Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Business Moves
Sep 19 2011 // LevelFirst LevelFirst is a new diversified wholesale broker and managing general agency based in Dallas, Texas, that serves retail agents in the Southwest and across the country. President and CEO of LevelFirst, Robin...
Cyber Security Risks a Matter of When, Not If
Sep 19 2011 // Targeted Risk Management Can Help Stem Losses; Municipalities Facing Budget Constraints The potential exposure of both governmental or commercial entities to network and enterprise security breaches comes down to this:...
People
Sep 19 2011 // TDECU Insurance Agency LLC in Lake Jackson, Texas, added Wesley “Wes” Wolff as president. He brings more than 30 years of insurance agency expertise including sales, sales management and strong...
Texas Mutual Rewards Hospital Group with $209K Dividend
Sep 15 2011 // Texas Mutual Insurance Co. announced a $209,256 dividend to the Hospitals of Texas (HOTComp) safety group. The workers’ compensation dividend was based largely on HOTComp’s overall loss ratio. HOTComp safety...
Fire-weary Texas Residents Looking to Insurance
Sep 15 2011 // Brandon Bunker knew there would be nothing left. He knew from videos he had seen online that the home he and his wife shared with his father was a total loss and that his Jeep Grand Cherokee had been reduced to a...
Insured Losses from Texas Wildfires Could Reach $250 Million
Sep 14 2011 // An industry group says insured losses from a week of Texas wildfires could reach $250 million. The Insurance Council of Texas offered the estimate for the more than 180 wildfires reported statewide since Labor Day...
Texas Agents Donate $200K to Texas Volunteer Fire Departments
Sep 14 2011 // Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) and its Trusted Choice agents have donated a total of $200,000 to the State Firemen’s and Fire Marshals’ Association (SFFMA) to assist volunteer fire...
State Farm Seeks 10% Homeowners Rate Hike in Texas
Sep 14 2011 // State Farm Insurance has filed notice seeking an average 10 percent increase in Texas homeowner rates. But company officials say discounts will be boosted to hold the actual premium hike to 1.4 percent statewide. The...
Nearly 2,000 Homes Destroyed in Texas Since Labor Day Weekend
Sep 13 2011 // The Texas Forest Service reports that an estimated 1,939 homes have been destroyed in the state by wildfires since the Labor Day weekend. The insured losses from the Bastrop County Complex fires alone could reach $150...
How Can Insurance Agents Help the Texas Fire Victims?
Sep 13 2011 // As fires tear through Texas, businesses and homeowners struggle to determine their losses. According to the Insurance Council of Texas, this year’s fire losses are Texas’ worst on record. The Texas Forest...
President Obama Signs Disaster Aid for Texas Wildfires
Sep 12 2011 // President Barack Obama has signed a federal disaster declaration for Texas in the wake of wildfires in the state. The move allows federal funding to be made available to individuals in Bastrop County in the central part of...
String of Wildfires Takes Toll on Texas Firefighters
Sep 12 2011 // The flames of the massive wildfire that had swallowed nearly 1,400 homes in Central Texas had been tamed, but Webster Fire Chief Patrick Shipp and his crew — veterans of a fire season pushing his team to the limit —...
Texas Wildfires Evacuees Anxious to Return Home
Sep 11 2011 // After spending nearly a week wondering whether his home had been destroyed in massive wildfires sweeping across Central Texas, George Gaydos got the news Sept. 10: His house had burned down in the blaze. But Gaydos — who...
Texas Mutual Rewards CompGroup AGC with $773K Dividend
Sep 8 2011 // Texas Mutual Insurance Co. announced a $772,782 dividend to the CompGroup AGC. The workers’ compensation safety group dividend was based largely on the group’s overall loss ratio. CompGroup AGC members have...
Texas Fires Kill 4, Destroy More Than 1,600 Homes
Sep 8 2011 // One of the most devastating wildfire outbreaks in Texas history has left more than 1,600 homes in ruins and stretched the state’s firefighting ranks to the limit, confronting Gov. Rick Perry with a major disaster at...
Ratings: Commerce Protective, Stonington/Lantana, Farmers Mutual, One Beacon Lloyd’s, Texas Medical
Sep 8 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating to ‘B+’ (Good) from ‘B++’ (Good) and issuer credit rating to ‘bbb-‘ from ‘bbb’ of Pennsylvania-based Commerce...
Arlington, Texas Officials Settle Taser Suit for $25,000
Sep 7 2011 // City officials in Arlington, Texas, have settled a lawsuit for $25,000 after a police officer mistakenly used a Taser twice while pursuing the wrong man. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the lawsuit stemmed from...
Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Arsons, Attempted Murder
Sep 7 2011 // Steven Scott Cantrell, of Crane, Texas, pled guilty to hate crime charges stemming from a series of racially-motivated arsons in December 2010, including the arson of a historic African-American church as part of an effort...
Central Texas Fires Slowly Being Contained but Blazes Continue Across State
Sep 7 2011 // Three out of four of the main fires burning on the outskirts of Texas’ capitol city, Austin, have been mostly contained, officials say, but the largest and most destructive blazes in Bastrop County are only about 30...
Texas July Enforcements Include $391K in Fines, Restitution
Sep 6 2011 // The Texas Department of Insurance enforcement actions that became final during July 2011 include two license revocations, one license denial and fines and restitution totaling $391,308. An order imposing disciplinary...
