Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Chevron Appeals $18 Billion Judgment Ruling in Ecuador Lawsuit
Jan 23 2012 // Chevron Corp has filed an appeal with Ecuador’s National Court of Justice to review a judgment that the U.S. oil company pay $18 billion in damages for polluting the Amazon jungle. Chevron was ordered by an...
Europe to Issue Tough Rules Protecting Internet Users’ Data
Jan 23 2012 // The European Union will propose tough new rules in the coming days on how corporations handle Internet users’ personal data, a long-awaited move that could have far-reaching implications for Web giants such as Google...
U.S. Nuclear Plants Need Better Safety Against Earthquakes, Floods: Panel
Jan 23 2012 // An expert task force convened by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission called Japan’s nuclear disaster “unacceptable” and concluded that nuclear power plants in the U.S. need better protections for rare,...
Courts Push Back on Foreign Bribery Prosecutions
Jan 23 2012 // As the U.S. Justice Department has stepped up its enforcement of an anti-foreign bribery law, it has faced the expected stiff resistance from the business community. Now it faces the unexpected as courts are pushing back,...
People
Jan 23 2012 // Woodbury, N.Y.-based Sterling & Sterling appointed Leslie Nylund as president of the insurance brokerage. Nylund will be responsible for the firm’s operations, including sales, employee benefits, client services...
Court: Workers’ Comp Bars Iraq Convoy Drivers’ Suit Against KBR, Halliburton
Jan 23 2012 // A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit brought against KBR Inc. and Halliburton Co. by the families of two convoy drivers killed in a 2004 insurgent attack in Iraq. The U.S. Court of Appeal for the 5th Circuit,...
People
Jan 23 2012 // Swantner & Gordon Insurance Agency has added Thomas Peel in the marketing department of the firm’s Houston office. As a marketing representative, Peel will be responsible for analyzing and placing risk with...
Ground Shifting for Medical Liability Insurers: Moody’s
Jan 23 2012 // Although it comprises just over 2 percent of annual direct premiums for the U.S. property and casualty insurance industry, the medical professional liability (MPL) insurance business is integral to the U.S. healthcare...
New Global Risks Create Need for Expanded Directors & Officers Liability Program
Jan 23 2012 // The risk of lawsuits against senior executives has long been a major concern for businesses in the United States. But in the last few years it has become a much more serious global exposure as well. The international legal...
As User-Based Insurance Takes Off, Towers Watson Steers It Globally
Jan 21 2012 // When Towers Watson expanded its user-based insurance (UBI) DriveAbility program beyond the United States in late fall, it wasn’t just based on a whim. Simply put, UBI is taking off. For now, the interest is primarily...
Insurers Brace for Cold Weather Claims
Jan 21 2012 // Though summer weather is associated with devastating catastrophe losses, the winter season can be equally busy from a claims perspective. The third-largest cause of catastrophic losses behind hurricanes and tornadoes,...
Healthcare Individual Mandate Too Weak to Matter, Aetna CEO Says
Jan 19 2012 // Wall Street’s concern about the U.S. Supreme Court’s looming decision on President Obama’s healthcare overhaul is overblown because the provision at the heart of the law already has little teeth, the top...
Analyst: BP to Agree to $20-25 Billion Gulf Oil Spill Settlement with Justice Dept.
Jan 19 2012 // BP is likely to agree to pay the U.S. Department of Justice $20-$25 billion to settle all charges around the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, according to a leading analyst, a prediction that is at least twice what the company...
Ship Disaster Unlikely to Prompt Quick Safety Changes
Jan 19 2012 // The cruise ship disaster off Italy’s coast is drawing fresh scrutiny to the gaps in international safety rules and standards – yet there may be little appetite among the world’s major shipping nations and...
U.S. House Panel to Review Cruise Line Safety
Jan 19 2012 // Responding to the still-unfolding disaster of a capsized Italian cruise ship, a U.S. congressional committee launched an investigation on Wednesday of industry safety practices and planned a hearing next month. The House...
Indiana City Getting New Earthquake Risk Maps
Jan 19 2012 // Government officials and Evansville residents soon will have access to a new set of maps detailing areas at greatest risk of damage from strong earthquakes that periodically shake southwestern Indiana. The maps will be...
Walmart Seeks End to Refiled Gender Bias Lawsuit
Jan 18 2012 // Women who refiled a gender discrimination lawsuit against Walmart Stores Inc. have failed to come to grips with the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended their nationwide class action against the company, Walmart...
Aon’s Warriors Bring Military Values to Managing Global Risks
Jan 18 2012 // When the phone rings in the Crisis Management Operation Center within Aon Corp.’s headquarters in Chicago, it’s typically not someone calling with good news or to say, “Have a nice day.” Chances are...
Mass. AG Coakley Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Back Insurance Mandate
Jan 17 2012 // Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting a key provision in the federal health care law. The high court is expected to hear arguments this year on the...
Cruise Ship Victims Can’t Use U.S. Courts: Expert
Jan 17 2012 // Victims of the Italian cruise ship disaster who might seek to sue in the United States, where damages lawsuits are a virtual industry, may be barred from doing so. The primary reason, legal experts said, is that contracts...
