Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Windstorm Insurer Says Finances Are Shaping Up
Oct 1 2014 // Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) announced it has successfully obtained $500 million in funds to assist in paying future catastrophic claims and that the association is now in its best financial position since...
10 Years and 12,000 Smoke Alarms in Texas
Sep 29 2014 // The We’re Out to Alarm Texas program has donated approximately 12,000 smoke alarms to Texas seniors and other citizens throughout the state during its 10 years in existence, the Insurance Council of Texas...
Texas Extended Warranty Company Sued by Minnesota AG
Sep 26 2014 // Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson is suing a Texas auto warranty company, alleging it uses deceptive tactics to avoid giving customers refunds. According to the lawsuit filed in Hennepin County District Court,...
Texas Construction Company Owners Sentenced for Workers’ Comp Fraud
Sep 25 2014 // Texas Mutual Insurance Co. reported that a Travis County district court sentenced Anthony Stokes and Mario Williams of Little Elm, Texas, for workers’ compensation fraud-related charges. Stokes and Williams were...
West Texas Battered by Torrential Rains
Sep 24 2014 // Torrential rains from the remnants of Hurricane Odile have battered West Texas, and police said on Sept. 22 they were investigating whether the death of a woman in El Paso was related to the flooding. Rainfall amounts...
Ballinger to Retire from Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas
Sep 24 2014 // The board of directors of the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLSOT) announced the retirement of Philip R. Ballinger as executive director after 22 years of distinguished service. He will remain in the post until...
Preliminary Flood Maps Available in Texas for Aransas, San Patricio Counties
Sep 23 2014 // Newly-released preliminary flood maps for Aransas and San Patricio counties in Texas will help residents and business owners to determine their flood risks and make informed decisions, according to the Federal Emergency...
$1.6M in Preparedness Grants Go to Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Sep 23 2014 // Emergency management agencies in five states – Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas – have been awarded more than $1.6 million in preparedness grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),...
Auto Wrecks with 3 or More Fatalities Rise in Texas
Sep 22 2014 // The number of auto accidents involving three or more deaths has more than doubled in Texas since 2010, with more fatalities occurring along roads seeing increased traffic because of the oil and gas boom. An investigation...
Texas-Based Cut Stone Manufacturer Fined $234.9K for Safety Violations
Sep 22 2014 // Cut limestone manufacturer Mezger Enterprises Ltd., based in Lampasas, Texas, has been cited for 27 safety and health violations, including two willful, by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and...
Homeowner Rate Hikes Go Unchallenged by Texas Commissioner
Sep 22 2014 // Texas’ insurance commissioner has allowed the three largest home insurers to impose significant rate hikes on many policyholders despite the objections of a state consumer advocate. Insurance Commissioner Julia...
People – Midwest
Sep 22 2014 // Portage, Mich.-based property/casualty MGA and surplus lines broker, J.M. Wilson, has promoted Crystal Russell to accounting operations supervisor. Russell is responsible for payment and account reconciliation of company...
Fatal Occupational Injuries Decrease by 8% in Texas in 2013
Sep 22 2014 // In 2013, there were 493 fatal occupational injuries in Texas, an 8 percent decrease from 536 in 2012, the Texas Department of Insurance reported. The figures are based on preliminary data released release by the U.S....
People – South Central
Sep 22 2014 // Stuart Parker, currently chief operating officer at San Antonio-based USAA, has been named to succeed current CEO Joe Robles when he retires at the end of February 2015. USAA Capital Corporation President Carl Liebert has...
Texas Pickup Trucks Stolen the Most: NICB Report
Sep 22 2014 // Pickup trucks may not be the “official vehicle” of the state of Texas, but if the state had one, the truck would certainly be in the running for official status. Besides being popular with drivers in Texas,...
Once Again, Texas Lawmakers Asked to Do Something about Windstorm Insurer
Sep 22 2014 // What to do about Texas’ wind insurer of last resort? That’s the question being asked again of Texas lawmakers in advance of the coming legislative session. In a surprise visit to a Senate Business &...
Texas Sets Workers’ Comp Weekly Benefit Rates for Coming Year
Sep 19 2014 // The Texas Department of Insurance – Division of Workers’ Compensation announced that the workers’ compensation state average weekly wage for dates of injury from Oct. 1, 2014 through Sept. 30, 2015 has...
Texas Man Sentenced for Workers’ Comp Fraud
Sep 18 2014 // Texas Mutual Insurance Co. reported that a Travis County district court sentenced Rodney Williams of Seabrook, Texas, for workers’ compensation fraud-related charges. The court sentenced Williams to deferred...
Outlook for Texas-Based Columbia Lloyds Insurance Revised to Stable
Sep 18 2014 // A.M. Best has revised the outlook to stable from negative and affirmed the financial strength rating of B++ (Good) and the issuer credit ratings of “bbb” of the members of Houston, Texas-based Columbia Lloyds...
$3M Auto Insurance Fraud Scheme in Texas Leads to Prison Time
Sep 17 2014 // Two Bryan, Texas, men have been sentenced for their roles in a scheme that authorities say defrauded insurance companies of more than $3 million. Earlie Dickerson, a former office manager, was sentenced in Houston federal...
