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 20, please email Loretta Worters at lorettaw@iii.org.
I.I.I. ISSUED NEWS RELEASE ON HAWAII HURRICANE COVERAGE ISSUES AS TWO EASTERN PACIFIC STORMS APPROACHED STATE
Neither Tropical Storm Iselle nor Hurricane Julio caused significant damage; the I.I.I.’s Friday, August 8, news release offered details on Hawaii’s coverage issues.
I.I.I. SPEAKS WITH ST. LOUIS BUSINESS REPORTERS IN THE WAKE OF RIOTS IN FERGUSON, MISSOURI
The I.I.I.’s Mike Barry spoke with The St. Louis Business Journal and The St. Louis Post-Dispatch as questions arose about commercial coverage for riot-caused property damages.
NATIONAL INSURANCE CRIME BUREAU PROMINENTLY FEATURED IN NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE ON DROP IN U.S. AUTO THEFTS
The engine immobilizer systems introduced by automakers in the late 1990s and early 2000s are considered the primary factor causing auto thefts to decline, The New York Times reported.
J.D. POWER RELEASES ITS 2014 SMALL BUSINESS COMMERICAL INSURANCE STUDY
Small business policyholders gave their commercial insurer an overall satisfaction score of 783, on a 1,000-point scale, up six points from 2013.
I.I.I. SUBMITS PANEL PROPOSAL FOR THE 2015 SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE: “THINK BIG: DATA MATTERS; CONCLUSIONS MATTER MORE”
The speakers would include I.I.I. president Bob Hartwig; John Lucker, Global Advanced Analytics & Modeling Market Leader at Deloitte; and Murli Buluswar, Chief Science Officer at AIG. The focus is on the new opportunities afforded by advances in big data and business analytics. The first phase of the SXSW review process is to gather votes. If you like the look of the I.I.I.’s panel, you can give it a thumbs up at the following link.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig was interviewed for a Wall Street Journal Weekend edition (Aug. 16-17) article Andrea Coombes is writing on auto insurers’ use of credit-based insurance scores.
WRAL, Raleigh-Durham’s CBS affiliate, continues to gather information for its follow-up story on why so many North Carolina home owners are receiving ‘consent to rate’ letters.
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore gave an interview to Money magazine’s website for a story on the pros and cons of retaining a public insurance adjuster after filing a homeowners claim.
The I.I.I.’s Barry spoke with the Allentown, PA, Morning Call’s Paul Muschick for an article on how home insurers assess the risk of covering policyholders who own vicious dogs.
STATES
Florida
FEMA marked the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Charley (August 13, 2004), a Category 4 storm that swept through Charlotte County and resulted in the loss of 11,000 residential units.
Georgia
Atlanta’s ABC affiliate aired on Tuesday, August 12, a segment about why some of the state’s largest home insurers have had to raise rates since 2012.
Kentucky
The Center for Insurance Policy and Research is hosting on Saturday, August 16, in Louisville, a panel discussion on Commercial Ride-Sharing and Car-Sharing Issues.
Louisiana
The New Orleans Times-Picayune published an editorial on federal flood insurance reform, and a news article on a defective maker of Chinese drywall who was a courtroom no-show.
Michigan
Flooding occurred in Detroit as the city was hit with 4.57 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, the second highest 24-hour rainfall ever recorded. The record was set in July 1925.
New York
Long Island was struck by torrential rains in the early morning hours of Wednesday, August 13, causing extensive flooding on the region’s roadways.
North Dakota
Governor Jack Dalrymple has asked the president to make a major disaster declaration because of severe storms and flooding in nine counties between June 25 and July 1, 2014.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) issued nearly 30 percent more citations in 2013 than in 2012, but the number of crashes rose last year on the highways and roads OHP oversees.
South Carolina
Attorney General Alan Wilson’s office found that insurance fraud complaints in the state reached an all-time high of more than 1,200 in 2013, many of them involving automobiles.
Washington
The president approved on Tuesday, August 12, a major disaster declaration, authorizing federal assistance for those involved in combatting the July 9-August 5, 2014, wildfires.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
The rare double hurricanes expected to hit Hawaii last week were a big topic in social media. Many were upset about cancelled flights and not having purchased travel insurance.
It is Shark Week and one of the popular posts on Twitter is a tweet from Bill Gates. The message is accompanied by a graph showing how the mosquito, not the shark, is the deadliest animal, based on how many people it kills per year. Mosquitoes kill 725,000 people annually while sharks only kill 10.
Given the recent Ebola crisis in West Africa, it is being reported that the Nigerian government is going to provide life insurance coverage to certain volunteers.
The I.I.I. sent out its first auto insurance-related email on Tuesday, August 12, a week after launching Check20, the I.I.I.’s consumer education campaign. If anyone is interested in receiving these emails and/or learning more about Check20, sign up here.
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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