Latest S&P Headlines

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

S&P Affirms QBE Re (Europe) ‘A+’ Ratings

Sep 23 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has affirmed its “A+” long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Dublin-based non-life reinsurer QBE Reinsurance...

S&P Assigns ‘A-‘ Rating to QBE Debt Securities

Sep 22 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has assigned its “A-” senior debt rating to Australian insurer QBE’s Funding Trust III’s US$375 million 20-year zero coupon senior...

S&P Affirms Co-operators General ‘BBB-‘ Rating; Outlook Raised to Positive

Sep 22 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has revised its outlook on Guelph, Ontario-based Co-operators General Insurance Co. (CGIC) to positive from stable, and has affirmed its long-term...

S&P: Harleysville Group ‘BBB-‘ Ratings Affirmed; Outlook for Company Remains Negative

Sep 21 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services affirmed its ‘BBB-‘ counterparty credit rating on Pennsylvania-based Harleysville Group Inc. The outlook remains negative.The rating reflects management’s...

S&P Affirms Employers Re ‘A+’ Ratings

Sep 21 2004 //

Clarendon Outlook Stable

Sep 20 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services revised its outlook on Clarendon National Insurance Co. and two of its subsidiaries—Clarendon America Insurance Co. and Redland Insurance Co.—to stable from negative.At the...

S&P Raises R&SA (Hong Kong) Ratings to ‘BBB’

Sep 20 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has raised its public information (pi) financial strength and counterparty credit ratings on Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance (Hong Kong) Ltd. (RSA HK) to...

Converium’s Conundrum: Reserve Requirements Hit Reinsurer

Sep 20 2004 // When Zurich Financial Services (ZFS) spun off its reinsurance operations into Converium in September 2001, the new company had a bright future. Initial capitalization exceeded $1.6 billion; ZFS had agreed to retain...

S&P Affirms Cincinnati Insurance and Subsidiaries, But Retains Negative Outlook

Sep 16 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services affirmed its “AA-” counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Cincinnati Insurance Co., Cincinnati Casualty Co. and Cincinnati Indemnity Co. (CIC).At the...

S&P Upgrades Nisshin Fire to ‘BBB’; Outlook Positive

Sep 16 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has raised its financial strength and long-term counterparty ratings on Japan’s Nisshin Fire & Marine Insurance Co. Ltd. to “BBB” from...

S&P: Challenges to Property Catastrophe Reinsurers

Sep 16 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has published a review of the property catastrophe reinsurance industry, titled “Is Property Catastrophe Reinsurance a Commodity,” examining its commodity-like...

S&P Revises Outlook on Italy’s Generali to Stable; Affirms ‘AA’ Ratings

Sep 14 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has revised to stable from negative its outlook on Assicurazioni Generali SpA, the parent and main property-casualty company of the pan-European insurance...

Converium Confirms U.S. Operations Run-off ; Comments on Ratings Downgrades

Sep 13 2004 // Swiss-based reinsurer Converium expressed disappointment with Standard & Poor’s latest decision to lower the holding company’s ratings from “A-” to “BBB.” It also confirmed plans to...

S&P Concerned by Hurricane Ivan; “Challenges Insurers’ Predictive Models”

Sep 13 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a bulletin indicating that it “views the approach of Hurricane Ivan, which is projected to be moving toward Florida, with concern.” Reinstatement...

S&P Affirms American Re and Affiliates ‘A’ Ratings

Sep 10 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has affirmed its “A” counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on U.S.-based American Re-Insurance Co. and its subsidiaries American...

S&P Lowers Outlook on Swiss Re; Affirms ‘AA’ Rating

Sep 9 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has revised its outlook on global reinsurer Swiss Reinsurance Co. and related entities of the Swiss Re group to negative from stable. At the same time,...

S&P Analyzes Potential Impact of Q3 Hurricanes; Questions Catastrophe Models

Sep 8 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a prelimlinary report on the series of hurricanes, notably Frances and Charley, which have struck the U.S.S&P indicated: “Although it’s still too...

S&P Affirms AXIS ‘A’, ‘BBB’ Ratings

Sep 7 2004 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has assigned its “BBB+” counterparty credit rating to Bermuda-based AXIS Capital Holdings Ltd. It also affirmed its “A” ratings on...

California Still Vulnerable in Workers’ Compensation Market

Sep 6 2004 // Just when it seemed California might overcome its perennial workers’ compensation crisis, renewed downward pricing pressure threatens to send the market into another tailspin, according to analysts at Standard &...

S&P Raises Outlook, Affirms ratings on Tokio Marine’s Dublin Reinsurer TMGRe

Sep 3 2004 // Accompanying its announcement on TMRe, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services also noted that it has revised its outlook on Dublin-based reinsurer Tokio Marine Global Re Ltd. (TMGRe) to stable from negative, and...