Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Securities Class Actions Up 9% in 2013 But Below Average
Jan 28 2014 // Plaintiffs filed 166 new federal securities class actions in 2013, a nine percent increase over 2012, however, the 2013 total is still 13 percent below the average from 1997 to 2012 despite being boosted by a second-half...
OSHA Findings Contested in Williams Olefins Explosion in Louisiana
Jan 27 2014 // Officials say Williams Olefins is contesting six workplace safety violations and $99,000 in civil penalties federal regulators proposed for a fatal explosion June 13 at the company’s Ascension Parish, La., plant. The...
Supreme Court Exempts Time ‘Donning and Doffing’ Safety Gear from Employee Pay
Jan 27 2014 // The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that employees at a U.S. Steel Corp. plant do not have to be paid for the time they spend “donning and doffing” safety gear before and after their shifts. The nine...
Data Shows Hoboken’s Share of Sandy Aid on Par With Other N.J. Towns
Jan 27 2014 // The city whose Democratic mayor said New Jersey’s GOP Gov. Chris Christie’s administration tied Superstorm Sandy aid to her support for a real estate project has, so far, received a level of aid from state-run...
U.S., Canada Officials Say Tougher Oil Train Safety Rules Needed
Jan 27 2014 // Warning that a “major loss of life” could result from an accident involving the increasing use of trains to transport large amounts of crude oil, U.S. and Canadian accident investigators urged their governments...
Willis Connects US and Global Facultative Operations
Jan 27 2014 // Willis Group Holdings announced that its US facultative arm, Willis Facultative North America, has joined together with its global facultative operation, Faber Global. “The addition of Willis Facultative North...
Global Natural Disasters Cost Insurers $45B in 2013
Jan 27 2014 // In 2013, there were 296 separate natural disaster events that produced total economic losses of $192 billion – four percent below the 10-year average of $200 billion, but above the average 259 events, according to a...
Fourth Quarter Activity Brings a Strong Finish to 2013
Jan 27 2014 // While deal flow was calm for most of the year, fourth quarter merger and acquisition (M&A) activity was lively and momentum was strong going into 2014. With 74 transactions announced in the last three months of 2013,...
Top 10 Corporate Risks in 2014: Allianz Risk Barometer
Jan 27 2014 // Business interruption (BI) and supply chain, natural catastrophes and fire/explosion top the list of company risks in 2014, according to the third annual Allianz Risk Barometer, which surveyed some 400 insurance experts...
Fastest Growing E&S Carriers in Top 30 Revealed: Fitch Report
Jan 27 2014 // In a year-end report on the U.S. excess and surplus lines market, data compiled by Fitch Ratings revealed that the top growing E&S writers in recent years were not necessarily the biggest. The report, published in...
Companies Can’t Stop Data Theft at Reasonable Cost: Execs at Davos
Jan 24 2014 // Fighting online data fraudsters is almost impossible as their ability to hack into new technology often outpaces companies’ efforts to protect it, senior businessmen and bankers gathering for the World Economic Forum...
Republicans Vow to Develop Alternative to Obamacare
Jan 24 2014 // Top Republicans are saying they can no longer just be the party of “No” on Obamacare: They need to come up with an alternative healthcare policy. While many Americans are skeptical of President Barack...
Canada, U.S. Safety Agencies Urge Fast Action on Oil-by-Rail Cars
Jan 24 2014 // North American regulators should phase out the type of rail car involved in last July’s deadly Lac-Megantic crash “sooner rather than later,” Canadian investigators said on Thursday, urging the United...
Pacific Trade Partners Working on Final Stages for Agreement: U.S. Official
Jan 24 2014 // Pacific Rim trading partners are working to resolve the last thorny issues in sealing an ambitious free trade pact and are likely to have further high-level talks next month, a senior U.S. trade official said on...
Worries Mount Over Winter Wildfire Season Not Soon to End
Jan 23 2014 // A winter wildfire season offers some unique challenges for firefighters like Mike Lopez. Lopez is president of CDF Firefighters, which represents the employees of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or...
Regulators Reviewing Berkshire Hathaway for Systemic Risk
Jan 23 2014 // Regulators are starting to scrutinize Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. to determine whether it is important enough to the financial system to require Federal Reserve supervision, according to two people with...
Reinsurance at Crossroads As New Factors Sweep Away Old Habits
Jan 23 2014 // Part I – The Market in the Developed Economies A significant number of reinsurance treaties were renewed this month, heavily concentrated in property catastrophe coverage. It’s become apparent, however, that this...
Officials Suspect 2 Nabbed in Texas Linked to Target Fraud Case
Jan 22 2014 // Two Mexican citizens who were arrested at the border used account information stolen during the Target security breach to buy tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise, according to a South Texas police...
Progressive Reports 20% Profit Gain in Q4
Jan 22 2014 // Progressive Corp., the fourth- largest U.S. auto insurer, said profit climbed 20 percent in the fourth quarter as margins improved a year after Superstorm Sandy. Fourth-quarter net income rose to $299.8 million, or 50...
West Virginia Politicians Call for State, Federal Regulation of Chemicals
Jan 22 2014 // West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin this week proposed tighter regulations for chemical storage facilities after a spill contaminated the water supply for 300,000 people. Tomblin, the Democratic...
