Latest Texas Headlines

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

Bastrop, Texas, Wildfire Nearly Contained, Thousands Left Homeless

Sep 20 2011 // A wildfire that began more than two weeks ago in Bastrop County is 95 percent contained, according to the Texas Forest Service. The area is about 25 miles east of Austin. The TFS reports that the cause of the fire was most...

Texas Workers’ Comp Weekly Benefit Rates Set

Sep 20 2011 // The Texas Department of Insurance – Division of Workers’ Compensation announced that the maximum weekly benefit rates for workers’ compensation income benefits is set at $787 and the minimum weekly benefit...

Former Controller for Texas Insurer Sentenced for Wire Fraud Scheme

Sep 20 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...

CAA Adds NTX Insurance Group

Sep 19 2011 // Austin, Texas-based Combined Agents of America LLC (CAA) announced the addition of it 48th member agency, NTX Insurance Group Inc. Located in North Texas, NTX Insurance Group has seven branch locations and maintains a...

State Auto Introduces Claims Team at Austin Facility

Sep 19 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...

My New Markets

Sep 19 2011 // Find markets in our database Promote your markets on our site Join our community forums Membership is free! www.MyNewMarkets.com Workers’ Compensation Market Detail: Insurex is a specialty workers’ compensation...

The Votes Are In… America’s Best Independent Agencies to Work For

Sep 19 2011 // The results are in from the 2011 Best Independent Insurance Agency to Work For survey by Insurance Journal. Ammerman Insurance Agency, Leesburg, Fla. The Graham Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Mesirow Financial, Chicago,...

Wildfires in Texas’ Bastrop County Destroy More than 1,500 Homes

Sep 19 2011 // The number of homes destroyed by wildfires in a single Texas county had risen to 1,554 as of Sept. 11, 2011. The massive Bastrop County Complex fire was one of a rash of wildfires that broke out across drought-stricken...

Business Moves

Sep 19 2011 // LevelFirstLevelFirst is a new diversified wholesale broker and managing general agency based in Dallas, Texas, that serves retail agents in the Southwest and across the country. President and CEO of LevelFirst, Robin...

Cyber Security Risks a Matter of When, Not If

Sep 19 2011 // The potential exposure of both governmental or commercial entities to network and enterprise security breaches comes down to this: It’s not a question of if, but when, and size doesn’t matter.That’s...

People

Sep 19 2011 // TDECU Insurance Agency LLC in Lake Jackson, Texas, added Wesley “Wes” Wolff as president. He brings more than 30 years of insurance agency expertise including sales, sales management and strong leadership.Wolff...

Texas Mutual Rewards Hospital Group with $209K Dividend

Sep 15 2011 // Texas Mutual Insurance Co. announced a $209,256 dividend to the Hospitals of Texas (HOTComp) safety group. The workers’ compensation dividend was based largely on HOTComp’s overall loss ratio.HOTComp safety...

Fire-weary Texas Residents Looking to Insurance

Sep 15 2011 // Brandon Bunker knew there would be nothing left. He knew from videos he had seen online that the home he and his wife shared with his father was a total loss and that his Jeep Grand Cherokee had been reduced to a...

Insured Losses from Texas Wildfires Could Reach $250 Million

Sep 14 2011 // An industry group says insured losses from a week of Texas wildfires could reach $250 million.The Insurance Council of Texas offered the estimate for the more than 180 wildfires reported statewide since Labor Day weekend....

Texas Agents Donate $200K to Texas Volunteer Fire Departments

Sep 14 2011 // Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) and its Trusted Choice agents have donated a total of $200,000 to the State Firemen’s and Fire Marshals’ Association (SFFMA) to assist volunteer fire departments.The...

State Farm Seeks 10% Homeowners Rate Hike in Texas

Sep 14 2011 // State Farm Insurance has filed notice seeking an average 10 percent increase in Texas homeowner rates.But company officials say discounts will be boosted to hold the actual premium hike to 1.4 percent statewide. The Dallas...

Nearly 2,000 Homes Destroyed in Texas Since Labor Day Weekend

Sep 13 2011 // The Texas Forest Service reports that an estimated 1,939 homes have been destroyed in the state by wildfires since the Labor Day weekend.The insured losses from the Bastrop County Complex fires alone could reach $150...

How Can Insurance Agents Help the Texas Fire Victims?

Sep 13 2011 // As fires tear through Texas, businesses and homeowners struggle to determine their losses. According to the Insurance Council of Texas, this year’s fire losses are Texas’ worst on record. The Texas Forest...

President Obama Signs Disaster Aid for Texas Wildfires

Sep 12 2011 // President Barack Obama has signed a federal disaster declaration for Texas in the wake of wildfires in the state. The move allows federal funding to be made available to individuals in Bastrop County in the central part of...

String of Wildfires Takes Toll on Texas Firefighters

Sep 12 2011 // The flames of the massive wildfire that had swallowed nearly 1,400 homes in Central Texas had been tamed, but Webster Fire Chief Patrick Shipp and his crew — veterans of a fire season pushing his team to the limit —...