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 23, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
I.I.I. AND THE WEATHER CHANNEL JOIN FORCES FOR SATELLITE MEDIA TOUR ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING FLOOD INSURANCE
The I.I.I.’s Jeanne Salvatore and The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore conducted numerous live interviews on Thursday, September 17, including this one on the Fox affiliate in High Point, North Carolina.
INSURERS RESPONDING TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA’S WILDFIRES ESTABLISH PRESENCE IN LAKE AND NAPA COUNTY
PCI reports insurers’ mobile catastrophe vans are situated at Kelseyville High School in Kelseyville (Lake County) and the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga.
SWISS RE STUDY FINDS UNITED STATES AND JAPAN PROPERTIES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERINSURED, ESPECIALLY IN THE EVENT OF A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig and two Swiss Re economists will discuss the report’s findings during a Monday, September 28, noon, ET, webinar. It is open to the media.
CONSUMER FEDERATION OF AMERICA (CFA) WANTS STATE INSURANCE REGULATORS TO BAN PRICE OPTIMIZATION
The CFA’s request came in a Monday, September 14, drafting the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) white paper on the issue letter to the task force.
FEMA MARKING NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH IN SEPTEMBER
FEMA’s regional offices are urging everyone to “take steps to make a plan and know what to do during an emergency,” whether it is a flood, wildfire, hurricane, or power outage. Wednesday, September 30, is National PrepareAthon! Day.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig gave interviews to Reuters’ Los Angeles-based Nichola Groom and Vice’s Atlanta-based Matt Smith regarding the northern California wildfires’ economic implications.
The I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters worked with The New York Times’ Ann Carrns for a story she wrote on national deer-vehicle collision trends.
CAPITOL HILL
The Insurance Information Highway Institute discussed IIHS’s $30 million investment in its Virginia research facility and how 10 auto makers have agreed to make automatic braking systems a standard feature.
Thousands of U.S. guardrails could cause problems if they are struck by vehicles at particular angles, or if the guardrails were installed improperly, according to a report issued last week and reported on in The New York Times.
STATES
California
I.I.I. issued a media advisory on the northern California wildfires and the I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz conducted interviews about insurance coverage issues with the Associated Press, National Public Radio’s Los Angeles affiliate, and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others.
The Valley Fire (Lake, Napa, and Sonoma County) has killed three people and severely injured four firefighters. Situated approximately 75 miles northwest of San Francisco, the wildfire burned to the ground hundreds of residences in the community of Middletown.
The Butte Fire (Amador and Calaveras County), burning about 45 miles southeast of Sacramento, is being blamed for at least two fatalities and has destroyed hundreds of homes, as well.
Florida
The Lakeland Ledger ran an editorial on the politics of flooding, which criticized FEMA for denying federal disaster funds after last month’s record-setting rainfall.
Tampa’s CBS affiliate reports homeowners without flood insurance are looking to the county and state for relief.
Meanwhile, Pasco County’s commissioners unanimously agreed to accept $1.5 million in disaster recovery funds from the state. The Tampa Tribune says the state funds are for rehabilitation of flood-damaged homes and emergency relocation costs.
A Bradenton Herald editorial had this headline: “Home property insurance is rising, but the risk is falling.” It was critical of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s decision to purchase reinsurance.
In a related development, the Palm Beach Post’s insurance blog chronicled the pushback Citizens Property Insurance initiated after the state insurance consumer advocate questioned its rate hike request.
The Palm Beach Post examined why private property insurers are still issuing warnings about 45 percent storm taxes five months after Citizens said it would drop that tactic. The article calls it the “consumer-spooking warning that refused to die.”
Georgia
The 54-year-old owner of Diamond Auto Painting, a Macon resident, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to 23 counts of insurance fraud, according to a Georgia Insurance Department news release.
Louisiana
Donald Hodge Jr., who lost to Insurance Commissioner James Donelon in 2011, has joined what is now a four-candidate field for the Saturday, October 24, statewide election. The top two vote-getters will meet in a Saturday, November 21 run-off, if no one gets a majority on October 24.
Massachusetts
A state Senate committee is holding a public hearing on Tuesday, September 22, to discuss the home insurance rate hike requests filed after the severe 2014-15 winter.
Mississippi
Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney is running unopposed for re-election on Tuesday, November 3, after the state board of elections removed from the ballot John McLeod of Hattiesburg. McLeod was the Reform Party’s nominee.
Montana
State Auditor Monica Lindeen’s office sent its insurance experts to Missoula today (September 16) to help residents file insurance claims in the wake of the hurricane-force windstorm which struck that community on Monday, August 10.
New York
The deadline for Sandy claimants to have their cases re-evaluated by FEMA was extended to Thursday, October 15, from Tuesday, September 15.
Oregon
The Dry Gulch Fire (Baker County), which began on Sunday, September 13, prompted mandatory and voluntary evacuations in Halfway and New Bridge.
Pennsylvania
Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller announced she will not approve an auto insurance rate filing if either a widow or widower is charged a higher rate based solely on a change in his or her marital status.
Utah
Numerous fatalities occurred after flash floods swept through Zion National Park on Monday, September 14.
Washington
The Horsethief Butte Fire (Klickitat County) prompted the evacuation of Wishram’s approximately 300 residents.
MEDIA MATTERS
Atlanta-based Gray Television announced this week it is acquiring the television and radio stations owned by Schurz Communications in a $442.5 million deal. Gray says its acquisition allows them to cover 49 TV markets in 28 states.
United Policyholders (UP) is honoring Michael Finney, the consumer affairs reporter at San Francisco’s ABC affiliate, at a UP fundraiser on Monday, October 26.
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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