AM Best affirms Fidelity Life Assurance Company Limited credit ratings

KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 -- Global credit rating agency, AM Best has removed from under review with developing implications and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ‘a-’ (Excellent) of Fidelity Life Assurance Company Limited (Fidelity Life Assurance) (New Zealand). The outlook assigned to these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

According to a statement, the ratings reflect Fidelity Life Assurance’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

These rating actions follow the completion, on Feb 28, of Fidelity Life Assurance’s acquisition of Westpac Banking Corporation’s New Zealand life insurance business, Westpac Life-NZ- Limited (Westpac Life) for NZD 400 million. Following completion, Westpac Life has been renamed as Fidelity Insurance Limited (Fidelity Insurance).

The acquisition, previously announced in July 2021, also includes the establishment of an exclusive 15-year life insurance distribution arrangement with Westpac New Zealand Limited (WNZL) to distribute Fidelity Insurance products to WNZL’s retail customers.

Concurrently, Fidelity Life Assurance successfully closed a capital raise in order to part fund the transaction, with equity raised mainly from its largest existing shareholder, the New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZ Super Fund), and a new investor, Ngāi Tahu Holdings Corporation Limited (Ngāi Tahu). The remaining transaction funding was sourced through advanced commission financing of a newly established reinsurance treaty.

Fidelity Life Assurance’s balance sheet strength assessment is underpinned by its pro-forma consolidated risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), which AM Best expects to remain at the strongest level over the medium term. AM Best also views Fidelity Life Assurance as having good financial flexibility, supported by its two largest shareholders, NZ Super Fund and Ngāi Tahu.

However, AM Best expects the company’s local regulatory solvency position to be maintained at an appropriate level, supported by a robust post-acquisition capital management strategy. A partially offsetting balance sheet factor is Fidelity Life Assurance’s current and prospective high reliance on third-party reinsurance.

AM Best expects consolidated operating performance metrics to remain at a robust level prospectively, supported by continued positive underwriting results of its incumbent and acquired businesses. Whilst AM Best expects some near term expense strain to arise from transaction and integration costs and Fidelity Life Assurance’s substantial investment in systems infrastructure, the increased scale of the combined group is expected to support scale efficiencies over the medium term.

For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

-- BERNAMA