Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Much Anticipated Windstorm Insurance Debate Begins in Texas
Apr 9 2009 // Texas legislators finally have jumped into debate over how to improve the troubled windstorm insurance system that serves as a last resort for hurricane protection along much of the Gulf Coast. The House Insurance...
Texas-based Gibraltar Group Joins Sitkins International
Apr 9 2009 // The Gibraltar Group, a full-service insurance and risk management firm headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, announced that the company has been selected to become a part of Sitkins International, an organization whose...
Wright Appointed President, CEO of Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Apr 7 2009 // Ron Wright, chief operating officer of Texas Mutual Insurance Company since 1997, will become president and CEO of the company effective Sept. 1, 2009, Texas Mutual announced. Wright will succeed Russell R. Oliver, who...
Texas High Court Reaffirms Controversial Entergy Workplace Ruling
Apr 6 2009 // After agreeing to a rare rehearing, the Texas Supreme Court on April 3 upheld its decision that – despite what some lawmakers say – a “premises owner” cannot be sued by injured employees of a...
Texas Wildfire Destroys Homes; Firefighters Hurt by Smoke Inhalation
Apr 6 2009 // The Texas Forest Services says 24 firefighters have been treated for smoke inhalation from fighting Texas wildflires, near the Panhandle town of Wheeler, where four homes have been lost and an estimated 20 homes damaged in...
It Figures
Apr 6 2009 // 165 The estimated incurred loss ratio for insurers in Texas in 2008 is a record high of 127; the combined loss and expense ratio is 165. Texas Department of Insurance “Texas Homeowners Insurance Loss Data...
People
Apr 6 2009 // Higginbotham & Associates, an independent insurance brokerage firm based in Ft. Worth, Texas, added employee benefits brokers John Collins, Dana Jones and Rob Marsh to its managing director team for 2009, in...
2008 Costly for Insurance Industry in Texas
Apr 6 2009 // The Texas insurance industry lost nearly $1.4 billion in 2008. According to figures released by the Texas Department of Insurance, for every dollar the state’s insurance industry took in it paid out $1.65. “It...
Declarations
Apr 6 2009 // Frankly Mad “It’s very, very disappointing. I’ve just pretty much run out of patience.” —Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland. Holland said she is “grossly disappointed and frankly...
Business Moves
Apr 6 2009 // Gillis, Ellis & Baker Independent insurance agency Gillis, Ellis & Baker Inc. (GEB), headquartered in New Orleans, opened a new office in Houston under the name of Gillis, Ellis & Baker of Texas...
Liaisons Highlight Consumer Insurance Concerns
Apr 6 2009 // Consumer Advocates Focus on How Insurers Treat Insureds in Difficult Economic, Credit Climate Insurance agents, brokers and regulators should be aware that when it comes to insurance, consumers are concerned with such...
Texas Senate Approves Anti-DWI Bills
Mar 31 2009 // The Texas Senate has approved two measures aimed at reducing drunk-driving fatalities in Texas. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Texas was second only to California in 2007 in...
Central Texas Hail Storm Racks up $160M in Losses
Mar 30 2009 // Many Central Texans are still cleaning up from a large hail storm on last week that knocked out windows, smashed roofs and dented thousands of automobiles causing an estimated $160 million in insured losses. The storm...
Louisiana Crash Survivor Sues Helicopter Maker
Mar 30 2009 // The lone survivor of a helicopter crash that killed eight people in Louisiana in January is suing the aircraft’s manufacturer and two other companies. The federal lawsuit filed on behalf of Steven Yelton, of...
Texas Independent Agents Urge Adequate Windstorm Funding
Mar 27 2009 // Since funding for the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) has become a top priority for the Texas Legislature, statewide lawmakers have debated several solutions that will impact policyholders in Texas, according...
Texas Work Comp Penalties for February Reach More Than $152K
Mar 26 2009 // Final disciplinary actions taken by the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC) in February 2009 include administrative penalties totaling $152,500. Disciplinary orders are subject...
New Bridge Insurance Partners Paying Off for Texas Agents
Mar 25 2009 // Jeff Turner had long harbored ideas on how to operate an independent insurance agency so when he and his business partners Tommy Saxon and Ryan Perry opened Bridge Insurance Partners in Dallas a little more than a year...
Spring Weather Warnings: Midwest Floods; Droughts in South, West
Mar 24 2009 // Flooding in the upper Midwest, which could rival the high water levels experienced in 2006 and possibly 1997, and continued drought in the South and West are among the warnings contained in the national outlook for this...
Texas Homeowners’ Combined Loss & Expense Ratio Estimated at 165.0
Mar 24 2009 // The Texas Department of Insurance released the “Texas Homeowners Insurance Loss Data 1992-2008” report, which shows an estimated incurred loss ratio for 2008 at a record high of 127.0, and a combined loss and...
States Gear Up for Stimulus Package
Mar 23 2009 // Impact on Insurance Industry May be Minimal, Experts Say The $787 billion stimulus package passed by Congress looms as the largest mountain on the country’s newly changed economic landscape. But despite hope that the...
