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 3, please email Loretta Worters at lorettaw@iii.org.
I.I.I.’s AUTO INSURANCE ISSUES SUBCOMMITTEE CONVENES AUGUST 10
The meeting is being held at the Washington, D.C., office of GEICO’s Janice Hobart, the subcommittee’s chair, on Wednesday, August 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A dial-in number will be set up for those who cannot attend in-person. To register for the subcommittee meeting, email Lilia Giordano at liliag@iii.org. For additional information, contact Jeanne Salvatore at jeannes@iii.org.
WORLD RISK AND INSURANCE NEWS (WRIN.tv) RELAUNCHING IN AUGUST; GLOBAL RISK NEWS NETWORK (GRNN) FORMED
John Greene, WRIN.tv’s president and chief operating officer (Phone: 917-903-8995, email: john.greene@wrin.tv), said WRIN.tv will again be posting online video news of interest to the industry starting in August 2016. GRNN, the new owner of WRIN.tv, offers digital marketing and communications services and may be retained by insurers and reinsurers to produce their own custom video content.
I.I.I.’s PRESIDENT APPEARS IN WALL STREET JOURNAL ARTICLE ON THE FUTURE OF THE U.S. AUTO INSURANCE MARKET
U.S. auto insurance premiums could decrease dramatically as driverless cars become more commonplace, according to this Tuesday, July 26, WSJ article, which quotes I.I.I. president Bob Hartwig.
INCOMING I.I.I. PRESIDENT PROFILED IN PROPERTYCASUALTY 360
Sean Kevelighan’s interview with P/C 360 was posted on Tuesday, July 26. His first day at the I.I.I. is Monday, August 8.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig is being interviewed on Thursday, July 28, by AM Best TV’s Meg Green (the I.I.I.’s Cuba white paper) and InsuranceQuotes.com’s Nick DiUlio (his I.I.I. career and industry trends).
CNBC producer Karina Frayter is gathering information for a potential story on insurance coverage for food trucks.
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore was interviewed by AARP writer Sarah Mahoney about current auto insurance and traffic safety trends.
The I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters provided information to The State Journal’s Tim Landis (insured U.S. hail losses) and Rockford, Illinois NBC affiliate reporter Reuben Jones (suicide and life insurance).
The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry spoke with Zillow.com’s Melissa Allison for a story on rising sea levels and flood insurance.
CAPITOL HILL
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) believes red-light cameras prevent many dangerous intersection crashes.
STATES
Alaska
Governor Bill Walker’s veto of Senate Bill 127 means the current law governing personal lines insurers’ use of credit-based insurance scores remains in effect.
California
A bulldozer operator died while fighting the Soberanes Fire (Monterey County). It has grown to more than 20,000 acres, and residents of Rancho San Carlos and Carmel Highlands are evacuating.
Thousands returned home on Monday, July 25, after The Sand Fire (Los Angeles County) forced them from their residences as it burned thousands of acres north of Los Angeles.
The Erskine Fire (Kern County), the state’s most destructive wildfire so far this year, is 100 percent contained after destroying 290 homes and burning about 48,000 acres, the Insurance Department said.
The I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz is taping an interview with Southern California Public Radio’s (KPCC) Ben Bergman on how the state’s wildfires are impacting its property insurance market.
Florida
Citizens Property Insurance Corp. entered into a five-year, $1.8 million contract with a company that will examine escalating water damage claims from policyholders and determine whether the charges are excessive.
A 33-year-old Georgia woman died after being hit by a lightning strike while walking along the beach in Daytona Beach Shores (Volusia County) on Friday evening, July 22.
Tampa Bay’s Fox affiliate (WTVT) broadcast a report on protecting your home from lightning damage. The story quoted I.I.I. data.
A Fort Myers businessman was arrested for operating a fraudulent workers compensation insurance scheme while a Miami attorney was taken into custody for her role in a personal injury protection (PIP) scam.
The mayor of Tavares was accused of insurance fraud, and then removed from office by Governor Rick Scott.
Hawaii
Tropical Storm Darby struck the Big Island on Saturday, July 23, and brought heavy rainfall to Oahu. Governor David Ige signed a pre-Darby landfall emergency proclamation on Friday, July 22.
Louisiana
The state Police announced yesterday (July 26) the arrest of seven individuals for their alleged roles in a staged accident ring in Jefferson Davis Parish.
Massachusetts
The state’s Property Insurance Underwriting Association (FAIR Plan) agreed to pay $350,000 to resolve allegations it impermissibly cancelled homeowners insurance policies between 2010 and 2014.
Mississippi
The Biloxi Sun Herald profiled the chief meteorologist at MetLoop, a weather forecasting company, who believes this year’s record heat could lead to higher-intensity hurricanes.
Missouri
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against Home Depot, saying the retailer could not be blamed for the deaths of individuals who took cover in its Joplin store during May 2011’s EF-5 tornado.
Nebraska
The Lincoln Journal Star’s editorial board believes the state ought to adopt an unclaimed life insurance policy law based on the National Conference of Insurance Legislators’ (NCOIL) model.
New York
A Howard Beach, Queens, couple was charged with fraudulently receiving more than $25,000 in FEMA monies after Superstorm Sandy.
Three men were charged this week with burglarizing two New York City banks, one of which involved the April 2016 theft of items stored in a safe-deposit box. The I.I.I.’s Salvatore was interviewed by New York City’s CBS affiliate this spring about insurance coverage for the stolen valuables.
Oklahoma
Two withdrawn lawsuits against Oklahoma City-based oil and natural gas companies, claiming they caused earthquakes that damaged personal property, are expected to be refiled soon.
A ‘fortified’ home is being built in Sand Springs to withstand the state’s severe weather, Tulsa World reports.
MEDIA MATTERS
Verizon agreed to purchase Yahoo!’s operating business for $4.83 billion.
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.
