Texas Department of Insurancewww.tdi.state.tx.us - Consumer Helpline 1-800-252-3439
Texas Department of InsuranceSummaries of the News Releases for 2000 follow. News Release Date:9/17/2004 What has happened in the benchmark rate process so far?
Continue News Release Date:12/28/2000 State Fire Marshal G. Mike Davis urged Texans to have a safe and Happy New Year celebration, especially if it includes the use of fireworks. Fireworks sales began December 20 and end January 1, 2001, at midnight. "Consumer education and tougher regulations have resulted in a decline in inju" Continue News Release Date:12/21/2000 Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor said today it is essential for the approximately 200,000 Texans losing Medicare HMO coverage on January 1, 2001, to know about their special - but temporary - right to buy Medicare supplement insurance even if they are in poor health. He sent letters u Continue News Release Date:12/18/2000 The blast of cold air that sent Texans looking for coats last week also should inspire us to think about home heating safety, according to State Fire Marshal G. Mike Davis. Home heating fires are the second leading cause of fire deaths in American homes and the leading cause of house fires Continue News Release Date:12/11/2000 Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor and U.S. Rep. Ken Bentsen today warned seniors and disabled individuals whose Medicare HMOs are withdrawing from Texas that they must make a decision before March 4, 2001 on their health insurance. Several Medicare HMOs are pulling out of the market as Continue News Release Date:12/5/2000 Local angle for Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Longview, Tyler and other points. Texas Department of Insurance attorneys are seeking a $1 million fine against SAI Plus, L. L. C., of Rockville, Maryland, an unlicensed "health plan" that has generated more than 100 Texas c Continue News Release Date:11/21/2000 Commissioner Jose Montemayor today approved the request of the Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool for rate increases averaging 20 percent, effective January 1, 2001. He also granted the pool's revenue-neutral request to increase the number of rating territories ("premium area factors") from f Continue News Release Date:11/14/2000 Fire protection in the city of Frisco in Collin County has received the highest Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating awarded by the Insurance Service Office (ISO). Frisco joins Plano also in Collin County as the only communities in Texas with PPC ratings of "1." ISO classifies comm Continue News Release Date:11/1/2000 A Harris County grand jury has indicted Houston insurance agent Tracy Akin Giron on charges that she stole about $245,000 from more than 80 senior citizens by pocketing premiums they paid her for long-term care insurance. Giron, 33, was indicted Tuesday afternoon on charges of theft over $2 Continue News Release Date:9/29/2000 Local Angle for Dallas-area News Media Benefit Life Insurance Co. of Richardson, which specialized in individual accident and health insurance policies, has been placed in court-ordered receivership. Judge Jon Wisser of the 353rd District Court in Austin issued the order Thursday a Continue News Release Date:9/28/2000 Local angle for Houston-Galveston-area media A Kentucky insurance agent and agency have agreed to a $50,000 penalty for selling Texans millions of dollars worth of boat insurance without the special license required for placing business with Lloyds of London and other "surplus lines" compan Continue News Release Date:9/12/2000 Commissioner Jose Montemayor ordered a London-based "foundation" on Friday to pay a $500,000 fine and to stop offering boat insurance in Texas without a license or other proper authority from the Texas Department of Insurance. Earlier this month, Montemayor issued a cease-and-desist order a Continue News Release Date:9/11/2000 Shifting soils from the heat and lack of rainfall in Texas have cracked the foundations of some homes all across the state. Foundation repair companies, insurance agents and lawmakers have been hearing from homeowners from Corpus Christi to Wichita Falls who describe how the drought-like conditions Continue News Release Date:9/11/2000 Texans whose Medicare HMOs are exiting Medicare on January 1, 2001, have special rights when it comes to joining a different plan or buying insurance to fill some of the gaps in original Medicare, Commissioner Jose Montemayor said today. "Federal law gives substantial protections to seniors" Continue News Release Date:9/8/2000 Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor today ordered rates reduced by an overall 6.1 percent for drivers covered through the Texas Automobile Insurance Plan Association (TAIPA), the state's assigned