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 12, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
CONSUMER REPORTS STORY CHALLENGES AUTO INSURER USE OF NON-DRIVING RATING FACTORS
The I.I.I. offered an online rebuttal to the September 2015 Consumer Reports article while also conducting numerous interviews on the findings. In addition, CBS News posted a response to Consumer Reports from the I.I.I.’s James Lynch.
A.M. BEST VIDEO EXPLORES “HOW KATRINA CHANGED TODAY’S INSURANCE INDUSTRY”
A.M. Best’s Meg Green toured the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans with Louisiana Insurance Commissioner James Donelon as part of this six-plus minute video pegged to the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (subscription required).
SEVERE WEATHER CAUSES FATALITIES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND ILLINOIS
Two people died, and dozens were injured, after a circus tent collapsed in Lancaster, New Hampshire on Monday, August 3. A comparable event in Wood Dale, Illinois, killed another person a day earlier.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore provided information to New York City CBS affiliate reporter Tracee Carrasco for a story WCBS-TV is developing about couples who lost their wedding-related deposit after a business abruptly closed.
The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry spoke with The Chicago Tribune’s Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz (the insurance implications of medical marijuana in the workplace) and The Newton County (Missouri) News’ Chad Hayworth (homeowners insurance and ISO fire ratings).
CAPITOL HILL
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is holding four straight days of public hearings on DOL’s proposed “fiduciary rule” starting on Monday, August 10.
Stephen Taylor is the acting commissioner at the District of Columbia’s Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking.
STATES
Alabama
The Birmingham News reports Colorado State University (CSU) researchers predict the Atlantic will have five more named storms, two hurricanes and one major hurricane before the 2015 season ends.
California
The I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz discussed the role homeowners insurance plays in helping wildfire victims recover financially in a live Weather Channel interview on Thursday, August 6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah4g9PkWuvo&feature=youtu.be.
The I.I.I.’s Ruiz also spoke with Samantha Masunaga of The Los Angeles Times about how this year’s drought and wildfires could impact the state’s homeowners insurance market in the future.
The Rocky Fire (Colusa, Lake and Yolo counties) has burned nearly 70,000 acres, and prompted the mandatory evacuation of thousands of people. The blaze started on Wednesday, July 29, and doubled in size over the weekend of August 1-2.
The I.I.I.’s Ruiz is attending state Senator Mike McGuire’s Lake County Town Hall Meeting, in Lakeport, on Thursday, August 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
San Diego’s ABC affiliate aired as the lead story on its Thursday, July 30, 6 p.m. broadcast a segment pegged to a Ramona homeowner who learned of the flood exclusion after incurring flood damage.
Florida
Nearly a decade removed from the Sunshine State’s last major windstorm, almost three out of five Floridians (56 percent) do not feel highly vulnerable to hurricane-caused damage, according to a recent Mason-Dixon poll.
Southwest Pasco County, near Tampa Bay, received upwards of 25 inches of rain between Saturday, July 25, and Sunday, August 2, according to the front-page print edition (Wednesday, August 5) story in The Palm Beach Post (subscription required).
The I.I.I.’s Lynne McChristian provided information to Tampa’s ABC and CBS affiliates regarding the insurance implications of the Tampa (Hillsborough County) flooding over the past week.
Hawaii
Tropical Storm Guillermo is expected to bring strong winds and heavy winds to Hawaii and Maui counties this week as the system passes to the north of the state.
Iowa
The president approved a major federal disaster declaration on Friday, July 31, allowing governments in 19 counties to seek federal assistance for damages caused by the severe weather of June 20-25, 2015.
Louisiana
In a New York Times op-ed piece, “Is New Orleans Safe?”, a former member of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority East cited a new flood protection system, which the writer says corrected mistakes made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Lawmakers lowered the tax credit property insurance policyholders can claim for helping retire the debt of Louisiana’s Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.
The state’s Office of Motor Vehicles raised the cost of obtaining a report on a person’s driving record to $16 from $6, effective July 1, a move that could be passed along to consumers in the form of higher auto insurance rates.
Mississippi
Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney won a Republican primary election yesterday, defeating John Mosley, whose family owns an auto repair company in Clinton, according to this Tuesday, August 4, Clarion-Ledger story.
New York
Eight people have died amid an outbreak of Legionnaires disease in New York City.
Sean Coffey, a lawyer who made an unsuccessful bid for state Attorney General in 2010, is reportedly a candidate to become the Department of Financial Services’ next superintendent, this Monday, August 3, Politico article reported.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has instructed energy companies to cut sharply underground wastewater disposal across a 40-mile stretch in the northeastern corner of the state that has experienced a dramatic increase in earthquakes since 2013, according to this Wednesday, August 5 New York Times piece.
Oregon
The Stouts Creek Fire (Douglas County) has burned 17,000-plus acres over the past week, the Wednesday, August 5 Portland Business Journal.
Washington
The Highway 8 Fire (Klickitat County) began on Tuesday, August 4, threatening homes in the communities of Roosevelt and Sundale.
Wisconsin
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has agreed to a multi-million dollar settlement to compensate hundreds of alleged sexual abuse victims. The church’s insurance carriers will contribute about $11 million to the plaintiff payouts, according to The Wall Street Journal.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
California’s Rocky Fire has burned nearly 70,000 acres as firefighters stretch their resources to fight it. On social, the state’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has been constantly updating the public on the fire’s status. State Senator Mike McGuire, who represents Lake County, has also been reminding the public, via social, of the upcoming Town Hall meeting on Thursday night, August 6, regarding the Rocky Fire. The I.I.I.’s Ruiz will be live tweeting from the event.
In industry news, effective December 1, 2015, Travelers Insurance will have a new CEO. Alan Schnitzer will succeed Jay S. Fishman.
The plane debris found on Reunion Island is from Malaysian Airlines’ Flight 370.
The I.I.I.’s response to the Consumer Reports article on auto insurance rating factors, which was posted on CBS News’ website, received good pick up on social. It was the I.I.I.’s most clicked on link of the week with 172 clicks.
This week’s Check20 email will focus on how to avoid buying either flooded or salvaged vehicles. It will feature a mention of the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s VINCheck database.
If you have not as yet signed up to receive the I.I.I.’s Check20 emails, or want to retrieve previous ones, they’re archived at the Check20 Pinterest board.
MEDIA MATTERS
MSNBC canceled three of its daytime shows.
The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch’s new owner says it needs to cut $10 million in costs at the paper over the next two years.
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.
