Nov 3 (Reuters) - Auto and home insurer Mercury General Corp swung to a third-quarter loss, hurt mainly by fall in value of its corporate and equity holding.
Net loss for the quarter was $140.5 million, or $2.57 a share, compared with a net income of $63.3 million, or $1.15 a share, a year earlier.
Operating income was 72 cents a share, while analysts expected 90 cents a share.
Mercury General, which writes automobile insurance mainly in California, said net premiums earned fell 7 percent to $696.6 million in the quarter.
Net realized investment losses were $180.0 million, compared with gains of $1.3 million in the year-ago quarter.
Mercury General's combined ratio, which is the percentage of premiums an insurer has to pay out in claims and expenses, was 102 percent in the third quarter, compared with 94.2 percent a year ago.
Shares of the company were down more than 3 percent at $49.72 Monday morning on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Anurag Kotoky in Bangalore; Editing by Anil D'Silva) Keywords: MERCURYGENERAL/ (anurag.kotoky@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780; outside U.S. +91 80 4135 5800; Reuters Messaging: anurag.kotoky.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)

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