Drawert Honored with ICT Award as Insurers Celebrate Improvements

Jim Drawert, vice president and chief underwriting officer for The Republic Group, was presented the Raymond Mauk Leadership Award at the Insurance Council of Texas’ 13th Annual Mid-Year Property and Casualty Symposium in Austin. Drawert becomes the eighth recipient of the award, which honors former Texas Fire Commissioner Raymond Mauk.

In addition to honoring Drawert, the 300 representatives from more than 100 insurance companies attending the conference heard good news from industry leaders who praised what they called one of the best years on record for the state’s property and casualty industry.

Among the featured speakers was Insurance Information Institute economist Dr. Bob Hartwig, who said it was about time the P/C industry made money in Texas. He also questioned whether Texas cities were at risk for terrorism, and pointed out that support for the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act had eroded, which many insurers find alarming.

Jay Thompson of the law firm of Thompson and Coe said the industry dodged several bullets during the 79th session of the Texas Legislature. “Restricting or simply outlawing the use of credit scores was certainly on the table for discussion as was implementing a hefty franchise tax on insurers,” he said. “We were fortunate this year, but don’t expect either topic to be a dead issue whenever lawmakers are in session.”

Thompson said one of this past session’s biggest disappointments was lawmakers’ failure to reach an agreement on finding a financial solution to preparing the Texas Windstorm Insurance Plan Association for a major hurricane catastrophe.

Raymond Mauk Award
The ICT presents the Raymond Mauk Leadership Award an-nually at its Mid-Year Symposium. It is the organization’s highest honor and recognizes those whose labor has made a significant difference in the business of insurance.

Drawert rose through the ranks of the insurance industry, starting his career at Travelers in 1964. He joined The Republic Group in Dallas in 2003.

Drawert has had a distinguished career in the industry having served as chairman of the Association of Fire and Casualty Companies in Texas and vice chairman of the Texas Insurance Advisory Association. He has served on various committees of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas and currently serves as chairman of ICT’s Windpool Committee.

From the beginning of the merger that created the Insurance Council of Texas, Drawert held the vision that the organization could capitalize on the traditions and services of its predecessors while at the same time establishing itself as an innovative and proactive Texas industry association. He has contributed his time and ideas–such as advocating that ICT begin a college scholarship program–and helped create and nurture the relationships that are necessary to achieve success.