Monthly Archives: <span>March 2015</span>

Consumer Bureau Targets Mandatory Arbitration Clauses

Financial companies routinely use mandatory arbitration to block class-action lawsuits, making it difficult for consumers to win big payouts in disputes over credit cards and other products, a U.S. regulator found. When credit card issuers have faced suits seeking class- …

Epic Snow Fall in New England Causes Economic Woes Across All Industries

Ignore anyone who tells you snow is free. Every workday lost during New England’s winter has meant millions of dollars taken out of the regional economy. IHS Global Insight, an economic analysis firm, estimates Massachusetts alone suffered roughly $1 billion …

Ohio State Lands $578,000 in Grants to Study Workplace Safety

Ohio State University will study how to improve workplace safety under three grants totaling $578,000 that it’s been awarded by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and Board of Regents. Administrator Steve Buehrer says the grants allow the bureau to …

Airlines Report More Deaths, Fewer Accidents in 2014

The number of deaths in jetliner disasters spiked last year despite there being fewer accidents in total, an international airline industry group said Monday. The International Air Transport Association said in its annual safety report that 641 people died in …

Public Radio Report Puts Spotlight on Workers’ Comp ‘Grand Bargain’

Last week’s ProPublica/National Public Radio report putting a spotlight on the workers’ compensation system caught the attention of experts who were meeting in Boston to share research on how the system is performing at the same time the series was …

Insurers Face $1B Payout From February Storms

February storms in the U.S. are expected to cost insurers more than $1 billion, according to the latest Global Catastrophe Recap from Aon Benfield’s Impact Forecasting. Five separate storm systems hit the U.S. during the month, bringing heavy snow, frigid …

The Demolition of Workers’ Comp: ProPublica/NPR Report

Dennis Whedbee’s crew was rushing to prepare an oil well for pumping on the Sweet Grass Woman lease site, a speck of dusty plains rich with crude in Mandaree, North Dakota. It was getting late that September afternoon in 2012. …

Missouri House Approves Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Caps

The Missouri House gave initial approval Wednesday to a bill to reinstate limits on how much juries can award in noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases against health care providers. Supporters said the limits, approved 101-53, are needed to make …

Pennsylvania Man Allegedly Bought Car Insurance From Crash Scene

Authorities say a Pennsylvania man called an insurance company from a crash scene to buy auto coverage and later claimed his wreck happened after he got the policy. The Altoona Mirror reports that the insurance fraud charges filed this week …

New York City Will Spend $250M to Make Streets Safer

Some of New York City’s most dangerous streets are about to get safer as part of a $250 million project that will target roadways in the outer boroughs where dozens of pedestrians have been killed or injured in recent years. …