Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Hiscox Launches New Portfolio of Technology Products in U.S.
Jul 17 2012 // Hiscox has launched a new suite of technology products to address the growing technology, privacy and cyber risks facing businesses globally. Hiscox coverage includes breach of contract and intellectual property exposures,...
CEO Group Warns Washington to Avoid Impending ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Politics
Jul 17 2012 // The Business Roundtable, which represents U.S. CEOs in Washington, on Tuesday called on Congress and the President to enact a stopgap measure to avoid the “crisis” of a “fiscal cliff” of major tax...
Former Louisiana Deputy Insurance Commissioner Convicted of Racketeering
Jul 17 2012 // United States Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr. announced that a former Louisiana deputy insurance commissioner has been convicted on racketeering charges. Richard L. Chambers, Sr., age 67, of LaPlace, La., pled guilty to...
Worst Midwest Drought Since 1956 Expanding North, West
Jul 17 2012 // An expanding U.S. drought, now deemed the worst since 1956, dealt another blow to the corn crop, with conditions deteriorating for a second straight week in the world’s top exporter of the grain, U.S. government data...
IMF Cuts Global Growth Forecast as Emerging Economies Slow
Jul 17 2012 // The International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for global economic growth and warned that the outlook could dim further if policymakers in the euro zone do not act with enough force and speed to quell their...
Let the 2012 Olympic Games Insurance Challenges Begin!
Jul 17 2012 // As images and sound are beamed from the UK to devices all over the world, insurers and reinsurers will play a key role in the transmission of the 2012 Olympic Games that run from July 27 to Aug. 12 in London. Lee Tookey,...
Why Workers’ Compensation Leads in E&O Claims
Jul 16 2012 // Every year, errors and omissions (E&O) claims arising out of the placement of workers’ compensation account for approximately 10 percent of all claims. Many of those workers’ comp claims are well in excess...
New Law on BP Oil Spill Promises States More in Restoration Monies
Jul 16 2012 // U.S. Gulf Coast states have a higher stake in the amount of money the U.S. government can wring out of BP Plc for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill due to a new law that would divert billions of dollars in potential BP...
6 Month Insured Losses at $12 Billion; Nat Cats Less Costly: Munich Re
Jul 13 2012 // Natural catastrophe losses were “relatively moderate” in the first six months of 2012, concludes Munich Re’s assessment for the first six months of the year. Overall global losses up to the end of June...
BP Pays $13M to Settle Texas Refinery Safety Probe
Jul 12 2012 // BP Plc on Thursday agreed to pay $13 million to settle safety violations at its Texas City, Texas refinery, paving the way for a sale of the refinery by the London-based energy company. The settlement struck with the U.S....
