Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Crop Insurance Helps Farmers Now More Than in 1988 Drought
Jul 24 2012 // U.S. crops are taking a beating in the worst drought since 1988 but most farmers are not sweating like they did 24 years ago when a drought hit as they were just starting to recover from a farm depression that brought down...
Fairfax’s Watsa Raises Stake in BlackBerry Maker RIM to Nearly 10%
Jul 24 2012 // Canadian investor Prem Watsa, dubbed the “Warren Buffett of the North,” has nearly doubled his company’s stake in embattled BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd (RIM) to just under 10 percent,...
Some Parts of Midwest Expecting Rain This Week
Jul 23 2012 // Rain will fall early this week in the northern U.S. Midwest, with from 1 to 2 inches expected across a broad parched swath of corn and soybean land roughly north of Interstate 80, an agricultural meteorologist predicted...
Iran Investment Bill Well-Intentioned, But Unconstitutional
Jul 23 2012 // In a May 7 speech during her visit to India, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the principal threat to the world is a nuclear-armed Iran because Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. It is understandable that...
People – South Central
Jul 23 2012 // Don Whitaker, president and owner of Whitaker Insurance Associates Inc. in San Antonio, has been named president-elect of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) for 2012-201. The association elected Pat Arthur,...
Policy Counts for Property Insurers of Last Resort Up 17%
Jul 23 2012 // A record-high 3.31 million residential and commercial policies were offered through state-run property insurers of last resort in the United States in 2011, a 17 percent rise over the previous record of 2.84 million in...
Aon: June’s Severe Weather Losses Near $2B in U.S.
Jul 23 2012 // Severe weather insurance losses in the United States were close to $2 billion in June, according to Aon Benfield’s Global Catastrophe Report. The report, published by Aon’s Impact Forecasting, noted that the...
People – Southeast
Jul 23 2012 // Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. has appointed Joe Kinsey to the position of high net worth personal insurance executive for the eastern zone. In his new role, Kinsey has full underwriting and distribution responsibility...
People – East
Jul 23 2012 // Pawtucket, R.I.-based Narragansett Bay Insurance Company recently named Todd Hart as the new chief executive officer. Narragansett Bay founder Nick Steffey, who has stepped down from the CEO role, will continue as...
U.K.-Based Insurer Amlin Sets Up Reinsurance Unit in New Jersey
Jul 20 2012 // UK-based specialist insurer Amlin plc is setting up a U.S. market for casualty reinsurance targeting nationwide business with a focus on general and professional liability. The business will be sourced direct from U.S....
Severe Drought Includes Much of Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana
Jul 20 2012 // The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows that severe drought affecting much of the Midwest and Great Plains now covers more than half of Iowa and three-quarters of Nebraska. More than half of Indiana is now listed in...
House Lawmakers Reach Deal on Russia Trade Pact, Rights Bill
Jul 20 2012 // The top Republican and Democrat on the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee said on Thursday they had reached a deal to move forward on Russian trade legislation, including human rights provisions opposed by...
Heat Waves Need ‘Re-purposed’ Climate Research: Reuters Gerard Wynn
Jul 20 2012 // A major heat wave and drought has sent world grain prices sky rocketing for a second of three summers suggesting it is time to address supply through re-purposed climate research. Tackling high food prices among the...
Record Number of Farmers Expected to File Crop Insurance Claims
Jul 20 2012 // The drought ravaging America’s prime farmland is having an unexpected consequence that could shape the future of agricultural finance: in some cases, farmers who have amped up their insurance coverage may be giving...
No Relief in Sight for Drought-Damaged Crops
Jul 19 2012 // Midday weather updates on Wednesday indicate more hot, dry weather for the U.S. Midwest, where corn and soybean crops are rapidly deteriorating amid the harshest drought in more than half a century. “It’s a...
Ratings Recap: CIBC Re, ACS (NZ) Ltd, CCR (Algeria)
Jul 19 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a+” of Barbados-based CIBC Reinsurance Company Limited (CIBC Re), both with stable outlooks....
Russia Backs WTO Entry; U.S. Friction Persists
Jul 19 2012 // Russia’s upper house of parliament voted on Wednesday to ratify entry into the World Trade Organization, and now only the signature of President Vladimir Putin is needed to complete the country’s 18-year bid to...
Senate Panel Approves Russia Trade, Human Rights Bill
Jul 19 2012 // The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill to ensure U.S. exporters share in the benefits of Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization but also to punish Russian officials for...
Settlement Reached with Ex-US Fidelis Workers
Jul 18 2012 // The Missouri attorney general’s office has reached a deal with some former employees of US Fidelis allowing compensation for being laid off without proper warning. US Fidelis was once a leading seller of vehicle...
Australian Woman Wins Multi-million Thalidomide Payout from Diageo
Jul 18 2012 // An Australian woman has won a multi-million dollar payout from UK Company Diageo Plc, the local distributor of the drug Thalidomide that caused birth defects in thousand of babies around the world in the 1960s, her lawyers...
