Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Charges Four Chinese Military Hackers in Huge Equifax Data Breach in 2017
Feb 11 2020 // The United States has charged four Chinese military hackers in the 2017 breach of the Equifax credit reporting agency that affected nearly 150 million American citizens, Attorney General William Barr said on...
Uber, Postmates Lose Bid to Block California Gig Worker Law… for Now
Feb 10 2020 // A U.S. judge on Monday rejected a request by Uber Technologies Inc. and courier services provider Postmates Inc. to block a California labor law from taking effect, saying the bill’s public benefits outweighed the...
How Data-Dependent Federal Reserve Is Growing to Like Private Company Big Data
Feb 10 2020 // About a year ago, Federal Reserve officials were nervous. Markets were cratering. Fear about a trade war was rising. The officials needed to know if the turmoil was chilling consumer spending. Problem was, a partial...
Business Moves
Feb 10 2020 // East The Hilb Group, Kerr-Boswell, Wickford Insurance Agency The Hilb Group LLC has acquired Virginia-based Kerr-Boswell Inc. For more than 60 years, KB has provided employee benefits, property/casualty, life, health and...
Workers’ Compensation Is Doing Well. Is It Time to Worry?
Feb 10 2020 // Although workers’ compensation results remain strong — and the line continues to outperform all other commercial insurance lines — worries about continued soft pricing and loss reserve levels for...
20 Noteworthy Agency Merger Stories of 2019
Feb 10 2020 // 1. January Nationwide Acquires Liability Insurance Program Manager E-Risk Services: Nationwide acquired a New Jersey privately held program manager specializing in management liability lines. Nationwide said E-Risk will...
Private Equity Still Driving Agency M&As
Feb 10 2020 // Digital Buys Getting Some Attention; Buyers Getting Bigger; Prices Going Higher; Eyes on Digital The private equity bandwagon continued to roll through the insurance agency and brokerage mergers and acquisitions territory...
20 Things to Know About Surplus Lines Insurance in 2020
Feb 10 2020 // As we embark upon a new decade, the surplus lines insurance market has never been stronger. Growth in specialty products and demand for insurance protection in an increasingly dynamic, technological climate necessitates a...
Prudential in Talks to Fully Control China Venture; Weighs Sale of U.S. Business
Feb 7 2020 // Prudential is in talks that could lead to it taking full control of its 50:50 joint venture with China’s CITIC and is considering selling some or all of its U.S. business to sharpen its focus on Asia, a source told...
U.S. Permits Startup Nuro to Deploy Up to 5,000 Driverless Delivery Vehicles
Feb 7 2020 // In a first-of-its-kind approval by U.S. regulators, a federal agency on Thursday gave permission for autonomous vehicle startup Nuro Inc. over the next two years to deploy up to 5,000 low-speed electric delivery vehicles...
Cancer-Causing Benzene Emissions at 10 Refineries Exceed EPA Limits: Watchdog
Feb 6 2020 // Ten U.S. oil refineries, including six in Texas, released the cancer-causing chemical benzene in concentrations that exceeded federal limits last year, according to government data published by the green group...
China’s Coronavirus Deaths, Infections Rise; Supply Chains, Production, Travel Disrupted
Feb 6 2020 // China’s fast-moving coronavirus spread among passengers of a quarantined Japanese cruise liner on Thursday and dragged down production at more global businesses, as scientists across the world searched for a...
Industry, Government Air Differences Over Asbestos Testing of Talc Powders, Cosmetics
Feb 5 2020 // For the first time in nearly 50 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration examined asbestos testing for talc powders and cosmetics at a hearing on Tuesday, after traces of the known carcinogen were found in several such...
Forget Robots. Dogs May Be Taking Crop Inspection Jobs.
Feb 5 2020 // Dogs specially trained by the federal government’s Agricultural Research Service scientists have proven to be the most efficient way to detect huanglongbing—also known as citrus greening—according to a paper just...
Google, Tinder Face Irish Regulatory Inquiries Over Location Data Handling
Feb 5 2020 // Irish regulators have launched separate inquiries into Google and dating app Tinder over how they process user data, in a new round of regulatory scrutiny aimed at tech companies. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission...
U.S. Seeks Certificaton Criteria for Civilian Drones
Feb 5 2020 // Government regulators plan to review drone designs in the same way they review other aircraft, a major step toward allowing routine drone deliveries and other flights over congested cities. The Federal Aviation...
K2 Insurance of U.S. to Acquire UK’s Pioneer Underwriters
Feb 5 2020 // California-based specialty insurance holding company K2 Insurance Services is acquiring London-based Pioneer Underwriters. Pioneer will form the cornerstone for a new international platform of K2. This will initially...
California Leads Nation in Surplus Lines Premiums on 5th Year of Record Growth
Feb 4 2020 // Premium data from all surplus lines stamping offices for 2019 shows that California once again led the nation in total surplus line premiums, possibly boosted by construction spending and wildfires. The Surplus Line...
FDA Hearing to Address Testing of Talcum Powders, Cosmetics for Asbestos
Feb 4 2020 // For the first time in nearly 50 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will examine asbestos testing for talc powders and cosmetics at a hearing on Tuesday. Regulators are taking a closer look after finding asbestos,...
As Economic Costs of Coronavirus Mount, China Accuses U.S. of Overreacting
Feb 3 2020 // The economic and diplomatic costs of China’s coronavirus epidemic mounted on Monday with investors knocking $400 billion off the value of stocks and the government accusing the United States of over-reacting to the...
