Government News

U.S. Opens Skies to Test Use of Aerial Drones

The U.S. government took a step on Monday toward opening the skies to aerial drones, authorizing six sites where unmanned aircraft can be tested for a variety of uses. The Federal Aviation Administration already had approved limited use of drones …

P/C Industry Supportive But Cautious on Federal Insurance Office Recommendations

Insurers, agents, brokers and state regulators welcome modernization and improvements in the current regulation of insurance, but are not so welcoming of changes that might invite regulation by the federal government. The U.S. Treasury’s Federal Insurance Office (FIO) yesterday released …

Federal Insurance Office Releases Long-Awaited Modernization Report

After nearly two years of delay, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Federal Insurance Office (FIO) today released its report on how to modernize and improve the system of insurance regulation in the United States. In its report, the FIO …

U.S. Expected to Seek Limits on Car Touchscreens

U.S. traffic safety regulators are expected to propose stronger measures to keep drivers from being distracted by in-car touchscreens. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator David Strickland have scheduled a news conference for Tuesday afternoon …

A Future Without the Terrorism Insurance Backstop?

The federal backstop that is widely credited with establishing today’s robust terrorism insurance market may be gone in just 24 months. The consequences could be severe, from reduced availability of coverage to increased premiums. The impact would be particularly acute …

Ullico to Offer Policies through Alterra America

Ullico Inc. has announced that its subsidiary, Ullico Casualty Group, Inc., will begin writing and renewing multiemployer and government fiduciary liability and union liability policies next week with Alterra American Insurance Co. Proposals and renewals released January 17, 2013 and …

Congress Repeals Insurance Booklet Mandate at Car Dealerships

The U.S. Senate has approved legislation that would eliminate the requirement that new-car dealerships keep on hand an information booklet about insurance. The bi-partisan legislation, H.R. 5859, endorsed by the National Automobile Dealers Association, passed the House in late July …

States Plan to Sue EPA Over Greenhouse Gas Regulations

A coalition of seven eastern states led by New York plans to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to issue new guidelines to curb methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that may be linked to climate change. In a …

Viewpoint: Trade Sanctions and Risk Management

The U.S. government has increasingly used laws and regulations that impose economic sanctions on others as an instrument to advance foreign policy and national security goals, with some of the most recent efforts aimed at putting additional pressure on Iran …

China’s Ping An Considers Legal Action vs. NY Times after Family Wealth Exposé

China’s second-biggest insurance company has threatened to take legal action against the New York Times for reports that Premier Wen Jiabao’s relatives had accumulated massive wealth, largely through holdings in the firm. In a written statement on Monday, Ping An …