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, May 4, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
60 MINUTES SEGMENT ON UNCLAIMED LIFE POLICIES PROMPTS FOLLOW-UP STORIES BY FLORIDA, MAINE MEDIA OUTLETS
The I.I.I.’s Steven Weisbart was quoted in this Orlando Sentinel story and interviewed by Maine’s National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate after appearing this month on 60 Minutes.
I.I.I.’s PRESIDENT QUOTED IN HUFFINGTON POST ARTICLE ON INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION (RNC)
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig is cited in this look at how Cleveland is readying for the RNC, to be held from Monday, July 18, through Thursday, July 21.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Lynne McChristian discussed auto insurer use of education and occupation as a rating factor with Miami NBC affiliate reporter Tony Pipitone.
The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry gave an interview to The Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Tim Harlow about auto insurer endorsements given to policyholders who also work for transportation network companies (TNC).
CAPITOL HILL
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to pass this week the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act (House Resolution 2901).
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is holding on Tuesday, May 10, in Washington, D.C., a one-day forum on the growing number of pedestrian fatalities.
STATES
Alabama
Today (April 27) marks the fifth anniversary of the devastating tornadoes that killed dozens of Alabama residents.
The I.I.I. website’s home page links to facts and figures on the tornadoes, which hit multiple states in late April 2011.
California
The I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz is attending the National Earthquake Conference at the Hilton Long Beach between Wednesday, May 4, and Friday, May 6.
Auto insurers could add either a new driver or another car to a policy electronically, without mailing paper copies of the transaction, if Assembly Bill 2591 became law. The measure will be discussed at a Tuesday, May 3, Assembly Judiciary committee hearing in Sacramento.
Workplace fatalities dropped 15 percent between 2014 and 2013—to 344 from 396—the state’s Department of Industrial Relations reported.
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones wants the state’s insurers to divest from thermal coal and disclose voluntarily their investments in the carbon economy.
Florida
The state’s Cabinet is convening on Friday, April 29, at 9 a.m. in Tallahassee to discuss three individuals seeking to become Florida’s next Insurance Commissioner.
The Cabinet conducted public Insurance Commissioner interviews on Tuesday, April 26, with Belinda Miller, chief of staff at the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR), and Raymond Blacklidge, executive vice president and general counsel at American Traditions Company in Pinellas Park.
AccuWeather (14 named storms) envisions a 2016 hurricane season which is slightly more active than the typical year (12 named storms), a front-page Palm Beach Post story reported.
Morgan & Morgan donated 60-plus percent of the monies former Governor Charlie Crist raised in the first three months of 2016 for Crist’s U.S. House bid in Florida’s 13th Congressional District.
U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham (D-Florida) announced she is considering a gubernatorial campaign in 2018.
Georgia
Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens was interviewed by Atlanta’s CBS affiliate after the owner of a DeKalb County auto body repair shop was arrested for insurance fraud.
Kansas
The CBS Evening News began its Tuesday, April 26, broadcast with a report on the heavy rainfall and hailstorms in Wichita.
Isolated tornadoes and strong winds swept through the north central Kansas counties of Republic, Riley and Saline on Sunday, April 24.
Louisiana
FEMA extended to 120 from 60 days the deadline for submitting National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Proof of Loss forms for damages resulting from the March flooding.
A bill that would have allowed motorcyclists aged 21 and older to ride without a helmet failed by four votes in the state’s House of Representatives.
Massachusetts
The I.I.I.’s Weisbart was interviewed by The Boston Globe after a life insurer said it would sell policies to individuals diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
New York
Nearly a decade after 21 passengers died in a Lake George tour boat accident, the boat operator’s fraudulent insurance policy is impacting survivors’ families, the Albany Times-Union reports.
CSX Corporation’s level of self-insurance may be inadequate in the event of a major disaster involving its transport of crude oil, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli stated.
Oklahoma
Governor Mary Fallin signed House Bill 3146, requiring all courts to report every driving under the influence (DUI) conviction to a statewide database.
The governor also approved HB 2473, meaning motorists will no longer pay a fine for driving without proof of insurance if a law enforcement officer is able to verify a motorist’s coverage.
Texas
The CBS affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth reported this morning (April 27) on the five injuries and property damage caused by severe weather last night in Grayson County.
The industry has the financial resources to pay the extensive hail claims arising from events such as the one in San Antonio on Tuesday, April 12, the I.I.I.’s Claire Wilkinson writes.
Federal funding is available to affected individuals in four counties—Fayette, Grimes, Harris, and Park—following the severe storms and flooding of April 17–24, 2016.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
Community preparedness and resilience
FEMA’s National PrepareAthon Day is being held on Saturday, April 30. PrepareAthon is on Facebook and Twitter; hashtag #PrepareAthon.
Severe Weather in Kansas, Oklahoma
Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes hit Kansas and Oklahoma early this week. Follow @NWSKansasCity, @NWSTulsa, and @NWSNorman on Twitter for weather updates and breaking news.
Snapchat
The I.I.I. is soon launching its Snapchat channel, iiiorg. The I.I.I.’s other social media channels will offer additional updates on this initiative.
Millennials Video
The I.I.I. is taping interviews on Tuesday, May 3, and Wednesday, May 4, at the I.I.I.’s New York City office. The video is aimed at generating interest in insurance industry careers among young people.
National Bike Month and Check20
May is designated as Bike Month by The League of American Bicyclists and the I.I.I.’s latest Check20 email newsletter provides consumer facts about bike safety and bicycle insurance.
To join the conversation on social, use the hashtag #BikeMonth.
MEDIA MATTERS
Charter Communications’ merger with Time Warner Cable (TWC), and its purchase of Bright House Networks, is nearing final approval by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Gannett, USA Today’s publisher, offered to pay $815 million for Tribune Publishing, which owns The Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun and The Chicago Tribune.
The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah’s largest daily newspaper, is being sold to the Huntsman family by Digital First Media.
The Tampa Bay Times’ parent company will remain as a tenant in its current downtown St. Petersburg headquarters after selling the building for $19 million.
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
