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, October 29, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
INSURANCE INDUSTRY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION (IICF) OFFERS UPDATE ON ITS LATEST ACTIVITIES, FUTURE PLANS
Bill Ross, the IICF’s chief executive officer, said there was record industry participation in the IICF’s 2014 Week of Giving. The attached touches on other matters Ross discussed.
NEW YORK TIMES GIVES PROMINENT COVERAGE TO CERES REPORT ON PROPERTY INSURANCE AND CLIMATE CHANGE
The NYT Wednesday, October 22, print edition carried this article, the same day Ceres released its report. Since the call, the I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig has spoken with Insurance Journal.
I.I.I. ISSUES MEDIA ADVISORIES IN ADVANCE OF SANDY’S SECOND ANNIVERSARY (OCTOBER 29), AND MARKS NATIONAL TEEN DRIVER SAFETY WEEK
The I.I.I. offered reporters a summary of the insurance industry’s response to Sandy, and information on teenagers and driving.
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) RELEASES ITS WINTER WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR THE U.S.
The south-central and southeastern U.S. will see below-average temperatures while above-average temperatures are most likely in the western U.S. and New England, NOAA stated.
I.I.I.’s HARTWIG IS QUOTED IN WALL STREET JOURNAL AND ASSOCIATED PRESS STORIES ON EBOLA AND INSURANCE
The Wall Street Journal and Associated Press pieces were posted online on Tuesday, October 21.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore was quoted in a Jonelle Marte Washington Post story on insurance mistakes people make at every age.
The I.I.I.’s Salvatore is taping an interview on winter-proofing with New York City’s ABC affiliate, and briefed New York City’s NBC affiliate on flood insurance availability.
Reuters’ New York City-based Beth Pinsker is readying a story on U.S. home insurers who are phasing out dollar deductibles in favor of percentage-based ones.
The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry was quoted in Maura McDermott’s Newsday (subscription required) article, which covered what coastal home buyers need to know about flood insurance.
The I.I.I.’s Barry spoke with Kelli Grant of CNBC.com about Insure.com’s Top 10 auto, home, and health insurance myths.
Insurance Business America’s Brent Harrison interviewed Bob Hartwig regarding the I.I.I.’s cyber risk white paper.
CAPITOL HILL
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released a detailed report on the issue of distracted driving.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) announced this week a strategic partnership with Boat History Report.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) hearing on drowsy driving was covered on the Tuesday, October 21, edition of The CBS Evening News.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a consumer advisory urging motorists with defective air bags to take immediate action.
STATES
Alabama
FEMA is making $2.3 million available to Baldwin County residents for storm-proofing projects in the wake of an April 2014 storm that dumped more than 20 inches in some areas.
California
The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) told Bloomberg it received fewer than 500 claims and expects to pay about $1 million following August 2014’s Napa quake.
Less than 2.5 percent of the state’s residents and business owners have flood insurance, according to this Monday, October 20, Department of Insurance news release.
Delaware
Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart urged U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew to reconsider MetLife’s designation as a systemically important financial institution (SiFi).
Florida
Property insurance was discussed during a debate between Governor Rick Scott and former Governor Charlie Crist. CNN broadcast the event, live, on Tuesday, October 21.
Georgia
Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens issued a news release saying last week’s metro Atlanta tornadoes may have caused upwards of $6 million in insured losses.
Louisiana
The Coalition for Common Sense and the Louisiana Association for Business and Industry were honored for trying to change the state's legal system, the Times-Picayune reports.
North Carolina
The Rate Bureau’s request for a 25 percent average homeowners premium rate increase was the subject of this Raleigh ABC affiliate segment, and an Associated Press article.
New Jersey
U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett is said to be facing a tougher than expected re-election bid because Garrett was reluctant to approve the multi-billion dollar Sandy aid package in 2012.
New York
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio held a press event in Broad Channel, Queens, touting the changes his administration has made to the Build it Back program.
Governor Andrew Cuomo and Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, his Republican rival, held what is likely to be their only face-to-face debate.
Texas
Trinity Industries, a highway guardrail manufacturer, defrauded the federal government by selling systems that malfunctioned and pierced cars that crashed into them, a jury found.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
The Ceres Climate Change report featured in today’s New York Times generated a small buzz in social. Ceres ranked more than 300 insurance companies on climate change preparedness. The majority of people commenting about Ceres’ findings on social platforms were more concerned with fracking and carbon policies than how insurers dealt with climate change.
National Teen Driver Safety Week (October 19-25) began on Sunday, and the I.I.I. has been actively engaging with this campaign by posting information to all of its social feeds. The I.I.I.’s video on protecting teenage drivers was our most clicked-on link via social this week, garnering more than 180 clicks in just a few days.
To mark Cyber Security Month, the I.I.I. created a new Pinterest board filled with helpful infographics and articles about cyber risks and identity theft.
MEDIA MATTERS
The New Orleans Times-Picayune will be printed and packaged at a Mobile, Alabama facility beginning in either late 2015 or early 2016.
The Syfy Channel’s Sharknado 3 will be released in the summer of 2015, with the “finned flying terrors” causing havoc between Washington, D.C., and Orlando, Florida.
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.
