Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
2018 Agents of the Year
Jan 7 2019 // Jacob Barzivand Paramount Exclusive Insurance Services Inc. | Encino, California Jacob Barzivand started working as an insurance producer right after college at the age of 20. Now, at just 26, he’s built a sizable...
Trump Administration Delay with Storm Mitigation Funds Frustrates States
Jan 4 2019 // The Trump administration is sitting on billions of dollars intended to help vulnerable cities and states prepare for extreme weather, prompting growing criticism from state officials worried about the next storm season. In...
Indiana Fines Texas Trucking Company over Fish Kill
Jan 3 2019 // Indiana regulators are seeking a more than $12,000 fine against a Texas trucking company accused of causing a fish kill in eastern Indiana. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management recently issued a notice of...
More than 30 Vehicles Pile Up on Texas Highway in Heavy Fog
Jan 2 2019 // Officials in Texas say more than 50 people were evaluated for medical care after a massive multi-car pileup in foggy weather early on Jan. 1. The pileup involved 32 vehicles — two of them semitrucks — just an hour...
Texas Surplus Lines Industry Sees Rule Changes at Year’s End
Dec 31 2018 // New rules for the Texas surplus lines insurance industry are coming into effect at the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019. According to the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX), one of the most pressing changes...
Lawyers Scramble to Get Piece of the Action in California Wildfire Lawsuits
Dec 31 2018 // In a conference room 13 miles from Paradise, California, Doug Boxer explains to survivors of the state’s worst wildfire why they should choose his law firm to sue PG&E Corp. He walks a fine line between listening...
Insurance Journal South Central’s Top Stories for 2018: Medical Marijuana, Weather Woes
Dec 31 2018 // At first glance it might seem that 2018 was a “slow news” year in the South Central states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. After all, the region escaped the devastation of a major hurricane, and...
Texas Lawyer Indicted for Allegedly Fraudulent Hail Claim Lawsuits
Dec 28 2018 // A Galveston, Texas, attorney is facing felony charges of insurance fraud, barratry, and money laundering related to several fraudulent hail claim lawsuits, the Texas Department of Insurance announced. Christopher Bertini...
INSURICA Acquires Oklahoma, Texas Firms; Adds Tolentino to Construction Unit
Dec 28 2018 // INSURICA, a privately-owned insurance agency headquartered in Oklahoma City, has acquired two insurance firms and hired Glen Tolentino to its construction practice in the fourth quarter. INSURICA acquired Norman,...
Death in the Oilfields: Boom Brings Mounting Risk of Death, Injuries
Dec 28 2018 // Parker Waldridge had worked in the Oklahoma oilfields since he was 16 and acquired the traits that make a good driller: fortitude, intellect and a healthy respect for the power of a runaway gas well. And so, when...
Intoxicated Drivers Beware: Texas Troopers Are on the Lookout
Dec 21 2018 // Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers, along with other law enforcement agencies, will once again increase their patrols on the state’s roadways this holiday season, the Insurance Council of Texas...
DPS: 30 to 40 Vehicles Crash on Foggy South Texas Interstate
Dec 20 2018 // Authorities say 30 to 40 vehicles were involved in a string of wrecks in heavy fog along an about 2-mile stretch of Interstate 37 in rural South Texas. Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Jason Reyes said no one was...
Synergy Professional Associates Launches Lawyers PL Programs in Arizona, Texas
Dec 20 2018 // Synergy Professional Associates, in partnership with Tokio Marine HCC – Professional Lines Group, has launched two new lawyers professional liability programs focusing on small law firms in Arizona and Texas. The new...
Not all Texas Coastal Residents on Board with Proposed Storm Barrier
Dec 18 2018 // A proposed Texas coastal barrier is drawing backlash from some Gulf Coast residents and the state’s land commissioner wants more time for property owners to voice concerns. The plan is designed to protect the Texas...
Texas Lawmaker: Build Casinos on Coast to Subsidize Wind Insurance
Dec 18 2018 // A Texas lawmaker has proposed subsidizing the state’s underfunded windstorm insurance and flooding assistance by building casinos in coastal counties. State Rep. Joe Deshotel filed the bill on Dec. 7 to cover the...
Former Texas Insurance Agent Indicted for Scamming Elderly Woman
Dec 17 2018 // Former Texas insurance agent Chia Wang has been indicted for an allegedly defrauding an elderly woman in an insurance scam. Wang is facing up to 99 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine after a grand jury in Marion...
Effect of Judge Ruling Affordable Care Act Unconstitutional Delayed for Appeal
Dec 17 2018 // Obamacare was struck down by a Texas federal judge in a ruling that casts uncertainty on insurance coverage for millions of U.S. residents, drawing sharp condemnation from some medical professionals and a vow for action by...
Reuters Special Report: J&J Knew About Asbestos in Baby Powder for Decades
Dec 17 2018 // Darlene Coker knew she was dying. She just wanted to know why. She knew that her cancer, mesothelioma, arose in the delicate membrane surrounding her lungs and other organs. She knew it was as rare as it was deadly, a...
Emerging Issue in Texas: Firefighter, EMT Cancer-Related Workers’ Comp Claims — and Denials
Dec 17 2018 // How to process cancer-related workers’ compensation claims filed by firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) is developing into an emerging issue, Texas workers’ compensation system regulators...
People
Dec 17 2018 // Reliance Partners, which specializes in commercial insurance, added Brandon Richards as chief sales officer and opened a new office in Austin, Texas. Richards is a veteran insurance professional with more than 17 years in...
