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, August 19, please email Loretta Worters at lorettaw@iii.org.
VOTE ONLINE BEFORE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, TO BRING THE I.I.I.’s PANEL DISCUSSION ON CYBER SECURITY ISSUES IN TRANSPORTATION TO SXSW INTERACTIVE IN MARCH 2016
The I.I.I. has submitted a proposal for 2016’s SXSW gathering in Austin, Texas. Bob Hartwig will moderate a panel discussion on Hacking Your Ride: Transportation Safety and Risk, if it receives enough online support. The deadline for Panel Picker voting is Friday, September 4.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SAYS NEARLY HALF OF ALL AMERICANS ARE EXPOSED TO POTENTIALLY DAMAGING EARTHQUAKES
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates more than 143 million Americans in the 48 contiguous states are exposed to potentially damaging ground shaking from earthquakes, nearly double the 75 million Americans, in 39 states, the USGS said met this criterion in 2006.
INSURANCE INDUSTRY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION (IICF) 2015 BENEFIT DINNER WILL BE HELD IN DECEMBER
The IICF has announced that its biggest fundraiser of the year will be on Wednesday evening, December 9, 2015, at The Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in New York City. Former New York Jet Boomer Esiason and New York Met Curtis Granderson are scheduled to appear.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig sent a letter to Consumer Reports in response to its September 2015 special report on auto insurance. He also spoke with Business Insurance’s Donna Mahoney regarding aviation insurance trends in the wake of 2014’s global commercial airline disasters.
The I.I.I.’s James Lynch discussed with InsurancesQuotes.com’s Nick DiUlio a survey the website conducted showing homeowners insurers increasingly used credit-based insurance scores when pricing policies. Lynch also briefed Work Comp Central’s Ben Miller about a recently released report from the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI).
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore gave an interview to The Allentown, PA, Morning Call’s Paul Muschick about the insurance implications of renting out your home for the Papal visit to Philadelphia in September.
The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry discussed with The New York Post’s Greg Bensiger the reasons teens generally pay more than other age groups for auto insurance. The story is scheduled to appear on Sunday, August 16.
CAPITOL HILL
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a $271,815 settlement agreement with Navigators Insurance Company last week.
Takata told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it will publicize its air-bag recall in seven southern states as well as Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
STATES
Alabama
Two tornadoes touched down in the southeastern part of the state on Thursday, August 6. One was an EF-1 and hit Troy, injuring seven people. The other, an EF-O, struck near Seale (Russell County), causing limited property damage.
Arizona
Hundreds of people were required to evacuate after the Willow Fire began on Saturday, August 8, south of Bull Head City (Mohave County). The evacuation order has since been lifted.
Phoenix was the site of a major dust storm on Tuesday, August 11.
California
The Jerusalem Fire, which began north of Napa Valley on Sunday, August 9, spread across 14,000 acres as of yesterday, forcing some residents to evacuate their homes for the second time in as many weeks, according to a Wednesday, August 12, Reuters story.
The Rocky Fire, the other wildfire referenced in the Reuters piece, has burned more than 70,000 acres and destroyed at least 40 homes across three rural counties (Colusa, Lake and Yolo) this month.
Governor Jerry Brown held a Rocky Fire-related press conference in Colusa County on Thursday, August 6.
Six individuals were sentenced on felony charges after filing more than 1,300 fraudulent mobile phone insurance claims totaling more than half a million dollars, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced.
Colorado
About three million gallons of metal-laden wastewater was accidentally released from the Gold King Mine near Silverton (San Juan County) on Wednesday, August 5, prompting Governor John Hickenlooper to declare a state of emergency on Monday, August 10.
The burn scar remaining from 2012’s Waldo Canyon Fire is being blamed in part for the severity of the flash floods that occurred near Colorado Springs on Monday, August 10.
Connecticut
Citing the Hartford NBC affiliate’s coverage of cracking home foundations, Governor Dannel Malloy acknowledged in a letter to the state’s attorney general that standard homeowners policies do not cover this type of peril (see first paragraph).
