Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Companies Must Report CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio Under New SEC Rule
Aug 5 2015 // The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a rule Wednesday requiring companies to reveal the pay gap between the chief executive officer and their typical worker, handing a new weapon to groups protesting rising...
U.S. Appeals Court Rejects Ecuador Challenge to $96 Million Chevron Award
Aug 5 2015 // A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday rejected Ecuador’s challenge to a $96 million international arbitration award in favor of energy giant Chevron Corp, marking the latest twist in a decades-long dispute over the...
AIG Insurance Results Down in Q2; CEO Sees Opportunity in ACE-Chubb
Aug 4 2015 // American International Group Inc. (AIG) today reported net income of $1.8 billion for the quarter ended June 30, 2015, compared to $3.1 billion, for the second quarter of 2014. Second quarter net income declined primarily...
AXA’s First-Half 2015 Profits up 2.3% on U.S., French Life Insurance Gains
Aug 4 2015 // French insurer AXA SA said first-half profit rose 2.3 percent, helped by higher life-insurance earnings in the U.S. and France. Net income at France’s biggest insurer climbed to €3.08 billion ($3.37 billion) from...
Negotiators Fail to Reach Pacific Trade Pact; More Talks Expected
Aug 3 2015 // High-level negotiations in Hawaii on a trade agreement in the Pacific Rim wrapped up without a final deal as disagreements over dairy and vehicle policies trumped progress in other areas. The dialogue may resume within...
Car Hacking Risk Could Be More Widespread
Aug 3 2015 // The cybersecurity issues that led Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV to recall 1.4 million vehicles this month could pose a problem for cars and trucks from other automakers, the top U.S. auto safety regulator said on...
Neiman Marcus Ruling Aids Plaintiffs in Data Breach Class Actions
Aug 3 2015 // Data breaches at big retailers are becoming almost commonplace, and class actions by affected consumers are typically not far behind. Now, a federal appeals court in Chicago has made it harder for retailers who are hacked...
People – Midwest
Aug 3 2015 // Westfield Insurance, a super-regional property and casualty insurance carrier based in Westfield Center, Ohio, hired Robyn Hahn as the new role of group marketing and communications leader. Hahn will assume overall...
New Madrid Report Shows Need for Quake Insurance, Missouri Insurance Director Says
Aug 3 2015 // Missouri’s top insurance regulator says a new report on exposures within the reach of the New Madrid seismic zone reinforces the need for residents in affected areas to purchase earthquake insurance. Missouri...
U.S. Appeals Court Sides with Kansas Drivers in FedEx Employee Status Case
Aug 3 2015 // In early July, FedEx lost a round in employment practices litigation over whether or not its drivers are employees of the company under Kansas labor statutes. On July 8, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit agreed...
Insured Catastrophe Losses Fell 36% in First Half of 2015
Aug 3 2015 // Property/casualty insurers’ catastrophe losses in North America for the first-half of this year were down 36 percent to $8.1 billion from 2014’s total of $12.6 billion, making it the lightest catastrophe first...
Evolving Consumer Base Is Changing Personal Lines: Conning
Aug 3 2015 // There are “far-reaching implications” for personal lines insurers and the products and services they provide as the U.S. continues to undergo changes in its demographic structure, an industry report states. The...
Deal Activity Still Impressive
Aug 3 2015 // Deal count for the second quarter of 2015 was one of the most active quarters on record with 87 announced transactions. The total deal count for year-to-date 2015 (as of July 6, 2015) was at 187 (U.S. based transactions)....
People – Southeast
Aug 3 2015 // J.M. Wilson has added Kayley Dana to the firm’s Charleston, S.C., office as transportation underwriter. Dana is responsible for quoting new and renewal transportation risks, and serving independent insurance agents...
U.S. Appeals Court Rules for State Farm Whistleblowers in Katrina Fraud Case
Aug 3 2015 // A federal appeals court has ruled that whistleblowers who sued State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. can seek more evidence of fraud against the U.S. government after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. In its decision, the New...
Intellectual Property: Conan O’Brien, Doobie Brothers, ‘Happy Birthday’, Michael Jordan
Jul 31 2015 // Conan O’Brien Sued Over Jokes Comedian Conan O’Brien was sued for copyright infringement for using several jokes on his late-night talk show that he’s accused of lifting from the Internet. In a complaint...
Brit Reports H1 After-Tax Profit of US$6.4M, Compared to $94.5m in 2014
Jul 31 2015 // London-based Brit plc, which completed its merger with Fairfax Financial Holdings in the first half of this year, reported operating profit before foreign exchange and transaction related expenses of $70.9 million,...
U.S. Issues Final Oil Train Safety Rules
Jul 31 2015 // The Obama administration on Wednesday released a new regulation intended to prevent explosive rail disasters such as the 2013 oil train derailment that killed 47 people and destroyed part of Lac-Megantic, Quebec. The new...
Is Climate Change Now Its Own Industry?
Jul 30 2015 // Interest in climate change is becoming an increasingly powerful economic driver, so much so that some see it as an industry in itself whose growth is driven in large part by policymaking. The $1.5 trillion global...
Facebook’s Facial Recognition Software Draws Privacy Complaints, Lawsuit
Jul 30 2015 // When you are identified in a picture on Facebook, biometric software remembers your face so it can be “tagged” in other photographs. Facebook Inc. says this enhances the user experience. But privacy advocates...
