Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tyson Foods Fined $236K for Serious Safety Violations at Texas Plant
Aug 18 2016 // Arkansas-based Tyson Foods Inc. is facing more than $236,000 in penalties after an investigation by federal safety inspectors found the nation’s largest meat and poultry processor endangered workers by exposing them...
Officials Say Texas’ Closed Formulary Is Lowering Workers’ Comp Costs
Aug 17 2016 // A recent analysis by researchers at the Texas Department of Insurance shows that the Texas pharmacy closed formulary is lowering costs and reducing the use of opioids in the workers’ compensation system, the...
Report Questions Texas Regulators’ Handling of Flood-Related Oil ‘Mess’
Aug 16 2016 // Internal emails show Texas energy regulators describing a “mess” of leaking crude oil heading downstream near Houston following heavy storms in May, raising new questions about how the state has handled...
GM Ignition-Switch Lawsuit Dismissed by Texas Judge
Aug 16 2016 // A Texas judge has thrown out a lawsuit against General Motors from a woman who blamed a 2012 car crash on a faulty ignition switch that later prompted the company to recall 2.6 million vehicles. The Aug. 13 order from...
Brightway Insurance Opens New North Texas Office
Aug 15 2016 // Brightway Insurance announced that agency owner Peter Linke has opened the company’s newest office in North Texas, Brightway Preston Trail. The agency is located at 17194 Preston Road, Suite 210, at the corner of...
Report: Austin Area Car Insurance Rate Hikes Far Above National 5-Year Average
Aug 12 2016 // A recently released report by Austin, Texas-based car insurance comparison firm, The Zebra, shows that car insurance rate hikes in the Austin area over the past five years have far exceeded the national average. Austin car...
North Dakota Lawmaker Questions Reserves in Workers’ Comp Opt-Out Plans
Aug 11 2016 // A state representative from North Dakota, who serves on the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Committee at the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL), says he’s concerned about reserves for paying...
5 Reappointed to Texas FAIR Plan Governing Board
Aug 10 2016 // Texas Commissioner of Insurance David Mattax has reappointed five members to serve on the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) Plan Governing Committee. The FAIR Plan provides residential property insurance in...
Revett Named AVP at Texas-Based LevelFirst
Aug 10 2016 // LevelFirst, the wholesale broker and MGA binding facility owned by IIAT Services Co., has appointed Bryan Revett as assistant vice president. Revett will assume the responsibility of brokering new business opportunities...
Texas Agency, The Nitsche Group, Moves Rockwall Office to Forney
Aug 9 2016 // The Nitsche Group has relocated its Rockwall office to Forney, Texas, effective Aug. 1. The company is a full-service provider of insurance and risk management services. The firm offers an array of insurance products and...
Family of Muslim Teen Arrested over Clock Sues Texas School Officials
Aug 9 2016 // The family of a Muslim boy who was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to school has filed a federal lawsuit against Texas school officials and others, saying they violated the 14-year-old boy’s civil...
Business-Backed Group Pushes for Workers’ Comp Opt-Out in Illinois
Aug 8 2016 // An Illinois think tank has issued a report expressing support for a workers’ compensation opt-out system, stating that it would give employers the ability to lower costs and allow for a more flexible workforce. In...
Wooley Joins Texas-Based TDECU Insurance Agency
Aug 8 2016 // TDECU, based in Lake Jackson, Texas, has added Deana Wooley to the team at TDECU Insurance Agency LLC. Wooley will be responsible for serving members in the Gulf Coast region, specializing in personal lines insurance. A...
Business Groups Sue to Thwart U.S. Crackdown on Corporate Inversions
Aug 8 2016 // Two business groups sued the Obama administration on Thursday over a crackdown on U.S. companies that try to reduce their U.S. taxes by rebasing abroad in a process known as inversion. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the...
Houston Attorney Pleads Guilty to Insurance Fraud, Criminal Activity
Aug 8 2016 // Texas officials say a Houston attorney has pleaded guilty at the conclusion of a multi-year investigation into a criminal organization that set up fake auto accidents and medical bills. Investigators with the Texas...
People – South Central
Aug 8 2016 // The Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) posthumously honored Ron Lawson, former vice president at the Republic Group in Dallas, with the Raymond Mauk Leadership Award during the group’s 24th Annual ICT Mid-Year Property...
FAA Rejected Advice for Hot Air Balloon Safety Rules 2 Years Ago
Aug 8 2016 // Warning about potential high-fatality accidents, safety investigators recommended two years ago that the Federal Aviation Administration impose greater oversight on commercial hot air balloon operators, government...
Texas Manufacturer Faces $99K in Penalties Over Workplace Hazards
Aug 5 2016 // A Texas-based pre-cast concrete structure manufacturer has been cited by federal safety officials for 17 repeat, serious workplace safety violations and faces penalties totaling $99, 248. The Turner Company LLP was cited...
SLSOT Using Data to Better Communicate with Surplus Line Market Stakeholders
Aug 4 2016 // Surplus lines may not be the most widely understood segment of the property/casualty insurance industry but for risk managers of large organizations it’s often the go-to market for complicated risks for which...
Texas-Based ITC Adds Extra Layer of Security to TurboRater
Aug 3 2016 // Carrollton, Texas-based agency marketing, rating and management software and services firm, Insurance Technologies Corp. (ITC), announced the addition of two-factor authentication to its comparative rating and sales...
