NEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil stockpiles fell unexpectedly last week as refiners continued to increase activity while gasoline inventories swelled more than expected, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday.
Crude inventories fell by 2 million barrels to 445 million barrels in the week ended March 15, the EIA said, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 13,000-barrel rise.
Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub fell by 18,000 barrels last week, the EIA said.
Refinery crude runs rose by 127,000 barrels per day, the EIA said.
Refinery utilization rates rose by 1 percentage points in the week.
U.S. gasoline stocks fell by 3.3 million barrels in the week to 230.8 million barrels, the EIA said, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1.3 million-barrel draw.
Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 624,000 barrels to 118.5 million barrels, versus expectations for an 87,000 drop, EIA data showed.
Net U.S. crude imports fell last week by 947,000 barrels per day, EIA said.
(Reporting by Laila Kearney and Stephanie Kelly)
