Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Rejects Bayer’s $648 Million PCB Contamination Proposal
Dec 1 2020 // A federal judge has rejected Bayer AG’s proposed $648 million settlement of class-action litigation by cities and other claimants over contamination from polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, made by the former...
Insurers Looking Into Rise in Lawsuits Against Firms Over Lack of Diversity
Dec 1 2020 // U.S. insurers are taking a closer look at the recruiting and succession practices of corporate customers, worried about mounting lawsuits over a lack of diversity among top executives and directors, industry sources...
Hyundai, Kia To Pay $210 Million U.S. Penalty for Failure to Recall Autos
Dec 1 2020 // Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors’ U.S. units on Friday agreed to a record $210 million civil penalty after U.S. auto safety regulators said they failed to recall 1.6 million vehicles for engine issues in a timely...
Latest Tesla Safety Probe Involves 115,000 Vehicles Over Front Suspension
Nov 30 2020 // The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Friday said it had opened a formal investigation into around 115,0000 Tesla vehicles over a front suspension safety issue. The auto safety regulator said...
Meatpacking Plants Linked to Up to 8% of Early U.S. COVID Cases
Nov 27 2020 // As many as one in 12 cases of Covid-19 in the early stage of the pandemic in the U.S. can be tied to outbreaks at meatpacking plants and subsequent spread in surrounding communities, according to a study. The findings...
Road Rage Lawsuit Has Implications for Police Shootings: Opinion
Nov 25 2020 // Can you be fired from a government job for using a firearm in self-defense? That question arose in a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. The answer was … equivocal. Let’s first...
COVID-19 Vaccines Could Be Sent to States Within 24 Hours of FDA’s OK: Official
Nov 25 2020 // The first Americans could receive a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as Dec. 11, the chief scientific adviser for the U.S. government’s vaccine program said on Sunday. “Within 24 hours from the approval, the vaccine...
Home Depot to Pay $17.5 Million to Settle With States Over 2014 Data Breach Claims
Nov 25 2020 // Home Depot Inc., the largest U.S. home improvement retailer, on Tuesday reached a $17.5 million settlement to resolve a multistate probe into a 2014 data breach where hackers accessed payment card data belonging to 40...
Hippo Gets $350M Investment, Reinsurance Treaty From Mitsui Sumitomo
Nov 25 2020 // Hippo Enterprises, an MGA insurtech focused on homeowners insurance, secured a $350 million capital investment designed to help fuel further growth. A related reinsurance agreement is also part of the deal. Mitsui Sumitomo...
Death of West Virginia Miner Marks 6th US Coal Mining Fatality of 2020
Nov 25 2020 // A coal miner died Monday in a workplace accident in southern West Virginia, the governor’s office said. Taylor Meldin Halstead, 20, of Bob White, was killed in the accident at Panther Mining LLC’s American...
Travel Insurance Surges Along with Coronavirus This Thanksgiving
Nov 25 2020 // U.S. websites have seen a surge in travelers seeking expensive ironclad insurance this Thanksgiving, as Americans desperate to break the monotony of a year spent at home look to cover themselves against coronavirus-related...
Cigna’s CEO and Board Sued for ‘Black-Ops-Style’ Tactics to Kill Merger with Anthem
Nov 24 2020 // Cigna Corp.’s chief executive officer and board used “black-ops-style” tactics in a covert campaign to “blow up” a $48 billion merger with rival insurer Anthem Inc., Cigna investors claim in a...
Pork Producer Smithfield Settles Nuisance Lawsuits in N.C. as Court Affirms Verdict
Nov 24 2020 // A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a 2018 jury verdict that led to awarding monetary damages to neighbors of a North Carolina industrial hog operation for smells and noise they said made living nearby...
Ping An’s Goal to Pivot from Finance Group to Tech Giant Is Now Threatened
Nov 23 2020 // The headwinds that toppled Ant Group Co.’s initial public offering now threaten a $22 billion dream of China’s Ping An Insurance (Group) Co. — to pivot from a finance group to a tech giant and be valued...
Zurich Insurance in Talks to Acquire MetLife Unit for $4 Billion
Nov 22 2020 // Switzerland’s Zurich Insurance Group AG is in advanced talks to acquire MetLife Inc.’s U.S. property and casualty (P&C) car and home insurance unit for close to $4 billion, according to people familiar with...
Health Officials Hope New Coronavirus Contact Tracing Apps Attract More Users
Nov 20 2020 // A new wave of mobile apps that help track exposure to the coronavirus is coming to U.S. states ahead of the holidays as public health officials bet that recently introduced features from Apple Inc. and Alphabet...
Insurance Executives Seek More Diversity in Executive Ranks
Nov 19 2020 // When Jerald Tillman and Mike James started their careers more than 20 years ago, working in the U.S. insurance industry was not on their radar, but programs to attract Blacks and other minorities brought them into the...
Aon Secures $70M in Alternative Capital Capacity to Transfer Systemic Cyber Risk
Nov 19 2020 // Insurance broker Aon plc has launched a new product with Hudson Structured Capital Management Ltd. (an asset manager undertaking its re/insurance business as HSCM Bermuda) to protect insurers and reinsurers against...
Transportation Chief, Car Makers Say FCC’s Wi-Fi Ruling Undermines Auto Safety
Nov 19 2020 // The U.S. communications regulator on Wednesday approved a plan to allow a growing number of wireless devices to use part of a spectrum previously set aside for automakers to develop methods for vehicles to communicate with...
How Lloyd’s Underwriters Are Viewing Today’s U.S. Casualty Insurance Environment
Nov 19 2020 // Today’s Lloyd’s of London market for casualty insurance is marked by rising prices, reduced capacity, and buyers embracing more self-insurance, according to underwriters at Lloyd’s. It is also marked by...
