A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating to B (Fair) from B++ (Good) and issuer credit rating to “bb” from “bbb” of Dallas National Insurance Co. (DNIC) in Dallas, Texas. The outlook for both ratings is negative. The …
Swett & Crawford has opened an office in Houston, Texas, headed by Senior Vice President and Property Specialist John Konstantinidis. Konstantinidis has relocated from Swett’s New York office to Houston. Swett Executive Vice President Michael Ruhe cites Houston’s strong economy …
Firefighters in Texas are attempting to contain more wildfires after several blazes broke out across the state and destroyed more than three dozen homes. Hundreds of people were told to evacuate June 19 after fires swept through eastern and central …
A new flood map for Louisiana’s Lafayette Parish is expected to offer a mixed bag, shrinking flood zones in some areas while making large tracts of vacant land more difficult to develop. The final version of the Federal Emergency Management …
Fritz Koehler has joined BancorpSouth Insurance Services Inc. as the managing director of its Houston office. BancorpSouth purchased Koehler’s book of business from his agency Fritz Koehler Insurance & Risk Management and selected him to head the Houston operations. With …
Texas Gov. Rick Perry vetoed 23 bills on June 17, including legislation that would have outlawed sending or reading text messages while driving. Lawmakers approved the texting ban last month, but Perry called it an “overreach” and “government effort to …
Oklahoma’s unemployment rate declined in the month of May. The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission reported that unemployment in Oklahoma fell from 5.6 percent in April to 5.3 percent last month. According to OESC statistics, there were 91,930 people unemployed in …
The Texas House approved widespread changes on June 15 to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the organization that insures people who live along the coast. The House passed the bill on a 99-41 vote. The bill must pass a final …
A week after two unarmed Louisiana insurance fraud investigators were shot and killed while looking into a case, state lawmakers are working to give the investigators’ families some compensation. The Louisiana Senate unanimously agreed on June 15 to expand existing …
Kyle Stevens, president and CEO of Western Security Surplus Insurance Brokers (WSS) and Dallas-based WestPro Insurance Services, has delivered a $25,000 check to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure as a result of a 2010 fundraising effort. In late …
