A.M. Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Colina Insurance Limited and Colina Holdings Bahamas Limited

A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “a-” of Colina Insurance Limited (Colina). Concurrently, A.M. Best has affirmed the Long-Term ICR of “bbb-” of Colina Holdings Bahamas Limited (CHBL) [BISX:CHL]. Both companies are domiciled in Nassau, Bahamas. Colina is a wholly owned subsidiary of its publicly traded parent, CHBL, which in turn is majority owned by AF Holdings Ltd. (AFH). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The rating affirmations for Colina reflect its leading position in the life/health market in The Bahamas, its adequate risk-adjusted capitalization, positive operating results and conservative reserving practices. Partially offsetting these strengths are delinquencies in the company’s mortgage loan portfolio and a narrow geographic profile in The Bahamas’ mature life and health market.

Colina enjoys a leading market share in the region in its selected segments and its risk-adjusted capitalization remains adequate relative to its investment and insurance risks. A.M. Best expects a continuation of a normalized level of aggregate profitability based on 2015 performance measures.

Still, general economic headwinds, albeit lessening, within The Bahamas’ economy and high mortgage loan delinquencies continue to pose rating issues for the company in the near to intermediate term. A.M. Best remains concerned over the concentration of real estate investments, mortgage loan exposure and continuing delinquencies of mortgages relative to total stockholders’ equity, but notes that over the past several years the company has decreased its exposure to such asset classes in the aggregate and as a percentage of total invested assets.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings 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. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Best’s Credit Ratings.

A.M. Best is the world’s oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

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