Latest Texas Headlines

All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.

People – South Central

Jan 26 2015 // David Mattax has been appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to serve as Texas insurance commissioner to replace Julia Rathgeber, who has been tapped as deputy chief of staff for Gov.-Elect Greg Abbott. Mattax previously was deputy...

TWIA Legislative Recommendations Address Funding, Depopulation

Jan 26 2015 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the state-created insurer that provides property coverage for wind and hail in 14 coastal counties and parts of Harris County, has submitted a report to the Legislature with...

Texas Bill Would Protect P/C Agent Ownership of Expiration Rights

Jan 26 2015 // A bill filed in the Texas Legislature for the 2015 session would clarify that insurance agents in the state have exclusive ownership of the expiration rights to property/casualty insurance policies they sell and place. HB...

Texas Bills Target ‘Named Driver’ Automobile Policies, Exclusions

Jan 26 2015 // A pair of bills filed in the Texas Legislature would prohibit automobile insurers from issuing “named driver” policies in the state, but one would allow named driver exclusions under certain circumstances. HB...

Ballinger on Growth, Professionalism in Texas Surplus Lines Market

Jan 26 2015 // Phil Ballinger retired at the end of December 2014 as executive director of the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLSOT), a post he’s held for more than two decades. During his tenure at SLSOT, the organization...

Schroeder Named VP of Marketing Texas-Based ITC

Jan 25 2015 // Insurance Technologies Corporation (ITC), a Carrollton, Texas-based provider of marketing, rating and management software and services, has promoted Becky Schroeder to vice president of marketing. In her new position as...

Legislative Focus for Texas Windstorm Insurer: Funding, Depopulation

Jan 22 2015 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the state-created insurer that provides property coverage for wind and hail in 14 coastal counties and parts of Harris County, has submitted a report to the Legislature with...

Texas to Help Pay Final Costs for Those Killed in Prison Bus Wreck

Jan 21 2015 // Texas will pay up to $6,000 in final expenses for two guards and eight inmates killed when a prison bus went off an icy highway and hit a freight train. The Odessa American reports the funds for funerals and burial are...

Texas Windstorm Expert Panel to Discuss Work at Public Meeting

Jan 20 2015 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance expert panel will hold a public meeting on Jan. 28 to inform the public about the progress of the panel’s work, to allow the public to observe the panel discussing its work, and to give...

Earthquake Risk in North Texas Likely to Be Upgraded

Jan 20 2015 // The U.S. Geological Survey is considering raising its risk projections for earthquakes in North Texas. The Dallas area has experienced more than 120 quakes since 2008. The Dallas Morning News reports that USGS will likely...

Supreme Court to Hear Disparate Impact Liability This Week

Jan 20 2015 // The U.S. Supreme Court is positioned to wipe out a major category of housing discrimination suits, and civil rights groups are running out of ways to stop it. In arguments Wednesday in Washington, the court will consider...

Texas Regulators Recover $32.4M in Premium Refunds, Claim Payments

Jan 16 2015 // Consumer protection staff for the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) were able to recover $32.4 million for Texas consumers during the past year as a result of complaint resolution, the agency announced recently. The...

Texas Bills Target ‘Named Driver’ Automobile Policies; Disclosure Rules Adopted

Jan 15 2015 // A pair of bills filed in the Texas Legislature would prohibit automobile insurers from issuing “named driver” policies in the state, but one would allow named driver exclusion under certain circumstances, HB...

Prison Bus Strikes Train in West Texas, Leaving at Least 10 Dead

Jan 15 2015 // A county sheriff says at least 10 people are dead after a bus carrying state prisoners skidded off an icy highway overpass in West Texas, slid down an embankment and collided with a train. Ector County Sheriff Mark...

Former Deputy AG Mattax Named Texas Insurance Commissioner

Jan 14 2015 // A former top deputy of Republican Gov.-elect Greg Abbott is taking over the Texas Department of Insurance. David Mattax was named commissioner on Jan. 12. He is currently a deputy attorney general who took the lead...

Texas Plant with Fatal Gas Leak Had Been Cited for Infractions

Jan 14 2015 // A DuPont and Co pesticide plant where four people died in a gas leak in November had been cited for emissions violations by a state agency on several occasions before the accident, the Houston Chronicle reported. The...

Atlas General Insurance Services, LLC, Announces Expansion of its Republic Group Program to Texas

Jan 14 2015 // San Diego, CA, January 14, 2015: Atlas General Insurance Services, LLC (Atlas General), a national multi-line program manager, is pleased to announce the opening of its workers’ compensation office in Texas to...

Texas Bill Would Protect P/C Agent Ownership of Expiration Rights

Jan 13 2015 // A bill filed in the Texas Legislature for the 2015 session would clarify that insurance agents in the state have exclusive ownership of the expiration rights to property/casualty insurance policies they sell and place. HB...

Texas Auto Injury, Fatality Crashes Rise Again in 2014

Jan 13 2015 // Contrary to a nationwide trend, Texas automobile crashes resulting in injuries and fatalities have risen for the past three years, the Insurance Council of Texas reports. Nationally, roadway crashes involving injuries and...

Texas Sees Record $5B in Surplus Lines Premium in 2014

Jan 12 2015 // For the first time, premium on policies reported to the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLSOT) totaled more than $5 billion last year. This record volume in 2014 was $336.5 million over 2013, representing an...