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, September 21, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
I.I.I. INVITED TO JOIN FEMA FOR NATIONAL SATELLITE MEDIA TOUR
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore will conduct a series of live television interviews on ‘Knowing Your Flood Risk’ on Thursday, September 29, along with David Maurstad, former head of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS TO AIR SEGMENT ON CONNECTICUT HOMES WITH CRUMBLING FOUNDATIONS
The story is to be broadcast during the week of September 19–23. The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry taped an interview on Wednesday, September 14, with NBC correspondent Stephanie Gosk in New York City.
PBS’s FRONTLINE TO RE-BROADCAST ‘THE BUSINESS OF DISASTER’ ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
The documentary premiered in May 2016 and next week’s re-broadcast may include additional content regarding the Louisiana flooding of August 2016.
CAPITOL HILL
The NFIP’s Roy Wright testified this week before the U.S. Senate Banking committee on FEMA’s flood maps.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Elianne González gave an interview to Univision 41 in New York/New Jersey on how drivers benefit from purchasing gap insurance coverage. The story is scheduled to run on Monday, September 19.
The I.I.I.’s James Lynch was interviewed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ed Balzina regarding the insurance implications of Uber’s driverless vehicle initiative in that city.
The I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz spoke with The Los Angeles Times’ David Lazarus (homeowner non-renewals in wildfire-prone areas) and The Escondido Times’ Jason Miller (insurance implications of Proposition 64).
The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry taped a radio interview with Connecticut Public Radio’s Patrick Skahill on how drones help insurers assess the extent of damage to a home after a natural disaster.
Barry also worked with InsuranceQuotes.com’s Nick DiUlio on the website’s upcoming story regarding the discounts offered to consumers who purchase auto and homeowners policies from the same insurer.
STATES
California
Governor Jerry Brown has until Thursday, September 30, to sign into law a measure (Senate Bill 1302) requiring brokers to notify non-renewed homeowners of the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) program.
Orange County’s insurance-sector employment will grow by 18 percent between 2012 and 2022, the state’s Employment Development Department projects.
Former Insurance Commissioner Steven Poizner was named entrepreneur in residence at the University of California at San Diego’s Rady School of Management.
A 48-year-old Modesto man pled guilty to staging auto accidents that resulted in $115,000 in fraudulent claims.
Florida
The I.I.I.’s Lynne McChristian, in a post-Hermine interview with Tallahassee’s CBS affiliate, touted the benefits of having renters insurance.
The I.I.I.’s González discussed flood insurance with Miami’s Telemundo 51 for this Tuesday, September 13, segment.
FEMA’s proposed flood map changes in St. John’s County remove 10,299 structures from special flood hazard zones while incorporating 1,686 new properties into these zones, the St. Augustine Record reports.
Regulators have approved the transfer of about 570,000 Citizens Property Insurance Corporation policies to private insurers this year, according to an article at Florida Politics.
Scam artists are impersonating Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier by sending fraudulent emails to Brevard, Lee, Levy and Sarasota county residents, telling them their insurance policies have been cancelled.
Georgia
Three people died after two small airplanes collided in midair at West Georgia Regional Airport in Carroll County, about 45 miles west of Atlanta. The accident occurred on Wednesday, September 7.
Illinois
Four tornadoes caused extensive property damage in the east central part of the state on Friday, September 9.
Louisiana
Aon Benfield estimates last month’s flooding in the southeastern part of the state caused anywhere from $10 billion to $15 billion in economic losses.
Governor John Bel Edwards sent a letter to President Obama on Monday, September 12, saying the state needs $2.8 billion in federal aid to assist the thousands of homeowners impacted by last month’s floods.
The federal government has agreed to pay 90 percent, rather than 75 percent, of the total flood-related losses incurred by the state’s municipalities in August 2016.
Maryland
A.M. Best reports the state’s highest court ruled life insurers must search the Death Master File for policyholders who died prior to October 1, 2013, the day a new state law governing unclaimed life insurance policies took effect.
Michigan
The state’s unlimited Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits explain why auto insurance rates are so high, according to the R Street Institute. Senate Bill 313 calls for imposing PIP-related price controls on medical services.
New York
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday (September 13) a proposed cybersecurity regulation for financial services companies.
A day earlier, a joint news release from the New York Insurance Association (NYIA), as well as agent and broker groups, explained how the insurance industry had established guiding principles for information security.
The Cuomo administration’s investment in a multimillion-dollar storm detection system was examined by an investigative reporter at New York City’s NBC affiliate on Thursday, September 8.
Oklahoma
The 2013 law which allowed employers to ‘opt-out’ of the state’s workers compensation system is unconstitutional, the state’s highest court ruled.
New insurance products, which would take into account multiple shaking events, may be needed for Oklahoma and other states dealing with a rising number of earthquakes, a new Swiss Re report said.
CBS’s 60 Minutes re-broadcast on Sunday, September 11, a story it ran earlier this year on the debate surrounding the cause of the state’s earthquakes.
South Carolina
Tropical Storm Julia brought a significant amount of rain this week to Charleston and other parts of the state, the Weather Channel reports.
Tennessee
Nine people died in a Memphis house fire, one of the deadliest in the city’s history. The Monday, September 12, blaze was caused by an electrical malfunction in an air conditioning unit’s power cord, the Associated Press reports.
The state Legislature modified a driving while under the influence (DUI) law to make sure the state remained eligible for an estimated $60 million in federal funding.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
Tropical Storm Julia
TS Julia received more than 1,200 social media mentions on September 12-13. For storm updates, follow @NOAA on Twitter and the National Weather Service at @NWSMiami and @NWS_Southern_US.
September is Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM)
The I.I.I. has posted a new article on what consumers should consider when buying life insurance. It is currently featured on the I.I.I. website’s home page. To share the piece with your social audiences, use the hashtag #LIAM.
I.I.I.’s McChristian interviewed by Tallahassee’s CBS affiliate
The clip on renters insurance was broadcast this week and is posted at the I.I.I.’s Media YouTube page. In addition, the video can be shared via the I.I.I.’s social channels, with the hashtag #NatlPrep, as well as McChristian’s Twitter account, @InsuringFLA.
MEDIA MATTERS
Gannett has renewed its efforts to acquire Tribune Publishing, also known as Tronc (Tribune online content).
Rich Battista has been named Time Inc.’s new chief executive officer.
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.
