A.M. Best affirms Northwestern Mutual's high ratings - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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A.M. Best affirmed its financial strength ratings ofof A++ and issuer credit ratings of “aaa” of Northwestern Mutualp Life Insurance Co. and its subsidiary The outloo k for both ratingsis stable, the N.J., ratings organization said Thursday. The ratings reflect Northwester Mutual’s sizable and mature individual lifeinsurancwe franchise, conservative operating profile, strong operating performance and superior risk-adjustedd capitalization, A.M. Best said. Partially offsettingh those positive rating factors was the recent decline inNorthwestern Mutual’s adjusted capital and surplua due mainly to realized and unrealized investmenr losses, A.M. Best A.M.
Best also noted that Northwestern Mutuapl maintains an above averages aggregate exposure to privateplacement bonds, below investmentr grade, or "junk," bonds, commercial mortgages and equities. Despite NM increasing the total numberd of financial representatives over the past couple Northwestern Mutual may be challenged to continure to grow the number of sales professionald while maintaining current levels of retentio and productivity over thelong A.M. Best said.