Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Panel Backs Tougher Asbestos Testing Standards for Cosmetics
Jan 13 2020 // An expert panel formed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has endorsed asbestos testing standards for cosmetics that reject long-held industry positions and reflect those of public health authorities and experts for...
Lawsuits Over Missing Malaysia Plane Belong in Malaysia, Not U.S., Court Affirms
Jan 13 2020 // A U.S. appeals court on Friday upheld a lower court decision to dismiss nationwide litigation over the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in which victims’ families sought to hold the carrier, its...
Workers’ Comp Profits at Risk from Growing Competition, Lower Rates: A.M. Best
Jan 13 2020 // Workers’ compensation carriers’ ability to retain profitable accounts and maintain market share could be challenged due to declining rates and growing competition in the U.S., according to an A.M. Best...
January 2020 Reinsurance Renewals Varied Significantly, Brokers Say
Jan 13 2020 // The January 2020 reinsurance renewals saw significant variation in pricing and capacity depending on geography, line of business, cedents’ loss record and client relationships, according to two reports published by...
Counselor: Students ‘Excited’ About Insurance After Zurich’s Apprenticeship Summit
Jan 10 2020 // Despite having established its earn-and-learn apprenticeship program in the U.S. several year ago, insurer Zurich North America for the first time hosted an Apprenticeship Week Summit for high school students last...
Australia’s Bushfires Could Surpass 2009’s Costly Season; Analysts, Insurers Comment
Jan 10 2020 // Australia’s bushfire season has months to run and could easily surpass the most costly fire season, 2009’s Black Saturday fires in Victoria, which had a price tag of an estimated A$4.4 billion (US$3 billion),...
Chamber of Commerce to Fight Corporate Breakups, Gig Worker Benefits
Jan 10 2020 // The leader of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said the powerful business group will fight to reverse liberal policies being pushed in the states and by some Democratic candidates for president. “We will lead the...
Steelworkers Union Sues to Reverse EPA Weakening of Chemical Plant Rules
Jan 10 2020 // The United Steelworkers sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in federal court on Thursday in a bid to reverse its gutting of a safety rule at chemical plants, the union said. The largest U.S. industrial...
New York Governor Lays out Aggressive Climate Change Plan
Jan 9 2020 // New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing an aggressive climate change-fighting campaign for his state that includes a $3-billion bond act that would be put on the ballot this November. Cuomo, who says that money would go to...
Veteran Aon Executive Fitzgerald Joins QBE North America Specialty & Commercial
Jan 9 2020 // A long-time Aon executive is signing on with QBE North America as its new president of Specialty & Commercial. Tom Fitzgerald is taking on the new position in February 2020 after being with Aon Risk Solutions for more...
Hundreds Left Homeless, Thousands Without Power from Puerto Rico Earthquake
Jan 9 2020 // Cars, cots and plastic chairs became temporary beds for hundreds of families who lost their homes in southwest Puerto Rico as a flurry of earthquakes struck the island, one of them the strongest in a century. The magnitude...
Trump Wants to Speed Infrastructure Projects by Dropping Climate Impact Assessment
Jan 9 2020 // The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled a plan to speed permitting for major infrastructure projects like oil pipelines, including by dropping consideration of their potential impact on climate change. The plan,...
U.S. Safety Agency Opens Probe into Deadly Tesla Crash in Indiana
Jan 9 2020 // The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it is launching an investigation into the Dec. 29 crash of a Tesla Model 3 that left a passenger dead after the vehicle collided with a parked fire truck...
U.S. Had 14 Weather Disasters of $1 Billion or More in 2019
Jan 9 2020 // The U.S. had 14 weather disasters costing $1 billion or more last year, with Midwest flooding accounting for almost half of the total, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Flooding from the...
U.S. Study Questions Baby Powder Link to Ovarian Cancer
Jan 9 2020 // A study of more than 250,000 women found that those who used talc or other personal-hygiene powders weren’t significantly more likely to develop ovarian cancer, news that will impact thousands of legal claims against...
Tensions Between U.S. and Iran Hamper Probe of Boeing 737-800 Crash near Tehran
Jan 8 2020 // As investigators sift through the charred wreckage of a jetliner that crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran, contradictory reports have emerged about what might have caused the Boeing Co. 737-800 to abruptly plunge out...
Generali Completes Acquisition of Portugal Insurer Seguradoras Unidas from Apollo
Jan 8 2020 // Generali finalized the acquisition in Portugal of the insurer Seguradoras Unidas and the health services company AdvanceCare from Apollo Global Management Inc. for €600 million (US$670.1 million) Generali paid €510...
Texas Governor Warns of 10K per Minute Attempted Cyber Attacks from Iran
Jan 8 2020 // Gov. Greg Abbott is warning Texans to be “particularly vigilant” regarding potential cyber terrorism from Iran, suggesting that heightened tensions with the country have caused an increase in attempted attacks...
Natural Catastrophes Cost $150B in 2019, with Insurers Paying $52B: Munich Re
Jan 8 2020 // Natural catastrophes caused overall losses of US$150 billion during 2019, including insured losses of about US$52 billion, which matches the average of the past 30 years, according to Munich Re’s catastrophe...
Insurance Industry Calls for Action to Mitigate Climate Risk as Australia Bushfires Widen
Jan 8 2020 // As the devastation from Australia’s bushfires widens, the insurance industry is calling for concerted action to mitigate the impact of climate change. Months of out-of-control fires have burnt an area more than five...
