Latest S&P Headlines
All the headlines from our S&P Topic Page, ordered by recency.
S&P Warns P/C Insurers on Reserving Practices
Jun 3 2010 // Property/casualty (P/C) insurers have turned to releasing significant amounts of reserves in the past couple of years, even as the underlying business conditions have deteriorated, but may have to slow this practice,...
S&P Lowers State Auto Group’s Ratings to ‘A-‘; Outlook Stable
Jun 1 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on the operating insurance companies of State Auto Group to ‘A-‘ from ‘A’. S&P...
Ratings Recap: Hatherley, Attorneys Liability
May 26 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating to ‘A’ (Excellent) from ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating to “a” from “a-” of Bermuda-based Hatherley...
S&P Affirms Hannover Re’s ‘AA-‘ Ratings; Outlook Revised to ‘Stable’
May 24 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on German reinsurer Hannover Rueckversicherung AG (Hannover Re) and on various operating entities to stable from negative. S&P also affirmed the...
S&P Expects Re/Insurance Losses from Gulf Oil Spill to Be Minimal
May 24 2010 // Based on what are so far only preliminary estimates, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it expects insured losses from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico “to be significantly less and be spread among...
Ratings Recap: Ageas (ex-Fortis), Island Heritage, New Century
May 19 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘A-‘ long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on AG Insurance and the operating entities of Millenniumbcp-Fortis Grupo...
S&P Lowers Mercury’s Ratings
May 17 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and senior unsecured debt ratings on Los Angeles-based Mercury General Corp. to ‘BBB+’ from ‘A-‘. S&P also...
S&P Affirms Alterra’s Ratings Following Max Cap, Harbor Point Merger
May 17 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said today that it affirmed its ‘BBB’ counterparty credit rating on Bermuda-based insurance and reinsurance holding company Alterra Capital Holdings Ltd., which was...
Court Says CalPERS May Pursue Lawsuit Against Rating Agencies
May 5 2010 // The largest U.S. public pension fund has won a court ruling allowing it to proceed with its lawsuit accusing the three biggest credit rating agencies of assigning “wildly inaccurate and unreasonably high”...
S&P Affirms AIG’s Ratings; Outlook Still Negative
Apr 2 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘A-/A-1’ counterparty credit ratings on American International Group Inc, as well as its ‘A+’ counterparty credit and financial strength...
S&P Revises Outlook to Stable on Zurich Operating Companies
Apr 1 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has revised the outlooks on the various operating entities of Switzerland’s Zurich Financial Services (collectively ZFS) to stable from negative. ZFS...
S&P Lowers AXA’s Ratings to ‘AA-‘
Apr 1 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Rating Services has lowered its long-term counterparty credit ratings and insurer financial strength ratings on the core entities of France’s AXA group to ‘AA-‘ from...
AXIS Capital Prices $500 Million in Notes; S&P Assigns ‘A-‘ Rating
Mar 22 2010 // Bermuda-based AXIS Capital Holdings Limited announced that its indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary, AXIS Specialty Finance LLC, has priced an offering of $500 million aggregate principal amount of its 5.875 percent Senior...
S&P Revises Hartford’s Outlook to Negative; Debt/Hybrids Assigned Ratings
Mar 17 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘BBB’ issue rating to Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.’s (HIG) proposed $1.1 billion senior debt offering. S&P assigned a...
PartnerRe Prices $500 Million Sr. Notes: S&P Assigns ‘A’ Rating
Mar 15 2010 // Bermuda-based PartnerRe Ltd. announced that it has priced, through its indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary PartnerRe Finance B LLC, $500 million of 10-year fixed rate 5.50 percent Senior Notes, pursuant to its currently...
Fairfax Financial to Buy Remaining Shares of Zenith National Insurance in $1.4 Billion Deal
Mar 8 2010 // Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. and Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Zenith National Insurance Corp. have entered into a merger agreement in which Fairfax will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Zenith...
S&P Analyzes EU’s Proposed Solvency II Regulations on ‘Hybrid Capital’
Mar 5 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has published updated assumptions for assessing European insurance hybrid capital instruments (see “Assumptions: Implications Of Solvency II Proposals For Our European...
S&P Affirms Max Capital and Harbor Point Ratings
Mar 4 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘BBB’ counterparty credit ratings on Bermuda-based insurance and reinsurance holding company Max Capital Group Ltd. and its intermediary...
S&P Puts ‘the Pru’ on CreditWatch / Negative on AIA Acquisition
Mar 2 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its ratings on Prudential PLC and its operating subsidiaries, including the ‘A+’ long-term counterparty credit rating on Prudential, on CreditWatch with...
Ratings Recap: AIA/AIAB, SOVAG, Coface, PhilNaRe, Generali Rueck
Mar 2 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its ‘A+’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on American International Assurance Co. Ltd. (AIA) and American International Assurance Co....
