Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Special Reuters Report: America’s Route to Recovery
Dec 29 2009 // When Bob Hagan was a boy in Youngstown, Ohio, people equated the coke dust they swept off their doorsteps each day with opportunity, for it came from the steel mills that built this city. After graduating from high school...
5 Years After Deadly Indonesia Tsunami, Communities Better Prepared
Dec 23 2009 // Five years after a Sumatra Indonesia tsunami killed 230,000 people, officials say that more communities are taking the threat seriously, implementing warning systems and understanding that swift action is needed if a...
Ratings Recap: SecuriCan, Pioneer, Sovereign, Meritz, Island Capital
Dec 23 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has assigned a financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘B+’ (Good) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb-” to Winnipeg, Manitoba-based SecuriCan General Insurance Company, both with stable...
Europe Feels Left Out in Cold on Climate Change Deal
Dec 23 2009 // It’s a climate deal that has Europe feeling left out in the cold. The continent that used to take the lead in advocating climate action is now taking the lead in climate complaining. And it’s not just upset...
P/C Industry’s Net Income Up; Combined Ratio at 100.7 for Q3
Dec 22 2009 // Private U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income after taxes rose to $16.2 billion through nine-months 2009, partially recovering from the 91.2 percent decline to $4.4 billion through nine-months 2008 from $49.6...
Health Bill Passes Key Senate Vote
Dec 21 2009 // A broad healthcare overhaul passed its first crucial test in the Senate Monday, with 60 Democrats voting to put President Barack Obama’s top legislative priority on a path to passage by Christmas. In a...
U.N. Climate Talks End ‘With a Bare Minimum’ Agreement
Dec 21 2009 // U.N. climate talks ended with a bare-minimum agreement Saturday, Dec.19, when delegates “noted” an accord struck by the United States, China and other emerging powers that falls far short of the...
What Senate Health Bill Would Do
Dec 21 2009 // A sweeping healthcare reform bill appears headed for passage in the U.S. Senate after surviving a test vote early Monday morning. The bill has been criticized by some liberals who complain that without a new government...
Best Analyzes AIG; Affirms Most P/C, L&H Ratings; Outlook Negative
Dec 21 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of most P/C life/health insurance subsidiaries of American International Group, Inc., as well as the ICR of “bbb”...
Truth or Lore? Insurance ‘Factorama’ Explores the Known and Little-Known
Dec 20 2009 // It’s the end of the decade that apparently has no name as yet, but that doesn’t stop those of us at Insurance Journal from looking back at the past 10 years and beyond for known and little-known insurance...
2009 P/C Insurance Mergers, Acquisitions Large and Small
Dec 20 2009 // Large insurers AIG, Farmers and The Hartford made moves in 2009, as did large brokers Marsh, Aon, Willis, Gallagher, Brown & Brown, Hub and Wells Fargo. So, too, did, many regional insurers and Main Street agencies....
Best Affirms Zurich’s ‘A’ Ratings
Dec 18 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a+” of Zurich Insurance Company Limited (ZIC), the main operating company of...
NOAA: United States Better Prepared for Tsunamis
Dec 18 2009 // Five years since the December 2004 Sumatra Indonesia Tsunami k illed 230,000, the United States has acclerated preparation for a potential tsunami along the U.S. coastline and built partnerships for an international...
Judge Sets Stanford Trial for 2011; Again Asked to Compel Insurance
Dec 18 2009 // Alleged swindler Allen Stanford will spend more than a year in custody after a U.S. judge Thursday set his criminal trial for January 2011. “This criminal case is going to get under way and it is going to go on...
Austin-Round Rock, Texas, Most Secure Large Metro Area
Dec 18 2009 // The central Texas area of Austin-Round Rock is the most secure U.S. community among large metropolitan areas (population of 500,000 or greater) in which to live, ccording to the sixth annual Most Secure U.S. Places to Live...
UN Climate Talks Resume; US Backs $100 Billion Aid Fund
Dec 17 2009 // Danish hosts revived climate talks on Thursday and Washington backed a $100 billion fund to aid poor countries, as world leaders gathered on the eve of a U.N. deadline to reach a deal to slow global warming. Environment...
Judge Rules for Lloyd’s In Dispute Over Stanford’s Insurance
Dec 17 2009 // A federal judge in Houston found accused swindler Allen Stanford and his attorneys in contempt of a court order Wednesday over their attempts to collect insurance policy proceeds to pay defense costs. No sanctions were...
NAB Trumps AMP in $12 Billion Offer for AXA Asia-Pacific
Dec 17 2009 // National Australia Bank made a surprise trump bid for AXA Asia Pacific Holdings’ Australian and New Zealand units on Thursday, in a cash deal that would value all the target firm at around $12 billion. The bid tops...
World Leaders Try to Save Troubled Climate Talks
Dec 16 2009 // World leaders took the stage at the largest ever climate talks on Wednesday as ministers scrambled to rescue troubled negotiations on a pact to avoid dangerous global warming. Police using truncheons and pepper spray...
Best Affirms Lloyd’s Syndicate 570 & 609 ‘A’ Ratings
Dec 16 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the Best’s Syndicate Rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a+” of Lloyd’s Syndicates 570 and 609, which are both managed by Atrium...
