	prudential records best results in six years prudential corporation plc which earlier announced a pct rise in pre tax profits said it had recorded its best general insurance result for six years but had not reached satisfactory levels of profit in other areas group chief executive brian corby told a news conference that despite returning to trading profits the international division and the mercantile and general division had not reached satisfactory levels but he said he welcomed mercantile and general trading profits in and was optimistic about both that and the international division the acquisition of the u s life company jackson national had a small effect in but its full effect would be felt in the results corby said the group also intended to expand the number of its estate agency firms bought last year and hoped they will comprise between and pct of total company profits in the future we hope they will be very profitable very shortly we are looking for profits from the estate agencies themselves as well as the insurance products associated with them corby said prudential s pre tax profits rose from s mln stg to mln stg in reuter 
