December 2010

Supreme Court of Canada rules on commercial general liability

December 22, 2010

For years, the construction industry has struggled with what exactly is covered by commercial general liability policies on construction projects. Since a general liability policy is the primary policy that protects construction participants from legal liability, the question is not just of academic interest to contractors and developers. If you do work on a construction [...]

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Bank of England says lending to big business is growing

December 21, 2010

LONDON (AP) — Mortgage lending in Britain hit a 10-year low in November though credit to big businesses increased, according to reports published Monday that highlight the country’s uneven and fragile recovery. The Council of Mortgage Lenders said gross mortgage lending of 11.1 billion pounds ($17.3 billion) was the lowest November figure since 2000, and [...]

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Government Contractor Denied Immunity from Katrina Claims – Specifications Not Precise Enough

December 16, 2010

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit has denied a government contractor sued by New Orleans residents for damages resulting from Hurricane Katrina the protection of government contractor immunity, holding that specifications approved by the government were not precise enough to qualify for the defense. Government contractor immunity, first articulated by the U.S. [...]

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MARKET WATCH: Crude oil hits 2-year high as energy prices continue climbing

December 8, 2010

Energy prices continued to rally Dec. 2 with the front-month crude contract up 1.4% to a 2-year high in the New York market on upbeat housing and sales data. Despite a smaller-than-expected draw from US storage, the near-month natural gas contract gained 1.7% with forecasts of colder temperatures. The increase in energy prices was supported [...]

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Oil’s rise may point to big increases in 2011 and 2012

December 2, 2010

Oil prices rose more than 3% Wednesday to close at their highest level since Nov. 11, driven by unexpectedly strong private sector job gains in the U.S. and a seven-month high in Chinese factory activity. Crude oil futures for January delivery ended the trading day up $2.64 to $86.75 a barrel on the New York [...]

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