Latest USA Headlines

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

Hurricane Irene Update: 50 Million People Could Be Affected

Aug 26 2011 // Parts of the southeastern United States were already experiencing dangerous swells and rip tides Thursday as Hurricane Irene exited the Bahamas. On Friday afternoon, ahead of Hurricane Irene’s forecasted arrival in...

Northeast Likely to Suffer Significant Damage from Irene

Aug 26 2011 // Hurricane Irene is likely to cause more insured losses in the Bahamas than 1999’s devastating Hurricane Floyd, catastrophe modeler AIR Worldwide said Thursday, even as the storm increasingly tracks toward a weekend...

East Coast Cities, Resorts Prepare for Irene

Aug 26 2011 // North Carolina braced Friday for a direct hit from Hurricane Irene, cities along the U.S. east coast were on alert and millions of beach goers cut short vacations to escape the powerful storm. With more than 50 million...

Irene Causes Extensive Property Damage on Smaller Islands in the Bahamas

Aug 26 2011 // Large and powerful Hurricane Irene roared across the Bahamas archipelago on Wednesday, knocking down trees and destroying homes on a path that officials said posed the greatest threat to the country’s smaller,...

East Coast Earthquake: Fear, Damage Mixed with Relief, Teasing

Aug 26 2011 // For a few minutes from Georgia to Maine, the question rang out: What was that? The answer — a rare East Coast earthquake, magnitude 5.8 — was far down on the list for most not used to the earth shaking beneath them. In...

Hurricane Irene Batters Bahamas, Threatens Carolinas, Northeast

Aug 25 2011 // Hurricane Irene washed away homes in the Bahamas Thursday as its battering winds and rain headed toward the U.S. eastern seaboard including densely populated New York and New England. U.S. emergency officials have urged...

Profits Soar at Australia’s IAG, but Outlook Hits Shares

Aug 25 2011 // Insurance Australia Group, Australia’s top home and car insurer, reported a more than two-fold jump in annual net profit on Thursday but its outlook knocked the shares lower. IAG forecast profit margins of 10-12...

U.S. Risk Names Greer a Senior Broker in Austin Office

Aug 24 2011 // Managing general agency and surplus lines wholesaler U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. has appointed Tony Greer as senior broker in its Austin, Texas, office. Greer has five years of experience in the insurance industry and...

Earthquake Tested Safety of East Coast’s Nuclear Plants

Aug 24 2011 // The largest earthquake to hit the East Coast of the United States in 67 years raised concerns on Tuesday about the safety of the country’s nuclear power plants. The 5.8 magnitude quake’s epicenter was just a...

East Coast’s Once-a-Century Earthquake Causes Minor Damage

Aug 24 2011 // A strong earthquake rattled the U.S. East Coast Tuesday, sending tremors as far as Canada, damaging well-known buildings in the nation’s capital and sending scared office workers into the streets. There were no...

Australia’s Suncorp Profit Falls 42%; Hints at Capital Return

Aug 24 2011 // Australian insurer and bank Suncorp reported a 42 percent fall in annual profit on Wednesday, but still beat forecasts and hinted at a capital return once markets stabilized, sending its shares nearly 7 percent higher. But...

Entire East Coast Placed on Hurricane Alert

Aug 23 2011 // The United States put its eastern seaboard on alert for Hurricane Irene Tuesday, as the powerful storm barreled up from the Caribbean on a path that could hit the U.S. coast on the weekend. Even as the first hurricane of...

Earthquake Rattles East Coast; No Deaths or Major Damage Reported

Aug 23 2011 // A strong earthquake struck the U.S. East Coast and was felt as far away as Canada on Tuesday, shaking buildings in many cities, delaying flights and trains and sending thousands of frightened workers into the...

Hurricane Irene Seen Skirting Florida, Possibly Landing in Carolinas

Aug 23 2011 // Hurricane Irene was expected to strengthen over the next few days and could hit the southeastern United States as a large and powerful storm late in the week, forecasters said Tuesday. The U.S. National Hurricane...

Hurricanes May Be Catalyst for Insurance Rate Increases

Aug 23 2011 // Hurricane Irene, threatening to become the first hurricane to hit the United States in three years, could be the catalyst the insurance industry has been seeking in its quest for across-the-board premium increases after...

Marsh Executive Sues Spitzer for $60 Million Over Slate Column

Aug 22 2011 // Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has been hit with a $60 million libel lawsuit by a former Marsh & McLennan Cos. executive over a column posted on Slate.com concerning an insurance bid-rigging scandal. William...

North Dakota Farm Groups Backing Crop Insurance, Research

Aug 22 2011 // Crop insurance, research and export promotion should be among the top priorities in the next federal farm bill, say spokesmen for North Dakota agricultural groups, who are bracing for cuts in federal...

Hurricane Irene Soaks Puerto Rico, Could Hit Florida By Week’s End

Aug 22 2011 // Hurricane Irene buffeted Puerto Rico with winds and torrential rain Monday, knocking out power and downing trees as it churned westward on a track that will threaten Florida by the end of the week. Local media in the U.S....

Court Sets October Deadline for Women Suing WalMart

Aug 22 2011 // Women who were part of a massive class action lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will have until the end of October to file individual lawsuits against the company, a U.S. judge ruled. Women who say the company denied...

Financial Firms Balk at New Law to Help Catch U.S. Tax Evaders

Aug 22 2011 // A U.S. law meant to snuff out billions of dollars in offshore tax evasion has drawn the criticism of the world’s banks and business people, who dismiss it as imperialist and “the neutron bomb of the global...