Latest Texas Headlines

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

Texas Mutual Elects Board Members

Jun 25 2003 // Austin-based Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced that two board members were elected at the company’s second annual policyholder meeting. Over 4,600 policyholders voted—either in person or by proxy—to elect...

Swett & Crawford Promotes Bancroft and Burnes

Jun 24 2003 // Swett & Crawford of Texas Inc. announced that Simon Bancroft was named president and CEO, and Paula Burnes was promoted to the position of executive vice president and COO of the company. Bancroft, a 26-year veteran...

Inside the Contractors Market

Jun 23 2003 // If you find placing contractors insurance these days almost as daunting as building the house, condo, apartment or other facility itself, you are not alone. A restrictive market, high minimum premiums and tighter...

Perry Signs Reform Bill into Law

Jun 23 2003 // In mid-June Texas Governor Rick Perry signed into law Senate Bill 14 and House Bill 4. The first bill reforms the way home and auto insurers are regulated in the state; the second places a cap on non-economic damages in...

SIIS LEGISLATIVE FORUM:

Jun 23 2003 // Southwestern Insurance Information Service will host a Public Policy Forum, “The Texas Legislative Session: Beyond the Debate,” July 11, 2003 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Panelists will...

Minority and Women Agents Look to Tap Emerging Markets

Jun 23 2003 // Insurance is about numbers, and right now the numbers are depressing when it comes to minority and women agents in the business. In spite of the tremendous growth of minority populations in the United States and the...

Inside the Contractors Market

Jun 23 2003 // If you find placing contractors insurance these days almost as daunting as building the house, condo, apartment or other facility itself, you are not alone. A restrictive market, high minimum premiums and tighter...

Perhaps a Large Cash Prize is the Answer

Jun 23 2003 // When battling Legislative dragons every two years, those of us who work for the Texas property and casualty insurance industry are dramatically reminded how poorly our business is understood. Furthermore, our antagonists...

NAII: La., Texas Lighten Regulatory Load

Jun 20 2003 // Louisiana and Texas legislators opted to overhaul their insurance regulatory systems this year with competition-based solutions that should help to address the insurance availability and affordability crises that have...

Hallmark Financial Sets Record Date For Rights Offering

Jun 18 2003 // Fort Worth, Texas-based property/casualty insurer, Hallmark Financial Services Inc., reported that the record date for its previously announced rights offering has been set for the close of business on June 27, 2003. Upon...

Texas Medical Malpractice Reform Legislation Signed Into Law

Jun 13 2003 // Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed into law reform legislation designed ease the medical malpractice crisis and ensure that all Texans have access to quality, affordable health care. The measure, House Bill 4, includes a...

Gov. Perry Signs Reform Legislation

Jun 11 2003 // Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed Senate Bill 14, the recently passed insurance reform legislation, during a signing ceremony at a construction site in Temple. According to a statement released by the governor’s office,...

Video Evidence Used in Texas Workers’ Comp Fraud Case

Jun 11 2003 // Texas Judge Bill Bender in the 403rd Judicial District Court found Thomas O’Laughlin guilty of workers’ compensation fraud after O’Laughlin pleaded no contest. According to Texas Mutual Insurance Company,...

Winstead’s Bass to Address Impact of New Tort & Insurance Laws

Jun 11 2003 // Business law firm Winstead Sechrest & Minick announced that pay clauses, sovereign immunity, prompt pay and dispute resolution are among the issues Robert C. Bass, chair of Winstead’s Construction Practice and a...

SIIS to Hold Public Forum in July

Jun 9 2003 // Southwestern Insurance Information Service announced it will host a Public Policy Forum, “The Texas Legislative Session: Beyond the Debate,” July 11, 2003 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dallas,...

Burns & Wilcox Chairman Reflects on Decades of Business

Jun 9 2003 // Recently, Insurance Journal sat down with Alan Kaufman, chairman, president, and CEO of the H.W. Kaufman Financial Group and its subsidiary, Burns & Wilcox Ltd. As chairman, Kaufman has played an active role through a...

Working with Blowouts, Knock-for-Knocks and Other Oil Patch Oddities

Jun 9 2003 // One of the big issues facing small- to mid-size oil and gas operators and contractors these days is the need to determine how much risk they are willing to carry themselves and how much they want to transfer to an insuring...

Texas Regulation Bill Passes in Last Hours of Session

Jun 9 2003 // In the waning hours of the 78th Legislature Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 14, the long-awaited insurance reform bill, giving additional power to the Insurance Commissioner to control residential and automobile...

FARMERS SETTLEMENT APPROVED:

Jun 9 2003 // State District Judge Scott Jenkins gave preliminary approval to the $117.5 million settlement between the State of Texas and Farmers Insurance. The record settlement is the result of action taken by the Texas Office of...

TEXAS MOLD CLAIMS HIT $4 BILLION:

Jun 9 2003 // Texas insurance companies paid out around $4 billion for mold claims in the past three years. According to the Insurance Council of Texas, an insurance trade association, mold claims have represented a larger monetary loss...