Archive

  • Finding the holy grail

    21 November 2019

    With low interest rates impacting solvency ratios, insurers are looking for the holy grail of high yielding assets which do not require higher capital charges. Vincent Huck reports

  • Fossil fuel exclusion proves a slow burn for US insurers

    03 October 2019

    US insurers say they are ready to stop investing in climate-harming coal. But only one has divested from the fossil fuel to date. Could Chubb’s move be the start of a wider transition by US insurers away from fossil fuels or is it empty talk? Sarfraz Thind reports.

  • Will BBB come back to bite?

    17 September 2019

    Is the end of the credit cycle really in sight and, if so, are European insurers at risk of seeing their high yield assets coming back to bite them? A wave of credit downgrades could significantly impact solvency ratios and put insurers in the position of forced sellers. But how worried should they be? Vincent Huck reports

  • Taiwan tightens capital requirements, China loosens financial holdings rules

    06 August 2019

    Asian regulatory update

  • US insurers build up leveraged loan holdings

    31 May 2019

    AIG, MetLife with “outsized concentrations”

  • IFRS 17 to promote dynamic ALM, Moody’s says

    20 May 2019

    Accounting standards won’t impact ratings but will shape product, pricing and investment strategies

  • CECL: US insurers getting to grips with accounting standard overhaul

    09 May 2019

    Like IFRS 9, the US's current expected credit losses (CECL) accounting standard was devised to tackle expected credit losses in financial institution portfolios. The rules, however, appear harsh in relation to the insurance industry. By Sarfraz Thind

  • Moody’s issues poor outlook for Uruguayan insurers

    01 May 2019

    Earnings take hit from price competition, natcats and agricultural claims

  • The BBB effect: apocalypse or opportunity?

    12 March 2019

    US insurers are holding bigger volumes of BBB-rated corporate debt than at any time in the past. A turning credit cycle could tip significant amounts of these to junk. But while the headline figures look startling, is this really a precursor to the apocalypse or just another bad news story? Sarfraz Thind reports

  • Sovereign exposure partly to blame for Unipol downgrade

    24 October 2018

    Allianz SpA and Generali avoid same fate