Aviva posts forecast-beating H1 operating profit

LONDON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - British insurer Aviva (Other OTC: AIVAF - news) on Thursday posted forecast-beating half-year operating profit, boosted by higher premiums in general insurance and the ahead of schedule integration of recent purchase Friends Life (Other OTC: RSLLF - news) .

The company said operating profit was 1.17 billion pounds ($1.83 billion), against 1.07 billion in the year earlier period and a company supplied consensus forecast of 1.09 billion.

Aviva said its underlying growth and the contribution from Friends Life, which it bought in April, more than offset the impact of adverse currency moves and disposals.

Profit after was 545 million pounds, down from 863 million pounds a year earlier, including 271 million pounds of acquisition-related integration costs.

The value of new business over the period was up 25 percent to 534 million pounds, from 444 million a year earlier, while in the UK life business it was up 43 percent.

The combined operating ratio in its general insurance business, meanwhile, was at 93.1 percent, its best figures for eight years, it said.

($1 = 0.6402 pounds) (Reporting by Simon Jessop; Editing by Matt Scuffham)