Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Safety Of Popular Air Shows, Races Under Scrutiny
Jan 9 2012 // Despite suffering severe injuries in the worst air race accident in the U.S. in more than a half a century, some victims of the crash at the Reno Air Races in Nevada late last year have told their lawyer they would like to...
SEC Changes Its Settlement Language Where Criminal Violations Admitted
Jan 9 2012 // U.S. securities regulators said on Friday that defendants can no longer settle civil cases using “neither admit nor deny” language if they have already admitted to wrongdoing in parallel criminal cases. The...
People
Jan 9 2012 // Starr Companies appointed Ed Navarro as head of international insurance operations. Navarro will drive Starr’s expansion for areas outside of the U.S. He’s been serving as global head of accident and health...
California Arson Suspect Also Faces German Fire Probe
Jan 6 2012 // The man who allegedly ignited more than 50 fires that terrorized Los Angeles last week is also under investigation in Germany for a house fire near Frankfurt. U.S. investigators also disclosed that a search of Harry...
Australia’s Suncorp Updates Melbourne Storm, NZ Quake Loss Estimates
Jan 6 2012 // Australia’s Suncorp Group Limited’s preliminary estimates of the financial impacts of the recent Melbourne hailstorm and Christchurch earthquake are between A$200 and A$250 million [US$204.9 to US$256.1...
La Nina to Linger to Spring
Jan 5 2012 // La Nina, the weather phenomenon widely blamed for withering drought in the southwestern United States and South America, may last longer than expected, into the Northern Hemisphere spring, the U.S. Climate Prediction...
Oklahoma Commissioner Disappointed in Denial of MLR Waiver Request
Jan 5 2012 // Oklahoma’s top insurance regulator believes the medical insurance market is headed for “disruption” as a result of the medical loss ratio component of federal health insurance reform After...
Insurance Veterans’ Forecasts for 2012
Jan 5 2012 // Now that the year 2011 is behind us, let’s take a look at what might be ahead. Insurance Journal spoke with leading industry professionals and asked them what they are expecting this year. If their forecasts are any...
Ecuador Plaintiffs to Seek Damages from Chevron Abroad
Jan 5 2012 // Ecuadorean plaintiffs who won an $18 billion environmental case against Chevron Corp will pursue legal action against the company overseas in a bid to collect the damages, their lawyer said on Wednesday. An appeals court...
On-Duty Firefighter Fatalities Decreased in 2011
Jan 4 2012 // There were 81 on-duty firefighter fatalities in the United States as a result of incidents that occurred in 2011, a decrease from the 87 fatalities reported for 2010. The 81 fatalities occurred in 33 states, one U.S....
Earthquakes Prompt Record Insurance Claims in 2011
Jan 4 2012 // Insurance industry damage claims from natural disasters like the earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand reached a record $105 billion in 2011, Munich Re , the world’s biggest reinsurer, said on Wednesday. The cost to...
AXA, Japan Post Top Best’s List of World’s Largest Insurers
Jan 4 2012 // France’s AXA S.A. has again topped the list of the world’s 25 largest insurance companies, based on premiums written, compiled by A.M. Best. The lists, which were compiled both on asset value and on net...
Ecuador Court Upholds $18 Billion Judgment against Chevron
Jan 4 2012 // An Ecuadorean appeals court on Tuesday upheld a ruling that Chevron Corp should pay $18 billion in damages to plaintiffs who accused the U.S. oil giant of polluting the Amazon jungle and damaging their health. A local...
IAG Finalizes $4.86 Billion Reinsurance Program for 2012
Jan 4 2012 // Insurance Australia Group Limited announced that it has finalized its catastrophe reinsurance program for the period commencing January 1, 2012 with up to A$4.7 billion [US$4.86 billion] in coverage, compared to A$4.1...
Fatal Connecticut Fire Reminds Homeowners of Ash Dangers
Jan 3 2012 // Fire safety officials are warning homeowners about the dangers of fireplace ashes after a Christmas morning blaze that killed five people in Connecticut. Authorities say the fire in Stamford was caused by a bag of...
Connecticut Health Officials Urge Homeowners to Test for Radon
Jan 3 2012 // The Connecticut public health department is urging residents to test their homes for radon gas, the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Health officials estimate that radon is responsible for more than 21,000 lung...
Ground Shifting for Medical Liability Insurers: Moody’s
Jan 3 2012 // Although it comprises just over two 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...
Breast Implant Scandal Shows Regulators in Dark on Tracking Risks
Dec 30 2011 // Long before the latest global breast implant scare, American health officials were toying with the idea of building a registry that would track patients with implants. The registry would give a better idea of the number of...
Guy Carpenter Analyzes 2011 Catastrophes; $108 Billion in Losses
Dec 30 2011 // Reinsurance broker Guy Carpenter has examined the past year’s natural catastrophes, which it describes as “an unusually eventful year for the (re)insurance sector.” In addition to the ongoing financial...
Court Upholds Law Giving Telecom Firms Immunity for Surveillance
Dec 30 2011 // A U.S. appeals panel on Thursday upheld the constitutionality of a federal law that grants immunity to telecommunications companies that assist the U.S. government in conducting surveillance of American citizens. However,...
