Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Business Losses Due to Civil Authority Action: When Is There Coverage?
May 12 2011 // Virtually all insurance policies contain provisions and exclusions dealing with events that most insureds consider so remote and unlikely that they rarely give any thought to their possible occurrence, much less what...
Bills to Continue Insurance Dept., Reform Wind Pool Pass Texas House
May 12 2011 // Republicans in Texas easily swatted down major changes to insurance regulation in a Texas House bill that would keep the current rules and bureaucracy in place. The bill continuing the functions of the Texas Department of...
Ratings Recap: Keystone, Forestry Mutual, Residential Re, National Unity, Dakota
May 12 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to ‘A+’ (Superior) from’ B++’ (Good) and the issuer credit ratings (ICRs) to “aa-” from “bbb” of Keystone...
Workers’ Compensation Injury Hotline Expands in Texas
May 11 2011 // Company Nurse, a nurse hotline for workplace injuries, has expanded its presence in Texas, adding account management staff to serve the Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and surrounding areas. Company Nurse was developed to help...
Alleged Sale of Fake Antibiotic Draws Lawsuit from Texas AG
May 9 2011 // The Texas Attorney General’s Office is suing companies from Texas and Georgia accused of misleading mostly Hispanic consumers by selling a dietary supplement under a name similar to the Spanish translation of a...
Hundreds Sue Over West Texas Chemical Contamination
May 9 2011 // Two lawsuits have been filed on behalf of more than 250 West Texas residents against four companies they contend contaminated their Midland-area neighborhood with hexavalent chromium. According to court documents obtained...
Texas: Many Life Insurers Keep Beneficiary Proceeds in Accounts
May 9 2011 // The Texas Department of Insurance says a recent industry survey shows that many life insurance companies place policy proceeds into Retained Asset Accounts (RAAs) instead of paying proceeds directly to the beneficiaries....
‘Exceptional Drought’ Expands in Texas, Oklahoma
May 6 2011 // The severe drought ravaging Texas and other parts of the U.S. Southwest is getting worse, weather experts said Thursday, and little respite is in sight for farmers, ranchers and others whose livelihoods and properties are...
FEMA Defends Lack of Disaster Declaration Over Texas Wildfires
May 5 2011 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency defended its decision to refuse more assistance for Texas in the wake of devastating wildfires, saying that the state has already received sufficient U.S. government help. Gov. Rick...
Texas Continues Crack Down on Late Surplus Line Filings
May 4 2011 // Among the enforcement actions for March 2011 announced by the Texas Department of Insurance are a number of fines imposed on surplus lines wholesalers for failing to report surplus line premium in a timely...
Texas Supreme Court: Public Entities Immune from Retaliatory Discharge Claims
May 3 2011 // A ruling by the Texas Supreme Court will make it more difficult for former employees of public entities to pursue retaliatory discharge claims against those employers. The Court has held that a political subdivision has...
Higher Humidity Readings Aid Texas Wildfire Crews
May 3 2011 // Higher humidity readings in West Texas have given an assist to crew battling wildfires in the arid reaches of West Texas. Federal firefighting team spokeswoman Diane Steltz said no structures were lost or threatened on May...
Federal Fire Crews Bring Expertise to Huge West Texas Fire
May 2 2011 // In firefighting circles, they are considered the best of the best. Hotshots, they’re called — a specially trained assortment of federal firefighters tasked with battling the most stubborn blazes in the most rugged...
Business Losses Due to ‘Action’ by Civil Authorities: When Is There Coverage?
May 2 2011 // Virtually all insurance policies contain provisions and exclusions dealing with events that most insureds consider so remote and unlikely that they rarely give any thought to their possible occurrence, much less what...
Texas Wildfires Fueled by High Winds, Drought
May 2 2011 // Firefighters continued in late April to make gradual progress containing massive, wind-whipped wildfires that raged across Texas during the month. West Texas firefighters rushed to finish controlled burns in the Ft. Davis...
People
May 2 2011 // Dallas-based insurance brokerage firm Roach Howard Smith & Barton (RHSB) appointed Tom A. Hughston as its new CEO. Hughston, previously the company’s executive vice president, is an established leader in the...
Texas Insurance Veteran Sees Opportunity in Growing Hispanic Market
Apr 29 2011 // With 30 years of industry experience under his belt, one Texas-based insurance executive decided it was time to open his own operation to serve the insurance needs of the growing Hispanic population. While Dallas-based...
Brodbeck Named Trusted Choice Hometown Hero in Texas
Apr 28 2011 // The Indpendent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) has named Randy Brodbeck of the Adams Insurance Agency in Johnson City as its newest Trusted Choice Hometown Hero. The Hometown Hero program recognizes Trusted Choice...
Hail Storm Slams Abilene, Brings Some Relief to Wildfire Area
Apr 26 2011 // Baseball size hail hit Abilene, Texas, on April 24 causing property damage to vehicles, homes and businesses. Hail fell from a line of storms that passed over the southern half of the city and continued to move eastward...
Firefighters in Texas Continue Battle, Worry About Weather
Apr 25 2011 // Firefighters continued to make gradual progress containing massive, wind-whipped wildfires that raged across Texas on April 23, while expressing worry that a change in the weather early next week could spark a new...
