Latest USA Headlines

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

Wachovia May Face $1 Billion Charge after U.S. Court Tax Ruling

Apr 30 2008 // Wachovia Corp. expects to take a charge of $800 million to $1 billion in the second quarter because of a federal appeals court decision over the taxation of leveraged lease transactions, the bank said on Wednesday.The...

Appeals Court Sides with Forest Service in 2000 Montana Backfires

Apr 29 2008 // U.S. Forest Service firefighters have the discretion to determine the best way to fight fires and cannot be sued for negligence for setting a backfire in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley in 2000 to try to stop an...

Nevada Residents Warned Bigger Earthquake Could be Coming

Apr 28 2008 // Scientists urged residents of northern Nevada’s largest city to prepare for a bigger event as the area continued rumbling Saturday after the largest earthquake in a two-month-long series of temblors.More than 100...

Experts See Boost to Genetic Testing if U.S. Anti-Discrimination Bill Passes

Apr 28 2008 // Americans may be much more willing to get genetic tests showing predisposition to diseases with this week’s expected final passage by Congress of a bill barring discrimination based on one’s genetics, experts...

Aftershocks of Midwest Earthquake Expected for Weeks to Come

Apr 28 2008 // Geologists who gathered a week after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake shook the Midwest said they expect mild aftershocks to rattle the region for several weeks.The latest aftershock, a 3.7 magnitude temblor, was felt in...

US, China Accounting Standards Groups to Cooperate

Apr 28 2008 // Accounting standard setters for the United States and China have signed an agreement designed to strengthen cooperation and communication between the two countries, the Financial Accounting Standards Board said Monday.The...

Berkshire’s Buffett: U.S. Recession May Be Worse than Feared

Apr 28 2008 // Warren Buffett, the world’s richest person, said on Monday the U.S. economy is in a recession that will be more severe than most people expect.Buffett made his comments on CNBC television after his Berkshire Hathaway...

Earthquakes Shake Reno, Nevada

Apr 25 2008 // Two moderate earthquakes shook the Mogul-Somerset area just west of Reno, Nev., on April 24, 2008, according to the Nevada Seismological Laboratory. While there were no immediate reports of damage, the Laboratory predicts...

La. Senator Pleads Not Guilty in Illegal Insurance Business Case

Apr 25 2008 // A Louisiana state senator pleaded not guilty to charges of helping a convicted felon launder money to conceal her operation of an illegal insurance business.Sen. Derrick Shepherd, 38, a lawyer from a New Orleans suburb,...

Survey: Medical Liability Insurers Optimistic About Short-Term Market

Apr 25 2008 // U.S. medical liability insurers anticipate their primary rate levels to decrease in 2008, compared with 2007, while the average frequency and severity of claims sustained by their firms will remain about the same as last...

Strait of Hormuz: The Potential Economic Effects of a Disruption

Apr 25 2008 // A cargo ship contracted by the U.S. military fired on an Iranian vessel in Gulf waters on Friday, raising tension between Washington and Tehran in a region vital to world oil shipments.In January, the United States said...

Liberty Mutual to Acquire Safeco Insurance in $6.2B Deal

Apr 23 2008 // Liberty Mutual Group has agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of Safeco Corp. for $68.25 per share in cash in a deal that will make Liberty Mutual the fifth largest U.S. property/casualty insurer and...

U.S. Watchdog Critical of FDA Foreign Drug Oversight

Apr 22 2008 // U.S. authorities increased inspections of foreign drug plants last year but still checked only a fraction of sites that supply medicine ingredients to the U.S. market, a government watchdog is set to tell Congress...

Lowery Named to Head Lloyd’s North America

Apr 22 2008 // Lloyd’s announced the appointment of LoriAnn Lowery as its new President, North America. She will report directly to Director, Market Operations and North America Sue Langley, in London.Lowery “will be...

USGS: Earthquakes Serious Threat in 46 States, Ups Risks in Washington, Oregon

Apr 22 2008 // Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have updated the USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps, and noted that earthquakes remain a serious threat in 46 of the United States. For some areas such as western Oregon and...

Fraud Roundup

Apr 21 2008 // West Virginia officials sentenced two Kanawha County women on insurance fraud related charges, according to Insurance Commissioner Jane L. Cline.Tina Marie Browning, 40, of Eskdale, W. Va., was indicted on one felony count...

It Figures

Apr 21 2008 // $45 BillionThe rate of obesity in the United States has doubled in the last 30 years, and those extra pounds weigh on companies’ bottom lines, according to a new report from The Conference Board. Today, 34 percent of...

Apr 21 2008 // PeopleMichigan-based J.M. Wilson recently announced three new staff members, Danielle Crandell, Eric Maus and Jeanne Callan. Crandell was hired as a transportation underwriter. She will service commercial trucking accounts...

Indicted Alabama Insurance Executive Blames Political Retaliation

Apr 21 2008 // A Montgomery, Ala. insurance executive indicted by a federal grand jury is blaming his legal problems on political retaliation by Republicans, including the governor, a politician the executive once supported but later...

Demand For Food, Fuel Creating Ample Need for Agribusiness Insurance

Apr 21 2008 // The need for agricultural insurance is growing like a weed. “This is the greatest time we’ve had in our business,” said Christopher Leliaert, vice president at Towers-Perrin Reinsurance, in his assessment...