RSA Insurance premiums up

LONDON (Reuters) - RSA Insurance (RSA.L), the biggest commercial insurer, posted an 11 percent rise in premiums for the first nine months of its financial year and reiterated a key profitability target for the full year.

The group, formerly known as Royal & SunAlliance and with around 20 million customers worldwide, said net written premiums totalled 4.9 billion pounds.

It reiterated that it expects to achieve a combined ratio -- costs and claims as a percentage of premiums and a key measure of underwriting profitability -- of better than 95 percent this year.

"Against a backdrop of challenging trading conditions and volatile investment markets, we continue to exercise tight operational and financial management and remain confident of delivering a strong result in 2008 and beyond," Chief Executive Andy Haste said in a statement.

(Reporting by Mark Potter; Editing by Greg Mahlich)