Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Ambiguity Over Spousal Benefit Rules Could Test Gay Marriage Ruling
Jul 16 2015 // The Supreme Court was definitive in its decision to legalize gay marriage nationwide, but what is far from clear is whether U.S. companies must offer corporate benefits to same-sex spouses. Many large and mid-sized...
Ex-Oppenheimer Exec Gets Jail Time for Role in Oklahoma Insurer Fraud
Jul 16 2015 // A former Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. executive was sentenced to almost two years in prison for his role in a fraud that prosecutors say led to the collapse of an Oklahoma insurance company. Allen Reichman, 54, and three...
U.S. Appeals Court Rules for Whistleblowers in State Farm Katrina Fraud Case
Jul 16 2015 // Whistleblowers who sued State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. can seek more evidence of fraud against the U.S. government after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, a federal appeals court ruled July 13. In its decision, the New...
U.S. Issues Tougher Rules for South Florida Check-Cashing Facilities
Jul 16 2015 // Federal authorities have issued tough new rules on check-cashing businesses in South Florida as part of the ongoing fight against rampant identity theft and tax fraud. The Treasury Department’s order applies to...
FBI: Global Criminal Hacker Forum Darkode Shut Down
Jul 15 2015 // The U.S. Department of Justice and FBI said today that they along with an international coalition of law enforcers have shut down the underground computer hacking forum known as Darkode and filed criminal charges against...
Suit Charges Wal-Mart with Discrimination Against Gay Employees Over Health Benefits
Jul 15 2015 // Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was accused of discriminating against gay employees in a lawsuit that pits the biggest U.S. retailer against rights activists just weeks after same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide. In a proposed...
Number of Food Recalls and Their Costs Are Increasing: Swiss Re Report
Jul 15 2015 // “Food manufacturers operate in a vast, globalized supply chain, where one mislabeled product or contaminated ingredient can cause sickness, death, multi-million dollar losses and massive reputational damage for the...
CFC Launches Cyber Policy for U.S. Healthcare Providers
Jul 14 2015 // Specialist lines underwriting agency, CFC, has extended its cyber product suite with the launch of a new policy developed specifically for U.S. healthcare providers. According to CFC’s Cyber Practice Leader, Vicky...
Coming Soon: Marijuana ‘Breathalyzers’ for Police Testing of Drivers
Jul 14 2015 // As cannabis bans are relaxed in more U.S. states, the race is on to develop an instant roadside breathalyzer for police to test drivers who may be taking the “high” road. Vancouver-based Cannabix Technologies...
Global Insured Cat Losses in First Half Are Below Long-Term Average: Munich Re
Jul 14 2015 // Overall losses and insured losses from natural catastrophes during the first half of 2015 were below long-term average values, according to a review of global natural catastrophes issued by Munich Re. Total natural...
As Nine Storms Roar Across the Pacific Ocean, Two Forces Are to Blame
Jul 14 2015 // The Pacific Ocean, named for placidity, is roaring. In the past week, eight tropical systems — and that includes two major typhoons — have formed across the Pacific from China to Mexico. On top of that, another...
Amtrak Concedes to Liability in Philadelphia Train Derailment Cases
Jul 13 2015 // Amtrak said it will concede that it’s liable for most damages caused by the May 12 train derailment in Philadelphia that killed eight passengers and injured dozens. The railroad acknowledged Friday in responses to...
Lehman Exec Defeats Employee Lawsuit Over Retirement Losses
Jul 13 2015 // A U.S. federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit by former Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc employees seeking to hold onetime Chief Executive Richard Fuld liable for their retirement plan losses as the Wall Street bank...
Harmful Treatments Get Michigan Doctor 45 Years in Prison
Jul 12 2015 // Calling the scheme “horrific,” a judge sentenced a Detroit-area cancer doctor to 45 years in prison for collecting millions from insurance companies while poisoning more than 500 patients through needless...
JLT Specialty USA Hires Taccetta as Executive VP in New York
Jul 10 2015 // JLT Specialty Insurance Services Inc. (JLT Specialty USA), a U.S. subsidiary of London-based Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc., hired Joe Taccetta as executive vice president. Taccetta will be based in New York where he...
JLT Specialty Appoints Addison as EVP in Atlanta
Jul 10 2015 // JLT Specialty Insurance Services Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc. has appointed Joe Addison as executive vice president and member of the U.S. Executive Committee. Addison will be based in...
Intellectual Property: Newegg Loses Patience; Apple Wins New Damages Trial; Jawbone Targets Fitbit
Jul 9 2015 // Newegg Inc. has been waiting for almost two years for a Texas federal judge to make a final ruling on a patent lawsuit it lost. On Monday it stopped waiting and asked an appeals court to force the judge into action. Newegg...
Latest U.S. Forecast Sees Stronger El Nino into 2016
Jul 9 2015 // The Pacific Ocean’s weather-changing El Nino will probably last into 2016 and be stronger than previously forecast, the U.S. Climate Prediction Center says. El Nino, a warming of the equatorial Pacific, has a 90...
Washington Redskins, Disparaging Trademarks and Free Speech
Jul 9 2015 // The National Football League’s Washington Redskins lost some protection for its controversial name after a federal judge ruled it may be disparaging to Native Americans. The decision doesn’t bar the...
Aon Benfield’s June Cat Report Highlights China Rains, Floods, U.S. Storms
Jul 9 2015 // Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team, has released its latest edition of its monthly Global Catastrophe Recap report, which evaluates the impact of the natural disaster events that...
