Griffith Foundation Programming Archive

This calendar year marks the 79th anniversary of the McCarran-Ferguson Act. Passed in 1945, this landmark piece of legislation continues to undergird our system of insurance regulation in the United States. The Institutes Griffith Foundation invites you to view this academic exploration of the history, role, and continued relevance of the Act.  The program, originally delivered on March 20, and now available in on-demand format, features the insight and expertise of Harold Weston, J.D.. Weston is a Clinical Associate Professor and WSIA Distinguished Chair in Risk Management and Insurance at the Greenberg School of Risk Science at Georgia State University. In keeping with our mission, this complimentary program is purely instructional in nature and does not support a position on any issue.

Presented by The Institutes Griffith Foundation in Collaboration with NCOIL

This on-demand, complimentary program provides an overview of the underpinnings of risk management and insurance.  It will benefit both newly elected officials and those interested in a refresher session; and it is a terrific way for lawmakers to revisit foundational concepts in advance of the 2024 Spring meeting of NCOIL. The brief session features the insights and expertise of Dr. David L. Eckles, the P. George Benson Professor in the Department of Insurance, Legal Studies, and Real Estate at the University of Georgia.  In keeping with the mission of The Institutes Griffith Foundation, the program is strictly instructional in nature and does not support a position on any issues. 

Questions related to the affordability and availability of property insurance have garnered attention in recent months.   The Institutes Griffith Foundation is pleased to present an academic examination of the critical components contributing to this hard market, featuring the expertise of Dr. Lars Powell of the University of Alabama.  This on-demand conversation between Dr. Powell and The Institutes Griffith Foundation’s Executive Director, Frank Paul Tomasello, is available for complimentary viewing.  In keep with our organization’s mission, the discussion is purely instructional in nature and does not take a position on any issues. 

Advances in Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) are making headlines, and some observers believe that AI’s impact on the insurance ecosystem will be transformative. Please join us for an academic exploration of the opportunities ahead, featuring Dr. Martin F. Grace, the James Boettner Professor of Risk, Fox School of Business, Temple University. In keeping with the mission of The Institutes Griffith Foundation, this complimentary webinar will be strictly instructional in nature and will not take a position on any issues. Pre-registration is required and takes only a moment:

On this edition of Insurance Insights, the newly elected President of the National Council of Insurance Legislators, Texas House Member, Dr. Tom Oliverson, visits with The Institutes Griffith Foundation’s Executive Director, Frank Paul Tomasello. 

During their wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Oliverson:

• shares information on his background and what led him to public service;
• talks about how he learned of and become involved with NCOIL; and
• provides his perspective on risk and insurance issues of importance in 2024.

The Institutes Griffith Foundation was pleased to collaborate with the NAIC’s CIPR to present another installment of our Back-to-Basics series, the second of our two-part offering on climate risk and resilience. The non-partisan and non-advocative program aimed to provide foundational knowledge to help inform important policy conversations.  Complimentary on-demand viewing is available at this link.

In this episode of  “Insurance Insights,” Frank Paul Tomasello, Executive Director of The Institutes Griffith Foundation, visits the Stamford Campus of the University of Connecticut for a conversation with Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Andrew Mais, the 2024 President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).  During the conversation, Commissioner Mais: 

• shares his perspective on the risk management and insurance-related  challenges and trends that public policymakers faced in 2023; 
• discusses what he believes to be some pressing risk management and insurance priorities for 2024; and,
• provides some background on the role of the NAIC in helping state insurance departments to carry out important functions. 

Insurance and Risk Management play an important role in the financial fabric of our country, protecting many aspects of our personal lives, professional endeavors and national economy. During the summer recess, The Institutes Griffith Foundation is pleased to present this series of complimentary, on-demand programs for Federal legislative aides.  Featuring leading academic experts, these sessions are strictly instructional in nature and do not support a position on any issues.

The Institutes Griffith Foundation, in collaboration with Indiana University, is pleased to make this complimentary, on-demand webinar available. The 60 -minute session: examines the current cyber risk landscape; explores the role and limitations of insurance in addressing the risks; and considers how the cyber-security ecosystem is coming together to combat the challenges.

