Reinsurance News

ratings

Ratings are a critical component of the insurance and reinsurance market, providing important indications of financial strength and creditworthiness for insurers and reinsurers.

Read all of our insurance and reinsurance ratings news below.

Swiss Re outlook revised to negative by S&P as underwriting deteriorates

8th May 2020

S&P Global Ratings has revised its outlook to negative from stable on global reinsurance giant Swiss Re and its core subsidiaries, citing uncertainty around its underwriting performance. At the same time as revising the outlook on Swiss Re, S&P has affirmed its 'AA-' issuer credit and insurer financial strength ratings on ... Read the full article

S&P upgrades CCR Re despite potential COVID-19 impacts

8th May 2020

S&P Global Ratings has affirmed its 'AA' long-term insurer financial strength and issuer credit ratings on state-backed CCR in France, and raised its ratings on CCR Re to 'A' from 'A-', while the outlook for both companies is stable. Over the past two years, CCR Re has reported a steady improvement ... Read the full article

AM Best places Watford Re & subsidiaries ratings under review amid COVID-19

5th May 2020

Global financial services ratings agency A.M. Best has placed the credit ratings of Watford Re Ltd. and its subsidiaries under review with negative implications, after the company announced that its Q1 2020 results will include a net investment loss of $300 million as a result of COVID-19 impacts on financial ... Read the full article

AM Best negative on US commercial lines, stable on personal lines

8th April 2020

AM Best has revised its outlook on the US commercial lines industry to negative from stable due to the impact of COVID-19, but has maintained a stable outlook on US personal lines. The rating agency does not expect significant claims activity in commercial lines owing directly to the pandemic, although virus-related ... Read the full article

Fitch to review all rated re/insurers for COVID-19 exposure

8th April 2020

Fitch Ratings plans to review the international ratings of all of the insurance firms in its coverage over the next four to five weeks as a result of the risks and uncertainties related to the global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Originally, Fitch announced its coronavirus-related reviews in a number of commentaries published ... Read the full article

AM Best turns negative on France, Italy & UK life markets

7th April 2020

AM Best has revised its outlook for the life insurance markets in France, Italy and the UK to negative, due to concerns about the financial and economic headwinds caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In France, the rating agency noted that technical margins have already been under pressure for a number ... Read the full article

Swiss Re reinsurance support helps elipsLife to ratings affirmation: AM Best

25th February 2020

AM Best has affirmed its credit ratings for Elips Life Insurance Company (elipsLife), which it says have been lifted by continued reinsurance and capital support from the company’s parent, Swiss Re. The rating agency upheld its financial strength rating of A (Excellent) and long-term issuer credit rating of ‘a+’ for elipsLife, ... Read the full article

S&P maintains stable outlook on US health sector

31st January 2020

S&P Global Ratings has maintained its stable outlook on the US health insurance sector for 2020, with limited rating movement expected over the coming year. Analysts noted that about 90% of insurer ratings currently have stable outlooks in this sector, and near term macroeconomic factors and cost trends should help to ... Read the full article

Improved capital position prompts Covea ratings upgrade

22nd January 2020

S&P Global Ratings has upgraded its ratings for France-based insurer Covea Group, citing further improvements in the company’s capital adequacy and its leading competitive position within the regional P&C market. The rating agency raised Covea’s long-term insurer financial strength and issuer credit ratings from ‘A+’ to ‘AA-‘ and kept the group’s ... Read the full article

S&P remains stable on US P&C insurance

15th January 2020

Rating agency S&P has maintained its stable outlook on the US property and casualty (P&C) sector going into 2020, with strong capitalisation and pricing momentum offset by weakening reserves and concerns around loss emergence. Capital in the P&C industry keeps reaching record highs, with analysts estimating that US insurers had a ... Read the full article

Demotech warns of downgrades for Florida insurers

14th January 2020

Financial analysis firm Demotech has warned that it is anticipating downgrades for several insurance carriers in Florida, due to a number of state-specific pressures on financial performance. Analysts noted that some carriers will likely seek a sale to avoid being downgraded, while others may ask for permission to voluntarily run-off outstanding ... Read the full article

Peak Re receives ratings affirmation from AM Best

19th December 2019

AM Best has affirmed its financial strength and credit ratings for Hong Kong-based reinsurer Peak Reinsurance Company Limited (Peak Re), citing robust capitalisation, improved investment risk, and strong liquidity. The rating agency upheld its financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) and its long-term issuer credit rating of ‘a-‘ for both Peak ... Read the full article

Fitch turns negative on North American life insurance

5th December 2019

Fitch Ratings has revised its 2020 sector outlook for North American life insurers to negative from stable, following an unexpected decline in interest rates over the past year. Although the sector outlook is negative, analysts still expect ratings for North American life insurers to remain stable in the coming year. That said, ... Read the full article

Moody’s increasingly positive on mortgage insurers as reinsurance use grows

2nd December 2019

With mortgage insurers in the U.S. increasingly leveraging the capital markets to secure reinsurance protection, alongside traditional forms of coverage, Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) has taken some positive rating actions and a somewhat more positive outlook on market players. Overall, notes Moody's, the U.S. mortgage insurance sector has reported broad-based improvements ... Read the full article

A.M. Best turns negative on Sirius International

22nd November 2019

Global financial services ratings agency, A.M. Best, has revised its outlooks to negative from stable for Sirius International Insurance Group, Ltd. and its main rated subsidiaries, citing the deterioration of the firm's operating performance metrics since 2017. Specifically, A.M. Best has revised the outlooks to negative and affirmed the Financial Strength ... Read the full article