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, August 2nd, please email Michael Barry at michaelb@iii.org.
FEWER FILED LAWSUITS IN 2015 AS COMPARED TO 20 YEARS EARLIER
Fewer than two in 1,000 Americans filed a lawsuit in 2015, a significant decline from the approximately 10 in 1,000 Americans who took that action in 1993, a front-page Wall Street Journal article reported (subscription required).
WEST VIRGINIA, KENTUCKY HIT WITH DEADLY FLOODING
The Associated Press had the details in this Monday, July 24, wire story.
WORKERS COMPENSATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE (WCRI) HOSTING FREE WEBINAR
The 45-minute session begins on Wednesday, August 9, at 2 p.m., ET, and will focus on WCRI’s most recent research on outcomes for injured workers.
WHOLESALE & SPECIALTY INSURANCE ASSOCIATION (WSIA) OPENS ON AUGUST 1
The WSIA was created following the merger of the American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA) and the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO).
STORIES IN THE WORKS
USA Today’s Rick Jervis and Alan Gomez are preparing articles in advance of Hurricane Andrew’s 25th anniversary. The date on which Andrew made landfall in Florida is Thursday, August 24.
Best Review’s Kate Smith is examining the organizational structure, growth, and profitability of mutual insurers who offer property/casualty coverage. Smith’s story will appear in the magazine’s September 2017 edition.
The I.I.I.’s Lynne McChristian discussed flood insurance with the company that owns the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Gainesville Sun and the Northwest Florida Daily News. The newspaper chain is doing a series of stories on how rising sea levels could impact Florida’s coastal communities.
The I.I.I.’s Steven Weisbart was interviewed by Kiplinger’s Retirement Report’s Eleanor Laise about the life insurance, disability and long-term care insurance needs of people in their 50s and 60s.
KFI Radio’s Andrew Mollenbeck, a station that airs on AM 640 in Los Angeles, is weighing whether to air a segment on consumers who have seen substantial auto insurance rate increases in their renewal notices.
CAPITOL HILL
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) will meet on Friday, July 28, to discuss MetLife’s pending lawsuit against FSOC.
Insurers must now include a line item in their annual financial statements regarding the insurer’s private flood insurance activity, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
Daniel Craig of Maryland has been nominated to serve as FEMA’s Deputy Administrator. Craig was most recently a Senior Vice President at Adjusters International, Inc., a disaster preparedness and recovery firm.
The Affordable Retirement Advice for Savers Act (H.R. 2823) has the support of the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI).
STATES
California
The Detwiler Fire (Mariposa County) has burned nearly 80,000 acres and is 65 percent contained.
CAL FIRE said the 79 wildfires this week in Lassen, Modoc and Siskyou counties were likely caused by lightning strikes.
The Long Beach-based operators of Fortis Financial Insurance Services allegedly stole about $250,000 from individuals who invested in their workplace accident settlement funds.
The average number of deadly teen driver crashes climbs 15 percent between Memorial Day and Labor Day compared to the rest of the year, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said, at a Sacramento press conference.
The I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz wrote a California blog item on the topic and attended the same press conference.
Florida
A GateHouse Media series is exploring how rising seas could impact the state’s coastal communities. The Daytona Beach News-Journal, a GateHouse publication, had an editorial on rising seas.
The two homes swallowed by a sinkhole in Pasco County last week were occupied by renters, and Tampa Bay’s Fox affiliate said neither had renters insurance. An attorney who specializes in representing policyholders with sinkhole claims was featured on Tampa Bay’s CBS affiliate. The report explained sinkhole coverage, and said homeowners often ignore possible issues under their home due to the high cost of repairs.
A Tallahassee judge sided with life insurers, restricting preliminary information-gathering by the state’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) in the wake of a new law requiring insurers to track down unclaimed life insurance policy beneficiaries. DFS plans to appeal the judge’s ruling.
Georgia
The typical driver saw in 2016 a 12 percent increase in their auto insurance costs, higher than any other state, according to a front-page Atlanta Journal-Constitution story on Sunday, July 23.
The serious injuries incurred by stuntmen on the sets of AMC’s The Walking Dead and Rampage, Dwayne Johnson’s upcoming movie, have focused attention on the film industry’s workplace safety issues.
Illinois
Governor Bruce Rauner issued a state disaster proclamation for eight counties in the northwestern part of the state where flooding is expected later this week as the Rock and Pecatonica rivers swell to near-record levels.
Louisiana
Governor John Bel Edwards announced about $220 million-plus in federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds has been disbursed for resiliency projects in communities impacted by 2016’s flooding.
The Baton Rouge Advocate says a Natural Resources Defense Council paper, “Seeking Higher Ground,” calls for moving people out of homes that have repeatedly flooded.
Maryland
An EF-2 tornado touched down in Stevensville (Queen Anne’s County) on Monday, July 24, causing property damage.
A 99-year-old man is suing his life insurer for planning to terminate two whole life policies when he marks his 100th birthday in September, according to a Friday, July 21, print edition story in The Wall Street Journal.
Montana
The Lodgepole Complex Fire has burned more than 250,000 acres in the eastern part of the state, most notably in Garfield County, Reuters reports.
Nevada
Flash flooding hit northwest Las Vegas earlier this week after a heavy rainfall.
The Preacher Fire (Douglas County) prompted the voluntary evacuation of 1,000-plus people residing near Gardnerville.
New York
To provide Paid Family Leave coverage to employees starting in 2018, nearly every private employer must add a rider to their existing disability insurance policy, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced.
The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee is studying technology designed to detect if a cellphone was used in the moments before a crash.
Oklahoma
The Norman-based National Severe Storms Laboratory is readying a project that could increase the advance tornado warning a community receives, to an hour from the current 13 minutes, The Oklahoman reports (subscription required).
Federal funds are available to municipalities in 16 counties impacted by the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding that occurred from May 16-20, 2017.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
#DetwilerFire
The Detwiler Fire in Mariposa County, California, has continued to receive notice on social this week. For updates, follow @ABC30 and @CAL_FIRE on Twitter.
Georgia’s 2016 Auto Insurance Cost Increases
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s (AJC) Sunday, July 23, front-page story on Georgia’s rising auto insurance costs has been receiving moderate attention on social. The AJC’s story can be found at @ajc on Twitter. The I.I.I. will continue to monitor the online conversation around the story in the weeks to come.
MEDIA MATTERS
ABC News and ATTN: announced they will co-produce original video segments.
The Weather Channel’s Bryan Norcross had a new book published, My Hurricane Andrew Story.
Since the call, Viacom said it would not purchase Scripps Network Interactive, operator of HGTV and Food Network, leaving Discovery Communications as the only likely Scripps buyer.
Starting on Monday, September 11, Newell Normand, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff, will succeed the retired Garland Robinette as host of WWL-FM Radio in New Orleans’ 10 a.m.-1 p.m. time slot on weekdays.
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.
