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 13, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
I.I.I. LAUNCHED CHECK20 ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 5
The I.I.I.’s James Ballot invited member companies to sign-up for the I.I.I.’s email newsletters on auto and home insurance, as well as financial planning, via the I.I.I.’s Check20 weblink.
I.I.I. IS MEETING WITH RELAY RIDES ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, AT THE I.I.I.’S MANHATTAN OFFICE
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore said that, if member companies had any questions they’d like posed to Relay Rides, she wants to hear them.
BERTHA BECOMES THE SECOND HURRICANE OF THE 2014 SEASON WHILE TRAVELING FAR TO THE EAST OF FLORIDA’S ATLANTIC COASTLINE
Hurricane Bertha achieved sustained winds of nearly 80 miles per hour on Monday, August 4, but posed no threat to the U.S. coastline.
ARTHUR, THE YEAR’S FIRST HURRICANE, CAUSED LESS THAN $250 MILLION IN INSURED LOSSES, RISK MODELING FIRM ESTIMATES
Arthur made landfall on Thursday, July 3, at the southern end of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. It was a Category 2 storm at the time, Risk Management Solutions noted.
INSURANCE RESEARCH COUNCIL (IRC) STUDY FINDS PERCENTAGE OF U.S. UNINSURED MOTORISTS DROPPED TO 12.6% FROM 13.8% (2007-2012)
The IRC’s news release on its findings was issued on Tuesday, August 5.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Salvatore will be interviewed next month by KNX reporter Ed Mertz, 1070 Newsradio, in Los Angeles, as part of a series on emergency preparedness in wildfire zones.
WRAL, the CBS affiliate in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, is preparing a follow-up to a Monday, July 21, segment on how many home insurers issued ‘consent to rate’ letters.
Long Island Newsday’s Tom Incantalupo is readying a piece on why some drivers are reluctant to purchase usage-based auto insurance policies.
CAPITOL HILL
The Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance, which counsels the Federal Insurance Office, has added six new members, and met in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, August 7.
STATES
California
Forest Falls, a mountain community in San Bernardino County, had its main road washed out by flash flooding on Sunday, August 3.
The Bald Fire (Lassen County) has burned more 35,000 acres (see item #3) since Wednesday, July 30, and prompted mandatory, and voluntary, evacuations for 2,000 residents.
The Day Fire (Modoc County) has burned more than 12,000 acres since Thursday, July 31, and led to the mandatory evacuation for 200-plus residents in the community of Lookout.
Florida
The Florida Cabinet will hear at its Tuesday, August 19, public meeting a presentation from Citizens’ president and CEO Barry Gilway on Citizens’ international travel expenses.
Hawaii
Tropical Storm Iselle is expected to bring rain, and heavy winds, to the state later this week, and Hurricane Julio is developing behind Iselle.
Iowa
The president approved this week a major disaster declaration in 22 counties for the severe storms, straight line winds, and flooding of June 26-July 7, 2014.
Kansas
Ken Selzer, a certified public accountant, won the Republican primary for insurance commissioner, and will face Democrat Dennis Anderson in November’s general election.
Massachusetts
Insurance Commissioner Joseph Murphy had a letter to the editor published in The Boston Globe, offering a critique of Deirdre Fernandes’s front-page article from last week.
Mississippi
The number of fire deaths statewide dropped 38 percent between 2009 and 2013, according to this Wednesday, July 30, news release from Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney.
Oklahoma
State Senator Jerry Ellis (D-Valliant) and geologist Bob Jackman of Tula called for the creation of a federal task force to look into central Oklahoma’s ongoing earthquake swarm.
Oregon
The Beaver Complex Fire (Jackson & Klamath counties) has burned 30,000-plus acres, and is composed of the Oregon Gulch and Salt Creek Fires.
Pennsylvania
The president of the Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania wrote an editorial in favor of the Public Utility Commission’s insistence that Lyft and Uber have primary insurance coverage.
Tennessee
The governor has requested a major federal disaster declaration for 20 counties hit by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding between June 5-10, 2014.
Texas
Many homeowners and drivers in northern Texas are seeing significantly higher insurance premiums this year, a Dallas Morning News story, pegged to state data, reported.
Utah
Heavy rains caused floods and mudslides across the state on Monday, August 4, especially near the site of a 2012 wildfire in Emery County, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Washington
The Snag Canyon Fire (Kittitas County) has burned about 3,000 acres since Saturday, August 2, with around 600 residents evacuated near Ellensburg. At least eight homes were damaged.
The Hansel Fire (Chelan County) also began on Saturday, August 2, and resulted in the mandatory evacuation of 720 residents, with 1,500-plus acres having burned to date.
MEDIA MATTERS
Gannett Co., Inc. is creating two publicly traded companies: one exclusively focused on its Broadcasting and Digital businesses, and the other on its Publishing business.
Tribune Publishing, owner of The Los Angeles Times and The Baltimore Sun, is now an independent company, having been spun off from Tribune Media.
Advisen is seeking an editor for Risk Network—a subscription editorial product aimed at risk professionals, ranging from Insurance Risk Manager to Chief Risk Officer.
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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