Latest S&P Headlines

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

S&P Upgrades CNA Financial Strength Rating to A+

Nov 19 2019 // CNA Financial Corp. has achieved an “A+” financial strength rating from Standard & Poor’s, an upgrade made in recognition of the Chicago-based insurer’s efforts to improve its operations and...

Corporations Grow Nervous as Compensation for Directors Rises

Nov 12 2019 // It’s nice work if you can get it.The average annual compensation for non-executive directors at S&P 500 companies rose 2 percent to $304,856 last year, topping $300,000 for the first time and 43 percent higher...

Reinsurers Maintain Upward Pricing Momentum-But Will It Last?

Oct 24 2019 // Positive pricing momentum—it’s the favorite phrase of many reinsurance executives, who are hoping that the momentum they’ve seen in 2019 will continue during the coming January renewals and beyond.The...

Reinsurers Look at Cyber’s Massive Growth Possibilities-With Caution

Oct 22 2019 // Reinsurers are aware they must constantly invent new solutions in order to stay relevant for their clients. Yet, they admit they are sometimes challenged to close the protection gap for new and emerging risks such as...

Analysts See 2020 Reinsurance Price Hikes Due to Catastrophes

Sep 4 2019 // Big insurance losses from hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters over the past two years are set to push reinsurance renewal rates higher in January, ratings agencies said.After falling for several years due to...

Report: Re/Insurers Are Reconsidering Risk Appetite for California Wildfires

Aug 19 2019 // S&P Global Ratings says 2020 reinsurance pricing in the aftermath of California wildfires will likely rise as re/insurers are finding 2017-2018 losses from wildfires in that state to be higher than expected.The...

Many Reinsurers Take Increased Catastrophe Risks as Rates Harden: S&P

Aug 14 2019 // Some global reinsurers have chosen to stop retrenching from catastrophe risks, deciding instead to take advantage of higher premium rates and increase their exposure, according to S&P Global Ratings.Although risk...

Data Deficit Remains Key Challenge for Cyber Insurance Underwriters

Jun 18 2019 // While there are “huge opportunities” on the horizon for the cyber insurance industry, cyber insurance underwriters still face the challenge of not having enough historical data to work with.“It’s...

Global Reinsurers See Promising Green Shoots in 2019 with ‘Hardening’ Pricing: S&P

Jun 5 2019 // Following disappointing reinsurance pricing increases in 2018 and early 2019, it seemed that no amount of catastrophe losses would be sufficient to harden the overall market. However, during this year’s April and...

S&P Will Issue ‘Environmental, Social and Governance’ Evaluations Including on Insurance Sector

Apr 18 2019 // If you’re among those who regard “environmental, social and governance” as just another in a long line of trendy buzz-phrases, then you may want to rethink.ESG standards, which companies use to highlight...

Sirius Int’l Is Insulated from Liquidity Issues at Chinese Parent Firm CMIG: S&P

Feb 12 2019 // Reported liquidity issues at China Minsheng Investment Group (CMIG), the ultimate owner of Sirius International Group, will not affect Sirius Group’s creditworthiness, said a bulletin issued by S&P Global...

S&P Upgrades Outlook for AXIS

Dec 14 2018 // AXIS Capital Holdings won an outlook upgrade from Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings as well as an affirmation of its other ratings, thanks to growing confidence in its various strategic initiatives.Standard &...

S&P Upgrades Outlook for CNA Group

Nov 19 2018 // CNA Group gained an outlook upgrade from Standard & Poor’s based on improvement of its commercial lines business.S&P Global Ratings revised its outlook for CNA to positive from stable. The ratings agency also...

Texas’ Hochheim Mutual Insurers Removed From Credit Watch Negative

Nov 19 2018 // S&P Global Ratings has removed Texas-based Hochheim Prairie Farm Mutual Insurance Assn. (HPFMIA) and its subsidiary, Hochheim Prairie Casualty Insurance Co. (HPCIC, collectively Hochheim) from Credit Watch Negative,...

Latest Estimates of Insured Losses from California Wildfires at $9B to $13B

Nov 19 2018 // Insured losses from the Camp and Woolsey wildfires in California will be between $9 billion and $13 billion, according to the latest estimates from catastrophe modeler RMS.RMS’ latest estimates released on Monday...

S&P Says Insurers and Reinsurers Can Absorb Losses from California Wildfires

Nov 16 2018 // S&P Global Ratings expects both the primary insurers and reinsurers to be able to absorb losses from the California wildfires, limiting them to an earnings event.However, the mounting bills from more frequents large...

Critics Say Bond Rating Agencies Ignore Municipalities’ Climate Risk

Nov 5 2018 // Last fall, after a trio of deadly hurricanes, ratings companies warned vulnerable coastal cities to get ready for climate change — or face higher borrowing costs on the $3.9 trillion municipal bond market. Climate...

AIG Executives Outline Path to Underwriting Profit in 2019

Nov 2 2018 // “We do see it coming. We expect that in 2019 we’re going to be in an underwriting profit position, not a great one, but a profit. And we’ll move from there to a great one.”So said Brian Duperreault,...

No-Deal Brexit Could Push UK into Lengthy Recession, Warns S&P

Oct 31 2018 // A no-deal Brexit would be likely to tip Britain into a recession as long as the downturn that followed the global financial crisis, and investors should no longer ignore this danger, credit ratings agency Standard &...

Hurricanes Behind Cuts in Earnings Estimates for AIG, Chubb, Other S&P 500

Oct 16 2018 // The S&P 500 has plummeted more than 5 percent since early October. The culprit: slowing earnings growth stemming from rising interest rates and oil prices, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.That straightforward...