Latest Texas Headlines

All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Texas Comptroller Says Construction Commission Favors Builders

Jan 25 2006 // The Texas Residential Construction Commission is acting as a “builder protection agency” and has no power to force homebuilders to repair construction defects in new houses, according to state Comptroller...

TDI Posts December Enforcements

Jan 25 2006 // The Texas Department of Insurance announced enforcement actions taken by Commissioner Mike Geeslin that became final during December 2005. The actions include two license revocations, one license denial and fines and...

Texas DWC Posts Updated Forms and Notices Online

Jan 24 2006 // Forms and notices used by Texas workers’ compensation system participants recently were updated to reflect the new administration of the system by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), Division of Workers’...

Texas Workers’ Comp Brown Bag Session Scheduled for Feb. 8

Jan 24 2006 // The Bryan/College Station Field Office of the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), Division of Workers’ Compensation is hosting a Brown Bag Educational Session for health care providers, employers, human resource...

Springing Back

Jan 23 2006 // In the insurance world catastrophes pretty much defined what 2005 was all about; 2004, as well, for that matter. As devastating as all the hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes were for the people who suffered from them,...

Surplus Line Market: Speculations for 2006

Jan 23 2006 // AUTHOR: By Susan McKenna Experts agree. The surplus lines market remains alive, healthy and stable. Who can argue with the success of this niche-based market that has risen from 4 percent in 1984 to almost 15 percent of...

Texas Governor to address agents at management seminar

Jan 23 2006 // Texas Gov. Rick Perry will deliver a special luncheon address at the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas’ 43rd Annual Joe Vincent Management Seminar. Nearly 400 of the state’s most progressive and influential...

Arson suspected in Texas wildfires

Jan 23 2006 // Some 70 fires thought to be work of arsonists Many of the wildfires that plagued Texas during the first half of January 2006 may have been started intentionally, according to the Texas Forest Service. Some 70 wildfires in...

People & Places

Jan 23 2006 // The Insurance Council of Texas elected James Langford as chairman of its Board of Directors effective Jan. 1, 2006. Langford is the assistant vice president of compliance, regulatory and governmental affairs, and training...

Health care networks coming soon to Texas workers’ comp system

Jan 23 2006 // Health care costs in the Texas workers’ compensation system are among the highest in the nation. Furthermore, studies suggest that one out of every four injured employees does not return to work. In an effort to...

Editor’s Note: Springing Back

Jan 22 2006 // Despite losses from the 2005 hurricane season, property and casualty insurance company failures de-clined 44 percent from the previous year. In the insurance world catastrophes pretty much defined what 2005 was all about;...

People

Jan 22 2006 // The Insurance Council of Texas elected James Langford as chairman of its Board of Directors effective Jan. 1, 2006. Langford is the assistant vice president of compliance, regulatory and governmental affairs, and training...

News Currents

Jan 22 2006 // Surplus Line Market: Speculations for 2006 Experts agree. The surplus lines market remains alive, healthy and stable. Who can argue with the success of this niche-based market that has risen from 4 percent in 1984 to...

Texas governor to address agents at management seminar

Jan 22 2006 // Texas Gov. Rick Perry will deliver a special luncheon address at the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas’ 43rd Annual Joe Vincent Management Seminar. Nearly 400 of the state’s most progressive and influential...

Business Moves

Jan 22 2006 // American National Bank of Texas; Sleeper Sewell & Co. The American National Bank of Texas of Terrell, Texas, has acquired Dallas-based insurance agency Sleeper, Sewell & Company. Led by President and CEO Robert...

Arson suspected in Texas wildfires

Jan 22 2006 // Many of the wildfires that plagued Texas during the first half of January 2006 may have been started intentionally, according to the Texas Forest Service. Some 70 wildfires in Texas are thought to have been started by...

Health care networks coming soon to Texas workers’ comp system

Jan 22 2006 // In certain situations, employees may seek care outside the network. An employee who has a pre-existing relationship with an HMO doctor may receive treatment for a workers’ compensation injury from that...

13 Companies Approved to Self-Insure Workers’ Comp in Texas

Jan 19 2006 // Texas Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation Albert Betts recently approved the reapplications for Certificates of Authority to Self-Insure covering a one-year period for 13 private employers in Texas. Commissioner...

Higginbotham & Associates Adds New Managing Directors

Jan 18 2006 // Independent insurance agency Higginbotham & Associates, based in Fort Worth, Texas, added brokers John Huggins and Mark Vann to its managing director team to recognize their individual sales production of $1 million...

Texas Workers’ Comp Rulebook Supplement 2005-04 of Emergency Rules Available Online

Jan 18 2006 // Rulebook Supplement 2005-04 containing emergency rules recently adopted by the Texas Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation is available online from the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), Division of Workers’...