Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
El Nino Dissipating, But May Linger Through 2010
Mar 4 2010 // The deadly El Nino weather anomaly should dissipate by early summer in the northern hemisphere, but there is a chance a weak version will linger for the rest of 2010, according to a U.S. government report issued...
Toyota Sued in Caliornia Over Deaths in Crash Blamed on Acceleration
Mar 4 2010 // Relatives of a California state trooper and three family members whose fatal car wreck helped spark Toyota’s wide-ranging safety recall have sued the automaker for defects they say caused the vehicle to speed out of...
I.I.I.’s Hartwig Contrasts Impact of Chilean, Haitian Earthquakes
Mar 3 2010 // Why was he death toll over 200,000 when an earthquake struck Haiti, while so far less than 1000 people have died from the one that struck Chile, which was approximately 500 times more powerful? One of the answers lies in...
Wal-Mart to Pay $11.7 Million to Settle U.S. Gender Bias Lawsuit
Mar 3 2010 // Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will pay more than $11.7 million to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency said. The lawsuit accused the world’s largest...
U.S. Seeks Reimbursements from $300 Million PCB Settlement in Alabama
Mar 3 2010 // The federal government is seeking Medicare reimbursements from lawyers, manufacturers and insurers that were involved in a $300 million settlement over widespread PCB contamination in the east Alabama city of Anniston. A...
U.S. May Follow Citigroup Exit Strategy for AIG
Mar 2 2010 // As American International Group Inc. prepares to shed two big units, it looks set to follow the same path as Citigroup Inc. out from under the U.S. government’s wing. The government is likely to follow an exit...
Ratings Recap: AIA/AIAB, SOVAG, Coface, PhilNaRe, Generali Rueck
Mar 2 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has placed its ‘A+’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on American International Assurance Co. Ltd. (AIA) and American International Assurance Co....
House Panel: Toyota May Have Settled Tort Claims to Avoid Releasing Data
Mar 1 2010 // A U.S. congressional panel has found evidence Toyota routinely withheld company records it should have turned over in court and settled personal injury cases to avoid revealing key engineering data dubbed the “Books...
Earthquakes Should Prompt U.S. to Prepare Now, Says Safety Group
Mar 1 2010 // The tragedies of the recent earthquakes in Chile and Haiti serve as a reminder that parts of the United States are highly vulnerable to the devastating effects of this unpredictable natural disaster. While most Americans...
U.S. Senator Presses Agencies for Information About Illinois Levees
Mar 1 2010 // U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin wants a meeting with two federal agencies to seek information about efforts to certify five levee systems in three southwestern Illinois counties. Durbin and other overseers of the levees in Madison,...
AIG to Sell ‘Crown Jewel’ Asian Life Unit to UK’s Prudential for $35.5 Billion
Feb 28 2010 // American International Group Inc. agreed to sell its Asian life insurance unit to Britain’s Prudential Plc for about $35.5 billion, in a deal that would help the U.S. government get back billions of its bailout...
Key Senator Reports Compromise Reached on U.S. Patent Reform
Feb 26 2010 // Leading U.S. lawmakers have reached a tentative agreement to reform the nation’s patent system, according to Senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a leader in the effort. Leahy did not...
Nebraska Uninsured Rates Highest Among Minorities
Feb 26 2010 // High percentages of minorities, foreign-born residents and college-aged people in Nebraska lack health insurance, according to new report. The Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha...
Celent Releases Report on French Insurance Industry
Feb 26 2010 // Boston-based consulting firm Celent (a part of Oliver Wyman) has been assessing the “subtle but important differences in how insurers from various countries” respond to the issues facing the industry. It has...
World Warming Unhindered by Cold Spells Say Scientists
Feb 25 2010 // The pace of global warming continues unabated, scientists said on Thursday, despite images of Europe crippled by a deep freeze and parts of the United States blasted by blizzards. The bitter cold, with more intense winter...
Florida Recruits First Reinsurer Under Relaxed Collateral Rules
Feb 25 2010 // Florida insurance officials have reached an agreement with the first foreign reinsurer to operate under collateral requirements that were reduced in 2008 in an attempt to attract new reinsurers to the state. The Florida...
Has Flu Pandemic Peaked? ‘Not Quite,’ Say Health Experts
Feb 24 2010 // Has the swine flu pandemic peaked globally? Not quite, World Health Organization advisers decided on Tuesday. WHO is taking a big risk in making such an announcement at all, and the wording of WHO Director-General Dr....
Protective, MAPFRE Sign Agreement for Non-U.S. Vehicle Service
Feb 24 2010 // The Asset Protection Division of Protective Life Insurance Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Protective Life Corporation, has signed an agreement with MAPFRE ASISTENCIA, a subsidiary of MAPFRE, S.A. for vehicle...
U.S. House Passes Repeal of Health Insurers’ Antitrust Exemption
Feb 24 2010 // The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to take a 65-year-old antitrust exemption away from health insurance companies, leaning hard on an industry that has been the focus of criticism for fast-rising rates. The...
Copenhagen: Billions in Aid Seen as Key to Climate Talks Success
Feb 23 2010 // The allure of $30 billion in climate aid for poor nations holds the key to helping restore confidence in U.N. talks on fighting global warming and stopping them from unraveling. But there’s only months to figure out...
