, the first such approval to be granted by the Texas Department of Insurance (“TDI”). As a result, Fortitude Re can now offer the flexibility to transact through multiple entities and structures to help its clients achieve their objectives.

Today’s announcement follows other recently announced transactions that introduce additional capabilities to Fortitude Re’s franchise, including the acquisition of two U.S.-domiciled third party administrators from American International Group, Inc. (Press Release) and the pending acquisition of Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation and its in-force legacy variable annuity block from Prudential Financial, Inc. (Press Release).

 

New Bermuda Reinsurer and U.S. Reinsurance Platform

Effective January 1, 2022, Fortitude International Reinsurance Ltd. (“FIRL”) commenced operations as a Class 4 and Class E reinsurer, licensed by the Bermuda Monetary Authority. FIRL will complement Fortitude Re’s other operating entities and focus on reinsurance solutions for insurers domiciled outside the U.S.

 

In addition, on January 3, 2022, Fortitude Re completed its acquisition of Rx Life Insurance Company (to be renamed Fortitude U.S. Reinsurance Company) (“Fortitude Re U.S.”) from Heritage Life Insurance Company. Fortitude Re U.S., which will serve as a U.S. reinsurance platform for Fortitude Re, is an Arizona domiciled life and annuity insurer widely licensed in the U.S. This acquisition will enable Fortitude Re to offer clients a U.S. domiciled reinsurance option.

 

Reciprocal Jurisdiction Reinsurer Status

Effective January 1, 2022, the TDI granted FRL authority to operate as a Reciprocal Jurisdiction Reinsurer. FRL expects to seek similar status in other selected U.S. jurisdictions in the near future.

 

FRL’s Reciprocal Jurisdiction Reinsurer status allows U.S. ceding companies to take full statutory credit for reinsurance ceded to FRL without any regulatory prescribed collateral requirements, effectively treating FRL for these purposes as a U.S. domiciled reinsurer. FRL is among the first reinsurers to obtain such status in the U.S.

 

“The transactions and regulatory approval represent an important step in the evolution and expansion of the capabilities Fortitude Re is able to offer to clients to solve their most complex challenges. With the establishment of FIRL, we expect to grow our international reinsurance business in Asia and the U.K. and European markets,” said James Bracken, Fortitude Re CEO.

 

Sidley Austin LLP served as legal advisor and Merger & Acquisition Services, Inc. served as a financial advisor to Fortitude Re in connection with the acquisition of Fortitude Re U.S. Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. served as legal advisor to Fortitude Re in connection with FRL’s application for Reciprocal Jurisdiction Reinsurer status.

 

About Fortitude Re

The Fortitude Re group includes Bermuda’s largest multi-line composite reinsurer with unique competitive advantages and expertise to design bespoke transactional solutions for legacy Life & Annuity and P&C lines. Fortitude Re is an independent company backed by a consortium of sophisticated investor groups led by The Carlyle Group and T&D Insurance Group. Fortitude Re holds approximately $45 billion in invested assets as of June 30, 2021. For more information, visit www.fortitude-re.com. Follow Fortitude Re on LinkedIn.

Contacts

Media:
Lara Watson, lara.watson@fortitude-re.com