Latest Texas Headlines

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

Officials Suspect 2 Nabbed in Texas Linked to Target Fraud Case

Jan 22 2014 // Two Mexican citizens who were arrested at the border used account information stolen during the Target security breach to buy tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise, according to a South Texas police...

Texas House Subcommittee to Study Quakes in Oil, Gas Producing Areas

Jan 21 2014 // The chairman of the Texas House Committee Energy on Energy Resources has set up a team of lawmakers to investigate earthquakes in oil and gas regions. Chairman Jim Keffer named three Republicans and one Democrat to the...

Texas Supreme Court Limits Insurance Exclusions for Builders, Contractors

Jan 20 2014 // The Texas Supreme Court issued a key ruling on Jan. 17 that impacts the liability insurance coverage that builders and general contractors carry. Writing for the court, Justice Phil Johnson denied an insurance...

Texas-Based Talon Insurance Agency Merges with Higginbotham

Jan 17 2014 // Higginbotham, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and Talon Insurance Agency announced the merger of their operations. Both are independent insurance firms based in Texas providing commercial and personal insurance, risk...

Restaurant Safety Group Earns $670K Dividend from Texas Mutual Insurance

Jan 16 2014 // Texas Mutual Insurance Co. announced a $669,540 dividend to the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) workers’ compensation safety group. The dividend was based largely on the group’s overall loss ratio. Since...

All Risks South Central Opens Office in Austin, Texas

Jan 16 2014 // Independent insurance wholesaler, All Risks Ltd., has expanded in its’ South Central Region by opening an office in Austin, Texas. The expansion follows All Risks’ addition of a team of experienced brokers in...

Combined Agents of America Adds Wade to Leadership Team

Jan 15 2014 // Combined Agents of America LLC (CAA), with headquarters in Austin, Texas, announced that William H. (Bill) Wade II has joined its team as director of carrier relations and program management. Wade has more than 40 years of...

Texas Windstorm Insurer Releases Questionable Emails to Attorney

Jan 13 2014 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) announced it has released to a litigator what it calls “potentially offensive” emails as part of discovery in a lawsuit against the insurer brought on behalf of...

BP Oil Spill Settlement Fight Wages On

Jan 13 2014 // BP Plc’s $9.2 billion partial settlement over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was upheld by an appeals court over the company’s protest that the deal wasn’t valid unless a claims-payment dispute was...

Declarations

Jan 13 2014 // Free Speech Ripoff “This case is really important because businesses should not be able to silence their customers.” —Scott Michelman of nonprofit Public Citizen Litigation Group says the case of a Utah...

Ex-Texas School Boards Official Admits Stealing $500K from Insurance Fund

Jan 10 2014 // The former workers’ compensation claims chief for the Texas Association of School Boards admits to stealing more than $500,000 from the group’s insurance fund. Federal prosecutors say Herman G. Wilks pleaded...

TWIA Expert Panel Working on Methods to Assess Wind/Water Property Loss

Jan 10 2014 // A panel studying methods to assess property loss incurred as a result of wind versus water forces along the Texas coast expects to have the first of four study components ready for consideration next month. The mission of...

Texas Brine: Arch Specialty Insurance Should Pay Sinkhole Claims Costs

Jan 9 2014 // Texas Brine Co., the company blamed for the Bayou Corne-area sinkhole, has filed a formal complaint with the Louisiana Department of Insurance. The company alleges one of its insurers is not paying up as its policy...

Dixon Joins Texas-Based BevCap Management

Jan 8 2014 // BevCap Management LLC a captive insurance program manager based in McKinney, Texas, announced that Jason Dixon has joined its team. Jason brings 18 years of experience working with employee benefits, and health and welfare...

Texas Insurance Executive Enters State Senate Race

Jan 8 2014 // Richard “Gordy” Bunch, founder, president and CEO of The Woodlands, Texas-based insurance agency, The Woodlands Financial Group (TWFG), has announced his candidacy for the state’s 4th Senate District. A...

Loving, Paul, Vickers Appointed to Texas Surplus Lines Board

Jan 8 2014 // Texas Commissioner of Insurance Julia Rathgeber has appointed Randle Loving, Paul Rainey and Cynthia Vickers to the board of directors of the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas for terms to expire Dec. 31, 2016. Loving...

Texas Health Advisers Blast New Proposed Navigator Rules

Jan 7 2014 // During a public hearing on Jan. 5, counselors who help Texas residents up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act criticized proposed state rules that would require them to undergo additional training and pay...

Obama Administration Considers Rules on Use of Explosive Chemicals

Jan 7 2014 // Farmers and oil drillers may be required to report their use of explosive chemicals under measures the Obama administration is considering to avoid disasters such as a Texas blast that killed 14 people last year. Policy...

Allstate, State Farm, Farmers Plan to Raise Home Insurance Rates in Texas

Jan 5 2014 // Texas’ three largest home insurers are kicking off 2014 with steep increases in policyholder premiums, according to a report published on Jan. 4. The Dallas Morning News reports that Allstate, Farmers and State Farm...

Gilbert to Chair Insurance Council of Texas Board

Jan 3 2014 // The Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) has elected Bo Gilbert chairman of its board of directors, effective Jan. 1, 2014. Gilbert is the assistant vice president for USAA Government Relations in the Midwestern Region. At...