Latest Texas Headlines
All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
From Drought to Flood-The Sudden Exchange of One Hazard for Another in Texas
Jun 11 2015 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Amongst Texans, nearly every conversation about weather over the last several years has focused on the ongoing drought that has resulted in water supply shortages and...
High-Growth Agencies Build Business Differently: Survey
Jun 10 2015 // A survey of high growth insurance firms conducted and released late last year by a Texas-based consultant found that such organizations hire differently and produce business differently than low growth firms. They also...
Report: 4.5 Million Homes in 13 States at Extreme Wildfire Risk
Jun 10 2015 // A report issued today shows 4.5 million U.S. homes at high or extreme risk of wildfire as the multi-year drought continues. The report’s author said the worsening drought means 2015 has the potential to be one of the...
Judge Orders Trinity Guardrail Maker to Pay $663M for Cheating Government
Jun 10 2015 // Trinity Industries Inc., maker of a highway guardrail safety system tied to at least nine deaths, was told by a judge to pay $663 million for defrauding the U.S. government. The decision Tuesday by U.S. District Judge...
Blue Bell Reviewing Report of Listeria in Alabama-Made Ice Cream
Jun 9 2015 // Blue Bell Creameries is reviewing a report from a private laboratory that found evidence of listeria in a carton of ice cream manufactured at its Alabama plant. Brent McRae, 75, of Florida, who had recently eaten Blue...
Texas Deems Severe Weather in Late May a Catastrophe
Jun 8 2015 // The Texas Department of Insurance has determined the severe weather event that occurred May 23, 2015, through May 30, 2015, in Harris, Dallas, Travis, Fort Bend, Tarrant, Bexar, Hays, Rusk, Randall, Williamson, Collin,...
Insurance Crime Bureau: Up to 10,000 Vehicles Impacted in Texas Floods
Jun 5 2015 // The recent flooding in Texas means the end of the road for an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 insured vehicles that suffered water damage, National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). That’s the current estimate from Copart, a...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Highlights Improvements Made Since 2011
Jun 5 2015 // Texas windstorm insurer of last resort for coastal counties has released its annual report, which it says shows the practices and procedures of the organization have improved greatly since 2011. That was the year the Texas...
May U.S. Storm, Tornado Claims over $1Bn: Aon Benfield/Impact Forecasting
Jun 4 2015 // Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team, has released its latest Global Catastrophe Recap report for the month of May. The report highlights the “powerful thunderstorms” that...
Bad Companies Feel Shake-Out in Energy Sector the Most
Jun 3 2015 // While the per barrel oil price has rebounded somewhat after it plunged to under $45 per barrel in March 2015, the energy industry — and by extension the energy-focused insurance sector — continues to adjust to the...
Texas Pounded by Weather Extremes in May
Jun 2 2015 // Even though it means the commencement of hurricane season, weather-beleaguered Texans are likely pleased that May 2015 has come and gone. Texas was pelted during the month of May with all kinds of violent and deadly...
Pacific Storms Rage While Atlantic Hurricane Season Opens Quietly
Jun 2 2015 // The Atlantic hurricane season opened with empty seas and low expectations as two storms raged off the western coast of Mexico, where they will almost certainly stay. Hurricane Andres, which formed last week and grew into a...
Marsh Acquires Texas-Based MHBT
Jun 1 2015 // Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC (MMA), a subsidiary of Marsh LLC, has acquired Dallas, Texas-based MHBT Inc., one of the nation’s largest independent insurance brokers. Terms of the transaction were not...
Court Order Puts Texas Remote Medical Treatment Rule on Hold
Jun 1 2015 // Patients in Texas can continue to receive remote diagnoses and treatment after telemedicine company Teladoc Inc. won a preliminary court order blocking a new state rule requiring doctors to meet patients first. The ruling...
Texas Lawmakers OK ‘Campus Carry’ Bill
Jun 1 2015 // Texas surged toward allowing concealed handguns in public college classrooms, dorms and buildings with a key Senate vote May 30, while much-watched legislative efforts to curb the rising costs of free college tuition for...
President Signs Disaster Declaration for Texas Counties as Claims Mount
Jun 1 2015 // A disaster declaration signed by Pres. Barak Obama will help citizens in Harris, Hays and Van Zandt counties in Texas as they begin to recover from violent storm systems that brought tornadoes, high winds and massive...
Slow Growth in Texas Workers’ Comp Claims: WCRI
Jun 1 2015 // Workers’ compensation claims costs in Texas have grown relatively slowly over a five-year period, according to a recent Workers Compensation Research Institute study of 17 states. The total average cost per claim for...
Texas Governor Signs Bill Preempting Cities’ Drilling Bans
Jun 1 2015 // Texas’ governor has signed a measure that blocks municipalities and other local governments from regulating most oil and gas production activities within their jurisdictions Gov. Greg Abbott on May 18 signed House...
Texas Open Carry Handgun Bill Stalled by Police Opposition
May 29 2015 // Fierce opposition from police across the state derailed efforts to pass a bill that allows open carry of handguns on the streets of Texas. The bill appeared ready to pass the House and be sent to Gov. Greg Abbott to sign...
Death Toll Climbs to 21 as South Central Flood Clean Up Begins
May 29 2015 // Homeowners dragged soggy carpet to the curb and mopped up coffee-colored muck on May 27 after a barrage of storms and floods in Texas and Oklahoma left at least 21 people dead and 11 others missing. More rain fell on the...
