San Francisco-based bank Wells Fargo reports insurance earningsdropped slightly on a quarterly basis affected by lower commissionsand crop insurance revenues.

Wells Fargo, home of one of the nation's largest insurancebrokerage firms and a crop insurance program, reported Friday thatinsurance revenues for the third quarter dropped 2 percent, or $9million, to $414 million compared to the same period last year.

For the first nine months of this year, revenues dropped 3percent, or $39 million, to $1.46 billion.

The bank says that compared to the second quarter of this year,third quarter insurance revenues fell 21 percent, or $108 million,from $522 million.

The bank says the reasons for the third quarter revenue drop wasin part due to insurance commissions being $112 million lowercompared to the second quarter of this year and lower cropinsurance revenues.

Wells Fargo says the company's total net income was up 27percent from $4.1 billion for the third quarter of last year to$4.9 billion this year.

For the first nine months, net income rose 17 percent from $11.8billion last year to $13.8 billion this year.

Insurance accounts for only 4 percent of the bank's totalrevenues.