Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
4 Texas School Districts Close Due to Virus Outbreaks
Aug 19 2021 // As the new school year begins for Texas students and mask mandates are debated in various state courts, at least four school districts have already closed campuses due to COVID-19 outbreaks. The shutdowns are taking place...
People Moves: Keystone Names Pizzolato Texas State VP; USG Hires Strickland in Houston
Aug 17 2021 // Keystone Insurers Group Keystone Insurers Group appointed Meghan Pizzolato as its Texas state vice president. Pizzolato most recently served as a personal insurance sales executive with Kemper in the Dallas area. There,...
AM Best Assigns B+ Rating to Texas’ National Unity Insurance
Aug 17 2021 // AM Best assigned a Financial Strength Rating of B+ and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “bbb-” (Good) to National Unity Insurance Co. (National Unity) in San Antonio, Texas. The outlook assigned to the...
COVID-19 Cases Skyrocket in Texas Nursing Homes; Nearly Half of Workers Unvaccinated
Aug 16 2021 // The number of nursing homes across the state with at least one active COVID-19 case has shot up nearly 800% in the past month — while nearly half of nursing home employees in Texas remain unvaccinated. Nursing home...
People Moves: Texas Agent, Padron, Named Invest Chair
Aug 13 2021 // Invest Invest, the classroom-to-career education program backed by the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, appointed Juan Padron, partner at SafeGuard Insurance Agency in McAllen, Texas, as the new chair...
Texas Sees Increasing Numbers of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Deaths
Aug 13 2021 // Texas transportation officials say in 2020 there was a dramatic rise in the number of people killed walking and biking on roadways. Despite a decrease in traffic crashes in 2020, 731 people died in pedestrian-related...
Increasing COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in Florida, Texas Could Have Saved 4,700 Lives Through July
Aug 13 2021 // The success of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in many states demonstrates the real-world feasibility, and impact, of achieving high vaccination coverage. By the end of July, the five highest-performing states — Vermont,...
Texas Auto Recycler Settles Disability Discrimination Suit for $90K
Aug 11 2021 // A Texas-based auto recycler will pay $90,000 to settle a federal disability discrimination lawsuit, officials said. In addition, K&L Auto Crushers in Tyler will furnish other relief to settle a disability...
5th Circuit: Texas May Not Regulate Air Ambulance Fees
Aug 10 2021 // A federal appellate court ruled on Aug. 4 that the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation may not enforce a law that regulates fees charged by air ambulance companies that transport injured...
Texas Outlines Legislative Changes in SB 1367 Related to Property/Casualty Insurance
Aug 10 2021 // Noting the passage in the 87th Legislature of Senate Bill 1367, which made changes to certain lines of insurance, the Texas Department of Insurance has outlined the changes that are effective for an insurance policy that...
People Moves: WSS Adds Brininstool in Texas; Skyward Specialty Expands With New Hires
Aug 10 2021 // Western Security Surplus Insurance Brokers Plano, Texas-based wholesale brokerage and general agency Western Security Surplus Insurance Brokers (WSS), an XPT Partners company, hired Blake Brininstool as a broker and...
Texas Surplus Lines Premium Total for July 2021: $836.1M
Aug 9 2021 // Texas surplus lines premium for July 2021 reached $836.1 million, the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX) reported. The number brings the year-to-date total up to $5.42 billion as of the end of July, a 16.1%...
Staffing Crisis Hits Texas Hospitals as Burnout Depletes Workforce, Virus Surges
Aug 6 2021 // Texas nurse Jenna Price gets half a dozen solicitations a day from hospitals and staffing agencies that want to pay her four times her current salary to leave her job at a suburban Central Texas emergency room and take a...
Van Carrying 25 in Texas Crashes; Leaves at Least 11 Dead, Others Injured
Aug 6 2021 // An overloaded van carrying about 25 passengers crashed Aug. 3 on a remote South Texas highway, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than a dozen others, authorities said. The crash happened shortly after 4 p.m. on...
Filtration System Blamed for Chemical Leak at Texas Water Park
Aug 6 2021 // A Texas water park says a chemical exposure that sent dozens of people to hospitals was caused by “improper installation” of a water filtration system. Six Flags officials said a third-party service company...
Alliant Acquires Benefit Concepts in Texas
Aug 5 2021 // Alliant Insurance Services acquired group and individual benefits agency, Houston-based Benefit Concepts Inc. (BCI). Founded in 1983, BCI provides a full range of employee benefits products and services to businesses and...
New Agency, Emergent Insurance Solutions, Launched in Texas
Aug 5 2021 // Doug Phenix, founder of Texas Printers Insurance Agency (TPIA), is now leading a newly established agency, Emergent Insurance Solutions (EIS), based in Houston. Phenix, president of EIS, has more than 30 years of...
Texas Awards $13.6M in Grants to Fight Motor Vehicle Crime
Aug 4 2021 // Communities across Texas are sharing $13.6 million in grant funding aimed at reducing and preventing motor vehicle crime in the state. The Texas Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority (MVCPA) grants provide support for...
Sigo Seguros Launches Spanish-First Auto Insurance Product in Texas
Aug 4 2021 // Sigo Seguros, an auto insurance provider serving the Spanish-speaking community, launched its own auto insurance product in Texas that it says is transparent, affordable and natively available in Spanish and English. By...
Confie Acquires ASAP Insurance in Texas
Aug 3 2021 // Huntington Beach, California-based personal lines insurance distribution company, Confie, acquired ASAP Insurance in Texas. With the acquisition of ASAP Insurance, the company broadens its presence in Texas. ASAP stores...
