Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Infinity’s South Texas Call Center Expands Spanish Service Capabilities
Feb 4 2009 // Infinity Insurance announced it has opened a new 325 seat call center in McAllen, Texas. The facility houses Claims and Customer Service representatives who are specially trained to handle calls from Infinity’s large...
Texas Announces December Insurance Industry Enforcement Actions
Feb 3 2009 // The Texas Department of Insurance announced enforcement actions taken by Commissioner Mike Geeslin that became final during December. The actions include five license revocations, three license denials and fines and...
Texas Lawmaker Proposes Tax Caps for Commercial Property
Feb 3 2009 // Texas State Representative Bill Callegari (Katy) has filed two measures to cap increases in property tax appraisals for commercial property. The bills, HB 979 and HJR 49, limit annual appraisal increases for commercial...
Appellate Court Overturns Nearly $3M Judgment Against Texas Mutual
Jan 30 2009 // An appellate court in Houston has reversed a nearly $3 million jury verdict against Texas Mutual Insurance Company in a dispute over cancellation of a workers’ compensation policy, the insurer announced. Former...
BancInsure Products Now Available to Bankers, Agents in Texas
Jan 30 2009 // Oklahoma-based BancInsure’s insurance and risk management products are now available to Texas bankers through their local independent insurance agents, the company announced. “As a former Texan I understand the...
Personal Data of About 500 Texas Workers Accidentally Posted Online
Jan 29 2009 // Personal information of about 500 current and former city workers in Beaumont, Texas, accidentally was posted online on Jan. 14. The data involves people who had filed workers’ compensation claims in the past five...
Insurance in Times of Financial Crisis
Jan 28 2009 // The current financial crisis affects almost every aspect of our business life. That includes insurance. Businesses need to be wise consumers and aware of the legal issues covered by their coverages. Let’s take a look...
Teen Cell Phone Use While Driving Targeted by Texas Bill
Jan 27 2009 // Texas State Rep. Solomon Ortiz, Jr. has filed legislation to keep teen drivers safe by limiting their use of cell phones and other portable devices while driving. “This legislation will help limit distractions and...
Texas Lawmaker Proposes More Tax Exemptions for Small Businesses
Jan 27 2009 // Texas State Rep. Brandon Creighton has filed HB 720 to give more small businesses an exemption from the state business tax. Current law exempts businesses with revenue under $300,000 and gives discounts to those who make...
Independent Business Owners Earn $818K in Texas Mutual Dividends
Jan 26 2009 // Two workers’ compensation purchasing groups offered through Texas Mutual Insurance Company and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) have earned a combined $818,512 in dividends. The dividends were...
Texas Security General Acquires Business of Emerald Surplus
Jan 26 2009 // Effective Jan. 1, 2009, San Antonio-based Texas Security General Insurance Agency Inc. (TSGA) officially acquired the stock of Emerald Surplus Inc. and is transitioning all business to TSGA, the company announced. All...
Insurance in Times of Financial Crisis
Jan 25 2009 // Fiduciary liability typically involves an employee suing an employer for not offering employee options for investing in a 401K plan, and the law weighs heavily in favor of the employee in these cases. The current financial...
They’re Baaaaack!
Jan 25 2009 // The lawmakers are back, at least in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Louisiana has to wait until April for the pleasure. For now, though, bars and restaurants in Little Rock, Oklahoma City and Austin will rejoice in the...
Texas No. 1 for Railway Accidents; Harris County Leads the Way
Jan 25 2009 // Harris County is the most dangerous county in Texas for railway accidents, according to a recently released report. There were 1,376 reported incidents including derailments, collisions, pedestrian trespassing and...
Agents Speak Out on ‘Putting Back the Pieces’ After Brooke
Jan 25 2009 // Brooke Group Declares Bankruptcy, Faces Rico Charges, More Lawsuits Technically, Brooke Franchise owes me $7 million, but who knows if I will ever see it,” said Roger Cunningham, former Brooke franchisee and agent/...
Texas Mutual Gains Legal Ground in Oklahoma, Tennessee Cases
Jan 23 2009 // Texas Mutual Insurance Company reported it has secured legal victories in two workers’ compensation cases that originated in Oklahoma and Tennessee. In a statement released by the company, Texas Mutual Insurance said...
Texas Windstorm Insurer: Repairs Must Follow Wind Code Rules
Jan 23 2009 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is instructing agents who have clients with residential dwellings insured under the TWIA waiver program that all repairs must be done to the current catastrophe area wind code...
Timmons Named Communications Director for Texas Agents Group
Jan 22 2009 // Linda Timmons has been promoted to director of communications for the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT). In this position, Timmons will manage the organization’s internal and external communications,...
Texas Led Nation in Catastrophic Losses in 2008
Jan 21 2009 // A combination of hurricanes and severe thunderstorms pushed claims to exceed $10 billion for Texas property and casualty insurers in 2008. The losses in Texas exceeded all of the industry’s catastrophic losses for...
Sun Belt Insurance, Higginbotham & Assoc. Join Forces
Jan 14 2009 // Sun Belt Insurance & Associates Inc., a Waco, Texas-based commercial and personal insurance and group benefits brokerage firm, and national insurance and financial services firm Higginbotham & Associates Inc.,...
