Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Study Links Pollution, Earthquakes to Oil and Gas Drilling
Jun 21 2017 // A new study by a nonprofit science organization says oil and gas drilling in Texas is linked to pollution and earthquakes. The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas study found drilling for oil and gas in...
Texas Governor Signs Law Amending Captive Insurer Rules
Jun 21 2017 // Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a measure that tweaks Texas law relating to captive insurance companies. Abbot signed House Bill 1944 on June 15. The bill was authored by Jim Murphy (R – Houston) and sponsored in...
Texas Seeks Input on Draft Compound Drug Rule Amendments
Jun 19 2017 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) is now accepting comments on informal draft compound drug rule amendments. An informal draft of amendments to 28 Texas Administrative Code...
People
Jun 19 2017 // Dallas-based BenefitMall, a provider of employee benefits, human resources and payroll products and services, has reappointed Michael Gomes as executive vice president, Benefits Sales Division. Gomes will be responsible...
Texas Attorney Indicted in Hail Claims Insurance Fraud Case
Jun 19 2017 // A Texas attorney on June 5 was issued a 16-count indictment on charges of organized criminal activity, legal misconduct and insurance fraud related to hail claims, according to the Texas Department of Insurance. R. Kent...
Texas Ridesharing Bill Signed into Law
Jun 19 2017 // A bill that preempts local regulations for ridesharing companies in Texas and replaces them with statewide standards has been signed by Gov. Greg Abbott. HB 100, sponsored in the Senate by Georgetown Sen. Charles...
NICB Confirms Texas Tops in Hail Damage Claims
Jun 19 2017 // It’s no secret that Texas yearly suffers from an onslaught of all kinds of weather, particularly hailstorms. And from 2014 through 2016 the state topped the list for the number of insurance claims for hail damage,...
Texas Windstorm Insurer: Finances Sound at Start of Hurricane Season
Jun 19 2017 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) says it is financially sound and ready for the 2017 hurricane season after once again securing $4.9 billion in total funding. TWIA is the insurance carrier of last resort...
Texas-Based Atlas Resource Partners Faces Federal Age Bias Suit
Jun 16 2017 // A federal agency has charged a Fort Worth, Texas-based company with discrimination for firing an experienced production foreman fired because of his age. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said it has...
Parts of West Texas Hit with Grapefruit Size Hail
Jun 16 2017 // Wind gusts of up to 72 miles per hour and hail as large as grapefruit struck the Midland/Odessa, Texas-area on June 14, damaging roofs and shattering automobile windshields, the Insurance Council of Texas...
Texas Lawyer Indicted in Roof Claims Insurance Fraud Case
Jun 9 2017 // A Texas attorney been released on $20,000 bond after being indicted on charges of organized criminal activity, legal misconduct, and insurance fraud related to hail claims, the Texas Department of Insurance announced. A...
Higginbotham Adds 2 Insurance Brokers in McAllen, Texas Office
Jun 9 2017 // Higginbotham has hired insurance brokers John Garcia and Jordan Lewis in its McAllen, Texas, office. Garcia was added as an associate of employee benefits and Lewis as an associate of business insurance. They join the...
Texas Workers’ Comp Division Improves Readability of Letters to Injured Workers
Jun 8 2017 // The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation announced it has modified form letters it sends to injured employees, making them easier to read. The DWC said a group of experts from across the agency looked at ways to...
After 18 Months, Houston Hurricane Vulnerability Documents Arrive from Feds
Jun 8 2017 // Note: This article originally appeared in the Texas Tribune. Eighteen months ago, the Texas Tribune and ProPublica asked the federal government for some documents. At the time, we were investigating what will happen the...
Texas Governor Signs Statewide Texting While Driving Ban
Jun 7 2017 // Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law a measure banning texting while driving statewide. Under HB 62 by Midland Rep. Tom Craddick, drivers who are caught using a phone to text, send email or post to social media while...
Texas Insurance Council Symposium to Address Cyber Threats
Jun 6 2017 // The Insurance Council of Texas and the Association of Fire and Casualty Companies in Texas’ Annual Mid-Year Symposium will feature a panel discussion on cybersecurity, the growing cyber market for insurers, and the...
Private Insurer Will No Longer Fund Fraud Prosecutions in Texas
Jun 6 2017 // Note: This article originally ran in the Texas Tribune. Thanks to new money and oversight from the Texas Legislature, the state can now pursue workers’ compensation fraud cases without relying on an unusual and...
NICB Confirms Texas as Leader in Hail Damage Claims
Jun 5 2017 // Everything is big in Texas, including hailstorms. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reported that insurance claims for hail damage in Texaslast year exceeded the previous two years combined. Hail damage fluctuates...
Business Moves
Jun 5 2017 // Hub International, Rossmann-Hurt-Hoffman Hub International Limited (Hub), a global insurance brokerage, has acquired Rossmann-Hurt-Hoffman Inc. (RHH). Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Based in Ellicott City,...
Texas ‘Industrial Insureds’ Bill Signed into Law
Jun 5 2017 // The Texas Legislature has passed a bill exempting certain commercial insureds from the requirement that agents make a “diligent effort” to find insurance in the admitted insurance market before taking the risk...
