Insurance company Zurich Life says its Irish new business sales last year fell 11% from 2008 to €193.4m.
But the company says it increased its market share from 12% to 15%, and said the fall in sales was better than the 26% drop recorded by the whole Irish insurance market.
Zurich Life also said its single premium sales of PRSAs (personal retirement savings accounts) more than doubled to just over €155m. This contributed to a 34%% increase in total single premium pension sales.
Life and serious illness insurance sales were up 4% to €22.5m.
Last year, Zurich Life set up what it called a European Manufacturing Hub in Ireland. It said this had created 30 new jobs, with plans for another 30 this year.
It also said this had led to a jump in cross-border new business to €28.8m, which when added to Irish new business sales, left total sales flat compared with 2008 at €222.2m.
