Latest S&P Headlines

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

S&P Reports Stable Outlook for U.S. Reinsurers

Dec 9 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has published an article titled “U.S. Reinsurance Year-End 2004 Outlook: Ratings Stability in 2005, An Atoll in Stormy Seas.”The article reviews the U.S....

S&P Withdraws Rating on UMRE on Merger Talks with National Re

Dec 9 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has withdrawn its “Bpi” issuer credit rating and financial strength rating on Universal Malayan Reinsurance Corp. (UMRE). “The withdrawal is...

U.S. Personal Lines Sector Remains Strong With a Stable Outlook, Report Says

Dec 7 2004 // Fundamentals remain strong for U.S. personal lines insurance carriers, according to a report published by Standard & Poor’s. This is reflected in S&P’s decision to retain a stable outlook on the...

S&P Revises Outlook on HRH to Negative; Cites Contingent Commission Investigations

Dec 6 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has revised its outlook on its ‘BB’ counterparty credit rating on Hilb, Rogal and Hobbs (HRH) to negative from stable.“The outlook revision...

European Insurance Summit 2004 Offers Some Words to Live By

Dec 6 2004 // Rating agencies are a reality, and we have to live with them,” Martin Kauer, CFO, Converium AG. “Market share is the enemy of risk management,” Brian O’Hara, president and CEO, XL Capital....

S&P Withdraws I.O. Re Ratings at Company Request

Dec 6 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has affirmed its ‘A’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Inter-Ocean Reinsurance Co. Ltd. (IO Re) and subsequently withdrew its...

S&P Affirms Centre Solutions Ratings; Withdrawn at Company Request

Dec 6 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has removed its ‘BBB-‘ ratings on Centre Solutions (Bermuda) Ltd. and related operating companies from CreditWatch, where they were placed on...

S&P Lowers Canada’s Gore Mutual Ratings to ‘BBpi’

Dec 3 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Gore Mutual Insurance Co. to ‘BBpi’ from ‘BBBpi’ (the...

S&P Affirms Horace Mann Ratings; Outlook Stable

Dec 1 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Illinois-based Horace Mann Educators Corp. and its subsidiaries to stable from negative.Standard & Poor’s also affirmed its...

S&P Revises Outlook on WellPoint

Dec 1 2004 // Standard & Poor’s has revised its outlook on WellPoint Inc. (NYSE:WLP; WellPoint; formerly Anthem Inc., renamed following merger with WellPoint Health Networks Inc.) to stable from positive.At the same time,...

S&P Affirms Taiwan Fire & Marine ‘BBB’ Ratings

Nov 30 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has affirmed its “BBB” insurer financial strength and counterparty credit ratings on Taiwan Fire & Marine Insurance Co. Ltd. (TFMI) with a...

S&P Reports First Half Results in Japan’s P/C Sector Show Companies Still Under Pressure

Nov 30 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a report noting that Japanese non-life insurance companies recently released results of for the first half of fiscal 2004, which indicate that underwriting...

S&P Affirms Steamship P&I Bermuda & Subs ‘A’ Ratings

Nov 29 2004 // In a separate bulletin Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has affirmed its “A” counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on The Standard Steamship Owners’...

S&P Affirms Steamship P&I London ‘A-‘ Ratings

Nov 29 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has affirmed its “A-” counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on The Standard Steamship Owners’ P&I Association...

S&P Affirms APA Ratings

Nov 29 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Rating Services has revised its outlook on Michigan-based American Physicians Assurance Corp. (APA) to stable from negative.At the same time, Standard & Poor’s affirmed its...

S&P Reports European Insurers’ Ratings Stabilizing

Nov 26 2004 // A report from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services indicates that its ratings on Europe’s insurers have continued to stabilize during 2004.“Only five out of the 20 groups covered in this report...

S&P Assigns ‘A-‘ Rating to Aviabel Cie.

Nov 24 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has assigned its “A-” long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings to Belgium-based insurer Aviabel Cie. Belge...

S&P Revises Outlook on Hartford PC to Negative; Cites Spitzer Probe

Nov 24 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has revised its outlook on Hartford Financial Services Group (HIG) Inc.’s P/C subsidiaries in the Hartford Fire Intercompany Pool (collectively referred...

S&P Assigns ‘BBB’ Rating to AXIS Notes; Affirms Company Ratings

Nov 23 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has assigned its “BBB+” senior debt rating to Bermuda-based AXIS Capital Holdings Ltd.’s $500 million, 5.75 percent senior notes, which are...

S&P Lowers Credit Ratings on MMC

Nov 23 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services lowered its counterparty credit and senior debt ratings on Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. (MMC) to ‘BBB/A-2’ from ‘BBB+/A-2’. The ratings remain on...