Property and casualty insurance industry net income nearly tripled in 2009, to $35 billion, according to the Highline Data Performance Monitor.
The Performance Monitor, which aggregates key statutory financial data reported by individual insurance companies every quarter, also found that the life insurance industry saw net gain from operations more than triple to a five-year high [...]
Crude Oil Production Rose 60,000 Barrels Per Day From January
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) crude oil production rose to 29.31 million barrels per day (b/d) in February, an increase of 60,000 (b/d) from an estimated January level of 29.25 million b/d, according to a just-released Platts survey of OPEC and oil industry officials [...]
Largest State Workers’ Compensation System to Mandate Medical Billing EDI, Electronic / Paper Workflows, PHI Protections and Uniform Bill Data
Jopari Solutions is expanding its offering of eBill processing services in California to assist Payers’ compliance under the state’s new proposed Business Rules for Paper and Electronic Billing, published March 4, 2010. The proposed California rules [...]
Seeks Flexibility on Operations, Delivery; Possible 2011 Price Increase
Facing unprecedented volume declines and a projected, cumulative $238 billion shortfall during the next decade, Postmaster General John E. Potter today outlined an aggressive plan of cost cutting, increased productivity, and an array of legislative and regulatory changes necessary to maintain a viable United States Postal [...]
Susan Faulkner to Lead New Deposits and Card Product Organization
Bank of America announced that it is combining the leadership of Global Card Services and Deposits under Susan Faulkner. The combined business will report to Joe Price, president, Bank of America Consumer, Small Business & Card Banking.
“This structure continues the evolution of our Consumer businesses toward [...]
2009 Hotel Price Index (HPI) Reveals Travel Trends for all States, Major U.S. Cities, International Destinations
Hotels.com unveiled its 2009 Hotel Price Index(TM) (HPI®), the definitive annual report on hotel prices paid around the world. The index shows hotel prices in the U.S. fell 14 percent during the last half of 2009 compared to rates in [...]
Decline Comes After Two Months of Weak Growth for Indicator; “Recession-Friendly” Valentine’s Day Coverage Is One Example of Media Economic Sentiment
Stories of “recession-friendly” celebrations of Valentine’s Day and “recession tourism” underscored the media’s sentiment about a faltering U.S. economic recovery and contributed to a drop in the Dow Jones Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) for February [...]
From across the U.S., leading small business tax and accounting experts are offering fresh advice and insights to small business owners this tax season, according to Moore Stephens North America Inc., an association of independent accounting firms.
Facing a difficult economy and new tax changes, many small business owners will need to be especially alert to [...]
but Optimism for Future Business Conditions Strengthens
Same-store sales and customer traffic levels slip; Expectations Index tops 100 for the first time in 9 months
Restaurant operators gained confidence about future economic and business conditions in the first month of this year, according to the National Restaurant Association’s comprehensive index of restaurant activity. As a result [...]
Market pressures maintain downward influence on construction costs
Turner Construction Company announced that the First Quarter 2010 Turner Building Cost Index, which measures non-residential building construction costs in the United States, has decreased by 0.5% from the Fourth Quarter 2009 and decreased 7.74% from the First Quarter 2009. Construction costs have decreased by 13.06% since their [...]