NU Online News Service, May 9, 2:14 p.m.EDT

Personal-lines insurance rates were up 1 percent in Aprilcompared to the same month a year ago, according to MarketScout'slatest Market Barometer.

The rate increase is down from MarketScout's personal-linesreports for March and February, which both showed 2 percent year-over-yearincreases.

Rates for homeowners insurance in April were up 1 percent—bothfor homes valued under $1 million and homes valued over $1 million.Auto rates were up 2 percent, and personal articles rates were up 1percent.

MarketScout CEO Richard Kerr notes that, for homeowners rates,increases were far greater in wind-exposed areas. “We are carefullymonitoring homeowners' policies in coastal areas as we get closerto hurricane season,” Kerr says.

He adds, “Rates in wind-exposed areas are up 5 to 12 percent asmany of the admitted markets are either restricting their capacityor requiring higher deductibles and wind mitigation constructions.The national composite homeowners' rate is up only 1 percentbecause it includes millions of homes in locations that do not havecatastrophe exposure.”