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Generali Holding Vienna AG

euro adhoc: Generali Holding Vienna AG
Annual Reports
Generali Holding Vienna declares increased dividend

Disclosure announcement transmitted by euro adhoc.
  The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement.
24.02.2005
Generali Holding Vienna declares increased dividend
Generali Holding Vienna AG to distribute 68 per cent more to
shareholders. Generali Vienna Group reports tripled profit from
ordinary activities and doubled net profit for the year. Booming
results and premium income recorded by the Generali insurance
subsidiaries in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Generali Vienna Group's "fitness regime" of recent years bore
fruit in the group's record results during 2004. Listed group parent
Generali Holding Vienna AG has therefore announced a hike in its
distribution to shareholders, resulting in a dividend of 25 cents and
a bonus of 17 cents or a total of 42 cents per no-par share for 2004,
as against a dividend of 20 cents and a bonus of 5 cents or a total
of 25 cents per share for 2003. That will increase the total
distributed to shareholders by 68 per cent on the year to EUR 26.9
million. By increasing its distribution this much, Generali is
letting its shareholders share in the group's excellent development
both inside Austria and in its markets in Central and Eastern Europe.
Generali Vienna Group: Major improvement in consolidated results
This financial services provider - which is active in Austria and
seven countries in Central and Eastern Europe - nearly tripled its
profit from ordinary activities in 2004, increasing it from EUR 32.5
million to EUR 90.2 million. The group's net profit for the year more
than doubled from EUR 20.5 million to EUR 52.4 million. 
According to the current provisional figures for the group,
calculated in conformity with the accounting and reporting standards
laid down in Austria's Handelsgesetzbuch (commercial code), the
premium income of the group's 13 insurance insurance companies
increased by 6.7 per cent to EUR 2.83 billion. As group CEO Karl
Stoss stressed, "This growth is all the more remarkable given our
continued strict adherence to the principle of putting profit before
turnover during 2004." 
The Generali Vienna Group's consolidated premium income in the life
and health insurance segments grew by 10.7 per cent to EUR 1.03
billion, while premium income in the property/casualty insurance
segment grew by 4.5 per cent to EUR 1.80 billion. That increased the
proportion of aggregate premium income accounted for by life and
health insurance business to 36.5 per cent.
Combined ratio reduced by 21.5 percentage points in the space of two
years
This significant reduction in combined ratio has been one reflection
of the Generali Vienna Group's success. As insurance claims and
benefits fell by 3.6 per cent to EUR 2.02 billion during 2004, the
Generali Vienna Group's combined ratio also improved significantly.
In the words of Karl Stoss, "The reduction in our gross combined
ratio from 97.2 per cent to 94.9 per cent was attributable to our
selective underwriting policy, vigorous claims management and
particularly favourable weather conditions." The group's high
combined ratio of 116.4 per cent in 2002 was mainly due to disastrous
flooding.
Boom in Central and Eastern Europe: Premium income grows by 26 per
cent
Action taken to boost premium income and net profit in Central and
Eastern Europe paid off in full during 2004, when premium income in
the group's seven national markets in the region - Hungary, the Czech
Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania and Croatia - grew by
26.2 per cent to EUR 794.4 million. As a result, Central and Eastern
Europe already accounted for 28.0 per cent of the group's aggregate
premium income, as against just 23.7 per cent the year before.
Generali enjoyed a veritable boom in the Central and Eastern European
life and health insurance markets, where premium income grew by 30.8
per cent to EUR 238.8 million. The group's sales organizations also
did well in property/casualty lines, where premium income grew by
24.3 per cent to EUR 555.7 million.
The rapid growth in premium income was not achieved at the expense of
earnings. Quite the reverse: The Generali insurance subsidiaries in
Central and Eastern Europe tripled their net profit to EUR 22.6
million in 2004, having recorded their first net profit for the year
- of EUR 7.1 million - in 2003.
Austria: Record net profit for the year of EUR 58 million
The Generali Group's business canvassing policy in Austria remained
firmly profit-orientated. That paid off amply. While premium income
recorded by the group's operating insurance companies grew by 1.4 per
