At Travelers� our mission for creating shareholder value is to deliver superior core return on equity by leveraging our meaningful and sustainable competitive advantages� generating top tier earnings and capital substantially in excess of our growth needs� and thoughtfully rightsizing capital and growing book value per share over time� Executing this financial strategy has produced industry�leading returns over time� and ���� was no exception� ���� Results Travelers generated $2.6 billion of net income, an increase of 4% over the prior year, and $9.92 per diluted share, an increase of 7%.