Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Risk Adds Walker as Associate Broker in Houston
Sep 29 2009 // Dallas-based managing general agency and surplus lines wholesaler U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. has named Mary Walker an associate broker in the U.S. Risk Brokers Houston office. In this position, Walker is responsible...
Bank of America, Execs Owe Investors ‘Billions,’ Says Ohio AG Lawsuit
Sep 29 2009 // Investors in a class-action lawsuit against Bank of America Corp. over the Merrill Lynch & Co. takeover are trying to collect “billions of dollars” in damages, Ohio’s attorney general said...
U.S. Court Reinstates Alaska Smoker Case Against Altria Tobacco
Sep 29 2009 // A U.S. appeals court Monday reinstated an Alaska lawsuit against Altria Group Inc.’s Philip Morris USA by the survivor of a deceased smoker, saying her state product liability claims were not preempted by federal law...
AAA Survey: 1 Out of 5 Drivers Admits to Texting While Behind the Wheel
Sep 28 2009 // Nearly one out of five U.S. drivers surveyed has read or sent a text message while behind the wheel, even though nearly all of the respondents in an AAA survey released on Friday considered such action...
P/C Industry Net Income Falls Nearly 60% in First-Half 2009
Sep 28 2009 // Private U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income after taxes fell 59.3 percent to $5.8 billion in first-half 2009 from $14.1 billion in first-half 2008. Insurers’ overall profitability as measured by their...
Disgruntled Customer Sues Bank of America for ‘$1,784 Billion, Trillion’
Sep 25 2009 // Dalton Chiscolm is unhappy about Bank of America’s customer service — really, really unhappy. Chiscolm in August sued the largest U.S. bank and its board, demanding that “1,784 billion, trillion...
Canadian Banks Eye Expansion into Insurance, Despite Restrictions
Sep 25 2009 // Insurance may emerge as the next big growth area in Canadian banking, even though regulations prohibit lenders from selling via their branches and insurance brokers vehemently oppose the move. When Canada’s biggest...
States Back Changes in Regulation of Reinsurance
Sep 25 2009 // State insurance regulators are throwing their weight behind a federal measure that would change the way reinsurance is regulated. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is supporting the Reinsurance...
U.S. Safety Agency Eyes Cell Phone Use Ban for Bus, Truck Drivers
Sep 25 2009 // Safety investigators told federal regulators three years ago that it was dangerous for bus drivers to talk on cell phones while driving and recommended a ban. The National Transportation Safety Board put that...
Lloyd’s First Half 2009 Pretax Profits up 29% to $2.18 Billion
Sep 24 2009 // Lloyd’s conservative management, combined with a notable lack of major natural catastrophes, has resulted in a £1.32 billion ($2.18 billion) pretax profit for the first half of 2009, compared to £949...
U.S. Should Focus on Value, Pay Doctors a Salary: Healthcare Experts
Sep 24 2009 // The secret to fixing healthcare in the United States is to focus on value, a measure that takes into account both quality and cost, says Dr. Denis Cortese, president of the Mayo Clinic. The Rochester, Minnesota-based...
Ratings Recap: Fairfax (debt), Swiss Re (notes), Rembrandt,
Sep 23 2009 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned its preliminary ‘BBB-‘ senior unsecured debt, ‘BB+’ subordinated unsecured debt, and ‘BB’ preferred shares ratings on Fairfax...
China, U.S. Try to Jumpstart U.N. Climate Change Talks
Sep 23 2009 // China laid out a plan to curb carbon emissions by 2020 and U.S. President Barack Obama called on all nations to act now to tackle global warming, as world leaders tried to inject momentum into climate change talks. With...
10 Years Ago, Hurricane Floyd Brought Flooding, Evacuations to Carolinas
Sep 22 2009 // In the dark of night on Sept. 15, 1999, Kelly Andreucci stood on the front porch of his childhood home along Godfrey Avenue and worried about the rain drenching his neighborhood. That night, Hurricane Floyd skirted the...
UN Seeks Momentum in Climate Talks as Obama, Hu Speak
Sep 22 2009 // China and the United States, the world’s top greenhouse gas emitters, will try to ignite efforts Tuesday to secure a U.N. global warming pact as worries grow of a “dangerously close” deadlock in...
U.S. Senate Panel Takes On Health Care Plan
Sep 22 2009 // The U.S. Senate Finance Committee opened consideration of its long-delayed health care reform bill Tuesday, with affordability topping the list of concerns for Democrats who control the panel. Committee members filed 564...
White House Targets Insurers for Health Insurance Premiums
Sep 22 2009 // The White House kept insurance companies squarely in its sights Tuesday in the push for healthcare reform by releasing research showing that health insurance premiums have risen far faster than inflation in every U.S....
As AIG Stabilizes, Greenberg’s Revised Bailout Under Consideration
Sep 21 2009 // Insurer American International Group Inc.’s once-desperate financial state has started to stabilize, a government agency said Monday, as an influential lawmaker said he would look at easing the terms of the...
AIG Stabilizing But Ability to Repay U.S. Unclear, Says Report to Congress
Sep 21 2009 // Insurer American International Group’s ability to restructure its business and repay billions of dollars to the U.S. government remains in doubt, U.S. congressional investigators said in a report released on...
Mexican Passenger Buses Avoid Safety Checks When Entering U.S., Says Audit
Sep 21 2009 // Some Mexican passenger buses are not being inspected when they enter the U.S. because they cross the border on evenings and weekends, there are no inspectors or the crossings lack safe places for inspections, according to...
