One might say it's nice to be reminded of what the P&Cinsurance industry's Top 100 looks like in a world with fewercatastrophes.

With no major loss events in 2013, insurers had a comparativelyeasier time of making hay while the sun shone—and the favorablemovement reflected both in combined ratio and overall net premiumswritten is significant, marking a positive turn for many carriersand groups.

In NU's annual rankings, based on data from SNLFinancial, the average combined ratio among the top 100 insurancegroups fell year-over-year to a respectable 96.64—a 6.37improvement over last year's numbers. Among the biggest gainers inthe top 10 companies: Liberty Mutual Ins. Co., whose combined ratiofell more than 18 points to 102.20; State Farm Fire & CasualtyCo., which improved more than 14 points to 90.57; and Chubb-ownedFederal Insurance Co., which boasted a combined ratio of 82.70after a 12.88-point improvement year-over-year.