The three insurance companies held in Romania by Austria's Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) posted 614.8 million euros (2.6 billion RON) in gross underwritten premiums last year, similar to the 2008 level, according to data provided by the officials of the Vienna-based group. For this year VIG expects a moderate growth of the business for the group as a whole. "We expect a single-digit rise in gross premiums underwritten by the company. Pre-tax profit could however go up by at least 10%," said Gunter Geyer, VIG's chairman of the board. The group's business on the life insurance segment in Romania doubled last year, to 86.4 million euros in gross underwritten premiums, from 38.9 million euros in 2008. VIG completed the takeover of insurance operations of Erste Bank in Central and Eastern Europe, incorporating BCR Asigurari insurance company and BCR Asigurari de Viata life insurance company. BCR Asigurari de Viata posted 160 million RON (around 40 million euros) in gross underwritten premiums in 2008, according to statistics of CSA (The Insurance Supervisory Commission). On the general insurance segment, the Romanian businesses of the Austrian group fell by 8% in 2009, to 528 million euros in gross underwritten premiums in 2008.