Latest USA Headlines

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

U.S. Privacy Regulation Tested by Facebook Scandals

Jan 24 2019 // Facebook Inc.’s repeated privacy scandals have infuriated users, lawmakers and data-security advocates who are clamoring for a forceful government response. That job mainly falls to Joe Simons, who is under pressure...

Private Flood Insurers Not Yet Ready to Fill Massive U.S. Protection Gap

Jan 24 2019 // The flood insurance protection gap in the United States is massive, but the take-up rate of private flood insurance continues to be low. The relative inability of private insurers to penetrate the flood insurance market...

Arrivals at Newark Were Temporarily Halted Due to Reported Drone Sightings

Jan 23 2019 // Reports of drone sightings in northern New Jersey temporarily halted arrivals at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday, a spokesman from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. The spokesman said flights...

Here Comes the New Generation of Very Rich Americans

Jan 23 2019 // The rich are getting richer, and younger. A survey of U.S. investors with $25 million or more finds their average age dropped by 11 years since 2014, to 47. These fabulously rich Americans, whose ranks have more than...

Ship in Black Sea Fire Was Denied Port Entry over U.S. Sanctions Risk: Reuters

Jan 23 2019 // Two ships ablaze in the Black Sea region, leaving at least 10 crew dead, caught fire while transferring fuel mid-sea after one vessel was barred from using its usual port in southern Russia due to U.S. sanctions risk, two...

J&J to Pay States $120 Million to Settle Hip Implant Marketing Claims

Jan 23 2019 // Johnson & Johnson and its DePuy Orthopaedics unit have agreed to pay $120 million to resolve deceptive marketing claims by several U.S. states over the company’s metal-on-metal hip implants. Attorneys general of...

From Banks to Telecoms, Large Firms Disclose Risks, Opportunities of Climate Change

Jan 22 2019 // Bank of America Corp. worries flooded homeowners will default on their mortgages. The Walt Disney Co. is concerned its theme parks will get too hot for vacationers, while AT&T Inc. fears hurricanes and wildfires may...

M&T Insurance Agency Hires Batt in Washington D.C.

Jan 22 2019 // M&T Insurance Agency (MTIA) has hired Jeffrey Batt to its Washington, D.C., office as the cyber insurance practice leader. In this role, he will manage client relationships by providing cyber insurance and risk...

Insurance Covered $90B of Natural Disaster Losses in 2018, Leaving 60% Protection Gap

Jan 22 2019 // The economic costs of last year’s 394 natural catastrophe events came to US$225 billion with insurance covering US$90 billion of the overall total, creating the fourth costliest year on record of insured losses,...

2 Markel CATCo Execs Leave After Reserves Inquiry Unveils ‘Personal Relationship’

Jan 22 2019 // Markel Corp. has reported that Anthony Belisle, Markel CATCo chief executive officer, and Alissa Fredricks, Markel CATCo chief executive officer for Bermuda, are no longer with the company following the disclosure of a...

California Wildfires, Hurricane Michael Top List of 2018’s Costliest Natural Disasters: Munich Re

Jan 21 2019 // The costliest natural catastrophes occurred in the United States in 2018 with one of California’s devastating wildfires and Hurricane Michael topping the list, according to Munich Re. A report from Munich Re on last...

Business Moves

Jan 21 2019 // EPIC Holdings, Integro EPIC Holdings Inc. in San Francisco has agreed to acquire Integro Holdings Inc., which houses the U.S. operations of New York-based Integro Group Holdings. The acquisition will add 400 team members...

Insurance Agents Assured of Trump Pass-Through Tax Break Under Final Treasury Rule

Jan 18 2019 // The U.S. Treasury today issued final regulations and other guidance on a provision of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that allows owners of sole proprietorships, partnerships, trusts, and S corporations to deduct up to 20...

The Bright Side in a Graying U.S. Workforce: Viewpoint

Jan 18 2019 // Economists call it the “old-age dependency ratio” – a rough measure of the balance between people who work and retirees. The ratio compares the number of people over age 65 – classified as...

Firms in Patent Feud Over U.S. Mandated Railroad Safety Technology

Jan 18 2019 // Two companies battling for a share of more than $14 billion in mandated safety upgrades on U.S. railroads are set to collide in federal court to resolve a dispute over technology that prevents train...

Finchum Named Head of MetLife Auto & Home

Jan 17 2019 // MetLife has named Darla Finchum as head of the company’s U.S. property/casualty business, MetLife Auto & Home. Finchum has been serving in this role on an interim basis since August, 2018. She will be responsible...

Severe Weather in Canada Cost Insurers C$1.9 Billion in 2018: IBC

Jan 17 2019 // Insured damage from severe weather events across Canada reached C$1.9 billion (US$1.4 billion) in 2018, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), quoting statistics from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification...

Germany, China Discuss Ways to Improve Market Access for Insurers, Banks

Jan 17 2019 // Germany and China are working on ways to improve market access for each other’s banks and insurers, the German finance minister said on Thursday, and he welcomed plans by China and the United States to ease trade...

AIG’s Bernal Joins AXA XL’s Broker/Client Management Team in Texas

Jan 17 2019 // Roman E. Bernal has joined AXA XL’s broker and client management team in Houston as client distribution leader for the US South Central region, reporting to Wayne Speeg, US South Central regional leader. Bernal will...

Research Suggests Marijuana Users More Likely to Be Fired or Laid Off

Jan 17 2019 // As U.S. rates of marijuana use continue to rise, workers who use marijuana may be at higher risk of losing their jobs. Job loss may be an overlooked social cost of marijuana use, according to the new research by Cassandra...