Economies of scale exist if long-run average cost per unit of output decreases when the quantity of output is increased. Hardwick (1 993) investigated the sources of economies of scale among life insurers and concluded that the main sources of economies are the ability to make use of more cost-efficient technology, the ability to engage in cost-effective advertising, and that better brand name-awareness enjoyed by larger companies lowered the cost of acquiring new business. Katrishen and Scordis (1998) argued that insurance finn s gain economies of scale from four specialized insurance activities: rate making, underwriting, claims settlement, and investment. Skogh (1982) contended that as an insurer increases its output, the incremental cost to establish a rate, classify a policy, pay a claim, and invest a premium is lower than the increment in output. These arguments lead to the prediction that insurance operations are likely to encounter ranges of production characterized by increasing returns to scale.