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, March 9, please email Loretta Worters at lorettaw@iii.org.
TO MARK WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, THE I.I.I OFFERS SIX WAYS FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS CAN FINANCIALLY PROTECT THEIR BUSINESSES
The I.I.I.’s Monday, February 29, news release was issued the day before Women’s History Month began. The federal government has celebrated the occasion every March since 1981.
WALL STREET JOURNAL FOCUSES ON FATE OF UNCLAIMED LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES
Prodded by numerous state regulators, life insurers have in recent years paid out more than $7.4 billion on previously unclaimed policies, with the proceeds going either to beneficiaries or to state agencies that collect unclaimed property (subscription required).
J.D. POWER STUDY FINDS SLIGHT DROP IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AMONG HOMEOWNERS WHO FILED A PROPERTY INSURANCE CLAIM
The U.S. property insurance industry’s overall score dipped to 846 from 851, on a 1,000 point scale, between 2015 and 2016, driven by declines in satisfaction with the total settlement and service interactions.
INSURANCE INDUSTRY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION (IICF) TO HOLD BENEFIT DINNER IN LONDON IN APRIL 2016
IICF’s Tuesday, April 19, fundraiser will be held at Plaisterers’ Hall, London, England.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig taped an interview with Fox News Radio’s Ginny Kosola about how the increasing frequency and severity of auto insurance claims and lower gas prices are impacting insurers.
InsuranceQuotes.com’s Nicholas DiUlio is readying a story on the link between receipt of certain moving violations (e.g., speeding, driving under the influence) and the driver’s future cost of auto insurance.
CAPITOL HILL
The formaldehyde levels in select laminate wood flooring products could cause eye, nose, and throat irritation and exacerbate asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Florida lawmakers want the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base to remain in Florida after MacDill’s lease expires in July 2017.
U.S. Senator Richard Shelby easily won a contested Republican primary election for the seat he currently holds in Alabama.
STATES
Alabama
An EF-2 tornado injured four people and caused extensive property damage yesterday (March 1) after touching down in Bessemer and McCalla (Jefferson County), about 15 miles southwest of Birmingham.
The University of Alabama at Huntsville was the site of a Monday, February 29, press conference on the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment, Southeast (VORTEX-SE) project.
To close the insurance gaps in the ride-sharing market, state lawmakers should enact House Bill 266 and Senate Bill 262, according to a Property Casualty Insurers (PCI) Association of America editorial.
California
A Google-Lexus model autonomous vehicle (AV) may have been responsible for the low-speed collision the AV had with a bus in Mountain View in mid-February.
The 2016 National Earthquake Conference is convening from Wednesday, May 4, to Friday, May 6, at the Hilton Long Beach.
Steve Poizner, the state’s former insurance commissioner (2007-10), is chairing Ohio Governor John Kasich’s presidential campaign in California.
Florida
An EF-1 tornado damaged 36 homes, leaving 11 of them uninhabitable, after touching down in Port Charlotte (Charlotte County) on Wednesday, February 24.
Should Senate Bill 1630 become law, the initial premium a private insurer may charge a former Citizens Property Insurance Corp. policyholder could not exceed the private insurer’s initial offer by more than 10 percent.
The typical homeowner paid $2,115 for property insurance coverage in 2013, making Florida the costliest place in the U.S. to buy homeowners insurance.
Louisiana
A tornado damaged hundreds of homes in LaPlace (St. John the Baptist Parish) on Wednesday, February 24, and Insurance Commissioner James Donelon urged impacted residents to review their coverage and file a claim.
State troopers have since Sunday, February 28, had the ability to check in real-time a database indicating whether a motorist they have stopped is driving with an in-force auto insurance policy.
Massachusetts
The Division of Insurance held a public hearing last week on a plan to modify the Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers’ (CAR) operations. CAR is the state’s program for its high-risk drivers, and The Boston Globe filed a story on the issue.
Missouri
A St. Louis jury awarded $72 million to the family of a 62-year-old Alabama woman who died last year of ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson products.
Nevada
The I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz is attending the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) conference in Reno, to be held between Tuesday, March 8, and Thursday, March 10.
New York
The Albany Times-Union’s editorial board believes enactment of laws (S4049B, A257A and S29A/A8025) expanding a policyholder’s right to sue an insurer will bring about Insurance Claims Fairness.
Mary Beth Woods has been appointed executive director of the state’s Workers’ Compensation Board, after serving as its acting director.
The State Insurance Fund (SIF) was defrauded by the 52-year-old owner of an excavation subcontracting company, Manhattan’s district attorney alleged.
North Carolina
Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin generated some media coverage after announcing five Wilmington women were arrested in connection with an alleged staged auto accident ring.
The Charlotte Observer profiled the three candidates—Mike Causey, Joe McLaughlin, and Ronald Pierce—vying in a Tuesday, March 15, primary for the Republican insurance commissioner’s nomination.
Oklahoma
The state’s Workers Compensation Commission ruled Oklahoma’s system of allowing businesses to opt-out of the state’s workers compensation insurance program is unconstitutional.
Pennsylvania
The state’s strongest February tornado since 1950 caused an estimated $8 million in property damage in Lancaster County on Wednesday, February 24.
Virginia
A severe storm killed four people, three of them in Waverly (Sussex County). Those who incurred property damage were encouraged to contact their insurance professional or state regulators.
Washington
Seattle’s ABC affiliate broadcast a segment about an InsuranceQuotes.com-commissioned survey on the rate implications of filing an auto insurance claim if the payout exceeds $2,000.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
The latest NAIC Homeowners Insurance Report is getting moderate attention from insurers on social media. The report provides extensive data on the topic.
NOAA’s VORTEX-SE campaign, which will help scientists better understand environmental factors affecting tornado development, has been getting heavy pick-up on social media, under the hashtag #VORTEXSE. A brief video summary on the project is available on NOAA’s weather-related YouTube channel.
The mid-February low-speed crash involving a Google self-driving car and a municipal bus is getting heavy attention on social. To see what people are saying about the accident, follow the hashtag #GoogleCar on Twitter. More about the Google Self-Driving Car Project is available on their YouTube channel and Google blog.
To celebrate Women’s History month this March, the I.I.I. is showcasing influential women in the insurance field at pinterest.com/iiiorg. You can also follow the hashtag #WomensHistoryMonth to participate in the discussion.
MEDIA MATTERS
The Weather Underground, a program which airs live on weekdays from 6 to 8 p.m., ET, on The Weather Channel (TWC), is being re-broadcast each weekday on the TWC between 10 p.m. and midnight, ET.
CBS This Morning was the only broadcast morning news show to post year-to-year percentage viewer gains (+9 percent, to 3.86 million) for the week ending Friday, February 19.
Al Jazeera America’s cable news outlet is going off the air on Tuesday, April 12.
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
