AM Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of B+ (Good) and the long-term issuer credit rating of “bbb-” (Good) of island-based Orion Reinsurance (Bermuda) Ltd.

The outlook of these credit ratings is stable.

The agency said that the ratings reflect Orion Re’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

The ratings also reflect the company’s strongest risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best’s capital adequacy ratio, and the expertise of its management team.

Partially offsetting these positive rating factors, the agency said, is the small size of the company, which limits business diversification given the inherent concentration risk.

Orion Re was founded in December 2004, and licensed by the Bermuda Monetary Authority to act as a Class 3 insurer without restrictions of any kind in its class.

The company’s main line of business is difference in conditions insurance, but the company also retains specific life and non-life insurance business, AM Best said.

Orion Re has experience and recognition in the public services industry as well as strategic alliances to support recognised Latin American reinsurers.

As of last December, the company’s gross written premiums were concentrated in Colombia and Mexico, with the rest in nine other countries, primarily throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, the agency said.

Orion Re’s growth has fluctuated over the past five years, which is consistent with the small size of the company.

AM Best said that premium sufficiency has yet to be achieved. However, the company has maintained marginally profitable bottom-line results, which are expected to improve as the company’s business expands.

The results are also supported by the income from the rent-a-captive business, which has presented a consistent growth over the past years, AM Best said.

Orion Re’s risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by BCAR, has shown improvement in the past two years, mainly as a result of a more conservative approach in the investment policies, which reduced asset risk.

However, due to the company’s size and operation, the scores are sensitive to changes in its balance sheet structure and Orion Re’s premium volume, the agency said.

AM Best does not expect positive rating actions in the medium term.

The agency said that negative rating actions could occur if premium growth, changes in the investment and/or underwriting risk profile, or deteriorating operating results reduce risk-adjusted capitalisation to a level that no longer supports the ratings.