MetLife, because of its ownership of MetLife Bank, an online retail unit, was forced to submit to the Federal Reserve’s stress testing and failed, possibly because it was “unfairly penalized” by regulators.

Property-casualty insurers should report “improved” operating results this year, after being hurt by heavy catastrophe-related losses and weak earnings in 2011, according to Fitch Ratings.

A global ratings agency predicts a stable outlook for the U.S. property-casualty insurance sector in 2012 after this year’s weak profitability.

The property-casualty industry’s reserve adequacy cushion isn’t as fluffy as it used to be, according to a new Fitch report.

Concern that property-casualty insurers’ investments in public-entity securities could be threatened if deterioration in credit for this asset class grows is overrated, a ratings service said.

The U.S. insurance industry raised $38.6 billion in capital from the first quarter of last year through the first quarter of this year, with most of the capital raised in the second quarter of 2009, according to Fitch Ratings’ Insurance group.

With the cost of containment and cleanup of a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico rising into the billions of dollars every day, the financial impact for oil company BP will be limited because of its insurance coverage.

A pair of rating agencies is keeping its eyes on three Berkshire Hathaway subsidiaries as the company looks to acquire a majority share in the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad.

Heightened market competition is hurting auto insurance companies in the United States, according to a new report.

A day after sharp criticism from a New York regulator on their decision not to participate in a hearing on ratings services and their impact on the insurance industry, Moody’s Investors Services has said it will attend the gathering.