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, July 20, please email Michael Barry at michaelb@iii.org.
SEAN KEVELIGHAN APPOINTED PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE
Mr. Kevelighan, Group Head of Public Affairs, Zurich Insurance Group, is joining the I.I.I. on Monday, August 8. He’ll succeed Dr. Robert Hartwig, president of the I.I.I. since 2007. The announcement prompted same-day stories in Best Day News, Business Insurance, Insurance Journal, and P/C 360.
I.I.I. TO CONDUCT A SATELLITE MEDIA TOUR (SMT) AND A UNIVISION HELPLINE ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 20
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig, Jeanne Salvatore, and Elianne González are focusing in the SMT on insuring against natural disasters. Later that day, between 5 and 7 p.m., ET, Salvatore and González will field Univision 41 viewers’ insurance questions.
I.I.I. RELEASE FOCUSES ON INSURANCE ISSUES RAISED BY POKEMON GO’s POPULARITY
The I.I.I.’s news release was issued on Wednesday, July 13.
CONSUMER FEDERATION OF AMERICA (CFA) LISTS ITS TOP 10 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS
The CFA made no mention of insurance in a Wednesday, July 13, news release.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Salvatore briefed WAVY-TV investigative producer Morgan Gilliam on insurance coverage for belongings housed in self-storage facilities after a fire damaged one in Virginia Beach.
The I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters provided information to Cooperator magazine’s Mike Odenthal (co-op and condo insurance) and Fit Small Business’ Priyanka Prakash (key man insurance).
The I.I.I.’s Worters is helping P/C 360’s Rosalie Donlon develop an article on the insurance coverage a Pokemon Go player needs.
Denver NBC affiliate producer Katie Wilcox is readying a segment on an insurance dispute which dates back to 2013’s Black Forest Fire.
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig is speaking today with Insurance Business America’s Caitlin Bronson regarding Brexit’s potential impact on the U.S. insurance industry.
The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry is working with InsuranceQuotes.com’s Nick DiUlio for a story on a study which found policyholders who drive 5,000 miles a year pay on average 9 percent less for auto insurance.
The I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz provided information on homeowner insurance non-renewals and cancellations to New York Times Wealth Matters columnist Paul Sullivan.
CAPITOL HILL
Only four of the 21 sport utility vehicle (SUV) headlights evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) earned an ‘acceptable’ rating. None of them earned a ‘good’ rating.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating a crash in St. Marks, Florida, earlier this month involving a semi-truck and a bus carrying at least 30 agricultural workers.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly investigating whether Tesla Motors breached securities laws by failing to disclose a fatal crash involving an electric car that was guiding itself.
The Federal Register posted on Monday, July 11, a technical correction to the U.S. Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule.
STATES
California
The Sage Fire (Los Angeles County) has burned more than 1,100 acres near Stevenson Ranch.
The San Francisco Chronicle published a story the I.I.I.’s Ruiz helped them with on how consumers can estimate how much it’ll cost to rebuild their home, in the event of a total loss.
A 27-year-old insurance agent from North Hollywood was charged with embezzling over $100,000 from his employer and clients and then using those monies for his personal use.
Calabasas-based Crusader Insurance Company was criticized in a San Francisco NBC affiliate segment for selling a small business policy which did not cover losses arising from a break-in.
Colorado
The Cold Springs Fire (Boulder County) prompted the mandatory evacuation of nearly 2,000 residents near Nederland after the wildfire began on Saturday, July 9.
Florida
The I.I.I.’s Lynne McChristian appeared in a Fort Myers CBS affiliate story last night (July 12) on steps policyholders should take when filing a claim with their home’s insurer.
More Florida insurers are using credit scores to price homeowners insurance, says the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The I.I.I.’s Jim Lynch was interviewed for the story.
The News Service of Florida conducted a Q&A with former Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty.
A recent state Supreme Court decision struck down a law which limited payments to injured workers, and that could lead to a nearly 20 percent hike in the cost of workers’ compensation insurance, the Associated Press reports.
Georgia
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist is surprised WalletHub found 54 U.S. cities more dangerous for drivers than Atlanta.
Massachusetts
The Boston Globe published late last week a story on the state’s rising auto insurance costs.
Minnesota
Six tornadoes are believed to have touched down in the state on Monday, July 11, with property damage reported in Litchfield and Watkins. Both communities are in Meeker County.
Missouri
John Huff, the state’s Insurance Director since 2009, has been nominated by President Obama to become a board member of the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers (NARAB).
Oklahoma
Three earthquakes, each with a magnitude slightly below 3.0, were recorded on Sunday, July 10. Two of them were near Blanchard (Grady County) and the other was outside Alva (Woods County).
Homeowners and businesses in seven counties are eligible for low-interest U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans after last month’s severe weather.
Oregon
The National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) is meeting this week (July 14-17) in Portland. NCOIL is being urged to hold off on developing a model law allowing employers to opt-out of a state’s workers’ compensation system (subscription required).
Pennsylvania
A legal dispute between Penn State and one of its insurers renewed questions about when head football coach Joe Paterno first learned of sex-abuse allegations against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
Philadelphia has purchased two insurance policies to cover the city in the event of lawsuits over law enforcement actions during the Democratic National Convention on July 25-28.
Washington
A 59-year-old alleged golf tournament scammer was declared a fugitive after failing to appear last week for a court date on a charge of selling insurance without a license.
West Virginia
The I.I.I.’s Barry offered insurance insights to West Virginia Public Broadcasting radio reporter Anne Li for her story on the state’s recovery from last month’s flooding.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
Pokemon Go Press Release
To share on social our press release on Pokemon Go, visit the I.I.I. on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
For related news on the app, use the hashtag #PokemonGo, and follow the handle @PokemonGoNews.
California, Colorado Wildfires
The Sage Fire in California and the Cold Springs Fire in Colorado are getting strong attention on social. Follow the hashtags #SageFire and #ColdSpringsFire to follow the discussion.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department is on Twitter at @LACo_FD and the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control is at @COStateFire.
Wednesday, July 20, Satellite Media Tour (SMT)
I.I.I. will be promoting and tracking its SMT on social on Wednesday, July 20.
The media tour will include interviews with 16 television stations and two radio stations.
The SMT will be covered on the I.I.I.’s Twitter channels and a behind-the-scenes look at the SMT can be found at the I.I.I.’s Snapchat channel at “iiiorg.”
The I.I.I.’s SMT spokespeople are on Twitter at @JeanneSalvatore, @Bob_Hartwig, and @III_EnEspanol, and @ElianneGo.
The event hashtag will be #InsuringAgainstDisasters.
Wednesday, July 20, Univision Helpline
The campaign name for the Helpline is “Asegura tu Verano,” or “Insure Your Summer”.
The I.I.I. will cover the Univision broadcast on social via our Twitter channels and Snapchat.
You can also follow the I.I.I.’s Salvatore and González on Twitter during the two-hour Helpline, which continues from 5 to 7 p.m., ET, on Wednesday, July 20.
To follow the Helpline on social, use the hashtag “Asegurate,”, and #AseguraTuVerano.
MEDIA MATTERS
Luke Russert, a Washington, D.C.-based NBC News correspondent, is leaving the network on Friday, July 15.
Patrick Dolan, a son of Cablevision’s founder, purchased a 75 percent stake in Long Island Newsday.
Gannett acquired The Record, New Jersey’s second-largest daily newspaper.
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
