Achmea first half earnings plunge 41% as customers get choosy

Insurance giant Achmea booked net profit of €123m in the first six months of 2013, down 41% on the year-earlier period.

Total revenue from life, non-life and health insurance premiums fell 3% to €17.6bn.

In particular clients cut their health insurance premiums by opting for higher own-risk charges and reducing top up coverage, board chairman Willem van Duin said in a statement.

The popularity of life insurance has also been hit, as consumer switch to bank-based saving schemes, Van Duin said.

‘Going forward, we will continue to focus closely on improving efficiency,’ he said. ‘Our goal to reduce our operating expenses by €200m by the end of 2015 is still firmly in place.’

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation