I.I.I. offers winter-related insurance coverage and claims filing tips to New York City’s ABC affiliate:
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore gave a taped interview to ABC news for a package that will be made available to local stations nationwide. In New York City, it appeared on WABC-TV, offering guidance to consumers should they incur covered losses to their auto or home because of the severe winter weather. The segment was broadcast on Wednesday evening, February 2.
Good Morning, America (GMA) and Times Herald-Record (THR) consult I.I.I. for information on amount of winter storm-caused insured losses:
The I.I.I.’s Mike Barry spoke with New York City-based GMA researcher Zunaira Zani (email: zunaira.zaki@abc.com) about 2011’s insured winter-related losses to date (AIR Worldwide put the February 1-2, 2011 insured losses in the U.S. due to winter weather at anywhere from $790 million to $1.4 billion) as compared to those incurred in the U.S. in 2010 ($2.6 billion, according to Munich Re). The THR’s Mike Randall, whose newspaper covers New York state’s lower Hudson Valley communities, had the same questions for Barry.
Colorado media, government revisiting repercussions of September 2010 Boulder-area wildfires:
Nearly 170 homes were destroyed, and more than $200 million in insured losses incurred, after some of the worst wildfires in Colorado’s history occurred a few months ago. The Denver Post profiled a few of the homeowners who were impacted, and also discussed insurance in a Sunday, January 30, article. Since the call, the I.I.I. has learned that Boulder County is sponsoring a workshop on Thursday, February 10, for anyone who lost a home or structure in Fourmile Canyon.
National Public Radio prepping in-depth story on Colorado’s 2010 wildfires; interviewed I.I.I.’s president:
Conrad Wilson, a reporter based at Carbondale, Colorado-based KDNK, an NPR affiliate, taped an interview with the I.I.I.’s Hartwig about the potential economic repercussions of last year’s Colorado wildfires. Wilson indicated the story, when finalized, could air nationwide. He has also spoken to Carole Walker, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Service, among other sources, for his piece.
Seattle-based MSNBC.com reporters write much of the online content for NBC’s Today Show:
The I.I.I.’s Salvatore met with Allison Linn, a senior writer at MSNBC.com, in Seattle during the week of January 24-28. Linn explained that she and her colleagues write much of what appears at today.msnbc.msn.com.
Red light cameras are saving lives, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) analysis finds:
These cameras saved 159 lives in 14 cities over a period of five years, according to IIHS, and reduced the rate of fatalities linked to the running of red lights by 24 percent from 2004 to 2008. The IIHS projects that 815 deaths would have been prevented if the cameras had been installed in all U.S. cities with populations above 200,000. Adrian Lund, IIHS president, told USA Today in a Tuesday, February 1, article that cities courageous enough to install the cameras, despite political opposition, are saving lives.
Orlando Sentinel’s Spanish-language edition preparing look at the IIHS study, too:
Rafael Palacio, El Sentinel’s chief editor, called the I.I.I. seeking industry experts who could speak to the insurance issues raised by IIHS’s red-light analysis. Palacio’s phone number is 407-420-5058; his email address is rpalacio@orlandosentinel.com.
I.I.I. president offers overview of Texas’s property/casualty (P/C) insurance industry at Austin, TX seminar:
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig spoke atthe 48th annual Joe Vincent Management Seminar in Austin, Texas. His presentation provided a growth and profitability analysis, by insurance line, for Texas and nearby states. The shifting legal liability and tort environment was also discussed, and the question of whether the tort pendulum is swinging against insurers is addressed, with Hartwig’s PowerPoint slides listing the important issues and threats facing insurers over the next five years.
Los Angeles Times prints front page story on plan to construct Farmers Field in downtown LA:
Farmers and AEG Entertainment have come to terms on a naming-rights deal for a football stadium to be built near the Staples Center, home to the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, the LA Times reported in a Monday, January 31, article.
Wall Street Journal blog writer touts travel insurance policies that cover ‘cancellations for any reason’:
The civil unrest in Egypt is the news peg for this Tuesday, February 1, Middle Seat (subscription required) blog story, which offers a critical look at the exclusions and exceptions incorporated into a standard travel insurance policy.
Bloomberg’s airline industry reporter welcomes travel insurance information; NBC also talks to the I.I.I. about the topic:
Sonja Elmquist (Phone: 212-617-7128; email: selmquist1@bloomberg.net) said that she welcomes any input from travel insurers about how their policies can help a policyholder pay for their departure from a nation in the midst of political turmoil. NBC’s Katherine Roberts (Katherine.roberts@nbcuni.com) spoke to the I.I.I.’s Salvatore this week about Egypt and travel insurance.
New York Post columnist wants to know if homeowners can deliberately underinsure if their mortgage is paid off:
Business columnist John Crudele told the I.I.I. he had received a letter from a Long Beach, New York (Nassau County, Long Island), reader who wants to reduce his home’s dwelling protection coverage from $505,000 to $250,000. Crudele said this homeowner is miffed because his insurer (a company name was not volunteered) refuses to decrease the policy limits, even though the mortgage on the residence, which was purchased in 1978, has been paid off.
U.S. Treasury’s report on 2010 terrorism insurance market conditions generates little media attention:
Released with no fanfare in January 2011, the Treasury Department document received coverage in the insurance trade press, such as Business Insurance, but almost nowhere else.
North Carolina’s insurance commissioner calls Rate Bureau’s filing “a significant victory for Tar Heel consumers and businesses”:
This Tuesday, February 2, Charlotte Observer story reports on a filing made by the state’s auto insurers that is expected to keep auto insurance premiums low in North Carolina for the balance of 2011.
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner issues emergency order to allow out-of-state adjusters help with winter storm claims:
Commissioner John Doak has also created a catastrophe response task force to coordinate the efforts of the state’s insurance department and the industry, according to this Tuesday, February 1, article in The Daily Oklahoman.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention finds no link between tainted Chinese drywall and the deaths of 11 people living in homes with the problem:
The New Orleans Associated Press bureau filed a story on Monday, January 31, saying the Atlanta-based CDC found that the 11 residents of homes in Louisiana, Florida and Virginia died due to “preexisting chronic health conditions unrelated to imported drywall exposure.” The CDC’s report backs up previous findings by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the AP story notes.
Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Assembly committee approves bill that would alter minimum automobile coverage levels:
The Wisconsin state Assembly’s Insurance and Housing committee voted on Thursday, January 27, to send the bill to the full Assembly chamber for a vote, according to this Associated Press article. The GOP-authored proposal, which passed on a 10-3 vote, would reduce minimum coverage levels for liability insurance, an issue that is usually incorporated in the state budget, and replace them with lower standards, the story explains.Miami Herald’s Nirvi Shah left the paper for position at Education Week:
Shah had been covering the insurance industry for the Miami-based daily newspaper. For the time being, Terence Shepherd (email: tshepherd@miamiherald.com) who had been Shah’s editor, is the point of contact on insurance-related stories.
