The big growth came from life insurance, with premiums rising 29.0% to ATS 5,796.0 million (EUR 421.2 million). The result was primarily due to the success of the Raiffeisen Versicherung and single premium deals. Life insurance claims were met amounting to ATS 2,261.3 million (EUR 164.3 million), 5.1% more than in the same period in the previous year.

Damage and accident insuranceachieved a premium volume in the first quarter of 2001 of ATS 3,580.3 million (EUR 260.2 million), a plus of 2.4%. Claims rose, particularly because of the storm damage in the previous year, by 16.8% to ATS 1,896.8 million (EUR 137.8 million).

Health insurance in the first quarter of 2001 produced an increase of billed premiums by 6.4% to ATS 2,324.2 million (EUR 168.9 million). At the same time, claims rose by 11.0% to ATS 1,929.5 million (EUR 140.2 million)

Total capital investments of the UNIQA Group at the end of March  – disregarding deposit claims from reinsurance – stood at ATS 150.8 billion(EUR 11.0 billion). They had thus increased by 6.6% in comparison with the end of March 1999.

Compared with the previous year income from property of the insurance companies included in the Group result, both domestic and abroad, rose by 4.0% to ATS 2,114.0 million (EUR 153.6 million). The negative development of the stock markets in the first quarter had a negative effect on the quarter’s result amounting to about c. ATS 400 million (c. Euro 29.1 million).

The costs  of the UNIQA Group  companies continued to develop moderately. Total costs (excluding commission) rose in the first quarter of 2001 by only 2.3% to ATS 1,398.5 million (EUR 101.6 million) compared with a year previously. Commission payments amounted in the first to ATS 770.9 million (EUR 56.0 million),

Total expenses for the insurance business, including the handling of claims and property administration costs in the first three months of 2001 were thus ATS 2,169.4 billion (EUR 157.6 million), 0.9 % more than in the comparable period last year

Foreign business
The foreign companies of the UNIQA Group also produced a positive result in the first quarter of the year.

Assicurazioni La Carnica(Italy), acquired a year ago, showed premium income in the first three months of this year of ATS 131.5 million (EUR 9.6 million) and paid claims amounting to ATS 82.4 million (EUR 6.0 million). Austria Assicurazioni increased its premium billing by 5.4% to ATS 105.9 million (EUR 7.7 million). Claims remained steady at ATS 54.0 million (EUR 3.9 million).

The increased in billed premiums from Tschechisch Österreichischen Versicherung (CRP) was up 15.9% on the previous year to ATS 138.5 million (EUR 10.1 million), with claims of ATS 61.7 million (EUR 4.5 million) or +48.3%.

UNIQA Assurances in Switzerland achieved in the first quarter an increase of premium income of 35.1% to ATS 125.1 million (EUR 9.1 million). Claims rose  to ATS 132.7 million (EUR 9.6 million) (+47.0%),

The Croatian UNIQA osiguranje billed premiums of ATS 5.2 million (EUR 0.4 million) and paid claims amounting to ATS 0.1 million (EUR 0.01 million),

UNIQA poistovnain Slovakia billed in the first quarter of 2001 premiums amounting to ATS 69.1 million (EUR 5.0 million / +11.5%), Claims paid declined by 12.9% to ATS 30.4 million (EUR 2.2 million).