In this series of conversations, presenters from the 2023 Financial Regulators Program visit with us to share insights and expertise on topics of relevance to financial regulators of insurance.  These short-duration video segments offer a glimpse into the material that these thought-leaders covered during the multi-day, in-person event which took place in June of 2023. That event and these video segments are a collaborative effort of IREF, the Katie School of Insurance at Illinois State University and The Institutes Griffith Foundation. In keeping with the missions of the respective organizations, the content is strictly instructional in nature and does not support a position on any issues.

The Institutes Griffith Foundation is pleased to collaborate with the NAIC’s CIPR to present the next installment of our Back-to-Basics series, which focuses on climate risk. This non-partisan, non-advocative program serves to provide foundational knowledge aimed at helping to inform policy-related conversations. This webinar will:

• explore the current climate risk landscape and the myriad challenges and opportunities presented;
• discuss the promise of resilience and mitigation as important tools in the risk management toolbox; and
• consider both research and real-world efforts to create more resilient communities.

In this episode of  “Insurance Insights,” Frank Paul Tomasello, Executive Director of The Institutes Griffith Foundation, visits the Arkansas State Capitol building in Little Rock for a conversation with State Representative Deborah Ferguson, the 2023 President of the National Council of Insurance Legislators.  During the conversation, Representative Ferguson: shares her perspective on the challenges and trends that public policymakers faced in 2022; identifies what she believes to be the most pressing risk management and insurance priorities for state lawmakers in 2023; and offers her views of the role of NCOIL in helping lawmakers to address these priorities.

The Institutes Griffith Foundation and the Insurance Regulator Education Foundation (IREF) invite you to join us for a forward-looking webinar, considering the economic outlook ahead and its implications for insurers, insureds and public policymakers.   Dr. Michel Leonard, PhD, Chief Economist of Triple-I and Adjunct Faculty member with New York University’s Economics Department, will share his forecast for the year ahead. The session will include a Q & A segment moderated by Jim Jones, Executive Director of the Katie School of Insurance at Illinois State University, and IREF  Ex-officio Board Member.

The Institutes Griffith Foundation and the Insurance Regulator Education Foundation (IREF) are pleased to present a non-partisan and non-advocative webinar:

• examining the current economic landscape;
• exploring the impact of today’s economic conditions on insurers; and
• considering related public policy questions that have come to the fore.  

The session features the insight and expertise of  Dr. Michel Leonard, PhD, Chief Economist of Triple-I and Adjunct Faculty member with New York University’s Economics Department.  The session will includes a question-and-answer segment moderated by Frank Paul Tomasello, Executive Director of The Institutes Griffith Foundation.

Insurance regulators are important partners as insurers transform how they work with consumers to move beyond detect and repair and promote Predict & Prevent, say regulatory leaders in “Policymaker Perspectives,” the fourth episode of the Predict & Prevent™ podcast. Special guest host Frank Paul Tomasello, executive director of The Institutes’ Griffith Insurance Education Foundation, welcomes guests Elizabeth Kelleher Dwyer, director of the Department of Business Regulation for Rhode Island, and Andrew Mais, insurance commissioner for Connecticut. Together they review some of the risk challenges society is facing, and how policymakers balance a need for consumer protection and trust with support for innovation and technological advances.  

The Institutes Griffith Foundation is pleased to collaborate with the NAIC’s CIPR to present the next installment of our Back-to-Basics series, which focuses on surplus lines. This non-partisan, non-advocative program serves to provide foundational knowledge aimed at helping to inform policy-related conversations. This webinar will cover the foundation and history of surplus lines, explore current market challenge and opportunities, and examine the regulatory framework. 

The Institutes Griffith Foundation is pleased to collaborate with the NAIC’s CIPR to present the next installment of our Back-to-Basics series, which will focus on reinsurance. This non-partisan and non-advocative webinar aims to provide foundational knowledge to help inform important policy conversations. Reinsurance is a crucial tool for insurers to help manage their risk profile and create stability in insurance markets. In this session, we'll cover the foundations of reinsurance, how it is used by insurers, and factors impacting the reinsurance market such as natural catastrophes.

This pre-recorded broadcast, the most recent in our “Back to Basics” series of webinars, explores the topic of insurance fraud.  Speakers include Dr. J Bradley Karl of Florida State University, Fred Lohman of the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Trinidad Navarro of the Delaware Department of Insurance, and J. Michael Skiba of Dr. Fraud Training Group.The 90-minute session: explores the impact fraud has on insurance; discusses strategies for combating fraud; provides an overview of how regulators are tackling the issue; and considers the innovative ways technology and big data are being used to identify fraud.

