AM Best Assigns Performance Assessment to Gridiron Insurance Underwriters, Inc. and Its Subsidiary

For best results when printing this announcement, please click on link below: AM Best Assigns Performance Assessment to Gridiron Insurance Underwriters, Inc. and Its Subsidiary AM Best has assigned a Performance Assessment (assessment) of PA-2 (Excellent) to Gridiron Insurance Underwriters, Inc. (Gridiron) (Plantation, FL) and Signature Specialty, LP (Signature) (Plantation, FL). Signature is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gridiron.

The outlook assigned to the assessment is stable. The assessment reflects Gridiron’s exceptional underwriting capabilities, excellent governance and internal controls, strong financial condition, excellent organizational talent and excellent depth and breadth of relationships. Gridiron is a managing general underwriter providing specialized commercial insurance programs, including inland marine, property, general liability, excess liability and flood.

The assessment considers Gridiron and its majority-owned subsidiary, Signature on a consolidated basis, reflecting their operational integration and shared underwriting resources, management oversight and carrier relationships. Gridiron’s exceptional underwriting capabilities are supported by specialized product expertise, disciplined risk selection and favorable reported underwriting results. Management has demonstrated a willingness to reduce business where pricing does not meet its underwriting objectives rather than pursue premium growth.

Proprietary data and analytics, actuarially supported product development and regular catastrophe and accumulation monitoring support underwriting decisions. The company’s internally developed platform automates policy administration and enhances underwriting efficiency and ongoing performance monitoring. AM Best considers Gridiron’s governance and internal controls to be excellent. Policies and procedures are tailored to the size and scope of operations and clearly delineate roles and responsibilities.

Regular underwriting authority reviews, internal underwriting reviews, transaction reconciliations and external carrier audits support oversight. Profit-commission arrangements align Gridiron’s interests with carrier underwriting performance, while information security and business continuity procedures provide additional support to the control environment. The assessment also considers key-person dependence arising from the active involvement of a small number of senior executives. Gridiron’s financial condition is assessed as strong, supported by a consistent record of profitable operations, positive cash flow generation, growth in net worth and the absence of debt.

Earnings are supported by recurring commission and fee income, supplemented by profit commissions. The assessment also considers the company’s customer concentration, partly reflecting ongoing consolidation among distribution partners, together with the scope of its external financial reporting. Overall, these factors are balanced by the company’s demonstrated earnings and cash flow stability. AM Best assesses Gridiron’s organizational talent as excellent.

The company benefits from experienced senior management and product leadership, with clearly defined responsibilities and close involvement in underwriting and program development. Its emphasis on recruiting and developing talent internally supports consistency of underwriting culture and provides opportunities for advancement. Gridiron’s depth and breadth of relationships are considered excellent, supported by longstanding partnerships with highly rated carriers and a portfolio of established and developing niche programs.

Core carrier relationships extend beyond a decade, and carrier partners have directed additional business to Gridiron, reflecting the value of its underwriting and servicing capabilities. The strategic relationship with Signature Risk Partners provides additional niche expertise and opportunities to broaden carrier and distribution relationships. Geographic concentration within certain programs is a moderating factor. The stable outlook reflects AM Best’s expectation that Gridiron will maintain favorable underwriting performance for its carrier partners and preserve its longstanding relationships while continuing to pursue growth in a disciplined manner.

This press release relates to Performance Assessments that have been published on AM Best’s website. For all information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the Performance Assessments referenced in this release, please see AM Best’s website. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Performance Assessments, please view Guide to Best’s Performance Assessments for Delegated Underwriting Authority Enterprises ( ).

For information on the proper use of Best’s Credit Ratings, Best’s Performance Assessments, Best’s Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best’s Ratings & Assessments 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. For more information, visit