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 9, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
I.I.I. ISSUES RELEASE AFTER 8.2-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE OFF CHILE’S COAST PROMPTS TSUNAMI WARNINGS AS FAR AWAY AS HAWAII
The I.I.I.’s news release was issued on Wednesday, April 2, the day after the Chilean earthquake. Four of the five most expensive quakes in world history have occurred since 2010.
CONSUMER FEDERATION OF AMERICA (CFA) AGAIN URGES REGULATORS TO BAR AUTO INSURER USE OF ‘PRICE OPTIMIZATION’ SOFTWARE
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig responded to the CFA’s Monday, March 31, news release in an NBC interview. The I.I.I.’s Mike Barry did the same with The Palm Beach Post.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore spoke with Real Simple magazine for a July 2014 article on the reasons to buy renters insurance, and Dateline.com regarding flood insurance.
The I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters gave interviews to NBCNews.com (recreational vehicle coverage), Financial Planning magazine (life insurance and suicide), CNBC.com (claims filing apps), and Bankrate.com (road rage and tailgating).
The I.I.I.’s Barry discussed the insurance issues raised by the Washington mudslide with The Pittsburgh Tribune Review’s Andrew Schmeltz for a Sunday, April 6, article.
CAPITOL HILL
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said all new cars and light trucks must be equipped with rearview cameras by May 2018.
The FBI is interviewing FEMA employees about flood map changes which benefited oceanfront condo buildings with a history of flooding, NBC reported, on Thursday, March 27.
STATES
Alabama
The state’s Insurance Department is disputing a Homeowners’ Hurricane Insurance Initiative (HHII) report, according to this Sunday, March 30, Mobile Press-Register story.
California
Scientists have identified the origins of the Friday, March 28, 5.1-magnitude earthquake in La Habra, according to this Los Angeles Times article.
A federal grand jury indicted PG&E on Tuesday, April 1, on criminal charges related to a September 2010 explosion which killed eight people, the Oakland Tribune reports.
Florida
The I.I.I.’s Salvatore and Lynne McChristian will be making presentations and moderating panel discussions at the governor’s Hurricane Conference (April 14-17) in Orlando.
An EF-0 tornado touched down in the Lake Nona area (Orange County) on Saturday, March 29, causing extensive tree damage, this next-day Orlando Sentinel story reports.
Kentucky
Senior citizens could pay for long-term care by selling their life insurance policies, if Governor Steven Beshear signs into law House Bill 414, A.M. Best explained, on Tuesday, April 1.
Louisiana
Only one insurer is continuing to fight the state over its post-Katrina wind payouts, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported, in a Tuesday, April 1, article.
Mississippi
Dickie Scruggs is out of prison, having been released to home confinement in Oxford on Thursday, March 20, the Clarion-Ledger reported, in this Thursday, March 27, story.
New Jersey
A former broker pled guilty on Monday, March 31, to conspiring to defraud purchasers of commercial liability insurance, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.
New York
MetLife agreed to pay a combined $60 million in fines to the state’s Department of Financial Services ($50 million) and the Manhattan District Attorney’s ($10 million) office.
Pennsylvania
Workers compensation rates will decline for some employers beginning in April 2014, the state’s Insurance Department stated, in this Monday, March 31, news release.
Washington
FEMA’s Wednesday, April 2, briefing (page 4) said there were 28 confirmed fatalities resulting from the Oso, Washington, landslide, and 22 people still missing and/or unaccounted for. Thirty-six (36) homes were destroyed.
Governor Jay Inslee issued on Tuesday, April 1, a news release, detailing the state’s requests for federal disaster assistance in the wake of the Saturday, March 22, mudslide.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
Earthquakes were a popular topic in social media over the past week after a 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck southern California on Friday, March 28. It was followed by more than 100 aftershocks during the weekend of March 29-30. Besides reading news media updates, Californians posted their own pictures of quake-caused damage. A popular Twitter photo showed an overturned car on a highway because of a rock slide in Brea, California’s Carbon Canyon. A very popular article being shared on social media was by the Associated Press, which reported that the Puente Hills fault could be more dangerous than the San Andreas fault.
Meanwhile, the 8.2 magnitude earthquake which hit off the coast of northern Chile on Tuesday, April 1, is today the center of social media. News outlets are posting pictures and videos of Chileans evacuating their homes while individuals in other nations are sending their prayers to the people of Chile.
In other news, General Motors’ (GM) recall of certain vehicles continues to make headlines because 13 deaths have been potentially linked to GM’s faulty ignition switches. A popular tweet from Reuters, which was retweeted over 80 times since Tuesday, April 1, and is linked to their article, reports GM avoided a switch redesign in 2005 to save a dollar on each car.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and Financial Literacy Month. Many organizations are promoting this on social with the hashtags #stopthetexts and #FLM2014, respectively.
MEDIA MATTERS
Glen Taylor, a billionaire who owns the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, has purchased the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Amy Robach was named the new anchor for ABC’s Good Morning America effective Monday, March 31.
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
For an I.I.I. Blog search, click here.
