Latest USA Headlines

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

Treasury Chiefs Paulson, Geithner Defend AIG Bailout

Jan 27 2010 // Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson staunchly defended the decision to rescue troubled insurer American International Group Inc. in 2008 and said he and others involved acted properly.In testimony prepared for a...

Lloyd’s Ordered to Pay Alleged Swindler Stanford’s Defense Costs

Jan 27 2010 // A U.S. federal judge ordered insurer Lloyd’s of London Tuesday to pay for alleged swindler Allen Stanford’s defense.Stanford and three other defendants sued the insurer after Lloyd’s stopped providing...

U.S. Judge Dismisses Claims Against Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s

Jan 27 2010 // In a victory for ratings agencies, a U.S. judge Tuesday dismissed claims against Moody’s Corp. and McGraw-Hill’s Standard & Poor’s in litigation over nearly $100 billion of Lehman Brothers Holdings...

Treasury Secretary Geithner Denies Role in AIG Disclosure

Jan 27 2010 // U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner flatly denied any role in counseling American International Group Inc. to keep quiet about payments it made to leading banks during a 2008 rescue of the stricken insurer.Geithner...

Davos Report: Business Leaders Warn Regulations May Crimp Recovery

Jan 27 2010 // Global business leaders warned Western governments on Wednesday that a populist crackdown on the financial industry could crimp a fragile recovery from the worst recession since the 1930s.The worried response to U.S....

Kingsway to Sell Jevco; Best Says Lincoln Still Weighs

Jan 27 2010 // Toronto-based Kingsway Financial Services announced today that it has entered into a definitive purchase agreement with The Westaim Corporation to sell “all of the issued and outstanding shares of Jevco Insurance...

U.S. Businesses Face Increasing Threats From Chinese Cyber Attacks

Jan 27 2010 // U.S. businesses and government agencies are facing increasing risks of potential cyber attacks from China, according to a recent report. And IT departments that react defensively to such attacks may not be doing enough to...

U.S. Bans Texting by Drivers of Large Trucks, Buses

Jan 26 2010 // The U.S. government Tuesday banned hand-held “texting” by drivers of large commercial trucks and buses to avoid the danger of distracted driving.Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement the...

Bailout Watchdog Launches Probes of N.Y. Fed’s Disclosure on AIG

Jan 26 2010 // A U.S. bailout watchdog has launched two new investigations into the New York Federal Reserve Bank’s actions on insurer AIG’s disclosure of payments to banks after its 2008 rescue, excerpts of prepared...

AIG Asks Financial Product Employees to Take Retention Pay Cut

Jan 26 2010 // American International Group Inc. has given employees of its Financial Products unit until Tuesday to accept a cut in money owed them under a retention plan in return for an earlier payout, according to proposals obtained...

SEC Considered National Security Status for AIG Bailout Details

Jan 25 2010 // U.S. securities regulators originally treated the New York Federal Reserve’s bid to keep secret many of the details of the American International Group bailout like a request to protect matters of national security,...

Counties with Levees Are Some of the Nation’s Most Economically Sound, Report Says

Jan 25 2010 // Hundreds of levees around the United States protect vulnerable areas and tens of millions of people from potentially devastating floods. Yet hardly anyone gives them a second thought until one is breached. The most glaring...

Report: Counties with Levees Are Among the Nation’s Most Economically Sound

Jan 24 2010 // There are hundreds of levees around the United States that protect vulnerable areas and tens of millions of people from potentially devastating floods each year. Yet hardly anyone gives them a second thought until one is...

Business Moves

Jan 24 2010 // Towers Perrin, Watson WyattTowers Watson & Co. has completed the merger of Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt. The transaction to form Towers Watson, a global professional services company, was announced on June 28, 2009....

Business Moves

Jan 24 2010 // U.S. Risk, Goss ReU.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc., based in Dallas, has expanded into the specialty reinsurance brokerage marketplace with Goss Reinsurance Brokers Inc. Goss Re will operate as a specialty reinsurance broker...

Report: Counties with Levees Are Among the Nation’s Most Economically Sound

Jan 24 2010 // Hundreds of levees around the United States protect vulnerable areas and tens of millions of people from potentially devastating floods each year. Yet hardly anyone gives them a second thought until one is breached. The...

New York Sees Promise in Own London-Like Market

Jan 24 2010 // A recently announced plan by New York’s governor to boost his state’s financial services industry by recreating the New York Insurance Exchange has drawn the attention of insurance industry executives and...

Tragedy in Haiti; XL Moves to Ireland; NYC Exchange Doesn’t Worry London; WEF Prepares for Davos

Jan 24 2010 // The tragedy in Haiti is a reminder of how fragile life can be in developing countries.Despite the massive loss of life and widespread destruction in and around the capital Port-au-Prince, vital rescue efforts have been...

Insurance Agent, Researcher Charged in Illinois Murder-for-Hire Scheme

Jan 21 2010 // A suburban Chicago insurance agent and a former university research technologist are charged in an alleged murder-for-hire scheme aimed at killing a federal prosecutor and drug enforcement agent, officials said.Jack Mann,...

Former Insurance Co. Employee Sentenced for Stealing from Carrier, Agents

Jan 21 2010 // Mark Camacho, 41, of Cedar Hill, Texas, a former employee of Americo Life Insurance Co., was sentenced in federal court for stealing more than $900,000 from the carrier and its agents’ commission accounts.Chief U.S....