Latest S&P Headlines

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

S&P Lowers New Zealand’s Geneva Finance Ratings to ‘D’

Oct 18 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its long-term counterparty credit ratings on New Zealand finance company Geneva Finance Ltd. to ‘D’ from ‘B-/Watch Dev/–‘. S&P...

Ratings Recap: Max Capital, Kenya Re, Tunis Re, Gothaer, Chung Kuo

Oct 17 2007 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a-” of Max Bermuda Ltd. and its affiliated companies. Best also affirmed...

S&P Comments on Standardizing Global Insurance Accounting Rules

Oct 16 2007 // In a new report Standard & Poor’s states that the “International Accounting Standard Board’s (IASB) discussion paper on insurance contracts may well set the tone for a new global frame...

Insurance Lines More Volatile Than S&P 500, Aon Re Study Finds

Oct 12 2007 //

Ratings Recap: Ariel Re, Atrium, Malaysian Re, AMI, TM Asia, Bangkok Ins., Karlsruher

Oct 12 2007 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a-” of Ariel Reinsurance Company Ltd. Best also affirmed the ICR of...

Ratings Recap: Misr/AlChark/Egypt Re, KAMP RE, Calliden, American Club, Groupama

Oct 10 2007 // A.M. Best Co. has placed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a-” of Misr Insurance Company under review with negative implications, along...

‘Clear Reporting’ = ‘Excellent ERM,’ Says S&P Article

Oct 9 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has published an article that links clear reporting to excellent insurer enterprise risk management (ERM). “A good risk profile report has the simplicity and power of a...

Ratings Recap: WuerttVers, Lloyd Adriatico/Allianz SpA

Oct 5 2007 // A.M. Best Co. has commented that the financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of “a-” for Germany’s Wuerttembergische Versicherung AG (WuerttVers)...

Ratings Roundup: Symetra, Fireman’s Fund, Lincoln National

Oct 5 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘BB’ preferred stock rating to Symetra Financial Corp.’s (SFC) proposed $150 million issue of capital-efficient notes with a scheduled...

Ratings Recap: Euler Hermes, Ascot, Tokio Marine Retakaful, Toa Re

Oct 4 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its long-term counterparty and insurer financial strength ratings on U.K.-based surety insurer Euler Hermes Guarantee PLC to ‘AA-‘ from ‘A’...

U.S. P/C Insurers’ Reserving Likely To Remain Prudent, S&P Says

Oct 1 2007 // Will increased competition and lower pricing lead U.S. property/casualty insurers to skimp on reserves? Not according to a report published by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services.The article, “For U.S....

S&P Upbeat on Insurance-Linked Securitization End of Year Prospects

Sep 28 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services London office has published a new report – “Insurance-Linked Securitization Poised To Finish Year Well.” Credit analyst Maren Josefs noted that the...

Ratings Roundup: Milli Re, Gulf, Connaught, Bahrain Kuwait, Gerling

Sep 28 2007 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘B+’ (Good) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb-” of Turkey’s Milli Reasurans Turk Anonim Sirketi (Milli Re) with a positive...

Ratings Roundup: PMA, Radian

Sep 26 2007 // Fitch Ratings has upgraded the Issuer Default Rating (IDR) and senior debt rating of PMA Capital Corp. to ‘BBB-‘ from ‘BB-‘ and to ‘BB+’ from ‘B+’ respectively. Fitch also...

Prospects and pitfalls in a changing global insurance world

Sep 24 2007 // The ‘rest of the world’ offers new opportunities for growth, but not without riskNo European City has recently changed as much as Berlin (with the possible exception of Dublin). Since the fall of the wall in...

Prospects and pitfalls in a changing global insurance world

Sep 24 2007 // No European city has recently changed as much as Berlin (with the possible exception of Dublin). Since the fall of the wall in 1989, its 3.4 million residents have experienced an unprecedented building boom, as the German...

Rating Recap: Taiwan (P/C) Industry

Sep 19 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has released a new report, which examines Taiwan’s P/C insurance sector. S&P said the general outlook is “stable, reflecting the likelihood of continued...

Ratings Roundup: American Family, Patrons Mutual, Crawford & Co.

Sep 19 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘A+’ long-term counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on American Family Mutual Insurance Co. (AFMIC) and its wholly owned...

S&P Forecasts ‘Healthy Growth’ for Latin America Reinsurance

Sep 13 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Rating Services has issued a new report in its current series analyzing global reinsurance. The study – “Reinsurance In Latin America, Especially Brazil, Shows Growth Potential...

S&P Comments on Reinsurer’s Diversification Efforts

Sep 12 2007 // In a new report, issued as one of several in conjunction with the annual Reinsurance Rendezvous in Monte Carlo, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services examines the efforts of global reinsurers to diversify their...