Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Greenberg Honored for China-U.S. Relations
Dec 7 2011 // The China General Chamber of Commerce – U.S.A. has honored Maurice R. Greenberg for his contributions toward U.S. and China exchanges. The organization’s Win-Win Award was presented to the insurance executive at...
Latest Analysis Concludes Foreign Insurers Missing Out on China Party
Dec 7 2011 // Ten years ago, foreign insurers were lining up to celebrate China’s entry into the World Trade Organization, eager to tap what was certain to become the world’s next big insurance frontier. A decade on, it is...
GM Close to Possible Volt Battery Fires Fix
Dec 7 2011 // General Motors Co. is closing in on a package of proposed fixes for the Chevrolet Volt battery pack that engineers believe would eliminate the risk of a fire being triggered days after a crash, two people with knowledge of...
Firm to Pay $209M Over West Virginia Blast That Killed 29
Dec 7 2011 // Coal miner Alpha Natural Resources has agreed to pay $1.5 million to each of the families of 29 miners killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia last year. The payments – part of a $209...
Louisiana Insurance Fraud Fugitive Held
Dec 6 2011 // A former Baton Rouge, La., man who once faked his death to elude authorities must remain in custody until more hearings in his case. The Advocate reports that Milton Windsor Harris appeared before U.S. Magistrate Christine...
Healthcare Execs Facing ‘Responsible Corporate Officer’ Strict Liability
Dec 6 2011 // After decades in relative obscurity, a U.S. legal doctrine that holds corporate officers liable for company wrongdoing is finding its way back into some high-profile healthcare prosecutions. The “responsible...
BP Accuses Halliburton of Destroying Gulf Spill Evidence
Dec 6 2011 // BP Plc accused Halliburton Co. of destroying evidence that the oilfield services company did inadequate cement work on the Gulf of Mexico oil well that blew out last year, and asked a federal judge to punish...
U.S. Power Grid Needs Cybersecurity Protection: MIT Report
Dec 6 2011 // The threat of cyberattacks on the U.S. power grid should be dealt with by a single federal agency, not the welter of groups now charged with the electric system’s security, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute...
Torus Acquires Renewals of C.V. Starr for Continental Europe; Interview with Int’l. CEO O’Donohoe
Dec 5 2011 // Torus announced that it has entered into an agreement with Starr Underwriting Agents Limited whereby Torus Syndicate 2243 acquires the renewal rights to CV Starr Syndicate 1919’s Continental European Marine,...
U.S. P/C Insurers’ Catastrophe Losses Top $38 Billion
Dec 5 2011 // Catastrophe-related losses experienced by the U.S. property/casualty (P/C) industry through the first nine months of 2011 have nearly doubled total year-end 2010 losses, according to the latest estimates from A.M. Best...
Lawmakers Block Safety Rules for Lithium Battery Shipments
Dec 5 2011 // Lawmakers responded to pleas from industry and foreign governments on Friday with a tentative agreement to block the Obama administration from requiring that air shipments of lithium batteries be treated as hazardous cargo...
2011 Hurricane Season Spared Usual Targets While Flooding Northeast
Dec 5 2011 // The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season was a study in contradictions: It spared the usual Southern targets, while Irene paralyzed the Eastern seaboard and devastated parts of the Northeast with deadly flooding. The season...
Judge Rejects Citigroup-SEC Mortgage Settlement
Dec 5 2011 // A federal judge blocked Citigroup Inc.’s proposed $285 million settlement over the sale of toxic mortgage debt, excoriating the top U.S. market regulator over how it reaches corporate fraud settlements. U.S. District...
Medicare Liens and Settlements Following United States v. Stricker
Dec 5 2011 // Reaching a settlement amount between the carrier and a plaintiff over a personal injury claim is sometimes the easiest part of a settlement where Medicare liens are involved. Medicare is a payer of last resort, which...
Starr International Files $25B Lawsuit Against U.S., Calling AIG Takeover ‘Unconstitutional’
Dec 5 2011 // A company run by former American International Group Inc. Chief Executive Maurice “Hank” Greenberg sued the U.S. government for $25 billion, calling the 2008 federal takeover of the insurer...
Judge: Transocean Insurance not Available to BP for Oil Spill
Dec 5 2011 // States May Pursue Punitive Damages Against BP and Others. BP has lost two big rulings in its fight to shield itself from potentially having to pay billions of dollars more in damages related to the worst offshore oil spill...
Leading By Creating
Dec 5 2011 // Top 100 Agency Profile Agency Name: Confie Seguros, trading under Freeway Insurance Headquarters: New York, N.Y. Year Founded: 2008 Additional Locations: California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Texas, New York, New...
U.S. Reopens Public Database of Malpractice Claims Against Doctors
Dec 5 2011 // The U.S. government reopened public access to a database of malpractice claims and damages paid by doctors, with new restrictions that would prohibit using it in any way to identify the physicians. Consumer advocates and...
Report Links Wildfires to Immigrants in Arizona
Dec 5 2011 // A study by Congress’ investigative arm issued in late November shows investigators have linked 30 fires that erupted in a five-year period in Arizona’s border region to people who crossed into the United States...
AXIS Capital Hires North American Professional Lines Chief in N.J.
Dec 2 2011 // AXIS Capital Holdings’ insurance segment appointed John Van Decker as Berkeley Heights, N.J.-based executive vice president and head of North American professional lines. In this newly created position, Van Decker is...