Latest S&P Headlines

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

S&P to Factor Country Risk into Insurance Ratings

Jun 1 2012 // Standard & Poor’s will change the way it assigns global ratings to insurers, in part to increase the consideration of country risk in the way a company is evaluated, the credit ratings agency said on Thursday.The...

S&P Lowers India’s Rating Outlook to Negative; Investment Rating in Peril

Apr 25 2012 // Standard & Poor’s cut India’s credit rating outlook on Wednesday to negative from stable, reflecting the toll that hefty fiscal and current account deficits and political paralysis are exacting on...

S&P Revises Argentina’s Sovereign Debt Rating Outlook to Negative

Apr 24 2012 // Standard & Poor’s revised its outlook on Argentina’s sovereign debt rating to negative from stable on Monday, citing policies that include a government push to seize control of energy company YPF from...

Ratings Agencies Respond to The Hartford’s Plan to Exit Life Insurance

Mar 21 2012 // In response to Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.’s planned exit from some of its life insurance business, Standard & Poor’s Rating Services said it is downgrading the subsidiaries previously aggregated...

Connecticut Urges Other States to Sue Credit Rating Agencies

Mar 8 2012 // Connecticut officials are encouraging other states to consider suing credit-rating agencies that gave high grades to risky mortgage-backed securities that plummeted in value when the housing market collapsed in...

UPDATE: S&P Sees No Rating Change for Ariel Re from C&S Sale to Arch

Mar 6 2012 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has followed up on its analysis of its ratings for Bermuda-based Ariel Reinsurance Co. Ltd. following the announcement that it is selling its Bermuda-based business to Arrow, a...

Best, S&P React to Ariel Re Sale of Bermuda, Zurich Units

Mar 5 2012 // Both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s issued bulletins following the announcement that Ariel Re was selling off its Bermuda-based reinsurance business to Arrow, a unit of investment Bank Goldman Sachs, and its...

S&P: Excess Capital, Strong ERM Give Reinsurers 2011 Cat Loss Cushion

Jan 26 2012 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it is “maintaining its stable outlook on the global reinsurance sector despite the near-record level of catastrophe losses in 2011,” as it...

Workers’ Compensation Turn a Profit? Fahgettaboudit!

Jan 23 2012 // Workers’ compensation carriers with visions of profits over the next few years are dreaming.It ain’t goin’ to happen, according to insurance analysts at Standard & Poors Ratings Services. “All...

S&P Follows up on Euro Zone Rating Actions

Jan 18 2012 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has followed up on the rating actions it announced in December concerning a number of Europe’s largest insurers.S&P has lowered its ratings on the following insurers...

S&P Sees ‘Highs and Lows’ for Canadian P/C Insurers

Dec 13 2011 // As 2011 winds down, Canadian property and casualty (P&C) insurers can “list some notable lows and highs during the year, including unusually large catastrophe losses from wildfires in Slave Lake, Alta., and...

S&P Puts Allianz, Aviva, AXA, Generali, Mapfre Units, 10 Other EU Insurers on CreditWatch/Negative

Dec 12 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings announced that it has placed its ratings on the following insurers (and certain related operating subsidiaries and certain holding companies) on CreditWatch with negative...

Terrorism Risk Still a Concern in Insurer Ratings: S&P

Dec 7 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it continues to view terrorism risk as a critical component in its assessment of an insurer’s financial strength, more than 10 years after the events of Sept. 11,...

S&P Affirms Marsh Mac’s Ratings; Outlook Revised to Stable

Nov 14 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Marsh & McLennan Cos. to stable from negative, and has affirmed its ‘BBB-‘ long-term and ‘A-3’ short-term counterparty...

Ratings Roundup: Torus Specialty, Assurant, National American

Nov 10 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings of “a-” of Torus Specialty Insurance Company and Torus National Insurance Company, both of...

S&P Lowers State Auto Group’s Operating Company Ratings to ‘BBB+’

Nov 10 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on the operating insurance companies of State Auto Group to ‘BBB+’ from ‘A-‘. S&P...

S&P Lowers Outlook on Allstate and Subs to Negative; Affirms Ratings

Nov 3 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Allstate Corp., Allstate Insurance Co. (AIC), and its core property-liability insurance companies (collectively, Allstate Protection), as well as the...

S&P Affirms Montpelier Re Ratings; Outlook Stable

Nov 1 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘BBB’ long-term counterparty credit rating on Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd. and its ‘A-‘ counterparty credit and financial strength...

S&P Upgrades Swiss Re and Core Subsidiaries to ‘AA-‘; Outlook Stable

Oct 31 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Zurich-based reinsurer Swiss Reinsurance Co. Ltd., and its core subsidiaries (collectively...

S&P Further Downgrades Ratings of Mariah Re Notes

Oct 14 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has lowered its rating on Mariah Re Ltd.’s Series 2010-1 notes to ‘CC(sf)’ from ‘CCC(sf)’ and removed the rating from...