Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Independent Agent Named Trusted Choice Hometown Hero
Dec 15 2010 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) has named Steve Barksdale, vice president at Bancorp South Insurance Services Inc., in Athens, Texas, as its newest Trusted Choice Hometown Hero. The Hometown Hero program...
Texas Work Comp Enforcements for November Include Fines Up to $60K
Dec 15 2010 // Final disciplinary actions taken by the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC) for November 2010 include fines of up to $60,000. Final orders for November 2010: American Zurich...
ACE USA Appoints Mattheessen, Vest to Leadership Positions in Texas
Dec 14 2010 // ACE USA, the U.S.-based retail operating division of the ACE Group, has appointed Keith Mattheessen as senior vice president for ACE Risk Management’s (ARM) Houston region, and Laura Vest as senior vice president and...
Texas Unemployment Insurance Tax Rates to Rise for 2011
Dec 9 2010 // The standard minimum unemployment insurance (UI) tax rate paid by Texas employers in calendar year (CY) 2011 will be 0.78 percent, up from 0.72 percent in CY 2010, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) announced. The taxes...
Texas to Prohibit Discretionary Clauses in Policies Beginning Feb. 1
Dec 7 2010 // The Texas Commissioner of Insurance Mike Geeslin has adopted three rules proposed by the Office of Public Insurance Counsel that prohibit discretionary clauses in health, life and disability insurance policies, OPIC...
Texas High Court Reverses Denial of Work Comp for at Home Worker
Dec 7 2010 // An insurance company improperly denied workers’ compensation coverage for a woman injured while traveling in a company car from one workplace to another, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled. Liana Leordeanu, a...
Equity Risk Partners-Texas Adds Viracola to Managment Team
Dec 6 2010 // Dallas-based Equity Risk Partners-Texas (ERP-Texas) has appointed Michael T. Viracola as director of Business Development. ERP-Texas was recently established as a joint venture between insurance brokers Equity Risk...
Texas Supreme Court Declines to Review Workers’ Comp Stop-Loss Case
Dec 6 2010 // The Texas Supreme Court has put an end to a case involving the amount some hospitals marked up workers’ compensation-related bills under rules in effect until 2008, Texas Mutual Insurance Co. announced. In June 2010,...
People
Dec 5 2010 // Frost Insurance in Austin, Texas promoted Sheri Smyth to vice president of personal lines. Smyth, a 23-year insurance industry veteran, manages the personal lines department’s growth and retention efforts, and...
It Figures
Dec 5 2010 // $30 Million A Harris County, Texas, jury rendered a $30 million verdict against the Houston-based owner of SunMart convenience stores for defrauding gasoline purchasers, according to the Texas Attorney General’s...
The Problem With Certificates
Dec 5 2010 // Certificates of insurance can create problems for insurance agents, especially in the areas of commercial property and the construction industry. The potential for disputes to arise is so great that the Texas Department of...
The Problem With Certificates
Dec 5 2010 // Certificates of insurance can create problems for insurance agents, especially in the areas of commercial property and the construction industry. The potential for disputes to arise is so great that the Texas Department of...
Farmers Insurance Files for Homeowners Rate Hike in Texas
Dec 5 2010 // Farmers Insurance has filed for a 3.9 percent rate increase for homeowners insurance coverage in Texas. The Dallas Morning News reports that Farmers’ filing with the Texas Department of Insurance will affect about...
Texas Likely Will Seek to Protect Its Piece of SL Tax Pie
Dec 5 2010 // The federal financial services reform act signed by President Barack Obama in July 2010 contained a provision reforming the way surplus lines insurance premiums are reported and taxed. The Nonadmitted and Reinsurance...
The Problem With Certificates
Dec 5 2010 // Certificates of insurance can create problems for insurance agents, especially in the areas of commercial property and the construction industries. The potential for disputes to arise is so great that a regulator recently...
New Markets
Dec 5 2010 // The following markets were selected from the MyNewMarkets database of 25,000 coverages and programs. To find additional markets, or to submit markets, go to www.MyNewMarkets.com. A-Side Directors & Officers Market...
Texas October Enforcement Actions Result in $1M in Fines, Restitution
Dec 3 2010 // The Texas Department of Insurance enforcement actions for October 2010 include seven license revocations, and fines and restitution totaling $1,045,697. An order imposing disciplinary measures becomes final 20 days after...
Survey: Texting While Driving in Texas Getting Worse
Dec 2 2010 // Texans believe texting and talking on phones while driving is getting worse and that roads are less safe than they were five years ago, despite declines in accident deaths. A survey by the Texas Transportation Institute...
Retailers Casualty Insurance to Offer Workers’ Compensation in Texas
Dec 2 2010 // Baton Rouge, La.-based workers’ compensation insurer Retailers Casualty Insurance Co. announced it will begin offering workers’ compensation coverage in Texas. Retailers Casualty, which is managed by Summit...
How BP’s Gulf Oil Disaster Costs Could Double
Dec 1 2010 // Analysts’ dividend forecasts point to steady recovery BP, analysts, may be underestimating legal charges BP has history of low-balling long-term cost of disasters “Gross negligence,” punitive damages not...
