Latest Texas Headlines

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

People

Oct 3 2011 // State Auto Insurance’s previously announced Austin, Texas, claims facility is now operational, the company reported. The following individuals serve on the claims team at the Austin facility:Sandra Robinson, claims...

Business Moves

Oct 3 2011 // U.S. Risk, American Special RiskDallas-based managing general agency and surplus line wholesaler U.S. Risk Insurance Group Inc. has acquired American Special Risk Insurance Services, headquartered in Woodland Hills, Calif....

Power Line Sparks Likely Caused Bastrop, Texas, Blaze

Oct 3 2011 // Sparks from electric power lines likely started the blaze that became the most destructive wildfire in Texas history, fire officials said. The Sept. 4 blaze began near Bastrop about 25 miles east of Austin, destroying more...

Fire-ravaged Texas Land May Lose Half Its Value

Oct 3 2011 // Texas property blackened by wildfires may suffer reductions in value by as much as 50 to 60 percent and a full recovery could take years, according to Lewis Realty Advisors, a Texas-based real estate appraisal and...

Fraud Roundup

Oct 3 2011 // The former controller for a Houston-based property/casualty insurance company has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for her conviction of conspiracy to commit wire fraud involving almost $1 million in loss to...

Agriculture Losses from Texas Wildfires Adding Up

Sep 30 2011 // In addition to the $5.2 billion in agricultural losses as a result of the drought in Texas this year, an additional $150 million in losses can be attributed to wildfires, according to state agriculture experts.Dr. Andy...

Texas Man Sentenced to 60 Years for $100M Insurance Fraud

Sep 30 2011 // After hearing tearful testimony from several people whose life savings were stolen, a federal judge in Virginia sentenced a former Texas businessman to 60 years in prison for his role in a $100 million life insurance scam...

Power Utility Sued After Massive Texas Wildfire

Sep 29 2011 // A utility knew about wildfire dangers amid Texas’ severe drought but failed to remove dead trees and branches near power lines that sparked the most destructive wildfire in state history, an attorney said after...

Feds Sue Texas Firm for Firing 600-Pound Employee

Sep 29 2011 // The federal government has filed suit against BAE Systems alleging the company has violated disability laws by firing a morbidly obese employee at its Houston-area plant.The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s...

Iowa Won’t File Criminal Charges Against Texas Firm

Sep 27 2011 // Iowa won’t pursue criminal charges against a Texas company that’s accused of exploiting developmentally disabled workers at a turkey plant in eastern Iowa.According to the Des Moines Register, the Iowa Attorney...

Insured Losses in Bastrop County Fire to Reach $250M

Sep 27 2011 // Insured damages from what has become the costliest wildfire in Texas history will climb to $250 million, an insurer trade group says.The Bastrop County Complex fire is now 98 percent contained, according to the Texas Fire...

Texas Denies State Farm’s Catastrophe Petition

Sep 26 2011 // The Texas Department of Insurance has denied a catastrophe determination petition submitted by State Farm Insurance Cos. in response to wildfires that have plagued the state in September.The department said it denied the...

Texas Car Dealer Convicted in Title Washing Scheme

Sep 23 2011 // A federal jury in Texas has convicted a car dealer from Rowlett for ‘title washing,’ a fraudulent process through which a vehicle’s title is corruptly altered to conceal information that should normally...

$97M Worth of Timber Destroyed in Texas Wildfires

Sep 23 2011 // East Texas is deeply rooted in the timber industry — and during the last 10 months, wildfires have wiped out more than $97 million worth of the region’s trees, the Texas Forest Service reports.Since wildfire season...

Power Line Sparks Likely Caused Bastrop, Texas Blaze

Sep 22 2011 // Fire officials say sparks from electric power lines likely started the blaze that became the most destructive wildfire in Texas history.The blaze started about 25 miles east of Austin near Bastrop Sept. 4, destroying more...

Texas Workers’ Comp August Enforcements Include Fines of Up to $18K

Sep 22 2011 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC) announced the following disciplinary actions that became final for August 2011.Cherokee Insurance Company of Warren, Mich. Order Number:...

Insurance Journal Names Trammell as South Central/Texas Advertising Rep

Sep 22 2011 // Wells Publishing has named Mindy Trammell as its new advertising sales representative in the South Central/Texas region for its flagship Insurance Journal online and print property/casualty insurance publications.Trammell...

Fire-Ravaged Texas Land May Lose Half Its Value

Sep 21 2011 // Texas property blackened by wildfires may suffer reductions in value by as much as 50 to 60 percent and a full recovery could take years, according to Lewis Realty Advisors, a Texas-based real estate appraisal and...

Texas Forest Service: Residents Should Clear Debris Around Homes

Sep 21 2011 // With the wildfire in Texas’ Bastrop County mostly contained, the Texas Forest Service is urging residents who live in the area affected by the 34,000-plus-acre wildfire to clear recently fallen pine needles and other...

Texas Mutual Announces Safety Group for Oil and Gas Industry

Sep 21 2011 // Texas Mutual Insurance Co. announced a new workers’ compensation safety group: Texas Alliance of Energy Producers (TAEP). The group is open to qualifying businesses in the oil and gas production industry. Members of...