Latest S&P Headlines
All the headlines from our S&P Topic Page, ordered by recency.
S&P Sees No Ratings Change on Validus from Transatlantic Bid
Jul 15 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has said that its “ratings on Validus Holdings Ltd. (BBB/Stable/–) remain unchanged following the insurance company’s unsolicited offer to combine with...
Head of S&P Germany Rejects Euro Zone Criticism
Jul 14 2011 // Standard & Poor’s hit back at criticism over the credit rating agencies’ role in the euro zone debt crisis on Thursday, with its German operations head saying rating agencies would lose credibility if they...
S&P Downgrades 6 Cat Bonds; Removes 10 from Negative CreditWatch
Jul 12 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services today has removed its ratings on 10 natural peril catastrophe bonds from CreditWatch with negative implications. S&P also said it has lowered its “ratings on six of...
S&P: Resilience of French Insurance Industry Will Be Tested Further
Jun 29 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has published a report – “French Insurance Industry Holds Up Under Pressure, But Challenges Still Lie Ahead” – on the challenges the French insurance...
S&P Downgrades Mariah Re’s Notes to ‘CCC+(sf)’; CreditWatch Developing
Jun 28 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its rating on Mariah Re Ltd.’s Series 2010-1 notes to ‘CCC+(sf)’ from ‘B(sf)’. S&P has also revised the CreditWatch status of the...
S&P Reports European Insurers Still ‘Nervous’ Despite Gains
Jun 28 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a report which “discusses why it thinks the European insurance industry seems nervous as it enters the second half of 2011.” The report –...
Aviva’s Accident Recovery Sale to Carlyle Won’t Change Ratings Says S&P
Jun 23 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said that the ratings on the U.K.-based Aviva Group (core operating entities rated AA-/Stable) are unchanged by its agreed sale of breakdown recovery firm RAC to The Carlyle...
S&P Lowers, Withdraws Ratings on First Takaful
Jun 15 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Kuwait’s First Takaful Insurance Co. to ‘BB-‘ from ‘BB+’, and assigned the...
Ratings Recap: PartnerRe (notes), Mariah Re (notes), Montana Re (notes)
Jun 15 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has assigned a debt rating of “bbb” to the $325 million 7.25 percent Series E cumulative preferred shares of Bermuda-base PartnerRe, Ltd. ,with a stable outlook. The proceeds from the issuance...
Ratings Roundup: Attorneys’ Liability, AMI
Jun 9 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Bermuda-based Attorneys’ Liability Assurance Society (Bermuda) Ltd. and its Vermont-based operating unit, Attorneys’ Liability Assurance...
S&P Raises Allied World’s Ratings
Jun 8 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services raised its ratings on Bermuda-based Allied World Assurance Co. Holdings AG and its operating subsidiaries by one notch. The counterparty credit rating on the holding company was...
S&P Affirms Platinum Underwriters and Operating Subs Ratings
Jun 2 2011 // Standard & Poor’s has affirmed its ‘A’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Platinum Underwriters Reinsurance Inc. and Platinum Underwriters Bermuda Ltd. (collectively referred to as...
S&P Lowers Ratings on Residential Re’s Notes to ‘B+’
May 27 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its rating on the Class 2009-1 notes issued by Residential Reinsurance 2009 Ltd. to ‘B+(sf)’ from ‘BB-(sf)’. S&P explained that the...
S&P Sees High Growth Potential for India’s P&C Market
May 26 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has published a report, which concludes that the Indian non-life insurance sector has “substantial growth potential because market penetration remained low–leaving...
S&P Affirms Ratings of HCC; Upgrades Enterprise Risk Management
May 20 2011 // HCC Insurance Holdings Inc., headquartered in Houston, announced that Standard & Poor’s Corp. has affirmed the Financial Strength Ratings of “AA” for the following insurance company subsidiaries:...
Ratings Recap: Keystone, Forestry Mutual, Residential Re, National Unity, Dakota
May 12 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to ‘A+’ (Superior) from’ B++’ (Good) and the issuer credit ratings (ICRs) to “aa-” from “bbb” of Keystone...
S&P Changes Outlook on Navigators to Negative; Affirms Ratings
May 12 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on New York-based Navigators Group Inc. and its insurance units to negative from stable. S&P also affirmed its ‘BBB’ counterparty credit...
S&P: No. Am, Bermuda Insurers Enhancing Enterprise Risk Management Efforts
May 2 2011 // In an article published on its web site Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it has outlined its “updated enterprise risk management (ERM) opinions for all of its rated North American and Bermudan...
S&P: Japan’s Rating Outlook Now Negative on Quake Costs; Affirms Debt Ratings
Apr 27 2011 // Standard and Poor’s threatened to cut Japan’s sovereign credit rating again, warning the huge cost of last month’s devastating earthquake will hurt already weak public finances unless bickering...
CORRECTION: S&P RMS Cat Bond CreditWatch
Apr 19 2011 // Standard & Poor’s has issued a corrective statement concerning one of the cat bond ratings listed in the bulletin it issued on April 18. The Series 2011-1 Class A notes, rated BB+ (sf)/Watch Neg BB+ (sf) issued...
