Latest USA Headlines

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

Thunderstorms Just as Costly to Insurers as Hurricanes: Study

Mar 22 2017 // Risk to U.S. property from thunderstorms is as high as from hurricanes, according to new research finding that for the past decade, severe convective storms have been the largest annual aggregated risk peril to the U.S....

Consumer Group Warns on Trump Budget Cut of Flood Map Funds

Mar 21 2017 // A proposal by the Trump administration to cut $190 million in funding for updating U.S. maps of flood-prone areas would trigger higher insurance rates or more homebuilding in risky locations, a consumer group said on...

Medicaid Changes Could Have Sweeping Impact in Louisiana

Mar 20 2017 // Despite a national focus on the individual insurance markets, the Republican health plan being debated in Washington could have far more sweeping impact in Louisiana for other provisions that curb federal spending on...

U.S., Peabody Energy Agree to $43 Million Environmental Fund; Bankruptcy Plan Approved

Mar 20 2017 // A U.S. judge formally approved Peabody Energy Corp.’s plan to emerge from bankruptcy late Friday after the coal producer struck a settlement with the U.S. government over legacy environmental claims at a gold and...

Steamin’ Hot Markets: Cyber, Sharing Economy, Active Shooter, Construction, Mergers and More

Mar 20 2017 // Cyber Sharing Economy, Active Shooter, Construction, Mergers and More Insurance Journal examined industries experiencing changes, challenges, expansions and growth in the past year. For 2017, experts predict the U.S....

How the Industry Can Take the Lead on New Food Safety Risks

Mar 20 2017 // The recently finalized Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)-related FDA Regulations on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food has the potential to significantly affect risk management strategies employed by food...

Report: Oil & Gas Operations Vulnerable to Hackers

Mar 20 2017 // Oil and gas companies, including some of the most celebrated industry names in the Houston area, are facing increasingly sophisticated hackers seeking to steal trade secrets and disrupt operations, according to a newspaper...

Northern Illinois Insurance Agency Owner Indicted, Charged with Defrauding Clients

Mar 20 2017 // The owner of a Rockford, Illinois-based managing general agency that last year had its license revoked or non-renewed by at least three separate state insurance departments has been indicted by a federal grand jury for...

Army Corps on the Defense in Complaint Over Missouri River Flooding

Mar 17 2017 // A trial is underway in which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is defending itself against more than 300 farmers and other landowners who say the agency’s management of the Missouri River has contributed to major...

Massachusetts and Rhode Island Doctor Pleads Guilty for Overprescribing Opioids

Mar 17 2017 // At Dr. Fathalla Mashali’s pain management clinics, the waiting rooms were often so packed with patients that people sat on the floor, leaned against walls and spilled into the hallways. That’s because, federal...

Thousands of Safer Ethanol Rail Tank Cars Sit Idle: Reuters

Mar 17 2017 // While crossing a small wooden bridge in northwestern Iowa last Thursday, 20 rail tank cars in a mile-long train transporting ethanol flew off the tracks, sending fireballs into the sky, while thousands of gallons of the...

It Could Be Trump or the Weather, But More People Think Climate Change Is Real

Mar 16 2017 // You can blame it on the weather, or you can blame it on Trump. A record number of Americans are concerned about global warming, believe it is occurring and consider it a serious threat that is caused by human activity. A...

W.R. Berkley, Tokio Marine Lead Weather Analytics $17 Million Series B Funding

Mar 16 2017 // Weather Analytics, a provider of weather and predictive risk software for the insurance industry, reported that global insurers Tokio Marine HCC and W. R. Berkley Corp. together have funded a $17 million Series B financing...

Court Rules Gay Employees Not Protected Under Civil Rights Law

Mar 16 2017 // In a setback for gay rights advocates hoping for an expansion of workplace discrimination protections, a federal appeals court in Atlanta has ruled that employers aren’t prohibited from discriminating against...

Senators Want U.S. to Weigh Food Safety in Acquisitions by Foreign Firms

Mar 16 2017 // Two U.S. senators from Midwestern states will introduce a bill on Tuesday that would require foreign companies buying U.S. food and agriculture firms to undergo a review aimed at ensuring the deal would not hurt U.S. food...

EPA Official Allegedly Aided Monsanto in Fight Against Roundup Cancer Study

Mar 16 2017 // The Environmental Protection Agency official who was in charge of evaluating the cancer risk of Monsanto Co.’s Roundup allegedly bragged to a company executive that he deserved a medal if he could kill another...

Appliances to Pipelines: Trump Plans Major Rollback of Obama Climate Change Rules

Mar 15 2017 // President Donald Trump is set to sign a sweeping directive to dramatically shrink the role climate change plays in decisions across the government, ranging from appliance standards to pipeline approvals, according to a...

Take This Lemonade and Startups: Insurers Garner Record High Satisfaction Grades

Mar 14 2017 // Those uppity insurtech startups might want to take note: About one of every 15 U.S. homeowners insurance policyholders files a claim each year and these claimants are now giving insurers their highest ever satisfaction...

U.S. Blizzard Grounds Flights, Raises Power as Trump Tweets

Mar 14 2017 // A late-winter storm is about to bury the eastern U.S. in snow. Airlines have canceled thousands of flights, wholesale power prices surged and natural gas futures rallied as the storm prepared to spin up the Atlantic Coast,...

100 Cities Ranked by Home Fire Risk: The Hartford

Mar 14 2017 // According to The Hartford Home Fire Index, which ranks 100 cities based on their home fire risk, the top five highest risks are: Detroit, Mich.; Shreveport, La.; Boston, Mass.; Flint, Mich. and Richmond, Va. Cities ranked...