Articles by Stephanie K. Jones

Texas Senator: How Can We Lower Homeowner Insurance Costs?

A Texas lawmaker has asked the state insurance department to come up with suggestions for ways to lower homeowners insurance rates in the state. Texas has consistently been ranked, along with Florida and Louisiana, one of the top three states …

Pitfalls That Can Derail Insurance Coverage Disputes

Insurance coverage disputes have a lot of commonalities. And lawyers who represent both sides of the table — defense and plaintiff — say participants in such disputes should be aware of certain potentially adversarial issues that routinely arise in the …

Best Agency to Work For – Midwest

Reliable Agency Inc., Cloquet, Minnesota A Reliable Family – True to Its Name Reliable Agency Inc. is known locally and in-house as the “Reliable Family,” and that’s exactly how its employees feel – that they’re part of a family. It …

Best Agency to Work For – South Central

Watkins Insurance Group, Austin, Texas Watkins Insurance Group Manages Steady Growth, Even in Difficult Times Watkins Insurance Group has been on a growth trajectory for the past 20 years, and that’s just fine with the group’s employees, whose efforts led …

Stakeholders to TDI: Not So Fast on Marketplace Navigator Rules

State lawmakers and representatives from health insurance marketplace navigator organizations are questioning both the timing of an effort by Texas regulators to craft rules regarding navigators and the need for rules that go beyond those already in place on the …

Insurance Good Training Ground for Political Leadership

When it comes to current or former occupations of state and federal lawmakers, that of insurance producer is not one of the most commonly listed, but perhaps it should be. The variety of skills one necessarily develops during a successful …

Texas Governor, State Senator Square Off on Health Exchange Navigator Rules

Texas’ top insurance regulator has found herself in the midst of a battle over rules that govern those who will provide information to consumers about the health insurance exchanges that are a part of the U.S. healthcare reform initiative passed …

Texas Windstorm Insurance Rates to Rise Again in January

The board of Texas insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast voted at its August meeting to raise premium rates beginning in January 2014. The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association board of directors voted to file …

Insurance Pros in Politics: Insurance Good Training Ground for Political Leadership

When it comes to current or former occupations of state and federal lawmakers, that of insurance producer is not one of the most commonly listed, but perhaps it should be. The variety of skills one necessarily develops during a successful …

No Insurer Assessments for TWIA, for Now

Despite pleas from officials and policyholders in Texas Gulf Coast communities, the board of the state’s insurer of last resort for wind along the coast has decided not to assess its member insurance companies for losses resulting from Hurricane Ike. …