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 3, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
I.I.I. ISSUES MULTIPLE WINTER STORM RELEASES AFTER RECORD-SETTING SNOWFALL HITS THE EAST COAST
The news releases can be found in the I.I.I. website’s Press section. The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore spoke on the weekend (January 23-24) about the aftermath of the storm with National Public Radio, The New York Times and Philadelphia’s NBC affiliate. The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry provided claims-filing tips to the Asbury Park (New Jersey) Park Press’ Russ Zimmer for a blizzard recovery story.
CBS’s 60 MINUTES EXPLORING HOW LIFE INSURERS HANDLE UNCLAIMED LIFE POLICIES
If your company has heard from the program about this matter, please contact the I.I.I.’s Salvatore via email (jeannes@iii.org).
I.I.I.’s SPANISH-LANGUAGE MEDIA CONSULTANT IS TRAVELING TO HOUSTON, TEXAS NEXT WEEK
The I.I.I.’s Elianne González will meet with numerous Spanish-language print and broadcast media outlets in Houston between Monday, February 1, and Friday, February 5.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig is taping an interview with PBS’s Frontline on Wednesday, February 3. Among the discussion topics are the future of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and disputed Sandy flood claims. If there are specific messages you believe should be communicated, please get in touch with me (michaelb@iii.org).
CAPITOL HILL
Vehicles equipped with front crash prevention are much less likely to rear-end other vehicles, a new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) report found.
STATES
Alabama
The president declared a major disaster for 39 counties in the state following the severe weather of December 23-31, 2015. The White House says it will free up federal funds for local governments and not-for-profit organizations that are repairing or replacing their damaged facilities.
California
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig spoke with Bloomberg about California urging insurers to divest voluntarily their investments in thermal coal, and disclose their oil, gas and coal investments.
The Butte and Valley Fires in September 2015 generated insured losses of about $1 billion, according to the state’s Department of Insurance.
Residential properties in Pacifica, a San Francisco suburb, are imperiled because of the erosion of its Pacific Ocean coastline.
Colorado
Should Colorado Springs secure federal funding, the city says it will offer to buy 20 homes damaged by landslides in May 2015.
Florida
The state’s House Insurance and Banking subcommittee passed a bill to protect against what insurance companies contend are costly and growing assignment of benefit (AOB) abuses, particularly when it comes to water damage claims in Broward, Dade and Palm Beach counties.
The Cabinet wants to interview as early as March 2016 potential successors to outgoing Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty, and may raise the position’s annual salary to upwards of $200,000, from the current $134,000, to broaden interest in the job.
Kansas
Kansans who reside near Oklahoma’s border are exploring the possibility of buying earthquake insurance although one of the state’s largest home insurers says only 7 percent of their policyholders buy the coverage, The Wichita Eagle reports.
Louisiana
U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) said he hopes Congress can reauthorize FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in a way which helps the people of southern Louisiana.
Mississippi
An EF-2 tornado touched down in Lamar County and an EF-1 tornado swept through Simpson County late last week while a snowstorm closed the University of Mississippi’s Oxford campus on Friday, January 22.
Missouri
The president’s disaster declaration for the flooding and severe storms which occurred from December 23, 2015 to January 9, 2016, makes federal funding available to impacted individuals in 33 counties.
New York
Maria Vullo was nominated as the next head of the state’s Department of Financial Services (DFS). Since May 2015, about two dozen senior officials have left DFS.
North Carolina
Russ Dubisky is taping on Monday, February 1, an interview with ABC’s Ashville affiliate on behalf of the Insurance Federation of North Carolina. Reporter Jennifer Emert wants to discuss the instances in which auto insurers favor the installation of after-market parts.
Oregon
A full rupture of the offshore fault that runs 650 miles from northern California to British Columbia would kill and injure tens of thousands of people in the Pacific Northwest, according to an Oregon-focused article in The Washington Post.
The CBS Evening News broadcast a comparable story on Thursday, January 21, with sources from both Oregon and Washington.
MEDIA MATTERS
Former Associated Press business reporter Stephen Singer has joined The Hartford Courant.
Gawker Media Group (GMG) has taken outside investor money for the first time.
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
