News about credit ratings

AM Best reported that U.S. property/casualty insurers saw substantially fewer downgrades in the first half of 2026, at 3.8% of total rating actions versus 6.1% a year earlier, while upgrades rose to 8.2% from 5.5%. Over half of downgrades stemmed from poor operating performance and 27.3% from deteriorated balance sheet metrics tied to adverse reserve development, with most concentrated in commercial casualty and commercial auto. About one-third of upgrades were driven by better operating performance, including sizable rate increases, underwriting discipline and improved investment returns. Despite inflation and rising reinsurance costs, insurers have benefited from a relatively benign claims year, and as of June 30, 2026, 82.3% of commercial lines writers carried a stable outlook.