Latest S&P Headlines

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

S&P: Reinsurance Pricing Cycle at ‘Critical Point’

Mar 28 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services latest report on the global reinsurance industry – “2008 Reinsurance Renewals: Underwriting Discipline Takes Center Stage As Price Adequacy Declines Further-”...

California May Create New Bond Insurer to Rival Buffett’s

Mar 28 2008 // California Treasurer Bill Lockyer is exploring the possibility of having state pension funds create a new bond insurer, his spokesman said Thursday.Lockyer has no immediate plans to use Berkshire Hathaway’s new bond...

Ratings Recap: Financial Guaranty, American Physicians, United National, Centene, Great Western

Mar 25 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its CreditWatch on Financial Guaranty Insurance Co. (FGIC, rated ‘A’) and holding company FGIC Corp. (rated ‘BBB’) to CreditWatch with...

S&P Sees Improved Insurer Enterprise Risk Management in 2008

Mar 25 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said that 2008 could see an overall improvement in insurance-industry enterprise risk management (ERM) scores.The firm says a 2006 review of the ERM practices of rated...

S&P: U.S. Workers’ Comp Insurers Face Weakening Rates

Mar 24 2008 // The U.S. workers’ compensation insurance business is not for the faint of heart, according to an article published by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services. The article, titled “Weakening Rates Could...

Ratings Recap: Celtic, Farmers Home, Conemaugh, Allegany Co-Op, Housing Authority, Monroe, CAPCO, MGIC

Mar 20 2008 // A.M. Best Co. has placed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a-” of Chicago’s Celtic Insurance Company under review with negative...

Ratings Roundup: ACE (Japan), Inter Hannover, White Mountains

Mar 20 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on its ‘A-‘ financial strength and long-term counterparty ratings on ACE Insurance to positive from stable. S&P also affirmed the...

S&P Says Allianz SE Ratings ‘Not Affected’ by Dresdner Separation

Mar 19 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said that its ratings and outlook on Germany’s Allianz SE (AZSE) [currently ‘AA’/Stable/’A-1+’] and related entities “are not affected by...

Ratings Recap: Travelers, Am. Capital, Fairmont, Univ. American, Fireman’s Fund (Mo.), ACE (Ill.) CIGNA, Conseco

Mar 19 2008 // Fitch Ratings has affirmed its ratings on The Travelers Companies, Inc (TRV). as follows: –Issuer Default Rating (IDR) ‘A+’; –Senior unsecured notes ‘A’ –subordinated notes...

Ratings Recap: KFB, Combined, Ambac, Countrywide, Echelon Property

Mar 14 2008 // A.M. Best Co. has withdrawn the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and assigned a category of NR-5 (Not Formally Followed) to Kansas-based KFBInsurance Company, formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of...

S&P: U.S. Workers’ Comp Insurers Face Weakening Rates

Mar 14 2008 // The U.S. workers’ compensation insurance business is not for the faint of heart, according to an article published by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services. The article, titled “Weakening Rates Could...

S&P Report Examines Solvency II Impact on Europe’s Insurers

Mar 13 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services new report -“One In Four Of Europe’s Insurers Could Face Major Strategic Decisions Under Solvency II” – concludes that the regulations, which are...

S&P Raises Fairfax Financial’s Rating Outlook to ‘Watch Positive’

Mar 12 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Canada’s Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. (FFH), FFH’s operating insurance companies...

S&P Revises Cunningham Lindsey Outlook to Stable; Affirms ‘B-‘ Rating

Mar 12 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Cunningham Lindsey Group Inc. (LIN) to stable from negative. S&P also affirmed its ‘B-‘ counterparty credit rating on LIN. The...

Ratings Recap: CIFG, Tall Pines, Conn. Medical, Nationwide, Wolverine

Mar 11 2008 // Fitch Ratings has downgraded CIFG to ‘AA-‘ from ‘AAA’ and kept the ratings on Rating Watch Negative. The downgrade affects the Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) ratings for CIFG Guaranty and...

S&P Lowers Alleghany Ratings to ‘BBB’; An ‘Arbitrary’ Decision Says CEO

Mar 7 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has lowered its counterparty credit rating on Alleghany Corp. by one notch to ‘BBB’ from ‘BBB+’ and assigned a stable...

S&P Takes Various Rating Actions on European Monoline Securitizations

Feb 27 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued another bulletin, following yesterday’s rating announcements (See IJ web site –...

Ratings: United Fire, USI Holdings, Public Service Mutual, Berkshire Hathaway, Am. Family, Old Republic, Conseco

Feb 27 2008 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of United Fire & Casualty Group and its five P/C members, which...

S&P Takes Bond Insurer Rating Actions

Feb 26 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced several rating actions on a number of monoline bond insurers “following additional stress tests with respect to their domestic nonprime mortgage...

S&P Sees No Change in Aioi Ratings from Subprime Writedown

Feb 26 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services indicated that its financial strength and long-term counterparty credit ratings on Japan’s Aioi Insurance Co. Ltd. (‘A+’ – stable outlook) “would...