Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insured Losses from Australia’s Hailstorms Hit US$352.5 Million
Jan 24 2020 // The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared a catastrophe for damage caused by hailstorms that struck eastern Melbourne, the Australian Capital Territory and parts of New South Wales on Sunday and Monday (Jan....
Roundup Plaintiffs, Bayer in Talks to Settle Claims For $10 Billion
Jan 23 2020 // In an effort to settle tens of thousands of claims that Bayer AG’s Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, lawyers for some plaintiffs are discussing with the company deals that could lead to a total payout of about $10...
Lyft Hopes New Expert Council Improves Safety for Riders, Drivers
Jan 23 2020 // Lyft Inc is putting together a council of experts to advise the ride-hailing company on its safety initiatives for riders and drivers, it said in a blog post on Tuesday. The Safety Advisory Council will include...
Natural Catastrophe Losses in 2019 Down 18% from Annual Average: Willis Re Report
Jan 23 2020 // Insured losses from major natural catastrophes in 2019 totaled roughly $53.0 billion, about 18% lower than the annual average since 2011, according to a report from Willis Re. This figure compares with Aon’s recently...
Environmental Group Warns ‘Forever Chemicals’ Widespread in U.S. Drinking Water
Jan 23 2020 // The contamination of U.S. drinking water with man-made “forever chemicals” is far worse than previously estimated with some of the highest levels found in Miami, Philadelphia and New Orleans, said a report on...
BMS Group Appoints Kohonen as Senior Vice President in Atlanta
Jan 23 2020 // BMS Group, the independent specialist (re)insurance broker, has appointed Jani Kohonen as senior vice president and Atlanta branch manager, effective on Jan. 29, 2020. He will be based in Atlanta and reports to Pete...
California Considers Declaring Common Pain Killer Carcinogen
Jan 22 2020 // A fight is coming to California over whether to list one of the world’s most common over-the-counter drugs as a carcinogen, echoing recent high-profile battles over things like alcohol and coffee. The drug is...
Trump Says U.S. Has Plan to Contain Coronavirus
Jan 22 2020 // President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States has a plan in place to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland,...
Ransomware Exposure Driving Up Cyber Insurance Costs
Jan 22 2020 // U.S. insurers are ramping up cyber-insurance rates by as much as 25% and trying to curb exposure to vulnerable customers after a surge of costly claims, industry sources said. The changes follow a challenging year of...
Massachusetts’ Sayata Labs Hires King Flynn as Head of Insurance
Jan 22 2020 // King Flynn has joined Sayata Labs, a Boston, Mass.-based, Axa-backed insurtech startup, as head of Insurance. Sayata helps insurance carriers and brokers accelerate their mid-market cyber business while simultaneously...
Natural Disasters in Past Decade Broke Records for Economic, Insured Losses: Aon
Jan 22 2020 // The past decade broke new records in terms of economic damages and insured losses, according to Aon’s latest catastrophe report. The costs to global economies reached US$2.98 trillion between 2010 and 2019, which was...
Pandemic Fears Grow as China Steps Up Efforts to Control New Flu-Like Coronavirus
Jan 22 2020 // Deaths from China’s new flu-like virus rose to nine on Wednesday with more than 470 confirmed cases, heightening global fears of contagion from an infection suspected to have come from animals. The previously unknown...
Iran Crash Victims May Need Political Backing in Fight for Damages
Jan 22 2020 // Families of the 176 people killed when Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner face a complicated legal battle where backing from the victims’ governments may be crucial as they seek damages, legal experts said. Lawyers...
IBM Calls For Rules to Curb Bias in Artificial Intelligence
Jan 22 2020 // IBM called for rules aimed at eliminating bias in artificial intelligence to ease concerns that the technology relies on data that bakes in past discriminatory practices and could harm women, minorities, the disabled,...
Court Dashes Teens’ Hopes, Says Suit Can’t Force Climate Action by Government
Jan 20 2020 // Climate change should be addressed by Congress and the electorate, not the courts, a federal appeals panel ruled in ending a lawsuit brought on behalf of young people who sought to force the government to draw up a plan to...
Supreme Court Says State Universities Not Immune to Patent Challenges
Jan 17 2020 // The U.S. Supreme Court refused to shield state-run universities from having to appear before a federal administrative body to defend the validity of patents they own. The justices turned down an appeal by the University of...
Reuters Report: How Secrecy in Courts Stymies Safety Regulators
Jan 17 2020 // LEBANON, Ohio — Something wasn’t right with the Rhino. Reports started trickling in to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in 2005 of people being killed or injured in the Yamaha Motor Co. off-road...
Global Cannabis Revenue Pushed by Sales Doubling in Some U.S. States
Jan 16 2020 // The green rush in the global cannabis market continued in 2019, with sales doubling in seven U.S. states as well as Canada, and you can expect that trend to continue this year, a report out on Thursday shows. The report...
U.K. P&C Insurers Face Strong Competition, Claims Inflation: AM Best Report
Jan 16 2020 // Market conditions for U.K. non-life insurers were difficult in 2019 as they continued to face strong competition and claims inflation, according to a report published by AM Best. Companies have had to contend with changes...
Finance, Insurance Sector ‘Wins’ in U.S.-China Trade Deal Seem Familiar
Jan 15 2020 // The long-awaited U.S.-China trade deal touted wins for U.S. companies looking to access China’s $40 trillion financial sector, but many of the changes were already in the works, with Beijing having stepped up the...
