Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Final U.S. Report on BP Gulf Oil Disaster Delayed
Jul 25 2011 // A U.S. team probing the causes of last year’s massive BP oil spill has delayed the release of its final report in order to more fully weigh the evidence, investigators said on Friday. The government’s findings...
Fake Apple Store Cuts to Core of China’s Risk to Brands
Jul 22 2011 // A fake Apple store in China, made famous by a blog that said even the staff working there didn’t realize it was a bogus outlet, is probably the most audacious example to date of the risks Western companies face in...
UK Broker BMS Continues Overall Growth
Jul 22 2011 // Specialist insurance broker BMS Group announced that its results for the year ended December 31, 2010, show a “strengthening of financial resources and a share buyback,” which will “support BMS’...
U.S. Cyber Arrests Seen Leading to More Hackers
Jul 22 2011 // The FBI’s arrest this week of 16 people who allegedly participated in high-profile cyber attacks is providing a treasure trove of information and will lead to further arrests, a U.S. law enforcement official told...
Plaintiffs in Wal-Mart Bias Case Return to Court
Jul 22 2011 // Plaintiffs in a huge sex bias class-action case against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court will begin to unveil plans Friday for how they will try to resuscitate their lawsuits. Lawyers for...
MetLife to Sell Banking Unit to Avoid ‘Too Big To Fail’ Regulation
Jul 22 2011 // MetLife, the largest life insurance company in the United States, has put its banking operations up for sale to avoid the “too big to fail” regulatory scrutiny that analysts have said was likely. MetLife said...
S&P Says 50-50 Chance of U.S. Ratings Downgrade
Jul 21 2011 // Standard & Poor’s reiterated Thursday it sees a real risk that future U.S. government deficits may meaningfully miss discussed targets and that there is a 50-50 chance the U.S. ‘AAA’ credit rating...
9/11 Families Seek Meeting on News Corp. Phone Hacking Reports
Jul 21 2011 // Relatives of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks have asked to meet the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department to discuss the agencies’ preliminary inquiry into reports that News Corp. reporters may have tried to hack the...
U.S. Judge Allows Shareholder Suits Against China Accountants
Jul 21 2011 // The fourth time was the charm for shareholders suing the auditors of Shenzhen-based China Expert Technology. China Expert shareholders have been trying unsuccessfully to sue the company’s accounting firms for failing...
Canada’s Reformed Class Action Law Wins Few Friends
Jul 20 2011 // A Canadian law designed to make it easier to bring class action suits against companies that mislead investors has all sides frustrated as it faces its first real-world tests. Changes to the Ontario Securities Act that...
Soda Makers Fight Back Against Obesity Claims: Reuters
Jul 20 2011 // U.S. public awareness campaigns about sugary soft drinks are under legal attack by beverage makers, which have sued New York City’s health department and hit local governments with requests for documents on the...
U.S. Judge Permits Toyota Appeal in California
Jul 20 2011 // A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that Toyota Motor Corp. lawyers could appeal a previous ruling allowing consumers without sudden-acceleration claims to join litigation before a Santa Ana, California, court. The ruling by...
U.S. Defends Doha Trade Strategy after Zoellick Barbs
Jul 20 2011 // President Barack Obama’s administration on Tuesday fired back at World Bank President Robert Zoellick’s criticism that it has not done enough to bring the nearly decade-old Doha round of world trade talks to a...
U.S. Arrests 14 for Roles in PayPal Cyber Attack
Jul 20 2011 // U.S. authorities Tuesday arrested 16 people on charges they participated in major cyber attacks, including an attempt to cripple eBay’s PayPal web site as retribution for dropping Wiki Leaks as a client. FBI agents...
Best May Cut Ratings Outlook on Life Insurers
Jul 19 2011 // Ratings agency A.M. Best may lower its outlook on the U.S. life insurance and annuity sector to “negative” from “stable,” it warned Tuesday, as American and European sovereign debt concerns continue...
SCOR Finalizes Sale of U.S. Fixed Annuity Business
Jul 19 2011 // French reinsurer SCOR announced that it has finalized the sale of its subsidiary Investors Insurance Corporation (IIC) to Athene Holding Ltd., as initially announced on February 16, 2011. SCOR said the sale, for $55...
U.S. Building Supply Firm Sues Chinese Drywall Maker
Jul 19 2011 // A Florida building supply company is suing a German conglomerate for $100 million over defective Chinese drywall installed in tens of thousands of homes. Banner Supply Co. charged in the lawsuit that Knauf Gips made false...
Michigan Golf Course Sues DuPont Over Herbicide
Jul 19 2011 // DuPont was sued last Friday by a Michigan golf club that alleges its widely used Imprelis herbicide kills trees, reflecting a growing nationwide problem being investigated by a top U.S. regulator. Imprelis, conditionally...
Ratings Recap: Kuwait Re, Optimum, Montana Re (cat bonds)
Jul 18 2011 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has revised the outlook to negative from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of “a-” of...
Judge Tosses Racketeering Claims vs. BP Over Oil Spill
Jul 18 2011 // BP Plc won two legal victories Friday, as a federal judge threw out racketeering claims made by the lead plaintiffs suing over last year’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and also set aside a lawsuit by partner Anadarko...
