Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has introduced legislation that would repeal the health insurance industry's longstanding exemption from federal antitrust law established by the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945. The Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2009, which also would apply to medical malpractice insurers, would subject insurers “to the same fair competition laws that apply to nearly every other company doing business in the United States,” according to a statement by the senator's office.

The Risk & Insurance Management Society Inc.'s Ontario chapter presented Janice McGraw with the Donald M. Stuart Award, Canada's highest honor within the risk management field. Ms. McGraw, manager of risk management and insurance at McGill University in Montreal, received the award at the 2009 RIMS Canada conference in St. John's, Newfoundland, last week. The Donald M. Stuart Award, which debuted in 1979, acknowledges Canadian risk managers who have made contributions to the field of risk management.

Standard & Poor's Corp. said it is maintaining its negative outlook on all North American insurance sectors except reinsurance, which it said weathered the financial crisis by minimizing its investment exposures. The negative outlook that has been on most North American personal and commercial insurance lines since August 2008 is expected to continue during the next six months, New York-based S&P said in its report, “Outlook Remains Negative for Most North American Insurance Sectors.” S&P said it expects downgrades will continue to exceed upgrades in the next six to 12 months.

The Department of Health and Human Services will proceed with a $25 million initiative to pursue patient safety and medical liability reform demonstration projects, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. At a White House news conference, Ms. Sebelius said the initiative will help states and health care systems test models that meet four goals: put patient safety first and work to reduce preventable injuries; foster better communication between doctors and their patients; ensure patients are compensated in a fair and timely manner for medical injuries, while also reducing the incidence of frivolous lawsuits; and reduce medical liability premiums.

An official of the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission has vacated a $200-per-day fine on Facebook Inc. for failing to reveal information from a subscriber's account. Virginia imposed the fine Aug. 28 after Facebook did not respond to a workers comp defense attorney's subpoena seeking information about an employee for Colgan Air Inc. Facebook responded later and argued that federal law prohibited it from responding to the subpoena. A deputy commissioner agreed and vacated the $200-per-day fine, the state agency said. -The case reportedly involved the airline's attempt to obtain vacation photos of an employee to counter a workers comp claim.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has committed $100,000 to the Spencer Educational Foundation to establish a scholarship for risk management students. The Robert E. Gallagher and John P. Gallagher Scholarship initiative was announced at an event in New York marking the Spencer Foundation's 30th anniversary.

Brian Nocco, chief financial officer of XL Capital Ltd., has told the insurer that he will leave at the end of the year, XL said. Mr. Nocco, who has been the Hamilton, Bermuda-based insurer's CFO since July 2007, agreed to remain until the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition to his successor. XL said it has initiated a search for a new CFO.

Three class action employment law firms have filed a gender discrimination suit against Wachovia Securities on behalf of a class of current and former female financial advisers. The suit, filed in federal district court in Washington, alleges that since at least March 2003, Wachovia Securities has “systematically” denied equal employment opportunities to its female financial advisers with respect to compensation and promotions, in violation of federal and state laws. The suit seeks class action status on behalf of all women who were employed by Wachovia Securities as financial advisers between March 17, 2003, and the present. A spokeswoman for Wells Fargo Advisors said in an e-mail that the company “vigorously disputes” the allegations in the lawsuit.