Latest USA Headlines

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

Senators Demand Details, Officials Admit Regulatory Gaps on AIG

Mar 6 2009 // U.S. regulators failed to spot how much risk insurer AIG was piling on, and by the time they understood, they had no choice but to pour in tens of billions of public dollars, officials said Thursday.At a Senate Banking...

U.S. Lawmaker Says AIG Failure Would ‘Bring Down Europe’

Mar 6 2009 // The U.S. government rescued giant insurer American International Group in part because its collapse would dramatically hurt European banks, a senior Democratic lawmaker said Thursday.The U.S. government has bailed out AIG...

U.S. Federal Reserve Won’t Name Firms Helped By AIG Bailout

Mar 6 2009 // The U.S. Federal Reserve refused to identify trading partners benefiting from a $180-billion taxpayer bailout of American International Group as one lawmaker said Europe’s financial stability was at stake in the...

Former Insurance Brokers Sentenced in Louisiana Bribery Scheme

Mar 6 2009 // Two major figures, both former insurance brokers, in a wide ranging investigation into corruption at the Orleans Parish School Board have been sentenced in federal court by U. S. District Judge Martin L. C. Feldman,...

New York Insurance Chief Dinallo’s U.S. Senate Testimony on AIG

Mar 5 2009 // Testimony by New York Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo to the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Hearing on “American International Group: Examining What Went Wrong, Government...

AIG’s AIA Gets Prudential (UK), Manulife Offers; China Life Declines

Mar 4 2009 // The UK’s Prudential Plc and Canada’s Manulife Financial Corp made preliminary offers for American International Group Inc.’s Asian unit, but Prudential’s offer fell short of what AIG wants for the...

Bernanke Defends AIG Rescue, Says U.S. Had No Choice

Mar 4 2009 // U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Tuesday defended the government’s latest bailout of embattled insurer AIG, telling irate lawmakers that he was also angry, but that the failure to act could have triggered...

Florida Homeowners’ Lawsuit Alleges Defective Chinese Drywall

Mar 4 2009 // A group of Florida homeowners sued German drywall maker Knauf Gips KG, its Chinese plasterboard units and several U.S. homebuilders on Monday, alleging contaminated drywall is sickening U.S. homeowners.The lawsuit said...

U.S. Supreme Court: Drug Makers Liable Even With Warning Labels

Mar 4 2009 // The Supreme Court Wednesday ruled against the drugmaker Wyeth, holding that pharmaceutical companies can be held liable for harm from medicines which carry warnings approved by federal regulators.By a 6-3 vote, the high...

Best Maintains Stable Outlook on U.S. Personal, Commercial Lines Sectors

Mar 4 2009 // The rating agency A.M. Best Co. said it continues to view the outlook for both the U.S. personal and commercial lines markets as stable.Despite the ongoing soft period in the cycle in commercial lines, a contracting...

Analysis: AIG Meltdown Has Roots in Greenberg Era

Mar 3 2009 // Maurice “Hank” Greenberg’s legacy as the man who built AIG into the world’s largest insurer was tarnished by a 2005 probe but questions about whether he created a financial monster that subsequently...

Federal Reserve in Uncharted, Risky Territory with AIG Investment

Mar 3 2009 // The U.S. Federal Reserve, by taking an equity stake in American International Group, is moving further into uncharted territory and may be risking potentially large investment losses and its independence.As part of the...

Best, S&P See No Change in AIG’s Ratings, But Outlook Remains Negative

Mar 3 2009 // A.M. Best Co. and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services have both issued statements in relation to American International Group’s announcement of a $61.7 billion fourth quarter loss, and the subsequent...

U.S. Commits Another $30 Billion To Bolster AIG; P/C Business Spinoff Planned

Mar 1 2009 // The U.S. government threw a new $30 billion lifeline to American International Group Inc. Sunday as the embattled insurer prepared to report the biggest quarterly loss in corporate history.AIG’s board approved a new...

Terms of Latest U.S. Rescue of AIG

Mar 1 2009 // American International Group and the U.S. government agreed on a revised rescue package for the giant insurer Sunday.Here are the key terms of the deal, according to sources: A $30 billion equity commitment from the U.S....

Easing Government Aid Terms Among Options Discussed by AIG, U.S.

Feb 27 2009 // The U.S. government may agree to finance the purchase of some American International Group Inc businesses and take direct stakes in others, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday.The wide range of options under...

OSHA Cites Wisconsin Excavation Firm for Cave-In Hazards

Feb 27 2009 // A northern Wisconsin excavating company purposely risked workers to potential trench cave-ins and was cited for safety violations that carry nearly $700,000 in fines, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration...

U.S. Pays $100M to Florida Cold War Workers with Occupation Illnesses

Feb 27 2009 // The U.S. Department of Labor said it has paid more than $100 million in compensation and medical benefits to Florida residents under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA).The act was...

U.S. Senate Panel Sets March 5 Hearing on AIG

Feb 26 2009 // The U.S. Senate Banking Committee has scheduled a hearing on March 5 to examine government aid to insurer American International Group Inc, a source familiar with the hearing said Wednesday.Federal Reserve Board Vice...

AIG Mulls Further Government Stakes As Auction Deadline Looms

Feb 26 2009 // Beleaguered U.S. insurance giant American International Group may allow the U.S. government to take control of certain assets should the sale of stakes in various units fail to produce attractive offers, according to a...