Dec 14 (Reuters) - Suncorp Group Ltd SUN.AX :
* Increased cost of settling claims would impact the general insurance margin
for the half year to 31 December 2015
* Says "as a result, the underlying itr is expected to be around 10% for the half year to 31 December 2015"
* Costs have been increasing as a result of the lower Australian dollar and the impact of the $4 billion of weather events during 2015"
* "Says also working closely with our building panel and other suppliers to better manage costs"
* The group expects to report positive gross written premium (gwp) growth for the six months to 31 December 2015
* Says "increased costs will have a significant impact on the underlying margin in our personal insurance business"
* "Reported profits would continue to benefit from releases from long-tail portfolios, which remain well above long-run expectations"
* Source text for Eikon ID:nASX4wPqXs