May 26, 2017
Few parts of the U.S. are as exposed to the threats from climate change as Ocean County, New Jersey. It was here in Seaside Heights that Hurricane Sandy flooded an oceanfront amusement park, leaving an inundated roller coaster as an …
May 3, 2017
Auto-theft rates in Mexico are rising at the fastest pace ever, and authorities are getting worse at tracking down the stolen cars. In March, the number of auto thefts rose 21 percent from the same month a year earlier, according …
August 1, 2016
Fosun Group, one of China’s most acquisitive conglomerates, is preparing to sell as much as 40 billion yuan ($6 billion) in assets as it focuses on raising its credit rating to above junk. After announcing more than $15 billion in …
July 13, 2016
European insurers, whose profits are being eroded by Mario Draghi’s* quantitative easing program, face a stress test headache that risks requiring them to set aside more capital, further hurting their ability to make money. The timing of the regulator’s “stress …
March 29, 2016
Accident avoidance features in vehicles, such as automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure prevention, are becoming more prevalent and will lead to lower accident frequency in the next five-to-10 years, a benefit for auto insurers. Longer term, self-driving …
October 30, 2014
South Korea’s insurers have been told by regulators to boost capital to prepare for an aging population, with the United Nations predicting a world-beating average life expectancy of 95.5 years by the end of the century. The Financial Supervisory Service …
October 29, 2014
A doubling in the trust holdings of China’s insurers has prompted ratings companies to warn the industry may be taking on too much shadow banking default-risk. Insurers held 281 billion yuan ($46 billion) of trust products on June 30, surging …
September 23, 2014
Two insurance rating entities see slowing rate increases for the surplus lines segment in the coming months as competition grows. Moody’s Investors Service said that the U.S. excess and surplus lines sector is experiencing growth and strong profitability, thanks to …
May 19, 2014
Insurance broker Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. (MMC) carries lower financial leverage than peer Aon plc, resulting in a one-notch rating advantage for MMC, according to Moody’s Investors Service in its report, “Why Marsh & McLennan Is Rated Higher than …
November 5, 2013
Moody’s Investors Service announced that it has downgraded the corporate family rating of Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford Ltd. (CGSC) to B3 from B2 “based on challenges in certain international operations, leading to a decline in projected revenues and EBITDA.” …