Amwins is first to receive AM Best’s PA-1 score, reflecting the highest standards for underwriting excellence

Amwins, a global distributor of specialty insurance products and services, has received AM Best’s highest assessment score for its delegated underwriting authority enterprises (DUAEs) across the firm.  Launched this year, AM Best's Performance Assessment (PA) for Delegated Underwriting Authority Enterprises (DUAEs) is a comprehensive analysis consisting of quantitative and qualitative assessments of Underwriting Capabilities, Governance and Internal Controls, Financial Condition, Organizational Talent and Depth and Breadth of Relationships. PA scores range from the highest (PA-1) to lowest (PA-5), and Amwins is the first PA-1 score granted to any of AM Best’s clients.

“Amwins has invested significantly in our underwriting capabilities over the last several years, working across programs and platforms to deliver the best for our carrier partners and our clients,” said Scott Purviance, chief executive officer at Amwins. “Those who think of Amwins as a brokerage business would be surprised to know we underwrite $4.1B in premium volume. Our underwriting programs and products have established a track record for providing data-backed solutions across multiple industries and lines of business serving clients of all shapes and sizes.”

With underwriting capabilities spread across multiple divisions, Amwins is a trusted partner to more than 100 markets and boasts 550 dedicated underwriters that support more than 100 niche programs. Data and analytics are a crucial component of the Amwins underwriting approach and are embedded in our underwriting technology platform.

“AM Best’s new DUAE assessment methodology provides a platform for MGUs seeking to differentiate themselves in the industry,” said Mark Bernacki, chief underwriting officer at Amwins. “Collaboration across key Amwins touchpoints paints a compelling picture of the strength of our underwriting capabilities, and our PA-1 score shows how capable our underwriters and DUAEs are, the technology capabilities we have in-house, the strength of our financial and loss ratio performance and our unparalleled access to internal and external distribution networks.” 

AM Best recognizes the wide-ranging nature of strategic capabilities and considers the scale of a DUAE’s competitive advantage, how such advantages will be sustained and leveraged and how new advantages are generated. Amwins implements innovative strategies in building and scaling our underwriting infrastructure and tools, along with our experienced team of underwriters, actuaries and CAT modelers to deliver profitable underwriting results for our carrier partners.  

About AM Best
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.