Latest USA Headlines

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

Aging U.S. Nuclear Plants Pushing Limits of Life Expectancy

Nov 29 2015 // The U.S. is set to become the first nation to decide whether it’s safe to operate nuclear power plants for 80 years, twice as long as initially allowed.The majority of the nation’s 99 reactors have already...

Highway Death Toll Takes Troubling Turn: Up 8.1% This Year

Nov 25 2015 // The death toll on U.S. highways rose 8.1 percent in the first half of 2015 as low fuel prices contributed to a jump in miles driven by Americans, according to new figures from the Transportation Department.The preliminary...

Mathieu Appointed President of Collinson Insurance Brokers

Nov 25 2015 // Collinson Group has appointed Yasmine Mathieu as president of Collinson Insurance Brokers Inc. (CIB). Based in Little Rock, Ark., she is part of Collinson Group’s global broking team with associates in Dallas and...

NAIC Elects Missouri’s Huff President; Other 2016 Officers

Nov 24 2015 // Other officers elected are President-Elect: Kentucky Insurance Commissioner Sharon P. Clark; Vice President: Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Ted Nickel; and Secretary-Treasurer: Tennessee Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix...

Uber Drivers’ Class Action Raises Worker Classification, Arbitration, Liability Issues

Nov 24 2015 // Fifty seven and a half cents for every mile logged.That’s the latest demand from Uber Technologies Inc. drivers in California suing to be treated like employees. Whether the drivers can pursue pay for mileage on...

Paris Climate Summit Will Seek New Path to Reduce Carbon Emissions

Nov 23 2015 // Next week, in the waning days of what is set to be the hottest year on record, world leaders meet on the outskirts of Paris for a summit that seeks nothing less than to steer the global economy away from its ever-growing...

U.S. to Pursue Covered Agreement with EU for Re/Insurers

Nov 22 2015 // The U.S. Treasury and U.S. Trade Representative announced plans on Friday to negotiate a covered agreement on insurance with the European Union, a move it said will “level the regulatory playing field for U.S-based...

FAA Task Force Recommends Requiring Registration for Most Drones

Nov 22 2015 // Owners of all but the smallest toy drones will have to register them with the U.S. government before the end of the year if the Obama administration adopts proposals issued by a task force it appointed.Registration —...

Court Denies Uber’s Appeal of Class Action Filed by Aspiring Employees

Nov 20 2015 // A U.S. appeals court this week denied ride service Uber’s request to immediately appeal an order approving class certification in a lawsuit filed by drivers who wish to be deemed employees.The ruling, from the 9th...

States Graded ‘A’ to ‘F’ for Extreme Weather Preparedness

Nov 20 2015 // Many states across the country are unprepared to face the risks posed extreme heat, drought, wildfires, inland flooding, coastal flooding and other extreme weather events, according to a new report card.Only a small number...

NFL Defends $1 Billion Concussion Settlement Against Critics in Court

Nov 20 2015 // The NFL on Thursday asked a U.S. appeals court to uphold a potential $1 billion plan to settle thousands of concussion lawsuits filed by former players.Critics appealing the settlement complain it protects some retirees at...

Insurance Industry Not Alone in Missing the Mark with Millennials

Nov 19 2015 // Could it be that the property/casualty insurance industry has company in not feeling the love of millennials?Yes, it could. The Hartford has released new research that shows key industries driving the U.S. economy,...

A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Positive for Aspen and Its Subsidiaries

Nov 19 2015 // A.M. Besthas revised the outlook for the issuer credit ratings (ICR) to positive from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of “A” (Excellent) and the ICRs of “a” of Aspen...

Telematics Changing Drivers’ Behavior: Insurance Research

Nov 18 2015 // Telematics devices offered by auto insurers appear to working to change the behavior of drivers.More than half (56 percent) of the 1,135 drivers participating in an Insurance Research Council (IRC) public opinion survey...

Federal Reserve Pressured to Narrow Emergency Bailout Powers

Nov 18 2015 // The Federal Reserve is on the verge of relinquishing the tools it used to rescue American International Group Inc. and Bear Stearns Cos. That probably won’t appease lawmakers who’ve said they’re still...

Wanted by U.S.: Monitor for Takata Air Bag Recall

Nov 17 2015 // U.S. auto safety regulators this week invited outside companies and individuals to apply for the job of independent monitor for the massive recall of Takata Corp air bag inflators.In a Web posting, the National Highway...

U.S. Clarifies Policy on Prosecutions of Executives for Fraud

Nov 17 2015 // The U.S. Justice Department renewed its push to charge executives in corporate fraud cases, encouraging companies to come to them early even if they can’t yet identify individual wrongdoers.Deputy Attorney General...

Defense Rests in West Virginia Mine Blast Trial, Blankenship Stays Mum

Nov 17 2015 // Former Massey Energy Chief Donald Blankenship won’t take the witness stand to explain what happened when a company mine exploded in 2010 killing 29 workers, choosing instead to leave his fate in the hands of jurors...

El Nin᷈o Talk Growing Louder Amid Southern California Storms

Nov 16 2015 // A whopper of a winter appears to be brewing for the Western U.S. and more conversations are turning to preparations for what could be one of the strongest El Nin᷈os on record.Strong rains throughout much of California...

Endurance Partners with W. Brown Associates for U.S. Aviation Risks

Nov 16 2015 // Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd., a Bermuda-based specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, has entered into an exclusive joint underwriting agreement with W. Brown Associates to provide...