On Dec. 5, 2014, we lowered our ratings on the Republic of Italy to 'BBB-/A-3' from 'BBB/A-2'. We consider that Germany-based global multiline insurer Allianz SE continues to bear significant exposure to Italian government bonds. Although we view this as a risk to our ratings on Allianz, we still think the group's capital adequacy provides a substantial buffer to absorb the risk linked to this exposure. We are therefore affirming our 'AA/A-1+' ratings on Allianz SE and its 'AA' rated core subsidiaries, and our 'AA-' ratings on its highly strategic subsidiaries. The stable outlook reflects our view that the group's capital adequacy will remain in the 'AA' range and earnings will be consistent with our base case. On Dec. 11,