Earnings%3A Pru, Nationwide, Conseco

But Nationwide notes that the spread between the rate it paid to retirement plan members and the rate it earned on its own investments fell to 1.83 percentage points during the third quarter, down from 2.04 percentage points during the third quarter of 2004.

- Assurant Inc., New York, is reporting $100 million in net income for the third quarter on $1.9 billion in revenue, up from $75 million in net income on $1.8 billion in revenue for the third quarter of 2004.

A drop in individual health membership hurt profits at the company's Assurant Health unit, even though prices increased, but improved group life mortality and disability experience helped results at the company's Assurant Employee Benefits unit, the company says.

- Conseco Inc., Carmel, Ind., is reporting $78 million in net income for the third quarter on $1.1 billion in revenue, up from $67 million in net income on $1.1 billion in revenue for the third quarter of 2004.

Life insurance revenue was up at the company's Bankers Life unit, and the company managed to hold on to $86 million in long term care insurance premium revenue, even though the LTC operation is in run-off mode. LTC revenue is down from $93 million for the third quarter of 2004.

- UICI, North Richland, Texas, is reporting $61 million in net income for the third quarter on $519 million in revenue, up from $34 million in net income on $514 million in revenue for the third quarter of 2004.

The company's Star HRG division, which sells limited-benefit "mini medical" plans, generated $141,000 in operating income for the latest quarter on $35 million in revenue, compared with $119,000 in operating income on $37 million in revenue for the third quarter of 2004.