Latest QBE Headlines

All the headlines from our QBE Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Best Announces Rating Actions on QBE Group

Sep 21 2004 // A.M. Best Co. announced that it has assigned an issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb+” to Australia’s QBE Insurance Group Limited, the non-operating holding company of the QBE group of companies.Best also...

Fitch Downgrades QBE Group to Long-term ‘A’

Sep 13 2004 // Fitch Ratings announced from London that it has downgraded Australia’s QBE Insurance Group Limited’s Long-term rating to ‘A’ from ‘A+’. Fitch also it expects to assign an “A”...

Zurich Singapore Sale to QBE Completed

Jul 1 2004 // Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich) announced the completion of the sale of 100 percent of the share capital of Zurich Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (Zurich Singapore) to QBE Insurance (International) Limited...

S&P Lowers Mercantile Mutual Rating

Jul 1 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has lowered its insurer financial strength and counterparty ratings on Australian insurer Mercantile Mutual Insurance Ltd. (MMIA) “A+” from...

S&P Affirms Two QBE Operating Units ‘A+’ Ratings

May 28 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has affirmed its ‘A+’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Australia’s QBE Reinsurance Corp. (QBE Re) and QBE Insurance...

Zurich to Sell Singapore Operations to Australia’s QBE

May 24 2004 // Zurich Financial Services Group announced that it has signed an agreement with Australia’s QBE Insurance (International) Limited for QBE to acquire 100 percent of the share capital of Zurich Insurance (Singapore)...

S&P Places Mercantile Mutual on CreditWatch-Negative

May 14 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has placed its “AA-” counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Mercantile Mutual Insurance (Australia) Ltd. “on...

ING Posts Q1 Gains in all Sectors Gains; Will Sell Australian Business to QBE

May 13 2004 // Holland’s ING Group made a strong start for 2004, announcing a 32 percent rise in operating net profits to 1.191 billion euros ($1.41 billion) or 57 euro cents ($0.67) per share. Overall net profits increased to...

QBE the Americas Licenses FormsPlus

Feb 16 2004 // Allen Beggs, president and co founder of Valencia, Calif.-based QualCorp,Inc. announced that QBE the Americas (“QBE”) has licensed the FormsPlus Enterprise product.QBE will use the FormsPlus Enterprise...

A.M. Best Affirms Rating of QBE Re Group – U.S.

Nov 28 2003 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of A (Excellent) of QBE Re Group – U.S. (QBE) (New York, N.Y.). This rating applies to QBE Reinsurance Corporation (Philadelphia) and its subsidiaries, QBE...

QBE Strengthens Capital with $250 Million Debt Issue

Apr 10 2002 // Australia’s QBE Insurance group has completed a 20-year convertible debt issue of U.S. $250 million, which the company said would be used to pay off some existing bank loans and to strengthen its balance sheet. QBE,...

Australia’s QBE Posts $13 Million Loss for 2001

Mar 13 2002 // QBE, the Australian insurer, which actually derives over 80 percent of its business from outside the country, ended its 20 year record of increasing profits with the announcement that of a $13 million loss for 2001. Right...

A.M. Best Affirms QBE Group Ratings

Jan 16 2002 // In three separate, but related, actions A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the A- (Excellent) financial strength rating of QBE Reinsurance Europe, QBE International Insurance Ltd. and another subsidiary, Iron Trades Ins. Co. Ltd....

QBE, RenRe Make Public Share Offerings

Oct 16 2001 // Australia’s QBE and Bermuda’s RenaissanceRe have launched public offerings of their shares in an effort to raise additional capital. QBE, which controls around 8 percent of the Lloyd’s market, and is...

Trading in QBE Shares Suspended

Sep 20 2001 // The Australian Stock Exchange halted trading in the shares of insurer QBE Insurance Group Ltd. in response to the sharp drop in their value following the announcement of QBE’s exposure to large losses from the...

S&P Downgrades QBE’s Underwriting Units

Sep 19 2001 // The underwriting entities which make up Australia’s QBE Group became the first insurers to be downgraded by Standard & Poor’s following its assessment of the group’s exposure to the World Trade...

QBE Expects Large Losses from U.S. Disaster

Sep 18 2001 // Australia’s QBE has acknowledged that it stands to be hit hard by disaster losses in the U.S. after last Tuesday’s terrorist attacks. As yet it’s released no figures, but has said that the losses would be...

Australia’s QBE Posts Profit Gains for 1st Half

Aug 30 2001 // Helped by recent acquisitions, QBE Insurance, Australia’s second largest general insurer after NRMA, posted a strong 56 percent gain in interim net profits to A$122 million (U.S.$64.4 million) for the first half of...

Swiss Re, Tokio Marine Conclude $450 Million Cat Swap

Aug 15 2001 // QBE Reinsurance Corporation announced that its parent, QBE Insurance Group Limited, had made an additional capital contribution of $50 million. The contribution increases the policyholders’ surplus of QBE Reinsurance...

QBE To Realign Lloyd’s Syndicates, Increase Capacity

Jun 27 2001 // Australia’s QBE announced that it plans to rearrange its interests in several Lloyd’s syndicates managed by its wholly owned subsidiary Limit plc, and will increase their underwriting capacity. The syndicates...