Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Cancer-Causing Benzene Emissions at 10 Refineries Exceed EPA Limits: Watchdog
Feb 6 2020 // Ten U.S. oil refineries, including six in Texas, released the cancer-causing chemical benzene in concentrations that exceeded federal limits last year, according to government data published by the green group...
TDI: Former NFL Player Indicted in Texas for Fraudulent Claims
Feb 6 2020 // Former NFL player Willie Montae Reagor was arrested January 30 for submitting fraudulent health reimbursement claims after an investigation by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Fraud Unit. The TDI investigation found...
3rd Texas Oil Well Worker Dies of Injuries from Blowout
Feb 5 2020 // A third worker has died of injuries from a Central Texas oil well blowout, the company said. Chesapeake Energy spokesman Gordon Pennoyer said in a statement the company is “deeply saddened” by the...
Wesson Named President of Texas’ Swingle Collins & Associates
Feb 5 2020 // Swingle Collins & Associates, one of the largest independent insurance agencies in Texas, has appointed Mac Wesson president of the agency. Wesson comes to Swingle Collins with more 40 years of insurance industry...
California Leads Nation in Surplus Lines Premiums on 5th Year of Record Growth
Feb 4 2020 // Premium data from all surplus lines stamping offices for 2019 shows that California once again led the nation in total surplus line premiums, possibly boosted by construction spending and wildfires. The Surplus Line...
Credit Ratings of National Lloyds, American Summit Insurance Under Review
Feb 4 2020 // AM Best has placed under review with developing implications the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “a” of Texas-based National Lloyds...
Nelson Joins RHSB in Texas as Vice President
Feb 4 2020 // Roach Howard Smith & Barton (RHSB), an independent insurance brokerage firm based in North Texas, has added Lucas Nelson as vice president in the agency’s Commercial Property/Casualty sales practice. Nelson has...
South & Western to Service AmTrust Farm/Ranch Business in Oklahoma, Texas
Feb 4 2020 // South & Western General Agency Inc., with offices in Addison, Texas, and Memphis, Tennessee, has reached an agreement with AmTrust to underwrite and service AmTrust’s Farm and Ranch business in Oklahoma and...
Hilltop Holdings Selling Texas’ National Lloyds Corp. to Align Financial
Feb 3 2020 // Dallas-based Hilltop Holdings Inc. and Align Financial Holdings LLC have entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of Hilltop subsidiary, National Lloyds Corp. (National Lloyds), to Align in an all-cash transaction...
2nd Worker Injured in Texas Oil Well Blowout Dies
Feb 3 2020 // A second worker has died of injuries from a Central Texas oil well blowout, the company said. Chesapeake Energy spokesman Gordon Pennoyer said the worker died Thursday evening at a hospital. Another worker was killed in...
Electrical Spark Likely Caused Deadly Houston Blast, ATF Says
Feb 3 2020 // An electrical spark likely ignited a gas leak that led to a massive explosion in Houston last week, killing two workers, injuring 20 others and damaging hundreds of buildings, law enforcement officials said. Highly...
1 Worker Dead, Others Injured in Texas Oil Well Blowout
Jan 31 2020 // One person was killed and three others were injured on Jan. 29 in the blowout of a Central Texas oil well. All four were contractors working at a Chesapeake Energy well site on a county road near Deanville, Texas, 28 miles...
USG Insurance Hires Teague as Producer/Broker in Texas
Jan 31 2020 // USG Insurance Services Inc., a national wholesaler and MGA, has added Faryl Teague as producer/broker, commercial lines, to its Arlington, Texas, team. Teague joins the USG team with 11 years of underwriting and brokerage...
Texas Security Company Convicted of $51K Workers’ Compensation Fraud
Jan 29 2020 // HHDP Security, a Houston-based security company, has been convicted of premium fraud and ordered by a Travis County District Court judge to pay $51,131 in restitution, the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of...
South Texas Lawmaker Appointed to Windstorm Insurance Oversight Board
Jan 27 2020 // Texas state Rep. J.M. Lozano has been appointed to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) Legislative Oversight Board, a group of four State Representatives and four State Senators that will closely monitor TWIA...
People & Places
Jan 27 2020 // National Philadelphia Insurance Companies, a commercial property/casualty and professional liability insurer, has promoted Michael Cundiff from vice president to senior vice president of Surety. Cundiff will succeed Ed...
Texas E&S Premium Up 14.3% in 2019, Stamping Office Says
Jan 27 2020 // Excess and surplus lines insurance premium (E&S) in Texas reached $6.95 billion in 2019, a 14.36% increase over 2018’s premium total of $6.08 billion, according to the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas...
Policy Changes Now in Effect at Texas Windstorm Insurer
Jan 27 2020 // The new year brought some changes to residential and commercial policies provided by Texas’ insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the coast. New coverages, terms and conditions now apply to Texas Windstorm...
Study: Petrochemicals Boom Would Boost Greenhouse Gases
Jan 27 2020 // A multi-billion dollar boom in petrochemical plants proposed along the U.S. Gulf Coast could pump as much greenhouse gas into the air as 131 coal-fired power plants by 2030, according to a study released by University of...
SLTX: Surplus Lines Flood Insurance Premium Up in Texas over 5 Years
Jan 24 2020 // Surplus lines flood insurance premium filed with the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX) has increased annually over the past five years, according to SLTX. Additionally, while NFIP premium dipped in 2017, it...
