Amlin raised its full-year dividend by more than 13 per cent, and predicted an increase in the price of insurance and reinsurance, in spite of a 73 per cent fall in 2008 pre-tax profit.

Claims from hurricanes Gustav and Ike and a fall in investment income were behind a decline in pre-tax profit from £445m to £121.6m in 2008. The shares rose 9¼p to 352¼p in Monday afternoon trading.