I’ve been posting these Standard & Poor’s ratings recently where they mention the ERM capabilities of the rated company. In all cases, they are insurance companies. I would really like to see a similar rating announcement for a non-financial organization. There was a time lag of about 18 months (?) from the time S&P issues announced that they would be evaluating ERM capabilities for insurance companies until they opened it up to non-financials, so perhaps, by early 2011 we will begin seeing them.
I am curious what “excellent enterprise risk management” actually means in the statement below.
SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ — Standard & Poor’s has affirmed its financial strength ratings of AAA (Extremely Strong, highest of 21 possible ratings) for USAA, its Property & Casualty (USAA P&C Group) and USAA’s Life Insurance Companies.
As a result, USAA remains one of an elite group of companies to retain the highest ratings from one of the world’s largest and most well-known rating agencies.
In its ratings report on USAA’s P&C Group, Standard & Poor’s cited the association’s “extremely strong competitive position, well-recognized franchise and dominant market presence among members of the U.S. military, conservative investment strategy, extremely strong liquidity, very strong operating results, extremely strong capital adequacy” and its “excellent enterprise risk management.”
Standard & Poor’s also commented on USAA’s life insurance companies, noting the “clear vision and strategy, industry-leading persistency, reflecting superior customer service,” and “low cost structure.”
For complete details about Standard & Poor’s strength rating for USAA, visit USAA.com.