THE FIAT GROUP IN
THE FIAT GROUP IN
THE FIAT GROUP IN
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The companies controlled by Toro Targa Assicurazioni<br />
include Phenix, a Brazilian company that posted a 48%<br />
increase in premiums compared with 2000, and Fiat<br />
Ubezpieczenia. In its first full year of operation, this Polish<br />
insurer was able to penetrate 23% of Fiat Auto Poland’s<br />
distribution network.<br />
❚ Das continued to operate successfully in the highly lucrative<br />
judicial insurance business.<br />
❚ In France, the Continent Group operations in the casualty<br />
segment and Guardian Vie operations grew at a rate of<br />
6%, in contrast to the rest of the industry.<br />
Important developments that occurred in 2001 include the<br />
revamping of the automobile insurance product line with the<br />
introduction of new Autosystem policies, the launch of two<br />
new index-linked products and a new line of capitalization<br />
policies with guaranteed principal (Toro Plusvalore) that can<br />
be configured in ways that make them suitable for sale<br />
through all of the Sector’s distribution networks.<br />
RESULTS FOR <strong>THE</strong> YEAR<br />
Consolidated premiums totaled 5,751 million euros in 2001,<br />
or 27.8% more than in 2000. If the new Lloyd and Augusta<br />
companies are excluded, the increase amounts to 15.3%.<br />
Casualty insurance contributed 2,616 million euros (+28.4%)<br />
and life insurance 3,135 million euros (+26.9%).<br />
Net premiums earned amounted to 5,461 million euros, for<br />
a gain of 25.2% over 2000.<br />
Premiums by business unit<br />
55%<br />
29%<br />
16%<br />
Life insurance<br />
Automobile insurance<br />
Other casualty insurance<br />
Toro has played a key role in the recent evolution of the competitive<br />
scenario. It has forged partnerships and carried out acquisitions<br />
that provided more strength and a better dimensional balance to<br />
its operations. Toro will continue to pursue internal expansion by<br />
focusing the efforts of its operations on strategic opportunities in<br />
bankassurance and new technologies, and external expansion<br />
by pursuing a targeted and selective growth on foreign markets.<br />
The performance of the insurance operations benefited from<br />
a marked improvement in the claims-to-premiums ratio. This<br />
improvement was made possible by programs implemented<br />
in recent years to weed out and rebalance the underwriting<br />
portfolio and by a decline in the rate of claims in the Italian<br />
market that started at the beginning of 2001.<br />
The efficiency measures that are being implemented, which<br />
include the establishment of a call center for the entire Sector<br />
and the development of Sector-wide information systems and<br />
product platforms, produced a further reduction in the ratio of<br />
overhead to premiums, which decreased to 5.3% in 2001.<br />
The positive results achieved by the insurance operations<br />
were offset in part by the negative impact of unsettled<br />
conditions in the financial markets, which produced a loss<br />
of about 143 million euros when the Sector marked to market<br />
its portfolio of equity securities.<br />
Income before taxes came to 220 million euros in 2001 (163<br />
million euros in 2000). Earnings after taxes rose to 152 million<br />
euros, or a 79% increase over the previous year.<br />
At December 31, 2001, investments in financial assets and<br />
real estate totaled 17,000 million euros, or about 3,800 million<br />
euros more than in the previous year. Fixed income securities<br />
accounted for 68% of the investment portfolio and equity<br />
securities for another 27%.<br />
Investments exceeded insurance reserves by 1,300 million<br />
euros at the end of 2001 (1,200 million euros in 2000).<br />
Distribution Network<br />
Rest Rest of<br />
Italy of Europe the world Total<br />
Agents 1,150 330 1,480<br />
Dealers 815 98 344 1,257<br />
Bank counters 1,771 1,771<br />
Report on Operations – Toro Assicurazioni<br />
67