Articles by Stephanie K. Jones

If Fracking Is the Question, Insurers May Ask – What Is the Answer?

When it comes to the use of evolving technologies such as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in oil and gas production one big question insurance companies are faced with is: to insure or not to insure? That is a key question …

A Smooth Claims Experience Starts with Appropriate Customer Expectations

Want your insurance customers to have a smooth claims experience after a loss? Set appropriate expectations up front and over-deliver on the back end. “I think that’s equally true for claims people and for agents,” said Timothy Wiedmeyer, vice president …

Top Loss Leaders in the Oil Patch? Commercial Auto, Workers’ Comp

There’s no doubt that new advancements in the practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, are driving the current production boom in the oil patch. The technique, which is used to retrieve oil and gas reservoirs that previously were inaccessible via …

Michigan Bill Limiting Lawsuits Against Insurers Awaits Governor’s Signature

A bill approved by Michigan Legislature that further limits certain consumer lawsuits against insurance companies under the state’s Consumer Protection Act has been sent to Gov. Rick Snyder for his signature. The issue addressed by HB 5558 “is whether a …

Insurance Capacity for Oil & Gas Is Plentiful but Contract Wording May Be Tricky

The insurance capacity is there to cover the risks associated with the current oil and gas boom in Texas and the nation, experts say, but agents and their customers should be vigilant in their efforts to understand the wording in …

All in the Family: Father and Daughter Honored by Texas Agents

A father/daughter team of insurance professionals recently were awarded two of the highest honors bestowed upon independent agents in Texas at the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas annual conference and trade show in San Antonio. Kelly Surles Lyttle was named …

TWIA Financials Improved as Hurricane Season Starts

Low catastrophe activity and claims experience so far this year have helped to put Texas’ insurer of last resort for properties along the Gulf Coast in a better position to face the 2014 hurricane season than it has been in …

Ohio Requires Seismic Monitors in New Drilling Operations

The New Policy May Be Good for Drillers and Insurers, Alike Ohio in mid-April 2014 enacted stricter regulations for oil and gas drilling near faults or areas of past seismic activity, a move that some, including insurers, may view as …

Hits to TrustedChoice.com Growing, Big ‘I’ Chair-Elect Tells Texas Agents

Insurance consumer interest in Trusted Choice, the national brand created for the members of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or Big “I”), is growing, according the association’s chair-elect. David Walker, president of Hartland Insurance Agency in …

Texas Moves Forward in Becoming an NCCI State

In late March 2014, Texas Insurance Commissioner Julia Rathegeber approved a staff petition to adopt the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) Basic Manual, with Texas exceptions, and the national and Texas-specific endorsements and forms in the NCCI Forms Manual. …