J. C. Penney said it will leave...

J. C. Penney said it will leave the casualty insurance business that it entered in 1976, when it began selling auto and homeowner policies through its stores and direct marketing. Its JCPenney Casualty Insurance Co. has 350,000 policies in force and collected $168 million last year in premiums--80% of it for auto insurance. Tillinghast & Co., an insurance consulting firm, is helping Penney market the unit. Penney said it will continue selling life insurance through another subsidiary.