Latest S&P Headlines
All the headlines from our S&P Topic Page, ordered by recency.
S&P Probes If Reinsurers Are Ready for Another Year of Active Natural Disasters
Aug 1 2018 // After global insured natural catastrophe losses hit record highs in 2017, will reinsurers be able to withstand another year of active natural catastrophes? S&P Global Ratings indicates that while reinsurers are...
S&P Affirms Ratings for AIG with Negative Outlook
May 18 2018 // S&P Global Ratings has affirmed its ‘A+’ insurer financial strength rating and ‘BBB+’ long- and ‘A-2’ short-term issuer credit ratings on American International Group Inc. (AIG), and...
S&P Places AXA on CreditWatch Negative over Its Plans to Buy XL Group for $15.3B
Mar 7 2018 // S&P Global Ratings placed France’s AXA on CreditWatch with negative implications over its planned $15.3 billion purchase of XL Group Ltd. The ratings agency said it is worried about what the mega-deal could do to...
S&P Lowers RenRe Holdings’ Ratings by One Notch on Competitive Pressures
Mar 2 2018 // S&P Global Ratings has lowered the long-term issuer credit rating on Bermuda-based RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (RNR) to “A-” from “A” and its long-term financial strength and issuer credit...
January Reinsurance Renewals Saw Hikes of Up to 5%, with More Expected: S&P
Feb 5 2018 // Global reinsurance pricing in aggregate was flat to up about 5 percent during the January 2018 renewals, and more price hikes can be expected in loss-affected areas during the year, according to S&P Global...
After Catastrophes, ‘Pricing Complacency,’ P/C Insurers Face Real Test in 2018: S&P
Jan 29 2018 // While the U.S. property/casualty insurance sector passed the capital test in 2017, a year with record catastrophe losses, insurers will face the real test in 2018 if catastrophe losses come close to last year’s...
January Renewals Saw Rate Hikes of Up to 5%, with More Expected: S&P
Jan 25 2018 // Global reinsurance pricing in aggregate was flat to up about 5 percent during the January 2018 renewals, and more price hikes can be expected in loss-affected areas during the year, according to S&P Global...
Why Women Are Key to Long-Term U.S. Economic Growth: S&P
Dec 5 2017 // As the U.S. economy continues its over eight-year expansion, analysts at S&P Global say they have an answer as to how to boost GDP growth along with labor force participation and productivity. The answer is women. In a...
Texas’ Hochheim Prairie Farm Mutual Ratings on CreditWatch; Harvey Cited
Nov 29 2017 // S&P Global Ratings has placed its ‘B+’ financial strength ratings for Hochheim Prairie Farm Mutual Insurance Assoc. (HPFMIA) and its subsidiary, Hochheim Prairie Casualty Insurance Co. (HPCIC; collectively...
AIG Reports Q3 Loss on Commercial Lines Reserve Boost, Catastrophe Losses
Nov 3 2017 // Highlighting the development as a “noteworthy item” in an earnings announcement Thursday night, American International Group reported prior-year loss reserve strengthening of $836 million before taxes, which...
UK Faces Bad Deal for Brexit, Gloomy Outlook: S&P, Fitch
Oct 30 2017 // Standard and Poor’s and Fitch held their credit ratings for Britain unchanged on Friday [Oct. 27], but both remained gloomy about the outlook due to the likelihood of the country reaching a bad deal in its divorce...
S&P No Longer Expects Global Re Rate Drops at Jan. 1
Oct 16 2017 // A trio of third-quarter hurricanes and continued catastrophe losses impacting insurers and reinsurers will have a greater impact on reinsurers—and may potentially fuel reinsurance rate hikes at the Jan. 1, 2018 renewal...
Lloyd’s Outlook Is Negative on Hurricane Losses; Ratings Affirmed: S&P
Oct 13 2017 // S&P Global Ratings has revised its outlook on the Society of Lloyd’s to negative from stable, while reaffirming the market’s ‘A+’ insurer financial strength and long-term counterparty credit...
City of Hartford’s Rating Sinks Deeper Into Junk; Agencies Cite Possible Default
Sep 27 2017 // Hartford, Connecticut’s cash-strapped capital city, suffered a fresh round of credit rating downgrades deeper into junk territory by two Wall Street credit agencies on Tuesday, a day after the city’s bond...
S&P Says Latest Republican Health Plan’s Flexibility for States Comes at Cost to Economy
Sep 26 2017 // A report by Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings said on Monday that the Senate Republicans’ latest proposed healthcare bill designed to replace Obamacare would lead to less federal funding and more flexibility...
S&P Assigns Odyssey Re Europe with ‘A-‘ Rating, Stable Outlook
Sep 25 2017 // S&P Global Ratings has assigned its ‘A-‘ long-term financial strength rating to Odyssey Re Europe S.A. (ORESA), with a stable outlook. The rating on ORESA is based on an explicit guarantee provided by...
Harvey Hits Home
Sep 4 2017 // As a native Texan, my heart hurts for the thousands of people and business owners affected by Hurricane Harvey. Family, friends and business associates in the Lonestar State will be dealing with the aftermath for years to...
S&P: Primary P/C Insurers, Not Reinsurers, to Bear Brunt of Harvey’s Insured Losses
Aug 29 2017 // While it’s too early to accurately quantify the insured losses related to Hurricane Harvey, primary insurance carriers — as opposed to reinsurers — would retain the majority of losses, according to analysts at...
Reinsurers More Likely to Report Natural Disaster Underwriting Losses: S&P
Aug 15 2017 // Things could get rougher for global reinsurers if annual natural catastrophe claims keep moving closer to the long-term average, Standard & Poor’s said in a new report. It turns out that upward trend has been...
Sign of the Times – Brokers vs. Carriers on a Classic Soft Market
Jul 24 2017 // Brokers vs. Carriers on a Classic Soft Market Chief executive officers of property/casualty insurance brokers and P/C insurance carriers called each other out in June for engaging in activities they said were...
