Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Illinois Supreme Court Voids $10.1B Philip Morris ‘Light’ Verdict
Nov 5 2015 // The Illinois Supreme Court on Nov. 4 threw out a $10.1 billion verdict against Philip Morris USA in a long-running lawsuit accusing the Altria Group Inc. unit of misleading smokers about the health risks of...
2,000 Corn Farmers, Handlers, Exporters Sue Syngenta
Nov 4 2015 // About 2,000 farmers, grain handlers and corn exporters have filed lawsuits against Swiss biotechnology company Syngenta now that a federal judge has ruled their cases have merit to move forward. The lawsuits allege...
Allstate Profit Down in Q3 as Auto Claims Rise
Nov 4 2015 // Allstate Corp., the largest publicly traded U.S. car and home insurer, said third-quarter profit slipped 17 percent as claims rose and policy growth slowed in the automobile insurance business. Net income decreased to $650...
Survey Shows Signs of Midwest Economic Slowdown
Nov 3 2015 // Figures plunged in an October survey of supply managers in nine Midwest and Plains states, the third straight month of declines that suggest a regional economic slowdown, according to a report released on Nov. 2. The...
Top 25 Workers’ Compensation Insurers
Nov 2 2015 // The U.S. workers’ compensation market saw solid gains in 2014, thanks in part to premium increases and favorable claims frequency. This was the fourth consecutive year in which the industry reported improved results,...
El Faro Owner Seeks U.S. Maritime Liability Limit on Death Claims
Nov 2 2015 // The owner of the U.S. cargo ship El Faro that sank in a powerful hurricane off the Bahamas nearly a month ago has filed for protection in Florida federal court from claims it is liable for the deaths of its 33 crew...
Update: Investigators Expected to Quickly Unravel Mystery of Russian Plane Crash
Nov 2 2015 // Investigators probing the crash of an Airbus Group SE jetliner in Egypt will focus on how a plane built to withstand extreme turbulence and equipped with devices meant to prevent flight maneuvers that might break it apart...
US and UK to Hold Joint Exercise to Test Cyber Security of Global Financial Firms
Nov 2 2015 // The US and British governments will hold a joint exercise to test cyber security and information sharing arrangements involving global financial institutions, according to the UK National Computer Emergency Response Team...
Farmers Insurance Facing Possible Class Action by ‘Hundreds’ of Female Attorneys
Nov 2 2015 // An attorney representing a woman suing Farmers Insurance for discriminatory practices filed a motion in mid-October seeking class action status in a suit she says could potentially encompass 300 female attorneys. The...
Damage Estimates Rising From South Carolina’s ‘Record-Breaking’ Storm
Nov 2 2015 // The potential exposure home insurers in South Carolina face from the early October storm that flooded the state is estimated to be over $18 billion, according to catastrophe modeling firm CoreLogic. Richland County had the...
Guy Carpenter Says Wildfire Losses May Exceed $1.75B
Nov 2 2015 // A briefing from Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC in late October shows more than 9 million acres were burned by wildfires so far this year, most of that occurring in the Western U.S, and that insured losses from wildfires...
Outlook for Homeowners Insurance Market Improves: Report
Nov 2 2015 // The outlook for the U.S. homeowners market has improved over last year thanks in part to rate increases and lower reinsurance costs, according to reinsurance intermediary Aon Benfield. A new report by Aon Benfield...
Economics of Climate Change, Climate Fiction and Climate Control
Oct 29 2015 // With fresh news out on the global economic cost of climate change, an enticing climate fiction contest and a sweet victory for this column, it would take until Christmas to individually cover it all in a bimonthly...
Atlantic Hurricane Season Enters Final Stretch with No-Hit Record Intact
Oct 29 2015 // It has been 10 years since a major hurricane hit the U.S., and as the Atlantic season staggers into its last month, every day that passes seems certain to extend that record streak. Wilma was the last major system,...
Hiscox Appoints Waddell to Lead General Liability Team with Focus on U.S. Risks
Oct 29 2015 // Hiscox London Market has appointed Nick Waddell as general liability line underwriter; establishing Hiscox’s first ever stand-alone general liability team as the business seeks to take advantage of a London market...
Activist Paulson Joins Icahn’s Call to Break Up AIG
Oct 28 2015 // Activist investor Carl Icahn said he owns a “large stake” in American International Group Inc. and urged the insurer to spin off its life and mortgage units into public companies to avoid being tagged as a...
House Votes to Extend Transportation Funding, Railway Safety Deadline
Oct 28 2015 // The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill to keep federal funds flowing to road and bridge construction projects into late November, while also extending a key rail safety deadline to the end of 2018. In...
Sen. Warren Criticizes Legal ‘Kickbacks’ to Annuity Sales Agents
Oct 28 2015 // U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren said 13 major U.S. life insurers had admitted to using incentives such as expensive vacations and gifts, which could encourage agents “to put their own interests ahead of their...
What Are Chances a U.S Business Will Face an Employee Lawsuit?
Oct 28 2015 // U.S.-based small and medium sized businesses face an almost 12 percent chance that they it will be hit with an employment claim, with their chances much higher in certain states. A new study of employee charge trends by...
Outlook for Homeowners Insurance Market Improves: Aon
Oct 27 2015 // The outlook for the U.S. homeowners insurance market has improved over last year thanks in part to rate increases and lower reinsurance costs, according to reinsurance intermediary Aon Benfield. A new report by Aon...
