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, May 28, please email Loretta Worters at lorettaw@iii.org.
2014 HURRICANE SEASON SEEN AS ‘NEAR- TO BELOW-NORMAL’ BY NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
Since the call, NOAA held a New York City news conference on Thursday, May 22, to deliver its Atlantic outlook and the I.I.I. attended and issued this media advisory earlier the same day.
NATIONAL INSURANCE CRIME BUREAU (NICB) RELEASES STAGED ACCIDENT VIDEOS, FINDS NUMBER OF WATERCRAFT THEFTS DROPPED
During the week of May 19-23, the NICB issued this statement on staged accidents, and reported watercraft thefts dropped 6 percent in 2013 as compared to 2012.
STANDARD & POOR’S STUDY ASKS ‘ARE INSURERS PREPARED FOR THE EXTREME WEATHER CLIMATE CHANGE MAY BRING?’
S& P Ratings Services believes the global insurance industry remains prepared to deal with the natural catastrophes the world has been experiencing, this release says.
CONNING REPORT FINDS U.S. PROPERTY/CASUALTY INSURERS’ LOSS RESERVE POSITION IMPROVED SLIGHTLY AS OF YEAR-END 2013
2013 Property-Casualty Loss Reserves: Still Strong, but Potential Negatives May Outweigh the Positives was released on Monday, May 19, according to this Conning news release.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
New York City’s WPIX-TV is in the market for sources willing to discuss their positive post-Sandy claims experience, or who were hit by Sandy and learned an insurance lesson as a result. They also are interested in doing a segment on auto insurance fraud. Jeanne Salvatore is working with NICB on the fraud story. If anyone has an insured that they would like to put on camera, please contact Jeanne at jeannes@iii.org.
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig gave an interview to Reuters’ Florida-based Barbara Liston to discuss how insurers are preparing for the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season.
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore spoke with Walmart World (Insurance Policies You May Not Know About), Investopedia (Must-Have Insurance for a Millennial, How Well Does Your Home Insurance Policy Protect You?), Market News International (Home Insurance Rates and Natural Disasters) and Insure.com (Superstorm Sandy’s Aftermath).
The I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters has been working with The Wall Street Journal’s Anna Maria Andriotis on an evergreen story about disasters, everything from floods to landslides. She also briefed Bloomberg’s Craig Giammona on travel insurance and Black Enterprise magazine’s Robin Goode on the history of state-run property insurers of last resort.
The I.I.I.’s Mike Barry gave interviews to Esquire magazine (dog bite liability), InsuranceQuotes.com (bundling policies) and Bankrate.com (gap insurance for autos).
CAPITOL HILL
The U.S. House’s subcommittee on Housing and Insurance held a Tuesday, May 20, public hearing on five pending insurance bills in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Service Members Insurance Relief Act would allow military personnel to keep their current auto insurance policy after they are assigned to a different location.
STATES
Arizona
The Slide Fire began on federal land, situated about five miles north of Sedona, and grew dramatically over the next few days, according to The Weather Channel.
California
The wildfires last week in Bonsall, Camp Pendleton, Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, San Diego and San Marcos, scorched 26,646 acres, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
With the wildfires largely subdued as of Tuesday, May 20, municipalities turned their attention to rebuilding and determining if arson was involved, this U-T article stated.
Connecticut
Lawmakers approved a bill to keep securities brokers who lost their licenses from selling financial products while using an insurance credential, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Florida
The Palm Beach Post’s Sunday, May 25, edition featured its annual hurricane section so readers “can find out everything they need to know to get ready for the season.”
The Palm Beach Post’s Sunday, May 18, print version had a front-page story saying “short memories and population turnover” could adversely impact hurricane preparedness efforts.
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater was praised in a Sunday, May 18, Sarasota Herald Tribune editorial for the role Atwater played in keeping property insurance rates down.
Louisiana
New Orleans Saints players are rallying the team’s fans against House Bill 1069, a workers compensation measure, this Saturday, May 17, New Orleans Times-Picayune article says.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed on Monday, May 19, its “previous ruling that businesses don’t have to prove they were directly harmed” to collect BP settlement monies.
Mississippi
The Clarion Ledger published a University of Mississippi dean’s op-ed this week on the 2014 Congressional debate over FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program.
Montana
Insurers are anticipating the receipt of thousands of claims after a Sunday, May 18, hailstorm in Billings and other cities in the state’s southeast, the AP reported.
North Carolina
Claimants impacted by severe weather in four counties on April 25 may be eligible for the state’s Disaster Mediation Program, Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin announced.
Oklahoma
The Department of Insurance is holding a consumer assistance event for tornado survivors with unresolved insurance issues on Tuesday, June 3, at 6 p.m. in Oklahoma City.
Insurance Commissioner John Doak and I.I.I. research explained why the state’s home insurance costs are rising in this Wednesday, May 14, News 9 Oklahoma City story.
Utah
Insurance Commissioner Todd Kiser said most personal automobile insurance policies contain exclusions for livery services, something to keep in mind before driving for Lyft and Uber.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
The one-year anniversary of the Moore, Oklahoma, tornadoes (May 20) was marked throughout social media. Those affected by the tornadoes posted before and after pictures depicting the damage to their community, and recounted how far they have come since the disaster.
In other news, the Arizona wildfire near Slide Rock State Park is gaining attention on social media. Since the blaze started on Tuesday afternoon, May 20, local news outlets have been reporting updates on the fire under the hashtag #slidefire.
In more wildfire news, Carlsbad’s Poinsettia Fire is completely contained. Many Californians tweeted their thanks to the Fire Department while local humanitarian organizations took to social media to update people on their relief efforts.
Finally, the I.I.I. joined in on the social media campaign to promote National Dog Bite Prevention Week (May 18-24) under the hashtag #preventdogbites. The I.I.I.’s press release on dog bite claims was shared widely on social media, with 27 re-tweets and counting, and it was clicked on over 130 times as of Wednesday morning, May 21.
MEDIA MATTERS
National broadcast and cable networks marked the one-year anniversary of the deadly Moore, Oklahoma, tornadoes, according to TV Newser.
Jill Abramson was ousted as The New York Times’ executive editor last week. Her successor is Dean Baquet.
Zoraida Sambolin, a New York City-based CNN reporter the last two years, has returned to Chicago’s NBC affiliate to co-host its weekday morning news program.
National Public Radio will eliminate 28 positions, eight of which are already vacant, and cease broadcasting Tell Me More, one of its weekday programs, effective August 1.
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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