Standard & Poor's (S&P)
Groupama CEO Azéma sacked after Fitch and S&P action
A senior rating analyst has played down fears a raft of major European insurers could be on the end of downgrades in the wake of the European Union debt crisis.
Standard & Poor upgrades Swiss Re to AA-
Standard & Poor has upgraded Swiss Re from A+ to AA- following the firm success in derisking its asset portfolio, convertible perpetual capital instrument with Berkshire Hathaway and stabilised its net income.
Swiss Re upgraded to 'AA-'
Standard & Poor's Ratings has raised its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Swiss Re and its core subsidiaries to 'AA-' from 'A+'. The outlook on all of these entities is stable.
Market moves: All change at Zurich and Willis
Following a slow period, large insurers made a number of key appointments this week, including major moves at Zurich, Allianz and RSA.
LV gets first S&P rating
Standard & Poor’s has assigned BBB+ ratings to LV and Highway insurance - the core operating entities of Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society.
S&P lowers ratings for Mapfre and core subsidiaries
Spanish insurer Mapfre has had its insurer financial strength and long-term counterparty credit rating downgraded to 'AA-' from 'AA' by Standard and Poor’s following its sovereign downgrade of Spain last week.
Litmus appoints Shipperlee from S&P
Insurance consultancy Litmus Analysis has taken on former Standard & Poor’s and AM Best insurance analyst Stuart Shipperlee as a partner.
German insurers face endurance test, says S&P
German insurers are being tested by challenging conditions in the financial markets, according to Standard and Poor’s.
News analysis: Insurance industry feels the shockwaves of the economic meltdown
It has been hard to escape the doom and gloom of the volatile stock market and wider economic woes over the past week.
Fitch adds to Groupama's woes
Fitch Ratings has downgraded Groupama SA's and four of its core insurance subsidiaries' insurer financial sStrength ratings to 'BBB' from 'A-'.
Italian insurance credit fundamentals remain strong
The credit fundamentals of Italian insurers remain strong despite concerns over sovereign risk.
Sevice poll result
Are brokers prepared to switch for lower quality service at a cheaper price?
Groupama actions fail to avert S&P rating action
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has lowered its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings of Groupama SA and its related subsidiaries to 'BBB' from 'BBB+', and removed them from Credit Watch with negative implications.
Exporting to the US: pitfalls and potential
Exporting to the US could be a solution to Europe’s economic problems but as Pat Drinan explains brokers looking to help out firms venturing into this market need to watch their own back as well as their clients.
Service quality poll result
Find out what the industry made of the S&P research showing less than a quarter of insurance buyers would switch to a broker with a lower quality service even for 20% less premiums.
European insurance buyers rate specialist brokers for providing personalised service
European insurers buyers rate the 'big 3'brokers for their depth of resources and buying power, but it is the specialist brokers that are viewed as providing personalised service.
Maritime insurer Skuld reports record 9th year of underwriting surplus
Norwegian maritime insurer Skuld has reported underwriting surplus of $13m for the first six months of 2011.
Munich Re transfers European windstorm risks to capital markets
Munich Re has acquired coverage for European windstorm risks with volume of $150m from Queen Street III Capital, which in turn has placed a catastrophe bond for this amount on the capital markets.
S&P downgrades Groupama IFS rating
The insurer financial strength rating of Groupama has been downgraded from ‘A-‘ to ‘BBB+’ by Standard & Poor’s because of its “material exposure to Greek government bonds”.
Overseas market - Saudi Arabia: full of Middle Eastern promise
With a fast-growing insurance sector, Saudi Arabia is a country on the move. Dexter Morse gives a detailed overview of market developments and potential.
S&P: Provident rating may improve by two notches after Covea deal
Standard & Poor's has placed its 'BB+' long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Provident Insurance on CreditWatch with positive implications.
S&P confirms Allianz' Japan rating
Standard & Poor's has confirmed its AA- (stable) rating of Allianz Fire and Marine Insurance Japan.
Willis Re: S&P economic capital criteria “incentivises insurers”
Willis Re’s report on Standard & Poor’s new criteria for assessing insurers’ economic capital models has found the latest S&P release “incentivises insurers to adopt more sophisticated internal capital models” by giving them the opportunity to use the…
Aviva boss: earthquake will not impact GI rates
Global general insurance rates will not be dramatically affected by Japan's earthquake and tsunami, according to Aviva's chief underwriting officer.