Latest USA Headlines

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

New Orleans Judge Handling BP Oil Cases a ‘Straight Shooter’

Sep 17 2010 // The judge overseeing hundreds of lawsuits spurred by BP Plc’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill brought his much-noted calm, easy manner to the first major hearing in what could be one of the most complex and costly court...

Judge Urges BP Oil Disaster Litigants to Settle, Avoid Trial

Sep 17 2010 // The U.S. judge overseeing the hundreds lawsuits filed by shrimpers, restaurateurs and others against BP Plc and its partners as a result of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill urged the parties on Thursday to consider an...

U.S. Group Health Premiums Rose 3% in 2009; Individual Up 15%

Sep 17 2010 // U.S. health insurers took in 7 percent more revenue from premiums from individual, group and other policies in 2009 than in the previous year, even as the number of those people with coverage fell, according to a report...

BP, Partners Say Most Oil Victims Should Not Be Allowed to Sue Yet

Sep 17 2010 // BP Plc and its partners in the blown-out Gulf well said on Monday that thousands of fishermen, seafood processors, restaurants, hotel owners and others may not yet have the right to sue over the spill, according to court...

Best Affirms White Mountains, Subsidiaries Ratings; Outlook Stable

Sep 17 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of the U.S. operating companies comprising OneBeacon Insurance Group, and...

P/C Insurers Post First Half Profit Despite Underwriting Losses

Sep 16 2010 // Private U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income after taxes rose to $16.5 billion in first-half 2010 from $6 billion in first-half 2009, with insurers’ overall profitability as measured by their annualized...

Tropical Storm Karl Hits Yucatan, Some Evacuations Ordered

Sep 15 2010 // Tropical Storm Karl hit Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula Wednesday and was expected to head into the Gulf of Mexico, threatening Mexican oil installations and possibly gaining hurricane strength.Mexico’s state-run...

AIG, U.S. Repayment Talks Advancing, Sources Say

Sep 15 2010 // American International Group Inc.’s talks with the U.S. Treasury Department over repayment of bailout funds have advanced past initial discussions, a source familiar with the matter said.A possible conversion of the...

U.S. Judge Sets December Date for Health Care Suit Hearing

Sep 15 2010 // A Florida judge said Tuesday he would hear arguments Dec. 16 on a lawsuit by 20 U.S. states seeking to block President Barack Obama’s overhaul of the U.S. health care system.U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson, who is...

US to Host Major Economies Climate Forum in New York

Sep 15 2010 // The United States will host a meeting of the world’s biggest economies in New York to discuss climate change on Monday and Tuesday [next week], the U.S. State Department said.The Major Economies Forum will bring...

RMS Estimates Insured Losses for NZ Quake at $1.5 to $2.5 Billion

Sep 15 2010 // Following detailed analysis of property damage from the Darfield, New Zealand, earthquake, Risk Management Solutions said it “estimates that total insured losses will fall between NZD 2.1 billion (US$ 1.5 billion)...

Best Lowers Macau Insurance Ratings; Outlook Revised to Stable

Sep 15 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to ‘A-‘ (Excellent) from ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) to “a-” from “a” of Macau...

Ohio Insurance Institute: State’s Insured Losses from Ike – $1.255B

Sep 14 2010 // For some Ohioans, the memory of Hurricane Ike is only surpassed by the damage it caused last Sept. 14 as it made its way across the Buckeye State packing winds at speeds equal to a Category 1 hurricane (up to 74...

Hurricanes Igor, Julia Spin in Atlantic

Sep 14 2010 // Tropical Storm Julia grew in the far eastern Atlantic into the fifth hurricane of the storm season, while Hurricane Igor weakened slightly but remained a dangerous Category 4 storm, forecasters said on Tuesday.Neither...

Drugmaker Lilly Wins Reversal of Overpricing Case Brought by Insurers

Sep 13 2010 // A federal appeals court decertified a class of unions and insurers that accused Eli Lilly and Co. of overpricing its Zyprexa anti-psychotic drug after misrepresenting its efficacy and side effects.The U.S. Second Circuit...

Australia Regulator Blocks NAB’s $12 Billion AXA Asia Pacific Bid

Sep 9 2010 // Australia’s competition regulator has again blocked National Australia Bank’s $12 billion bid for AXA Asia Pacific, dealing a blow to NAB’s 9-month efforts to cement its dominance in the world’s...

Best Reports Healthy Earnings ‘Mask Challenges’ for Global Reinsurers

Sep 9 2010 // A special report from A.M. Best concludes that “robust earnings reports mask challenges ahead for the global reinsurance industry: a convergence of market pressures, low interest rates and tightening financial and...

RMS Analyzes New Zealand Earthquake Insured Losses

Sep 9 2010 // Risk Management Solutions has stated that, based on its analysis of the area exposed to the New Zealand earthquake, it “currently expects that approximately 60-70 percent of the insured loss will be residential, and...

Halliburton, Transocean Reject BP’s Claims; Court Battles Loom

Sep 9 2010 // BP Plc and its Gulf of Mexico oil well partners traded blame Wednesday after an internal BP investigation tried to downplay the company’s role in the world’s biggest offshore spill.The 193-page BP report...

One Death Reported as Blast Rips Through Mexico Oil Refinery

Sep 8 2010 // An explosion ripped through a major Mexican refinery Tuesday, killing one worker and pushing gasoline and diesel prices higher on worries state oil monopoly Pemex will have to import more fuel.Pemex, the world’s No....