The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-31
FIGURES ON INSURANCE
COMMISSIONER O'SHAUGHNEsSY
COMPLETES STATEMENT OF
LIFE BUSINESS IN STATE
EXCEEDS ANY PREVIOUS YEAR
This State One OF the Few In which
Fire Insurance Companies
Did Not Sustain
Loss.

insurance Commissioner O'SEauehnessv
yesterday completed a statement Of tha
lie insurance business done In MInnasota
during 1899. suppIementing the report re-
Gently made Of the volume of bustness
transactions by fire companies operating
in this state.
Jointly the two reports Indicate that
the total Insurance in force at the close
or 1882 both fire and life exceeded nv
S2Vo'ooo'eoo the total valuation OF the real
ana personal property in Minnesota.
Inc amount of insurance of all classes
IN force is very close to $500 900, 900. while
the total valuation of the state is ptaea5
by the last tax levy at 5000, O0O, 900 or there
aoouts. Upon this basis life and fire COM
panies received about $40. 0OO, 900 in prem
iu"'s d1Ytdod up as follows Life. 4.70O,-
ooO; Hre' 4,SO0GO0; casualty, $500. 900; total
$40, 900, 00o
The value Of all the structures. I'M
proved property personal property. in
Guiding franchises, stocks. bonds. money
IN banks, ETC., IN Minnesota IS placed ar
S5S2, 900, while the amount OF insurance
written on buildings and other pronertv
exceeds these figures by over 300. 900. COO
which, In small way, gives an idea Of
the great scope Of the insurance business
IN this state. This does not include the
HE business, which considerably exceeded
$500, 600, 900.
me very satisfactory showing Of the
ffre companies. as recorded In the G. 10 b a
rev days ago, throws to Minnesota thu
distraction of being one of the very few
states In which fire companies did not
SUSTAIN heavy loss. The figures lust
completed upon the life business show an
equally satisfactory condition existing In
tnat branch of the insurance business.
LlIe companies enjoyed an increase of
about half million dollars in recejDts
Inns is particularly accredited to the fact
that the Modern Woodmen Increased their
business something over sic, 900, 900 during
the year. and the Royal Arcanum. an
other fraternal assessment COMPANY was
made to come In under the Minnesota
law which 1t had not previously done.
Allowing for the average annual Increase
ana the facts just stated. the profits or
more correctly the total premiums. would
have increased even in a larger neas1Yrn
than half million. but for the fact that
large number OF irresponsible companies
have been weeded cut by Insurance Com
missioner OShaughnessy.
Inc old line companies wrote some
thing like $4,000, 600 more business In 1899
than the previous year. for which they
received So, 499, 05S in premiums, as against
$z,999,987 for 1888. They paid in losses
$i'ofI,4 So for the annual period covered in
the report. and the preceding year thew
met claims amounting to 1868. 739
The increase in business represented an
addltional 5000 policies. making the total
number OF policies issued by these COM
panies. SO, 256.
The fraternals in the matter Of business
written led the old line companies by
SIOOV9Oo0, at the same time showing an
increase In their outstanding certiflcatea
Of $36 900, 600, However, in the matter Of
premiums, or rather money collected on
assessment. Of necessity they do not show
up as large an amount. Fraternals re-
ceived 100000 from members.
Comparatively few open assessment
life companies reported. In 1898, twenty
nine reported and last December but six
teen were still doing business. About ten
companies had their affairs wound up by
the insurance commissioner, and the
others died a natural death. The sixteen
reporting did some business however
writing during the year $35, 2S9, $50. only
81, O00. 900 less than the year preceding
when twice as many organizations were
In the field hustling for business Briefly
the good companies practically did all the
About the same condition applies to as
sessment accident companies Several Of
these concerns were closed up and tho
thirty-two companies now in the field rep
resent the substantial clement in that
class Of companies. They received about
$l50O0O in premiums and wrote 1868, 40
in business during the year, about $780,
900 less than the year before. The stock
and casualty companies received pre-
q q al
Accident. $20S602 employers liability,
| S222. 1858; fidelity. $11S,996; surety. 1922:
plate glass, $99, 276; steam boiler, $25,O40
burglary, $3.50: title. 1864: health in
surance, 1896; sprinkler leakage, 1884
With one or two exceptions, companies
writing this class of protective insurance
increased their business last year, and
their losses in most cases were merely
nominal.