To recap the issues raised during this week’s conference call, here are the key media stories we discussed, and the messages we’re conveying.
If there is a subject you would like to see addressed on Wednesday, April 20, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
60 MINUTES STORY ON UNCLAIMED LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES TO BE BROADCAST ON SUNDAY, APRIL 17
The I.I.I.’s Steve Weisbart was interviewed by CBS’s Lesley Stahl for the segment.
U.S. WILDFIRES BURN EARLIER AND LONGER, THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTS IN A FRONT-PAGE PRINT EDITION STORY
Once confined to a single season, wildfires have become a year-round threat in some states, pointing to multiple ones which have occurred already this year in Alaska and New Mexico.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (WSJ) CHRONICLES ADVANCES IN HAIL RESEARCH
The WSJ found the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) are studying the links between the speed and size of hail, and the damage it causes.
CAPITOL HILL
The president signed into law this week S. 1180, requiring FEMA to modernize its Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).
U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-New Jersey) asked Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew how the U.S. will apply regulatory standards to systemically important insurers in the wake of the MetLife ruling.
The Ford 2016 F-150 SuperCab pickup earned the top rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) latest small overlap crash tests.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Lynne McChristian is working today (April 13) with Tallahassee, Florida’s CBS affiliate (WCTV) on the coverage issues raised when a softball damages a car.
The I.I.I.’s Weisbart spoke with Rebecca Reisner, a blogger who writes about Headline News’ Forensic Files program, regarding life insurance schemes.
Since the call, the I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig was interviewed by Reuters’ Luc Cohen about the insurance issues arising out of Oklahoma’s recent spate of earthquakes.
STATES
California
I.I.I. president Bob Hartwig and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger are headlining a Monday, May 9, insurance event at Cal State University, Fullerton.
The I.I.I.’s California Issues subcommittee is holding its quarterly conference call on Thursday, April 14, at 1 p.m., PT/4 p.m., ET.
A Valley Springs (Amador County) insurance agent was convicted of felony insurance fraud, sentenced to 60 days in prison, and ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution.
Florida
Governor Rick Scott signed into law a bill (SB 1274) which allows property insurers to sell sinkhole coverage limited either to the repair or stabilization of the structure and its foundation.
Governor Scott also signed a measure (SB 996) requiring life insurers to do more to find the beneficiaries of unclaimed life insurance policies.
The 135 Pensacola homes retrofitted to withstand hurricanes remained intact after two EF-3 tornadoes hit the Century and Ferry Pass areas in mid-February.
The owner of a Pompano Beach construction company was arrested last week and charged with fraudulently avoiding $1.8 million in workers’ compensation premium payments.
Ten Manatee County plumbing and electrical contractors were arrested on charges they operated without having workers’ compensation coverage to protect their employees.
Louisiana
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu estimates half of the city’s flood insurance policyholders will see their premiums drop when the new FEMA maps take effect in October 2016.
Governor John Bel Edwards said he will not sign into law House Bill 337, which would give motorcyclists the option of wearing safety helmets if they are over the age of 21.
Maryland
Insurers who incorporate hurricane deductibles into their policies will have to provide consumers more information about them effective January 1, 2017, if HB 557 is signed into law.
The Potomac doctor who defrauded insurers through Washington Pain Management Center in Greenbelt was sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to pay $3.1 million in restitution.
Minnesota
A former deputy commissioner of insurance is suing the state, claiming he was sexually harassed and then retaliated against by Commissioner Mike Rothman’s chief of staff.
New York
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore was interviewed by New York City’s CBS affiliate about the insurance coverage available to victims of last weekend’s safe deposit box theft in Brooklyn.
Celeste Koeleveld has been appointed general counsel at the Department of Financial Services.
Ohio
Steve Buehrer is resigning as administrator and CEO of the state’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation effective Friday, April 15. The Columbus Dispatch praised Buehrer’s tenure.
Oklahoma
The state’s Supreme Court invalidated a portion of a 2013 workers’ compensation reform law.
Texas
A hail storm caused extensive property damage on Monday night, April 11, in the small town of Wylie, near Dallas.
Austin’s Fox affiliate interviewed a state Insurance Department spokesperson about the north Texas hail storm’s aftermath.
The National Tropical Weather Conference is being held from April 13-16 in South Padre Island.
West Virginia
Massey Energy Company’s former CEO was sentenced to a year in prison for conspiring to violate federal mine safety standards prior to a deadly 2010 explosion in Montcoal.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
National Tropical Weather Conference (NTWC)
This week’s National Tropical Weather Conference runs through Saturday, April 16. The Texas gathering is aimed at broadcast meteorologists. To follow the conversation on social, use the hashtag #NTWC16.
Jeanne Salvatore’s New York City CBS affiliate interview
The I.I.I.’s Salvatore discussed with WCBS-TV the insurance issues raised by a bank safety deposit theft. You can share the story on social via the CBS New York online article.
HBO Program Host Criticizes Credit Reporting Companies
John Oliver’s critique appeared on HBO’s Last Week Tonight on Sunday, April 10, and is receiving fair amount of social media attention. You can read a Forbes article on the segment and share it via social here, and watch Oliver’s YouTube clip here.
MEDIA MATTERS
Good for the Money: My Fight to Repay America, the late Robert Benmosche’s memoir, was published by St. Martin’s Press yesterday (April 12).
Mashable announced editorial layoffs as part of a staff reorganization.
Given its massive debt, iHeartMedia faces the bleakest economic future of the U.S.’s three major radio companies, many analysts believe. The other two are Cumulus and CBS Radio.
Ryan Kadro has been named executive producer of CBS This Morning, replacing Chris Licht, who is joining The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as its executive producer.
Stephanie Ruhle is leaving Bloomberg to join MSNBC’s on-air daytime team.
The I.I.I. is cited regularly in the media as an authoritative source of insurance information. To access the current I.I.I. press clips, click here
