July 22 (Reuters) - W R Berkley ( WRB ) reported a rise

of about 4% in second-quarter profit on Monday, helped by robust

returns on the commercial insurer's investment portfolio and

strong underwriting.

Elevated interest rates have boosted the payouts on bonds,

which make up a major chunk of investments at insurers, while an

equity rally fueled by hopes of a soft landing for the economy

has also lifted gains from their stock portfolios.

The company's net investment income rose 51.8% to a

quarterly record of $372.1 million.

Net premiums written also grew 11.2% to a quarterly record

of $3.13 billion, bolstered by higher demand as economic

resilience encourages businesses to spend money on insurance

policies.

Last week, industry bellwether Travelers also

reported better-than-expected quarterly profit.

Greenwich, Connecticut-based W R Berkley's ( WRB ) insurance

division caters to commercial clients in the United States and

other international markets, while its Reinsurance & Monoline

Excess unit provides coverage to other insurers to help them

manage their risk.

Its profit was $371.9 million, or 92 cents per share, for

the three months ended June 30, compared with $356.3 million, or

87 cents per share, last year.

The company reported a combined ratio of 91.1%, compared

with 89.6% a year earlier. A ratio below 100% shows that an

insurer earned more in premiums than it paid out in claims.

Shares rose 1.9% after the closing bell. As of Monday's

close, they had risen 10.6% so far this year.

(Reporting by Niket Nishant and Arasu Kannagi Basil in

Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)