Latest Texas Headlines

All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Combined Agents of America Adds Wade to Leadership Team

Jan 15 2014 // Combined Agents of America LLC (CAA), with headquarters in Austin, Texas, announced that William H. (Bill) Wade II has joined its team as director of carrier relations and program management.Wade has more than 40 years of...

Texas Windstorm Insurer Releases Questionable Emails to Attorney

Jan 13 2014 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) announced it has released to a litigator what it calls “potentially offensive” emails as part of discovery in a lawsuit against the insurer brought on behalf of...

BP Oil Spill Settlement Fight Wages On

Jan 13 2014 // BP Plc’s $9.2 billion partial settlement over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was upheld by an appeals court over the company’s protest that the deal wasn’t valid unless a claims-payment dispute was...

Declarations

Jan 13 2014 // Free Speech Ripoff“This case is really important because businesses should not be able to silence their customers.” —Scott Michelman of nonprofit Public Citizen Litigation Group says the case of a Utah couple...

Ex-Texas School Boards Official Admits Stealing $500K from Insurance Fund

Jan 10 2014 // The former workers’ compensation claims chief for the Texas Association of School Boards admits to stealing more than $500,000 from the group’s insurance fund. Federal prosecutors say Herman G. Wilks pleaded...

TWIA Expert Panel Working on Methods to Assess Wind/Water Property Loss

Jan 10 2014 // A panel studying methods to assess property loss incurred as a result of wind versus water forces along the Texas coast expects to have the first of four study components ready for consideration next month.The mission of...

Texas Brine: Arch Specialty Insurance Should Pay Sinkhole Claims Costs

Jan 9 2014 // Texas Brine Co., the company blamed for the Bayou Corne-area sinkhole, has filed a formal complaint with the Louisiana Department of Insurance. The company alleges one of its insurers is not paying up as its policy...

Dixon Joins Texas-Based BevCap Management

Jan 8 2014 // BevCap Management LLC a captive insurance program manager based in McKinney, Texas, announced that Jason Dixon has joined its team. Jason brings 18 years of experience working with employee benefits, and health and welfare...

Texas Insurance Executive Enters State Senate Race

Jan 8 2014 // Richard “Gordy” Bunch, founder, president and CEO of The Woodlands, Texas-based insurance agency, The Woodlands Financial Group (TWFG), has announced his candidacy for the state’s 4th Senate District.A...

Loving, Paul, Vickers Appointed to Texas Surplus Lines Board

Jan 8 2014 // Texas Commissioner of Insurance Julia Rathgeber has appointed Randle Loving, Paul Rainey and Cynthia Vickers to the board of directors of the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas for terms to expire Dec. 31, 2016.Loving...

Texas Health Advisers Blast New Proposed Navigator Rules

Jan 7 2014 // During a public hearing on Jan. 5, counselors who help Texas residents up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act criticized proposed state rules that would require them to undergo additional training and pay...

Obama Administration Considers Rules on Use of Explosive Chemicals

Jan 7 2014 // Farmers and oil drillers may be required to report their use of explosive chemicals under measures the Obama administration is considering to avoid disasters such as a Texas blast that killed 14 people last year.Policy...

Allstate, State Farm, Farmers Plan to Raise Home Insurance Rates in Texas

Jan 5 2014 // Texas’ three largest home insurers are kicking off 2014 with steep increases in policyholder premiums, according to a report published on Jan. 4.The Dallas Morning News reports that Allstate, Farmers and State Farm...

Gilbert to Chair Insurance Council of Texas Board

Jan 3 2014 // The Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) has elected Bo Gilbert chairman of its board of directors, effective Jan. 1, 2014.Gilbert is the assistant vice president for USAA Government Relations in the Midwestern Region. At...

Texas Brine Draws up New Plans for Louisiana Sinkhole

Jan 2 2014 // Records show that Texas Brine Co. has developed a backup plan to replace the cracked southern section of a protective levee surrounding the sinkhole in Louisiana’s northern Assumption Parish and may look to reroute...

State Auto, Western Region, Makes Executive Changes

Jan 2 2014 // State Auto’s Western Region unit, based in Austin, Texas, has made new assignments and promotions effective Jan. 1, 2014, the company announced.Lyndell Haigood, previously regional vice president – personal...

North Dakota Train Fire Restarts Oil Transport Safety Debate

Jan 2 2014 // The derailment and fire that led to the evacuation of a North Dakota town has renewed the debate over whether it’s safer to ship oil by rail or pipeline as the U.S. completes a review of the Keystone XL...

Select Insurance Markets Adds Kendrick as Marketing Representative in Texas

Dec 31 2013 // Select Insurance Markets LP of Houston, Texas, has added Heather Kendrick as a marketing representative.Kendrick’s responsibility will include adding new agents, as well as field support for the existing group of SIM...

Crude Oil Train in North Dakota Catches Fire After Derailing

Dec 31 2013 // A BNSF Railway Co. train carrying oil caught fire after a collision with railcars in North Dakota, causing a series of explosions that prompted police to urge local residents to evacuate the area.There were no injuries to...

U.S. Opens Skies to Test Use of Aerial Drones

Dec 31 2013 // The U.S. government took a step on Monday toward opening the skies to aerial drones, authorizing six sites where unmanned aircraft can be tested for a variety of uses.The Federal Aviation Administration already had...