LOSSES ALTER INSURANCE BUSINESS

Mounting losses in the auto insurance business have led a number of major companies to stop selling auto, and indeed, all kinds of property and casualty insurance, to individuals, a trend that is expected to continue. In 1988, insurers took in $68 billion in auto insurance premiums, but their losses and expenses during that same period totaled $72.5 billion, according to A.M. Best's Aggregates and Averages for 1989.

As a result, insurers will shift their focus from individual insurance policies, which require a lot of back-office work, to commercial insurance, which makes them more money, analysts said.