OREANDA-NEWS. A.M. Best has commented that the financial strength ratings of A- (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a-” of the members of National General Group (headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC) are unchanged following the announcement that their ultimate parent, National General Holdings Corp. (NGHC) [NASDAQ: NGHC] (headquartered in New York, NY), will acquire Elara Holdings, Inc., the parent of the members of the Direct General Group (Direct General). The ICR of “bbb-” of NGHC is also unchanged by this announcement. Each of these ratings has a stable outlook.