Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Banks Keep Distance from Marijuana Business and Its Unbanked Billions
May 12 2015 // The U.S. government has opened a new line of business for America’s biggest banks, and for once they don’t want it. Little wonder: it’s cash from legalized marijuana. The financial-crimes arm of the...
Senate Democrats Derail Fast-Track Trade Authority Bill
May 12 2015 // U.S. Senate Democrats delivered a major blow to President Barack Obama’s trade agenda on Tuesday, blocking debate on a bill that would have smoothed the path for a Pacific trade pact. The stunning outcome cast doubt...
Appeals Court Returns Gulf ‘Dead Zone’ Lawsuit to Judge
May 12 2015 // A federal judge who ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to take action to regulate farm runoff and other pollution blamed for the Gulf of Mexico’s annual oxygen-depleted “dead zone” must take a...
Today’s Senate Vote First Test for Fast-Track Trade Authority Obama Wants
May 12 2015 // The Pacific trade agreement faces its first test in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday in a knife-edge vote that may hold the key to President Barack Obama’s diplomatic pivot to Asia. The Senate vote is one of a likely...
Hiscox Reports 12% Hike in Gross Written Premiums on Good Claims Experience
May 12 2015 // Bermuda-based Hiscox Ltd., the international specialist insurer, reported gross written premiums increased by 12 percent to £561.7 million ($869.6 million), compared to £501.6 million ($776.6 million) reported during the...
Sen. Warren Challenges Obama Over Fast Track Authority
May 11 2015 // U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren hit back at President Barack Obama in their tussle over “fast-track” authorization to negotiate a Pacific Rim trade treaty, a power she says could be used in the future to weaken...
Mulray Joining Everest National as Chief Underwriting Officer for U.S.
May 11 2015 // Everest Re Group Ltd. said that Michael Mulray will be joining the company as chief underwriting officer for the U.S. insurance operations of its Everest National Insurance Co. Mulray joins Everest from General Electric...
BP Wins Bid to Appeal Some Gulf Oil Spill Damage Claims
May 11 2015 // A U.S. federal appeals court said on Friday BP Plc deserves the right to appellate review of some damage claims awarded to people and businesses in connection with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The decision by the 5th...
Toward Sensible Risk Management of Earthquake Risk in Energy Production
May 11 2015 // Underground disposal of waste water produced from oil and natural gas wells has been blamed for triggering thousands of small earthquakes in Oklahoma and a number of other U.S. states since 2009. Heightened seismic...
No Libel in HBO Sporting Goods Child Labor Broadcast, Jury Says
May 11 2015 // A U.S. jury cleared HBO of libel claims on Friday in a lawsuit brought against the Time Warner Inc. subsidiary by a British sporting goods company over a report linking it to child labor in India. Miter Sports...
U.S. Seeks Dismissal of MetLife Suit Challenging Systemic Designation
May 8 2015 // MetLife Inc.’s lawsuit challenging its designation by regulators as critical to the economy should be thrown out, U.S. Justice Department lawyers said without making public their arguments to the judge. MetLife on...
Nepal Quake Biggest April Disaster: Aon Benfield/Impact Forecasting
May 8 2015 // Aon Benfield’s Impact Forecasting’s monthly catastrophe report for April highlights the catastrophic damage throughout Nepal, India, China, and Bangladesh, caused by the magnitude-7.8 earthquake that struck...
Parties Confer on Damages After Ruling in Katrina Flood Lawsuit
May 7 2015 // Days after a federal judge ruled that the U.S. government bears responsibility for hurricane-related flooding blamed on a now-closed shipping channel, attorneys in the case were preparing to discuss damages. A Wednesday...
Oil Train Derails, Catches Fire in North Dakota
May 7 2015 // A BNSF train carrying crude oil owned by Hess Corp derailed and caught fire in North Dakota on May 6, forcing the evacuation of a nearby small town just days after the United States and Canada announced reforms to improve...
Beyond Cars and Drones, Google Sees Pilotless Airlines
May 6 2015 // The chief of Google Inc.’s experimental cargo-drone program wants to see automated flight go beyond pilotless planes and extend to commercial air travel. Just as automation has proved its worth in factories by...
First Licensed Autonomous Freight Truck Hits the Road in U.S.
May 6 2015 // In a ceremony at Hoover Dam, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) unveiled the Freightliner Inspiration Truck, what it says is the first licensed autonomous commercial truck to operate on an open public highway in the...
Hannover Re’s Q1 Net Income Increases 20.1% to $311.8 Million
May 6 2015 // During the first quarter, Hannover Re generated net income of 279.7 million euros ($311.8 million), a 20.1 percent increase over the 233.0 million euros ($260 million) reported for the same period last year. “The...
Florida Commissioner McCarty Touts State Regulation Before Congress
May 6 2015 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty championed flexible state insurance regulation and warned against “one-size-fits-all” bank-like regulation for insurers in recent testimony before the U.S. Senate...
U.S., Canada Agree on Oil Train Safety Mandates
May 5 2015 // Almost two years after an unattended oil train derailed and exploded in Quebec, killing 47 people, the U.S. and Canadian governments jointly set new rules designed to reduce the risks of hauling crude by rail. Newly built...
Insurers Warn Against Encroachment on State Regulation
May 5 2015 // Insurance companies are calling for Congress to ensure state-based insurance regulation remains protected from federal or international “regulatory encroachment.” “Congress must now increase its oversight...
