A.M. Best said April 1 that it revised the issuer credit ratingoutlook to positive from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of Aand the issuer credit rating of "a" of Validus Reinsurance Ltd.

The ratings reflects Validus Re's strong risk-adjusted capitalization,solid operating performance since inception, experienced management team and excellententerprise risk management program, the rating agency said.

A.M. Best downgraded the issuer credit rating to "a"from "a+" and affirmed the A financial strength rating of Validus subsidiariesWestern World Insurance Co.,Stratford Insurance Co.and Tudor Insurance Co.to align the issuer credit ratings of subsidiaries with that of Validus Re. Theoutlook for each of the issuer credit ratings was revised to positive from stable.The outlook for the financial strength ratings remains stable.

The rating agency said the ratings of Validus Re were extendedto Western World Insurance, Stratford Insurance and Tudor Insurance because of thestrategic importance to the group, the support provided through a material quotashare agreement with Validus Re and the expected support of future parental commitment.

A.M. Best also affirmed the "bbb" issuer credit ratingand issue ratings of the ultimate parent company, Validus Holdings Ltd., and revised the outlook to positivefrom stable for each of these ratings. The rating agency also affirmed the A financialstrength rating and the "a" issuer credit rating of Validus Reinsurance (Switzerland) Ltd., with a stable outlook.

The positive outlooks reflect the rating agency's expectationsthat the group will continue to produce consistent long-term operating results relativeto its peers and maintain excellent risk-adjusted capitalization.