California and Florida state regulators investigate
how well life insurers are doing at determining when
life insurance policyholders have died. At issue are
potentially huge amounts of money in unclaimed life
insurance assets. Hearings in California and Florida
touch off investigations that soon spread to at least
35 other states and the District of Columbia in what
becomes the year’s biggest regulatory nightmare
for the industry. John Hancock is made to settle
with California for some $20 million in unclaimed
property, the start of what might ultimately cost life
insurers more than a $1 billion.
Cemetery Photo © Shutterstock.com/Arthit Kaeoratanapattama; Yemen Photo © Sallam from Yemen [CC-BY-SA- 2.0 ( www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons;
Royal Wedding Photo © John Pannell [CC-B Y- 2.0 ( www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
FEBRUARY
2/3
Mass protests
against poor
economic
conditions and
government
corruption
erupt in Yemen,
and continue
into 2012.
2/14
National
protests calling
for the removal
of King Hamad
begin in Bahrain.
2/22
A 6. 3 earthquake
strikes Christ-
church on New
Zealand’s
southern island,
killing at
least 65.
2/22 - 3/14
Uncertainty over
Libyan oil output
causes crude
prices to
rise over 20%,
causing a
temporary
energy crisis.
MARCH
3/4
Essam Sharif
appointed PM
of Egypt after
Tahrir Square
protests
led to the
resignation
of longtime
president
Hosni Mubarak
on Feb. 11.
3/11
A 9. 1 earthquake
and tsunami
devastates east-
ern Japan. 15,842
are dead, 5,890
are injured and
3,485 are missing.
It is the costliest
natural disaster
on record with a
total economic
cost estimated at
$235 billion.
3/15
Nationwide protests erupt across
Syria; the Assad
regime responds
with violent crackdowns that kill
thousands. The
protests continue
into 2012.
APRIL
4/27-28
The U.S. South
suffers its worst
tornado outbreak
since 1974,
as some 173
twisters kill
nearly 300 and
destroy much of
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
4/29
Prince William,
Duke of
Cambridge
marries
Catherine
Middleton at
Westminster
Abbey in
London. The
event is watched
live by nearly two
billion people.
