Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
On the Road: Are America’s Guardrails Dangerous?
Jun 13 2014 // Before dawn on Feb. 23, Darius Williams ran his Nissan Sentra off a North Carolina interstate at 80 miles per hour. A length of guardrail pierced his door, according to the police report, driving the 24-year-old’s...
Ratings Roundup: Toa Re, GeoVera, Argus Group
Jun 13 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings of “aa-” of The Toa Reinsurance Company Limited, based in Japan, and its subsidiary, The Toa...
BP Engineer Gets New Trial Over Oil Spill Evidence
Jun 13 2014 // A former BP Plc senior engineer found guilty last year of destroying evidence related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was granted a new trial based on his claim of juror misconduct during deliberations. Kurt Mix was...
Stakes for P/C Insurers ‘High’ If Congress Shifts TRIA Burden: Moody’s
Jun 11 2014 // If Congress acts to extend the federal government backstop for terrorism insurance, the new version will likely impose higher deductibles and risk retentions on U.S. property/casualty insurers, says Moody’s Investors...
Businesses Lobby Delaware to Keep ‘Loser Pays’ Option in Shareholder Suits
Jun 11 2014 // Big business is lobbying Delaware lawmakers for corporate bylaws to shift legal fees to shareholders who sue and lose, which legal experts say could curtail a booming type of investor class actions. An affiliate of the...
Under New CEO Hancock, Smaller AIG Expected to Focus on Growth
Jun 11 2014 // American International Group Inc. promoted Peter Hancock to chief executive officer as the company focuses on growth after his predecessor stabilized the insurer and paid back a 2008 government bailout. Hancock, 55,...
In Search of the Best Defense Against Corporate Cyber Crime
Jun 11 2014 // With hackers stealing tens of millions of customer details in recent months, firms across the globe are ratcheting up IT security and nervously wondering which of them is next. The reality, cyber security experts say, is...
Wal-Mart Trucker Had Not Slept in 24 Hours Before N.J. Morgan Crash: Complaint
Jun 10 2014 // A Wal-Mart Stores Inc. truck driver went at least 24 hours without sleep before his tractor-trailer crashed into a limousine, critically injuring actor-comedian Tracy Morgan and killing another entertainer, according to a...
Federal Appeals Court Rules Bonus Payout for WTC Site Workers Premature
Jun 9 2014 // A judge acted prematurely in awarding a $55 million bonus payment to thousands of rescue and cleanup workers at the World Trade Center site who settled lawsuits against New York City over damage to their health, a federal...
Supreme Court Denies BP Bid to Halt Claim Payments
Jun 9 2014 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to block payments BP PLC is required to make to businesses demanding compensation for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill as the company fights a lower court ruling. The high court...
Cyber Theft, Already a $445 Billion Business, to Grow Bigger
Jun 9 2014 // Cybercrime remains a growth industry. That’s the main message from former U.S. intelligence officials, who in a report today outlined scenarios for how $445 billion a year in trade theft due to computer hackers will...
Ratings Recap: AXA U.S. Subs, Southern Farm, Iron Horse
Jun 9 2014 // A.M. Best has revised the issuer credit ratings (ICR) outlook to stable from negative and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and ICRs of “a+” of AXA Insurance Company...
U.S. Risk Pros Launches an Enhanced Professional Liability Program for Architects and Engineers, Construction Managers, and Design/Build Contractors
Jun 9 2014 // Dallas, TX – June 9, 2014 – U.S. Risk Insurance Group, Inc., the eighth largest managing general agency and surplus lines wholesaler in the nation, announced that U.S. Risk Pros, the Professional Liability...
Vermont AG Sues 2 Dozen U.S. Refiners Over Pollution
Jun 6 2014 // BP Plc, Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. are among two dozen U.S. refiners sued by Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell and accused of polluting the state’s groundwater with a gasoline additive. Sorrell filed...
London Taxis Try to Cut-Off Silicon Valley’s Uber Car Service
Jun 6 2014 // They have been the kings of the British capital’s roads for over a century but now the often opinionated drivers of London’s iconic black taxi cabs are battling a high-technology rival that threatens their...
Aon Benfield May Cat Report Highlights ‘Severe Weather’ in the U.S.
Jun 6 2014 // Impact Forecasting, the catastrophe model development center of excellence at Aon Benfield, has released the latest edition of its monthly Global Catastrophe Recap report, which reviews the natural disaster perils that...
Court Ruling on Well Co-Ownership Could Cost BP, Anadarko Billions in Fines
Jun 5 2014 // BP Plc and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. could face billions of dollars in fines after an appeals court ruled they were automatically liable for pollution-law violations as co-owners of the well that blew out and started the...
GM Top Executives Did Not Know About Ignition Defect: WSJ on GM Internal Probe
Jun 5 2014 // An internal probe of General Motors Co.’s delay in recalling cars with defective ignition switches linked to at least 13 deaths is expected to conclude there was no concerted coverup and clear senior management of...
S&P Loses Bid to Keep 16 States’ Lawsuits Over Ratings in Federal Court
Jun 5 2014 // Standard & Poor’s suffered a defeat on Tuesday in litigation accusing it of issuing misleading credit ratings prior to the 2008 financial crisis, as a federal judge ruled that lawsuits by 16 U.S. states and...
EU Notes Its Success in Climate Change Goals as UN Talks Start
Jun 4 2014 // The European Union touted its success in cutting greenhouse gases at U.N. talks on climate change on Wednesday, where a U.S. plan to cut power plant emissions has lifted hopes for a global deal in 2015. An adviser to the...
