NU Online News Service, June 28, 2:41 p.m.EDT

Tower Group Inc. says it expects $8 million in pre-tax lossesfrom U.S. storms in April, May and early June.

The New York-based property and casualty insurer says it expectsthe weather-related losses will reduce its second-quarter earningsby $0.13 per share, and adds that it expects operating earnings pershare to be at the lower end of its previously announced range of$2.70 to $2.90.

Overall, losses from thunderstorms in April and May reached about $15 billion, says Aon Benfield, the globalreinsurance intermediary of Aon Corp.

Catastrophe risk modelers estimate insured losses of between$2 billion and $6 billion for the late-April tornado outbreak.AIR Worldwide adds up to $7 billion in losses due to late Maystorms.

Bermuda-based Arch Capital Group Ltd. says losses fromsecond-quarter events—including the storms as well as the mostrecent New Zealand earthquake—combined with updated first-quarterestimates are expected to total between $90 million and $110million. Arch says approximately 85 percent of that range relatesto second-quarter events.