Latest Spain Headlines
All the headlines from our Spain Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Retailers Step Up Security as ‘Rambunctious’ Holiday Shopping Begins
Dec 1 2013 // With an estimated 140 million Americans predicted to shop this weekend, retailers are bolstering security, deploying Segway patrols and putting on live music to distract shoppers and avoid the deal-hunting scrums that can...
QBE Sets Aside ‘Immediate Needs’ Payouts for Spain Train Crash Victims
Aug 2 2013 // Australian insurance group QBE said on Thursday it had set aside €2.75 million [$3.64 million) for the immediate needs of those affected by last week’s train crash in Galicia in northwest Spain, which left 79...
Allianz, QBE Have Largest Exposures to Spain Train Crash
Jul 29 2013 // Germany’s Allianz and Australian group QBE bear the bulk of the insurance liability from this week’s fatal train crash in northwest Spain, according to sources at the companies. While Allianz’s Spanish...
UPDATE: Driver under Investigation after Spain Train Crash Kills 80
Jul 26 2013 // The driver of a Spanish train that derailed, killing at least 80 people, was under police guard in hospital on Thursday after the dramatic accident which an official source said was caused by excessive speed. The...
At Least 77 Killed, 131 Injured, after Train Derails in Spain
Jul 25 2013 // A train derailed outside the ancient northwestern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela on Wednesday evening, killing at least 77 people and injuring up to 131 in one of Europe’s worst rail disasters. Bodies covered...
Best Affirms MAPFRE USA and Group Members Ratings; Outlook Negative
Jun 3 2013 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a” of the members of MAPFRE USA GROUP. The lead company in MAPFRE USA is The...
MAPFRE Posts $9.1 Billion Q1 Total Revenues; $346.5 Net Income
May 6 2013 // Spain’s MAPFRE announced that it had total revenues of €6.942 billion [$9.1 billion], a 1.6 percent increase, and attributable results of €264.3 million [$346.5 million], down by 2.6 percent, in the first quarter...
Sources: Spain’s Bankinter, Apollo Global Team up to Bid for Generali’s BSI Bank
Mar 5 2013 // Spain’s Bankinter has joined forces with U.S. investment fund Apollo Global Management to bid for Italian insurer Generali’s Swiss private bank BSI in a deal worth up to €2 billion ($2.6 billion), three...
Zurich’s European Survey Confirms Insurance Isn’t a Luxury in Economic Crisis
Jan 15 2013 // A survey conducted by GfK on behalf of Zurich Insurance Group analyzed how the people in seven different European countries are dealing with their insurance needs in the light of the ongoing economic crisis. Insurance...
Ratings Recap: Echelon, Nationale Suisse, MAPFRE Global Risks/Empresas
Dec 21 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘B++’ (Good) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb+” of Echelon General Insurance Company, as well as the ICR of “bb+” of...
Euler Hermes and MAPFRE Form ‘Solunion’; a New Credit Insurance Venture
Nov 30 2012 // Euler Hermes and MAPFRE jointly announced the launch of “Solunion”- the brand name of their new credit insurance joint venture in Spain and four Latin American countries. Each partner owns 50 percent of the...
Mapfre Concludes $1.284 Billion Senior Debt Issuance
Nov 7 2012 // Spain’s Mapfre said it concluded a €1 billion [$1.284 billion] debt issuance of senior notes with a fixed coupon of 5.125 percent, issued at par, which the company said, was 3.7 times oversubscribed, despite a...
Which Insurance Products Do Europeans Rate Tops? Zurich Survey Answers
Nov 7 2012 // Pressure at work and school, the financial crisis and concerns about their families are keeping Europeans awake at night, according to a survey conducted by Zurich Insurance Group in eight European countries. Getting sick...
U.S. ‘Fiscal Cliff,’ Europe’s Debt Woes Worry G20
Nov 5 2012 // Leading world economies pressed the United States on Sunday to act decisively to avert a rush of spending cuts and tax hikes, warning that the so-called fiscal cliff is the biggest short-term threat to global...
Trial Underway for 4 Accused of Sinking Oil Tanker, Polluting Spain Coast
Oct 19 2012 // Four people went on trial this week for their role in the sinking of an oil tanker in Spain’s northwestern coast in 2002, triggering one of Europe’s biggest environmental catastrophes. The defendants include...
RBS Deal with Spain’s Santander Collapses; New Bidders Emerge
Oct 14 2012 // Shares of Royal Bank of Scotland are set to open lower on Monday following the shock decision by Spain’s Santander to pull out of a deal to buy 316 branches from the part-nationalised British bank. The collapse of...
Best’s Report on Spanish Non-Life Sector Finds Profits, Future Challenges
Oct 10 2012 // “The Spanish non-life insurance sector remained profitable in 2011, but growth remains challenging, as it continues to face one of the bleakest economic environments since the 1930s,” according to a new report...
Ratings Recap: Nacional Re, Barents Re, PMG, MS Frontier Re
Oct 4 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has assigned a financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and an issuer credit rating of “a-” to Spain’s Nacional de Reaseguros, S.A., both with...
Tornado Hits Fair in Spain; Flood Deaths Reach 10
Oct 1 2012 // A tornado swept through a fairground in a Spanish town, knocking down a Ferris wheel and injuring 35 people, while the death toll from flooding in the same southern region of the country rose to 10, authorities said...
Catalonia Shows Euro’s Weak Links: Commentary by James Saft
Sep 27 2012 // Just when Spain, and the euro zone, needed it least, along comes the Catalan secession drama to remind us exactly how many parties, peoples and factions have the potential to undermine the single currency’s...
