To recap the issues raised during Wednesday’s conference call, here are some of the key media stories, and the messages we’re conveying.
If there is a subject you would like to see addressed on Wednesday, December 12, please email Mike Barry at michaelb@iii.org.
SANDY-RELATED NEWS
TheCBS Evening News aired two segments earlier this week regarding Sandy-related insurance issues. The first was broadcast on Sunday, December 2, and highlighted the plight of a Staten Island, NY homeowner who had problems with an adjuster’s assessment of the flood damage caused to his family’s property. A FEMA representative went on-air to say they’ll look into the matter. The same CBS reporter, Michelle Miller, had a story appear on the program’s Tuesday, December 4, edition about a different Staten Island policyholder. That individual’s problem was that he had not received any monies to date despite having both homeowners and flood insurance policies.
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig spoke with WNYC-AM, New York City’s public radio station, on Tuesday, December 4, about the number of Sandy-related auto claims likely to emerge in New York and New Jersey. Most industry estimates put the figure at more than 200,000.
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig and other insurance trade group representatives are traveling to Washington, D.C. on Monday, December 10, to brief Congressional staff members on the industry’s response to Sandy.
The I.I.I.’s Lynne McChristian, who is working out of our New York office this week, met separately in New Jersey on Wednesday, December 5, with Michael Diamond of the Asbury Park Press and Ed Beeson of The Star Ledger, reporters who have written extensively about the insurance repercussions of Sandy.
The I.I.I.’s McChristian will attend the Thursday, December 6, state Assembly hearing on Sandy and insurance in Trenton, New Jersey.
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore and McChristian are scheduled to meet soon with New York City-based Fox5 TV producer, Linda Simidian . Simidian is someone who the I.I.I. has worked with for years. Since Fox5 has closely covered Sandy, she’d like to know more about insurance for future segments.
The I.I.I.’s Mike Barry and Salvatore spoke with Newsday’s Beth Whitehouse for an article she’s writing on how Sandy highlighted the importance of having the right insurance coverage.
The Hartford Courant’s Matt Sturdevant is readying a story on what Connecticut-based based insurers are likely to pay out in Sandy claims.
REAL SIMPLE, NY 1, MONEY, AND FORMER NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER, HAVE NON-SANDY STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Salvatore gave an interview to Real Simple Magazine’s Cari Dineen for a February 2013 story she’s writing on insuring your valuables (e.g., jewelry, furs) and also taped a segment with NY1’s Monica Brown, the NYC cable news station’s new real estate reporter, on the insurance-related costs involved in owning a home….the I.I.I.’s Steve Weisbart discussed on Wednesday, December 5, with Money magazine’s Donna Rosato how life insurance fits into a typical person’s financial plan….former NY Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize-winner David Cay Johnston, who now writes on a freelance basis, has been corresponding with the I.I.I.’s Hartwig about the cost of force-placed insurance policies. It is unclear where Johnston’s story may eventually appear.
CAPITOL HILL
The American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) has created a new television advertisement which is airing through Thursday, December 27, on major national and regional public affairs programs. The ACLI is concerned about Congress potentially creating a new tax on life insurance and retirement annuities.
Florida
The editorial boards at the Tampa Tribune and The Palm Beach Post published pieces late last month which were strongly critical of the senior management team at Citizen’s Property Insurance Corporation, with most of their anger tied to Citizens’ dismissal of four employees who were charged with investigating wrongdoing within Citizens.
South Carolina
The (Charleston) Post and Courierpublished a lengthy investigative article involving insurance on Sunday, December 2. It was built around a former industry employee who has since joined forces with the Consumer Federation of America to challenge insurers’ use of certain computer software systems to adjust claims. The I.I.I.’s Hartwig is quoted near the end.
Oklahoma
TheOklahoma Insurance Department spent more than $180,000 on high-tech shotguns, bulletproof vests and police-like vehicles for its fraud investigators, a decision that has come under attack by some state lawmakers and defended by Insurance Commissioner John Doak. This Monday, December 3, Tulsa World editorial recaps the debate.
Mississippi
Richard Scruggs, a prominent plaintiff’s attorney who was involved in Katrina-related litigation, is being released from prison this month by a federal judge while Scruggs appeals one of his bribery convictions, according to this Associated Press story.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
Flooded cars are a trending topic on Twitter this week, with insurance groups and agents sharing warnings about how to protect yourself from buying a flood-damaged car after Hurricane Sandy. The I.I.I.’s video on the subject is being shared with these tweets.
Another trend that’s appearing in blogs and on Twitter is the message of knowing your insurance policy before a disaster and making sure you aren’t underinsured. Many homeowners impacted by Sandy did not fully understand the terms and conditions of their policy and there is an effort by insurance groups to get people better educated.
Finally, a non-Sandy related story that’s trending is about how to choose an auto insurance policy and to not buy based solely on its price. InsuranceQuotes.com has this story—it quotes the I.I.I.’s Barry—online and it is being re-blogged by other consumer-savvy bloggers.
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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