Latest USA Headlines

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

Hearing Scheduled Today on HR 3424, Reinsurance Tax Bill

Jul 13 2010 // HR 3424 will be the subject of a hearing House by the House Representatives Ways and Means Committee today at 10:00 a.m. The Bill, sponsored by Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-MA), has been the subject of a lengthy debate [See IJ...

AIG Board to Consider AIA’s Future; IPO Seen Most Likely Option

Jul 13 2010 // The board of American International Group is set to meet this week to consider the future of its AIA unit, with a public float seen as the most likely outcome, sources said on Tuesday.An initial public offering of AIA, the...

BP Test of New Cap on Gulf Oil Well Could Be Turning Point

Jul 13 2010 // BP Plc prepared on Tuesday to test a new cap on its runaway well, arresting the flow of oil which has been gushing into the Gulf of Mexico for the last 12 weeks.[According to Reuters BP Plc will launch a test to gauge...

Marsh U.S. Consumer Names Shestack Benefits Sales Leader

Jul 12 2010 // Urbandale, Iowa-based Marsh U.S. Consumer, a broker and administrator of affinity insurance and membership product programs, announced the appointment of Rob Shestack as sales leader for Employer Benefits. Shestack brings...

Liberty Mutual Sues Goldman Sachs Over Fannie Mae Stock

Jul 12 2010 // Goldman Sachs Group Inc. was sued by Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. for fraudulently misleading it into buying preferred stock of mortgage financier Fannie Mae that would become “virtually worthless.”In a lawsuit...

The Growing Risks of Social Media

Jul 12 2010 // Asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton famously replied: “Because that’s where the money is.”Something similar can be said to explain why companies are paying more attention to social media these days...

Lloyd’s Won’t Insure or Reinsure Petroleum Shipments for Iran

Jul 9 2010 // Lloyd’s of London will not insure or reinsure petroleum shipments going into Iran, the insurance market said on Friday.U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law last week far-reaching new sanctions that aim to...

Health Records Firms Face Increasing Privacy Liability

Jul 9 2010 // U.S. companies that partner with hospitals and other health providers could face steep fines if they disclose private patient information under a new federal rule proposed Thursday.Billing companies, customer service...

Obama Administration Asks Health Insurers to Embrace Reforms Now

Jul 9 2010 // U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who has bashed insurers over rate increases, is seeking their help in making medical coverage accessible for more patients in the years before major reforms take effect.Sebelius, in...

Lloyd’s Marine Underwriters Examine How to Comply with Iran Sanctions

Jul 6 2010 // Underwriters from London’s marine insurance market are looking at how to comply with fresh sanctions being imposed on Iran, a senior Lloyd’s Market Association (LMA) official said on Friday.Iran, the...

Coastal Trends

Jul 5 2010 // As the hurricane season gains momentum, a new U.S. Census Bureau report, Coastline Population Trends in the United States: 1960 to 2008, helps put into perspective the number of Americans living along the coast who could...

USLI Expanding with Retail Agent Distribution; No Longer Exclusively Wholesale

Jul 5 2010 // After years of doing business exclusively though wholesale brokers, United States Liability Insurance Group (USLI) is expanding its distribution to work directly with retail insurance agencies.“We are expanding our...

Rough Road for Trucking in the New Economy

Jul 5 2010 // The insurance industry has a long history for cyclical price adjusting, featuring long periods of marginal to inadequate premiums followed by relatively brief, startling and disruptive upward price corrections. These...

How to Manage the Growing Risks of Social Media

Jul 5 2010 // Asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton famously replied: “Because that’s where the money is.”Something similar can be said to explain why companies are paying more attention to social media these days...

Bad Weather Hinders BP Oil Cleanup; Oil Invades More Wetlands

Jul 2 2010 // Tropical storm Alex slowed oil spill clean-up and containment work in the Gulf of Mexico and drove more petroleum into fragile Gulf wetlands and beaches Thursday, with any permanent fix to BP Plc’s ruptured deep-sea...

Goldman Defends Its Claims on AIG As Legitimate

Jul 1 2010 // Goldman Sachs officials insisted demands for billions of dollars from insurer AIG ahead of a $182-billion government rescue package were based on legitimate market prices and denied gaming values for a massive...

U.S. Launches Pre-Existing Condition Health Insurance Plan

Jul 1 2010 // The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today the launch of a Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) that will offer coverage to uninsured Americans who have been unable to obtain health...

Hurricane Alex Weakens to Tropical Storm

Jul 1 2010 // Hurricane Alex weakened to a tropical storm Thursday as it moved further inland over northeastern Mexico, dumping heavy rains that flooded cities but sparing U.S. oil facilities near its path.Rain from the first named...

AIG’s Cassano Says U.S. Bailout Too Generous to Goldman

Jul 1 2010 // The former head of the AIG unit that nearly crippled the insurer said the 2008 taxpayer bailout of up to $182 billion was too generous to customers like Goldman Sachs.Goldman Sachs, in turn, insisted it simply followed its...

Financial Crisis Panel Hears from AIG’s Cassano, Goldman’s Lewis

Jun 30 2010 // The former head of the American International Group unit that precipitated a $182 billion bailout pledge from taxpayers stood by a 2007 proclamation that the insurer would not lose even a dollar on a portfolio of...