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 15, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
INSURERS PUBLIC RELATIONS COUNCIL (IPRC) TO MEET IN NEW ORLEANS ON MAY 12-13, 2015
The deadline for booking a reservation at the site of the IPRC meeting, the JW Marriott in New Orleans, is Friday, April 17.
THE I.I.I. OFFERS COVERAGE TIPS TO THE WEATHER CHANNEL’S (TWC) VIEWERS AMID CONCERNS ABOUT SEVERE WEATHER HITTING THE CENTRAL PLAINS, LOWER MISSOURI VALLEY THIS WEEK
The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry gave three live phone interviews to TWC on Sunday morning, April 5, counseling viewers on what standard homeowners and renters policies cover in the aftermath of hail and wind storms.
JOHN HANCOCK TO OFFER DISCOUNTS TO LIFE INSURANCE POLICYHOLDERS WHO ALLOW THE COMPANY TO MONITOR THEIR PERSONAL HABITS
The New York Times says they are the first life insurer in the U.S. to offer a program allowing the company to keep track of a policyholder’s personal data, such as exercise habits, cholesterol levels and other medical information.
WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTS INSURANCE DEPARTMENTS NOW HAVE ACCESS TO INFORMATION PREVIOUSLY SENT ONLY TO SECURITIES REGULATORS
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (Finra) disciplinary reports should be cross-checked each month by state insurance departments to see if the names Finra releases track those holding insurance licenses, according to Utah Insurance Commissioner Todd Kiser.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig spoke with Consumer Reports’ Jeff Blyskal about the rating factors which go into pricing an auto insurance policy, with Blyskal focusing on credit-based insurance scores and whether the marriage discount is being extended to same-sex married couples.
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig gave an interview to The San Francisco Chronicle’s Kristen Brown about the potential insurance implications of driverless vehicles.
The I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz is taping a segment with Michael Finney of San Francisco’s ABC affiliate about the impact accidents, and moving violations, have on the cost of a driver’s auto policy.
The I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters spoke with The Wall Street Journal’s Leslie Scism in advance of this WSJ story on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorizing property insurers’ use of unmanned aircraft systems, also known as drones.
The I.I.I.’s Elianne Gonzalez briefed El Diario on the recent changes made to FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
The I.I.I.’s Barry said Politico.com’s Nolan McCaskill (nmccaskill@politico.com) is seeking an industry source willing to talk about insuring higher educational institutions as numerous state Legislatures weigh allowing, or restricting, guns on college campuses.
STATES
Alabama
The daughter of former University of Alabama athletic director Mal Moore, who died in 2013, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Wyeth and Par. She argues the heart-medication drugs they produced, and which her father took, caused Moore’s death.
California
Governor Jerry Brown called for a 25 percent reduction in water consumption statewide.
The Press-Enterprise, a daily newspaper which covers Riverside County, cited the I.I.I.’s Ruiz in this article on the recent changes to FEMA’s NFIP.
Georgia
The state Legislature passed House Bill 190, making Georgia the first state to enact the model compromise language agreed to by auto insurers and Uber.
Hawaii
A 4.5 magnitude quake shook the Big Island on Sunday morning, April 5, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Louisiana
The state Department of Insurance (DOI) will have 225 employees when the new fiscal year begins on July 1, down from 275 not long ago, after Commissioner James Donelon offered DOI personnel an early retirement incentive, the Associated Press reports.
Michigan
Pat McPharlin will succeed Ann Flood as chief of the state’s Department of Insurance and Financial Services, effective Monday, May 18. McPharlin retired last year as president and CEO of Michigan State University’s Federal Credit Union.
Missouri
A magnitude 3.6 quake struck near Steele (Pemiscot County) on Wednesday evening, April 1, prompting the Insurance Department to issue a news release about earthquake insurance coverage.
North Carolina
State lawmakers are examining ways to strengthen the property insurance market during the current legislative session, according to this article in the Jacksonville (NC) Daily News.
Rhode Island
The president approved a major disaster declaration on Friday, April 3, for the severe winter storm that occurred on January 26-28, 2015.
South Carolina
Homeowners residing in a gated community south of Myrtle Beach want to build a new seawall to protect their properties. Critics say its construction will hasten the erosion of a nearby public beach, The State reports.
Texas
State lawmakers are considering at least three pieces of legislation to avert a future event comparable to 2013’s deadly fertilizer blast in West, the Dallas Morning News reports.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
California’s governor ordered mandatory water restrictions across the state and, on social, most are concerned with the plight of farmers, some of whom may purchase crop insurance to protect themselves from the drought.
Tuesday, April 7, was #WildfirePrepDay An hour-long Twitter chat provided the general public with information on mitigation, communication and evacuation in case of a wildfire. People were encouraged to ask questions using the hashtag #WildfirePrepDay. The I.I.I. got into the action by retweeting helpful tips as well as infographics on wildfire safety.
The New York International Auto Show (#NYIAS) is being held this week. Social media is filled with thousands of pictures from the Auto Show, and magazines such as PC Mag and Wired are posting their selections for the NYIAS’s coolest cars. To follow the conversation, search the hashtag #NYIAS or track the NY Auto Show at @NYAutoShow.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The I.I.I. will mark the occasion by posting, and tweeting, informative articles and statistics using the hashtag #DDAM.
MEDIA MATTERS
The Weather Channel (TWC), a station no longer carried by Verizon’s FiOS TV service, may have trouble keeping its programming on the Dish Network as TWC’s Dish contract comes up for renewal, the WSJ reports.
CBS This Morning was the only broadcast morning show to increase its viewership in 2015’s first quarter, as compared to 2014’s first quarter.
CNBC began broadcasting segments this week from its new San Francisco bureau.
CNN may recruit Brian Williams to host a weekday program at 9 p.m., ET—Larry King’s old time slot—if Williams leaves NBC, a Vanity Fair article theorized, in its second-to-last paragraph.
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.
