Latest USA Headlines

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

Which U.S. Metro Areas Are Most Able to Withstand a Disaster?

Jul 15 2011 // Which U.S. metro region is most likely to come out of the next economic recession, natural disaster or other regional “shock” relatively unscathed?According to new research at the University at Buffalo,...

Marsh Names Barber to New Role in U.S. Property Practice

Jul 14 2011 // Insurance broker Marsh has named Ryan A. Barber to the newly created role of head of Industry Specialization within its U.S. Property Practice. Barber will be responsible for industry-based risk advisory and insurance...

Willis’ ILS Report Sees Increased Investor Interest in Cat Bonds

Jul 14 2011 // A new report from Willis ILS – Investors Eager for Cat Bonds Following Light Second Quarter Issuance – concludes that, despite, or perhaps due to the catastrophes experienced during the first quarter of 2011,...

Murdoch’s Bow to Pressure; Will Attend UK Parliament’s Investigation

Jul 14 2011 // Rupert Murdoch on Thursday caved in to pressure from Britain’s parliament to answer questions over alleged crimes at one of his newspapers, setting up a showdown with lawmakers keen to break the media mogul’s...

Employment Class Actions Survive Despite Wal-Mart Ruling

Jul 13 2011 // The end of the road for a class-action discrimination lawsuit brought by female employees of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has not spelled doom for employment lawsuits facing other big U.S. companies.A landmark U.S. Supreme Court...

Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Confirms New London, U.S. Execs

Jul 12 2011 // Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) has confirmed new CEOs from within its existing management team for two of its most important regions. As of October first, Carsten Scheffel, currently CEO of AGCS for the...

Midwest Agents Say FEMA Creating Flood Insurance Confusion

Jul 12 2011 // Insurance agents in states along the swollen Missouri River basin say federal officials are causing widespread confusion among property owners by pushing the sale of flood insurance policies that might not cover damage...

Federal Court Upholds Umbrella Insurer in Asbestos Coverage Dispute

Jul 11 2011 // A federal appeals court has agreed that Continental Insurance Co. did not have a duty to defend asbestos injury claims against the automotive supplier Federal–Mogul Corp. as its umbrella carrier because the primary...

U.S. Hurricane Season Could Be Market Tipping Point: Marsh

Jul 11 2011 // Reacting to the recent spate of major natural catastrophes, insurers are being more selective in the capital they deploy and have in some cases withdrawn from catastrophe affected regions and loss-making sectors of...

U.S. Considers Removing All Tariffs for Poor Nations

Jul 8 2011 // The U.S. government said on Friday it is investigating the probable economic effects of eliminating all tariffs and quotas on goods from the world’s least-developed countries (LDCs).The U.S. International Trade...

Alterra Bermuda Approved for Reduced Collateral Status in New York

Jul 8 2011 // Alterra Capital Holdings Limited announced that the State of New York Insurance Department has approved Alterra Bermuda Limited “as an eligible reinsurer for reduced collateral status, which allows lower collateral...

Liberty Mutual Sues Goldman Over Freddie Mac Investment Losses

Jul 8 2011 // Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. and several of its subsidiaries have sued investment banker Goldman, Sachs & Co. for “making materially misleading statements and omissions” in a preferred stock...

La Nina, Blamed for US South Drought, May Revive this Autumn

Jul 7 2011 // The La Nina weather anomaly, blamed for one of the worst droughts in the southern United States, could revive this autumn, the U.S. Climate Prediction Center forecast on Thursday.In its monthly report, the CPC said wind...

$750M Settlement Reached with U.S. Farmers over Genetically Modified Rice

Jul 7 2011 // A settlement of up to $750 million has been reached with the German conglomerate Bayer CropScience on behalf of U.S. rice farmers in a series of rice contamination lawsuits, according to Don Downing, an attorney with Gray,...

P/C Insurers Can Handle Muni Bond Stress: Moody’s

Jul 7 2011 // The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry, which has about 60 percent of its equity capital base or — $355 billion– in municipal bonds remains exposed to disruptions in this asset class, but the overall...

Reinsurance Prices Flat Except in Catastrophe Regions: Aon

Jul 7 2011 // First quarter catastrophes didn’t halt decreases in most U.S. reinsurance renewal programs, except in regions hard hit by significant catastrophe events, according to a report by a leading reinsurance intermediary....

Berkshire Joins Group Bidding for Citi Consumer Loan Unit: WSJ

Jul 6 2011 // Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has joined the group bidding for Citigroup Inc.’s consumer lending unit, the Wall Street Journal said Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.Berkshire has...

New Swiss Re sigma study Reveals Global Premium, Capital Growth

Jul 6 2011 // A new study in Swiss Re’s sigma series concluded that the global insurance industry has returned to a pattern of growth. The study – World insurance in 2010 – reveals growth in global premium volume and...

California Workers’ Compensation Law Draws Scrutiny with NFL Case

Jul 5 2011 // A leading Republican in the California State Legislature said he will push for an overhaul of a state labor law that makes the Golden State a magnet for workers’ compensation claims by injured former professional...

U.S. Risk Insurance Group Names Zechlin Senior Broker

Jul 5 2011 // U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc., the eighth largest managing general agency and surplus lines wholesaler in the nation, announced that it has named Margaret Zechlin as senior broker in San Francisco.She will work on all...