- UNIQA is expecting a profit on ordinary activities of more than 100 million for 2004
- Income from premiums has increased by 20% in the first nine months
- Both claims and benefits expenditure and costs are growing under-proportionally
- Capital investments at almost 15 billion on 30.9.04
- Earnings from capital investments (net) have increased by 27.5%

The UNIQA Group Austria was able to increase its premium income to € 2 672 million in the first three quarters of 2004. Alongside the positive organic growth of the group’s companies at home and abroad  (+7.5%), its acquisitions and the resulting extension of its basis of consolidation were also crucial to this. The 17.2%

(€ 459.1 million ) share of its companies abroad in the total premium volume was 15% over the planned value as early as the third quarter, although the companies that had been taken over in Poland, Slovakia and Germany in 2004 have only been considered to a certain extent. A further marked increase in the share of business abroad has resulted form the current takeovers of the Italian Claris Vita and the German  Mannheimer Krankenversicherung AG. Data from these companies have not been included in the figures for the third quarter.

Claims and benefits expenditure continued to rise by 14.2% to € 2 032.4 million during the first few months of the year 2004,  under-proportionally, however.

Costs (new business and other expenditure for the insurance business), adjusted for special effects, also rose by 6.0% to 544.6 million - under-proportionally to the course of business. The cost ratio amounted to 23.7% after the first three quarters.

Total capital investments amounted to € 14 957 million on 30.9.2004, which was 12.5% over the same figure for the previous year.

Earnings from capital investments (net) increased by 27.5% to € 501.0 million, as the stock market had been performing well.

Preview of operating profit for 2004
UNIQA is expecting a profit on ordinary activities for the financial year 2004 of around 50% above the figure of€ 68.3 million for last year and thus for the first time over € 100 million – provided that there are no exceptional developments in claims or on the capital markets between now and the end of the year. This development will enable UNIQA to achieve its growth and earnings goals faster than planned. Its medium-term ROE goal of 15% should already be achieved in 2004 if the profit on ordinary activities turns out as expected.