Latest Texas Headlines

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

People & Places

Dec 19 2005 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Robert Wooley announced that Clarissa A. Preston has been named deputy commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Insurance Office of Property and Casualty, and Scott Kipper is now deputy...

IIAT SURVEY SHOWS IMPROVEMENTS

Dec 19 2005 // Independent insurance agents in Texas report improved homeowners insurance coverage and lower premium prices for both homeowners and auto insurance as the year comes to an end. A survey of more than 1,800 member agencies...

A House Divided: Independent Counsel After Frank’s Casing

Dec 19 2005 // If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”“No man can serve two masters.” These two maxims underlie a central tenet of the attorney/client relationship: The client is the...

Be Merry and Safe

Dec 19 2005 // Texas and Louisiana landed fairly near the top of a recently released list of the 15 deadliest states/U.S. territories when it comes to impaired driving. And, the two states are among the 13 that have the dubious...

At the same time, the defense lawyer owes complete loyalty to the insured/defendant. The carrier is paying the bill, but

Dec 18 2005 // If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”“No man can serve two masters.” These two maxims underlie a central tenet of the attorney/client relationship: The client is the...

People

Dec 18 2005 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Robert Wooley announced that Clarissa A. Preston has been named deputy commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Insurance Office of Property and Casualty, and Scott Kipper is now deputy...

Editor’s Note:

Dec 18 2005 // Texas and Louisiana landed fairly near the top of a recently released list of the 15 deadliest states/U.S. territories when it comes to impaired driving. And, the two states are among the 13 that have the dubious...

News Briefs

Dec 18 2005 // LouisianaGov. Urged to Veto Flooded Vehicles Bill The Property Casualty Insurers Association of Amer-ica called upon Louisiana Gov. Kath-leen Blanco to veto a bill that would require all vehicles that are declared...

Opinion

Dec 18 2005 // Health Care Networks:A New Approach for Workers’ Compensation in Texas House Bill 7 enacted sweeping workers’ compensation reforms. One of those reforms was the establishment of health care provider networks....

Texas Restaurant Assoc. Earns Dividend from Texas Mutual

Dec 15 2005 // Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced a $1,294,675 group dividend to the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA). TRA has received more than $2.7 million in Texas Mutual group dividends since 2002. Group dividends are...

Texas ‘Victims’ Plead Guilty for Making False Hurricane Katrina Claims

Dec 13 2005 // Two McLennan County, Texas women, apprehended after they claimed to be victims of Hurricane Katrina and attempted to obtain federal emergency benefits, have pleaded guilty to filing false, fictitious or fraudulent claims...

Agents Exercise Skills to Build Insurance Program Muscle

Dec 12 2005 // Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, today’s biggest and strongest insurance programs started out as scrawny kids, yet many carriers remain reluctant to take a chance with fledgling programs for niche markets, reports...

Most Texas Employers to See Decrease in Unemployment Insurance Tax Rates

Dec 9 2005 // Citing an improved economy, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) said most Texas employers will see a decrease in their employer tax rate for calendar year 2006 compared to last year. Texas Unemployment Insurance (UI)...

Texas Gov. Names Darwin Public Counsel for Injured Employees

Dec 9 2005 // Texas Gov. Rick Perry named Norman W. Darwin of Weatherford to serve as Injured Employee Public Counsel in the Office of Injured Employee Counsel (OIEC) for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2007. Created under House Bill 7 during...

Texas Workers’ Comp Train the Trainer Seminar to be Held Dec. 14

Dec 7 2005 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation will present a one-day educational seminar entitled Train the Trainer, on Dec. 14, 2005, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in Austin.Registration begins at...

A New Home for Lower Value Dwellings

Dec 5 2005 // Heartland Marketing Group Inc. recently introduced a new market for lower valued homes, including mobile/manufactured home, travel trailer and stand-alone dwelling fire risks.Offered through Aegis Security Insurance...

People & Places

Dec 5 2005 // Frost Insurance reported that Ken North joined its Fort Worth, Texas, office as president of the company’s Dallas region. North has 30 years of experience in the insurance industry.Frost Insurance is a subsidiary of...

No Rate Change for TWIA; Some Question Why

Dec 5 2005 // Texas Insurance Commis- sioner Mike Geeslin recently ordered residential rates for windstorm coverage from the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association to remain the same, but allowed for a 5 percent increase in commercial...

New Officers and Directors Take the Reins at TSLA

Dec 5 2005 // The Texas Surplus Lines Association Inc. announced a new slate of officers and directors at its 49th annual meeting held Nov. 7, 2005, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas.The newly installed officers are: President...

Smaller and Regional Programs: Proven Exercises

Dec 5 2005 // Here are a few smaller and regional programs that are meeting specific needsPumped for profit Robin C. Brennan knows fuel dealers. She’s been handling their insurance needs since 1998. Brennan is a vice president...