Rating Agencies
Moody’s Cuts Endurance Specialty Ratings Down to A3
On Wednesday, Moody's Investors Service announced that the rating agency lowered the insurance financial strength ratings of the principal operating subsidiaries of Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. ...
A.M. Best Upgrades AXIS Capital Holdings to A+
A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating of AXIS Specialty Ltd. and its operating affiliates to "A+" (Superior) from "A" (Excellent) and its issuer credit ratings to "aa-" from "a+". ...
Fitch Upgrades CNA’s Ratings to A; Outlook Stable
Fitch Ratings said Monday that it upgraded the insurer financial strength ratings of CNA's property/casualty insurance subsidiaries to "A" from "A-minus," explaining that steady improvements in ...
Fitch Sees Alternative Capital Fueling Reinsurance Mergers
Mergers and acquisitions in the reinsurance industry may rise in coming years because of higher valuations and the inflow of alternative capital, according to Fitch Ratings Ltd. The consolidation ...
A.M. Best Weighs In With New Concerns on Aon-Berkshire Type Deals
Underwriting risk management practices could loosen up as insurers join forces with major brokers on what A.M. Best calls "mega" whole-account broker deals in the London market, the rating agency ...
Rating S&P’s New Method: Transparency Improved, But Execution Consistency Falls Short
In May, Standard & Poor's confirmed that it had finalized a 10-month "Request for Comment" (RfC) process around proposed changes to the rating agency's criteria for rating insurers and ...
S&P Calls Federal Lawsuit ‘Retaliation’ for U.S. Downgrade
Standard & Poor's said on Tuesday the U.S. government filed a $5 billion fraud lawsuit against it in "retaliation" for its 2011 decision to strip the country of its "AAA" credit rating. The ...
P/C Loss Reserve Cycles Are Real: AM Best Analysis
The idea that carriers release loss reserves when property/casualty insurance markets soften and strengthen them in hard markets is more than a theory, according to a new analysis by rating agency ...