AM Best Assigns Credit Ratings to Fenchurch General Insurance Company

AM Best has assigned a Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” (Excellent) to Fenchurch General Insurance Company (Fenchurch) (Toronto, Canada). The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

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

Fenchurch is a Canada-domiciled property/casualty insurer that was founded in 1981. Its main business lines are commercial auto and accident and sickness with minor exposure in habitational property. The company is owned by The Pandher Group through an intermediate holding company. The Pandher Group is a family office with diverse insurance and non-insurance lines of business focused on North America.

Fenchurch’s balance sheet strength assessment is supported by the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), which is expected to support the company’s strategic growth initiatives going forward. Additionally, the balance sheet strength assessment reflects Fenchurch’s strong liquidity profile and conservative investment strategy. Furthermore, the company’s balance sheet has benefited from the implicit and explicit support provided by The Pandher Group, which has contributed approximately $44 million in capital to Fenchurch since its acquisition in 2021.

Fenchurch’s operating performance is assessed as adequate, driven by its recent entry into the commercial auto market as well as the right-sizing of its current book of business. AM Best expects these strategic initiatives to generate improved operating results over the intermediate term. AM Best assesses the company’s business profile as limited due to the geographic concentration of business in Ontario. Additionally, the limited business profile assessment also reflects the company’s ongoing expansion into the commercial auto and property markets. The company’s ERM program is assessed as appropriate given the overall risk profile of the organization. Fenchurch has structured its limits and exposures on its policies to minimize the requirements for reinsurance. However, the company expects to purchase reinsurance for most new lines of business going forward, further solidifying its risk management framework.

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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