NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Insurance claims for damage caused in the United States this year by four major hurricanes may reach $23 billion, surpassing payments on claims for 1992?s Hurricane Andrew, an insurance industry group said yesterday.

Claim payments from an unprecedented four hurricanes to make landfall in the US so far this year are estimated at between $22 billion to $23 billion, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

The group said in a statement that only the $32 billion in insured losses from the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States exceeded estimated claim payments from this year?s hurricanes ? Charley, Ivan, Frances and Jeanne.

Claims from Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the costliest single natural disaster in US history, totalled $15.5 billion, or $20 billion in today?s dollars, the group said.

Insurance Services Office, Inc.?s Property Claim Services estimated insured losses from Hurricane Charley at $6.8 billion and from Frances at $4.4 billion. Preliminary estimates from modelling firms project insured losses from Hurricanes Ivan and Jeanne in the $4 billion to $7 billion range for each storm.

Four of the top ten most costly hurricanes in US history occurred in Florida this year within a span of just six weeks.

This week insurance companies warned that the massive costs related to the damage the storms caused will hurt their profits in the third quarter and for the year.

Bermuda insurer XL Capital on Thursday warned that hurricane-related claims would hurt third-quarter and full-year earnings, and Hartford Financial on Wednesday said it expected to earn between 85 cents and 95 cents per share for the third quarter, down from Wall Street analyst expectations of $1.41.