Insurance Company Ratings

There are firms that provide financial ratings for insurance companies. The firms are A.M. Best Company, Standard and Poor's, Moody's Investors Service, Duff and Phelps Credit Rating Company, and Weiss Research.

Here are some of the differences between the companies:

A.M. Best has been providing ratings on virtually all life and health insurance companies for the longest period of time. A text titled "Best's Reports" can be found at most major libraries.
Each organization employs its own technique for determining the rating of an insurer. Areas considered vary and include leverage, management stability, recent performance and financial situation. External factors such as competition, diversification and market presence can also be considered. Each organization provides a description of its analysis and defines its rating scores.

Standard and Poor's provide claims paying ability ratings for those insurers who request and pay for a rating. Standard and Poor's also provides qualified solvency ratings for other insurers.

Moody's provides ratings for only those insurers that request a rating. Therefore, ratings from this service are not available for all insurance companies.

Duff and Phelps, like Moody's, provides ratings for those insurers who request a rating and, therefore, ratings from this service are not available for all insurance companies.

Weiss Research provides safety ratings on more than 1,700 insurance companies.
Watch list identifiers follow the ratings if the company is on the rating service's watch list. The identifier indicates a possible upgrade (+), downgrade (-), or unknown change.

Contacting The Rating Companies

A.M. Best Company

Web Site

Standard and Poor's
Web Site
Telephone: (212) 208-1199

Moody's Investors Service
Web Site
Address: 99 Church Street, New York, NY 10007
Telephone: (800) 811-6980

Duff and Phelps Credit Rating Co.
Web Site
Address: 55 East Monroe Street, Suite 3500, Chicago, IL 60603
Telephone: (312) 368-3198

Weiss Ratings, Inc
Web Site
Address: 4176 Burns Road, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
Telephone: (800) 289-9222

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