We are pleased to share this recorded broadcast in partnership with Center for Insurance Policy and Research on the fundamentals, importance, and challenges of captives in risk management.

Speakers include Rob Hoyt of the University of Georgia and Steve Kinion, ACI, Director of the Bureau of Captive and Financial Insurance Products and the Delaware Department of Insurance. 

The webinars of the 2022 Cybersecurity Policy Bootcamp series presented by The Institutes Griffith Foundation in collaboration with Indiana University are now viewable on-demand.

• Cyber Risk: Considering Its Scope, the Role of Insurance, Definitions of “Reasonable” Security and Relevant Trends and Practices
   
• Cyber Security: Surveying State-Level Consumer Privacy and Biometrics Initiatives
   
• Cyber Securtiy: Exploring Efforts to Combat Ransomware

The complimentary programs are moderated by Frank Paul Tomasello, Executive Director of The Institutes Griffith Foundation.  Webinars are free to view, but registration is required.

The Institutes Griffith Insurance Education Foundation invites public policymakers, staff and interns to view this complimentary, non-partisan and non-advocative webinar examining myriad issues related to foster care liability exposures and approaches to address the risks. 

The conversation opens with introductory remarks from Director Judith L. French of the Ohio Department of Insurance, and features the insight and expertise of three professors from Appalachian State University: David C. Marlett, PhD, Lorilee A. Medders, PhD, and Jamie Parson, PhD.

The Institutes Griffith Foundation collaborated with the Insurance Regulator Education Foundation (IREF) and the Katie School of Insurance at Illinois State University to produce three days of live, programming for financial regulators of insurance in June of 2022.  The sessions originated from the campus of the Katie School of Insurance and were delivered to a live audience of both on-site and remote attendees.  Many of the sessions were recorded and are available for complimentary, on -demand playback. 

In early March, The Institutes Griffith Foundation hosted a Legislator Luncheon during the Spring meeting of the Nation Council of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) titled, “Inflation: Implications for Insurers and Public Policymakers.”  

The program, open to public policymakers only, featured the insights and expertise of Dr. Michel Leonard, Chief Economist at the Triple-I and adjunct faculty at New York University’s Economics Department. Materials from Dr. Leonard’s presentation can be found at the link below. 

As climate related losses increase, the notion of resilience is ever more important for insurers, insureds and by extension, public policymakers.  Please join us for a conversation with the President of the Catastrophe Resiliency Council (CRC), which was recently formed to advance resilience from natural catastrophes.  The 30-minute, non-partisan and non-advocative webinar: considers the societal impact of cat losses;  examines the importance of resilience; and discusses the genesis and mission of the CRC.

The Institutes Griffith Foundation, in collaboration with the Insurance Regulator Education Foundation (IREF), is pleased to present a webinar discussing climate risk and resilience. The conversation explores the climate risk landscape; considers how insurers are responding; and examines complementary regulatory efforts. Featured speakers include Benjamin Collier, PhD,  Assistant Professor of Risk, Actuary Science, and Legal Studies, Temple University; Sean Kevelighan, President and CEO of the Insurance Information Institute; and Michael Peterson, Deputy Commissioner on Climate and Sustainability for the California Department of Insurance. Click below to view the on-demand program. 

The Cybersecurity Policy Bootcamp, presented by Indiana University in collaboration with The Institutes Griffith Insurance Education Foundation, focuses on cybersecurity risk management with the goal of providing context for policymakers and their staffs. The bootcamp will address cyber risk insurance, privacy regulation, critical infrastructure protection and ransomware mitigation, supply chain cybersecurity, safe harbor laws and defining 'reasonable' cybersecurity, along with Internet of Things and AI regulations. 

All webinars are available for on-demand viewing. Please register to view the first two webinars in the series and simply click the link to view the third webinar. 

Part 3 of The Cybersecurity Policy Bootcamp, presented by Indiana University in collaboration with The Institutes Griffith Insurance Education Foundation, focuses on cybersecurity risk management with the goal of providing context for policymakers and their staffs. The bootcamp will address cyber risk insurance, privacy regulation, critical infrastructure protection and ransomware mitigation, supply chain cybersecurity, safe harbor laws and defining 'reasonable' cybersecurity, along with Internet of Things and AI regulations.