Latest USA Headlines

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

Bermuda Finance Chief Warns Nations of Risk of Overtaxing Business

Oct 2 2009 // The world’s wealthiest nations risk harming “the goose that lays the golden egg” if they overtax businesses, Bermuda’s finance minister said on Thursday, adding that her island nation had surpassed...

Strong Earthquakes Abroad Could Weaken Geologic Faults in U.S.

Oct 2 2009 // Powerful earthquakes may be a trigger for weakening geologic faults a half a world away, U.S. researchers said this week in a study that points to new ways to predict earthquakes.“Earthquakes are caused when a fault...

Best Affirms Ratings on QBE and Operating Companies

Oct 1 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of UK-based QBE Insurance (Europe) Limited , Australia’s QBE Insurance...

Best Affirms QBE’s U.S. Subsidiaries Ratings; Upgrades North Pointe

Oct 1 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the various financial strength ratings (FSR) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of the operating entities of QBE the Americas, which include the New York-based QBE Re Group, the Delaware-based QBE...

Suits Against Bush Officials Challenge Personal Immunity from Rights Claims

Oct 1 2009 // Former Attorney General John Ashcroft and one of his hardline lieutenants face the rare prospect of being held personally liable for alleged violations of individuals’ rights in the aggressive aftermath of the 2001...

U.S. Risk Names Hixson Vice President and Broker in Houston

Sep 30 2009 // Dallas-based managing general agency and surplus lines wholesaler U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. has named Jennifer Hixson a Vice President and Broker in the U.S. Risk Brokers Houston office. Hixson has more than 20 years...

U.S. Senate Panel Rejects Public Healthcare Option; More Votes Ahead

Sep 30 2009 // A U.S. Senate panel Tuesday rejected a government-run “public” insurance option as part of a broad healthcare overhaul, handing insurers an early victory and setting the stage for a long fight over one of the...

US May Target Insurers, Gasoline Imports in Iran Sanctions Strategy

Sep 30 2009 // The White House is weighing sanctions targeting Iran’s dependence on gasoline imports and insurance firms that underwrite the trade, even as U.S. officials focus for now on diplomatic efforts to resolve a nuclear...

Ironshore Expands U.S. Distribution Network

Sep 30 2009 // Ironshore Inc. will be expanding its distribution network by establishing regional offices throughout the United States.Steven England has been appointed executive vice president of Ironshore Insurance Services,...

Sears to Pay Record $6.2 Million to Settle Employment Bias Case

Sep 30 2009 // Sears Holdings Corp. agreed to pay a record $6.2 million to settle a lawsuit by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that the department store retailer illegally fired disabled workers.U.S. District Judge Wayne...

At Home and Abroad, Vacated Properties Pose Greater Risk

Sep 29 2009 // A global recession, which has led to layoffs and a sharp drop in consumer spending, has also created a glut of commercial real estate space around the world. Vacated properties are a significant concern because they are...

Ex-AIG Financial Exec Cassano Returns to U.S. As Probe Continues

Sep 29 2009 // Joseph Cassano has come home to face the music.The former AIG executive closely associated with one of the most sensational collapses in corporate history, recently slipped back into the United States. Under intensifying...

U.S. Risk Adds Walker as Associate Broker in Houston

Sep 29 2009 // Dallas-based managing general agency and surplus lines wholesaler U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. has named Mary Walker an associate broker in the U.S. Risk Brokers Houston office.In this position, Walker is responsible for...

Bank of America, Execs Owe Investors ‘Billions,’ Says Ohio AG Lawsuit

Sep 29 2009 // Investors in a class-action lawsuit against Bank of America Corp. over the Merrill Lynch & Co. takeover are trying to collect “billions of dollars” in damages, Ohio’s attorney general said...

U.S. Court Reinstates Alaska Smoker Case Against Altria Tobacco

Sep 29 2009 // A U.S. appeals court Monday reinstated an Alaska lawsuit against Altria Group Inc.’s Philip Morris USA by the survivor of a deceased smoker, saying her state product liability claims were not preempted by federal law...

AAA Survey: 1 Out of 5 Drivers Admits to Texting While Behind the Wheel

Sep 28 2009 // Nearly one out of five U.S. drivers surveyed has read or sent a text message while behind the wheel, even though nearly all of the respondents in an AAA survey released on Friday considered such action...

P/C Industry Net Income Falls Nearly 60% in First-Half 2009

Sep 28 2009 // Private U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income after taxes fell 59.3 percent to $5.8 billion in first-half 2009 from $14.1 billion in first-half 2008. Insurers’ overall profitability as measured by their...

Disgruntled Customer Sues Bank of America for ‘$1,784 Billion, Trillion’

Sep 25 2009 // Dalton Chiscolm is unhappy about Bank of America’s customer service — really, really unhappy.Chiscolm in August sued the largest U.S. bank and its board, demanding that “1,784 billion, trillion...

Canadian Banks Eye Expansion into Insurance, Despite Restrictions

Sep 25 2009 // Insurance may emerge as the next big growth area in Canadian banking, even though regulations prohibit lenders from selling via their branches and insurance brokers vehemently oppose the move.When Canada’s biggest...

States Back Changes in Regulation of Reinsurance

Sep 25 2009 // State insurance regulators are throwing their weight behind a federal measure that would change the way reinsurance is regulated.The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is supporting the Reinsurance...