South African insurer MMI H1 earnings fall 9 pct

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - MMI Holdings, South Africa's 3rd largest insurer, reported a 9 percent drop in half-year earnings on Thursday after higher-than-expected claims hit underwriting profit. MMI, which sells life and short term insurance, posted diluted core headline earnings per share (EPS) of 104.7 cents for the six months to end-December, compared to 115.5 cents a year earlier. Headline EPS is the main profit gauge in South Africa and excludes certain one-off items. ...