Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
AM Best’s Stress Testing Indicates Most Insurers Can Withstand Pandemic Hit
May 18 2020 // Analysts at the AM Best ratings firm say their initial stress tests of insurance companies globally to gauge the preliminary impact from the COVID-19 pandemic on their financial strength found good news: “most...
Economy Will Need More Government Help to Recover, Says Fed Chair Powell
May 18 2020 // The most important data for the U.S. economy right now are the “medical metrics” around the coronavirus pandemic, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Sunday night in broadcast remarks where he outlined...
Talc Miner Imerys to Forfeit North America Units to Settle 14,000 Cancer Lawsuits
May 18 2020 // Imerys SA, which mines talc used in Johnson & Johnson’s iconic Baby Powder and other products, agreed to turn over its North American operations to resolve more than 14,000 lawsuits claiming the mineral caused...
Citing 9/11 Victims Fund, Lawmakers Eye U.S. Compensation Pool For COVID-19 Workers
May 18 2020 // A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers last week unveiled a plan to compensate essential workers who fall sick or die from COVID-19. The lawmakers are modeling their Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act after the September...
U.S. Completes Overhaul of Biotech Farm Product Regulations
May 18 2020 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Thursday a rule that will simplify or waive agency reviews of certain biotech farm products, including plants and seeds that have been genetically modified or engineered. As...
Goodbye Open Plan Office? Hello 6-Feet Social Distancing Workspace?
May 18 2020 // One-way corridors, buffer zones around desks, and clear plastic screens to guard against colleagues’ coughs and sneezes may become office standards after coronavirus stay-at-home orders are lifted, say occupational...
People & Places
May 18 2020 // National Scott Kreuzer has been appointed as senior managing director, Americas, at Aspen Re, effective May 4, 2020. Kreuzer joins Aspen Re from Axis Reinsurance, where he has served as senior vice president and head of...
COVID-19 Clouding Cannabis Industry Pitfalls Amid Upbeat Outlook
May 18 2020 // The cannabis industry is being affected by COVID-19 much like other business sectors, but the complexities of this budding industry make its eventual recovery from the pandemic and ensuing economic fallout even harder to...
Study Finds State, Local Measures Have Reduced Coronavirus Cases by 34 Million
May 15 2020 // A new report titled, “Strong Social Distancing Measures in the United States Reduced the COVID-19 Growth Rate” finds that steps taken to reduce the spread of corononavirus by state and local governments have...
U.S. Issues Maritime Advisory on Sanctions for Ship Owners, Insurers
May 15 2020 // WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) – The Trump administration on Thursday issued guidelines to help ship owners and insurers avoid the risks of sanctions penalties, standards that maritime players and senior State...
Few Coronavirus Liability Lawsuits Have Been Filed Thus Far
May 15 2020 // Businesses are urging U.S. lawmakers to shield companies from what they fear could be a flood of lawsuits by workers and consumers blaming employers for exposing them to the new coronavirus. But so far, court records show...
Trump Administration Rule Changes Allow Trucker Work Day of 14 Hours
May 15 2020 // The U.S. Transportation Department on Thursday published new rules for truck drivers that will allow short-haul drivers to work a longer day and revising rules for longer trips, saying the changes will save the industry...
Lloyd’s Expects US$4.3B in COVID-19 Claims – On Par with Costs of 9/11 Terror Attacks
May 14 2020 // Lloyd’s of London revealed it will pay claims in the range of $3 billion to $4.3 billion as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This payout is on a par with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which cost the Lloyd’s...
RBS Risk Manager Gets Day in U.S. Court Seeking Whistleblower Payout
May 13 2020 // The U.S. Second Circuit Appeals Court on Tuesday considered arguments by an ex-Royal Bank of Scotland employee who is suing the U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission for a bounty he says he is owed...
Trump Safety Regulator Blocks Washington State’s Crude Oil Train Rules
May 13 2020 // The U.S. pipeline regulator late on Monday blocked an effort by Washington state to tighten vapor pressure restrictions on the transport of crude oil by rail, saying the measures would not lower the risk of explosions. The...
UK Government to Create Temporary Reinsurance Backstop for Trade Credit Insurance
May 13 2020 // The UK Treasury announced it is creating a government-backed temporary reinsurance scheme so businesses can continue to access trade credit insurance during the COVID-19 crisis. The scheme will be delivered through a...
California Retailer Sues Travelers for Denied COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims
May 12 2020 // San Francisco-based children’s clothing boutique Mudpie Inc. has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of California-based retail stores against an insurance provider, saying the small businesses were wrongfully...
Commercial Insurance Rates in Q1 Rise 14%, Even Before Impact of COVID-19: Marsh
May 12 2020 // Global average commercial insurance prices increased 14% in the first quarter of 2020 – but the rate hikes were not due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to insurance broker Marsh in its quarterly Global Insurance...
Why We Can’t Wait Until It’s Safe to Lift Lockdowns: Opinion
May 12 2020 // Officials in the U.S. have undermined hopes of a successful economic reopening because they’ve garbled public messaging, never clearly explaining why strict lockdowns were imposed in the first place. They’ve...
Homeland Security Intelligence Officer Glawe Named CEO of Insurance Crime Bureau
May 12 2020 // The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s (NICB) announced that David Glawe has been appointed as the new president and chief executive officer of the insurance fraud-fighting organization. Since 2017, Glawe served as...
