Latest S&P Headlines

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

S&P Raises Norway’s SKULD to ‘A-‘

Jun 21 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Oslo-based marine insurer Assuranceforeningen SKULD (Gjensidig) (Skuld or the club) to...

S&P Affirms Bermuda Insurers Ratings after ‘Hybrid Securities’ Review

Jun 20 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has “affirmed its ‘BBB+’ preferred stock rating on PartnerRe Ltd.; its ‘BBB’ preferred stock ratings on ACE Ltd. and...

S&P Examines Reinsurance M&A

Jun 20 2007 // Among other industry topics Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services’ 2007 Insurance Conference, “In Pursuit of Sustainable Earnings,” held June 3-5 in New York City, discussed possible...

S&P Raises Zurich Ratings to ‘AA-‘

Jun 20 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised to “AA-” from “A+” its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on the various operating entities of Swiss-based...

Ratings: Kamp Re, Allianz (Russia)

Jun 20 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said that its ‘CC’ senior secured debt rating on KAMP RE 2005 Ltd.’s $190 million floating-rate principal-at-risk notes are remaining on CreditWatch with...

S&P Raises Pacific Century Ratings on Fortis Takeover

Jun 15 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its insurer financial strength and counterparty credit ratings on Hong Kong’s Pacific Century Insurance Co. Ltd. (PCI) to “BBB+” from...

Ratings Roundup: Munich Re (Bonds)-QBERIO-QBEMEX-Scandinavia-Hiscox

Jun 15 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its “A” junior subordinated long-term debt rating on the €1.5 billion ($2 billion) undated, subordinated, fixed-to-floating rate bonds issued by...

Ratings Recap: Mercury; Willow Re (Allstate); Penn Treaty

Jun 15 2007 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of “A+” (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of Los Angeles-based Mercury Casualty Group and its members. Best also...

S&P: 2007 Mid-Year Outlooks for U.S. P/C Teleconference Today

Jun 12 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services will hold a telephone conference call today, June 12, 2007, at 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time, 4:00 PM U.K. Time, to present an overview of its ratings outlooks for the U.S....

S&P Upgrades AXA’s Core Units to ‘AA’

Jun 12 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on the core subsidiaries of France’s insurance and asset management group AXA to...

S&P Affirms Farmers’ “A” Rating

Jun 12 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it has affirmed its “A” counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Los Angeles-based Farmers Insurance Exchange and its operating subsidiaries and...

S&P Rates Paris Re, Subs; Lowers CGRM Ratings to ‘A-‘

Jun 11 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘A-‘ long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings to PARIS RE (France) and PARIS RE Switzerland Ltd. At the same time,...

S&P to Review ‘Hybrid Equity’ Covenants of Top Bermuda Insurers

Jun 8 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it is “undertaking a review of the preference stock and other hybrid equity issues of the following seven insurers and reinsurers: ACE Ltd....

S&P Rates AXA Securitization

Jun 8 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned preliminary credit ratings to the €411.6 million ($551 million) asset-backed floating-rate notes to be issued by a French “fonds commun de créances (FCC),...

Lloyd’s to Issue Tier 1 Subordinated Debt; S&P, Best Ratings

Jun 7 2007 // Lloyd’s announced plans to “return to the debt markets with a benchmark issue of Tier 1 perpetual subordinated debt.”The bulletin said the “issue will give greater flexibility and liquidity to...

S&P Upgrades Russia’s Ingosstrakh to ‘BBB-‘; Outlook Stable

Jun 7 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Russian insurer Ingosstrakh Insurance Co. to “BBB-” from “BB+,”...

S&P Raises Neftepolis Outlook to Positive; Affirms ‘B+’ Ratings

Jun 7 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Russia-based insurer Neftepolis Insurance Co. LLC to positive from stable, “as a result,” said the announcement, “of closer...

S&P Examines Malaysian Takaful Market

Jun 7 2007 // A report published by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services with the rather lengthy title “Established Regulatory & Legal Environment Gives Malaysian Takaful Market The Edge Over Gulf Cooperation...

Ratings Recap: QBE (US); HSBC; Genworth; State Farm; Mystic Re II

Jun 7 2007 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of “A” (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of New York-based QBE Re Group U.S. and its members. Best also removed...

S&P Conference Report: Reinsurers Assess Present/Future Concerns

Jun 6 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services’ 23rd annual insurance conference, – “In Pursuit Of Sustainable Earnings” – focused on the “highly profitable” 2006 results, and the...