Latest S&P Headlines

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

XL’s CFO to Step Down; S&P Sees no Affect on Ratings

Sep 16 2009 // XL Capital Ltd announced that the Company and its Chief Financial Officer, Brian Nocco, have agreed that he will leave XL effective after year end.Nocco has served as XL’s CFO since July 2007. He has agreed to remain...

S&P, Best See No Changes in Fairfax’ Ratings from Odyssey Re Repurchase

Sep 9 2009 // Neither Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, nor A.M. Best anticipate any changes in their ratings on Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. As a result of the Company’s announced decision to acquire...

Ratings Recap: IPC Re, Polish Re, Tunis Re

Sep 9 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit rating on Bermuda-based IPC Holdings Ltd. to ‘BBB-‘ from ‘BBB’ and removed it from CreditWatch, where it was placed...

S&P Affirms Allianz Russia Ratings; Revises Outlook to Negative

Sep 8 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Allianz Insurance JSC (Allianz Russia) to negative from stable and affirmed its ‘BBB-‘ long-term counterparty credit and insurer...

S&P Lowers ING’s Ratings; Outlook Stable; Hybrid Ratings Lowered To ‘B’

Sep 4 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its long-term counterparty credit ratings on The Netherlands-based ING Groep N.V. and ING Verzekeringen N.V. to ‘A’ from ‘A+’ and its long-...

Ratings Recap: Dah Sing, Everest Re, Omnium, First Takaful, TATIL

Sep 4 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has assigned a financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” to Bermuda-based Dah Sing Insurance Company Limited (DSI) with stable outlooks. “The...

S&P Reports ‘Sukuk’ Market is Growing, Despite ‘Some Roadblocks’

Sep 3 2009 // A report from Standard & Poor’s Paris office – The Sukuk Market Has Continued To Progress In 2009 Despite Some Roadblocks – notes that new issues of “sukuk (bonds compliant with Islamic law)...

Judge Says Rating Agencies Not Shielded by Free Speech Defense

Sep 3 2009 // Credit rating agencies may find it harder to argue that their opinions deserve free speech protection after a judge rejected efforts by Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s to dismiss a fraud...

S&P Lowers Ratings on Selective Insurance Group; Outlook Negative

Sep 2 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Selective Insurance Co. of America and its insurance company affiliates (collectively referred to as...

S&P Rates Max Capital’s Operating Companies ‘A-‘; Outlook Stable

Aug 26 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘A-‘ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Max Capital Group Ltd.’s operating insurance and reinsurance companies. S&P...

S&P, A.M. Best Rate Fairfax Financial’s Debt Issue

Aug 18 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services and A.M. Best Co. have both assigned ratings to the C$400 million (US $368 million) 7.5 percent senior unsecured fixed rate notes due 2019 to be issued by Fairfax Financial...

Ratings Roundup: Glencoe (RenRe), Aegon, IGI

Aug 18 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘A+’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings to Glencoe Insurance Ltd., Stonington Insurance Co., Lantana Insurance Ltd., and Stonington...

S&P Affirms Ratings, Revises Outlook on Fortis, after Amlin Acquisition

Jul 23 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook to stable from negative on Netherlands-based commercial lines insurer Fortis Corporate Insurance N.V. (FCI), and affirmed its ‘A-‘ long-term...

Ratings Recap: QBE (US), Triangle, Zurich (US) Subsidiaries

Jul 22 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘A+’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings to QBE Specialty Insurance Co. (QSIC) with a stable outlook. “We view QSIC to be a...

S&P Lowers Ratings on 6 Cat Bonds; Puts 4 on CreditWatch/Negative

Jul 21 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has lowered its ratings on six natural peril catastrophe bonds issued in 2007 and 2008, as listed below.The bulletin said: “We lowered our ratings by...

Giant Pension Calpers Sues Moody’s, S&P, Fitch Over Securities Ratings

Jul 16 2009 // Calpers, the biggest U.S. public pension fund, has sued the three largest credit rating agencies for giving perfect grades to securities that later suffered huge subprime mortgage losses.The California Public...

S&P Affirms/Withdraws Some Swiss Re Operating Company Ratings

Jul 15 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘A+’ long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on various operating companies belonging to global reinsurer Swiss...

Ratings Roundup: Arch Capital, American Safety, Parkton Re

Jul 13 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Bermuda-based insurance and reinsurance holding company Arch Capital Group Ltd.(ACGL) and its operating subsidiaries to positive from stable....

S&P Raises Validus Outlook to ‘Positive;’ IPC Outlook Stays Negative

Jul 13 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Bermuda-based insurance and reinsurance holding company Validus Holdings Ltd. to positive from stable, and has affirmed its ‘BBB-‘...

S&P Lowers AIG’s Personal Lines Subs, 21st Century Ratings

Jul 9 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on the personal lines operating insurance units of 21st Century Insurance Group and American International...