Latest USA Headlines

All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Harvey Set to Bring ‘Catastrophic’ Flooding Across Texas

Aug 23 2017 // Harvey, which could strengthen into the first hurricane to strike Texas since 2008, forced workers off Gulf of Mexico platforms, sent cotton rallying and has airlines preparing for flight disruptions. Tropical Storm...

How Civil Immunity Lawsuit Led to Limits on Taser Use: Reuters Report

Aug 23 2017 // One of the biggest commercial threats to Taser International’s signature weapon could come from a lawsuit the company won. Across the United States, wrongful death lawsuits involving Tasers have created a body of...

Northern Illinois Agency Owner Indicted Again; Slapped with 20 Fraud Counts

Aug 22 2017 // The owner of multiple property/casualty insurance operations in northern Illinois has been indicted once again, this time on charges that he defrauded more than 100 clients. Todd J. Fendler, of Rockford, Ill., previously...

Conn. Court Supports $41.7M in Damages to Student Disabled by Tick Bite on School Trip

Aug 22 2017 // The Connecticut Supreme Court in August supported a jury’s decision to award $41.7 million in damages to a student permanently disabled by a tick bite while on a school field trip in China, stating that schools in...

As Congress Eyes Flood Insurance Renewal, Private Markets Get Ready

Aug 21 2017 // Unleashing the invisible hand that has been missing from the flood insurance market for nearly 50 years is no easy task. But private flood insurance experts say the change would be a good thing not only for private flood...

Michigan WWII Bomber Site Gears Up for Driverless Demos in December

Aug 21 2017 // Self-driving cars will begin taking test laps this December on the site of a famous World War II airplane factory in Michigan where Rosie the Riveter helped produce a shiny B-24 Liberator bomber every hour more than seven...

Verisk to Acquire London-Based Complex Data Software Firm Sequel

Aug 21 2017 // U.S.-based data analytics firm Verisk Analytics Inc. has agreed to acquire London-based insurance and software specialist Sequel from private equity firm HgCapital and other Sequel shareholders. Sequel specializes in...

Maxum’s Lucas Joins Everest Re to Head U.S. Casualty Facultative Programs

Aug 21 2017 // Darwin Lucas has joined Everest Reinsurance Co. as vice president and head of U.S. Casualty Programs for all general casualty and professional liability lines of coverage within the Facultative Reinsurance division. He...

QBE H1 Profits Rise 73% on Australia/N. Zealand Rate Hikes, N. America Growth

Aug 21 2017 // QBE reported a healthy profit hike during first half of 2017, despite heightened claims activity in its Emerging Markets’ division, which reported a combined ratio of 110.8 percent. This poor performance has led to...

U.S. Risk Announces Acquisition of B&H Risk Services, Inc.

Aug 21 2017 // Dallas, TX, August 21, 2017—U.S. Risk Insurance Group, LLC, the nation’s fifth largest Property and Casualty wholesaler, announced today that it has acquired B&H Risk Services, Inc., a Dallas, Texas based...

How Much Solar Eclipse Distraction Will Cost Employers

Aug 21 2017 // Add today’s total eclipse of the sun to the list of worker distractions that cost U.S. companies hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity. American employers will see at least $694 million in missing...

U.S., Canada, Mexico Conclude First Round of Talks on NAFTA

Aug 21 2017 // The United States, Canada and Mexico wrapped up their first round of talks on Sunday to revamp the NAFTA trade pact, vowing to keep up a blistering pace of negotiations that some involved in the process said may be too...

People – Southeast

Aug 21 2017 // 1347 Property Insurance Holdings Inc., a property and casualty insurance holding company based in Tampa, Fla., has appointed Dan Case to the position of chief operating officer. Case will be responsible for strategies and...

Swiss Re: Miami Is More Vulnerable to Hurricanes Like Andrew

Aug 21 2017 // Almost 25 years have passed since a Category 5 hurricane struck south of Miami, and the city’s vulnerability to catastrophic storm damage has grown exponentially, according to a new insurance underwriters’...

Business Moves

Aug 21 2017 // Morse Insurance Agency Inc., Quaglia Insurance Morse Insurance Agency Inc. has acquired Quaglia Insurance in Attleboro, Mass. As part of the transition, Quaglia’s Attleboro office will be closing. However, Stacy...

The Smaller the Small Business, the Bigger the Insurance Discontent: J.D. Power

Aug 21 2017 // Not all small businesses are the same when it comes to customer satisfaction with commercial insurance. There are widening satisfaction gaps among small businesses of different sizes, according to the J.D. Power 2017 U.S....

Insurance Fraud Following Catastrophes an Unwelcome Trend, Oklahoma’s Doak Tells U.S. Senators

Aug 21 2017 // In testimony on Capitol Hill in early August, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak told federal lawmakers that fraud across all lines of insurance costs the industry an estimated $80 million to $100 million...

Global Insured H1 Losses from Natural, Man-Made Disasters Were $23B: Swiss Re

Aug 18 2017 // Global insured losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in the first half of 2017 totaled US$23 billion, while economic losses during the same period came to US$44 billion – an indication of the extent of...

Lawsuit Claims U.S. Delinquent in Enforcing Rear Passenger Seat Belt Law

Aug 18 2017 // A new lawsuit accuses the U.S. government of being too slow to implement rules requiring that rear seat vehicle passengers be warned when they fail to buckle their seat belts. In a complaint filed on Wednesday, two...

Middle Market Growth Spells Opportunity for California’s Insurance Community

Aug 17 2017 // The insurance community has at least two reasons to be interested in a new report on middle market companies, particularly those who are doing business in California. According to a report released this week from American...