Traditionally conservative European insurers and pension funds are turning increasingly to risky property bets on everything from new homes in provincial Britain to car parks at Brussels airport, as they feel the pinch from rock-bottom interest rates. While much is …
Cyber attacks on the private sector are an increasingly important risk in corporate credit analysis, U.S. ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service said this week. The threat of computer hacking varies from sector to sector and remains hard to measure because …
The proposed acquisition of Brit plc by Fairfax Financial Holdings is “credit positive” for Fairfax, according to Moody’s, which noted that the deal will significantly boost Fairfax’s underwriting capacity at Lloyd’s in a recently published report. Also citing the benefits …
European insurers such as Allianz SE and Axa SA are shifting investments into the loan market, taking business from banks that are being forced to increase capital and meet tougher regulations, Moody’s Investors Service said. The insurance companies are moving …
Credit ratings organisations from five countries are launching a new global agency, touting it as an alternative to the Big Three agencies which they say no longer meet the needs of the new globalised world. In a statement on Tuesday, …
The new Shanghai free trade zone should benefit property/casualty insurers, particularly those in marine/cargo and liability insurance, according to Moody’s Credit Outlook. On Sept. 29, the date that Shanghai’s municipal government’s launched its free trade zone, the China Insurance Regulatory …
U.S. property and casualty (P/C) insurers continue to release reserves to support earnings, said Moody’s Investors Service in two recent reports. U.S. P/C insurers released $9.0 billion of reserves during the first six months of 2013, with a significant portion …
Moody’s Investor’s Service reported that the property/casualty insurance industry’s capital growth outpaced premium growth last year, and that earnings for the year jumped nearly 50 percent over 2011. “Capital adequacy remains solid,” the firm said in a report said, noting …
Analysts at two rating agencies, Fitch and Moody’s, believe property/casualty insurers’ prior-year loss reserve takedowns will continue to outpace reserve additions in 2013. The analysts spoke about P/C industry reserving trends as they reviewed their year-end outlooks and 2013 forecasts …
Major credit rating agencies won a fresh legal victory on Monday when a federal appeals court rejected a lawsuit by Ohio pension funds that sought to recoup millions of dollars of losses on risky mortgage debt they said were based …
