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, December 14, please email Michael Barry at michaelb@iii.org.
INSURANCE INDUSTRY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION (IICF) FUNDRAISER SET FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, IN NEW YORK CITY
The IICF Northeast Division’s 10th anniversary benefit dinner will be held at The Waldorf-Astoria in mid-town Manhattan, starting with a 6 p.m. reception.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, IS THE DATE OF THE 2017 JOINT INDUSTRY FORUM
The Joint Industry Forum (click link to register) is taking place at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, in New York City. The luncheon speaker will be Charlie Cook, editor and publisher of the Cook Political Report.
50 PEOPLE DIE AFTER FIRES IN CALIFORNIA AND TENNESSEE
A fire in an Oakland, California, warehouse claimed 36 lives while a wildfire near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, resulted in 14 fatalities. The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry spoke about the latter event’s potential insurance implications with The Knoxville News Sentinel’s Jim Gaines.
NBC’s TODAY SHOW, NIGHTLY NEWS FEATURE NATIONAL INSURANCE CRIME BUREAU (NICB) EXCLUSIVE ON HIGH-TECH CAR THEFTS
An NICB news release provided the basis for segments which aired on the Wednesday, December 7, editions of NBC’s Today show, and the network’s Nightly News.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
Suzanne Barlyn, Reuters’ new NYC-based insurance reporter (suzanne.barlyn@tr.com), is preparing a piece on how dental insurers are monitoring policyholders’ tooth-brushing habits as a way to price policies.
Deirdre Fernandes of The Boston Globe is doing research into high-tech efforts to combat distracted driving.
Brandon Ross, a Virginia-based Bloomberg BNA reporter, is readying an article on the top insurance issues of 2017 in Washington, D.C.
Heather Kelly of Salt Lake City’s KSL radio will discuss the impact of distracted driving on auto insurance costs on Kelly’s weekly public affairs program, Cents & Cents-Ability.
The I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz provided earthquake insurance information to Jackie Sojico, an independent Seattle, Washington-based radio producer.
CAPITOL HILL
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has announced its 2017 TOP SAFETY PICKS.
The American Insurance Association issued a release this week on the reauthorization of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in 2017.
U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) was elected to a third term as chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Financial Services Committee.
The U.S. Supreme Court rendered a decision in a case that dated back to a Hurricane Katrina claim in Mississippi.
STATES
Alabama
A total of 20 tornadoes touched down statewide late last month, the National Weather Service reports. One of the tornadoes killed three people in Rosalie, about 100 miles northeast of Birmingham.
Florida
Hurricane Matthew generated 112,000-plus insurance claims totaling $729 million in losses; Hurricane Hermine prompted the filing of about 18,000 insurance claims, with an anticipated cumulative payout of $95 million.
The state’s property insurers generally received high marks for their response to Hurricanes Matthew and Hermine at a Flagler College roundtable discussion last Friday in St. Augustine.
The St. Augustine Record reports FEMA’s NFIP closed 34 percent of its 5,211 Matthew claims, with an average payout of $34,000. The NFIP has closed 73 percent of its 2,409 Hermine claims, with an average payout of $38,000. The numbers were announced by FEMA at the aforementioned Flagler College event.
Judge Karen Gievers’ ties to trial lawyers’ groups impacted her ruling on the state’s 14.5 percent average workers compensation increase, this Sunshine State News columnist writes.
A Golden Gate (Collier County) homeowner’s bad experience with their insurer’s managed repair affiliate is not an isolated incident, according to this Fort Myers CBS affiliate segment.
State Senator Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) says he will renew his efforts to repeal the state’s no-fault auto insurance system during the 2017 state Legislative session.
Iowa
Insurance Commissioner Nick Gerhart announced this week he will resign effective Friday, December 23. Deputy Commissioner Doug Ommen will serve as interim insurance commissioner.
Louisiana
Property owners who incurred flood damage in August 2016 have 180 days from the date of loss to file a claim with FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program.
Insurance Commissioner James Donelon announced the policy count for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation has dropped to a little more than 54,000, down from 174,000 in 2008.
A National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) study predicts extreme downpours—like those that flooded Louisiana, Texas, and West Virginia this year—will happen nearly three times as often in the U.S. by 2100.
Mississippi
Rep. Gary Chism (R-Columbus), chairman of the House Insurance Committee, wants state lawmakers to give tax collectors the authority to verify insurance coverage when a motorist renews their car tag. The Clarion Ledger also reported the Department of Public Safety’s Vehicle Insurance Verification System is scheduled to be on online no later than July 2017.
New York
A motorcycle show in New York City is expected to draw thousands of bike enthusiasts between Friday, December 9, and Sunday, December 11. The I.I.I. issued a news release this week on motorcycle insurance.
Oklahoma
The Cushing Citizen newspaper’s owners are among the Payne County residents who filed an earthquake-related lawsuit against multiple energy companies.
Pennsylvania
Two insurance units of Penn Treaty American Corp. are on track to be liquidated early next year, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Federal funding is available to local governments in four counties—Bradford, Centre, Lycoming, and Sullivan—for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the October 20-21, 2016, storms.
South Carolina
State Rep. Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) wants to expand the state’s Safe Home program, which provides tax credits to weatherized homes, according to Columbia’s The State.
MEDIA MATTERS
The proposed AT&T-Time Warner transaction was the subject of a public U.S. Senate hearing today (December 7).
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.
