Cincinnati Financial Reports Bigger Losses

Cincinnati Financial Corp. has raised its quarterly dividend by 10.5 percent despite reporting a fourth-quarter operating loss twice as big as expected after setting aside $110 million to cover claims from customers hit by uninsured drivers.

The company said the new dividend of 21 cents per share, up from 19 cents last year, would be paid April 16 to shareholders of record on March 23. The company reported a loss of $21.5 million, or 14 cents per share. That compares with a profit of $73.1 million, or 44 cents a share, during the same quarter last year.