FPIC | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Fitch Ratings has reviewed FPIC Insurance Group's (FPIC) planned
acquisition of Advocate, MD Financial Group, (Advocate) Inc. for $33.6
million in cash with an anticipated close in fourth quarter of 2009 and
expects this transaction will have no impact on FPIC's current rating
and Outlook.
FPIC currently has a 'BBB-' senior debt rating and 'BBB' Issuer Default
Rating (IDR). In addition, FPIC's wholly owned insurance subsidiaries
(see list below) have an 'A-' Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) rating.
All ratings have a Stable Outlook.
Fitch views this transaction to be consistent with FPIC's core business
and operating strategy as a specialty medical malpractice writer. In
particular, this transaction will reduce FPIC's Florida concentration,
which was approximately 80% at year-end 2008, by approximately 10
percentage points and make Texas FPIC's second largest state.
Given the relatively small size of Advocate compared to FPIC and the 1.3
times (x) multiple purchase price to book value the proposed transaction
will have a modest effect on operating leverage. FPIC's statutory
operating leverage which was 0.67x at year-end will rise to a pro forma
0.8x, still within current rating expectations. Since this is an all
cash transaction this will have no impact on debt-to-capital which was
15% as of March 31, 2009. Additionally, this transaction should have
minimal impact on FPIC's strong earnings based interest coverage ratio
which was 15.0x as of March 31, 2009.
Advocate is the fourth largest medical malpractice insurer carrier in
Texas and also writes some medical malpractice insurance in Mississippi.
Advocate was founded in 2003 following the significant tort reform
initiatives in Texas and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Advocate
wrote $25.4 million in direct written premium and had a statutory
surplus of $28.5 million as of year-end 2008.
Fitch has taken no rating action on the following ratings with a Stable
Outlook
FPIC Insurance Group, Inc.
--IDR 'BBB';
--Senior debt 'BBB-';
Fitch has taken no rating on the following 'A-' IFS ratings of the
following companies with a Stable Outlook:
--First Professional Insurance Company
-- Anesthesiologists Professional Assurance Company
--Intermed Insurance Company
--Interlex Insurance Company
Fitch's rating definitions and the terms of use of such ratings are
available on the agency's public site, www.fitchratings.com.
Published ratings, criteria and methodologies are available from this
site, at all times. Fitch's code of conduct, confidentiality, conflicts
of interest, affiliate firewall, compliance and other relevant policies
and procedures are also available from the 'Code of Conduct' section of
this site.
SOURCE: Fitch Ratings
Fitch Ratings, Chicago
Gerald B. Glombicki, 312-606-2354
James B. Auden, 312-368-3146
or
Media Relations:
Brian Bertsch, 212-908-0549, New York
Email: brian.bertsch@fitchratings.com
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