risk plan. This is the second straight reduction in TAIPA rates. The Commissioner's order c Continue News Release Date:9/5/2000 Commissioner Jose Montemayor today listed the state's Top 10 insurance fraud cases and announced creation of a toll-free telephone number for reporting similar crimes to the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). The toll-free hotline number is 1-888-327-8818. The Top 10 list ranges Continue News Release Date:9/1/2000 Medical Community Insurance Co. (MCIC) of Houston, a physician-owned company that specialized in major medical insurance for small employers in Texas, has been placed in temporary receivership. Judge John Dietz of the 353rd District Court in Austin signed a temporary restraining order and a Continue News Release Date:8/29/2000 A series of minor earthquakes in the Texas panhandle has sent some residents looking for insurance coverage for earthquakes, but they've learned it is hard to find and expensive. A typical residential property insurance policy does not cover earthquake damage. To find an earthquake Continue News Release Date:8/17/2000 The Texas Department of Insurance is making it easier for good drivers in underserved ZIP codes to apply for lower-priced car insurance through the state's automobile insurance Market Assistance Program (MAP). An electronic MAP application is now available on the Department's Web site, www. Continue News Release Date:8/14/2000 Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor today urged South Texans to call one toll-free number to get help that can lower their costs for automobile and/or home insurance. "We have Texas Department of Insurance staff in Austin waiting by the phone for your call," Montemayor said at a news con Continue News Release Date:8/10/2000 Drivers can reduce their auto insurance premiums by 5 percent by taking a new drug and alcohol driving awareness training program that has recently been implemented. Two new six-hour driver training courses have been approved by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The courses are presently of Continue News Release Date:8/3/2000 What has happened in the benchmark rate process?
Continue News Release Date:8/3/2000 Changes in Benchmark Rates by Territory for a "Typical Driver" The following chart compares, by rating territory, the benchmark rates currently in force with the benchmark rates to be effective on November 1, 2000 for a "typical driver." News Release Date:8/3/2000 Auto Benchmark Rate Samples by Territory Auto Benchmark Rate Case Fact Sheets Continue News Release Date:8/3/2000 On the 30th anniversary of Hurricane Celia, Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor today warned Texas coastal residents that danger from this type of deadly and destructive storm increases at this time of year. "The hurricane season officially runs June 1 through November 1," Montemayor sai Continue News Release Date:7/27/2000 A Brewster County man has been charged with arson in the burning of a motor home parked at the rural residence where he lived with his parents, according to the State Fire Marshal´s Office (SFMO). Hilario "Larry" Morales Acosta Jr., 40, was arrested and jailed at Alpine on July 22 following Continue News Release Date:7/17/2000 Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor today unveiled a new Internet resource page to help small businesses make wise insurance choices and save money. The new Insurance Resource for Small Businesses is available online at the Texas Department of Insurance Web site (www.tdi.state.tx.us). A Continue News Release Date:7/15/2000 Renewal Homeowners' Form B (Bought by 96% of Policyholders) Continue News Release Date:6/30/2000 Several Texas HMOs will stop offering Medicare plans as of January 1, 2001, forcing almost 200,000 Texans to find a new source of coverage. Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor advised those affected to explore all their options and avoid hasty decisions on replacement coverage. "Don´t pa Continue News Release Date:6/21/2000 American General Life & Accident Insurance Co. today agreed to pay Texas a $305,800 fine and provide millions of dollars in restitution and other relief to African-American Texans who bought small "industrial life" insurance policies and paid higher premiums than other consumers. Remedies f Continue News Release Date:6/20/2000 (NOTE TO THE NEWS MEDIA: Commissioner Montemayor is available by telephone for either interviews or talk shows in English or Spanish. Call the Public Information Office at (512) 463-6425 to make arrangements. Or, radio stations can pick up a bilingual, pre-recorded statement by calling 1-800-723-NEW Continue News Release Date:6/15/2000 By Homeowner Rating Territories Statewide Graphic Territory 1 | Territory 2 | Territory 3 Territory 4 Continue News Release