Insurer CNA Financial has reported a loss for its fourth quarter as it dealt with claims from Superstorm Sandy.The company reported a full-year net profit of $628 million after taking a $9 million net loss in the fourth quarter, or three cents per share. Analysts surveyed by Yahoo Finance expected earnings of four cents per share. That compares with net income of $193 million, or 71 cents per share, a year ago.CNA said that the impact from Sandy, including reinstatement premiums, was $190 million after taxes. Compare that with $11 million in catastrophe losses after taxes in the same time period a year prior.The company reported higher catastrophe losses at $270 million for 2012 than 2011’s total of $144 million and also suffered several large non-cat losses during its fourth quarter.The Chicago-based company, which is a subsidiary of diversified holding company Loews Corp., completed its $224 million acquisition of Lloyd's platform Hardy, which also has operations here in Bermuda, in July last year.Hardy was the worst-performing of the insurer's divisions during the fourth quarter and reported a net operating loss of $26 million in the fourth quarter and a combined ratio of 153.8 percent.Superstorm Sandy losses, including the impact of reinstatement premiums, were $25 million after-tax.CNA also announced yesterday that it is raising its quarterly dividend by 33 percent to 20 cents per share from 15 cents per share. The dividend will be paid on March 7 to shareholders of record on February 21.Parent Loews reported that it lost money in its fourth quarter, mostly because of losses tied to Sandy and declining natural gas prices.