Latest S&P Headlines

All the headlines from our S&P Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Platinum’s Ratings Remain on CW Positive Pending RenRe Acquisition: S&P

Feb 25 2015 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has maintained its ‘BBB’ long-term counterparty credit rating on Bermuda-based Platinum Underwriters Holdings Ltd. on CreditWatch with positive implications.S&P...

Reinsurers’ Shopping Spree Won’t Slow Down Falling Rates – S&P Report

Feb 18 2015 // In a recent report Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it anticipated further mergers and acquisitions in the global reinsurance industry. The report – “Reinsurers’ Shopping Spree...

Affordable Care Act Startups in Poor Financial Health

Feb 10 2015 // Obamacare’s startup health insurance plans are flirting with financial distress, as all but five of the 23 nonprofit companies had negative cash flow from operations in the first three quarters of 2014, Standard...

Proposed XL Acquisition of Catlin Gets Review From Rating Agencies

Jan 12 2015 // A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s have weighed in with their comments about XL Group’s announced agreement to acquire Catlin Group Ltd. for $4.1 billion in cash and stock.A.M. Best placed the financial...

Revised TRIA Law Could Harm Small Insurers, Warns S&P

Jan 11 2015 // Standard & Poor’s offered a note of caution about the reauthorization of the federal terrorism reinsurance program, warning that changes made by Congress to boost co-insurance and deductibles could hurt small...

Litmus Analysis on S&P’s Decision to Withdraw ‘Public Information’ Ratings

Nov 6 2014 // A report from London-based Litmus Analysis examines the decision by Standard & Poor’s to withdraw “its entire North American and EMEA ‘pi’ (public information based) insurance ratings. This...

Litmus: More Bearish Ratings Expected for Reinsurance Sector

Oct 21 2014 // Since January the rating agencies have become increasingly negative on their outlook for ratings in the reinsurance sector overall, while in practice affirming or even increasing individual reinsurer* ratings. Standard and...

S&P: Global Multiline Insurers’ Credit Quality to Stay Strong in 2015

Oct 21 2014 // Global multiline insurers (GMI) continue to show strong credit quality, according to Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services.S&P provided an overview of the GMI sector in an article titled “Global Multiline...

S&P to Publish Annual ‘Global Reinsurance Highlights’ Report

Sep 10 2014 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services will publish its annual “Global Reinsurance Highlights” publication to coincide with the 2014 Reinsurance Rendezvous in September. It will provide a detailed...

S&P Report Warns Reinsurers Not to Ignore Global Impact of Climate Change

Sep 3 2014 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has announced the publication of its annual “Global Reinsurance Highlights” to coincide with the 2014 Reinsurance Rendezvous in September.S&P said the...

S&P Lowers Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford Ratings to ‘B-‘; Outlook Stable

Sep 2 2014 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its long-term corporate credit rating on London-based global wholesale and reinsurance broker, Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford (CGSC) to ‘B-‘ from...

S&P Report Urges ‘Disaster Resilience’ with Governments for Reinsurers’ Growth

Aug 28 2014 // Standard & Poor’s Rating Services announced the publication of its “Global Reinsurance Highlights” to coincide with the 2014 Reinsurance Rendezvous in September. S&P described the report as...

QBE Wins Time for Cleanup as Plan Reduces Risk: Australia Credit

Aug 27 2014 // QBE Insurance Group Ltd.’s John Neal is shoring up the insurer’s balance sheet by selling shares and assets. He still has work to do convincing bond investors that business is improving after three profit...

Tough Competition Could Pressure Global Reinsurers Ratings: S&P Report

Aug 15 2014 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it will publish its annual “Global Reinsurance Highlights” to coincide with the 2014 Reinsurance Rendezvous in September.The report “will...

S&P Report Finds Volume Increases as Prices Drop in the ILS Market

Jul 29 2014 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services will publish its annual “Global Reinsurance Highlights” publication to coincide with the 2014 Reinsurance Rendez-Vous in September. S&P said the report would...

S&P Raises Liberty Mutual’s Ratings; Outlook Revised to Stable on NICO Deal

Jul 21 2014 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has raised its ratings on Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. to ‘A/A-1’ from ‘A-/A-2’, as well as its ratings on parent company Liberty...

S&P Scores Global P/C Reinsurance Sector Risk As ‘Intermediate’

Jul 21 2014 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued an intermediate insurance industry and country risk assessment (IICRA) score on the global property and casualty reinsurance sector. The report “Insurance...

Why Isn’t Current Pricing Pain Impacting Reinsurers’ Ratings? – Litmus Analysis

Jul 16 2014 // Since the disappointing pricing at the 1.1. renewal the bad news on reinsurance pricing has kept on coming. April, June and July renewals were all reported as materially down by the major brokers.S&P adopted a...

S&P Affirms Argo Group US & Operating Companies Ratings; Outlook Stable

Jul 16 2014 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on U.S.-based intermediary holding company Argo Group US Inc. (AGUS) and its U.S. operating subsidiaries to stable from negative.S&P also affirmed...

S&P Green Lighting Climate Risk Mitigation

Jul 10 2014 // How a company manages its risk in the face of a changing global climate is slated to become an ever-greater factor in a company’s worth.Today’s business leaders, whether or not they believe in climate change,...