The life and health insurers that kicked off the third-quarter earnings reporting season this week recorded profits.

StanCorp Financial Group Inc., Portland, Ore. (NYSE:SFG)

3 Q 2010 Results

NET INCOME: $46 million

REVENUE: $685 million

3 Q 2009 Results

NET INCOME: $60 million

REVENUE: $702 billion

- The company recognized about $30 million in net capital losses on investments for the quarter, compared with $3.4 million in net capital gains recognized for the third quarter of 2009.

- The discount rate used for new long-term disability insurance claim reserves increased to 5%, from 4.75%.

- New group insurance sales held steady at about $60 million, and total group insurance premiums increased 2.2%, to $473 million. Individual disability insurance premiums increased to about $41 million, from $39 million.

- The ratio of individual disability insurance claims to premiums held steady at about 58%.

UnitedHealth Group Inc., Minnetonka, Minn. (NYSE:UNH)

3 Q 2010 Results

NET INCOME: $1.3 billion

HEALTH PLAN MEMBERS: 33 million

REVENUE: $24 billion

3 Q 2009 Results

NET INCOME: $1 billion

HEALTH PLAN MEMBERS: 32 million

REVENUE: $22 billion

- UnitedHealth earned the equivalent of about $39 in net income for the quarter per major medical plan member.

- Total commercial health plan enrollment held steady at about 25 million, and the bad economy helped increase enrollment in the company’s Medicaid plans.

- Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) relating to deductibility of employee compensation contributed to an increase in the company’s income tax rate to 37% for the quarter, from 32.7% for the third quarter of 2009.

- The company used $1.9 billion in cash to pay for clinical workflow, compliance and health system connectivity acquisitions.

- Allison Bell