Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
New Rules Open Doors for Licensing Military Spouses as Surplus Lines Agents in Texas
Feb 24 2020 // Texas has increased the eligibility of military spouses to be licensed as a surplus lines agent in the state, according to the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX). Under new rules adopted by the Texas Department...
Refinery Fire Doused in South Texas, No Injuries
Feb 19 2020 // A fire at a Citgo refinery in in Corpus Christi, Texas, has been extinguished with no injuries, according to the petroleum company. The fire began in a pipeline owned by a third party shortly after 8:30 a.m. on Monday and...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Sets Funding at $4.2 Billion for 2020 Cat Year
Feb 19 2020 // The wind and hail insurance carrier of last resort for counties along the Texas coast has determined that its 1-in-100 probable maximum loss (1:100 PML) for the 2020 catastrophe year is $4.2 billion. At a quarterly meeting...
Trial Over Arkema Chemical Plant Fire During Harvey Set to Begin
Feb 18 2020 // Hurricane Harvey’s historic flooding in 2017 overwhelmed power systems at Arkema Inc.’s chemical plant in suburban Houston, eventually causing organic peroxides made at the facility to catch fire and explode,...
In Houston, a City with No Zoning, Warehouse Blast Prompts Safety Debate
Feb 18 2020 // Houston’s lack of zoning restrictions has left many residents with neighbors they don’t want: petrochemical facilities and businesses that handle hazardous materials. That unease was laid bare again last month...
HCI Approved by Florida Regulator to Replace Anchor P&C Coverage for 43K Insureds
Feb 18 2020 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has approved a plan for Homeowners Choice Property and Casualty Insurance Company, a subsidiary of HCI Group, to provide replacement policies for Anchor Property and Casualty...
SLTX: Texas Adopts Updated Surplus Lines License Rules for Military Spouses
Feb 14 2020 // The Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX) reported that new rules for surplus lines agents in Texas who are military spouses have been adopted by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) and became effective Feb. 6,...
Texas’ Watkins Insurance Group Names New Shareholders: Siddons, Scott
Feb 14 2020 // Austin, Texas-based Watkins Insurance Group has expanded its executive team with the addition of Jim Siddons and Chris Scott as new shareholders. These appointments increase Watkins Insurance Group executive team to...
BOK Financial Insurance Expanding in Oklahoma, Texas
Feb 13 2020 // Employee benefits and risk management firm, BOK Financial Insurance (BOKFI), a division of Tulsa, Okla.-based BOK Financial Corp., is focusing on growth in Oklahoma and Texas as an expansion of its operations that have...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Board to Meet Feb. 18 in Austin
Feb 11 2020 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) board of directors will hold its quarterly meeting on Feb. 18, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. in Austin. The agenda for the meeting is posted on TWIA’s website. All meetings of...
Report: 6 Texas Refineries Releasing Cancer-Causing Pollutant Above Federal Threshold
Feb 10 2020 // An environmental nonprofit has released an analysis of first-of-its-kind air monitoring data that shows benzene levels at 10 U.S. petroleum refineries exceeded limits Eight years ago, two environmental nonprofits sued the...
Business Moves
Feb 10 2020 // East The Hilb Group, Kerr-Boswell, Wickford Insurance Agency The Hilb Group LLC has acquired Virginia-based Kerr-Boswell Inc. For more than 60 years, KB has provided employee benefits, property/casualty, life, health and...
Daughter of Worked Killed in Texas Oil Well Blast Sues Chesapeake Energy, Other Firms
Feb 6 2020 // Chesapeake Energy Corp. and three oilfield service firms were sued by the daughter of a worker who suffered fatal injuries when a Texas oil well exploded in flames in late January. The wrongful death suit seeks at least $1...
Supreme Court to Consider Fast Track for Obamacare Appeals
Feb 6 2020 // The U.S. Supreme Court signaled it will use its Feb. 21 private conference to discuss whether to consider the fate of the Affordable Care Act on a fast-track schedule that would mean a decision by the end of June. The...
Cancer-Causing Benzene Emissions at 10 Refineries Exceed EPA Limits: Watchdog
Feb 6 2020 // Ten U.S. oil refineries, including six in Texas, released the cancer-causing chemical benzene in concentrations that exceeded federal limits last year, according to government data published by the green group...
TDI: Former NFL Player Indicted in Texas for Fraudulent Claims
Feb 6 2020 // Former NFL player Willie Montae Reagor was arrested January 30 for submitting fraudulent health reimbursement claims after an investigation by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Fraud Unit. The TDI investigation found...
3rd Texas Oil Well Worker Dies of Injuries from Blowout
Feb 5 2020 // A third worker has died of injuries from a Central Texas oil well blowout, the company said. Chesapeake Energy spokesman Gordon Pennoyer said in a statement the company is “deeply saddened” by the...
Wesson Named President of Texas’ Swingle Collins & Associates
Feb 5 2020 // Swingle Collins & Associates, one of the largest independent insurance agencies in Texas, has appointed Mac Wesson president of the agency. Wesson comes to Swingle Collins with more 40 years of insurance industry...
California Leads Nation in Surplus Lines Premiums on 5th Year of Record Growth
Feb 4 2020 // Premium data from all surplus lines stamping offices for 2019 shows that California once again led the nation in total surplus line premiums, possibly boosted by construction spending and wildfires. The Surplus Line...
Credit Ratings of National Lloyds, American Summit Insurance Under Review
Feb 4 2020 // AM Best has placed under review with developing implications the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “a” of Texas-based National Lloyds...
