InsWeb Corp., the online insurance shopping site, reported Friday that its first-quarter loss widened to $1.7 million, or 41 cents a share, compared with a loss of $1.4 million, or 30 cents a share, in the first quarter of 2005.
The Gold River-based company said revenue for the quarter climbed to $7.7 million, from $5.7 million a year earlier.

Part of the loss was caused by higher direct-marketing costs, which totaled $4.95 million in the most recent quarter, compared with $3.16 million a year earlier.
The company also announced the sale of its property and casualty insurance business, which accounted for about 7 percent of the company's overall revenue in 2005. The company did not disclose the name of the buyer, but said it expected to receive about $2 million when the deal closes sometime this quarter.

InsWeb, whose Web site allows consumers to shop for quotes on auto, life, health and homeowners insurance, released its earnings after the close of trading. The company's stock closed unchanged Friday at $2.05 on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

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by: Clint Swett

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