NEW YORK - U.S. property and casualty insurers paid out a record $27.3 billion to cover the losses homeowners and businesses sustained in hurricanes and other catastrophic events in 2004, according to a company that tracks insurance data.

The ISO, which is based in Jersey City, N.J., said the total surpassed the previous high of $26.5 billion paid claims in 2001, which included the terrorist attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon (news - web sites) in Washington, D.C.

ISO's property claim services unit recorded 22 catastrophic events last year. The company defines a catastrophe as an event that causes $25 million or more in insured property losses and affects a larger number of policyholders and insurers.

"Over 80 percent of the insured losses were from the five hurricanes that made landfall in the U.S. along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts," the company said.

Hurricane Alex battered North Carolina's Outer Banks in early August. Then Florida and other southern states were hard hit by a series of four major hurricanes — Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.

The report pointed out that the last time back-to-back hurricanes hit the United States was in 1999.

The ISO said policyholders in 42 states and Puerto Rico filed nearly 3.35 million personal property, commercial property and auto claims from storms.

Florida suffered the highest insured losses at $18.8 billion, the report said. Other top claims states were Alabama at $1.8 billion; Colorado and Pennsylvania at $715 million each, and Georgia at $660 million.

Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne prompted a total of 2.23 million claims from policyholders, with 1.63 million coming from Florida, the ISO said.

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