The Texas home and auto insurance market is finally on the mend. Rates have begun to stabilize, and thanks to landmark reforms passed in 2003, companies are even eyeing our state as a place to do business. Competition and its benefits are just around the corner.

For Texas consumers, the new, competitive insurance market means:

• Expanded insurance availability

• More choices of insurance policies

• More choices of insurance companies

• Better customer service

• Stronger consumer protections against abuse, fraud and financial irresponsibility by "bad actors"

Since the insurance reforms of 2003, insurers, policymakers, regulators, consumer groups, and the media have agreed that a competitive marketplace is the best solution to the chronic insurance problems that plagued Texas for decades.  

There are a number of issues involved in the insurance regulatory process:

Transition to Competition
The Texas home and auto insurance market is finally on the mend. Rates have begun to stabilize, and thanks to landmark reforms passed in 2003, companies are even eyeing our state as a place to do business. Competition and its benefits are just around the corner.
Read more about Texas' Transition to Competition...

File and Use
Texas consumers will benefit from a file and use system because insurance companies could offer more choices for polices and rates, and this will allow consumers to choose the insurance plan that best fits their needs and budgets.
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Insurance Availability
Today more than ever, Texans have many options when it comes to buying homeowners insurance. It pays to take advantage of companies competing for your business and shop around to find the best policy to meet your insurance needs.
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Credit Scoring
For more than a year, TCAIS has supported consumer protections regarding credit-based insurance scoring while allowing the use fo this valuable tool to the benefit of consumers. Many of these consumer protections are now manadated as part of Senate Bill 14.
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Windstorm Insurance
The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is seeking solutions pay losses and avoid compromising the Texas General Revenue fund in the event a major hurricane makes landfall in Galveston or Corpus Christi. Last year TWIA paid $160 million in losses as a result of losses caused by Hurricane Rita and
that would be a drop in the bucket had the storm have hit Galveston. The number of structures insured by TWIA is growing dramatically. In 2001 the association had 68,756 policyholders. As of October 31, 2006 this insurer of last resort had 123,000 residential and 12,600 commercial policyholders in 14 coastal counties and a portion of Harris County.
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Tax Burden Imposed on Property/Casualty Insurers in Texas
An open letter delivered to our Texas Lawmakers: Attached please find the recent study conducted by Ernst and Young on the tax structure and effective rate for the property and casualty insurers in Texas. As the study clearly shows, the tax burden borne by property and casualty companies is extremely high, far greater than that borne by other businesses.
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Insurance Glossary
Like any large industry, insurance has developed somewhat of a language of its own. Here’s our abridged “insurance dictionary,” full of insurance terms and definitions for your quick reference.
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