Date:6/15/2000 Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor has reduced homeowners insurance benchmark rates by a statewide average of 6.6 percent. Texas consists of 23 territories and each one has its own homeown News Release Date:6/15/2000 Renewal Homeowners' Form B (Bought by 96% of Policyholders) Continue News Release Date:6/15/2000 Renewal Tenant Homeowners ("Renters") Form HOB-T (Most Commonly Purchased) Continue News Release Date:6/13/2000 Attention: Minority Business Press Several state agencies are looking for minority and women-owned businesses that can fill orders for computer goods and services and professional services. To help in the search, the state agencies are holding a "Business Opportunity Fair" from 9 Continue News Release Date:6/9/2000 The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) is surveying insurers selling "industrial life" and similar small life insurance policies to determine if any are charging African-Americans higher premiums than others. TDI sent letters last week to all companies that sell industrial life and other f Continue News Release Date:6/1/2000 A district judge today sentenced Michael Lee Davis to 60 years in prison for a "clean sheeting" scam that led insurance companies to issue life insurance policies to people with life-threatening diseases. Judge Harold Entz of the 194th State District Court in Dallas also ordered Davis to pa Continue News Release Date:5/24/2000 NOTE TO THE NEWS MEDIA: Homeowners MAP ZIP codes for major metropolitan areas are at the end of this news release. For others, call (512) 463-6425. Commissioner Jose Montemayor today adopted rules that make it easier for Texans in targeted areas to use a special program to find affordable h Continue News Release Date:5/15/2000 Commissioner Jose Montemayor today issued an order that will leave title insurance rates unchanged in Texas. The title insurance industry had sought a rate increase of 3.7 percent. The Office of Public Insurance Counsel recommended a 15.4 percent decrease. "The data and evidence pr Continue News Release Date:5/3/2000 A State Fire Marshal's Office (SFMO) investigator says someone intentionally ignited the fire that destroyed a predominantly African-American church in East Texas on the night of March 7. Volunteer firefighters from the Huntington, Ora and Fuller Springs Fire Departments were called to figh Continue News Release Date:5/3/2000 Local Angle for Dallas News Media Judge Ernest Garcia of the 353rd State District Court in Austin has signed an order placing Bankers Commercial Life Insurance Co. of Dallas in temporary receivership. Bankers Commercial, founded in 1955, wrote primarily Medicare supplement ("Medig Continue News Release Date:5/1/2000 Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor and State Fire Marshal G. Mike Davis today announced the creation of an arson hotline number that residents anywhere in Texas can call to report a suspicious fire. The new toll-free hotline number is 1-877-4-FIRE-45 or 1-877-434-7345. Fire departments Continue News Release Date:4/26/2000 Local Angle for Dallas and Houston Media Michael Lee Davis of Plano was convicted Wednesday of felony charges that identified him as the ringleader of a "clean sheeting" scam that led insurance companies to issue more than $5 million worth of life insurance policies to people with life-thr Continue News Release Date:4/24/2000 Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor today urged Holocaust survivors and victims' heirs in Texas to take advantage of a new Web site that could help resolve possible insurance claims. The International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC) has compiled a Web site list of 1 Continue News Release Date:4/18/2000 State District Judge Ernest C. Garcia of Austin today signed an order placing Unistar Insurance Co. of Dallas in temporary receivership. The order freezes the company's bank accounts and other assets. Unistar, a property and casualty insurer incorporated in 1983, consented to the receiversh Continue News Release Date:4/10/2000 Sample Rates: Brick Home | Frame Continue News Release Date:4/10/2000 Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor today approved an expanded reinsurance program for the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (Windpool), which offers windstorm and hail coverage along the Texas coast. The action will provide the Windpool with $325 million in reinsurance coverage for Continue News Release Date:4/5/2000 Consumers seeking information to help them choose or locate insurance companies and HMOs can now get what they need - including complaint comparisons -- directly from the Texas Department of Insurance´s Web site. Key facts are available on each of the more than 2,700 insurers, HMOs and thir Continue News Release Date:4/3/2000 Texans who buy credit insurance when they borrow money to purchase cars and other big-ticket items are paying a lot less for their coverage. Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor´s order reducing credit life insurance rates by an average of 21 percent and credit disability insurance rates Continue News Release Date:3/29/2000 Local Angle for Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor today offered the following insurance claim tips to residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Central Texas whose property and vehicles were damaged by severe weather on Tuesday. Co Continue News Release Date:3/29/2000 Consumer Protection staff from the Texas Department of Insurance will be in Fort Worth and Arlington starting Thursday to help tornado victims with claim filing and other insurance matters. A mobile team consisting of two veterans of earlier natural disasters will canvass areas struck by Tu Continue News Release Date:3/7/2000 The largest Texas auto insurance carrier in the Farmers Insurance Group agreed today to refund approximately $11 million in premium overcharges and to reduce its current rates by 3 percent. Commissioner Jose Montemayor and Farmers officials signed a consent order obligating Mid-Century Insu Continue News Release Date:2/15/2000 Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor said today that an international team of experts has begun the work of verifying legitimate insurance claims by survivors of the Holocaust. Montemayor said no Texas survivors had received offers of compensation to date, but "with a formal process now in place, Continue News Release Date:2/1/2000 Commissioner Jose Montemayor today approved a Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) staff proposal seeking to ease a growing liability insurance crisis for non-profit nursing homes. TDI staff testimony in a hearing cited a declining market for nursing homes to purchase medical liability insur Continue News Release Date:1/31/2000 The Texas Department of Insurance cleared the way today for Pacificare Health Plan Administrators Inc. to buy Harris Methodist Texas Health Plan Inc. and its insurance affiliate, Harris Methodist Health Insurance Co. A commissioner's order approving Pacificare's application to buy the Arlin Continue News Release Date:1/28/2000 With below freezing temperatures expected for a large area of Texas this weekend, Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor says Texans should take precautions to protect their homes against damage caused by frozen pipes. "Don't wait until it's too late," Montemayor said. "If you haven't alrea Continue News Release Date:1/24/2000 Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor joined State Senator Rodney Ellis today in asking Harris County residents to take advantage of the state's auto Market Assistance Program (MAP) to obtain lower auto insurance rates. Montemayor said more than 15,000 Texans had called the MAP, and hundre Continue News Release Date:1/18/2000 Commissioner Jose Montemayor will hold a public hearing February 1 on a Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) staff proposal seeking to ease a growing liability insurance crisis for non-profit nursing homes. The hearing will be at 9 a.m. in Room 100 of the William P. Hobby Jr. State Office Bu Continue News Release Date:1/7/2000 Texans who stocked up on emergency fuels because of Y2K fears could be courting disaster in the new millennium. The State Fire Marshal's Office has received at least one call from a fire chief who was concerned about a resident who had stored a large quantity of gasoline in his garage. Continue News Release Date:1/6/2000 A group of Elgin residents who learned recently that the state owned a strip of their land because of a 19th Century surveyor's error are gaining full ownership, thanks to an agreement involving the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), the General Land Office (GLO) and four title insurance companies Continue News Release Date:1/4/2000 Initial reports from major insurance companies operating in Texas indicate that their computer systems came through the Year 2000 rollover without serious incidents, Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor said today. Texas Department of Insurance financial monitoring staff sampled 22 large Continue News Release Date:1/3/2000 Texans who returned to original Medicare after losing Medicare HMO coverage Saturday have until March 3 to exercise their right to "guaranteed issue" of certain Medicare supplement policies, Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor said today. Effective January 1, 2000, five HMOs stopped prov Continue For more information contact: PIO@tdi.state.tx.us Last updated: 06/12/2006 |
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