Aug. 2 -- Delta Lloyd reported a slight decrease in profits in the first half of 2012, the Dutch insurer said on Thursday.

Delta Lloyd achieved an operating profit after tax and non-controlling interests of 218 million euros (267 million U.S. dollars), which is a decrease of 9 million euros compared to the first half of 2011. The relatively stable earnings were partly due to lower operational costs which decreased 6 percent to 399 million euros.

Net loss increased sharply, from 342 million euros to 942 million euros, mainly due to decreasing long-term interest rates and volatile equity markets.

"In difficult market conditions, Delta Lloyd managed to achieve a resilient performance in the first half of 2012," company CEO Niek Hoek said.

"Delta Lloyd continues to be successful in signing new large pension contracts and in bringing down operational costs," he added.

(Source:Xinhua)