Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Rejected Emails Cause Headaches for Texas Insurance Regulators
Aug 6 2012 // The Texas Department of Insurance recently was inundated by hundreds of emails regarding homeowner insurance rates, and the department was tasked with finding out why the majority of them were rejected by agency’s...
Fifth Circuit Affirms ‘Eight-Corners’ Rule and Duty to Defend
Aug 6 2012 // Because the duty to defend is one of the most important aspects of liability policies such as commercial general liability coverage, it is frequently the subject of litigation. One recent case from the Fifth Circuit Court...
Texas Employers Add Nearly 13K Jobs in June
Aug 1 2012 // Although the unemployment rate rose slightly in Texas in June 2012 compared with May 2012, the state still added nearly 13,000 nonfarm jobs during the month, state officials reported. Texas economy added 12,900 seasonally...
Oklahoma Drilling Firm Faces Fines for Safety Hazards at Texas Site
Jul 31 2012 // An Oklahoma-based horizontal drilling company faces up to $55,000 in penalties for safety violations at a drilling site in Jacksboro, Texas, federal officials say. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety...
Texas-Based CBIZ Stoltz Expands National Energy Practice
Jul 31 2012 // Midland, Texas-based CBIZ Stoltz has added Mollye Hillman as an account manager and Richard Howard has joined the company as an account executive. In their new roles, Hillman and Howard will contribute to the expansion of...
Fourth Man Pleads Guilty in Texas-Based Tour Boat Coverage Scam
Jul 30 2012 // Prosecutors say a fourth man has pleaded guilty in a Texas-based insurance scam linked to a deadly New York tour boat accident. Investigators in Houston say Robert Steve Mills of Bonita Springs, Fla., pleaded guilty to...
Growth Through Acquisitions Highlight Quarter for 2 CAA Member Agencies
Jul 27 2012 // Combined Agents of America LLC (CAA) announced that two member agencies — Duncan, Fraser & Bridges Insurance Agency Inc. (DFB) and Pinnacle Insurance Group Inc. — have grown through recent acquisitions totaling...
Rejected Emails Cause Headaches for Texas Insurance Regulators
Jul 26 2012 // The Texas Department of Insurance recently was inundated by hundreds of emails regarding homeowner insurance rates, and the department now has the task of finding out why the majority of them were rejected by...
Jackson Appointed to Texas Automobile Insurance Plan Association Board
Jul 26 2012 // Becky Jackson of Austin, Texas, has been appointed by the Texas Department of Insurance to serve as a public representative member on the governing committee of the Texas Automobile Insurance Plan Association. Jackson was...
DPS: Tire Likely Cause of Deadly Texas Truck Crash
Jul 25 2012 // State authorities believe that a pickup truck’s front right tire came apart, likely causing the vehicle to veer off a rural highway and crash, killing 14 suspected illegal immigrants in South Texas. The truck packed...
Oil Firms, Regulators Miss Major Accident Indicators: Gulf Spill Report
Jul 25 2012 // Transocean and BP, trade associations, and U.S. regulators largely judged the safety of offshore facilities by focusing on routine personal injury and fatality data such as dropped objects and trips and falls when they...
Authorities: 13 Dead After Truck Crashes in Texas
Jul 24 2012 // A pickup truck overloaded with passengers veered off a highway and crashed into trees in rural South Texas on July 22, killing at least 13 people and leaving 10 injured, authorities said. Gerald Bryant, a spokesman for the...
Ex-School Nurse in Texas Gets 10 Years for Fire
Jul 23 2012 // An ex-school nurse in Central Texas upset about a poor evaluation has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for setting a campus building on fire. Mary Lucille Gutierrez pleaded guilty to criminal mischief of more than...
Declarations – South Central
Jul 23 2012 // Agent Advocates “I am committed to insurance products and services being offered by licensed agents and brokers, not unlicensed navigators. Licensed agents and brokers are the front-line advocates for consumer...
People – South Central
Jul 23 2012 // Don Whitaker, president and owner of Whitaker Insurance Associates Inc. in San Antonio, has been named president-elect of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) for 2012-201. The association elected Pat Arthur,...
Business Moves – South Central
Jul 23 2012 // Agents Alliance Services James King, CEO of Agents Alliance Services Ltd in Denton, Texas, announced that nine new agencies have joined the group during the first half of 2012. They are: Arcadia Insurance Agency LLC of...
Texas Supreme Court: Bad Faith Tort Inconsistent with Workers’ Comp System
Jul 23 2012 // In what has been called a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of Texas has found that a bad faith cause of action is inconsistent with the current workers’ compensation system. The Court’s decision strengthens...
Police: Naked Man Crashes Through Texas Mall
Jul 19 2012 // Police say a naked man crashed a pickup truck into a Dallas mall, then drove over a few kiosks before stopping to try on clothes. Dallas police were called to the Southwest Center Mall around 7:30 a.m. on July 13. Officers...
Arkansas Rice Farmers Sue Texas Company Over Hybrid Rice
Jul 18 2012 // A group of Arkansas rice farmers has sued a company that produces hybrid seed, claiming that RiceTec Inc. supplied them with seed that produced an inferior crop and sometimes didn’t grow well enough to be...
Long Term Care Liability Loss Rate Expected to Grow: Aon
Jul 18 2012 // Long term care liability loss rates and claim severity have reached an eight-year high and are expected to grow steadily in 2013 against a backdrop of health care provider budget constraints and uncertainty about health...
