Texas Insurance Commissioner Kent Sullivan Steps Down
Texas Insurance Commissioner Sullivan has announced his resignation following a three-year tenure at the agency.
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Texas Adopts Amendments to Surplus Lines Stamping Office Plan of Operation with Enhanced Department of Insurance Oversight
Kent C. Sullivan, Commissioner of the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) issued Order No. 2020-6384 on July 3, 2020, approving an amended Plan of Operation of the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLSOT).
Read MoreTexas Department of Insurance Mulls COVID-19 Data Call for Auto Insurers
A special data call for the top 10 auto insurance groups in Texas may be on the horizon. On June 26, 2020, the Texas Office of Public Insurance Counsel (OPIC) issued a letter to the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) requesting a special data call due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on auto insurance-related risks.
Read MoreTDI Encourages Midterm Commercial Policy Audits in Response to COVID-19
On April 15, 2020, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) issued a bulletin encouraging insurers to conduct midterm premium audits of commercial policies where premiums may need to be adjusted as a result of reduced business operations due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreTexas Department of Insurance Eliminates 2020 Corporate Governance Disclosure Requirement
In the midst of the Coronavirus outbreak, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) has announced that it will not require insurers or HMOs to file a corporate governance annual disclosure this year.
Read MoreTexas Governor Adopts Executive Order Exempting Insurance Industry Business Travel from Quarantine Restrictions
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott on March 31, 2020, issued Executive Order GA 14 renewing social distancing guidelines in Texas. Of particular significance to the insurance industry, the Governor’s Order adopted U.S. Department of Homeland Security guidance establishing insurance services as “essential services” and classifying members of the insurance industry as federally identified “essential critical infrastructure workers” under the broader heading of “Financial Services.”
Read MoreLocke Lord QuickStudy: Texas Supreme Court Disallows Windfall in Personal Injury Protection Insurance Suit—Court looks to actual medical expense incurred, not full list rates
On March 27, 2020, the Texas Supreme Court, in Farmers Texas County Mutual Insurance Company v. Beasley, No. 18-0469, decided whether “an injured plaintiff had standing to bring suit against his personal injury protection (PIP) policy insurer after the insurer paid the incurred medical expenses pursuant to the PIP policy, but the amount the PIP insurer paid was the negotiated rate between the plaintiff’s health care insurer and the medical providers—not the medical providers’ list rate.”
Read MoreTexas Department of Insurance Posts Extension Schedule for Insurer Financial Filings
The Texas Department of Insurance has posted a bulletin announcing the extension of selected filing deadlines and a modification of filing requirements for reporting insurers.
Read MoreLocke Lord QuickStudy: Texas Supreme Court Answers Certified Question Regarding an Insurer’s Duty to Defend
In Richards v. State Farm Lloyds, — S.W.3d —, 2020 WL 1313782 (Tex. Mar. 20, 2020), the Texas Supreme Court answered a certified question from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals about the scope of an insurer’s duty to defend its insured against third-party claims. In determining whether an insurer has a duty to defend, Texas generally uses the “eight corners rule,” under which an insurer’s duty to defend is determined by comparing the claims alleged within the four corners of the petition with the coverage provided within the four corners of the policy.
Read MoreTexas Suspends Certain Insurance Licensing Requirements to Address Coronavirus Outbreak
Based on orders issued by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in response to COVID-19, the Texas Department of Insurance has announced that certain licensing requirements and fees have been suspended for Texas-licensed insurance agents, adjusters, title agents, escrow officers, life settlement brokers, and life settlement providers.
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