To recap the issues raised during today’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 12, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
I.I.I.’s HARTWIG TO SPEAK AT NATIONAL TORNADO SUMMIT—TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, IN OKLAHOMA CITY
The I.I.I. issued a media advisory on Thursday, February 6, to promote I.I.I. president Bob Hartwig’s Tuesday, February 11, appearance, and generate interview opportunities.
MAY 1 IS DEADLINE FOR STORY SUBMISSIONS TO I.I.I.’s JUNE 2014 EDITION OF IMPACT
If you would like your company featured in the magazine, please contactImpact editor, Diane Portantiere, at dianep@iii.org. She is looking for stories about programs that have a big volunteer component. Articles should be 900 – 1,000 words and include at least one high resolution photo. The deadline for story submissions is Thursday, May 1, 2014.
U.S. WIND AND HAIL LOSSES DATING BACK TO 2008 ARE REFLECTED IN 2014 HOMEOWNERS RATES, HARTFORD COURANT STORY EXPLAINS
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig is quoted in the Hartford Courant’s Wednesday, February 5, article, as is Verisk’s underwriting president.
BLOOMBERG BUSINESS WEEK FILES STORY ON INSURANCE REPERCUSSIONS OF ACTOR PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN’S DEATH
Posted on Tuesday, February 4, the I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters provided general information for Diane Brady’s piece, which discusses how the entertainment industry insures itself.
FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH; I.I.I. CAN HELP COMPANIES PROMOTE THE ACTIVITIES THEY ARE TAKING TO MARK THE OCCASION
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore worked extensively with CNN Business News producer Kristina Yates re: the insurance ramifications of last week’s Atlanta snowstorm.
The I.I.I.’s Salvatore taped an interview on Tuesday, February 4, with New York City’s NBC affiliate re: insurance considerations to keep in mind before going on a skiing trip.
The I.I.I.’s Worters spoke with The Wall Street Journal’s Lindsay Gellman for a story re: insurance coverage for city residents who rent cars, rather than purchase them.
The I.I.I.’s Barry taped an interview on Wednesday, February 5, with 101.5 FM, New Jersey’s all-news radio station, re: winter-related losses covered under standard policies.
The I.I.I.’s Barry will likely be quoted in an upcoming Edmunds.com story on the growing popularity of usage-based auto insurance policies.
CAPITOL HILL
Business Insurance reported that the Federal Insurance Office’s (FIO) director told the U.S. House FIO is operating as intended but was criticized for failing to meet deadlines.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will discuss cruise ship safety and oversight at a public forum, on Tuesday, March 25 and Wednesday, March 26, in Washington, D.C.
Crop insurance subsidies paid to insurers by the federal government will expand by $7 billion over the next decade, according to this Tuesday, February 4, New York Times article.
STATES
Alabama
Montgomery police can now tow an uninsured motorist’s vehicle from an accident scene under a new city ordinance, according to this Friday, January 31, Birmingham News article.
Arizona
A retired Mesa police officer collects $508 a month in workers compensation benefits while competing in Ironman competitions, Phoenix’s CBS affiliate reported, on Friday, January 31.
Arkansas
The I.I.I.’s Barry gave a phone interview to Little Rock’s ABC affiliate for this Friday, January 31, story about a homeowner upset about being non-renewed by their insurer.
California
An April 2013 attack on an electrical substation in San Jose may have been a terrorist act, according to a front page story in the Wednesday, February 5, Wall Street Journal.
Having automakers build cars that talk to one another “will turn out to be one of the most cost-efficient safety initiatives in automotive history,” one LA Times columnist believes.
Florida
The Tampa Tribune said in this Tuesday, February 4, editorial that 2012’s Personal Injury Protection (PIP) reform law is “proving its value.”
Floridians may not have to pay sales tax on hurricane preparedness supplies purchased between June 1-12, 2014, the Sarasota Herald Tribune reported, in its Tuesday, February 4, edition.
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced the arrests of 14 individuals for defrauding property insurers of $7.6 million in Miami-Dade County, Lehigh Acres and Naples.
Georgia
The Tuesday, January 28, Atlanta snowstorm generated at least $10 million in insured losses, the Insurance Department estimated, in this Tuesday, February 4, news release.
Kansas
A pending House bill calls for allowing more public universities to purchase property insurance from non-admitted carriers, the Topeka Capital Journal reported, on Monday, February 3.
Louisiana
The U.S. House is in no rush to vote on a U.S. Senate-approved bill to delay flood insurance rate increases, according to a Tuesday, February 4, article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
The U.S. Senate’s Disaster Savings Account Act would allow homeowners to set aside $5,000 a year in a tax-preferred account, the Times-Picayune reported, on that same day.
Maine
Drivers in only two states pay less for auto insurance than Maine, while homeowners in 10 states pay less for coverage, according to this Friday, January 31, Bureau of Insurance news release.
Ohio
Semi-trailer rear guards are often poorly maintained yet Ohio rarely levies fines against ticketed trailer owners, the CBS affiliate in Columbus reported on Monday, February 3.
Oklahoma
The president announced on Thursday, January 30, that FEMA disaster aid is available for damage arising out of the December 5-6, 2013, winter storm that struck four counties.
Texas
The Dallas-Fort Worth Fox affiliate broadcast on Monday, February 3, a story exploring the origins of homeowners insurance rate increases dating back to 2011.
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig has prepared a PowerPoint presentation for I.I.I. member companies outlining how Texas has been the site of significant insured catastrophe losses for years.
Vermont
The president announced on Wednesday, January 29, that FEMA disaster aid is available for damage caused by the December 20-26, 2013, winter storms in seven counties.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
The Super Bowl not only had the largest TV audience ever recorded in the U.S. but millions also used Twitter during the big game, according to Forbes magazine.
The I.I.I.’s social media campaign on Super Bowl parties and social host liability generated attention, with the I.I.I.’s tweets/posts getting clicked on over 70 times last week.
Given the sizable number of snowstorms nationwide in January 2014, the hashtag #snowday has been trending, with people tweeting about how they are spending their day and media outlets providing updates about local street closures and traffic conditions.
Flood insurance is making social media headlines due to the ongoing Congressional debate over whether to set aside 2012’s Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act.
MEDIA MATTERS
Sam Champion’s new Weather Channel program will debut in mid-March, airing between 7 and 10 a.m., ET, and will be called America’s Morning Headquarters (AMHQ).
Liz Crenshaw, the on-air consumer affairs reporter for Washington, D.C.’s NBC affiliate, is retiring in May 2014.
The New York City Publicity Club’s Wednesday, February 12, luncheon will include business journalists from The New York Times, MSNBC, and Crain’s NY Business.
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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