Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Exempts India, Other Countries, Not China, from Iran Sanctions
Jun 12 2012 // The United States extended exemptions from its tough, new sanctions on Iran’s oil trade to seven more economies on Monday, leaving China the last remaining major importer exposed to possible penalties at the end of...
Transfer of Pension Risk to Insurers Gaining Favor
Jun 11 2012 // Last week’s deal by Prudential Financial to take on $26 billion of the retirement liabilities of General Motors has reignited a part of the American insurance market that had been bouncing along the bottom in recent...
Analysis: EU’s Spain Bank Rescue May Bring only Brief Respite
Jun 11 2012 // Euro zone finance ministers rushed Spain into an EU-funded rescue for its debt-stricken banks to pre-empt the threat of a bank run if Greece’s debt crisis flares again but any respite for Madrid and the euro may be...
Judge Questions Evidence in Gender Bias Claim Against Wal-Mart
Jun 11 2012 // A U.S. judge on Friday said he was “seriously concerned” about whether women suing Wal-Mart Stores Inc. had enough evidence to move forward with their refiled gender discrimination lawsuit. Plaintiffs alleging...
Recruiter in City Nursing Kickback Scheme Pleads Guilty in Houston
Jun 8 2012 // A Houston man has pleaded guilty to recruiting patients for a healthcare provider in return for kickbacks. Floyd Leslie Brooks, 45, entered a plea of guilty to conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute for his role...
W.Va. Families Head to U.S. Capitol Over Mine Safety
Jun 8 2012 // Relatives of three miners killed in West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch disaster are in Washington, D.C., to press for the passage of long-stalled mine safety legislation by July 4. Gary Quarles lost son Gary Wayne in...
U.S. to Issue More Waivers on Iran Sanctions Next Week
Jun 8 2012 // The United States will announce a new list of countries that will receive exceptions to financial sanctions on oil trade with Iran as soon as early next week, a government official said on Thursday. Not all of Iran’s...
Aon Benfield May Cat Report Highlights Italian Quakes; $6 Billion Econ. Loss
Jun 8 2012 // Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon plc, has released its latest edition of its Global Catastrophe Recap report, which reviews the natural disaster perils that occurred worldwide...
U.S. Insurers’ Reserves Redundant by $11.7B: Aon Benfield Study
Jun 7 2012 // Insurers’ reserves were redundant at year-end 2011 by $11.7 billion – or 2 percent of total booked reserves – compared with $22.0 billion at the year-end of 2010, after the industry released $12.7 billion of...
Best Affirms AXA U.S. FSR; Upgrades ICR; Off Review; Negative Outlook
Jun 7 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has removed from under review with negative implications and upgraded the issuer credit rating (ICR) to “a+” from “a” and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of...
BMS Group Exec Joins New York-Based U.S. RE as Senior VP
Jun 6 2012 // Pearl River, N.Y.-based global reinsurance broker U.S. RE Corporation appointed Victor Marques as senior vice president. U.S. RE said Marques brings more than 25 years in the field to his new role at the company’s...
Brazilian Firm Sues Florida Over Cuba, Syria Law
Jun 6 2012 // The U.S. subsidiary of Brazilian construction and engineering conglomerate Odebrecht has filed a lawsuit challenging a recently signed Florida law barring local governments from hiring companies that do business in Cuba or...
Will There Ever Be a United States of Europe?
Jun 6 2012 // From recent news you will have learned that the euro zone crisis continues to be the 700 pound gorilla in the room of the global economy. It’s become increasingly clear that, whatever happens in Greece on June 17,...
U.S.: Restitution Impractical for Stanford Victims
Jun 5 2012 // The U.S. government said it would be “impracticable” to enforce an order of restitution against financier Allen Stanford to victims of his estimated $7 billion Ponzi scheme and that it should be permitted to...
U.S. Drug Recalls Common But Not Well-Publicized: Study
Jun 5 2012 // The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalls potentially harmful drugs about once every month but could do a better job of letting doctors and patients know about them, according to a study released on Monday. Over an...
Global Downturn Puts Investors, Companies in Retreat
Jun 5 2012 // Gripped by fears that Europe’s debt crisis is driving the world economy into a ditch, companies are delaying plans to raise capital and canceling deals, while investors are taking refuge in cash or any other place...
Chinese Drivers Pose Fresh Risks for Foreign Insurers
Jun 5 2012 // “People like us who buy Ferraris don’t care too much about insurance because we buy cars for speeding,” said Li, in his twenties and the son of a Pearl River Delta factory owner, as he took delivery of a...
Best Affirms State Farm Mutual, Affiliates & Subs Ratings
Jun 4 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A++’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa+” of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (SFMAIC) and its...
Business Moves – East
Jun 4 2012 // W.R. Berkley Greenwich, Conn.-headquartered W. R. Berkley Corp. announced that it formed a new marine division of its Berkley Offshore Underwriting Managers operating unit. Through its New York office, Berkley Offshore...
People – South Central
Jun 4 2012 // Richard Knabb, the tropical weather expert at The Weather Channel, will be the next chief of the National Hurricane Center. Knabb started working at the hurricane center in 2001. He was a senior hurricane specialist at the...
