NEW YORK (Standard & Poor's) Oct. 17, 2002--Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said today it affirmed its single-'A'-plus counterparty credit rating on The Allstate Corp. and its double-'A' counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Allstate Insurance Co. (AIC) and related group members based on AIC's excellent market position, better-than-average underwriting returns, and strong capitalization. Standard & Poor's also said the outlook is stable. "Underwriting results as measured by the combined ratio are expected to be at, or slightly more than, 100% by year-end 2002. Included in this estimate is an expectation that additional reserve strengthening will be required for prior-year auto and homeowners claims," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst Matthew Coyle. "The company is actively addressing the latter
