Insurer Aegon announced on Thursday that it has booked a loss of €329m in the third quarter as a result of the fall in share prices and investment write-downs, reports ANP news service.

Aegon issued a warning last month that it would be in the red this quarter, forecasting a loss of around €350m.
The government made a capital injection of €3bn in the firm from its fund for financial institutions which need help as a result of the current credit crisis.
Aegon has had to make significant write-downs on the value of its investments in financial institutions in the period under review, including €336m in the US firms Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual, said ANP.
According to Aegon chief Alex Wynaendts the company’s underlying activities remain robust: ‘Aegon is well placed to cope with the current financial crisis and to profit from the eventual recovery of the market.’
The insurer continued taking steps to strengthen its capital reserves and these generated €729m in the third quarter. In the coming quarter a further €600m to €800m must be added to these financial buffers, the company said.
The company’s capital assets totalled €9.4bn at the end of September.
For the full Aegon statement and more, click here