A.M. Best Affirms Ratings of Subsidiary of AmTrust Financial Services, Inc.

A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of A (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of “a” of Comp Options Insurance Company, Inc. (Comp Options) (Jacksonville, FL). The outlook for both ratings is stable.

The ratings affirmation follows the completed acquisition of Comp Options by AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. (AFSI) [NASDAQ: AFSI] and reflects the explicit support provided by AFSI’s Bermuda subsidiary, AmTrust International Insurance, Ltd., in the form of an intercompany quota share agreement that was executed following the receipt of regulatory approval. All remaining ratings of AFSI and its subsidiaries are unchanged. (Please see A.M. Best’s press release dated May 30, 2014 here.)

The methodology used in determining these ratings is Best’s Credit Rating Methodology, which provides a comprehensive explanation of A.M. Best’s rating process and contains the different rating criteria employed in the rating process. Best’s Credit Rating Methodology can be found at www.ambest.com/ratings/methodology.

Key insurance criteria reports utilized:

• Analyzing Insurance Holding Company Liquidity
• Catastrophe Analysis in A.M. Best Ratings
• Equity Credit for Hybrid Securities
• Insurance Holding Company and Debt Ratings
• Rating Members of Insurance Groups
• Risk Management and the Rating Process for Insurance Companies
• The Treatment of Terrorism Risk in the Rating Evaluation
• Understanding BCAR for Property/Casualty Insurers

This press release relates to rating(s) 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 visit A.M. Best’s Ratings & Criteria Center.

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

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