According to a Monday statement by Philip Scott, the Chief Financial Officer of UK biggest insurer Aviva Plc, the company's capital surplus jumped to 2.5 billion pounds - $3.64 billion - at the end of the first quarter, as against 2 billion pounds in the earlier quarter.

Aviva's first quarter revenue from its life insurance and pension business increased from the last year figures of 8.6 billion pounds to 9.6 billion pounds. In fact, the company had earlier Monday reported a better-than-anticipated 11 percent increase in its first quarter new business sales.

The London-based insurer's North American sales increased an enormous 84 percent, to 1.9 billion pounds, from the earlier year figures. For the year 2008, Aviva's US operations recorded total sales of 7.32 billion, which were 45 percent more than the restated 5.06 billion pounds in 2007.

Talking to reporters, Scott said: "We're very confident we can do at least the same sort of business in the U. S. as we did in 2008, and we can actually do that on more attractive margins. Aviva's key products in the U. S. are equity-indexed annuities, which are particularly attractive for people coming up to retirement, where it has guarantees of capital in retirement."

Reiterating that there is "considerable strength" in the US market, Scott has projected a growth in Aviva's US business this year.