Latest USA Headlines

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

The Middleton Group Releases its Biannual Compensation Survey: How Does Your Agency Compare’

Jun 11 2001 // Not surprisingly, compensation continues to be the single largest agency expense. The average independent agency in the U.S. spent between 62.2 percent and 66.3 percent on compensation in 2000, according to The Middleton...

Terrorism from Newly Empowered Pressure Groups Poses a Threat

Jun 11 2001 // Firebombs, booby-trapped letters and packages, kidnappings, assaults and extortion—as these violent acts continue to proliferate, insurers have stepped up to offer financial protection. Handling threats from terrorist...

How Does Your Agency Compare’ The Middleton Group biannual compensation survey

Jun 4 2001 // Not surprisingly, compensation continues to be the single largest agency expense. The average independent agency in the U.S. spent between 62.2 percent and 66.3 percent on compensation in 2000, according to The Middleton...

Crop Policies on U.S. Cotton Increase

Jun 4 2001 // A study conducted by an agricultural economist with Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. found a 3.7 percent increase in the number of crop insurance policies taken out on the U.S. cotton crop in 2001. According to...

MDA Announces Improved Information Product for U.S. Insurance Industry

Jun 1 2001 // The Information Products Group of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. unveiled a new version of its Home Replacement Cost Estimator, renamed the Replacement Cost Calculator. According to the company, the new version...

ING Launches U.S. Ad Campaign

May 22 2001 // ING Americas, the U.S. subsidiary of Holland’s ING Group, is launching a multi-million dollar ad campaign to make its name, which the company stresses should be enunciated I-N-G, not “ing,” as familiar in...

DOT Confirms Need for Tighter Mexican Trucks Inspection under NAFTA

May 18 2001 // An adequate number of safety inspectors and a detailed plan for the inspection of Mexican trucks at all borders are both essential for the safety of all motorists, according to the National Association of Independent...

AXA Names Condron To Head U.S. Operations

May 17 2001 // France’s AXA Group and its U.S. Subsidiary, AXA Financial, Inc. announced that Christopher M. “Kip” Condron has been named to succeed Edward D Miller as the new President and CEO of U.S. operations. He...

Prudential (U.K.), Other Europeans Seeking U.S. Acquisitions

May 16 2001 // Enriched by the $600 million it received as a break up fee from AIG-American General, Britain’s Prudential plc is still looking for opportunities to expand in the U.S. market, but it’s not alone. According to...

Report U.S. Plans To Indict Credit Lyonnais

May 15 2001 // According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles plans to bring indictments against French bank Credit Lyonnais and its subsidiary, Le Consortium de Réalisation...

Legislation Gains Praise From Chubb CEO

May 10 2001 // The introduction of the Reinsurance Tax Equity Act of 2001 gained praise from Dean R. O’Hare, chairman and CEO of The Chubb Corporation. Following introduction by Reps. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.) and Richard Neal...

Benfield Greig-E.W. Blanch to Create Third Largest Global Re Broker

May 7 2001 // On April 16, London-based Benfield Greig Group plc and E.W. Blanch Holdings Inc. of Dallas announced an agreement on merger terms. Benfield offered to purchase the outstanding shares of EWB for $13.50 a share, valuing the...

Allfinanz Introduces xpertBridge to U.S. Financial Services Market

May 4 2001 // Allfinanz, a multinational developer of e-commerce software for the global financial services industry, is offering xpertBridge, a software solution for distributors of insurance, investment and other financial services...

Swiss Re Study Examines U.S. European Economic Scenarios

May 3 2001 // A study just released by Swiss Re Economic Research & Consulting finds that the U.S. economy is more vulnerable in the short-term to recessionary pressures, but that in the long-term European economies are more likely...

Lloyd’s Posts 23% Gain in U.S. Premium Income

May 2 2001 // Led by a strong performance in its surplus lines business, Lloyd’s announced a 23 percent gain in U.S. premium income for the year 2000 to $5.9 billion from $4.8 billion in 1999. “This increase is a reflection...

So. Africa’s Old Mutual To Acquire St. Paul’s FG

Apr 27 2001 // Old Mutual, a South African financial services company which trades on the London Stock Exchange, announced that it had agreed to purchase Fidelity and Guaranty Life Insurance Co., a Baltimore-based subsidiary of The St....

Corralling The Horse Market

Apr 23 2001 // In today’s steady economy, equine insurance could be one of the best markets you’ve never thought about tapping. Then again, if you don’t know the front end of a horse from the back, it could also be the...

A.M. Best Reports U.S. Continued Weakening in U.S. Property/Casualty Results for 2000

Apr 16 2001 // According to a new A.M. Best Co. report, property/casualty results for the fourth quarter and the full year 2000 continued to weaken as the effects of the prolonged soft market overshadowed the benefits of price firming....

Top 25 US Areas for Auto Theft

Apr 11 2001 // The top 25 U.S. metropolitan areas in rates of stolen vehicles last year, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s analysis of FBI figures. Listed cities include their ranking last year in parenthesis,...

IIAA Endorses U.S. House Anti-Fraud Bill

Apr 10 2001 // The Independent Insurance Agents of America is endorsing a House proposal that would empower state insurance commissioners and all financial regulators to better coordinate the fight against financial fraud, says IIAA...