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 23, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
I.I.I.’s SALVATORE, McCHRISTIAN, AND GONZÁLEZ IN ORLANDO FOR THE 2014 NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE (NHC)
Details on the I.I.I.’s presence at the April 14-17 event are in this media advisory. The I.I.I. also notified reporters about the I.I.I.’s resources and NHC appearances.
I.I.I.’s HARTWIG TO BE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., ON TUESDAY, APRIL 22, FOR CAPITOL HILL BRIEFING ON TERRORISM RISK INSURANCE ACT (TRIA)
Daniel Glaser, president and CEO of Marsh & McLennan Companies, will also be at the briefing. Marsh is releasing a report that day on the demand for terrorism risk coverage in key U.S. markets.
COLORADO STATE FORECASTERS PREDICT NINE TROPICAL STORMS IN 2014 BUT EXPECT ONLY THREE WILL BECOME HURRICANES
The forecast was released on Thursday, April 10, by meteorologists Philip Klotzbach and William Gray. Their report generated a next-day article in USA Today.
MARCH 2014 WAS THE COLDEST MARCH IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES SINCE 2002, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REPORTS
The temperature in the contiguous 48 U.S. states averaged 40.5 degrees during the month, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
NATIONAL INSURANCE CRIME BUREAU APPOINTS A D.C.-BASED DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS; WILL MANAGE EAST COAST MEDIA RELATIONS
Carol Kaplan (Phone: 202-604-5649, ckaplan@nicb.org) was an award-winning TV news reporter before serving as the American Bankers Association’s senior director of media relations.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig spoke with The New York Times’ Alina Tugend, who writes the ShortCuts column, about the Consumer Federation of America’s ‘price optimization’ news release.
ABC Good Morning, America’s Mara Schiavocampo is exploring whether consumers should purchase insurance coverage at a rental car company counter.
CAPITOL HILL
Ben Nelson, CEO of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, touted the state-based regulatory system in a Tuesday, April 15, op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.
The I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters was quoted last week in a Chicago Tribune story on the Federal Insurance Office’s (FIO) efforts to assess the affordability of auto insurance.
Deborah Hersman, the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) outgoing chair, will speak about her tenure at a Monday, April 21, National Press Club breakfast.
STATES
California
The NTSB is investigating a Thursday, April 10, crash that killed 10 people in Orland. A truck crossed over the center median of Interstate 5 and collided with a motor coach.
David Chiu, a member of the San Francisco board of supervisors, wants people who offer their homes to short-term renters to have at least $150,000 in insurance coverage.
Florida
Ormond Beach-based Security First Managers is offering flood insurance with policy limits of up to $500,000, according to this Thursday, April 10, Tampa Tribune article.
Louisiana
Effective Thursday, May 1, many National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders will see their rates revert back to October 2013’s levels, the Times-Picayune reports.
The House narrowly defeated a bill that would have allowed individuals to pursue jury trials for causes of action totaling less than $50,000, this T-P article says.
Michigan
Five counties declared a state of emergency due to severe weather and flooding in the Lower Peninsula, according to this Monday, April 14, Michigan State Police news release.
Mississippi
Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said on Monday, April 14, that he’s withdrawn his lawsuit against FEMA now that Congress has modified its 2012 flood insurance law.
Montana
Governor Steve Bullock sent a letter last week to President Obama, asking that he issue a disaster declaration for 15 counties impacted by last month’s ice jams and flooding.
New York
The Albany Times Union was among the media outlets that carried the Associated Press story on the Thursday, April 10, state Assembly auto insurance hearing.
Aetna Life Insurance Company has agreed to pay a $500,000 penalty after being found to have used group life insurance policy forms that violated state insurance law.
Ohio
Insurance Director Mary Taylor is urging people who use ride-sharing services to consider the insurance implications, according to this Wednesday, April 16, Cleveland Plain-Dealer story.
Texas
The April 17, 2013, West Fertilizer Company explosion, which killed 15 people, was the subject of a Monday, April 14, state House hearing, the Waco Tribune-Herald reports.
A Wednesday, April 16, meeting in Brownsville reviewed the auto and property surcharges the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association could levy on coastal residents.
Washington
FEMA reports there are 36 confirmed fatalities (see slide #4) from the Saturday, March 22, Oso mudslide. In addition, 37 homes were destroyed and another six were damaged.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) made social headlines this week due to four senators reaching a deal to extend TRIA for seven years. An article in The Wall Street Journal went into detail about the bi-partisan TRIA legislation which has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. Marsh, PCI, AIA, insurers, and U.S. Senators tweeted their reactions to the TRIA bill.
The National Hurricane Conference began on Monday, April 14, and I.I.I.’s representatives, Lynne McChristian, Jeanne Salvatore and Elianne González live tweeted updates under the hashtag #NHC14.
In other I.I.I. news, our release on comprehensive auto insurance, “Eight Surprising Ways Comprehensive Insurance Works for You,” got lots of traffic via social media this week. The release was developed in a way to engage consumers and encourage sharing on social platforms.
Meanwhile, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released its latest crash test results last week; the results were picked up by many social media outlets. Some automobile companies used the IIHS findings to promote their vehicles.
Finally, the I.I.I.’s latest I’s on Insurance video, “[Not so Risky] Business,” has been released on our social platforms.
MEDIA MATTERS
The Center for Public Integrity won its first Pulitzer Prize this week, but ABC News is saying they also deserve credit as they partnered on the investigation into the denial of coal miners’ black lung benefits.
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
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