Latest Texas Headlines

All the headlines from our Texas Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Tropical Depression 8 Stirs Up the Gulf with TS Gonzalo on the Approach

Jul 23 2020 // A tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana could become a tropical storm within the next 24 hours, the National Hurricane Center has warned. At 10 am Atlantic Standard Time on July 23, the NHC...

Committee Recommends No Rate Hike for Texas Windstorm Insurer

Jul 23 2020 // The Actuarial and Underwriting Committee of Texas’ insurer of last resort for wind and hail coverage for properties in the state’s coastal counties voted on July 21 to recommend a 0% rate increase to its board...

Texas Agencies Higginbotham and Borden Insurance Merge

Jul 22 2020 // Fort Worth, Texas-based Higginbotham and Borden Insurance, an independent insurance agency located in Corpus Christi, Texas, have joined forces. Led by President and CEO David Erwin Borden, Borden Insurance was previously...

Texas Windstorm Rate Filing Consideration Process Now Underway

Jul 20 2020 // July 17 was the last day the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association’s (TWIA) Actuarial & Underwriting Committee accepted comments on its annual rate filing process, which officially begins on July 21 when the...

Jargon-Filled Insurance Policies Lead to Confusion, Costly Lawsuits

Jul 20 2020 // As COVID-19 began forcing shutdowns across the nation, small-business owners looked to their insurance policies. Were they covered? Not surprisingly, the policy language caused more than a little confusion. The debate over...

AM Best Removes from Under Review, Affirms Ratings of Texas’ National Lloyds Group

Jul 17 2020 // AM Best has removed from under review with developing implications and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a” of Dallas-based National Lloyds...

Insurers Score a Win in Texas Air Ambulance Fee Dispute

Jul 16 2020 // State law prevails in disputes between insurers and an air ambulance service over reimbursements under the Texas workers’ compensation system, the state’s highest court recently ruled. In Texas Mutual Insurance...

Texas CBS Affiliate to Settle Female Reporter’s Age Suit for $215K

Jul 16 2020 // A CBS broadcast affiliate in Texas will pay $215,000 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit brought by a female reporter, federal authorities say. CBS Stations Group of Texas also will furnish significant equitable relief...

Listeria-Related Charges Against Ex-Blue Bell Creameries President Dismissed

Jul 16 2020 // A federal judge has dismissed charges against the former president of Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries, who U.S. prosecutors said concealed from customers what the company knew about contaminated ice cream linked to a 2015...

Estimated 659K Lost Health Coverage in Texas, State with Most Uninsured in U.S.

Jul 15 2020 // Job loss stemming from the coronavirus stripped health insurance from an estimated 659,000 Texans between February and May, according to a new study. The analysis, published on July 14 by Families USA, a nonpartisan...

Veterans Now May Be Reimbursed for Texas Insurance Exam Fees

Jul 15 2020 // Veterans who passed any Texas insurance exam since early 2019 can now get reimbursed for the fee after the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs approved the state’s request, the insurance department said. Veterans may...

Great American Insurance Group’s Stoik Joins Texas-Based Overhaul

Jul 15 2020 // Overhaul, an Austin, Texas-based supply chain visibility and risk management technology provider, has added former senior vice president of Great American Insurance Group, Lloyd J. “Pat” Stoik as chief risk...

Texas Company Cited After Employee Fatalities; Fined Nearly $500K

Jul 14 2020 // A company in Pasadena, Texas, has been cited by federal officials and faces penalties of almost $500,000 for exposing employees to confined space hazards after two workers died. The U.S. Department of Labor’s...

412 Motorcyclists Died on Texas Roads Last Year, Officials Say

Jul 13 2020 // Texas transportation officials say 412 motorcyclists were killed and more than 1,800 were seriously injured on the state’s roads in 2019. Acknowledging that on average, one motorcyclist dies every day on Texas roads,...

Texas Hospital Sued for Retaliation in Employment Discrimination Case

Jul 13 2020 // The Woodlands Psychiatry and Counseling Company, a hospital in Conroe, Texas, has been sued by federal officials for allegedly retaliation for firing an employee who had filed a discrimination charge against the healthcare...

Insurity Acquires Virtual MGA in Texas

Jul 13 2020 // Insurity Inc., a provider of cloud-based core system solutions and data analytics for insurers, brokers, and MGAs, has completed the acquisition of Austin, Texas-based Virtual MGA. The deal, which closely follows the June...

University Researchers Claim Air Filter ‘Catches and Kills’ the Coronavirus

Jul 10 2020 // Researchers from the University of Houston, in collaboration with others, have designed a “catch and kill” air filter that they say can trap the virus responsible for COVID-19, killing it instantly. Zhifeng...

Texas Communities to Use $12M in Grants to Combat Vehicle Crimes

Jul 9 2020 // Texas suffers from more than $1 billion in losses from motor vehicle crime each year, according to the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority (MVCPA), a division of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. To help Texans...

Bridges Elected Vice Chair of Independent Insurance Agents of Texas

Jul 9 2020 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) elected Mark Bridges of INSURICA in Amarillo to serve as vice chair for 2020-2021. Bridges was elected to the post during IIAT’s annual business meeting on June 10,...

In-Person Texas GOP Meeting Canceled by Houston Convention Center

Jul 9 2020 // The Republican Party of Texas’ in-person convention has been canceled, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said on July 8. The news came after Turner directed the city’s legal department to work with the Houston...