Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insurance Australia Group Strengthens UK Claim Reserves
Jun 2 2010 // Insurance Australia Group (IAG) has announced that “due to a significant deterioration in UK claim experience, in particular bodily injury claims, it had conducted a further independent actuarial review of its UK...
Prudential Deal Exit Raises Prospects for AIA IPO
Jun 2 2010 // UK insurer Prudential Plc is pulling out of its bold $35.5 billion takeover of AIG’s Asian life insurance arm, ending a 3-month battle with shareholders who had argued the deal was over-priced. The widely expected...
CSU Team Increases 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Forecast to 10
Jun 2 2010 // The 2010 Atlantic hurricane season is likely to produce 10 hurricanes, five of them major, the Colorado State University hurricane forecasting team said Wednesday, increasing a previous estimate for a “very...
Gulf Oil Spill Threatens Mississippi, Alabama Islands
Jun 1 2010 // Oil from BP’s out-of-control Gulf of Mexico oil spill could threaten the Mississippi and Alabama coasts this week, U.S. forecasters said Monday, as public anger surged over the country’s worst environmental...
Rich/Poor Rifts Stall Progress at UN Climate Talks
Jun 1 2010 // U.N. climate talks opened on Monday, exposing familiar rifts between rich and poor countries which delegates said were likely to delay a re-start of formal negotiations. The 185-nation Bonn conference, which will run until...
WTO Questions China’s Export Barriers
Jun 1 2010 // China’s curbs on exports of some raw materials to conserve resources may not meet the stated goals, while giving Chinese manufacturers an unfair advantage, the World Trade Organization said on Monday. The remarks, in...
10 Catastrophe Bonds Closed Before Hurricane Season Opening
Jun 1 2010 // Reinsurers transferred $2.35 billion in catastrophe risk to capital markets before the U.S. hurricane season that began Tuesday, higher than the $1.4 billion last year, as the catastrophe bond sector starts to resume...
Transocean Revises Bid to Limit Liability After U.S. Criticism
Jun 1 2010 // The Obama administration told Transocean Ltd. in a letter last week it was “simply unconscionable” for the drilling firm to try to limit its liability in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill accident, prompting the...
U.S. Mines Facing Shortage of Safety Air Packs
May 28 2010 // One of just two major makers of emergency air packs for U.S. coal mines has stopped selling the devices because they often don’t automatically start and the industry fears it will lead to a shortage, officials...
Saft: Lessons for U.S., UK from Japan’s Lost Decade
May 28 2010 // Deflation and a lost decade can be avoided it seems; all we need are perfect central bankers, sensible politicians, a biddable electorate and cooperative investors. Nothing to worry about there, then. In a speech on...
AIG on ‘Clear Path to Repaying Taxpayers,’ Says CEO Benmosche
May 27 2010 // The head of bailed-out insurance giant American International Group on Wednesday said the company was on its way to repaying the government, but a U.S. Treasury official said taxpayers could still face losses. AIG is...
World Warms, But Public Cools to Action on Climate Change
May 27 2010 // This year is on track to be the warmest worldwide since records began in the 19th century, yet voters seem to be cooling to strong action to combat climate change. Their doubts may be quietly sapping the will of...
Road Hazard: 20% of U.S. Drivers Would Flunk If Given Driving Test
May 27 2010 // The nation’s most knowledgeable drivers are in Idaho, Wisconsin, Montana and Kansas, while the least knowledgeable are in New York, New Jersey, Hawaii and California. That’s according to results from the 2009...
Aon: P/C Insurance Rates Decrease, Capacity Continues to Increase
May 27 2010 // Property rates will continue to drop 5 percent to 15 percent for most risks, despite record global catastrophic losses seen in early 2010, according to Aon Corp.’s 2010 U.S. Insurance Market Overview. Property...
Recent Patterns Heighten Threat of Active Atlantic Hurricane Season
May 27 2010 // The threat of an above-average 2010 Atlantic hurricane season has heightened over the past month and it now promises to be “a hell of a year,” a leading U.S. forecaster said Wednesday. William Gray, the...
Justice Department Defends Retroactive Liability Limit on BP
May 26 2010 // The U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday that Congress could retroactively impose a higher liability cap on BP Plc to pay for the damage from its growing oil spill, and the company would likely lose if it challenged the...
U.S. Slams Transocean’s Attempt to Limit Liability for Oil Spill
May 26 2010 // The Obama administration Tuesday slammed as “inappropriate” an attempt by Transocean Ltd to limit its liability for its role in the BP Plc oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to under $27 million. Noting that the...
U.S. Hurricane Center Director Says Haiti is ‘Biggest Concern’
May 26 2010 // U.S. National Hurricane Center director Bill Read said Tuesday that earthquake-ravaged Haiti was his biggest concern as another Atlantic hurricane season gets under way. He also acknowledged that a powerful storm could...
U.S. Trade Chief Urges China to Lower Barriers
May 25 2010 // Potential Chinese moves to lower trade barriers could be as important as exchange rate reforms in easing economic strains with the United States, Washington’s top trade negotiator said as the two powers entered a...
Tropical Storm Risk Forecasts Active 2010 Hurricane Season
May 25 2010 // Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) provides “real-time mapping and prediction of tropical cyclone wind fields worldwide.” The firm is co-sponsored by Aon Benfield, with RSA and Crawford & Company. It has just...
