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Chronology of the A.M. Best Company
The Insurance Information Source

1899 - December 14th

  • Alfred Magilton Best incorporated the Alfred M. Best Company, Inc. in New York, with an office in Manhattan's Insurance District.

1900

1904

  • Determined the losses of fire insurance companies affected by the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 and published first-hand reports in Best's Insurance News (Best's Review).

1905

  • Acquired Insurers Reporting Company.

1906

  • Printed the first ratings of property and casualty insurance companies in the selectively available "Confidential List of Surplus Line Companies and Associations."
  • Determined the losses of fire insurance companies involved in the San Francisco Earthquake and Conflagration of 1906. Published first-hand reports in Best's Insurance News (Best's Review).
  • Introduced Best's Life Insurance Reports as a result of the Armstrong Committee's investigation of the life insurance business. Now known as Best's Insurance Reports®--Life/Health, United States & Canada, currently available in print, CD-ROM and online.
  • Introduced Best's Life Insurance News as a monthly supplement to Best's Life Insurance Reports (Best's Insurance Reports®--Life/Health, United States & Canada). Now known as Best's Review®, currently available in print, CD-ROM and online.

1907

1920

  • Purchased and relocated to 75 Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan. The Best Building would remain the company's headquarters for forty-five years.

1925

1928

1929

1930

1936

  • Acquired Safety Magazine Publishing Corp.

1940

1947

  • Acquired Illinois-based life insurance industry publisher Flitcraft, Inc.

1953

  • Introduced property/casualty and life/health editions of Best's Weekly News Digest. Now known as BestWeek® US/Canada, currently available in print and online.

1958

  • Alfred M. Best named Insurance Man of the Year by the Federation of Insurance Counsel (now the FDCC.)
  • Alfred Magilton Best passed away in Manhattan at the age of 81.

1962

1964

1965

  • Incorporated in New Jersey and relocated to Morristown, New Jersey.

1968

1969

1974

1975

1976

1980

1982

1984

  • Introduced A.M. Best Electronic Retrieval Service, the online database now known as BestLink®.

1985

1986

1990

1991

1992

1993

  • Held the first annual Review & Preview conference, based on the study published each January as a Best's Special Report.
  • Introduced Best's Managed Care Reports: HMO. Now much of this information can be found online through Best's Health Center.

1994

1995

1996

  • Launched ambest.com, the A.M. Best website.
  • Introduced property/casualty and life/health editions of Best's Pocket Key Rating Guide® as a bonus with purchase of Best's Key Rating Guide. Available in print.

1997

1998

1999

2000

  • The size of the Oldwick, New Jersey facility doubled with the construction of a second building.
  • Introduced property/casualty and life/health editions of Best's WinTrac: Canada. Now known as Best's Statement File--Property/Casualty, Canada and Best's Statement File--Life/Health, Canada, available on CD-ROM and online through BestLink.
  • Introduced daily online news service BestDay®, available via e-mail and through the Best's Insurance News & Analysis Web site.
  • Combined property/casualty and life/health editions of Best's Review® into a single edition. Available in print and online.

2001

  • Introduced a full online edition of BestWeek® US/Canada, now available in print and online.
  • Combined property/casualty and life/health editions of BestWeek into a single edition. Now known as BestWeek® US/Canada, available in print and online.
  • Introduced Best's Special Reports and Best's Statistical Studies online. Currently available online; selected special reports are available in print.
  • Introduced Best's Pocket Key Rating Guide--Canada. Available in print.
  • Introduced company-tracking system BestDirect, now known as BestAlert® Service.

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

  • Launched Best's Library Center, an online service available exclusively to public and academic libraries.
  • A.M. Best Europe Ltd. divided into A.M. Best Europe - Rating Services Ltd. and A.M. Best Europe - Information Services Ltd.

2011

2012

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