Latest S&P Headlines
All the headlines from our S&P Topic Page, ordered by recency.
S&P Puts 17 Cat Bonds on CreditWatch/Negative Due to RMS Model Change
Apr 18 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its ratings on 17 natural peril catastrophe bonds (listed below) on CreditWatch with negative implications. S&P explained that it took the action following...
U.S. Credit Outlook Cut by S&P on Deficit Concerns
Apr 18 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Monday downgraded its credit outlook for the United States, citing a risk that policymakers may not reach agreement on a plan to slash the huge federal budget deficit. While the credit rating...
Credit Raters Triggered Financial Crisis, Says Senate Report
Apr 14 2011 // Moody’s Corp. and Standard and Poor’s triggered the worst financial crisis in decades when they were forced to downgrade the inflated ratings they slapped on complex mortgage-backed securities, a U.S....
Willis Re Upbeat on S&P’s New Insurer Capital Model
Apr 4 2011 // After several years of uncertainty, coupled with no small amount of angst, Willis Re, the reinsurance broker for Willis Group Holdings, has published a reassuring report on Standard & Poor’s new criteria for...
Cat Bond Investors Braced for Japan Disaster Hit
Mar 30 2011 // The Japanese earthquake is set to be the first natural disaster that triggers a number of catastrophe bonds, surpassing Hurricane Katrina to become the event with the biggest impact on the alternative reinsurance...
S&P Puts Montana Re Cat Bonds on CreditWatch Negative after Japan Quake
Mar 28 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its ‘B- (sf)’ rating on Montana Re Ltd.’s Class E notes on CreditWatch with negative implications. The notes, totaling $210 million, were originally...
S&P: Outlook Negative on 9 Japanese P/C Insurers; Ratings Affirmed
Mar 25 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has conducted a detailed analysis of 15 Japanese P/C insurers, and has made several adjustments in its ratings following the earthquake and tsunami, which hit the country on...
S&P Says Rating Actions on Japan Insurers Unlikely
Mar 21 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Tokyo office has issued a comment noting that by some estimates the total damages from the March 11 Japanese earthquake and the fires and tsunami that followed “could hit at least $100...
S&P: EU Ruling on Gender Discrimination Likely to Have a ‘Neutral’ Effect
Mar 9 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a bulletin analyzing last week’s European Court Of Justice ruling that prohibits gender-based discrimination in the calculation of insurance premiums and...
S&P: Capital Remains ‘Key Rating Consideration’ for Multiline Insurers
Mar 1 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said that in its opinion “global multiline insurers’ (GMIs) capital positions have recovered significantly since 2008.” In an article entitled...
S&P Lowers Chartis’ Ratings to ‘A’; Outlook Changed to Stable
Mar 1 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on American International Group Inc.’s (AIG) Chartis operating subsidiaries to ‘A’ from...
S&P Announces Rating Actions in Wake of Bahrain Unrest
Feb 28 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has affirmed its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Hannover ReTakaful B.S.C. (Hannover ReTakaful), Trust International...
S&P Reports Outlook for Int’l. Marine P&I Clubs is Stable
Feb 14 2011 // “The outlook for the international marine protection & indemnity (P&I) industry is looking stable, with all clubs in 2010 reporting a post-tax surplus for the first time since 1998,” said a bulletin...
Ratings Recap: Westaim/Jevco, GCAN, Euro Arab
Feb 11 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘B++’ (Good) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb” of Jevco Insurance Company, which is based in Quebec. At the same time Best affirmed...
S&P Sees No Rating Change for AIG from $4.1 Billion Charge
Feb 11 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that its ratings on American International Group Inc. (A-/Negative/A-2) and AIG’s insurance subsidiaries “are not affected by the company’s...
S&P Revises Outlook on UK’s Aviva: Ratings Affirmed
Feb 10 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Aviva PLC, the holding company of the U.K.-based global multiline insurance group Aviva, and the majority of its operating entities, to stable from...
S&P Puts AXA Insurance on CreditWatch After Ireland Ratings Downgrade
Feb 7 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said today that it placed its ‘BBB+’ long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on AXA Insurance Ltd. on CreditWatch with negative...
S and P Lowers Aviva Insurance Ratings from ‘A+’ to ‘A-‘ After Ireland Downgrade
Feb 4 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Aviva Insurance Europe SE (Aviva SE) to ‘A-‘ from ‘A+’. In...
S&P Japan Ratings Downgrade Hits Insurers
Jan 28 2011 // Yesterday Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it had lowered its sovereign rating on Japan to ‘AA-‘ from ‘AA’. The rating agency followed up that action by announcing that it...
S&P Publishes Updated Insurers’ Economic Capital Models
Jan 26 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has published its updated methodology for assessing insurers’ economic capital models on Jan. 24, 2011. S&P said the announced criteria “apply to all the life...
