Latest USA Headlines

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

Farm Bill Keeps Lawmakers’ Own Crop Insurance Payouts Secret

Feb 4 2014 // Crop insurers successfully lobbied to keep several proposals out of the farm bill set to pass the U.S. Congress today — such as a requirement that would have forced farmer-lawmakers to disclose benefits they...

U.S. to Require Cars to Have ‘Talking’ Technology to Prevent Accidents

Feb 3 2014 // U.S. regulators will propose rules before President Barack Obama leaves office requiring vehicle- to-vehicle communications systems in new cars, which advocates said may aid safety more than seat belts and air...

Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries on the Rise in U.S.

Feb 3 2014 // The number of serious traumatic spinal cord injuries is on the rise in the United States, and the leading cause no longer appears to be motor vehicle crashes, but falls, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.The same...

Rate of School Shootings in U.S. Unchanged Amid Increased Security

Feb 3 2014 // There’s been no real reduction in the number of U.S. school shootings despite increased security put in place after the rampage at a Connecticut elementary school in December 2012 left 20 children and six educators...

10 Regions of U.S. with Highest Health Insurance Premiums

Feb 3 2014 // These are the 10 regions of the country with the highest premiums for people buying insurance on the health law’s new marketplaces. The ranking is based on the lowest price “silver” plan, which is the...

U.S. to Propose Standards for Talking Cars

Feb 3 2014 // U.S. regulators will take a step toward making talking cars a reality today, as Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is expected to propose standards for vehicle-to-vehicle communications that could prevent crashes.The...

Ironshore Appoints London-Based Horton as Director U.S. Liability Risks

Feb 3 2014 // Bermuda-based Ironshore International has appointed Chris Horton to a new position as Director of Underwriting for U.S. Liability risks, including Specialty Casualty, IronPro, IronHealth and Environmental business lines....

Chubb Reports 4Q Profit Surge a Year After Sandy

Jan 31 2014 // Chubb Corp., the insurer of corporate boards and high-end homes, said profit surged as margins improved a year after Superstorm Sandy.Fourth-quarter net income rose to $569 million, or $2.24 a share, from $102 million, or...

U.S. FAA Cuts India Aviation Safety Ranking as Standards Not Met

Jan 31 2014 // The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration cut India’s safety ranking for the first time citing a failure to meet requirements, a move that could thwart local carriers’ expansion to the world’s biggest...

Arch Capital Closes Acquisition of CMG Mortgage Insurance, PMI Operating Platform

Jan 31 2014 // The Bermuda-based Arch Capital Group Ltd. (ACGL) announced that its “U.S.-based subsidiaries (Arch U.S. MI) have completed the acquisition of CMG Mortgage Insurance Company (CMG MI) and the mortgage insurance...

Texas-Based MHBT Recognized as Top Performing U.S. Insurance Brokerage

Jan 30 2014 // MHBT Inc., headquartered in Dallas, Texas, was recently recognized as the “Top Performing Agency” in the country in its revenue category in a prestigious report by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers...

House Passes Farm, Crop Insurance, Food Stamps Bill

Jan 29 2014 // The U.S. House passed and sent the Senate a much-delayed bill to set agricultural policy for five years, as a coalition of rural Republicans and urban Democrats overcame objections about farm subsidies and food-stamp...

Court Dismisses Ex-AIG CEO Greenberg’s Bailout Lawsuit Against New York Fed

Jan 29 2014 // A federal appeals court upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit by former American International Group Inc Chief Executive Maurice “Hank” Greenberg accusing the Federal Reserve Bank of New York of unlawfully bailing...

Bipartisan Farm Bill Increases Crops Insurance, Trims Food Stamps

Jan 29 2014 // Editor’s Note: The House of Representatives passed the bill this morning. For the update, read here.House and Senate negotiators on Monday reached a bipartisan agreement on the long-overdue U.S. farm bill that ends a...

Iran Oil-Shipping Insurance Seen Unusable on Lack of Clarity

Jan 29 2014 // Insurance for tankers to export Iranian crude may be unusable even after the U.S. and the European Union eased sanctions against the Persian Gulf state, a group covering vessel owners said.Ship owners hauling Iran’s...

Bipartisan Farm Bill Saves Food Stamps, Crop Insurance

Jan 28 2014 // Editor’s Note: The House of Representatives passed the bill this morning. For the update, read here.Deep cuts in U.S. food-stamp spending sought by House Republicans were averted in a tentative agreement on a...

Oil Train Catastrophe Risk Weighs on Insurers: Kemp

Jan 28 2014 // In the event of a mass-casualty accident involving the derailment of a crude-carrying train in a densely populated urban area, who would be responsible for the compensation for deaths, injuries, damage to property and...

Securities Class Actions Up 9% in 2013 But Below Average

Jan 28 2014 // Plaintiffs filed 166 new federal securities class actions in 2013, a nine percent increase over 2012, however, the 2013 total is still 13 percent below the average from 1997 to 2012 despite being boosted by a second-half...

OSHA Findings Contested in Williams Olefins Explosion in Louisiana

Jan 27 2014 // Officials say Williams Olefins is contesting six workplace safety violations and $99,000 in civil penalties federal regulators proposed for a fatal explosion June 13 at the company’s Ascension Parish, La., plant.The...

Supreme Court Exempts Time ‘Donning and Doffing’ Safety Gear from Employee Pay

Jan 27 2014 // The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that employees at a U.S. Steel Corp. plant do not have to be paid for the time they spend “donning and doffing” safety gear before and after their shifts.The nine justices...