Net premiums written decreased 2.3 percent during the third quarter, including a 10.1 percent decrease in the specialty segment due to the termination of the company's Risk Evaluation & Design (RED) program.

Personal insurance NPW decreased 1.3 percent, driven by agency management actions and business insurance NPW increased 0.9 percent, says State Auto.

“We continue to get price increases in excess of loss costs in all three insurance segments,” says CEO Bob Restrepo in a statement.

Restrepo says State Auto is “producing solid underwriting profits” but personal auto profits remains below expectations due to poor PIP liability experience, higher trends in physical damage and unfavorable loss trends in several states.

“Most of our states are performing well, but five states (Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois and Michigan) accounting for 14 percent of our auto premium need additional pricing and agency management actions,” Restrepo says.

Selective Q3 Income Up 44%

Branchville, N.J.-based Selective Insurance Group says third-quarter net income was $32.7 million compared to $18.3 million during the same quarter a year ago.

“We had a very strong quarter due to improvements in our underwriting operations, mainly from ongoing increases in overall renewal pure pricing,” says CEO Gregory E. Murphy, in a statement. “Contrary to industry rhetoric, we have not seen any indications that would substantiate industry-wide price decreases given loss trends and the low interest rate environment.”

The third-quarter combined ratio was 97.7, down two points from the 2012 third quarter. Catastrophe losses were $11.9 during the third quarter compared to $9.6 million a year ago.

The standard and E&S insurer says third-quarter prices increased 7.9 percent.

Murphy says Selective is raising rates and deductibles across the homeowners book—driving a 2 percent increase in net premiums written in standard personal lines.

NPW in E&S lines went up 20 percent during the third quarter, compared to the prior year's quarter, thanks to price increases of 5.9 percent and a 23 percent jump in new business.