Latest Texas Headlines

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

Insurance Fraud: A Perpetual Bane for Industry, Consumers

Mar 25 2002 // Since the insurance industry’s inception, fraud has proved a perpetual problem, an inherent risk that will likely never be totally eliminated. Carriers have long warned that fraud ultimately causes them to raise...

Workers’ Comp Texas, A League of its Own

Mar 25 2002 // One of the many singular phenomena that sets Texas apart from the rest of the U.S. is the fact that it is the only state in the Union that does not require its employers to participate in the workers’ compensation...

Workers’ Comp TexasA League of its Own

Mar 25 2002 // One of the many singular phenomena that sets Texas apart from the rest of the U.S. is the fact that it is the only state in the Union that does not require its employers to participate in the workers’ compensation...

Approval of State Farm HO-W Policy Applauded

Mar 25 2002 // State Farm Lloyds, the Dallas-based property insurance unit of State Farm Insurance Companies, received approval from the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) to sell its nationwide homeowners policy, the HO-W, in Texas,...

The Ocean Marine Market: A Unique Animal

Feb 25 2002 // Like life itself, insurance began in the ocean, eventually spawning the various land-based descendants we’ve come to know. While those terrestrial variants-auto, homeowners, commercial liability, among others-now...

What Does it Mean to Own Expirations’ Lawsuit Aims to Find Out

Feb 25 2002 // At the heart of a lawsuit filed against Allstate Insurance Company by an independent agent in Garza County, Texas, are the issues of who owns the right to renew policies of customers of an independent agent; what it means...

Texas Gubernatorial Hopefuls Target Homeowners Insurance

Feb 25 2002 // Two Texas gubernatorial candidates—current Republican governor, Rick Perry, and Tony Sanchez, who’s seeking the Democratic spot on the ballot next November—announced separately that they want to investigate and...

Caught in the Middle: When Agent Representations Lead to Liability

Feb 25 2002 // Questions often arise as to the context and circumstances in which an agent can be liable for misrepresenting coverage, or failing to obtain adequate or appropriate coverage for a customer. When an “all-risk”...

The Politics of Mold

Feb 25 2002 // The politicians have gotten into the fray. Sounding off on the twin issues of severe rate hikes for homeowners insurance and the scourge of mold/water damage claims that insurers insist are threatening their very existence...

Alabama Co. BUYS TX Agencies

Feb 25 2002 // Vesta Insurance Group Inc., a Birmingham, Ala.-based holding company for insurance and financial service providers, announced that its Instant Insurance Holdings Inc. subsidiary has acquired two non-standard auto insurance...

Oklahoma Takes Over Texas Co.

Feb 25 2002 // After a request by Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher, former Oklahoma County District Court Judge Leamon Freeman, acting as a hearing officer in the matter, approved an order placing Arlington, Texas-based...

S&P Lowers State Farm Lloyds

Feb 25 2002 // Standard & Poor’s lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on State Farm Lloyds (SF Lloyds), which writes homeowners insurance in Texas, to “A” from “AAA.” At the...

The Ocean Marine Market: A Unique Animal

Feb 25 2002 // Like life itself, insurance began in the ocean, eventually spawning like the varius land-based descendents we’ve come to know. While those terrestrial variants-auto, homeowners, commercial liability, among others-now...

Building Profitability into the Commercial Auto Market

Feb 11 2002 // Like most property and casualty insurance lines, the commercial auto insurance market has witnessed rate increases over the past year and expects to see more. And, as in other lines, underwriters are scrutinizing accounts...

Texas Workers’ Comp Fraud

Feb 11 2002 // A Travis County District Court sentenced Liza Fortune on charges of insurance fraud and ordered her to pay $15,013.89 in restitution to Texas Mutual Insurance Company. Fortune’s two-year sentence was suspended for...

It Couldn’t Be Done: A Policyholder’s Idea To Reinvigorate Third Party Bad Faith

Jan 28 2002 // The Setting Throughout the 1980’s and early 1990’s, the risk of bad faith liability was a major factor in evaluating third party claims for coverage. Ever increasing jury verdicts led to many inflated...

TDI Looks into Pricing; Mold Task Force Appointed

Jan 28 2002 // The Texas Department of Insurance recently opened two fronts in the battle to shore up the weary homeowners market in the state. Responding to consumer complaints about excessive rate increases—exceeding 100 percent in...

Rising Prices Hit Commercial Property Market

Jan 28 2002 // Dire predictions have been floating around since September 11 regarding the availability and pricing of insurance coverage for commercial property, largely due to the issues surrounding terrorist exclusions and whopping...

Evolving HO Policies Prompt Montemayor to Issue Consumer Alert

Jan 14 2002 // Homeowners insurance policies in Texas are rapidly evolving. As a result, Texas Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor warned the state’s homeowners policyholders to carefully review their policy renewals to...

TDI Proposes Mile-Based Auto Insurance Rules

Jan 14 2002 // In late December 2001, the Texas Department of Insurance proposed rules that would allow auto insurers to voluntarily offer mile-based insurance rates to those consumers who drive less often than others.The proposed rules,...