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 26, please email Mike Barry at michaelb@iii.org.
JEANNE SALVATORE ON THE WEATHER CHANNEL
I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore did a live interview with “Wake Up With Al” on Tuesday, August 18, discussing how to disaster-proof your business. The WTC reached out to the I.I.I. based on the press release which was issued Monday, August 10, Disaster-Proofing Your Business; an Insurance Checklist.
I.I.I. ISSUES PRESS RELEASES ON COLLEGE STUDENTS’ POSSESSIONS AND INSURANCE,KATRINA’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY, AND ITS UPCOMING SATELLITE MEDIA TOUR
I.I.I. distributed a press release on Monday, August 17, 101 Minor Steps Can Prevent Major Headaches When Insuring College Students’ Possessions Away From Home. On Wednesday, August 19, the I.I.I. distributed the press release Hurricane Katrina 10th Anniversary: I.I.I.’s Disaster Preparedness Experts Available via Satellite Media Tour on Thursday, August 27
I.I.I., LATIN AGENTS AND BROKERS (L.A.B.A.), TO HOST ON-AIR UNIVISION 41 (WXTV) CONSUMER HOTLINE ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 25
The I.I.I. and members of the L.A.B.A. will answer the insurance questions of Univision’s Spanish-speaking viewers on Tuesday, August 25, between 5 and 7 p.m., ET. The goal is to provide basic knowledge about insuring against natural disasters. A media advisory was issued on Monday, August 24.
NATIONAL INSURANCE CRIME BUREAU (NICB) COMPILES FIVE-PART VIDEO SERIES ON THE 10th ANNIVERSARY OF HURRICANE KATRINA
The NICB will release segments of a five-part documentary video starting Monday, August 24, that provides first-hand recollections of NICB employees and law enforcement personnel as they reflect on their roles in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
NAIC SUMMER MEETING HELD IN CHICAGO; PRICE OPTIMIZATION WHITE PAPER, FRACKING DISCUSSED
On Saturday, August 15, the Casualty Actuarial and Statistical Task Force held off on finalizing its Price Optimization White Paper at the National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s summer meeting in Chicago.
RUTGERS CENTER FOR RISK AND RESPONSIBILITY HOLDS NEXT CONFERENCE ON INSURANCE
Jay Feinman, a Rutgers professor of law, and author of Delay, Deny, Defend, has reached out to the I.I.I. regarding the next conference sponsored by the Rutgers Center for Risk and Responsibility which will be on “Insurance in an On-Demand Economy.” It is scheduled for Friday, March 4, 2016 in Camden, New Jersey.
FORBES FOCUSES ON NEW SURVEY THAT U.S. DRIVERS DON’T CHANGE INSURANCE COMPANIES OFTEN
A recent survey conducted for InsuranceQuotes.com determined that the average U.S. driver has not changed insurance companies in 12 years, with about a quarter of them staying with the same carrier for more than 16 years, despite advertisements, it was reported in the Tuesday, August 18 issue of Forbes.com.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore discussed the insurance needs of college students in a taped interview with New York City CBS affiliate reporter Sandy Buckley as well as with Money magazine’s Greg Daugherty.
Wall Street Journal’s Leslie Scism spoke with I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters about a story she is working on having to do with earthquake insurance, including the California Earthquake Authority.
I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters spoke with AARP’s Jim Healey (healey99@gmail.com), who is doing a story on the least-expensive vehicles to insure in a variety of categories (small cars, SUVs, vans, etc.) and what makes a car low- or high-cost to insure.
I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters spoke with Teresa Mears, a reporter with U.S. News & World Report (954-530-8496; tam801@gmail.com), who is doing a story on how to deal with/negotiate with your insurance company after a disaster.
Kristine Owram (kOwram@nationalpost.com) with the National Post, a national newspaper in Canada, spoke with I.I.I.’s Jim Lynch regarding how new automotive technologies are making cars safer, and what that could mean for auto insurance providers.
STATES
Florida
The Tampa Tribune had a story regarding flood-damaged vehicles, which have poured into repair shops and salvage yards due to this summer’s heavy rainfall in the Tampa area I.I.I.’s Lynne McChristian was interviewed for the Monday, August 17 story.
