Other entities, such as Benfield, the London-based reinsurance broker, also see rising pricing as evidenced by Bermuda carrier figures, which are biased toward property-catastrophe coverage.

While Bermuda insurer profits rose for the first quarter, total premium actually declined as stricter capital requirements and more disciplined underwriting led to some cutbacks by carriers, according to Benfield analyst Chris Klein, who said some companies may have been holding back capacity in anticipation of a tight June and July renewal season.

However, of all the coverage classes surveyed by MarketScout, only commercial property, business income and crime posted any increase--all three rising by an average of just 1 percent.

According to MarketScout figures, umbrella/excess coverage showed the greatest average decline at 9 percent, while general liability insurance rates dipped 7 percent.

The rate of decline for workers' compensation pricing slowed to 5 percent in June, compared with 7 percent in May. "This is possibly a reflection of some new insurers' realization of higher than anticipated claims activity," Mr. Kerr suggested.

Directors and officers and employment practices liability insurance each showed modest declines of 1 percent last month, MarketScout found.

In terms of account size, jumbo buyers with over $1 million in premium enjoyed the sharpest average decline at 10 percent, with medium-size and large accounts (those between $25,000 and $1 million) seeing rates declining 8 percent. Small accounts decreased by about 7 percent.

By industry class, manufacturing posted rate declines averaging 8 percent, while the service sector incurred rates on average 6 percent lower.

Once again, the big exceptions were energy companies, which faced rate hikes of about 7 percent, followed by habitational coverages, which were up 6 percent.