Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. House Passes Repeal of Health Insurers’ Antitrust Exemption
Feb 24 2010 // The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to take a 65-year-old antitrust exemption away from health insurance companies, leaning hard on an industry that has been the focus of criticism for fast-rising rates. The...
Copenhagen: Billions in Aid Seen as Key to Climate Talks Success
Feb 23 2010 // The allure of $30 billion in climate aid for poor nations holds the key to helping restore confidence in U.N. talks on fighting global warming and stopping them from unraveling. But there’s only months to figure out...
Judge Certifies Stockholders’ Class Action Against AIG
Feb 23 2010 // A U.S. judge on Monday certified a class action lawsuit for stockholders, but not bondholders, against American International Group Inc. U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts denied a request by three Ohio state public pension...
Aon Founder Ryan Launches Specialty Wholesale Insurance Group
Feb 23 2010 // The founder and retired chairman and CEO of the world’s largest insurance broker, Aon, has revealed the management team and a second subsidiary for his new global specialty insurance operation whose first company was...
A.M. Best Reports a Stable U.S. Commercial Lines Sector
Feb 23 2010 // Despite soft market conditions, the anticipation of less favorable loss reserve releases and a contracting economy, the U.S. commercial lines insurance market remains relatively stable. According to A.M. Best, while the...
Montpelier Re Posts $104.7 Million Q4 Net Income; $463.5 Million Full Year
Feb 22 2010 // Bermuda-based Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd. reported greatly improved fourth quarter and full year financial results. The reinsurer’s fourth quarter net income was $104.7 million ($1.25 per share), compared to a loss...
U.S. Chamber Study: Greenhouse Gas Will Rise Despite Accords
Feb 22 2010 // A new analysis released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy concludes that, “even if emissions reduction pledges made under the Copenhagen Accord were adopted, the world would...
U.S. Chamber Names Rashish for Europe, Eurasia Post
Feb 22 2010 // The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced that Peter S. Rashish has been named the new vice president for Europe and Eurasia. He will lead the Chamber’s International Division in “crafting and implementing...
Obama Offers New Plan to Revive Health Care Push
Feb 22 2010 // President Barack Obama tried to rejuvenate his stalled U.S. health care overhaul Monday with a revised plan to make insurance coverage more affordable and bolster federal authority to regulate premium hikes. The proposal...
Global Warming Litigation Just Getting Started
Feb 21 2010 // Issue Will Have Serious Implications for Insurance Industry Toward the end of 2009, it appeared that a number of issues with the possibility of creating significant political and social changes were on the verge of...
People
Feb 21 2010 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) on Feb. 2 presented its 2010 Independent Leadership Award to Joe Straus III, speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. The Independent Leadership Award was presented...
Torus Hires Maza to Oversee Management Liability Products in U.S.
Feb 19 2010 // Specialty insurer Torus has appointed Alex Maza to oversee its U.S. Management Liability platform. Maza, who is based in New Jersey, will focus on building Torus’ offerings — which include D&O, Employment...
Austin Plane Crash – Intentional Act or Terrorism?
Feb 19 2010 // Austin, Texas, Police Chief Art Acevedo stopped short of calling the crashing of a small plane into a commercial office building in northwest Austin on Feb. 18 a terrorist act, but U.S. Representative Mike McCaul said he...
United America Indemnity Plans to Re-Domicile in Ireland
Feb 19 2010 // United America Indemnity has announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously approved a plan to re-domicile from the Cayman Islands to Ireland. The Company’s shareholders will be asked to vote in favor of...
Kyoto Climate Pact Risks Dying, as No New Agreement is in Sight
Feb 18 2010 // Efforts to extend the Kyoto climate pact framework risk collapse in a setback to years of diplomatic bargains, as chances fade that the United States will join other rich nations in capping emissions. December’s U.N....
Fairfax to Buy all Remaining Shares of Zenith in $1.4 Billion Deal
Feb 18 2010 // Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd said Thursday it will buy all the shares of U.S. insurer Zenith National Insurance Corp that it does not already own in a deal worth about $1.4 billion.[Figures are in U.S. $, unless...
AXA Asia-Pacific Returns to Profit; No Comments on Takeover Bids
Feb 17 2010 // Takeover target AXA Asia-Pacific’s promise of strong growth in 2010 prompted analysts to suggest suitors may consider raising their bids for the firm but top officials declined comment on the $12 billion...
Certain Safety Codes Didn’t Apply to Connecticut Plant
Feb 16 2010 // Three days before the deadly explosion at a Connecticut natural gas power plant, a federal agency that investigates chemical accidents recommended urgent changes to national safety standards for clearing gas from...
PartnerRe Changes Organizational Structure after PARIS RE Acquisition
Feb 12 2010 // Bermuda-based PartnerRe Ltd. Has announced organizational changes, following the acquisition of PARIS RE. The Company said it would “maintain its existing business unit-based operating structure, consisting of three...
Why AIG Omitted JP Morgan from Underwriters for Life Insurer IPO
Feb 12 2010 // American International Group Inc. turned down JPMorgan’s attempts to get in on the estimated $10 billion Hong Kong IPO of its Asian life insurance unit, sources involved with the deal said on Friday, in a snub partly...
