Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Property Cat Re Prices Down, Casualty Softening: Willis Re
Jul 2 2013 // Reinsurers are taking “robust defensive measures to maintain market positions recently eroded by new capital markets entrants,” with prices down 25 percent on some Florida property accounts, according to a new...
Swiss Re, Lloyd’s Among Insurers Probed by N.Y. on Iran Sanction
Jul 1 2013 // Swiss Reinsurance Co. and Lloyd’s of London, the world’s oldest insurance market, are among insurance companies being probed by New York’s insurance regulator about their compliance with an expanded Iran...
How Alabama County’s $4.2B Bankruptcy Plan Affects Insurers, Other Debtholders
Jul 1 2013 // Jefferson County, Alabama, filed a plan to end the biggest U.S. municipal bankruptcy later this year by cutting $1.2 billion in principal payments to investors holding defaulted sewer-related debt. Less than $100 million...
Arizona Wildfire Takes Lives of 19 Elite Firefighters
Jul 1 2013 // An elite team of 19 firemen were killed on Sunday in one of deadliest U.S. firefighting disasters in decades as flames raced through dry brush and grass in central Arizona, destroying scores of homes and forcing the...
CoreLogic to Buy Marshall & Swift/Boeckh, DataQuick for $661 Million
Jul 1 2013 // CoreLogic Inc. agreed to buy three real estate data companies from TPG Capital’s Decision Insight Information Group for $661 million to expand its coverage of the property and casualty insurance industries. CoreLogic...
Michigan Ban on Domestic Partner Benefits Blocked
Jul 1 2013 // A federal judge has blocked Michigan’s ban on domestic partner benefits for employees who work for public schools or local governments, saying state lawmakers simply wanted to punish gays and lesbians. U.S. District...
Insurers Turned Underwriting Profit in Q1, Attained Record Surplus
Jul 1 2013 // First quarter results for U.S. property/casualty insurers show they made a profit on underwriting for the first time since late 2009. Private U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income after taxes rose to $14.4...
How Catastrophe Experts Model Hurricane-Induced Storm Surge
Jul 1 2013 // The 2004 and 2005 North Atlantic hurricane seasons were a turning point in the way the property/casualty insurance industry viewed hurricane risk. The needs of the insurance industry required catastrophe models to...
The Disaster Issue – Where Insurers Fear to Tread
Jul 1 2013 // One storm is all it takes these days. Anyone who’s been paying attention needn’t be reminded that even a post-tropical cyclone can cause major damage. That’s what Sandy was when she came on shore in New...
Bethesda, Md., Ranked as Most Secure Metro Area in Farmers Insurance Study
Jun 28 2013 // The Bethesda–Gaithersburg–Frederick region in Maryland was ranked as the most secure large U.S. metro area in the latest study published by Farmers Insurance Group of Companies. This annual study defines large...
Agency Investigating Plant Blast Finds Lax Chemical Regulation
Jun 28 2013 // A federal agency investigating a deadly explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant will tell a Senate committee that regulation of the dangerous chemicals used in the industry fall under a “patchwork” of standards...
U.S. Suspends Trade Benefits for Bangladesh Over Workplace Safety
Jun 28 2013 // President Barack Obama on Thursday cut off longtime U.S. trade benefits for Bangladesh in a mostly symbolic response to dangerous conditions in that country’s garment industry that have cost more than 1,200 lives in...
P/C Insurers Question Need for Insurance Accounting Overhaul
Jun 28 2013 // The biggest overhaul of insurance accounting in 30 years advanced a step on Thursday with the release of a proposal that some insurers fear could make their profits more volatile. In a move to align financial statements...
Court Grants Scientific Article Authors, Publishers Broad Protection
Jun 28 2013 // Authors and publishers of controversial scientific articles, and the companies sponsoring those articles, won broad free speech protection from a U.S. appeals court on Wednesday. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in...
Greenberg’s $25B Suit Against Government Over AIG Bailout Can Proceed
Jun 27 2013 // Maurice “Hank” Greenberg can continue his $25 billion lawsuit against the U.S. over losses from the bailout of his former company, American International Group Inc., without making claims on behalf of the...
Global Banks Will Screen for Terrorism Links Under Basel Plan
Jun 27 2013 // Global banks will have to vet all customers for terrorism links as part of a crackdown on money laundering and criminal finance. Terrorist screening “should be carried out irrespective of the risk profile attributed...
Wal-Mart, Gap, Other U.S. Brands Ready $50M Bangladesh Safety Fund: WSJ
Jun 27 2013 // Gap Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are among U.S. retailers finalizing an agreement to establish a $50 million, five-year fund to improve safety conditions in Bangladesh garment factories, the Wall Street Journal reported,...
Gay Marriage Ruling Boosts Benefits for Many, Leaves Confusion in Some States
Jun 27 2013 // A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday forcing the federal government to recognize same-sex marriage in states where it is legal will open up new benefits to thousands of gay couples, but confusion may reign in states...
Illinois Man Sentenced for Multi-State Auto Theft Scheme
Jun 27 2013 // A Madison, Ill., man faced jail time after being convicted in for an auto theft scheme that spanned Illinois and Missouri, according to federal officials. The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois,...
Trade Panel Action Could Thwart ‘Patent Trolls’
Jun 26 2013 // A U.S. trade panel that deals with patent infringement cases took a step on Monday that could rein in companies, often known as patent trolls, accused of embarking on frivolous litigation. The International Trade...