cent to EUR 1.97 billion, they reported record net profit for the
year of EUR 58.1 million. That compared with EUR 12.5 million in
2003.
Despite the elimination of unprofitable business, premium income from
property/casualty insurance business in Austria grew by 0.2 per cent
to EUR 1.23 billion. Reflecting the development of interest rates,
single-premium payments in the life insurance segment were cut by
21.8 per cent to EUR 53.9 million. On the other hand, Generali's
premium income from health insurance and recurring-premium life
insurance business increased by 6.1 per cent to EUR 678.5 million. In
the life insurance segment, the new MAXX Invest line - which offers
the investor a capital guarantee and "performance protection" - did
particularly well. Although this innovative savings solution has only
been on sale since the autumn, it already accounted for 25 per cent
of new business volumes in 2004.
Generali Holding Vienna AG: Substantial increase in distribution to
shareholders
Premium income recorded by Generali Holding Vienna AG - the Generali
Vienna Group's listed holding company and reinsurer - grew by 5.8 per
cent to EUR 982.7 million. This growth was primarily attributable to
a sharp increase in reinsurance assumptions from the Generali
subsidiaries in Central and Eastern Europe.
The company's net profit advanced from EUR 34.9 million to EUR 39.2
million. The realization of the gains from the liquidation of Holdux
Beteiligungsgesellschaft, Basel, had originally been planned for 2004
but will in fact only take effect in 2005.
After augmenting its reserves, the company posted net income for the
year of EUR 27.0 million (2003: EUR 15.9 million). Its distribution
will increase considerably on the year. The General Meeting of
Shareholders of Generali Holding Vienna AG scheduled for 25 May 2005
will be asked to approve the distribution of a dividend of 25 cents
and a bonus of 17 cents per no-par share (previous year: dividend of
20 cents and 5-cent bonus).
Stoss: "Full steam ahead into the second half of the decade"
As Karl Stoss stressed during the presentation of the Annual
Financial Statements of Generali Holding Vienna AG in Vienna on 24
February 2005, "The challenges of 2004 were superbly mastered under
the leadership of my predecessor Dietrich Karner." He went on to say
that the Generali Vienna Group attained its goals, substantially
improving results, significantly reducing its combined ratio and
recording profit-orientated growth in premium income.
"Now we need to build on those solid foundations to achieve a
powerful start into the second half of the decade." Looking to the
future, Stoss - CEO of the Generali Vienna Group since the beginning
of 2005 - said that the group will be working "full steam ahead". He
cited a variety of initiatives launched in Austria during the first
few weeks of the new year as typical of the group's fresh market
offensive, namely an attractive new premium scale in the
motor-vehicle insurance segment, the extension of private health
insurance lines to encompass alternative and holistic medical care,
and the new combined banking and insurance products marketed by
Generali Bank. A number of successful launches have also taken place
in Central and Eastern European markets. For instance, the VUB
Generali dss pension fund in Slovakia has got off to a powerful
start, already attracting over 100,000 savers. Meanwhile Generali's
pension fund in Poland is one of the market's prime performers and
has, as a result, been allocated over 21,000 new customers by the
Polish state during the past six months.
As Karl Stoss went on to say, "Our goal is clear: We want to
substantially strengthen our position as one of the most powerful
insurance groups in Central and Eastern Europe while still remaining
a major player in the Austrian insurance market."
The Consolidated Financial Statements for 2004 prepared in conformity
with the International Accounting Standards will be presented on 22
April 2005. The individual Annual Financial Statements of Generali
Holding Vienna AG will be available in the Internet from 24 February
2005 at http://holding.generali.at
end of announcement                    euro adhoc 24.02.2005 07:30:00 

Further inquiry note:

Generali Holding Vienna AG
Josef Hlinka
Tel.: (++43-1) 534 01-1375
Fax: (++43-1) 534 01-1593
mailto:josef.hlinka@generali.at
http://www.generali-holding.at

Branche: Insurance
ISIN: AT0000661350
WKN: 066135
Index: WBI, ATX Prime, ATX
Börsen: Berliner Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Hamburger Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Baden-Württembergische Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Bayerische Börse / free trade
Wiener Börse AG / official dealing

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