Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Brinson Takes Over as President of Texas Surplus Lines Assoc.
Feb 24 2017 // Teri Brinson, executive vice president of M.D. Jensvold & Co., has taken over as president of the Texas Surplus Lines Association (TSLA) for 2017. She brings more than 35 years of experience and leadership in the...
Texas Neurosurgeon Gets Life Sentence for Maiming Patients
Feb 22 2017 // Jurors on Feb. 20 sentenced a former Dallas neurosurgeon to life in prison for maiming patients who had turned to him for surgery to resolve debilitating injuries. The decision came almost a week after the Dallas County...
Despite Increase in Lawsuits, Texas Homeowner Insurance Complaints Remain Low
Feb 21 2017 // Despite a half million hail claims resulting in a record $4 billion in insured losses last year, homeowner complaints to the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) were the lowest number ever recorded, the Insurance Council...
Texas Stamping Office Updates Eligible Surplus Lines Insurers List
Feb 20 2017 // The Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX) has identified changes to the list of eligible surplus lines insurers in the state. Approved eligible insurers effective Jan. 1, 2017, include alien insurers Lloyd’s...
Texas Offers Grace Period for Workers’ Comp Nonsubscribers
Feb 20 2017 // The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) is offering a temporary grace period to those employers who have not met workers’ compensation reporting requirements in the past — allowing them to...
Texas Governor Deems Hailstorm Litigation ‘Lawsuit Abuse’
Feb 20 2017 // In his state of the state address, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gave a boost to the insurance industry’s effort to get legislation passed that would place limits on post-hailstorm litigation. Calling lawsuits against...
Texas Supreme Court Sides with Policyholder in Ike-Damaged Property Case
Feb 20 2017 // When is a fence a “dwelling” structure for insurance coverage purposes and when is it an “other structure?” The Texas Supreme Court, relying on disputed language in a Liberty Mutual Insurance Co....
ATF: South Texas Mosque Fire Was Arson
Feb 20 2017 // A fire that destroyed a South Texas mosque has been ruled arson, but federal investigators found no early evidence of a hate crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Houston did not reveal the...
Texas Mutual Insurance, VFIS of Texas, Distribute $228K in Grants to First Responders
Feb 17 2017 // Workers’ compensation insurance provider, Texas Mutual Insurance Co., and VFIS of Texas have distributed $228,000 in grant money to 90 volunteer fire departments and nonprofit emergency medical service (EMS)...
Phillips Appointed Chair of Texas House Insurance Committee
Feb 17 2017 // Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus has appointed Rep. Larry Phillips, District 62, as chair of the Texas House of Representatives Insurance Committee for the 85th session of the Texas Legislature. This position was...
Polluted Waste Pits Along Texas’ San Jacinto River Bring Lawsuits
Feb 16 2017 // Rick Kornele and Charles Rayburn fished and crabbed as small boys on a sand bar near a popular boat ramp on the San Jacinto River — a site today blocked off by an imposing chain-link fence that’s plastered with...
Texas a Leader in Fatal Crashes, Alcohol-Impaired Driving
Feb 15 2017 // Texas highways continue to be a deadly form of travel as traffic crashes involving injuries and fatalities continue to rise. Last year, 3,390 traffic crashes resulted in 3,757 fatalities and 175,347 traffic crashes...
R Street Applauds Texas Bill to Rein in Hail Claims
Feb 13 2017 // The R Street Institute applauded the introduction today of S.B. 10, legislation to rein in the growth in Texas hail-related litigation. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, would provide...
Texas High Court Sides with Policyholder in Ike-Damaged Property Case
Feb 13 2017 // When is a fence a “dwelling” structure for insurance coverage purposes and when is it an “other structure?” The Texas Supreme Court, relying on disputed language in a Liberty Mutual Insurance Co....
Central Texas Now Has Air Tanker Base to Help Fight Wildfires
Feb 10 2017 // State Rep. John Cyrier (Lockhart) announced the establishment of a portable air tanker base at Austin Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) capable of equipping large, Type 1 air tankers to drop fire retardant during...
South Texas Mosque Fire Ruled Arson
Feb 10 2017 // A fire that destroyed a South Texas mosque has been ruled arson, but there’s no evidence of a hate crime at this time, federal investigators said. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Houston...
8 Die in 2 Unrelated Crashes on Opposite Ends of Texas
Feb 9 2017 // Investigators say four people were killed in a South Texas traffic accident just hours after an unrelated wreck in the Panhandle also claimed four lives. The Texas Department of Public Safety says four people died Tuesday...
Mattax Reappointed as Texas Insurance Commissioner
Feb 9 2017 // Texas Insurance Commissioner David Mattax has been reappointed to the post by Gov. Greg Abbott, the governor’s office announced. His term expires Feb. 1, 2019. Mattax has served as insurance commissioner since...
ICT on Track to Provide $1M in Insurance Education Funds by Year’s End
Feb 8 2017 // With Insurance Careers Month underway, the Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) Education Foundation announced that it expects to have provided more than $1 million in cumulative funding to Texas universities and their...
Why the Insurance Industry Supports and Hires Veterans
Feb 8 2017 // Many property/casualty insurance carriers have focused their charitable efforts on veterans, and they’ve done so for a number of good reasons. One important reason for adopting veterans causes was explained by Glenn...
