Professional indemnity claims payments for non-facility business reached $1.111 billion in the 2022 underwriting year, little changed from $1.109 billion a year earlier, according to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority.

PI gross premium measured over the same period declined to $2.775 billion from $2.954 billion, a drop of 6%, APRA's latest National Claims and Policies Database shows.

Public and product liability claims payments for non-facility business fell 1% to $1.102 billion and gross premium went up 6% to $2.914 billion.

Average written premium for PI dropped by more than 10%, but public and product liability increased nearly 8%.

The APRA database contains policy and claims information for PI and public and product liability insurance, covering data on every open, reopened or finalised claim and policy underwritten by APRA-regulated general insurers since 2003.

The number of PI claims on which payments were made for non-facility business dropped 8% to 17,433 in the 2022 underwriting year, and for public and product liability the figure eased 1% to 26,483.

Lloyd’s Australia figures, recorded separately, show a 13% rise in PI claims payments for non-facility business to $187 million, while public and product liability claims payments dropped 4% to $59 million.

Its PI and public and product liability gross premium totals were $558 million and $290 million respectively in the 2022 underwriting year.