Latest USA Headlines

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

Parties Can Contract for Expanded Judicial Review of Arbitration Awards

Sep 3 2008 // The California Supreme Court held that under the California Arbitration Act (CAA), parties to an arbitration agreement may agree to expanded judicial review of an arbitration award for legal error, according to Cable...

Iowa City Officials Deny Newspaper’s Flood Damage Request

Sep 3 2008 // Cedar Rapids city officials said address-by-address flood damage data is not public record, despite a U.S. Circuit Court ruling in Florida in 2007 that said the data is public.An assistant city attorney in Cedar Rapids...

As Gustav Winds Down, New Orleans Eyes Damage

Sep 2 2008 // A still-largely deserted New Orleans Tuesday prepared to take stock of damage from Hurricane Gustav after rebuilt levees appeared to hold off a repeat of the flooding caused by Katrina three years earlier.Gustav roared...

U.S. Reinsurers Report Deteriorating Combined Ratio; Decline in Surplus

Sep 2 2008 // U.S. reinsurers reported a deteriorating combined ratio for the first-half 2008, compared to the first-half 2007 while net premiums were up over the same time period.The Reinsurance Association of America (RAA) released...

U.S. Chemical Makers Report Minimal Hurricane Gustav Damage

Sep 2 2008 // Major chemical makers in the U.S. said Tuesday that initial inspections indicate only slight damage to those facilities that were affected by Hurricane Gustav, but companies are still uncertain about when production is...

Estimate of Insured Losses from Gustav Between $2 and $4.5 Billion

Sep 2 2008 // One risk modeling firm estimates that insured losses to onshore properties in the U.S. are between $2 billion and $4.5 billion, with an expected loss of $3 billion due to Hurricane Gustav. According to AIR Worldwide...

Business Moves

Sep 1 2008 // Aon, BenfieldChicago-based Aon Corp. is acquiring UK-based broker Benfield Group Limited for about $1.75 billion. The price includes $6.55 (£3.50) per share in cash and assumption of $170 million (£91 million) of...

Business Moves

Sep 1 2008 // Aon, BenfieldChicago-based Aon Corp. is acquiring UK-based broker Benfield Group Limited for about $1.75 billion. The price includes $6.55 (£3.50) per share in cash and the assumption of $170 million (£91 million...

U.S.-Mexico Cross Border Trucking Project Extended for 2 More Years

Sep 1 2008 // In early August 2008 the U.S. Department of Transportation extended for two years the cross border trucking demonstration project, a reciprocal agreement that allows up to 100 Mexico-domiciled motor carriers to operate...

Jungle Love

Sep 1 2008 // With such events as wildfires, the subprime mortgage fallout, and mergers and acquisitions, the corporate world can at times seem like a jungle. No one knows that better than author Gert Cruywagen, whose book,...

Will Baby Boomers Lead to Boost in Worker Woes?

Sep 1 2008 // The aging and retirement of the Baby Boomer generation is creating a demographic transformation that will affect the staffs of insurance organizations, as well as their customers.Consider the following statistics:...

Jungle Love

Sep 1 2008 // With such events as wildfires, the subprime mortgage fallout, and mergers and acquisitions, the corporate world can at times seem like a jungle. No one knows that better than author Gert Cruywagen, whose book,...

U.S.-Mexico Cross Border Trucking Project Extended for Two More Years

Sep 1 2008 // In early August 2008, the U.S. Department of Transportation extended for two years the cross-border trucking demonstration project, a reciprocal agreement that allows up to 100 Mexico-domiciled motor carriers to operate...

U.S. Commercial Lines Outlook Revised To Negative From Stable

Sep 1 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services revised its outlook on the U.S. commercial lines property/casualty insurance sector to negative from stable.Standard & Poor’s credit analyst John Iten explained that...

U.S. Doctors Say Lawsuits Help Guarantee Drug Safety

Sep 1 2008 // Doctors who run one of the most influential U.S. medical journals are giving the U.S. Supreme Court some unsolicited legal advice about a major case.Lawsuits can serve as “a vital deterrent” and protect...

U.S. Insurers’ Exposure to Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Deemed Manageable

Sep 1 2008 // The U.S. insurance industry’s exposure to securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), is substantial for a handful of companies. Nevertheless, A.M. Best Co. does not...

Surplus Lines Results Remain Strong, Despite Heightened Competition

Sep 1 2008 // Surplus lines insurers continued to outperform the property/casualty industry in underwriting and operating performance in 2007 despite the softening market and more aggressive competition. Heightened competition along...

Feds Charge 11 in Biggest-Ever Identity Theft Case

Sep 1 2008 // Authorities in Boston have cracked what is believed to be the largest federal hacking and identity theft case ever, involving the theft and sale of more than 41 million credit and debit card numbers.Eleven people,...

Killer Storm Gustav Gains Strength; Could Threaten U.S. Gulf Coast

Aug 28 2008 // After causing more than 20 deaths in Haiti, Tropical Storm Gustav is now heading for Cuba, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.The latest update from Miami’s National Hurricane Center indicates that Gustav is gaining...

Oil Industry Battens Down As Gustav Threatens Gulf

Aug 28 2008 // Oil companies ramped up preparations to evacuate some facilities as Hurricane Gustav made its way toward the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, becoming a potential threat to the region’s extensive oil and natural gas...