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, February 24, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
I.I.I.’s HISPANIC PRESS OFFICER APPEARS ON PREMIERE OF MEGA TV’S NEWEST NEWS PROGRAM; TOUTS HOUSTON MEDIA OPPORTUNITY
The I.I.I.’s Elianne Gonzalez focused on consumer-related insurance issues when appearing on the Monday, February 15, edition of MegaNoticiero. Hosted by Maria Elvira Salazar, and originating from Miami, the program airs weekdays starting at 5 p.m., ET.
The Houston Chronicle’s La Voz de Houston wants to profile accomplished insurance industry figures as part of its International Women’s Day coverage on Tuesday, March 8. The I.I.I.’s Gonzalez (elianneg@iii.org) can connect prospective interview subjects with the writer, Olivia Tallet.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Steven Weisbart is taping an interview on how life insurers handle unclaimed life insurance policies for CBS’s 60 Minutes on Monday, February 22, in New York City.
New York Times columnist Ron Lieber is exploring whether, and how, a woman’s post-partum depression diagnosis could impact the pricing of her life insurance policy.
The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry spoke with The Chicago Tribune’s Cathy Cunningham, the paper’s Help Squad columnist, about how auto insurers and policyholders resolve diminution of value disputes.
ABC 27 News reporter Flora Posteraro is seeking a Harrisburg, PA-based industry source who can discuss how the growing frequency and severity of crashes in the private-passenger market are leading to increases in auto insurance premiums.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
The multi-vehicle car crash that occurred on Interstate 78 in Pennsylvania received heavy attention on Twitter. It occurred during whiteout conditions and left three dead and several injured on Saturday, February 13. Crash images can be found on ABCNews’ online news story.
AM Best issued a report on the impact of Winter Storm Jonas on property and auto damage. The East Coast storms on the weekend of January 23-24 dumped record amounts of snow in many cities.
Several Twitter users shared this Lexington Herald-Leader story on Kentucky’s unclaimed life insurance law. Kentucky’s proposed House Bill 408 would amend a 2012 measure governing this issue.
The Reinsurance Association of America (RAA) is holding this week its Catastrophe Risk Management conference in Orlando, Florida. The conference is using the hashtag, #CatRisk2016, on Twitter and social.
STATES
Alabama
An EF-0 tornado touched down in Montgomery County on Monday, February 15, but storm damage caused by severe weather on that same day in Goshen (Pike County) was attributed to straight-line winds, according to the National Weather Service.
U.S. Senator Richard Shelby is facing four opponents in a Tuesday, March 1, Republican primary election.
California
The I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz was quoted in an Associated Press (AP) article on how El Nino’s heavy rains have prompted tens of thousands to purchase FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies.
Attorney General Kamala Harris released a report saying 2015’s 178 data breaches placed 24 million Californians’ personal information at risk.
Smartphones can detect earthquakes and help people survive in their aftermath, according to a Bloomberg article.
Colorado
A rock slide on Monday, February 15, closed a stretch of Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon, about 150 miles west of Denver.
Florida
An EF-3 tornado touched down in Century, causing extensive property damage on Monday, February 15. Century (Escambia County) is situated near the state’s border with Alabama.
Massachusetts
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig offered an industry response to The Boston Globe after a Supreme Judicial Court decision in a worker’s compensation case favored two injured workers.
Missouri
The AP reports there is $1.55 million remaining in the Joplin Homebuyer Assistance Program, which was formed after the May 2011 Joplin tornado.
Nebraska
The American Insurance Association testified in opposition to a price optimization bill (LB 1041) on Tuesday, February 16.
New York
The I.I.I’s Michael Barry told The Albany Times-Union that municipalities, not home insurers, traditionally pay for property damage caused by municipally-owned water main breaks, such as those which occurred recently in Troy.
Oklahoma
A 5.1 magnitude quake centered about 17 miles of Fairview, in the northwestern part of Oklahoma, was reportedly felt in six other states on Saturday, February 13. It was the strongest temblor in the state since November 2011, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck.
Tennessee
State lawmakers are debating a measure (House Bill 700) which would allow motorcyclists aged 21 and over to ride without a helmet as long as they had health insurance coverage provided by an insurer other than TennCare.
MEDIA MATTERS
CNN is expanding its CNNMoney brand internationally, across both television and digital, with plans to hire additional staff in London, Dubai, New Delhi and Hong Kong.
Ainsley Earhardt will join Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends as one of its hosts on Monday, February 29.
Gannett’s acquisition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Commercial Appeal of Memphis, and 13 other daily newspapers, is expected to close in March 2016.
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
