Latest Spain Headlines
All the headlines from our Spain Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
W. R. Berkley Names Jiménez to Top Spanish Post as Esteban Steps Down
Sep 25 2012 // W. R. Berkley Corporation announced that Alejandro Jiménez has been promoted to presidente ejectutivo of W. R. Berkley Insurance (Europe), Limited Sucursal en España , reporting directly to Stuart Wright, CEO of W. R....
Europe Drawn Back to its First Problem – Greece
Aug 27 2012 // The euro zone debt crisis was born in Greece. Nearly three years and two bailouts on Europe must decide whether to give the country yet more help or cut it loose. For all its complexities, Greece’s problems...
Wildfires Threaten to Burn Precious Natural Parks in Spain
Aug 13 2012 // Fierce wildfires forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and were threatening some of Spain’s most precious natural parks, including one that is a UNESCO world heritage site, officials said Sunday. Fires on...
Recession, Libor, Facebook Punish Europe’s Banks
Aug 1 2012 // Leading European banks reported dismal profits on Tuesday, blaming everything from the continent’s debt crisis and Spain’s property market crash to Facebook’s disastrous stock market debut. Within a space...
ECB Head Sends Strong Signal Bank Will Act to Protect Euro Zone
Jul 26 2012 // European Central Bank President Mario Draghi pledged on Thursday to do whatever was necessary to protect the euro zone from collapse, sending a strong signal that inflated Spanish and Italian borrowing costs were in his...
Euro Zone May Be Fragmenting Faster than EU Can Act
Jul 10 2012 // Signs are growing that Europe’s economic and monetary union may be fragmenting faster than policymakers can repair it. Euro zone leaders agreed in principle on June 29 to establish a joint banking supervisor for the...
Ratings Roundup: Delvag, Ocaso
Jul 2 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has upgraded the financial strength rating to ‘A'(Excellent) from ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings to “a” from “a-” of...
Ratings Roundup: MAPFRE PRAICO, Tunis Re
Jun 28 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has commented that the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of MAPFRE PRAICO Insurance Company, its wholly owned subsidiary, MAPFRE...
Germans Say “Nein! No! Non!” Ahead of Euro Summit
Jun 28 2012 // EU leaders go into a Brussels meeting today, Thursday June 28, more openly divided than at any time since the euro crisis began, with Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel showing no sign of relenting in her refusal to...
Best Sees No Change in MAPFRE USA Group Ratings
Jun 27 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has commented that the financial strength ratings (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings of “a” of the members of MAPFRE USA Group are unchanged following the recent market...
Best Sees No Change in MAPFRE RE’s Ratings despite Spain’s Economic Woes
Jun 27 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has commented that the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a” of MAPFRE RE, Compania de Reaseguros,...
Euro Zone’s Big Four Agree on $163 Billion Growth Boost; Split on Euro Bonds
Jun 22 2012 // The leaders of Germany, France, Italy and Spain agreed on Friday on a €130 billion ($163 billion) package to try to revive economic growth in Europe but differed over whether and how to launch joint bonds to combat the...
G20 Backs Europe’s Plans for Euro Zone Overhaul to Fight Crisis
Jun 20 2012 // Europe won support from world leaders on Tuesday for an ambitious, but slow-moving, overhaul of the euro zone, even as pressure built in financial markets for quicker solutions to its debt crisis that threatens the world...
World Economies Prepare for Panic after Greek Elections
Jun 15 2012 // Authorities in the world’s major economies are preparing for a possible market storm or public panic after cliffhanger Greek elections this weekend, officials said on Thursday, should radical leftists win and cast...
German Chancellor Merkel Rejects ‘Miracle Solutions;’ Spain’s Debt Costs Soar
Jun 14 2012 // Chancellor Angela Merkel rebuffed pressure on Thursday for Germany, Europe’s most powerful economy, to underwrite debt or guarantee bank deposits in the euro zone, as Spain’s soaring borrowing costs raised new...
Analysis: EU’s Spain Bank Rescue May Bring only Brief Respite
Jun 11 2012 // Euro zone finance ministers rushed Spain into an EU-funded rescue for its debt-stricken banks to pre-empt the threat of a bank run if Greece’s debt crisis flares again but any respite for Madrid and the euro may be...
Best Affirms MAPFRE RE FSR; Downgrades ICR; Off Review; Negative Outlook
Jun 7 2012 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has downgraded the issuer credit rating (ICR) to “a” from “a+” and affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) of MAPFRE RE,...
Best Affirms MAPFRE PRAICO FSR Ratings; Downgrades ICR; Outlook Negative
Jun 7 2012 // As Best announced in conjunction with these current rating actions, they follow a series of actions taken last December to address the implications for euro zone insurers. Generally it changed the outlook on the ratings,...
