Latest S&P Headlines

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

S&P Lowers Swiss Re Ratings; Raises ERC, GE Re, GEIS

Jun 13 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Swiss Reinsurance Co. and its core entities to “AA-” from “AA”...

S&P Affirms Kingsway’s ‘BBB- Ratings

Jun 13 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its “BBB-” long-term counterparty credit and senior unsecured debt ratings on Toronto-based Kingsway Financial Services Inc. with a stable...

S&P Lowers OCIL’s Avalon Re Notes

Jun 8 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its subordinated debt rating on Avalon Re Ltd.’s Series C variable rate notes, which are due June 6, 2008, to “CCC-” from “B.”...

S&P Affirms CCR’s ‘AAA’ Rating

Jun 8 2006 // Triple “A” ratings have been on the endangered species list for some time, but they do still exist. Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has just affirmed its ‘AAA’ long-term counterparty...

S&P Alters Approach to Gauging Insurers’ Terrorism Exposure

Jun 8 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it is changing its process for evaluating the terrorism exposure of insurers and reinsurers.The updated process is partly a response to the increased insurance retentions...

S&P Assigns Ratings to Swiss Re’s ‘Successor Programme’ Notes

Jun 7 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its senior secured debt ratings to the principal at-risk variable-rate notes issued under Swiss Reinsurance Co.’s Successor shelf program (See previous...

S&P Puts ERAC on CreditWatch

Jun 7 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its “A” financial strength rating on Employers Reassurance Corp. (ERAC), a subsidiary of GE Insurance Solutions (GEIS) on CreditWatch with developing...

S&P Affirms PZU’s ‘A-‘ Rating; Revises Outlook to ‘Negative’ After Firing of CEO

Jun 6 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Polish non-life insurer Powszechny Zaklad Ubezpieczen S.A. (PZU S.A.) and life insurer Powszechny Zaklad Ubezpieczen na Zycie S.A. (PZU Zycie), core...

S&P Assigns Arab Orient ‘A-‘ Rating

Jun 6 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its “A-” long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings to Dubai-based Arab Orient Insurance Co. (PSC) (AOIC) with a stable...

Earnings High For U.S. Commercial Lines Insurers, S&P Reports

Jun 6 2006 // At the midpoint of 2006, many commercial insurers are generating exceptional earnings, according to an article published by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services. The article, which is titled “U.S. Commercial...

S&P Raises Bluewater Ratings to ‘BBB’

Jun 1 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Oslo-based non-life insurer Bluewater Insurance ASA to “BBB” from...

Spain’s MAPFRE to Change Corporate Structure, Expand; S&P Comments

Jun 1 2006 // Spain’s largest domestic insurance group, Sistema Mapfre, announced a major structural reorganization, which will eventually result in all of the Group’s activities being concentrated in its publicly traded...

Standard & Poor’s Downgrades Mercury Insurance from Stable to Negative

Jun 1 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Mercury Casualty Co. (Mercury Casualty), Mercury Insurance Co. (Mercury Insurance), and Mercury Insurance Co. of Florida (collectively referred to as...

Hanover Insurance Group Rates Positive Outlook, Say S&P

Jun 1 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Hanover Insurance Group Inc. and its operating company subsidiaries to positive from stable.At the same time, Standard & Poor’s affirmed...

Safeco Insurance Intercompany Ratings Affirmed, Outlook Positive

Jun 1 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said today it affirmed its “A+” counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on the Safeco Intercompany Pool members. S&P also affirmed its...

S&P Reports on Japan Non-Life Sector

May 31 2006 // Japan’s non-life insurers posted largely improved profits in fiscal 2005, bouncing back from the previous year’s uncommonly harsh string of natural disasters, according to a report published today by Standard...

S&P Affirms Taiwan’s Mingtai Fire & Marine ‘A’ Ratings

May 31 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its “A” insurer financial strength and counterparty credit ratings on Taiwan’s Mingtai Fire & Marine Insurance Co. Ltd. with a stable...

S&P Assigns ‘BB’ Ratings to Harbor Point’s Bay Point Re

May 30 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its ‘BB’ counterparty credit rating to Bay Point Re Ltd. and its ‘BB’ senior secured debt rating to Bay Point’s term loan debt...

S&P Assigns Debt Ratings to Ren Re’s Starbound Re

May 29 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its “A+” senior unsecured bank loan rating to Starbound Re Ltd.’s $50 million (Debt III) bank loan, its “BBB-” senior unsecured bank...

S&P Affirms PartnerRe Ratings; Revises Outlook to Negative

May 25 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its “A” counterparty credit rating on Bermuda-based reinsurer PartnerRe Ltd. (PRE), its “AA-” counterparty credit and financial strength...