Latest S&P Headlines

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

S&P: Japan’s Rating Outlook Now Negative on Quake Costs; Affirms Debt Ratings

Apr 27 2011 // Standard and Poor’s threatened to cut Japan’s sovereign credit rating again, warning the huge cost of last month’s devastating earthquake will hurt already weak public finances unless bickering...

CORRECTION: S&P RMS Cat Bond CreditWatch

Apr 19 2011 // Standard & Poor’s has issued a corrective statement concerning one of the cat bond ratings listed in the bulletin it issued on April 18. The Series 2011-1 Class A notes, rated BB+ (sf)/Watch Neg BB+ (sf) issued...

S&P Puts 17 Cat Bonds on CreditWatch/Negative Due to RMS Model Change

Apr 18 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its ratings on 17 natural peril catastrophe bonds (listed below) on CreditWatch with negative implications.S&P explained that it took the action following...

U.S. Credit Outlook Cut by S&P on Deficit Concerns

Apr 18 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Monday downgraded its credit outlook for the United States, citing a risk that policymakers may not reach agreement on a plan to slash the huge federal budget deficit.While the credit rating...

Credit Raters Triggered Financial Crisis, Says Senate Report

Apr 14 2011 // Moody’s Corp. and Standard and Poor’s triggered the worst financial crisis in decades when they were forced to downgrade the inflated ratings they slapped on complex mortgage-backed securities, a U.S....

Willis Re Upbeat on S&P’s New Insurer Capital Model

Apr 4 2011 // After several years of uncertainty, coupled with no small amount of angst, Willis Re, the reinsurance broker for Willis Group Holdings, has published a reassuring report on Standard & Poor’s new criteria for...

Cat Bond Investors Braced for Japan Disaster Hit

Mar 30 2011 // The Japanese earthquake is set to be the first natural disaster that triggers a number of catastrophe bonds, surpassing Hurricane Katrina to become the event with the biggest impact on the alternative reinsurance...

S&P Puts Montana Re Cat Bonds on CreditWatch Negative after Japan Quake

Mar 28 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its ‘B- (sf)’ rating on Montana Re Ltd.’s Class E notes on CreditWatch with negative implications.The notes, totaling $210 million, were originally...

S&P: Outlook Negative on 9 Japanese P/C Insurers; Ratings Affirmed

Mar 25 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has conducted a detailed analysis of 15 Japanese P/C insurers, and has made several adjustments in its ratings following the earthquake and tsunami, which hit the country on...

S&P Says Rating Actions on Japan Insurers Unlikely

Mar 21 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Tokyo office has issued a comment noting that by some estimates the total damages from the March 11 Japanese earthquake and the fires and tsunami that followed “could hit at least $100...

S&P: EU Ruling on Gender Discrimination Likely to Have a ‘Neutral’ Effect

Mar 9 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a bulletin analyzing last week’s European Court Of Justice ruling that prohibits gender-based discrimination in the calculation of insurance premiums and...

S&P: Capital Remains ‘Key Rating Consideration’ for Multiline Insurers

Mar 1 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said that in its opinion “global multiline insurers’ (GMIs) capital positions have recovered significantly since 2008.”In an article entitled...

S&P Lowers Chartis’ Ratings to ‘A’; Outlook Changed to Stable

Mar 1 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on American International Group Inc.’s (AIG) Chartis operating subsidiaries to ‘A’ from...

S&P Announces Rating Actions in Wake of Bahrain Unrest

Feb 28 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has affirmed its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Hannover ReTakaful B.S.C. (Hannover ReTakaful), Trust International...

S&P Reports Outlook for Int’l. Marine P&I Clubs is Stable

Feb 14 2011 // “The outlook for the international marine protection & indemnity (P&I) industry is looking stable, with all clubs in 2010 reporting a post-tax surplus for the first time since 1998,” said a bulletin...

Ratings Recap: Westaim/Jevco, GCAN, Euro Arab

Feb 11 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘B++’ (Good) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb” of Jevco Insurance Company, which is based in Quebec. At the same time Best affirmed...

S&P Sees No Rating Change for AIG from $4.1 Billion Charge

Feb 11 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that its ratings on American International Group Inc. (A-/Negative/A-2) and AIG’s insurance subsidiaries “are not affected by the company’s...

S&P Revises Outlook on UK’s Aviva: Ratings Affirmed

Feb 10 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Aviva PLC, the holding company of the U.K.-based global multiline insurance group Aviva, and the majority of its operating entities, to stable from...

S&P Puts AXA Insurance on CreditWatch After Ireland Ratings Downgrade

Feb 7 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said today that it placed its ‘BBB+’ long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on AXA Insurance Ltd. on CreditWatch with negative...

S and P Lowers Aviva Insurance Ratings from ‘A+’ to ‘A-‘ After Ireland Downgrade

Feb 4 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Aviva Insurance Europe SE (Aviva SE) to ‘A-‘ from ‘A+’.In...