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 16, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
I.I.I. TO CONDUCT TUESDAY, JULY 15, SATELLITE MEDIA TOUR (SMT); FOCUS IS ON INSURANCE COVERAGE NEEDED IN HURRICANE-PRONE STATES
The SMT will feature a mix of live and taped interviews between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., given by the I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig, Jeanne Salvatore and Elianne González (Spanish-language). The SMT studio is in lower Manhattan.
UNIVISION INVITING THEIR VIEWERS TO CALL IN WITH AUTO AND HOME INSURANCE QUESTIONS ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 16
The I.I.I.’s Salvatore and González organized a Consumer Hotline to answer questions on disaster preparedness, auto, home and business insurance, in Spanish and English, for Univision Channel 41’s audience on Wednesday, July 16, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Univision Channel 41 has a higher viewership than all the local English-language TV outlets in the tri-state market combined. The I.I.I. will be live-tweeting from the event.
P/C INSURERS’ PROFITS SLIPPED IN FIRST-QUARTER 2014 AS COMPARED TO A YEAR EARLIER AS ‘POLAR VORTEX’ IMPACTS UNDERWRITING
U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income after taxes fell to $13.8 billion in first-quarter 2014 from $14.3 billion in first-quarter 2013. I.I.I. president Robert Hartwig offered an analysis.
I.I.I. WEBINAR WITH MUNICH RE OFFERS 2014 HALF-YEAR NATURAL CATASTROPHE REVIEW
The global statistics for natural catastrophes in the first half of 2014 were marked by low levels of claims, according to the I.I.I.’s Hartwig and Munich Re’s Carl Hedde and Peter Hoppe.
I.I.I.’s CHIEF ECONOMIST QUOTED IN ASSOCIATED PRESS STORY ON DECEASED 22-MONTH-OLD BOY WHO HAD TWO LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES
The I.I.I.’s Steven Weisbart offered insights into the issue of children’s life insurance policies for this Saturday, July 5, AP story pegged to a high-profile trial in Georgia.
SEVERE WEATHER CAUSES FIVE DEATHS ON THE EAST COAST IN ONE DAY (JULY 8), FOUR IN UPSTATE NEW YORK AND ONE IN MARYLAND
Governor Andrew Cuomo visited Smithfield, NY, on Wednesday, July 9, a day after a tornado touched down there. The other storm-related fatality occurred in Manchester, Maryland.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
I.I.I.’s Hartwig discussed with Bloomberg’s Alexei Alexis the status of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act’s (TRIA) renewal, and whether cyber-attacks are covered under TRIA.
The I.I.I.’s Salvatore taped an interview with WCBS-TV’s Tracee Carrasco on transportation network companies and insurance. An air date has not yet been announced. In addition, Salvatore gave information on homeowners insurance rating criteria to West Virginia Public Radio’s Jared Cline for a story he is preparing.
The I.I.I.’s Weisbart spoke with US News & World Report’s Kimberly Palmer, about why too many people have an insufficient amount of life insurance, Jean Chatzky’s researchers for a Fortune.com column Chatzky is writing on how a family’s life insurance needs change over time. He also spoke to Kendall Greenwood of Key Media for a story on the 15 U.S. states with the longest life expectancies, and what that might mean for the life insurance markets in those states.
CAPITOL HILL
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen will appear before the U.S. House’s Financial Services committee on Wednesday, July 16, to deliver a Monetary Policy Report to the Congress.
STATES
Arizona
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled the state cannot deny drivers licenses to immigrants under federal government protection.
California
Residents evacuated during Napa County’s Butts Fire may be eligible for additional living expenses, the California Department of Insurance said, in a Thursday, July 3, news release.
Florida
The I.I.I.’s Lynne McChristian delivered a presentation to the Property & Casualty Insurance Fraud Task Force on Thursday, July 10, in Lake Mary, at the Marriott Orlando.
Having been inundated with water damage-related lawsuits between 2009-2012, Citizens is setting up a team to deal with the problem and reduce its legal fees, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
Georgia
Atlanta’s ABC affiliate broadcast a story this week on why some auto body repair shops have problems with the use of after-market parts. No auto insurers are mentioned by name.
Nathalie Pozo of Atlanta’s Fox 5 has been in touch with the I.I.I.’s Weisbart and Mike Barry regarding children’s life insurance for a possible story on the issue (see AP item above).
Louisiana
Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was sentenced to 10 years in prison following convictions for bribery and money laundering in February of this year.
All private property/casualty insurers will pass on to their policyholders in 2015 a 3.42 percent Citizens Property Insurance Corporation assessment, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.
Mississippi
Citing a personal encounter with an uninsured motorist, Clarion Ledger columnist Jerry Mitchell explored why his state has the highest percentage of drivers in the U.S. without coverage.
New Jersey
Terrence Brody will coordinate Sandy-related recovery efforts across state government as the new executive director of the Governor’s Office of Recovery and Rebuilding.
New York
Eleven upstate counties are eligible for federal financial assistance after President Obama approved a disaster declaration in the wake of May 2014’s severe storms and flooding.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Uber have agreed to limit surge pricing during holidays, natural disasters, and other emergencies, over the next three years.
Pennsylvania
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) wants more information on how an earthquake fault in Lancaster County could affect a proposed natural gas pipeline.
South Carolina
The State is preparing to cover Hurricane Hugo’s 25th anniversary on September 21, 2014, by requesting reader submissions on “how it changed South Carolina.”
Washington
The Mills Canyon Fire has burned more than 5,000 acres in Chelan County since it started on Tuesday, July 8, according to this story from Seattle’s NBC affiliate.
MEDIA MATTERS
When CNN moves its 9 to 11 a.m., ET, (Carol Costello), and 2 to 4 p.m., ET, (Brooke Baldwin) anchors to New York from Atlanta next month, HLN will take over their Atlanta studios.
Nineteen veteran journalists are taking a buyout this month at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, in part because of the paper’s recent sale. This article lists the departing newsroom employees.
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
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