To recap the issues raised during today’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, December 11, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
FOUR PEOPLE DIE, AND MORE THAN 70 OTHERS ARE INJURED, AFTER A COMMUTER TRAIN DERAILS IN NEW YORK CITY
The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) public statements on the accident, which occurred on Sunday, December 1, can be found on the NTSB website.
CONSUMER FEDERATION OF AMERICA (CFA) RESPONDS TO INSURANCE INDUSTRY REBUTTALS TO THEIR AUTO REGULATORY REPORT
The I.I.I., Insurance Information Network of California, NAMIC and PCI responses to the CFA’s November 12 release were critiqued in this Wednesday, December 4, CFA statement.
WALL STREET JOURNAL EXAMINES HOW POLICYMAKERS ARE REVISITING BEST WAYS TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF UNINSURED MOTORISTS
The percentage of uninsured motorists nationwide stands at about 14 percent despite efforts to lower that figure, this Monday, December 2, Wall Street Journal print edition article says.
U.S. HOMEOWNER INSURERS PRODUCED A COMBINED RATIO BELOW 100 IN ONLY FOUR OF 20 YEARS THROUGH 2012, A.M. BEST STUDY FINDS
Their new report, Homeowners Profitability Is an Ongoing Challenge, is summarized in this Monday, December 2, A.M. Best news release.
THE HARTFORD COURANT FILES END-OF-HURRICANE SEASON PIECE; INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY HAS INSURANCE STORY IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig spoke with The Hartford Courant for a Wednesday, December 4, article on the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season and what it meant for insurers.
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore gave an interview to Kathleen Doler for an upcoming Investor’s Business Daily article on facilitating the homeowners insurance claims-filing process.
CAPITOL HILL
The Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 should be implemented, The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page argued, in its Monday, December 2, print edition.
STATES
Alabama
The Coastal Alabama Partnership held a symposium on wind insurance and home mitigation in Mobile on Wednesday, December 4, an event touted in that city’s Press-Register.
California
Motorists who want to contest moving violations and keep points off their driving record need not hire firms like Ticket Clinic, this Monday, December 2, Los Angeles Times column says.
San Diego estimates it will earn $1.7 million through its contract with a service line warranty company, according to this Saturday, November 30, San Diego Union-Tribune column.
Florida
State lawmakers told the Pinellas County commissioners on Tuesday, December 3, that they want to make it easier for insurers to sell flood policies, the Tampa Tribune reports.
Citizens has in the past six months reduced its policy count by 16 percent, and its exposure by 14 percent, according to this Wednesday, November 27, Citizens news release.
Citizens CEO Barry Gilway, in a separate statement issued that same day, said Citizens “has nearly $6.8 billion in reserves and is in the best financial shape ever.”
Louisiana
Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon is supporting Mississippi’s flood insurance lawsuit against the federal government, the Associated Press reported, in a Friday, November 29, article.
U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu offered her response to the WSJ’s pro-Biggert-Waters law editorial in this Monday, December 2, New Orleans Times-Picayune article.
Oklahoma
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on the constitutionality of a just-enacted workers compensation law on Tuesday, December 10, according to this article in The Daily Oklahoman.
Oregon
A 5.5 magnitude earthquake occurred 137 miles west of Brookings, beneath the Pacific Ocean, on Saturday, November 30, FEMA reported (see slide #11).
Texas
Insurance Commissioner Julia Rathgeber denied the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association’s (TWIA) request to raise the maximum liability limits for its residential and commercial policies.
The next meeting of the TWIA’s board is being held on Tuesday, December 10, in Corpus Christi.
Wisconsin
Insurers are among those interested in the cause of a July 2013 fire at Milwaukee’s County Courthouse, according to a Friday, November 29, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel print edition article.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
Citing the Sunday, December 1, Metro-North derailment, the president of New York State’s bar association “warned against unwarranted solicitation of victims about possible lawsuits.”
The I.I.I.’s release on driving in harsh weather conditions generated social media interest, largely due to the bad weather in many parts of the country on the day before Thanksgiving.
The second annual National Day of Giving was Tuesday, December 3, and the I.I.I. took the opportunity to tweet out information about the industry’s charitable contributions.
MEDIA MATTERS
CNBC draws about 169,000 viewers daily whereas that number stands at 58,000 for Fox Business Network (FBN), a Tuesday, December 3, Wall Street Journal print article reported.
FBN’s decision to hire Maria Bartiromo is part of a larger strategy for competing with CNBC, Capital New York explained, in this Wednesday, December 4, piece.
Sam Champion is leaving ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA) for The Weather Channel. Ginger Zee will succeed Champion as the weekday on-air GMA weather reporter.
CNN OutFront’s Erin Burnett and her husband announced the birth of their first child, a boy, on Friday, November 29.
New York magazine will publish a print edition every other week starting in 2014, instead of every week.
The Texas corporation which owns the Rhode Island-based Providence Journal is looking to sell the newspaper.
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.
