Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Disaster Plan Takes Lessons From Katrina, Calif.’s Wildfires
Feb 10 2008 // Streamlined document called ‘essential tool for emergency managers’ in public and private sectors The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a new comprehensive disaster plan for the country that...
It Figures
Feb 10 2008 // 30 A jury in New Mexico returned 30 guilty verdicts against former state Insurance Superintendent Joe Ruiz, in a case in which Ruiz was accused of trying to coerce insurance companies to donate money to charity in exchange...
Super Tuesday Tornadoes Tear Through U.S. Mid-South
Feb 7 2008 // More than two dozen tornadoes tore through the mid-South late Tuesday night, destroying homes, barns, and industrial buildings from Texas to Ohio. The severe thunderstorm outbreak, which included tornadoes, hail, heavy...
Aspen to Release Earnings Today; Conference Call Details
Feb 6 2008 // Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited will release its fourth quarter and year-end 2007 financial results today, Wednesday, February 6, 2008, following the closing of the U.S. markets. The Company will hold a conference call to...
U.S. Risk Names Hicks Senior Commercial Underwriter
Feb 6 2008 // Dallas-based managing general agency and surplus lines wholesaler U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. announced it has named Jeff Hicks a senior underwriter in its Commercial Underwriting department. In this position, Hicks...
I.I.I.’s Hartwig: Texas P/C Market Profitable Along with Rest of U.S.
Feb 5 2008 // The last few years have been good ones for the property casualty insurance industry in terms of profitability. But it’s been a long time coming, according to Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information...
U.S. Safety Agency Pushes to Require Nonflammable Home Furniture
Feb 4 2008 // A government safety agency is pushing to require all home furnishings sold in the U.S. to be nonflammable. The Consumer Product Safety Commission advanced a proposal Friday that would require consumer upholstered furniture...
Ore. High Court Reaffirms $79.5M Award in Philip Morris Case
Feb 4 2008 // The Oregon Supreme Court for a third time has allowed a $79.5 million punitive-damages judgment against Philip Morris, an award twice struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, which suggested it was excessive. The award was...
Lawmakers Look to Help December Flood Victims
Feb 4 2008 // There’s silence in John Brunoff’s Washington dairy farm, except for the sound of a lone worker hosing an empty 5,000-gallon milk tank. Just nine weeks ago, more than 270 cows filled this organic dairy farm with...
Meadowbrook Acquires Remaining Earnings from U.S. Speciality Underwriters
Feb 4 2008 // Southfield, Mich-based Meadowbrook Insurance Group, Inc. announced today its termination of the Management Agreement associated with its acquisition of the business of U.S. Specialty Underwriters, Inc. (USS). As previously...
Ratings: CUNA/CUMIS, Fremont, National Interstate, Patrons et.al., FGIC, Munich Re (US)
Feb 4 2008 // A.M. Best Co. has assigned an issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a+” and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) of Madison Wis.-based CUNA Mutual Insurance Society, the lead...
Rebuking Agency, Judge Dismisses Katrina Lawsuit Against Corps
Feb 1 2008 // Saying his hands were tied by law, a federal judge in New Orleans dismissed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over levee breaches after Hurricane Katrina, but rebuked the agency for failing to...
Appeals Court Upholds $10.2 Million Award to Injured Snowmobiler
Feb 1 2008 // A federal appeals court panel has upheld a lower court’s decision ordering the U.S. Forest Service and a snowmobiler to pay nearly $10.2 million to a Michigan man who suffered severe brain injuries when he was struck...
Insurers Say Property, Flood Insurance, Regulation Top Concerns in ’08
Feb 1 2008 // A group of insurers says it hopes U.S. lawmakers will continue to focus on the need for affordable property insurance, an optional federal charter for the insurance regulatory system in America, and comprehensive flood...
Aon Publishes Marine Report
Jan 31 2008 // Aon has released its “2008 Marine Insurance Market Review,” which concludes that the “marine industry is set for a continued run of favorable insurance premiums in 2008, despite facing higher risks. The...
Chubb 4Q Profit Stayed About Even; U.S. Premiums Down 2%
Jan 30 2008 // The Chubb Corp. reported that net income in the fourth quarter of 2007 was $650 million or $1.68 per share, compared to $654 million or $1.56 per share in the fourth quarter of 2006. Operating income increased to $620...
Georgia Doctor Sentenced to Probation in Health Fraud Case
Jan 28 2008 // A Georgia doctor accused of treating patients with a chemical used in pesticides was sentenced to five years probation for health care fraud. Sentenced on Jan. 24, Dr. Totada Shanthaveerappa pleaded guilty Oct. 30 to...
U.S. Proposes Stronger Car Roofs to Withstand Rollovers
Jan 28 2008 // Addressing rollover safety, the government last week proposed that new cars and trucks undergo new tests to measure the strength of their roofs. With more than 10,000 people dying every year in rollovers, transportation...
More Atlantic Hurricane Activity Doesn’t Mean More Landfall Risk
Jan 27 2008 // New research on the link between the formation of hurricanes in the Atlantic basin and U.S. landfall activity suggests that using Atlantic basin hurricane activity as a proxy for landfall activity can lead to erroneous...
Business Moves
Jan 27 2008 // Lighthouse Underwriters, Cooley and Darling Cooley and Darling Insurance Agency Inc., a new retail agency based in Haymarket, Va., has acquired the retail book of non-profit business from Lighthouse Underwriters LLC, a...
