Latest S&P Headlines

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

S&P Rates Gard P&I (Bermuda) ‘A+’; Outlook Stable

May 16 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its “A+” long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings to Bermuda-based marine insurer Gard P&I (Bermuda) Ltd. with a...

S&P Hosts Teleconference on Global Warming Financial Impact Today

May 15 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services will host a teleconference today, May 15, 2007, outlining the findings from a 15 article series from the May 23rd issue of CreditWeek, its weekly outlook on credit risk.The...

S&P Raises Rating on Lloyd’s Advent Syndicate 0780; Outlook Positive

May 15 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its Lloyd’s Syndicate Assessment (LSA) on Advent Underwriting – Syndicate 0780 to “2” from “2-” with a positive...

Recent Ratings Recaps: Starbound Re II; Pacific Int’l.; NIPPONKOA; Carillon

May 14 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned a “BBB+” rating to RenRe sidecar – Starbound Re II Ltd’s.proposed bank loans. Starbound II is a limited-life, special-purpose Class-3...

S&P Lowers Mercury’s Ratings to ‘AA-‘

May 14 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Mercury Casualty Co. (Mercury Casualty), Mercury Insurance Co. (Mercury Insurance), and its financial...

Ala.’s Alfa Ratings Lowered One Notch to ‘A+’; Outlook Stable

May 14 2007 // While its outlook remains stable, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services lowered Alfa Insurance Group’s credit and financial strength ratings to ‘A+’ from ‘AA-‘. Alfa is the...

S&P Sees No Changes in SCOR or Converium Ratings from Takeover

May 11 2007 // In two separate announcements Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it doesn’t contemplate making any changes in its ratings on Converium AG or France’s SCOR Group, following the announcement that...

S&P Reports Warns German Insurers of ‘Winds Of Industry Change’

May 11 2007 // Standard & Poor’s has issued a report – “Insurance Industry Risk Analysis: Clear Skies Belie A Brewing Storm As German Insurers Need To Prepare For Regulatory Reform & A Cyclical...

S&P Rates XL Capital’s Notes A-; Affirms Credit, Financial Ratings

May 8 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘A-‘ senior debt rating to XL Capital Ltd.’s proposed $325 million senior notes due May 15, 2027.At the same time, Standard &...

S&P Rates Tryggingamidstödin ‘BBB’; Outlook Stable

May 3 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘BBB’ long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings to Icelandic insurer Tryggingamidstödin hf. (TM) with a stable...

S&P Puts Ceska pojistovna ‘BBB’ Rating on CreditWatch Positive

Apr 30 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services reacted to the announcement of the joint venture agreement between Ceska pojistovna a.s. (Ceska) and Italy’s Generali Group (See IJ web site April 27) by placing the...

S&P Lowers TICNY Rating; Company Views Action as Misleading

Apr 27 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Tower Insurance Co. of New York (“Tower”) to ‘BB+’ from...

S&P Places OIL Ratings on Watch/Neg

Apr 25 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its “A-” counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Oil Insurance Ltd. (OIL) on CreditWatch with negative implications.“The CreditWatch...

S&P Report Cites Potential in Abu Dhabi and Omani Markets

Apr 24 2007 // The Abu Dhabi and Omani insurance markets “offer significant development potential,” according to two reports -“Abu Dhabi’s Insurance Market: A Healthy Industry Facing Challenges?” and...

S&P Upgrades Lloyd’s Ratings to ‘A+’

Apr 24 2007 // Not so long ago it was beginning to look like “A” ratings were an endangered species. However, after a lot of belt tightening (and a benign year for nat cats in 2006), the rating agencies have been raising,...

S&P Lowers Eurasia Insurance Rating to Equalize with Parent Bank

Apr 20 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Kazakhstan-based Eurasia Insurance Co. to “B” from “B+” to...

S&P Lowers Ratings on IPCRe Entities

Apr 20 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on nonlife reinsurers IPCRe Ltd. and IPCRe Europe Ltd. (collectively referred to as IPCRe) to...

S&P Rates Swiss Re Sub ELM BV Notes ‘A’

Apr 18 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its “A” long-term debt rating to the Australian dollar-denominated perpetual step-up notes to be issued by repackaging structure ELM BV and secured...

S&P Affirms Groupama’s ‘A’ Ratings; Ups Outlook to ‘Positive’

Apr 17 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on French insurer Groupama S.A. and its core subsidiaries to positive from stable, and has affirmed its ‘A’ long-term counterparty credit...

Takaful Model May ‘Stimulate Growth’ But ‘Is Unproven,’ Says S&P

Apr 16 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has published “Takaful: A New and Viable Insurance Business Model or Just A Marketing Opportunity?” The study examines the potential $4 billion market in the Middle...