ICICI Lombard General Insurance Q3 net profit up 23%

Private non-life insurer ICICI Lombard General Insurance  posted a 23 percent year-on-year (YoY) rise in its December quarter net profit at Rs 294.11 crore.

Gross domestic premium income (GDPI) of the Company remained flat at Rs 3,693 crore in Q3FY20 compared to Rs 3,699 crore in the year-ago period.

Excluding crop segment, GDPI of the company showed a 8.3 percent  YoY increase to Rs 3,672  billion in Q3 FY20. The industry growth (excluding crop segment) for Q3FY20 was 10.9 percent. The insurer's underwriting losses for Q3 stood at Rs 22.04 crore compared to loss of Rs 28.59 crore loss in the year-ago period.

In the post-earnings call, Bhargav Dasgupta, MD & CEO, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, said that there has been a pressure on the motor own damage (OD) segment ever since the long-term motor policies have been launched. "Motor OD rates have reached a level where it is difficult to sustain. There should be some price corrections but this would depend on the competitive scenario," said Dasgupta.

ICICI Lombard's combined ratio stood at 98.7 percent in Q3FY20 compared to 95.9 percent in Q3 FY19. Dasgupta said that the general insurer would look at maintaining combined ratio around 100 percent and aim to deliver return on equity of 20 percent plus.

Among the different segments, motor underwriting losses worsened in the December quarter. Underwriting loss rose to Rs 194.32 crore in Q3FY20 compared to Rs 90.34 crore in the same quarter previous fiscal.

Source: Money Control