Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Law Firm Seeks Records from Malaysian Airlines, Boeing
Mar 26 2014 // Malaysian Airlines and Boeing Co are facing a potential lawsuit over the Beijing-bound flight that disappeared more than two weeks ago with 239 people on board, according to a law firm representing passengers’...
Malaysia Jet’s Mystery Disappearance Leaves Liability Riddles
Mar 25 2014 // As the final hours of Malaysian Air Flight MH370 remain wrapped in mystery, the question of who bears full liability for the jet’s disappearance is also unresolved. This much is clear: Families of the 227 passengers...
Best Affirms Markel and Affiliates Ratings; Outlooks Stable
Mar 25 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of the members of the Markel North America Insurance Group, as well as the FSR...
IRS Expects ‘Glitches’ by Firms Reporting Under New Anti-Tax Evasion Law
Mar 25 2014 // A new U.S. anti-tax evasion law, set to take effect on July 1, will encounter “inevitable glitches,” said the head of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service on Monday, adding that the IRS will be sympathetic to...
Could ‘Missing Number 1321’ on Subsidies Derail Affordable Care Act?
Mar 25 2014 // If President Barack Obama’s signature health-care law unravels, it could be for want of a single number in crucial passages of the 2,409-page statute. The missing number, 1321, refers to a section of the Patient...
Malaysia Jet Search Highlights Doubts over Air Traffic Radar
Mar 24 2014 // The ease with which a big jetliner melted into the ether after vanishing from Malaysian radar illustrates an uncomfortable paradox about modern aviation: state-of-the-art airplanes rely on ageing ground infrastructure to...
Maersk Sees Alliance of 3 Largest Container Shipping Lines Starting Mid-2014
Mar 24 2014 // An alliance of the world’s top three container shipping firms, which could control more than a third of the market, is likely to start operating in mid-2014, No.1 player Maersk Line said after the tie-up was approved...
University of Nevada Earthquake Lab Now World’s 2nd Biggest
Mar 24 2014 // There’s a whole lot of shakin’ going on at the University of Nevada, Reno. UNR’s seismic-simulation facility became the largest in the United States and second largest in the world in March with an...
People – Southeast
Mar 24 2014 // Joe Robles, Jr.The president and CEO of the insurer of military families, USAA, announced he will retire from USAA in the first quarter of 2015. “It has been my privilege to work at USAA for nearly 20 years. However,...
Michigan Congresswoman Miller: Flood Insurance Bill Bad for State
Mar 24 2014 // A U.S. Congresswoman from Michigan wants her state to opt out of the National Flood Insurance Program, saying it’s not good for Michigan homeowners. U.S. Representative Candice Miller (MI-10) voted against H.R. 3370,...
Top U.S. P/C Agency and Brokerage Acquirers in 2013
Mar 24 2014 // Insurance Journal‘s review of property/casualty agency and brokerage mergers and acquisitions occurring in 2013 found that Arthur J. Gallagher was the most active agency acquirer – as was the case in 2012. Hub...
Top 10 HOT Markets to Watch
Mar 24 2014 // Insurance Journal examined industries experiencing changes and expansions in the past year. Here are the top 10 market sectors that just might deliver hot opportunities for agents and brokers in the property/casualty...
Ten Things to Know about High Risk Property
Mar 24 2014 // Winter storms caused $2 billion in insured losses in 2013, up dramatically from $38 million in 2012, according to reports from Munich Re. From 1993 to 2012, winter storms resulted in about $28 billion in insured...
Canada Pension Plan Board to Buy Wilton Re for $1.8 Billion
Mar 21 2014 // The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) announced that it has agreed to buy U.S. life insurance and reinsurance provider Wilton Re Holdings Ltd for $1.8 billion from a group of private equity firms, the first...
Global Insurance Organization’s G-20 Delegates Stress Social, Economic Role
Mar 21 2014 // In a series of meetings this week with the Australian G-20 Presidency, the Global Federation of Insurance Associations (GFIA) has called on the G-20 to “ensure that all international regulatory reform initiatives...
Best Affirms Arch Capital and Subs ‘A+’ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Mar 21 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of Bermuda-based Arch Reinsurance Ltd. and its strategic affiliates. Best...
Analysis of Possible Plane Debris Slowed by Vast Size of Satellite Data
Mar 21 2014 // Delays in identifying satellite images that may show debris of a missing Malaysian plane in the southern Indian Ocean were due to the vast amounts of data that needed to be analyzed, Australian authorities and the U.S....
Supreme Court to Weigh Religious Exemption from Birth Control Mandate Next Week
Mar 21 2014 // Hobby Lobby Stores Inc.’s 600 U.S. craft shops close each Sunday, posting a notice that employees are spending the day with their families and at worship. It’s a visible sign that the company is as focused on...
GEICO’s Advertising Spending Slows But Still Tops $1 Billion: SNL
Mar 20 2014 // After two years of double-digit percentage increases in advertising spending, GEICO Corp. boosted its ad spend by just over five percent in 2013, according to research by SNL Financial. GEICO, with its Gecko and Maxwell...
Court Says Broker Fraud Protected by Bankruptcy’s Safe Harbor
Mar 20 2014 // Bankruptcy law’s “safe harbor,” which prevents customers of defunct brokerages from being sued, applies even when the broker was engaged in fraud and violated multiple securities laws, the U.S. Court of...
