To recap the issues raised during Wednesday’s conference call, here are some of the key media stories, and the messages we’re conveying.
If there is a subject you would like to see addressed on Tuesday, November 20, please email Mike Barry at michaelb@iii.org.
U.S. SENATE HEARING MAY BE HELD LATER THIS MONTH ON THE ISSUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE; INSURERS COULD BE ASKED TO TESTIFY
It appears that the U.S, Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, chaired by U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California), is eyeing either Wednesday, November 28, or Thursday, November 29, as the prospective hearing date. The session would be held in Washington, D.C., and could generate significant media attention in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
PBS NEWS HOUR STORY APPEARS LIKELY TO HAIL EUROPE-BASED REINSURERS’ ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig was interviewed for PBS correspondent Paul Solman’s segment and came away with the impression U.S. primary insurers may be characterized as less willing to share the European reinsurance industry’s belief that intense weather events are being caused by climate change. We’re now hearing Hartwig’s segment will air on Wednesday evening, November 21.
I.I.I.’s PRESIDENT GIVES LIVE TV INTERVIEW FROM UNION BEACH, NEW JERSEY ON HOW INSURERS ARE AIDING RECOVERY EFFORTS
The interview aired live on Friday morning, November 16, on WPIX-TV.
CBS EVENING NEWS RECEIVES INFORMATION FROM THE I.I.I. ON CLAIMS ADJUSTING TIPS, NUMBER OF CLAIMS ADJUSTERS IN THE U.S.
Since the call, we have learned that on-air reporter Michelle Miller is tentatively scheduled to air a story pegged to a New York City National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholder who is being told by a claims adjuster that, because their property has no basement, the home’s first floor is being treated as a basement.
U.S. SENATOR ASKS NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) TO RESIST CALLS TO CHANGE SANDY’S CLASSIFICATION
The New York Daily News offered this same-day coverage of U.S. Senator Charles Schumer’s (D-New York) Sunday, November 11, news conference.
ALBANY’S CBS AFFILIATE REPORTS THAT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS REVISITING ITS INITIAL RULING ON INTENSITY OF SANDY
One of the station’s meteorologists filed this story, which aired on the station’s 5 p.m. broadcast on Wednesday, November 14. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center said Sandy made landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Monday, October 29, around 8 p.m., ET, as a post-tropical storm but the NHC said they will offer a more definitive ruling on Sandy’s intensity in early 2013.
NATIONAL INSURANCE CRIME BUREAU (NICB) RECEIVES REPORTS THAT SOME TOWING COMPANIES MAY BE PRICE GOUGING SANDY VICTIMS
The NICB issued this Tuesday, November 6, news release on the issue and compiled a public service announcement on how consumers can protect themselves from unscrupulous contractors.
CAPITOL HILL
The National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) need to borrow additional monies because of its Sandy-related claims payouts was discussed at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, November 14.
STATE NEWS
South Carolina
Governor Nikki Haley announced on Tuesday, November 13, that Raymond Farmer, who currently serves as vice president of the Southeast Region for the American Insurance Association, is her selection to be the next Director of the South Carolina Department of Insurance. Farmer’s first day at his new job is Monday, December 3.
Louisiana
The New Orleans Times-Picayune’s editorial board praised Insurance Commissioner James Donelon’s decision to block a $50,000 per annum pay raise for the president of Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the state’s property insurer of last resort.
Virginia
The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that an all-risk homeowners insurance policy excluded coverage for damage allegedly caused by defective Chinese drywall.
West Virginia
Patrick Morrisey was elected West Virginia’s new attorney general on Tuesday, November 6. Last week’s media recap memo incorrectly said Morrisey was to become the state’s next insurance commissioner.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
The I.I.I.’s Tuesday, November 13, news release about Six Steps to Prepare for an Insurance Adjuster’s Visit is getting good pick up on Twitter—journalists, insurance companies and agents are sharing the information as part of ongoing discussions about the impact of Sandy.
The I.I.I.’s Disaster Prep apps, Know Your Plan and Know Your Stuff, are being tweeted about by journalists and agents and also being blogged about on disaster-themed blogs as people look to better prepare themselves for future storms.
More generally, a trending question being discussed in social media this week is: Will Sandy raise homeowners insurance rates? Bloggers and homeowners are asking questions about the impact of the storm and whether rates in affected areas will go up as a result. There is a lot of concern from people who worry about having to pay more for their property insurance.
The topic of reconsidering whether to buy flood insurance is appearing in social media with the discussion originating from a Thursday, November 8, New York Times article, which has since spread to several blogs; the overall tone is positive, focusing on how valuable flood insurance can be.
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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