LONDON (Bloomberg) - Catlin Group Ltd., owner of the largest insurance unit at Lloyd's of London, said nine-month sales rose five percent, lifted by its US business.

Net written premiums for the period ended September 30 climbed to $3 billion, from $2.86 billion a year earlier, the Hamilton, Bermuda-based company said yesterday in a statement.

"The market's good performance during 2009 means that conditions may be challenging for some classes of business during 2010," CEO Stephen Catlin said in the statement. "Catlin remains well-positioned to grow, both in terms of premium volume and underwriting profitability."

Catlin, which insures everything from airplanes to satellite makers, has fallen 13 percent this year in London trading as higher catastrophe insurance rates failed to migrate to other lines of business. The insurer has benefited from a mild Atlantic hurricane season this year and posted a $195.8 million-pound profit in the first-half.