United States News

Kansas State University: Crashes Caused by Older Drivers Often Severe

Kansas State University researchers are discovering the challenges aging creates for drivers. To help improve traffic safety, K-State engineers identified the characteristics of older drivers in Kansas and the types of crashes they are involved in. Their research found most …

P/C Industry’s Net Income Up $25B in 2009; Combined Ratio Improves

The U.S. property/casualty industry’s profitability as measured by their rate of return on average policyholders’ surplus (or statutory net worth) increased by 5.8 percent in 2009, while private P/C insurers’ net income after taxes rose to $28.3 billion in 2009 …

Malpractice Concerns Lead to Unnecessary Health Tests, Study Says

Concerns about malpractice suits influence how often cardiologists order some potentially unnecessary tests — resulting in significant variations in healthcare use and spending across the United States, according to research reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a journal of …

Global Reinsurers Enjoyed Solid Year in 2009, A.M. Best Reports

Capacity returned in force to the global reinsurance market in 2009, as solid earnings helped to propel capital upward by 24 percent from the previous year, despite a softening market. Recovering from harsh blows delivered by the global financial crisis …

How Microinsurance Plans Extend Healthcare in Africa

Kenyan student Shadrack Silipo had a heart operation five years ago, the sort of surgery that often bankrupts families in Africa. Silipo’s parents normally would have paid by selling off land, the same green acres that form the inheritance for …

Crop Reinsurers’ Profit Could Fall 30% Under USDA Changes, Says Aon

Proposed cuts in the agreement crop insurers have with the federal government would likely reduce reinsurers’ expected profit by 20 to 30 percent, which could lead to some companies withdrawing from the program or scaling back their capacity, according to …

Wholesale Insurance Brokers AmWINS, Colemont Merge

AmWINS Group, Inc. and Colemont Insurance Brokers today announced that the two companies will be combined to form a specialty insurance distributor placing more than $4.8 billion in annual premiums with over 1,800 employees in 16 countries worldwide. Terms of …

Federal Judge in New Orleans Awards $2.6M in Chinese Drywall Case

A federal judge in New Orleans has awarded seven plaintiffs from Virginia more than $2.6 million in a consolidated case involving damage to the plaintiff’s homes as a result of the installation of substandard drywall from China. In an opinion …

Property Firm Purchases Infamous AIG Party Hotel

Washington Holdings, a private real estate company, said Tuesday it bought the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort, which became infamous after American International Group Inc executives spent lavishly there weeks after a receiving a tax-payer bailout. Seattle-based Washington Holdings paid …

International Insider: Multinationals and Money Laundering

As the international community steps up its efforts to fight money laundering, a number of countries are now requiring insurers to obtain additional information from their customers to screen out possible bad actors. For multinationals interested in doing business in …