To recap the issues raised during last 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, March 1st, please email Michael Barry at michaelb@iii.org.
I.I.I. TO LAUNCH WEB PAGE DEVOTED TO THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY’S DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION INITIATIVES
The page will be posted during the week of February 27-March 3.
WALL STREET JOURNAL PUBLISHES FRONT-PAGE STORY ON ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DISTRACTED DRIVING
The I.I.I. was among the sources cited in the story and the five charts which accompanied it on Tuesday, February 21 (subscription required).
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT ‘YOUR MONEY’ SEGMENT SOURCES THE I.I.I.; ABC RADIO ALSO PICKS UP ON WSJ ARTICLE
ABC mentioned a few of the I.I.I.’s consumer tips about the ways to reduce auto insurance costs on World News Tonight’s Tuesday, February 21, broadcast.
The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry taped an interview this week with ABC Radio’s Mark Remillard on a few of the factors driving up the cost of auto insurance.
SAN JOSE ISSUES MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDER AMID HISTORIC FLOODING IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
The Mercury News offered details and a graphic illustrating the San Jose neighborhoods that were impacted.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The Washington Post’s Peter Hermann is readying a story on the Washington, D.C., mayor’s call for an imposition of municipal accident response fees.
The I.I.I.’s Barry discussed private-passenger auto insurance minimum liability requirements with Arizona State University’s Cronkite News as Arizona considers (Senate Bill 1111) raising its limits for the first time in decades.
The I.I.I.’s Barry spoke with Money’s Megan Leonhardt about the Consumer Federation of America’s not-at-fault findings for a story that will appear in the magazine’s April 2017 print edition.
South Carolina Radio Network’s J. Rogers Martin (jrogersmartin@learfield.com) is doing research into insurance fraud trends in the state over the past decade.
CAPITOL HILL
The Wall Street Journal’s editors believe the Trump administration should drop the U.S.’s appeal of a judge’s ruling that threw out the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s (FSOC) designation of MetLife as a systemically important financial institution,
STATES
Alabama
The Birmingham News published a story this week pegged to the region’s upcoming start of tornado season (March-May).
Arizona
The I.I.I.’s Barry was quoted in a Monday, February 20, Tucson NBC affiliate segment about a homeowner whose belongings were damaged at a storage facility.
California
The Coyote Creek flooding in South San Jose was described as a 100-year event by a National Weather Service meteorologist.
The I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz briefed the Bay Area News Group on the insurance coverage property owners need if they are at risk of flood-caused damage.
The I.I.I.’s Ruiz also gave interviews this week to The Weather Channel and the San Francisco Chronicle about the flooding in northern California.
I.I.I. president and CEO Sean Kevelighan is speaking in San Francisco on Thursday, March 30, @InsurTech Silicon Valley Summit l Core Systems & InsurTech Fusion. For a 15 percent registration discount, use SEANK-15.
Florida
A Tampa Bay Times columnist says there are dozens of Floridians who did everything right regarding flood insurance but may still lose their homes.
About 800 homes were evacuated last week after a wildfire broke out in Polk County, according to this report from Tampa’s ABC affiliate.
The Palm Beach Post notes many counties are experiencing a “moderate drought” and some areas are abnormally dry.
The parents of two men killed in a September 2016 boating crash are filing lawsuits against the estate of the late Miami Marlins pitcher, Jose Fernandez, who also died in the accident.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports cyber threats are spurring rapid growth in insurance products to help businesses recover.
Georgia
Former I.I.I. president Bob Hartwig testified today (February 22) before a state Senate committee in Atlanta regarding the factors driving up the state’s auto insurance costs.
Louisiana
The federal Department of Housing & Urban Development approved $438 million in recovery monies for those impacted by August 2016’s flooding.
Missouri
The Associated Press summarized pending state legislation aimed at limiting liability lawsuits; many of the bills have Republican support and Democratic opposition.
Nevada
Heavy rainfall caused flash flooding in the Reno area earlier this week.
New Jersey
A private plane, carrying only its pilot, crashed into a residential neighborhood in Bayonne on Sunday, February 19. The pilot survived and much of the property damage occurred to cars parked in the street.
New York
Since the call, Albany CBS affiliate reporter Anne McCloy interviewed the New York Insurance Association’s (NYIA) Cassandra Anderson about distracted driving’s impact on the cost of auto insurance.
New York City’s Department of Investigation announced the arrests of four people in connection with their allegedly fraudulent use of the city’s Sandy-related Build It Back program.
South Carolina
A state Senate committee has approved a measure (S. 269) that would increase to $400,000 from $200,000 the minimum funding level for the Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud Division.
Texas
Multiple tornadoes caused significant property damage last weekend in the San Antonio area.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
San Jose Flooding
The flooding in San Jose is getting heavy attention on social today (February 22) and the I.I.I. website’s homepage has editorial content on flood resilience and insurance availability. Use the hashtags #SanJose and #SanJoseFloods to track the story.
WSJ publishes article on distracted driving and the rising cost of auto insurance
I.I.I. facts and statistics were cited in yesterday’s (February 21) Wall Street Journal story on smartphone addiction and higher auto rates. The I.I.I.’s social posts, which linked to the WSJ article, received extremely strong engagement. The hashtag #ItCanWait discusses distracted driving, as does the I.I.I.’s October 2016 white paper on the rising cost of auto insurance.
ABC national news program aired segment based on WSJ article
The Tuesday, February 21, World News Tonight story also used I.I.I. facts and figures. The ABC ‘Your Money’ segment video was posted to the news program’s Facebook page.
MEDIA MATTERS
Verizon will pay significantly less for Yahoo because of the latter’s cyber breaches.
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.
