Latest Germany Headlines

S&P Assigns ‘BBB+’ Rating to Germany’s VHV Holding

Jan 12 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has assigned its “BBB+” long-term counterparty credit rating to Germany’s VHV Holding with a stable outlook. S&P said: “The...

10 Die in German Ice Rink Collapse

Jan 3 2006 // At least 10 persons have been confirmed dead, and more are feared to have died, following the collapse of the roof of an ice rink in the Bavarian town of Bad Reichenhall. The BBC reported that at lest 50 people had been...

Allianz Moves Ahead with RAS Merger

Dec 30 2005 // German’s Allianz AG has released a series of documents in furtherance of its plans to merge its German and Italian operations into one European Group. As announced last September (See IJ Website Sept. 13) Allianz...

Guy Carpenter Unveils 2005 Central, Eastern Europe Flood Report

Dec 28 2005 // Guy Carpenter & Company Ltd. reported the release of European Flood Report 2005 – Central and Eastern Europe, a detailed summary and review of 2005 Central and Eastern European flood activity. The report,...

Best Assigns ‘B++’/’bbb’ Ratings to Germany’s WUBA

Nov 24 2005 // A.M. Best Co. announced that it has assigned a financial strength rating of “B++” (Very Good) and an issuer credit rating of “bbb” to German insurer Württembergische und Badische Versicherungs-AG...

S&P Puts Allianz Subs on CreditWatch/Positive Following Consolidation Plan

Nov 23 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has “placed its ‘A-‘ counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Germany-based property/casualty insurer Allianz Marine...

S&P Raises Ratings on German Insurer VHF to “A”; Off CreditWatch

Nov 22 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Rating Services announced that it has “raised to ‘A’ from ‘A-‘ its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength rating on Germany-based car and...

Talanx in Talks to Acquire Gerling’s Primary Operations; S&P, Best Place Ratings Under Review

Nov 9 2005 // Germany’s Talanx AG, which among other interests holds a 51 percent stake in Hannover Re (and consequently Clarendon in the U.S.), is currently in “advanced talks” to acquire the Gerling Group’s...

Allianz Offers $7 Billion for Remaining RAS Shares; Plans Restructuring

Sep 13 2005 // Germany’s Allianz AG announced an offer to shareholders of Riunione Adriatica di Sicurtà (RAS) S.p.A for the approximately 45 percent of the shares it doesn’t already own. At 19 euros ($23.35) per share that...

Sep 5 2005 // Extreme Weather Hits Europe: Devastating wild fires in Portugal; torrential rains in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Romania; drought in much of France. There seems to be no end to the list of extreme weather conditions...

International Newsbriefs

Sep 5 2005 // Extreme Weather Hits Europe: Devastating wild fires in Portugal; torrential rains in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Romania; drought in much of France. There seems to be no end to the list of extreme weather conditions...

Best Affirms Gerling, U.S. Sub Ratings

Aug 18 2005 // A.M. Best Co. announced that it has affirmed the financial strength rating of “A-” (Excellent) of Germany’s Gerling-Konzern Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft (GKA) and its U.S. subsidiary, the...

Best Assigns HDI Sub ‘A’ Ratings

Aug 11 2005 // A.M. Best Co. announced that it has assigned a financial strength rating of “A” (Excellent) and an issuer credit rating of “a” to Germany’s HDI Industrie Versicherung AG (HDI Industrie) with a...

Multi-Nation Report Finds Terror Insurance Lacking; Private Markets’ Coverage Not Enough

Jul 5 2005 // Days after the U.S. Treasury issued its report downplaying the need for renewal of a federal terrorism risk reinsurance program, an organization of 30 democratic countries including the U.S. has warned of shortfalls in...

S&P Raises VHV Ratings to ‘A’

Jun 30 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings to “A” from “A-” on VHV Vereinigte Hannoversche...

GE Solutions Publishes Study of German Reinsurance Market

Jun 8 2005 // GE Insurance Solutions and the Institute of Insurance Economics of Switzerland’s University of St. Gallen have issued a joint study of the German reinsurance market from the point of view of the buyer, the primary...

Best Affirms German Insurer SOVAG’s ‘B++’ Rating

May 9 2005 // A.M. Best Co. announced that it has affirmed the financial strength rating of “B++” (Very Good) of German insurer SCHWARZMEER UND OSTSEE Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft SOVAG (Sovag), with a stable...

European Nations Offer Lessons in Insuring Catastrophes and Terrorism

Apr 18 2005 // GAO Study Explores Examples of How Public-Private Insurance Partnerships Operate A new U.S. government report indicates that the private U.S. insurance industry would be placed under enormous strain without government...

S&P Sees No Effect on Ratings of German Companies Charged with Anti-Trust Violations

Apr 1 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it is “not considering rating actions on the eight rated companies out of the currently ten on which the German antitrust authority (Bundeskartellamt)...

New GAO Study: U.S. Needs Government Help to Insure for Catastrophes and Terrorism

Mar 31 2005 // A new U.S. government report indicates that the private U.S. insurance industry would be placed under enormous strain without government intervention if there were a major terrorist or catastrophic event or series of...