Latest S&P Headlines

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

S&P Lowers Transatlantic Re Ratings to ‘AA-‘; Off CreditWatch

Nov 23 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Transatlantic Reinsurance Co. and its wholly owned subsidiaries–Putnam Reinsurance...

S&P Puts Allianz Subs on CreditWatch/Positive Following Consolidation Plan

Nov 23 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has “placed its ‘A-‘ counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Germany-based property/casualty insurer Allianz Marine...

S&P Affirms Aspen’s Ratings; Removes from CreditWatch

Nov 23 2005 // The London office of Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has “affirmed its ‘A’ long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on U.K.-based Aspen...

S&P Raises Ratings on German Insurer VHF to “A”; Off CreditWatch

Nov 22 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Rating Services announced that it has “raised to ‘A’ from ‘A-‘ its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength rating on Germany-based car and...

S&P Affirms Gothaer ‘A-‘ Rating

Nov 17 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has assigned its ‘A-‘ long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings to German non-life insurer Gothaer Allgemeine...

S&P Raises Ratings on Norway Energy & Marine to ‘BBB’

Nov 16 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Oslo-based non-life insurer Norway Energy & Marine Insurance ASA...

S&P Report Indicates French Insurance Market Remains Stable

Nov 15 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a report – “Insurance Industry Risk Analysis: France (Republic of),” which indicates that the rating agency is “maintaining its stable...

S&P Keeps Talanx, Hannover Re on CreditWatch/Negative

Nov 15 2005 // The Frankfurt office of Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a comment following Hannover Re’s 9-month earnings report (See IJ Web site Nov. 10), indicating that the company and its largest...

S&P Puts Hannover Re, Clarendon on CreditWatch/Negative

Nov 11 2005 // While Fitch Ratings decided to affirm its “A+” ratings on Hannover Re and its subsidiaries (See following article), Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has adopted a wait and see attitude.S&P...

S&P Assigns Ratings to Platinum’s $750 Million Debt Issue

Nov 10 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has assigned its preliminary “BBB” senior debt, “BBB-” subordinated debt, and “BB+” preferred stock ratings to the $750...

QBE (Europe) Ratings “Unaffected” by Branding Change Says S&P

Nov 10 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that its ratings and outlook on the recently rebranded QBE Insurance (Europe) Ltd., rated “A+” with a stable outlook, (formerly QBE International...

S&P Raises British Marine Luxembourg Ratings to ‘A’

Nov 10 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Luxembourg-based marine insurer British Marine Luxembourg S.A. (BM) to...

S&P to Assign Rating to AXA’s Auto ART – A “Landmark Transaction”

Nov 10 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has assigned its preliminary credit ratings to the €200 million asset-backed floating-rate notes to be issued by FCC SPARC, an SPE, involving the...

S&P Rates Munich Re Mauritius ‘BBB’

Nov 9 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has assigned its “BBB” long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings to Munich Mauritius Reinsurance Co. Ltd. (Munich Re...

Talanx in Talks to Acquire Gerling’s Primary Operations; S&P, Best Place Ratings Under Review

Nov 9 2005 // Germany’s Talanx AG, which among other interests holds a 51 percent stake in Hannover Re (and consequently Clarendon in the U.S.), is currently in “advanced talks” to acquire the Gerling Group’s...

S&P Raises White Mountains Ratings to ‘BBB’; Outlook Stable

Nov 8 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has raised to “BBB” from “BBB-” its counterparty credit and senior debt ratings on White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd. (WTM) and Fund...

S&P Study Finds Latin American Insurers Improve Performance

Nov 4 2005 // Overall, Latin American insurance companies are working to improve underwriting results and improve performance, says a report released by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services titled, “The Evolution Of...

S&P Assigns Russia Reinsurer Ratings

Oct 27 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has assigned its “B+” long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings to Russia-based reinsurer RESO-Re. S&P also...

S&P Issues Upbeat Report on Latin American Insurers

Oct 27 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a new, and quite positive, report – “Top 50 Latin American Insurers Show Improving Fundamentals.” The rating agency cited “the growing...

S&P Keeps IPC on CreditWatch

Oct 27 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that its “BBB+” counterparty credit rating on IPC Holdings Ltd. (IPCR), and its “BBB-” preliminary preferred stock rating on IPCR’s...