Latest S&P Headlines
All the headlines from our S&P Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Monoline Downgrade: Triad Guaranty
Apr 3 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Triad Guaranty Insurance Corp. (Triad) to ‘BBB’ from ‘AA-‘. S&P also lowered...
Monoline Downgrades: FGIC, Security Capital,CIFG
Apr 1 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its financial strength rating on Financial Guaranty Insurance Co. (FGIC) six notches, to ‘BB’ from ‘A’, and its rating on holding company...
S&P: Reinsurance Pricing Cycle at ‘Critical Point’
Mar 28 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services latest report on the global reinsurance industry – “2008 Reinsurance Renewals: Underwriting Discipline Takes Center Stage As Price Adequacy Declines Further-”...
California May Create New Bond Insurer to Rival Buffett’s
Mar 28 2008 // California Treasurer Bill Lockyer is exploring the possibility of having state pension funds create a new bond insurer, his spokesman said Thursday. Lockyer has no immediate plans to use Berkshire Hathaway’s new bond...
Ratings Recap: Financial Guaranty, American Physicians, United National, Centene, Great Western
Mar 25 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its CreditWatch on Financial Guaranty Insurance Co. (FGIC, rated ‘A’) and holding company FGIC Corp. (rated ‘BBB’) to CreditWatch with...
S&P Sees Improved Insurer Enterprise Risk Management in 2008
Mar 25 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said that 2008 could see an overall improvement in insurance-industry enterprise risk management (ERM) scores. The firm says a 2006 review of the ERM practices of rated...
S&P: U.S. Workers’ Comp Insurers Face Weakening Rates
Mar 24 2008 // The U.S. workers’ compensation insurance business is not for the faint of heart, according to an article published by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services. The article, titled “Weakening Rates Could...
Ratings Recap: Celtic, Farmers Home, Conemaugh, Allegany Co-Op, Housing Authority, Monroe, CAPCO, MGIC
Mar 20 2008 // A.M. Best Co. has placed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a-” of Chicago’s Celtic Insurance Company under review with negative...
Ratings Roundup: ACE (Japan), Inter Hannover, White Mountains
Mar 20 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on its ‘A-‘ financial strength and long-term counterparty ratings on ACE Insurance to positive from stable. S&P also affirmed the...
S&P Says Allianz SE Ratings ‘Not Affected’ by Dresdner Separation
Mar 19 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said that its ratings and outlook on Germany’s Allianz SE (AZSE) [currently ‘AA’/Stable/’A-1+’] and related entities “are not affected by...
Ratings Recap: Travelers, Am. Capital, Fairmont, Univ. American, Fireman’s Fund (Mo.), ACE (Ill.) CIGNA, Conseco
Mar 19 2008 // Fitch Ratings has affirmed its ratings on The Travelers Companies, Inc (TRV). as follows: –Issuer Default Rating (IDR) ‘A+’; –Senior unsecured notes ‘A’ –subordinated notes...
Ratings Recap: KFB, Combined, Ambac, Countrywide, Echelon Property
Mar 14 2008 // A.M. Best Co. has withdrawn the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and assigned a category of NR-5 (Not Formally Followed) to Kansas-based KFBInsurance Company, formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of...
S&P: U.S. Workers’ Comp Insurers Face Weakening Rates
Mar 14 2008 // The U.S. workers’ compensation insurance business is not for the faint of heart, according to an article published by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services. The article, titled “Weakening Rates Could...
S&P Report Examines Solvency II Impact on Europe’s Insurers
Mar 13 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services new report -“One In Four Of Europe’s Insurers Could Face Major Strategic Decisions Under Solvency II” – concludes that the regulations, which are...
S&P Raises Fairfax Financial’s Rating Outlook to ‘Watch Positive’
Mar 12 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Canada’s Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. (FFH), FFH’s operating insurance companies...
S&P Revises Cunningham Lindsey Outlook to Stable; Affirms ‘B-‘ Rating
Mar 12 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on Cunningham Lindsey Group Inc. (LIN) to stable from negative. S&P also affirmed its ‘B-‘ counterparty credit rating on LIN. The...
Ratings Recap: CIFG, Tall Pines, Conn. Medical, Nationwide, Wolverine
Mar 11 2008 // Fitch Ratings has downgraded CIFG to ‘AA-‘ from ‘AAA’ and kept the ratings on Rating Watch Negative. The downgrade affects the Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) ratings for CIFG Guaranty and...
S&P Lowers Alleghany Ratings to ‘BBB’; An ‘Arbitrary’ Decision Says CEO
Mar 7 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has lowered its counterparty credit rating on Alleghany Corp. by one notch to ‘BBB’ from ‘BBB+’ and assigned a stable...
S&P Takes Various Rating Actions on European Monoline Securitizations
Feb 27 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued another bulletin, following yesterday’s rating announcements (See IJ web site –...
Ratings: United Fire, USI Holdings, Public Service Mutual, Berkshire Hathaway, Am. Family, Old Republic, Conseco
Feb 27 2008 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of United Fire & Casualty Group and its five P/C members, which...