California
On Monday, August 17, the Morning Star News reported that 25 years after the Bay Area quake, most people don't have earthquake insurance. California Earthquake Authority Chief Executive Glenn Pomeroy implored residents to buy insurance and not to be put off by premium prices, which on average was $803 a year as of Dec. 31, 2014 and is as little as $100 a year in less vulnerable regions of California, like Sacramento or Fresno.
An article in the Sunday, August 16 issue of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat quoted I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz who looked at ways to protect a home and finances from fire. The story noted that California faces at least two more months of fire season, noting that experts have tips on how you can protect your home and finances from a blaze.
Oregon
A 160-mile section of Interstate 84 was closed for several hours on Thursday, August 13, because of nearby wildfires, the largest of which was in Baker County. About 145 homes were threatened by the blaze, according to FEMA in this Thursday, August 13, BBC story.
Washington
The Nine Mile Fire (Okanogan County), which burned nearly 3,000 acres in Oroville, was the lead story on the 6 p.m. broadcast of Spokane’s NBC affiliate on Thursday, August 13.
Idaho
Hundreds of residents in Lewis and Idaho counties were forced to evacuate after a wildfire burned thousands of acres in Kamiah, according to KBOI-TV.com on Thursday, August 13.
Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Saturday, August 15, that longtime Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine had kept campaign cash for a 2010 race he never ran.
The article noted that the law requires the former insurance commissioner to return money to donors.
Louisiana
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu offered up thanks to everyone from four American presidents to "the American taxpayer" for helping transform New Orleans from "literally being underwater" to become "one of the world's most remarkable stories of tragedy and triumph, resurrection and redemption," according to this Tuesday, August 18, Times-Picayune article.
Missouri
An AP story, on Tuesday, August 18, was based on the Missouri Insurance Department news release of Friday, August 14, about earthquake insurance which said that the state now faces $100 billion in uninsured property for earthquake damage. Angela Nelson, director of the Division of Market Regulation for the Missouri Department of Insurance helped lead a national forum on Friday, August 14, entitled "All Things Earthquake" at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Summer National Meeting. During the forum, Nelson cited the department's 2015 Earthquake Report and said since 2000, 64 insurers have exited Missouri's earthquake market. On average, premiums in the six counties that comprise the New Madrid area increased by more than 500 percent from 2000-2014, and in one county by nearly 700 percent. In 2000, more than 60 percent of homes in the New Madrid area had earthquake coverage. By 2014, the rate of coverage had plummeted to 20 percent.
Mississippi
A federal appeals court upheld a jury’s finding against State Farm regarding the way it processed a North Biloxi Katrina claim. The case of Cori and Kerri Rigsby will now return to U.S. District Court in Gulfport, according to this Thursday, August 13, AP story.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
Big on social this week were stories about the Pacific Northwest and Western U.S. wildfires. I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz, sent pictures from the Rocky and Jerusalem, CA fires, taken from her backyard, which helped to illustrate and personalize the threat. Also trending this week was the topic of back to school. I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore appeared on WCBS-NY to spread awareness about safeguarding students’ belongings while at college. The pickup of this segment—and of back-to-school items in general is strong, and growing.
I.I.I.’s Hurricane Katrina Infographic was released and being shared on social.
This week Check20 focused on driving-tips, insuring college-age drivers, and a reminder to drive extra carefully as kids head back to school.
MEDIA MATTERS
Dallas CBS affiliate KTVT-TV has added Laurie Passman as assistant news director, starting Monday, August 31. She comes to the station from KTVK-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, where she had been assistant news director.
Starting in September, Sean Sposito will be a cybersecurity reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. Sposito is moving to the Bay Area from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he covered security and data privacy.
Social Networking site PR Open Mic is shutting down and will no longer be available after Thursday, August 20. The nonprofit site was founded by Robert French on March 30, 2008, and had served public relations professionals, students and faculty worldwide. PR Open Mic served as a resource for members to find jobs and forge connections with other professionals.
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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