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 14, please email Mike Barry at michaelb@iii.org.
SOUTH CAROLINA FLOODS
The home page of the I.I.I.’s website shifted from Joaquin to flood information. I.I.I. issued releases on Friday, October 2, which talked about the threat of major flooding and the importance of understanding flood insurance, as well as a release on Tuesday, October 6, which provided facts and statistics about flood insurance and gave a historical perspective.
Russ Dubisky, executive director of the Columbia-based SC Insurance News Service (SCINS) gave an overview of the claims situation in South Carolina. He noted that the SC Department of Insurance (DOI) had established an Insurance Village at The Shops at Woodhill, 6090 Garners Ferry Rd., Columbia, SC and that there were eight insurers that had set up and began the claims process with walk-ins.
QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT SAFETY ON SHIP THAT SANK IN STORM
This article in the Tuesday, October 6 issue of The New York Times noted that five days after the container ship El Faro sank during Hurricane Joaquin, Coast Guard planes and cutters continued to search for survivors. Safety standards on the ship, which was launched 40 years ago, are being questioned, and some authorities are asking whether pressure to deliver the cargo on time caused the ship’s operators to take the risk of sailing the ship into the dangerous storm.
I.I.I. RELEASES INSURANCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYMENT TRENDS: AUGUST 2015
The U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) just published data as of August 2015 on detailed insurance industry employment, and Bob Hartwig developed the report, released on Friday, October 2, which provides national data for September 2015 and industry/sector-specific data for August 2015.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
Jeanne Salvatore was interviewed by The New York Times’ Ann Carrns and New York’s Verizon FiOS cable news network regarding the South Carolina floods. Mike Barry was interviewed by Marketwatch regarding how to stormproof your home insurance. Loretta Worters worked with the Wall Street Journal, CNBC and NBC News, all of whom were working on flood stories. The I.I.I.’s Bill Davis and SCINS’s Dubisky were both interviewed by the Greenville (SC) News regarding flooding of cars and homes.
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig spoke with Jamie Hopkins, a reporter with the Center for Public Integrity (202-481-1231; jhopkins@publicintegrity.org ) regarding how the workers compensation system handles occupational disease as it pertains to insurers, and how it has changed over the years. .
Hartwig did an interview on price optimization with Sarah Brietenbach (a former AP reporter), now working for Pew Trusts.
Hartwig also spoke with Money magazine on renters insurance.
Worters spoke with Newsday’s Small Business Columnist Jamie Herzlich (jamieherzlich@yahoo.com), on key person insurance and Bankrate.com on tips for starting a small business from an insurance perspective.
STATES
California
Janet Ruiz was interviewed live, on Tuesday, October 6, by KSRO-AM (Santa Rosa, CA) regarding insurance rates and the Valley Fire.
Wildfires may spark higher premiums, and some non-renewals for homeowners, according to this Friday, October 2, San Francisco Chronicle article in which Hartwig was quoted.
The Great Shake Out, which will take place on Thursday, October 15, has a resources page for a complete social media plan with graphics, etc. The 2015 Shake Out Social Media Messaging is included here.
Kansas
The region recorded 16 earthquakes in the past week, including 11 within two Kansas counties, it was reported in the Hutchinson News on Thursday, October 1. The majority of quakes were below magnitude 2, with all of those in Kansas at 2.5 or below.
Louisiana
The Baton Rouge Advocate reported on Thursday, October 1, that the Water Institute of the Gulf has been awarded funding to prepare a business plan describing how the organization can support FEMA’s Risk Map program to identify the state’s flood risks.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 120 Louisiana workers died on the job in 2014. That’s more than in 2013, when 114 people died in work-related accidents. This was reported in New Orleans City Business. Also in New Orleans City Business on Tuesday, October 6, it was found that many Americans buying new cars are baffled by a torrent of new safety technology.
Florida
On Monday, October 5, the Tampa Bay Times reported that one-time Citizen’s policyholders who were hit with higher insurance premiums by private insurance carriers would be able to return to the state-run Citizens Property Insurance under a bill proposed by a pair of state House Democrats.
MEDIA MATTERS
Katherine Chiglinsky and Sonali Basak are the new insurance beat reporters for Bloomberg Business News. Jeanne Salvatore and Loretta Worters met with Ms. Chiglinsky on Tuesday, October 6, and will be meeting with Ms. Basak next month. Ms. Chiglinsky worked on the fixed income beat for Bloomberg for the last year. Ms. Basak previously worked with the M&A, emerging markets, entertainment, healthcare and education desks at Bloomberg.
The New York Daily News has named top editors and has added a new digital long form team, despite recent layoffs. Robert Moore has been named head of news, up from managing editor since 2011. Former ABCNews.com senior editor Clemente Lisi has joined as deputy head of news. Zach Haberman is now head of content for outlet and was previously deputy head of content since December 2014.
Katie Roof has joined TechCrunch as senior writer and video host. Roof will be relocating to San Francisco for the position from New York, where she was with FOX Business Online.
Josh Tyrangiel has announced his departure from Bloomberg Businessweek. Tyrangiel had served as the lead editor overseeing all consumer products for Bloomberg Media, which includes Bloomberg Pursuits, Bloomberg Businessweek, Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg Radio Network and Bloomberg News, where he also oversaw the projects and investigations team. Tyrangiel was named lead editor in December 2014 and has been with the publisher since 2009. Ellen Pollock, deputy editor for Businessweek, will replace Tyrangiel. Prior to joining Bloomberg, she served as deputy page one editor and senior special writer for The Wall Street Journal, editor of Manhattan Lawyer magazine, and a writer for The American Lawyer.
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.
