Latest Texas Headlines

Reynolds Honored with Raymond Mauk Award at Texas P/C Symposium

Jul 18 2008 // Richard “Dick” Reynolds, former chairman and executive director of the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission, was presented the Raymond Mauk Leadership Award at the Insurance Council of Texas’ 16th...

Texas Mutual Pays $51K Dividend to Emergency Service Group

Jul 18 2008 // Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced a $51,257 dividend to the Emergency Service Organization (ESO) workers’ compensation purchasing group. The dividend was based on the group’s premium volume and loss...

Texas AG Settles with Select Medical, RadioShack on ID Theft Charges

Jul 17 2008 // Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott reached settlement agreements with Select Medical Corp. and RadioShack on charges the companies failed to protect their customers from identity theft. The settlements resolve two state...

Texas Surplus Lines Association President: Membership Has Its Perks

Jul 16 2008 // Lana Parks says her managing general agency, The Parks Group, bought a new computer system after a fellow member of the Texas Surplus Lines Association shared with her their experience and knowledge of the system....

Frost Insurance Buys North Texas Agency

Jul 14 2008 // Frost Insurance, a subsidiary of Frost, has acquired Seeberger Insurance Associates, an independent insurance agency based in Plano, Texas, that specializes in group employee benefits plans. Frost Insurance reported the...

Oil and Gas Group Earns $2.9M Texas Mutual Dividend

Jul 11 2008 // Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced a $2,903,340 dividend to the Texas Oil & Gas Association (TxOGA) workers’ compensation group discount program. The dividend was based largely on the group’s premium...

Heat a Factor in 12 Texas Worksite Deaths in 3 Years, Regulators Say

Jul 10 2008 // As temperatures go up during the summer dangers increase for all people working outdoors, Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC) said in a reminder to employers to keep their...

Colo., Texas Lead the Top 10 Most Tornado Prone Areas

Jul 9 2008 // The rural area to the northeast of Denver, Colo., tops the nation when it comes to regions most prone to tornados, according to Boston-based CDS Business Mapping LLC, an online hazard mapping firm. The top 10 most tornado...

Texas-based SureTec Opens Florida Office, Names Vice President

Jul 8 2008 // Houston, Texas-based underwriter, SureTec, named Jay Edenfield as vice president in charge of southeast operations in its new Tampa office. Edenfield has over 25 years of surety experience and worked as chief surety...

Jul 7 2008 // People McQueary Henry Bowles Troy LLP (MHBT) added Jim Anderson as senior vice president in the Dallas-based firm’s property/casualty group. Anderson will oversee the production and account management of...

IIAT Names Award Winners, Elects New Officers

Jul 7 2008 // Beginning Sept. 1, 2008, Garry Kaufman, president of Galveston Insurance Associates, Galveston, Texas, will lead the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) as president. Kaufman was elected at IIAT’s 111th...

Find a Silver Lining in the Soft Market

Jul 7 2008 // Strategies From ‘Best Practices’ Agencies Searching for ways to survive and thrive in the soft market cycle? Cultivate untapped customer markets; proactively service renewals; use technology for efficiency and...

Business Moves

Jul 7 2008 // U.S. Risk Underwriters U.S. Risk Underwriters, a subsidiary of U.S. Risk Insurance Group, launched a new professional liability product for the medical tourism industry called MedTour Pro. Designed for medical tourism...

When is a Collapse a Collapse?

Jul 7 2008 // Navigating the Field of Conflicting Views Consider the following scenario: An earthquake, tornado, flood or similar natural catastrophe causes significant structural damage to an insured’s home. Although the building...

New Markets

Jul 7 2008 // The following markets were selected from the MyNewMarkets database of 25,000 coverages and programs. To find additional markets, or to submit markets, go to www.MyNewMarkets.com. International Energy Package Market Detail:...

Texas High Court Throws Out Jury Award for Girls’ Exorcism Injuries

Jul 3 2008 // The Texas Supreme Court threw out a jury award for injuries a 17-year-old girl suffered in an exorcism conducted by members of her old church, ruling that the case unconstitutionally entangled the court in religious...

Texas High Court Rules Contractor Not at Fault in Jail Death

Jul 3 2008 // The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that the descendents of a man who was found hanged with a telephone cord in a jail cell have no standing to recover damages from the contractor that supplied the telephone. In JCW...

Texas Workers’ Comp Discount, Interest Rate Set at 6.18%

Jun 30 2008 // The Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation has determined that any interest or discount provided for in the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act shall be at the rate of 6.18...

Texas Workers’ Comp Division Assesses More Than $81K in Penalties

Jun 27 2008 // Administrative penalties for April and May 2008 assessed by the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC) totaled $81,667. The disciplinary actions taken by Commissioner of...

Farmers Expands Its Flexible Auto Package in Texas

Jun 27 2008 // Effective July 1, Farmers Texas County Mutual is adding two new packages to its Farmers Flex package of options that can reward drivers for being accident-free. Farmers Senior Vice President of Personal Auto Bill Martin...