A.M. Best Upgrades Ratings of Bristol West Insurance Group

A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating to A- (Excellent) from B++ (Very Good) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) to "a-" from "bbb+" of Coast National Insurance Company (California), Bristol West Insurance Company (Pennsylvania), Bristol West Casualty Insurance Company (Ohio) and Security National Insurance Company (Florida), all members of the Bristol West Insurance Group (Bristol West) (Davie, FL).

Concurrently, A.M. Best has upgraded the ICR to "bbb-" from "bb+" of Bristol West Holdings, Inc., the publicly-traded holding company (NYSE: BRW - News). The outlook for all ratings is stable.

The rating upgrades reflect Bristol West's enhanced capitalization and favorable overall operating performance in recent years. Improvement in the group's surplus position has been driven by operating earnings. The group's operating profitability is attributed to management's disciplined underwriting approach, product line expertise and utilization of sophisticated technologies within the pricing, risk selection and claims handling processes.

The rating upgrades also consider the significant investments made in technology to improve risk segmentation, refine pricing, enhance loss reserve monitoring and provide better service to producers and customers. As a result of these initiatives and generally favorable market conditions, operating profits have been reported in each of the past three years.

Bristol West provides non-standard private passenger automobile insurance in 21 states, with California comprising approximately 50% of its direct premiums written. Business, which is marketed through independent producers, is produced by affiliated general agencies.

For Best's Ratings, an overview of the rating process and rating methodologies, please visit www.ambest.com/ratings.

Source: A.M. Best Company (www.ambest.com)

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A statement from Bristol West executives James R. Fisher, Chairman and CEO and Jeffrey J. Dailey, President and COO:

"We are very pleased to announce that A.M. Best has announced an upgrade to the financial strength ratings of Bristol West Holdings, Inc. insurance subsidiaries to "A-", or Excellent.

(Below is a copy of the press release A.M. Best issued earlier.)

Our focus has been to provide you with a stable market with excellent products and service that is delivered to you via cutting edge technological tools. We remain committed to the independent agent and broker market and we truly appreciate your business.

The announcement by A.M. Best represents our third ratings upgrade in the past 2 ½ years, and we are gratified that they recognize the strong financial position of our Company.

We thank you for your continued support of Bristol West."