Florida
The I.I.I.’s Lynne McChristian conducted two live interviews on The Weather Channel on Saturday, August 8. The first focused on insuring outdoor events, as did McChristian’s second appearance.
The Florida Geological Survey is about a year away from creating a statewide map identifying where sinkholes are most likely to form. Geologists have already conducted research in 55 of the state’s 67 counties, the Tampa Tribune reports.
Due to the intense rainfall and flash floods of recent weeks in the counties of Dixie, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Taylor, Governor Rick Scott declared on Thursday, August 6, a state of emergency in those counties.
The state’s Department of Economic Opportunity is inviting businesses in those same five counties to take an online survey to determine which flooded areas and/or businesses need immediate assistance.
Georgia
Savannah is seeking a federal grant of $3.6 million to hire 25 additional firefighters, according to a story in the Monday, August 10, Savannah Morning News.
Hawaii
Tropical Storm Hilda is passing nearly 300 miles south of the Hawaii Islands but nonetheless may cause heavy rainfall throughout the state through the weekend of August 15-16.
Louisiana
Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon told a Katrina anniversary summit at the University of New Orleans yesterday that 22 new property insurers started writing coverage in the state since 2005, and that Citizens’ market share has dropped to 2 percent from 10 percent since 2008.
Maine
Insurance Superintendent Eric Cioppa issued a news release this week explaining the details of the Transportation Network Company Insurance Act.
Michigan
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig forcefully defended auto insurers’ use of credit-based insurance scoring as a rating criterion in a live, spirited debate with state Senator Coleman Young on Detroit’s ABC affiliate. It was broadcast on Thursday, July 30.
Missouri
The president approved a major federal disaster declaration on Friday, August 7, providing federal funds to 68 counties impacted by the state’s severe weather between May 15-July 27, 2015.
Oregon
FEMA provided assistance in combatting the Krauss Lane Fire near Cave Junction (Josephine County).
Texas
Standard & Poor's recent study, How Fracking And Earthquakes Could Open Fissures In Credit Quality, highlighted the fact that neither property owners nor lenders are generally covered for earthquake-caused damage, The Dallas Morning News reports.
Washington
The Stouts Creek Fire (Douglas County) has burned more than 20,000 acres and was 35 percent contained as of earlier this week.
West Virginia
The president approved a major federal disaster declaration on Saturday, August 8, providing federal funds to eight counties impacted by the state’s severe weather during the period of July 10-14, 2015.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
Fidelity National is buying SunGard in a deal valued at $9.1 billion. It was the top trending Google story this morning.
Marking the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death, riots and protests continued in Ferguson, Missouri, and officials extended a state of emergency for another 24 hours. On social, many people are confused about the presence of “oath keepers” who say their mission is to protect Ferguson’s businesses and buildings.
In I.I.I. news, this week’s Check20 focuses on back-to school-insurance issues: the college edition. The I.I.I. provides tips, for instance, on how to insure the contents of a dorm room.
If you are not signed up to receive the I.I.I.’s Check20 emails, or have missed the previous ones, they are all archived on the Check20 Pinterest board.
Alba Rosario, who has delivered the I.I.I.’s weekly social media reports for years, is leaving the I.I.I. effective Friday, August 14, for another position. James Ballot, the I.I.I.’s director of digital communications, will deliver these reports starting next week.
MEDIA MATTERS
Al Roker’s Storm of the Century was released on Tuesday, August 11. It chronicles the 1900 hurricane that made landfall in Galveston, Texas.
NBC’s Lester Holt holds a slight lead in the ratings (7.8 million viewers) over ABC’s David Muir (7.5 million), and CBS’s Scott Pelley (6.6 million), according to a story in today’s (August 12) New York Times.
MSNBC’s daytime programming will shift to hard-news coverage in a bid to bolster the cable network’s ratings, The Wall Street Journal reports.
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