Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
State Farm Seeks 3.6% Homeowners Rate Hike in Texas
Dec 19 2007 // State Farm Insurance Co., the largest insurer of homes and cars in Texas, said it filed for an average 3.6 percent rate increase for its Texas homeowners’ insurance policies. The filing includes larger multi-line...
Correction: Texas Insurance Professionals Honored by Utica National
Dec 17 2007 // Editor’s Note: The original version of this story incorrectly identified Mark Solomon, Jr. as being associated with All Auto Insurance Agency Inc. in Richardson and a TIP Board member. Mark Solomon, Jr. is head of...
Farmers Insurance Wants Steep Rate Hike in Texas’ Gulf Counties
Dec 17 2007 // Farmers Insurance has indicated it wants to raise home insurance rates 20 to 30 percent along the Texas coast, while reducing rates in many other areas. The company’s rate filing with the Texas Department of...
Texas Insurance Professionals Honored by Utica National
Dec 13 2007 // Texas Insurance Professionals recently received the Outstanding Sales Achievement Award from the Utica National Insurance Group. Utica Special Programs Vice President/Director Curtis Pearsall praised Mark Solomon Jr., of...
Small Business Groups Get Big Dividends from Texas Mutual
Dec 13 2007 // Texas Mutual Insurance Company reported $684,997 in dividends to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) workers’ compensation purchasing groups. The dividends were based largely on the groups’...
Best Revises Zurich Outlook to ‘Positive,’ Affirms ‘A’ Ratings
Dec 12 2007 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a+” of Zurich Insurance Company (ZIC), the main operating company of...
Texas Restaurant Owner Arrested on Arson Charges
Dec 12 2007 // The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Boerne Fire Marshals Office and the Texas State Fire Marshals Office announced the arrest of Joseph Stasny, a 39-year-old resident of Boerne, Texas,...
Texas Lawmakers, Workers Criticize Court’s Liability Ruling
Dec 12 2007 // Four state lawmakers and the Texas AFL-CIO have asked the Texas Supreme Court to reverse its decision in a case they say incorrectly expands liability protections for employers under state workers’ compensation...
Texas Unemployment Insurance Rate Cut Should Save Employers $270M
Dec 10 2007 // A state agency said it cut the unemployment-insurance tax rate, which will save Texas employers $270 million next year. The rate cut was due to low recent jobless rates and the Legislature’s decision to eliminate a...
Has Tort Reform Worked Too Well in Texas?
Dec 7 2007 // The Texas Legislature enacted tort reform measures in 2003 that among other things placed a $250,000 cap on non-economic damage awards against individual health care practitioners, a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages...
Texas to Receive More than $50M for Improvement Projects
Dec 7 2007 // More than $50 million in federal public assistance (PA) funding has been set aside by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for eligible projects in the state of Texas. More than 3,391 projects have declared...
Campbell Joins Maverick Surplus Lines as Marketing/Sales Director
Dec 6 2007 // Toni Campbell is the new Marketing and Sales director for Dallas-based Maverick Surplus Lines Inc., a specialist in wholesale nonsubscriber program business and services. Campbell will be responsible for appointing new...
Candy From Mexico Recalled; Texas Officials Say it Has too Much Lead
Dec 6 2007 // A syrup candy imported from Mexico is being voluntarily recalled after state health officials found excessive levels of lead, Texas officials said. San Antonio-based Villa-Mex Imports Inc. is asking customers to discard...
Former Texas Assistant AG to Fight Fraud in Private Law Firm
Dec 4 2007 // Patrick O’Connell, former chief of the Texas Attorney General’s Civil Medicaid Fraud Section, has joined Dallas-based Baron & Budd, P.C., as special counsel in the firm’s newly established Austin...
Texas Supreme Court Shakes up Outlook for Co-insurers at Odds
Dec 2 2007 // Overpaying insurer may not always have cause of action against underpaying company It is common for an insured to have two insurers cover the same risk. When the insured is sued regarding that risk, both insurers have a...
New Markets
Dec 2 2007 // 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. Solo/Small Firm Lawyers PL Nuts &...
Guaranty Fund System Continues to Deliver
Dec 2 2007 // Funds fulfill statutory promise to protect policyholders At the heart of every property and casualty insurance contract lies a promise to soften the blow of misfortune. But what happens when an insurance company becomes...
Victims of 2005 BP Texas Plant Blast Concerned About Plea Deal
Nov 30 2007 // A judge allowed victims of BP PLC’s deadly 2005 plant explosion to pursue complaints about a plea agreement resulting from a federal investigation of the accident. Attorneys for the victims have argued that a $50...
Thousands Eligible, not Enrolled, in Public Insurance for Kids
Nov 29 2007 // More than 850,000 of the 1.5 million Texas children who don’t have health insurance are eligible for but not enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program or Medicaid, a state official says. Health and...
Texans to Plug Into Wind Energy with Help from Allstate
Nov 28 2007 // Two thousand Texas homes are getting wired into the wind grid with a green donation from Allstate Insurance Company. The insurer announced it will provide enough clean, renewable, wind energy to power the equivalent of...
