Founded in 1899, AM Best is the world’s first credit rating agency. It all began with the founder working out of a one-room office in New York City and grew to become what is now the largest credit rating agency in the world 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.

The purpose is to strengthen the overall financial condition and operating performance of the insurance industry in support of economic growth and the well-being of all stakeholders through the work in credit ratings and information services.

The mission is to provide accurate, timely and comprehensive information to anyone interested in the creditworthiness of insurance companies and insurance-linked securities.

The vision is to be the world’s most recognized, accepted and respected full service credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry.

AM Best fosters ingenuity, insight and integrity in its people by placing a high value on experience, fairness, focus, innovation and knowledge.

AM Best rating services assesses the creditworthiness of and/or reports on over 16,000 insurance companies worldwide. The credit ratings are independent, indicative and interactive, and summarize opinion on an insurance company’s ability to pay claims, debts and other financial obligations in a timely manner. The commentary, research and analysis provide additional insight.

AM Best information services integrates credit ratings, commentary, research and analysis with insurance news, financial data and thought leadership to help consumers and professionals make more informed personal and business decisions. Customers include agents, brokers, investors, regulators, educators and policyholders interested in measuring and managing insurance-related risks.

AM Best is registered as a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (NRSRO) by the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and as a Credit Rating Provider (CRP) by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) in the US; registered as a Credit Rating Agency (CRA) by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) in the EU, the Hong Kong Securities & Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in Australia, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in Singapore, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) in New Zealand, the Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores (CNBY) in Mexico and the Stock Market Superintendency of Panama (SMV) in Panama; and recognized as a credit rating agency by the Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) in Brazil, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) in Switzerland and the Capital Market Authority (CMA) in Kenya.

In addition, AM Best maintains a licensed representative office in Dubai that is supervised by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). http://www.ambest.com/home/default.aspx