Latest Texas Headlines

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

Texas Insurance Department Extends Telemedicine Coverage Rule

Jun 24 2020 // An emergency rule requiring insurers in Texas to cover telemedicine services has been extended into September, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) said.Covered telemedicine services include mental health visits at the...

U.S. Economic Losses from Severe Weather During May Topped $4 Billion: Aon

Jun 24 2020 // Severe weather outbreaks across the United States, with a lot of hailstorm damage, resulted in another costly month for insurers as a significant proportion of the US$4 billion economic cost was covered by insurance,...

BenefitMall in Texas Partners with Benefits and Security Provider, CyberScout

Jun 23 2020 // Dallas-based employee benefits provider, BenefitMall, has partnered with CyberScout, a provider cybersecurity, identity theft resolution and employee benefits services.BenefitMall brokers will now be able to offer...

Millions of Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Pose Environmental, Health Risks

Jun 23 2020 // In May 2012, Hanson and Michael Rowe noticed an overpowering smell, like rotten eggs, seeping from an abandoned gas well on their land in Kentucky. The fumes made the retired couple feel nauseous, dizzy, and short of...

Allstate: May 2020 Catastrophe Losses Mostly in Midwest, Texas

Jun 22 2020 // Allstate says severe weather events in Texas and the Midwest account for the majority of its $350 million in catastrophe losses in May 2020.Northbrook, Illinois-based Allstate Corp. has estimated catastrophe losses for the...

Nitsche Named Chair of Independent Insurance Agents of Texas’ Board

Jun 19 2020 // Robert Nitsche, CEO of the Giddings, Texas-based independent insurance agency The Nitsche Group, has been appointed chair of the board of directors for the 2020-2021 year by the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas...

Texas’ Bexar County Orders Face Mask Use to Fight COVID-19; Fines Possible

Jun 18 2020 // Officials in the San Antonio area have ordered people to wear face masks in public when social distancing isn’t possible and warned that businesses could face fines of up to $1,000 for failing to comply with county...

Texas Man Sentenced to 78 Years in Prison for Arson, Insurance Fraud

Jun 16 2020 // A 52-year-old Groves, Texas, man has been sentenced to 78 years in federal prison for violations related to an arson and insurance fraud scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of...

Texas Returning to Normal Temporary Agent License Process on Aug. 15

Jun 16 2020 // The Texas Department of Insurance will return to normal processing for temporary agent licenses beginning on Aug. 15.Anyone with a temporary license issued August 15 or earlier will have until Nov. 13 to get a regular...

Business Moves

Jun 15 2020 // Alera Group, Georgetown Insurance ServicesAlera Group, a national employee benefits, property/casualty, retirement services and wealth management firm, has acquired Georgetown Insurance Service Inc. The Georgetown...

People & Places

Jun 15 2020 // Everest Insurance announced changes to the Commercial Casualty leadership team. Four underwriters across the country have been appointed leaders for the Northeast, South, Midwest and Southwest regions.Frank Engle has been...

Lexington Insurance Wins Texas Battle of Hurricane Harvey Deductibles

Jun 15 2020 // In a case of competing deductibles, a federal appeals court has sided with an insurer and against the owner of two Houston office buildings, holding that a larger windstorm deductible applied to flood damage caused by...

Analysis: Casting Nervous Looks at COVID-19 Numbers as Texas Opens Up

Jun 12 2020 // Texas Gov. Greg Abbott didn’t predict that the number of COVID-19 cases would fall as the state allowed businesses and cultural centers to reopen. In fact, he said allowing more people back into public places could...

Texas Surplus Lines Premium Amount Increases Again in May

Jun 12 2020 // The amount of surplus lines premium reported in Texas in May 2020 was nearly $100 million higher than reported in the same month last year, according to the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX).In May 2020,...

Texas, Louisiana, Florida Most at Risk of Natural Disasters: ValuePenguin

Jun 10 2020 // That Texas, Louisiana and Florida top the list of states that are most vulnerable to natural disasters is probably a finding of a recent study that will come as no surprise to folks who live in those states.Another likely...

Texas’ Aransas County to Get $43M More in Harvey Recovery Funds

Jun 9 2020 // Aransas County on Texas’ Gulf Coast where Hurricane Harvey made landfall in August 2017 will receive an additional $43 million for its continuing recovery from that devastating storm.Texas Land Commissioner George P....

As Texas Grapples with Pandemic, Officials Prepare for Hurricane Season

Jun 8 2020 // More hurricanes and tropical storms than usual could make landfall in the United States this summer, forecasters predict. That is sending Texans and officials who are increasingly facing severe weather events scrambling to...

Texas Workers’ Comp Division Issues Data Call for COVID-19 Injuries

Jun 2 2020 // The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has issued a mandatory data call for certain information related to COVID-19 injuries reported to selected insurance carriers on or after...

Lexington Insurance Wins Texas Battle of Hurricane Harvey Deductibles

Jun 1 2020 // In a case of competing deductibles, a federal appeals court has sided with an insurer and against the owner of two Houston office buildings, holding that a larger windstorm deductible applied to flood damage caused by...

Texas Windstorm Insurer Lays Out Funding Plan for 2020 Hurricane Season

Jun 1 2020 // The board of directors of Texas’ property insurer of last resort for wind and hail in the state’s coastal counties in February set a goal of $4.2 billion in catastrophe funding for 2020. At a meeting of the...