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 21, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
INSURANCE INDUSTRY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION (IICF) OFFERING FOUR WOMEN IN INSURANCE REGIONAL FORUMS IN JUNE 2014
Additional information on the four events, to be held in Chicago (June 3), Los Angeles (June 12), New York City (June 17), and Dallas (June 19), can be found in the attached document.
TWO MINERS KILLED WHILE EXTRACTING COAL FROM WEST VIRGINIA MINE UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR POOR SAFETY RECORD
The incident occurred on Monday, May 12, at a mine owned by Patriot Coal Corp, near Wharton, West Virginia, according to this next-day Wall Street Journal article.
I.I.I. ANALYSIS FINDS DOG BITES ACCOUNTED FOR MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF ALL HOME INSURANCE LIABILITY CLAIM DOLLARS PAID OUT IN 2013
U.S. insurers paid out $483 million for dog bite claims last year. The number of dog bite claims rose 5.5 percent as compared to 2012, while the average cost per claim dropped 6.4 percent.
TIME MAGAZINE CITES THE I.I.I. IN DETAILED ARTICLE ON THE FINANCES OF FEMA’s NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM (NFIP)
The May 19 print article reviews the reasons the program was set up in 1968, and how it worked well at first. Three million people in the U.S. reside within 3 feet of sea level, the story notes.
SURVEY RESPONDENTS INCORRECTLY BELIEVE A DRIVER’S INCOME, EMPLOYMENT STATUS, IMPACTS WHAT THEY PAY FOR AUTO INSURANCE
Nearly half (43 percent) said a policyholder’s income affects how much they pay for auto insurance while more than half believe employment status is a factor, InsuranceQuotes.com found.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig was interviewed by The Boston Globe’s Deirdre Fernandes on how property insurers are adapting to the increasing frequency and severity of U.S. weather events.
For a separate story, Fernandes is looking to see if more U.S. commercial flood insurance policies have been sold since Sandy hit the East Coast in 2012.
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig also spoke with Danny Vinik of The New Republic about insurance industry reactions to reports of rising sea levels and predictions of more severe events.
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore gave interviews to Kiplinger’s Kim Lankford (tree removal coverage) and The Kansas City Business Journal’s Austin Alonzo (ride-sharing and insurance).
CAPITOL HILL
The I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters was among those at a Thursday, May 15, Washington, D.C., press conference to kick off National Dog Bite Prevention Week (May 18-24).
The Government Accountability Office publicly released on Friday, May 9, an overview of its past work on FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program.
The Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act of 2014 (S. 2319) was introduced this week by U.S. Senator Jeff Flake (R-Arizona).
STATES
Alabama
FEMA has expanded to 18 from five the number of counties eligible for federal assistance after the state’s severe weather events, which occurred between April 28-May 5.
California
The Bernardo Fire has burned 1,600-plus acres about 20 miles northeast of San Diego, prompting thousands to evacuate since the blaze started on Tuesday, May 13.
The U.S. Forest Service and Interior Department expect a combined $470 million shortfall in their $1.4 billion wildfire budgets, a Los Angeles Times op-ed writer stated.
Assembly Bill 2293, insurance industry-backed ride-sharing legislation, will soon come before the Assembly, according to this Tuesday, May 13, story at The North Bay Business Journal.
Florida
I.I.I.’s Lynne McChristian moderated a Thursday, May 15, panel discussion on Fraud Fighters: Stopping Post-Disaster Scams, at the Governor’s Hurricane Conference in Orlando.
Louisiana
The state Senate is considering a bill that would require home insurers to disclose their annual losses and premiums by zip code, according to The Baton Rouge Advocate.
Mississippi
FEMA officials met recently with Gulf State lawmakers to discuss implementation of 2014’s flood insurance reform law, according to this Saturday, May 10, Clarion Ledger story.
Missouri
An EF-2 tornado touched down in Orrick (Ray County) on Saturday, May 10, damaging hundreds of homes, according to this same-day Kansas City Fox affiliate segment.
New York
The I.I.I.’s Salvatore discussed wedding insurance on Tuesday, May 13, for a WPIX-TV segment about a Brooklyn catering hall that closed but kept reception deposits.
South Carolina
Coastal Carolina University’s Hurricane Genesis & Outlook project said “the most likely scenario” is for no hurricanes to make landfall this year in the U.S., the Associated Press reported.
Texas
The Double Diamond wildfire has since Sunday, May 11, burned more than 2,500 acres, damaging dozens of homes and prompting evacuations in Hutchinson County, CNN reports.
Washington
To secure logging permits, timber companies must conduct more detailed geologic reviews in the wake of the March landslide in Oso, according to this Friday, May 9, Seattle Times story.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
The coal mine fire in Soma, Turkey has dominated the worldwide headlines over the past few days, and CNN tweeted the death toll has risen to 245 people. Social media users have expressed shock that the Turkish prime minister has compared the current tragedy to mining accidents in 19th century Great Britain, in an effort to defend the government’s mining safety record.
A CNN Money article on how NFIP policyholders will benefit from 2014’s federal flood insurance law been shared a lot this week on social. The I.I.I.’s McChristian is cited in the piece.
In other I.I.I. news, our Facts & Stats article on tornadoes & thunderstorms was the I.I.I.’s most popular content this past week. It was clicked on over 440 times.
The I.I.I. president’s presentation on the workers compensation market, and how it was impacted by the Great Recession, was the I.I.I.’s most clicked-on content via social media.
MEDIA MATTERS
Fox News Channel’s Jamie Colby will be taking a break from her on-air weekend hosting duties to tape segments for a new reality-based program Fox Business Network is preparing.
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
For an I.I.I. Blog search, click here.
