Repairs to the Casualty and Accident Insurance System Continued in 2003

The growth of premiums in the private insurance business by 2.9 percent in 2003 was controlled chiefly by the need to improve the property-liability insurance business. Altogether, premiums rose in line with the growth of the nominal income, so that insurance penetration remained more or less constant. The structure of premium revenues shifted towards property-liability insurance due to the increase in tariffs, whereas life insurance business stagnated. An expansion of the volume of health insurance was achieved solely by an increase in tariffs. For 2004, the Austrian Insurance Association expects the situation to improve, especially with regard to life insurance. Altogether premium revenues should grow by 4.9 percent in 2004 and thus should enable a further rise in insurance penetration.