RSA Canada combined ratio drops

As parent company Royal & SunAlliance Group announced its overall losses had narrowed to 146 million pounds from 156 million pounds for the first nine months of 2003, the Canadian operation says its own results are improving.
Despite losses due to the B.C. forest fires and Hurricane Juan, Royal & SunAlliance Canada improved its combined ratio to 101.1% in the first nine months. Other mitigating factors include environmental losses and the company’s portion of losses related to the Facility Association the industry’s pool for high-risk drivers.
Net written premiums are above expectations, and the company’s has benefited from higher investment returns boosting its return on equity despite underwriting losses.
The company reports its is posting an underwriting profit in all lines of business except for auto and liability.
“The solid work of the recent year has laid a strong foundation for the future of Royal & SunAlliance,” states a company release. “Our short objective is to return to sustained profitability through increasing our sophistication and skills in underwriting and claims management. With the renewed commitment to the Canadian operation from our corporate center in the U.K., we will focus on building a platform to sustain profitability through the insurance cycles.”