United States News

Dutch Insurer Aegon to take $290 Million Charge from U.S. Restructuring

Dutch insurer Aegon NV will cut up to 500 jobs in the United States and discontinue sales of certain types of life insurance policies, it said on Wednesday, leading to $290 million in restructuring charges and write-downs. Aegon said the …

US Plans to Press China on Trade at Dec. 14-15 Meeting

The United States will press China to make a number of trade reforms to open its market to more U.S. goods and services at a high-level bilateral meeting this month, the U.S. officials said Wednesday. The Dec. 14-15 U.S.-China Joint …

Euro Crisis Worries Spread; U.S. to Send Treasury Envoy

Global concern about the debt crisis rocking the euro zone mounted on Wednesday, with Washington sending a top U.S. Treasury envoy to Europe and G20 officials discussing the turmoil in a conference call. A day after investors pushed the risk …

How BP’s Gulf Oil Disaster Costs Could Double

Analysts’ dividend forecasts point to steady recovery BP, analysts, may be underestimating legal charges BP has history of low-balling long-term cost of disasters “Gross negligence,” punitive damages not ruled out Analysis shows how $50 billion could be added to cost …

US Sees Progress in Easing Climate Change Row with China

Washington claimed progress Monday in easing rifts with Beijing on ways to fight global warming as U.N. climate talks got under way in Mexico with warnings about the rising costs of inaction. The United States and China, the world’s largest …

Auto, Homeowners Insurance Costs in Ohio Well Below National Average

Ohio consumers pay $226 less for homeowners insurance than the U.S. average and nearly $167 less for auto insurance than the U.S. average, according to a report updated by the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII). The homeowners insurance average for Ohio …

UN Climate Talks Seek to Bridge Rich-Poor Divide

A new round of U.N. climate talks opens on Monday with almost 200 nations meeting in Mexico in hopes of clinching an agreement on a narrow range of crunch issues dividing rich and emerging economies. The two-week conference at the …

Extremely Active Atlantic Hurricane Season was a ‘Gentle Giant’ for U.S.

The 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends tomorrow, was one of the busiest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In contrast, the eastern North Pacific season had the fewest storms on record since the satellite era …

Breckenridge Buys St. Louis Wholesale Broker IPSICO

Ohio-based wholesale insurance broker and program administrator Breckenridge Insurance Services has acquired the assets of International Placement Services, LC (IPSICO), a wholesale insurance brokerage firm in St. Louis. Terms were not disclosed. The deal is the fourth for Breckenridge, which …

Ratings Recap: Oil Casualty, Bison, East Africa Re, Kenya Re

A.M. Best Co. has assigned a financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” to Bermuda-based Oil Casualty Insurance, Ltd (OCIL), both with stable outlooks. OCIL’s ratings “reflect its superior capitalization, balance sheet strength, generally profitable …