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 27, please email Michael Barry at michaelb@iii.org.
I.I.I.’s SATELLITE MEDIA TOUR ON INSURING AGAINST NATURAL DISASTERS REACHES MILLIONS
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig, Jeanne Salvatore and Elianne González conducted interviews with 30-plus television stations and numerous radio stations across the U.S. on Wednesday, July 20.
I.I.I’s UNIVISION 41 HELPLINE FOCUSES ON HOW TO ‘INSURE YOUR SUMMER’
The I.I.I.’s Salvatore and González answered insurance questions for New York area Spanish-speaking viewers along with the Latin Agents and Brokers Association on Wednesday, July 20, from 5 to 7 p.m., ET.
P/C INSURANCE INDUSTRY’S FIRST QUARTER 2016 FINANCIAL RESULTS RELEASED
Despite a considerable rise in claims and low interest rates, U.S. property/casualty (P/C) insurers cumulatively posted another profitable quarter, aided by capital gains and reserve releases.
I.I.I.’s PRESIDENT CONDUCTS EXIT INTERVIEW WITH P/C 360
In looking back on his 18 years at the I.I.I., the last nine-plus as its president, the I.I.I.’s Hartwig recalled being in lower Manhattan on 9/11.
I.I.I.’s CHIEF ACTUARY DISCUSSES THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION’s (RNC) INSURANCE COVERAGE WITH MARKETPLACE RADIO
The I.I.I.’s James Lynch spoke with Portland, Oregon-based reporter Mitchell Hartman about Cleveland’s RNC insurance policies.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The New York Times Wealth Matters columnist Paul Sullivan is examining how often non-renewals are issued to homeowners.
The Wall Street Journal’s in-depth article on the non-standard auto insurance market will likely include a chart chronicling the number of consumer complaints lodged against them.
The I.I.I.’s Lynch offered guidance to Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, a part of the paper’s data-analysis team, on how to interpret the numbers.
New Jersey Star-Ledger columnist Karin Price Mueller is exploring how often unlicensed auto insurers emerge and what communities they target with fraudulent policies.
The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry provided the industry’s perspective on unclaimed life insurance policies to The Chicago Gazette’s Daniel Kolen.
CAPITOL HILL
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Federal Insurance Office (FIO) believes auto insurance is unaffordable if a low-to-moderate income driver must pay more than 2 percent of their annual income for coverage.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) continues to restrict the market participation of private flood insurers.
Citing PBS’s The Business of Disaster, more than 20 U.S. House Members asked FEMA to create a mechanism by which the NFIP can monitor the Write Your Own (WYO) companies’ financial operations.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is addressing the Friday, July 22, Global Automotive Cybersecurity Summit in Detroit.
STATES
Alabama
The University of Alabama’s Insurance Research Center released a 36-page guide yesterday (July 19) to help coastal homeowners prepare for weather-related disasters.
Arizona
A microburst brought heavy rains to Phoenix on Monday, July 18. The storm led to a 30-minute ground stop at Sky Harbor International Airport.
California
Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom requested a major federal disaster declaration for the Erskine Fire (Kern County), which burned more than 48,000 acres over a period of 18 days.
A 34-year-old Van Nuys man’s fraudulent conduct was revealed after a commercial trucking firm learned its insurance coverage would pay only half of a $100,000 loss.
Connecticut
Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman wants insurers to contribute to a fund that would finance the repairs of the foundations in crumbling residential homes, a Department of Consumer Protection news release stated.
Florida
Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier won praise from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s editorial board after getting involved in two high-profile homeowners insurance disputes.
An apparent sinkhole developed underneath an unoccupied Holiday (Pasco County) home on Monday, July 18, prompting the evacuation of three nearby residences, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Department of Financial Services’ (DFS) newly-formed Division of Investigative and Forensic Services previously housed three separate DFS units.
Susan Donegan, a former Vermont insurance commissioner, is joining the Boca Raton-based National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) as its Chief Regulatory Services Officer.
Louisiana
Louisiana State University’s (LSU) Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge will highlight resilient home solutions at an Open House on Saturday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Maine
The Portland Press Herald published a front-page article this week on an auto insurer’s bid to increase its rates on older policyholders, based solely on their age.
New Jersey
A 26-year-old woman died in Fanwood (Union County) on Monday night, July 18, after a power line fell on her car during a thunderstorm.
New Mexico
The Timberon Fire (Otero County) destroyed more than 40 homes and burned nearly 260 acres. Governor Susanna Martinez declared a state of emergency on Friday, July 15.
New York
A crane collapsed across both the old and new Tappan Zee Bridges on Tuesday, July 19, injuring four people and causing extensive traffic delays about an hour’s drive north of New York City.
A 28-year-old man crashed his brother’s car into a tree in Auburn (Cayuga County) last week while playing Pokemon Go on his smartphone. The driver was slightly injured and the vehicle was totaled.
North Dakota
Hail and heavy rainfall hit Pembina and Walsh counties, in the northeastern part of the state, last night (July 19), and street flooding was reported in Grand Forks.
Oklahoma
The number quakes statewide with a magnitude of at least 3.0 has dropped about 20 percent at the halfway mark of 2016 (394) as compared to 2015 (480), according to the Oklahoma Geological Survey.
The president declared a major disaster in six counties following the severe storms and flooding of June 11–13, 2016, making federal funds available to local governments and nonprofits.
Utah
Governor Gary Herbert signed into law a measure allowing drones to be disabled if they interfere with aerial firefighting efforts.
Wisconsin
Governor Scott Walker asked FEMA to conduct a damage assessment following last week’s torrential rainfall upstate. The severe weather resulted in three fatalities and caused significant damage to roads and bridges.
MEDIA MATTERS
Roger Ailes is reportedly leaving Fox News Channel (FNC), weeks after a former on-air anchor filed a lawsuit against FNC’s chairman.
Jim Cantore marked his 30th anniversary as an on-air reporter at The Weather Channel.
Sheila Runnels was promoted to general manager at the Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based The Advocate.
The Boston Globe is selling its longtime headquarters in Dorchester to an unidentified buyer. The Globe’s editorial and business departments are moving to a downtown Boston office complex.
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.
