Chicago Tribune Inside Financial Services Column.

By Mark Skertic, Chicago Tribune Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Sep. 17--INSURANCE RATES WILL RISE ON STORMS' SURGE: The successive storms that have battered the Southeast are likely to boost insurance premiums in hurricane-prone areas, according to a new analysis by Fitch Ratings.

In an average year, there are about $11 billion in catastrophic losses in the U.S., but Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan could leave destruction totaling $25 billion just by themselves, Fitch analysts estimated.

Those losses have come with three months left in the year and 10 weeks of hurricane season still to go, according to the National Weather Service's …