Latest USA Headlines

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

Small Business Owners See Their Firms Leading Recovery Next 2 Years

Nov 2 2009 // Looking out 12 to 24 months, small business owners say their companies will emerge from the recession strong and well positioned for growth over the next two years, leading the U.S. to economic recovery.According to new...

Rose and Warner Join Beazley’s Builders’ Risk Unit in Chicago

Nov 2 2009 // Beazley is expanding its U.S. property insurance business with the creation of a dedicated Builders’ Risk team to be located in Chicago, Ill.Colin Rose, a senior underwriter from the London Construction and...

El Niño to Influence Winter, Or Not, Say Forecasters

Nov 1 2009 // It will be a tale of two winters in the United States – warmer and drier than average in the North and wetter and cooler in the South – thanks to El Niño, according to government forecasters.In its winter...

U.S. Says Chinese Officials Helping with Probe of Tainted Drywall

Nov 1 2009 // China is helping American officials investigate reports of contaminated Chinese drywall after thousands of American homeowners complained the building material made them sick or damaged their houses, a top U.S. safety...

Business Moves

Nov 1 2009 // Combined Agents, First Texas, LakeCombined Agents of America LLC (CAA), based in Austin, Texas, has added two new members: First Texas Insurance Services LC of Arlington, Texas; and Lake Insurance Agency Inc. of Laverne,...

Business Moves

Nov 1 2009 // AmTrust, American Capital, GMACAmTrust Financial Services, Inc. is making an investment in American Capital Acquisition Corp. in connection with the acquisition by ACAC of GMAC’s U.S. consumer property/ casualty...

Best Affirms Hiscox Operating Companies ‘A’ Ratings; Outlook Stable

Oct 30 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSRs) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICRs) of “a” of Hiscox Insurance Company (Bermuda) Limited, the UK-based Hiscox...

House Healthcare Overhaul Unveiled

Oct 30 2009 // Democrats in the House unveiled a sweeping healthcare overhaul Thursday that would transform the insurance market, create a government-run insurance plan and levy new taxes on the rich.Weeks of closed-door negotiations to...

Georgia Workers’ Compensation Insurer Southeastern US Faces Liquidation

Oct 29 2009 // A workers’ compensation insurer for 3,000 public entities, hospitals, private companies and associations in Georgia has been declared insolvent and will be liquidated.Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas...

ACE Limited Posts $494 Million Q3 Net; Conference Call Today

Oct 28 2009 // The Swiss mountain air seems to agree with ACE Limited, as it reported net income for the third quarter of $494 million, or $1.46 per share, compared with $0.16 per share for the same quarter last year, an increase of 813...

Minnesota Judge Rules Federal Law Blocks Medtronic Heart Device Suits

Oct 28 2009 // A Minnesota state court judge has dismissed a batch of lawsuits against Medtronic Inc. stemming from the October 2007 recall of the medical device maker’s Sprint Fidelis defibrillator leads.Minnesota District Court...

U.S. Insurance Commissioners Host 13 International Regulatory Interns

Oct 28 2009 // The organization of state insurance commissioners welcomed 13 interns from Azerbaijan, China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Zambia to the U.S. this week.The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has...

Ratings Recap: Beazley (US), Prism

Oct 28 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a” of Beazley Insurance Company, Inc. (BICI), which is based in Farmington, Conn. The outlook...

EU Official Says US ‘Serious’ about Getting Doha Round Trade Deal

Oct 27 2009 // A top European Union official said Monday she believed President Barack Obama was serious about reaching a deal in long-running world trade talks, but the time has come for all countries to show their cards.“I think...

U.S. Says Chinese Officials Helping with Probe of Tainted Drywall

Oct 27 2009 // China is helping American officials investigate reports of contaminated Chinese drywall after thousands of American homeowners complained the building material made them sick or damaged their houses, a top U.S. safety...

U.S. Senate Healthcare Bill to Include Public Option with State Opt-Out

Oct 27 2009 // Democratic leader Harry Reid said Monday the U.S. Senate’s healthcare overhaul will include a government-run insurance plan that lets states opt out, handing liberals an early victory on the bill’s most...

AIG Approved to Pay $12 Million Delayed Executive Retention Awards

Oct 26 2009 // AIG, the insurer that received a huge government bail out, said on Friday it is paying $12.1 million in retention awards to some top executives after U.S. pay czar Kenneth Feinberg gave it the green light.In a regulatory...

Southeast States Among Most Exposed to Climate Change Impact: Report

Oct 26 2009 // Poverty and climate hazards make the southeast United States the country’s most vulnerable area to climate change impact, Oxfam America said.A report released by the relief organization identified high-risk...

U.S. Warned to Prepare Now for Disasters Caused by Global Warming

Oct 26 2009 // As Congress considers curbs on carbon dioxide pollution, a U.S. report has urged the White House to prepare now for flooding and other natural disasters brought by global warming.Federal agencies, working with Congress,...

Puerto Rico Refinery Fire Extinguished; Burned for two Days

Oct 26 2009 // Firefighters in Puerto Rico extinguished a huge fire Saturday that had raged for more than two days at an oil storage depot outside San Juan and forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 local residents. Federal agents...