AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of โa+โ (Excellent) of the members of Unum Insurance Group. These companies are the core U.S. life/health (L/H) insurance subsidiaries of Unum Group (Unum) (headquartered in Chattanooga, TN) [NYSE: UNM]. In addition, AM Best has affirmed the Long-Term ICR of โbbb+โ (Good) and the Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings (Long-Term IR) of Unum. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. (See below for a complete listing of the L/H subsidiaries and the Long-Term IRs.)
The ratings reflect Unumโs balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its strong operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
The group maintains the strongest level risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Bestโs Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), favorable liquidity and improved financial flexibility. Unum conservatively manages its investment portfolio and has historically performed well with higher yields than industry benchmarks.
Unum uses reinsurance to strategically manage its balance sheet risk and has continued to execute transactions both internally and externally to reduce its exposure to legacy long-term care business. AM Best notes that Unum has a heavy reliance on reinsurance; however, the company has used its high-quality reinsurance partners to de-risk its balance sheet and does so in conjunction with its hedging program in mitigating interest rate sensitivity.
The group continues to report strong operating performance metrics and has maintained a favorable business profile year over year. Improved investment income in each of the last three years has contributed to the groupโs overall earnings as it continues to report favorable income. AM Best will continue to monitor Unumโs reserve adequacy on its closed block of long-term care business, which if not managed well could have a material impact on Unumโs balance sheet strength and could also impact its income statement.
The FSR of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICRs of โa+โ (Excellent) have been affirmed with stable outlooks for the following life/health subsidiaries of Unum Group:
- Unum Life Insurance Company of America
- Unum Insurance Company
- Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company
- The Paul Revere Life Insurance Company
- Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company
- First Unum Life Insurance Company
- Provident Life and Casualty Insurance Company
- Starmount Life Insurance Company
The following Long-Term IRs have been affirmed with stable outlooks:
Unum Groupโ
- โbbb+โ (Good) on $275 million 3.875% senior unsecured notes, due 2025
- โbbb+โ (Good) on $250 million 6.75% senior unsecured notes, due 2028
- โbbb+โ (Good) on $200 million 7.25% senior unsecured notes, due 2028
- โbbb+โ (Good) on $400 million 4.00% senior unsecured notes, due 2029
- โbbb+โ (Good) on $250 million 7.375% senior unsecured notes, due 2032
- โbbb+โ (Good) on $250 million 5.75% senior unsecured notes, due 2042
- โbbb+โ (Good) on $250 million 5.75% senior unsecured notes, due 2042
- โbbb+โ (Good) on $450 million 4.50% senior unsecured notes, due 2049
- โbbb+โ (Good) on $600 million 4.125% senior unsecured bonds, due 2051
- โbbb+โ (Good) on $400 million 6.0% senior unsecured notes, due 2054
- โbbb-โ (Good) on $300 million 6.25% junior subordinated notes, due 2058
Provident Financing Trust Iโ
- โbbb-โ (Good) on $300 million 7.405% capital securities, due 2038
The following indicative Long-Term IRs under the shelf registration have been affirmed with stable outlooks:
Unum Groupโ
- โbbb+โ (Good) on senior unsecured
- โbbbโ (Good) on subordinated
- โbbb-โ (Good) on preferred stock
Unum Group Financing Trust I and IIโ
- โbbb-โ (Good) on preferred securities
This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bestโs 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 Bestโs 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 Bestโs Credit Ratings, Bestโs Performance Assessments, Bestโs Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bestโs 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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