Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Missouri Won’t Shut Down Summer Camps Despite Virus Outbreaks
Jul 9 2020 // Missouri leaders knew the risk of convening thousands of kids at summer camps across the state during a pandemic, the state’s top health official said, and insisted that camp organizers have plans in place to keep an...
Luttrell Named ELITExan Young Agent of the Year by IIAT
Jul 8 2020 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) has named Russell Luttrell of Benton-Luttrell Insurance in Van Alstyne as the André P. Juneau ELITExan of the Year. Luttrell was presented with the award during...
Texas Leaders Warn of Hospital Limits, Ask for Lockdowns Amid Virus Surge
Jul 6 2020 // Leaders in two of Texas’ biggest cities are calling on the governor to empower local governments to order residents to stay home as the state’s continued surge in coronavirus cases tests hospital...
Nored to Lead New Texas Health Insurance Market Monitoring Team
Jul 6 2020 // A new team at the Texas Department of Insurance has been established to identify and quickly resolve issues involving health insurers in the state. Michael Nored, previously special counsel to the commissioner, was tapped...
Hub Acquires Assets of Gus Bates Insurance & Investments in Texas
Jul 6 2020 // Chicago-based global insurance brokerage, HUB International Limited (Hub), has acquired the assets of GBC Benefits Ltd., d/b/a Gus Bates Insurance & Investments (Gus Bates I&I), located in Fort Worth, Texas. Terms...
People & Places
Jul 6 2020 // National Alexander Wells Zurich North America has appointed Alexander Wells as U.S. head of Middle Market. He will be responsible for the strategic management and development of Zurich’s Middle Market...
Whether Public or Private, Flood Insurance Is a Must, Experts Say
Jul 6 2020 // Tropical Storm Imelda hit the Texas Gulf Coast on Sept. 17, 2019, as a fairly low-level tropical storm but that doesn’t mean it was an inexpensive one in terms of property damage, especially with regard to...
Reported Surplus Lines Premium Again Sets Record in Texas
Jul 6 2020 // The amount of surplus lines premium reported in Texas continued its upward swing in May, coming in at nearly $100 million higher than reported in the same month last year, according to the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of...
Another One Down: Austin City Limits Music Fest Canceled Amid Virus Surge
Jul 2 2020 // Austin City Limits has joined the ranks of major music festivals to be canceled because of the coronavirus. Festival organizers said in a statement on July 1 that scrapping the three-day October event was “the only...
Texas Independent Agents Name Stoffle Account Manager of the Year
Jul 2 2020 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) has named Karla Stoffle of Upshaw Insurance in Amarillo as Account Manager of the Year. The Account Manager of the Year award is given annually to an account manager in...
Texas Work Comp Division: Healthcare Providers Indicted for Drug Distribution, Fraud
Jul 2 2020 // Three Texas healthcare providers will face trial for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and mail fraud, according to the Texas Department of Insurance – Division of Workers’ Compensation. On June...
Texas Bar Owners Sue Governor Over Recent Shutdown Order
Jun 30 2020 // Hoping to block Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision ordering Texas bars to close due to a rise in coronavirus cases, more than 30 bar owners filed a lawsuit on June 29 challenging Abbott’s emergency order. The lawsuit,...
Texas Insurance Department Asked to Conduct Auto Insurance Data Call
Jun 30 2020 // The Texas Office of Public Insurance Counsel (OPIC) has asked the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) to conduct a special data call of the top 10 auto insurance groups in the state to gather information about personal...
Prosecutors: Trying to Hide Healthcare Fraud, Texas Woman Burned $1.6M Home
Jun 29 2020 // A woman burned down her $1.6 million suburban Fort Worth mansion while trying to destroy documents from her husband’s health care clinic as authorities were investigating the couple for fraud, prosecutors allege. A...
TexCap’s Brown Named Chair-Elect of Texas Independent Insurance Agents Group
Jun 26 2020 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) has installed Gaylon Brown of TexCap Insurance in Dallas as the group’s chair-elect for 2020-2021. Brown was named to the post during IIAT’s annual business...
Texas Bars Ordered to Close Again, Restaurants Reduced to 50% Occupancy as Virus Spreads
Jun 26 2020 // Gov. Greg Abbott has taken his most drastic action yet to respond to the post-reopening coronavirus surge in Texas, shutting bars back down and scaling back restaurant capacity to 50%. He also shut down river-rafting...
Texas’ Online Surplus Lines Filing System Now Partially Operational
Jun 25 2020 // The Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX) says some elements of its new online filing system, SMART, were released on June 12. Surplus lines agents and brokers who file policies with SLTX using automated filing now...
Outlook for Texas’ MGA Insurance Issuer Credit Rating Revised to Positive
Jun 25 2020 // AM Best has revised the outlook to positive from stable for the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term ICR of “bbb” of...
Oil Firms Slam Brakes on Return-to-Work as Texas Virus Cases Soar
Jun 25 2020 // U.S. energy companies slammed the brakes on returning staff to their Houston offices as COVID-19 cases soared and top hospitals warned they could soon run out of beds for the most severely ill patients. A record number of...
Texas Governor Urges Masks as Virus Cases Rise
Jun 24 2020 // Texas’ surging coronavirus numbers will not slow the state’s reopening, according to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has prescribed an emphasis on face coverings and social distancing to curtail sobering...
