Property-casualty insurance rates continue to fall across all lines of business, according to a survey released by the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers.

The Washington, D.C.-based CIAB said brokers are finding that insurers are "aggressively competing for new business and fighting hard to keep their renewals."

Rates declined an average of 9.7 percent across all size accounts, according to the respondents. Large accounts (defined as business of more than $100,000 in commission and fees) saw the steepest decline of 12 percent. Midsize accounts (commissions and fees between $25,000 and $100,000) declined 11.4 percent, and small accounts (less than $25,000 in commissions and fees) experienced the slightest decline at less than 6 percent.

The overall declines closely followed last quarter's figures, with an overall average decline of 9.4 percent.

The survey received 131 responses from the CIAB member brokers who write 80 percent of the p-c premiums in the U.S., the association said.

The association said it's members reported in the survey that while rates are generally decreasing, they are still experiencing some difficulty with surety bonds, director's and officer's insurance, medical malpractice coverage, and habitation risks such as residential construction.

Among some of the lines highlighted by CIAB, commercial auto declined an average of 6 percent in the quarter; workers' compensation was down 7.3 percent; commercial property dropped 13.3 percent; general liability was down 9.1 percent; and umbrella declined 6.6 percent.

CIAB said the survey's respondents indicated there was a slight increase in purchases of terrorism insurance in the second quarter for medium and large accounts, but the total number buying the insurance remains small.

The association said customers not buying the insurance cited the belief that they did not feel they were targets of terrorism, and cost of the coverage, as reasons for not purchasing the insurance.

Details of the survey's results are available at www.ciab.com.

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CIAB Survey Sees Continued Rate Drops

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