PARIS (Bloomberg) ? Scor SA, the largest French reinsurer, said 2005 sales declined six percent on lower life-reinsurance premiums.

Revenue for the year was 2.41 billion euros ($2.9 billion), compared with 2.56 billion euros in 2004, Scor said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. Excluding currency movements, the drop was eight percent, the company said.

Life-reinsurance premiums dropped 12 percent to 1.02 billion euros. Three of the six members of Scor Vie?s executive committee, including managing director Romain Durand, left the company last month. Scor Vie is Scor?s life-reinsurance unit.

Scor reported its first profit in four years in 2004 after chief executive Denis Kessler trimmed costs and scaled back the amount of business written to focus on more profitable lines, such as life reinsurance.

The reinsurer has said a record number of Atlantic storms hurt its 2005 profit.

Scor is slated to publish fourth-quarter earnings on March 22.

The company said on December 21 that damages related to Hurricane Wilma cut about 18 million euros from its fourth- quarter net income.

Hurricane Katrina, which struck New Orleans in August, submerging the city and killing more than 1,000 people, lowered profit by 37 million euros, while Hurricane Rita reduced profit by about 13 million euros, Scor said in November.

Last year was the worst Atlantic Ocean hurricane season since record-keeping began more than 150 years ago.

Non-life reinsurance premiums declined one percent to 1.38 billion euros in 2005, the company said today.

The company is in talks with Axa SA, Europe?s second- largest insurer, over a possible purchase of its reinsurance unit Axa Re, French daily Les Echos reported on February 8, citing unidentified executives at the companies.