UPDATE 1-State Auto Financial posts wider-than-expected Q3 loss

* Q3 loss from operations $0.30/shr

* Analysts were expecting loss of $0.16/shr

* Q3 earned premiums $280.7 mln

Oct 23 (Reuters) - State Auto Financial Corp (STFC.O), a regional property and casualty insurance holding company, reported a wider-than-expected quarterly loss, weighed down by higher catastrophe losses.

For the third quarter, the company reported a net loss of $14.7 million, or 37 cents a share, compared with a profit of $23.2 million, or 55 cents a share, a year earlier.

Loss from operations was 30 cents a share for the latest quarter.

Analysts on average expected a loss of 16 cents a share, before items, according to Reuters Estimates.

"Thirty-six catastrophes have been reported so far in 2008, and STFC has had a piece of all but two. Hurricane Ike was the most significant third quarter event, generating over 15,000 claims," Chief Executive Bob Restrepo said in a statement.

Earned premiums rose 11 percent to $280.7 million.

Shares of the Columbus, Ohio-based company closed at $23.94 Wednesday on Nasdaq. (Reporting by Santosh Nadgir in Bangalore; Editing by Deepak Kannan)