Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
2 More Kansas Storm Deaths Reported
May 1 2009 // Two people were found dead in a southeast Kansas creek this week, bringing to five the number of deaths blamed on violent storms since the weekend. The state Division of Emergency Management said Labette...
AIG’s P/C Arm Eager to Split, New Name in Question
Apr 30 2009 // American International Group’s property/casualty division is moving swiftly to break ties with its parent company, setting itself up to be a stand-alone company, said AIG Chief Executive Edward Liddy. But the name...
Regulator Sees Mergers Coming in Weakened Life Insurance Sector
Apr 29 2009 // U.S. life insurers, weakened by the global financial crisis, are in for mergers and regulators will not shy away from playing matchmaker to deal with weak companies, Eric Dinallo, New York’s insurance superintendent,...
Sailor Sues Owner, Crew Company of U.S. Ship Hijacked By Somali Pirates
Apr 29 2009 // A member of the crew on the U.S.-flagged ship hijacked by African pirates sued the owner and another company, accusing them of knowingly putting sailors in danger. Richard E. Hicks alleges in the suit that owner Maersk...
Best Affirms QBE Re (U.S.) ‘A’ Ratings
Apr 29 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings of “a” of the New York-based QBE Re Group (U.S.) and its members. The rating actions apply to...
World Battles to Curb Deadly Mexico Flu Strain
Apr 28 2009 // World governments and businesses announced new steps on Tuesday to try to slow the spread of a new strain of swine flu that has killed up to 149 people in Mexico and threatens to become a pandemic. The World Health...
Marsh Reports Captives Maintain Position Despite Economic Crisis
Apr 28 2009 // A study, published by Marsh, finds businesses continue the trend to self-insure through captives. “Despite the global economic recession and continued soft commercial insurance market, businesses in all parts of the...
AIG a Lesson for European Watchdogs
Apr 28 2009 // AIG’s near collapse is a credit-crunch case study in how Europe can improve supervision of big cross-border insurers, a top EU market regulator said on Monday. The American insurer has received nearly $180 billion in...
U.S. Recovery Could Be Hurt by Fear of New Regulation
Apr 28 2009 // Too many regulators currently watch over U.S. companies and a fear that some industries may soon face even more rules could be hurting the U.S. recovery, two top financial industry executives said. “We need a lot...
Rep. Frank: House Panel to Examine Federal Regulation Option for Insurance
Apr 28 2009 // A congressional panel will examine whether an optional federal charter for insurance companies is needed, the chairman of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee said Tuesday. The committee’s panel on insurance...
Study: Many Employees Undermine Data Breach Prevention Strategies
Apr 27 2009 // Many employees disable the encryption solutions on their laptops, putting their employers at risk for data breaches, according to a study by Absolute Software Corp. and the Ponemon Institute. The study, “The Human...
World’s Financial Sector Facing ‘Hornet’s Nest’ of Political Risk
Apr 24 2009 // Oh, for the days when a little irrational exuberance was the biggest problem facing the world’s bankers and financiers. It is way beyond that now. With the financial world mired in a stubborn credit crisis and the...
Florida’s Property Insurance Market: An Overview by Commissioner McCarty
Apr 24 2009 // It is always interesting, and frequently amusing, to read various “research” pieces on the Florida property insurance market. While I, like every other insurance regulator, industry professional and observer in...
FDIC Head Favors Interagency Panel to Oversee Systemic Risk
Apr 24 2009 // The head of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp said Friday that she favors a council of regulators over one entity to oversee systemic risk in the financial system. “If there was a (interagency) council for...
Freberg, ZCL Target Florida with Underground Storage Tank Insurance
Apr 23 2009 // ZCL Composites Inc., an underground fiberglass tank manufacturer, has partnered with Freberg Environmental Insurance of Denver to offer Prezerver, a non-cancellable, 10-year underground storage tank insurance policy for...
Insurers, Environmental Advocates Urge Changes to Protect U.S. Coastlines
Apr 23 2009 // A coalition of insurers, public officials, risk experts, builders and conservation groups introduced a blueprint of policy changes and common sense actions that could reduce economic losses from future storms and rising...
Severe Storm Season Like 2008 Could Occur Once Every 4 to 5 Years, RMS Predicts
Apr 22 2009 // As the peak tornado season rapidly approaches in May, Risk Management Solutions (RMS), a provider of products and services for catastrophe risk management, has released a special report analyzing the impact of the 2008...
Study: Insurers’ Customer Retention Critical in Hard Economic Times
Apr 22 2009 // As millions of U.S. households face financial hardship in the current U.S. recession, retaining existing customers has never been more important. For insurance carriers in terms of long-term profitability, customer...
Top Federal Reserve Official: Let ‘Too Big’ Insolvent Financial Firms Fail
Apr 21 2009 // Insolvent financial firms must be allowed to fail regardless of their size, and sheltering such “too big to fail” institutions risks making the financial crisis worse, a top Federal Reserve official said...
It’s Not Easy Being Green; But It’s Profitable
Apr 21 2009 // Jim Henson’s most famous Kermit the Frog said it the best, “It’s not easy being green.” Today’s property owners and insurers understand that while it’s not easy going green, being green...
