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 …

Kansas Court: Travel ‘Intrinsic’ to Oil Field Work, Comp Benefits Apply

Kansas highest court reversed a state appeals court finding that an oil field worker was not entitled to workers’ compensation benefits after he was injured while riding home from his workplace. The nature of oil field work, where an employee …

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 …

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 …

Commercial Auto, Workers’ Comp Top Oil Patch Losses

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 …

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 …

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. …

TWIA Financial Outlook 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 …

Changes in Indiana Workers’ Comp System Aimed at Slowing Rise in Medical Costs per Claim

As in other states with no restrictions on pricing in the workers’ compensation system, medical costs per claim are high and are rising in Indiana, according to a recent study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute in Cambridge, Mass. Hospital …

Arkansas, Oklahoma Hit Hard by Weekend Tornadoes

Arkansas, Oklahoma and parts of the Midwest were pounded over the weekend by deadly tornado-producing storms. The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management reported that Faulkner County was particularly hard hit. At least 10 fatalities were reported as a result of …