August 30, 2016
Property/casualty insurers in North America saw their operating income decline by double digits in the first half of 2016, as investment income plunged and catastrophe losses rose. Fitch Ratings looked at 44 insurers and reinsurers that are either publicly traded …
August 12, 2016
Liberty Mutual Group’s ratings outlook has been bumped up to positive from stable at Fitch Ratings, reflecting an acknowledgment of improved operating performance. Fitch also affirmed the financial strength ratings of Liberty Mutual and its subsidiaries at ‘A-‘ and its …
July 14, 2016
Fitch Ratings this week warned that users of insurance ratings from four large credit rating agencies (CRAs) fail to understand differences in the rating scales – differences that separate A.M. Best from the rest of that pack. Specifically, Fitch said …
June 28, 2016
Britain suffered further blows to its economic standing on Monday as two top ratings agencies downgraded its sovereign credit score, judging last week’s vote to leave the European Union would hurt its economy. Standard & Poor’s stripped Britain of its …
June 23, 2016
Fitch Ratings said that newly established transparency about the designation process for globally systemically important insurers (G-SIIs) could help more to proactively stay off the list in the first place. The International Association of Insurance Supervisors, a global standard setting …
June 22, 2016
A new U.K. law, designed to make it harder for insurers to dispute commercial insurance claims, could lead to more intense price competition and slimmer margins for the sector, according to Fitch Ratings. The Insurance Act, due to take effect …
June 8, 2016
A tornado tore through the northeast of Hamburg on Tuesday evening, blowing off the roofs of several buildings, uprooting dozens of trees and damaging cars and a power line as storms that have raged across Europe this month continue to …
June 7, 2016
Insurers will face higher-than-expected claims related to floods in Germany, according to Fitch Ratings, dealing another blow to an industry squeezed by low interest rates and decreasing prices for policies. Claims linked to torrential rain, thunderstorms and floods that hit …
June 6, 2016
Solvency II will increase insurers’ demand for reinsurance products as they seek to strengthen their capital positions via risk transfer, according to a report published by Fitch Ratings. Reinsurance can help reduce volatility or improve the certainty of cash flows, …
May 19, 2016
Underwriting performance for the commercial lines sector of the U.S. property/casualty (P/C) insurance industry is likely to deteriorate in 2016, according to a new report from Fitch Ratings. The expected decline would come on the heels of three straight years …