Aviva plc has reported general insurance premium income in the UK and Ireland of £6.7bn for the first nine months of the year. This is up by 17% on the same period last year. This included a 24% jump in personal lines, which it said reflected the acquisition of Direct Line, while the 10% surge in commercial lines was driven by Probitas, which it acquired last year.

At group level, general insurance premiums for the first three quarters on the year were up 12% to £10bn. Aviva said its combined operating ratio was 94.4%, an improvement from the 96.8% achieved in the first nine months of last year.

Amanda Blanc (pictured), group chief executive officer of Aviva, said: “We continue to make excellent progress and now expect to achieve our financial targets in 2025, one year early.”

She added: “The integration of Direct Line is well underway and we are increasingly confident of reaping the full benefits of this acquisition, contributing materially to Aviva's future growth and shareholder returns.

“We now expect to achieve £225m in cost synergies, nearly twice our original estimate; unlock at least £500m of capital synergies, and we expect to resume share buybacks next year, at a higher level in response to the increased share count.”