Latest S&P Headlines
All the headlines from our S&P Topic Page, ordered by recency.
S&P Revises Argentina’s Sovereign Debt Rating Outlook to Negative
Apr 24 2012 // Standard & Poor’s revised its outlook on Argentina’s sovereign debt rating to negative from stable on Monday, citing policies that include a government push to seize control of energy company YPF from...
Ratings Agencies Respond to The Hartford’s Plan to Exit Life Insurance
Mar 21 2012 // In response to Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.’s planned exit from some of its life insurance business, Standard & Poor’s Rating Services said it is downgrading the subsidiaries previously aggregated...
Connecticut Urges Other States to Sue Credit Rating Agencies
Mar 8 2012 // Connecticut officials are encouraging other states to consider suing credit-rating agencies that gave high grades to risky mortgage-backed securities that plummeted in value when the housing market collapsed in...
UPDATE: S&P Sees No Rating Change for Ariel Re from C&S Sale to Arch
Mar 6 2012 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has followed up on its analysis of its ratings for Bermuda-based Ariel Reinsurance Co. Ltd. following the announcement that it is selling its Bermuda-based business to Arrow, a...
Best, S&P React to Ariel Re Sale of Bermuda, Zurich Units
Mar 5 2012 // Both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s issued bulletins following the announcement that Ariel Re was selling off its Bermuda-based reinsurance business to Arrow, a unit of investment Bank Goldman Sachs, and its...
S&P: Excess Capital, Strong ERM Give Reinsurers 2011 Cat Loss Cushion
Jan 26 2012 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it is “maintaining its stable outlook on the global reinsurance sector despite the near-record level of catastrophe losses in 2011,” as it...
Workers’ Compensation Turn a Profit? Fahgettaboudit!
Jan 23 2012 // Workers’ compensation carriers with visions of profits over the next few years are dreaming. It ain’t goin’ to happen, according to insurance analysts at Standard & Poors Ratings Services. “All...
S&P Follows up on Euro Zone Rating Actions
Jan 18 2012 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has followed up on the rating actions it announced in December concerning a number of Europe’s largest insurers. S&P has lowered its ratings on the following insurers...
S&P Sees ‘Highs and Lows’ for Canadian P/C Insurers
Dec 13 2011 // As 2011 winds down, Canadian property and casualty (P&C) insurers can “list some notable lows and highs during the year, including unusually large catastrophe losses from wildfires in Slave Lake, Alta., and...
S&P Puts Allianz, Aviva, AXA, Generali, Mapfre Units, 10 Other EU Insurers on CreditWatch/Negative
Dec 12 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings announced that it has placed its ratings on the following insurers (and certain related operating subsidiaries and certain holding companies) on CreditWatch with negative...
Terrorism Risk Still a Concern in Insurer Ratings: S&P
Dec 7 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it continues to view terrorism risk as a critical component in its assessment of an insurer’s financial strength, more than 10 years after the events of Sept. 11,...
S&P Affirms Marsh Mac’s Ratings; Outlook Revised to Stable
Nov 14 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Marsh & McLennan Cos. to stable from negative, and has affirmed its ‘BBB-‘ long-term and ‘A-3’ short-term counterparty...
Ratings Roundup: Torus Specialty, Assurant, National American
Nov 10 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings of “a-” of Torus Specialty Insurance Company and Torus National Insurance Company, both of...
S&P Lowers State Auto Group’s Operating Company Ratings to ‘BBB+’
Nov 10 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on the operating insurance companies of State Auto Group to ‘BBB+’ from ‘A-‘. S&P...
S&P Lowers Outlook on Allstate and Subs to Negative; Affirms Ratings
Nov 3 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Allstate Corp., Allstate Insurance Co. (AIC), and its core property-liability insurance companies (collectively, Allstate Protection), as well as the...
S&P Affirms Montpelier Re Ratings; Outlook Stable
Nov 1 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘BBB’ long-term counterparty credit rating on Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd. and its ‘A-‘ counterparty credit and financial strength...
S&P Upgrades Swiss Re and Core Subsidiaries to ‘AA-‘; Outlook Stable
Oct 31 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Zurich-based reinsurer Swiss Reinsurance Co. Ltd., and its core subsidiaries (collectively...
S&P Further Downgrades Ratings of Mariah Re Notes
Oct 14 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has lowered its rating on Mariah Re Ltd.’s Series 2010-1 notes to ‘CC(sf)’ from ‘CCC(sf)’ and removed the rating from...
Ratings: RetailFirst, ANICO, Mariah Re, German Mutual, Centurion, Mt. Morris
Oct 12 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has assigned a financial strength rating of ‘B++’ (Good) and issuer credit ratings of “bbb+” to RetailFirst Insurance Company and BusinessFirst Insurance Company, collectively referred...
S&P Affirms Nationwide’s ‘A+’ Ratings after Harleysville Buy
Oct 11 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘A+’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. and its property/casualty affiliates (collectively...
