A Samsung flag flies in front of Samsung Electronics' headquarters in southern Seoul. (Newsis) Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance earned a combined 3.27 trillion won ($2.3 billion) in the first half, with both posting double-digit profit growth despite sharply different earnings drivers.Samsung Life reported 1.89 trillion won in net profit attributable to controlling shareholders, up 35.8 percent from a year earlier, according to disclosures released Thursday. Consolidated net profit rose 33.8 percent to 1.97 trillion won.Samsung Fire’s net profit attributable to controlling shareholders increased 10.2 percent to 1.37 trillion won, while consolidated net profit gained 10.1 percent to the same amount.Samsung Life’s growth was led by investments rather than its core insurance business. Insurance service profit fell 35.9 percent on-year to 533.1 billion won, partly due to one-off costs. Investment profit surged 82 percent to 1.86 trillion won on higher dividend income and stronger contributions from subsidiaries and consolidated entities.Its momentum weakened in the second quarter, when net profit attributable to controlling shareholders fell 9.1 percent on-year to 689.9 billion won.Samsung Fire, by contrast, posted growth in both its insurance and investment operations. First-half insurance profit rose 10.9 percent to 1.11 trillion won, while investment profit climbed 22 percent to 788 billion won.Its second-quarter net profit increased 15.7 percent to 738.7 billion won.The insurer’s auto business also returned to profit, swinging from a 9.6 billion won loss in the first quarter to a 29.6 billion won profit in the second. Samsung Fire attributed the turnaround to higher earned premiums and fewer accidents.The picture was reversed in new business, a key indicator of insurers’ future profitability.Samsung Life’s contractual service margin from new business rose 20.4 percent to 1.72 trillion won in the first half, driven by stronger sales of health and whole-life policies.Samsung Fire’s new-business CSM declined 12.6 percent to 1.24 trillion won, although its total CSM balance increased to 14.6 trillion won as of the end of June.