Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Japanese Agents Tour U.S. Agencies to Learn Best Practices
Jul 20 2009 // Most of Japan’s 300,000 Agencies Are Small, But They Are Dreaming Big ‘I’-Like The owners and producers of Japan’s estimated 300,000 insurance agencies can only dream of the success and freedom that...
Property/Casualty Industry’s Earnings Down 87% in Q1
Jul 20 2009 // The U.S. property/casualty industry’s net income fell 87 percent to $1.2 billion in the first three months of 2009, according to A.M. Best. “The year-over-year decline in earnings was due primarily to the...
U.S. Unveils ‘Spy Images’ of Arctic Ice in Rare Move Linked to Climate Change
Jul 17 2009 // In an unusually speedy move, a U.S. government agency released more than a thousand intelligence images of Arctic ice just a few hours after the National Academy of Sciences recommended the action to help scientists study...
Best Affirms Allied World and Operating Affiliates ‘A’ Ratings
Jul 16 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of Bermuda-based Allied World Assurance Company and its operating affiliates....
MetLife to Combine U.S. Insurance Operations Into Single Unit
Jul 15 2009 // MetLife, Inc. said that it is combining its institutional and individual businesses, as well as its auto and home insurance unit, into a single U.S. business organization. The company said this move stems from a strategic...
Best Affirms Omega Specialty, Lloyd’s Syndicate 958 Ratings
Jul 15 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” of Bermuda-based Omega Specialty Insurance Company Limited (OSIL), both with stable...
First Senate Committee Approves Version of Health Care Reform
Jul 15 2009 // The Senate health committee Wednesday approved its version of legislation to overhaul the U.S. health industry, which is to be combined with a bill yet to be written in the Senate Finance Committee. The...
<em>Analysis:</em> U.S. Small Business Funding Dry, Getting Drier
Jul 14 2009 // U.S. small businesses, already facing the toughest credit conditions since the 1980s, may soon find things are about to get tougher. Concerns over the future of CIT Corp. — a major lender to small businesses —...
Fewer Drunk Drivers on U.S. Roads; Concern Rises Over Drugged Drivers
Jul 13 2009 // A new roadside survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirms a continuing decline in the percentage of legally intoxicated drivers. In 1973, 7.5 percent of drivers had a blood alcohol concentration...
Document Indicates US SEC, CFTC to Police OTC Derivatives
Jul 10 2009 // U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is expected to propose on Friday giving securities and futures regulators authority to police the largely unregulated over-the-counter derivatives market, according to a document...
Web Site Estimates Hurricane Damages If Old Storms Returned Today
Jul 10 2009 // Today marks the four-year anniversary of Hurricane Dennis, a Category 3 storm that slammed into the panhandle of Florida with sustained winds of 120 m.p.h. While Dennis inflicted more than $2.2 billion in damage in 2005...
G8 Eyes Climate as Summit Includes Emerging Powers
Jul 9 2009 // Leaders of the world’s richest nations and major developing powers meet on Thursday to seek common ground on global warming and international trade, with the poorer countries seeking concessions. U.S. President...
A.M. Best: P/C Industry’s Earnings Down 87% in Q1
Jul 9 2009 // The U.S. property/casualty industry’s net income fell 87 percent to $1.2 billion in the first three months of 2009 according to A.M. Best. “The year-over-year decline in earnings was due primarily to the severe...
Accident Victims To Appeal GM Bankruptcy Plan Over Pending Lawsuits
Jul 8 2009 // Groups representing plaintiffs in car accidents are opposing General Motors’ attempt to quickly exit bankruptcy protection, arguing that hundreds of victims could be hurt by the government-led plan. U.S. Judge Robert...
Fireworks Explosions Kill 5 Across U.S.
Jul 7 2009 // Five people working on Independence Day fireworks shows were killed by explosions, four of them by a single blast that rocked Ocracoke, a remote village on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The fifth died after an...
New York May Check Insurance Firms’ Compliance with Global Money Rules
Jul 6 2009 // New York State Insurance Department licensees should protect their businesses by ensuring that they comply with federal requirements designed to prevent such practices as money laundering and other illegal international...
At U.S. Dirt Race Tracks, Money Goes Into Cars, Not Insurance
Jul 6 2009 // The last thing short-track driver Tim McCreadie remembers, he was leading in the semifinal qualifier at the Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Okla. When he awoke, he had two problems. His back was broken and he didn’t have health...
Jackson’s Death and Event Cancellation; Max Cap Rejected; Still Searching Air France Crash Cause; Den Dekker is New FERM
Jul 6 2009 // Michael Jackson’s untimely death, barely two weeks before he was to begin a long awaited series of 50 concerts stretching over eight months, has been the world’s top story. It’s also a story in London,...
Cyber Security: Global Risk and Rising Complexity
Jul 6 2009 // Multinationals are fighting a battle on two fronts when it comes to cyber security as they seek to fend off new, emerging security threats and also comply with evolving global regulations. These emerging security threats...
Farmers Acquisition of 21st Century Insurance Finalized
Jul 2 2009 // Los Angeles-based The Farmers Insurance Group of Companies has completed the acquisition of 100 percent of AIG’s U.S. Personal Auto Group, which includes 21st Century Insurance. In addition to 21st Century Insurance,...
