Workers' compensation premiums in Oregon totaled $907.5 million for the 2005 calendar year, up 5.6 percent from 2004.

Liberty Northwest led all private insurers in 2005 with $122.0 million in direct premium written.

Private insurers' overall loss ratio improved in 2005, decreasing to 83.2. SAIF's ratio decreased to 65.8. The average loss ratio for privates and SAIF decreased to 72.9.

SAIF, private, and self-insurers experienced premium increases in 2005. Private insurers' market share was 39.3 percent, SAIF's share was 46.1 percent, and self-insurers' share was 14.6 percent. In 2004, their shares were 41.4 percent, 44.3 percent, and 14.3 percent respectively.

Although 426 private insurers were authorized to write workers' compensation insurance in Oregon in 2005, only 177 reported positive written premium for the year.

Liberty Mutual Companies led all private insurer groups with $152.4 million in total-system written premium in 2005, 42.7 percent of the total for all private insurers.

There were 150 self-insured employers active in Oregon for at least part of 2005. Their total simulated net premium was $132.5 million, up 7.6 percent from 2004.

Earned large deductible premium credits (LDPC) remain a significant portion of premiums in 2005 with estimated total credits of $60.3 million, representing 16.9 percent of the total-system written premium for private insurers.

As a measure of profitability, Oregon's ten-year average direct return on net worth was 5.3 percent, slightly lower than the ten-year countrywide average of 7.4 percent. Another measure of profitability, the combined ratio, shows Oregon's 2005 ratio at 120 while the countrywide ratio was 98. In 2004, Oregon's combined ratio was 119 while the countrywide ratio was 94.

Dividends paid or credited to policyholders by SAIF and private insurers decreased from $4.5 million in 2004 to $1.4 million in 2005. SAIF distributed dividends of $0.0 million (a first occurance), down from $2.0 million. Private insurers distributed dividends of $1.4 million, down from $2.6 million in 2004.

The top 30 private insurers had an average expense loading factor of 1.423, up from 1.382 in 2004. Since 1990, SAIF's load factor has been lower than the private-market average. SAIF had a 2005 load factor of 1.204, up from 1.203 in 2004.

Oregon's Assigned Risk Pool (ARP) written premiums were up 2.4 percent, from $57.5 million in 2004 to $58.9 million. At 8.2 percent of direct premium written (per NAIC; excludes self insurers and LDPCs), Oregon's residual market, as a share of its workers' compensation market, was sixth smallest among 24 jurisdictions with fully assigned risk plans.

The insurance commissioner approved a 2.1 percent decrease in overall rates for 2007. This represents the seventeenth consecutive year of either rate reductions or no increase in overall pure premium.