To recap the issues raised during Wednesday’s conference call, here are some of the key media stories, and the messages we’re conveying.
If there is a subject you would like to see addressed on Wednesday, January 25, please email Mike Barry at Michaelb@iii.org
I.I.I.’s HARTWIG TALKS ABOUT THE RECORD NUMBER OF 2011 NATURAL CATASTROPHES IN NPR INTERVIEW
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig was on National Public Radio on Monday, January 16, discussing 2011’s natural catastrophes worldwide as part of a story that also examined U.S. homeowners insurance premium rate trends,
I.I.I. INTERVIEW ON INSURANCE COMPANIES USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO COMBAT FRAUD CONTINUES TO GENERATE STORIES
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore gave this television interview in the fall, and it was the one the most-viewed videos on the CNN/Money website in 2011. The topic—how insurance companies use social media to combat fraud—remains a popular one with reporters, with Salvatore discussing the issue this week with Bankrate.com’s Karen Aho for an upcoming story on the issue.
I.I.I. FIELDS MEDIA INQUIRIES, DEVELOPS CONTENT, ON THE INSURANCE REPERCUSSIONS OF THE ITALIAN CRUISE LINE DISASTER
The I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters handled media inquiries from Sarah Veysey of Business Insurance, Chad Hemenway of National Underwriter, Ben Berkowitz of Reuters and Christina Bramlet of Claims magazine about the insurance issues which are likely to rise in the wake of the Friday, January 13, sinking of an Italian cruise ship. The I.I.I. has facts and statistics on marine accidents.
I.I.I. ANALYSIS FINDS NUMBER OF AGENTS AND BROKERS IN THE U.S. ROSE IN LATE 2011 TO ITS HIGHEST POINT IN NEARLY TWO YEARS
The number of U.S. insurance agents and brokers was higher in October 2011 than at any time since December 2009 (with the exception of one month: June 2011), according to the I.I.I.’s latest analysis of industry employment trends, which is based on federal employment data.
PRUDENTIAL REACHES AGREEMENT WITH 19 STATES, D.C. ON CHANGING THE WAY IT PROCESSES UNCLAIMED LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported on the accord in its Saturday, January 14, edition. New Jersey’s Star-Ledger posted an article on the matter on Tuesday, January 17.
MAGAZINE THAT TRACKS LITIGATION ISSUES RELEASES ITS LIST OF THE ‘TOP 10 INSURANCE COVERAGE DECISIONS OF 2011’
The January 11, 2012 edition of Mealey’s Litigation Report (see page five) marks the 11th straight year they have compiled this list on insurance cases.
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER DIRECTOR IS RETIRING EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 2012
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the governmental agency with oversight over the NHC, is searching for a successor to Bill Read, who has held the job since 2008, according to this Saturday, January 14, Associated Press story.
NBC’s JEAN CHATZKY, CNBC’s SHARON EPPERSON AND WCBS’s JOHN SLATTERY CONTACT THE I.I.I. FOR INTERVIEWS, INSURANCE INFORMATION
On Tuesday, February 7, the I.I.I.’s Salvatore is taping a segment on the insurance needs of individuals who retire at the age of 50, with Today Show contributor Jean Chatzky. It will be done at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, as part of a pilot episode for a new cable TV show Chatzky is developing for NBC. If Chatzky’s personal finance program gets picked up, Salvatore will be the show’s go-to expert for segments on consumers and insurance….Salvatore also spoke this week with CNBC’s Sharon Epperson regarding life insurance and unmarried individuals for a segment she is researching. Epperson, who also contributes to NBC’s Today show, interviewed the I.I.I.’s Steven Weisbart about disability insurance and retirement income because Epperson may be doing a story on these issues for Today….New York City-based WCBS-TV reporter John Slattery sought Salvatore’s insights on a 4autoinsurancequote.org study which determined that women are better drivers than men.
CBS EVENING NEWS PRODUCER DOING EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON NO-FAULT FRAUD IN FLORIDA
The I.I.I.’s Mike Barry has furnished Florida-based CBS Evening News producer Pia Malbran with the I.I.I.’s latest information on the issue in Florida and other states where no-fault fraud is a problem, such as Michigan and New York. It is not clear whether a story will in fact materialize.
UNIVISION CONSIDERING STORY ON AUTO INSURER EFFORTS TO COMBAT TEXTING WHILE DRIVING
The I.I.I.’s Elianne González heard from Univision’s Gema de las Heras (producer of 41 a tu lado, a New York-based program), who said the network is interested in doing a story on insurance companies that are working to fight texting while driving. González has contacted a number of I.I.I. member companies already for possible inclusion in the segment but, if you have a Spanish-language media relations professional in the New York metropolitan area with a story to tell, please send González an email (elianneg@iii.org) and she will connect you to the Univision producer.
STATE NEWS
Louisiana
The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported on Sunday, January 15, that new data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) shows that homeowners insurance rates continued to increase in Louisiana though year-end 2009 but that premiums had stabilized since just after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. The NAIC found that Louisiana was, as of late 2009, the third most expensive homeowners insurance market in the country, behind Texas and Florida, with a statewide average premium of $1,430 in 2009
Alabama
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) issued a study which disclosed that property/casualty insurers doing business in Alabama took in $6.8 billion in premiums from 2005 to 2010, and paid out $7.5 billion in claims within that same timeframe, findings cited in the third paragraph of this Friday, January 13, Birmingham News story on the PCI report.
Ohio
The Monday, January 16, edition of the Columbus Dispatch reported that Ohio homeowners may see their homeowners insurance premiums rise in 2012 because of years of severe catastrophe losses in the state.
North Carolina
A tornado struck western North Carolina on Wednesday, January 11, injuring 15 people and damaging about 60 buildings in Rutherford and Burke counties, according to this next-day story in USA Today.
Massachusetts
The state’s FAIR Plan wants to raise its homeowners insurance premiums by 7 percent, and a public hearing was held in Boston on Thursday, January 19, to discuss the proposal. The state’s Insurance Commissioner must approve the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association’s (MPIUA) rate filings before they can take effect.
Tennessee
The Chattanooga Times Free Press published a story on Wednesday, January 18, about a legislative proposal aimed at reducing the state’s number of uninsured motorists. If the law were enacted, no certificate of title would be issued to any motor vehicle after January 1, 2013, unless either the county clerk or the Revenue Department received satisfactory proof that the motor vehicle had insurance coverage.
MEDIA MATTERS
Risk & Insurance Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Leaves the Publication
Paul Bomberger recently left his position as Editor-in-Chief of Risk & Insurance, a monthly business magazine focused on coverage of risk management strategies and the commercial insurance marketplace. Bomberger has set up his own consulting business, and can be reached at 215-237-4448 and pbomber28@yahoo.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
There is chatter this week among insurance bloggers about how 2012 is not expected to be any better in terms of natural disasters as compared to 2011. The concern over weather-related insurance loses is making people brace themselves for whatever disasters are coming over the next 12 months. Along with this concern comes talk of starting 2012 off right by revisiting your insurance needs and conducting a home inventory. Insurance agents are posting information to Twitter and Facebook about being properly prepared for whatever disasters happen this year.
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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