Workers' compensation premiums in Oregon totaled $766.7 million for the 2009 calendar year, down 18.9 percent from 2008.

Liberty Northwest led all private insurers in 2009 with $74.9 million in direct premium written.

Private insurers' overall loss ratio worsened in 2009, decreasing to 66.2. SAIF's ratio increased to 88.6. The average loss ratio for privates and SAIF decreased to 79.1.

SAIF, private, and self-insurers experienced premium decreases in 2009. Private insurers' market share was 41.5 percent, SAIF's share was 40.8 percent, and self-insurers' share was 17.7 percent. In 2008, their shares were 42.1 percent, 42.6 percent, and 15.2 percent respectively.

Although 438 private insurers were authorized to write workers' compensation insurance in Oregon in 2009, only 184 reported positive written premium for the year.

Liberty Mutual Companies led all private insurer groups with $111.3 million in total-system written premium in 2009, 21.7 percent of the total for all private insurers.

There were 135 self-insured employers active in Oregon for at least part of 2009. Their total simulated net premium was $135.5 million, down 5.9 percent from 2008.

Earned large deductible premium credits (LDPC) remain a significant portion of premiums in 2009 with estimated total credits of $80.0 million, representing 32.1 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 5.0 percent, slightly lower than the ten-year countrywide average of 6.4 percent. Another measure of profitability, the combined ratio, shows Oregon's 2009 ratio at 125 while the countrywide ratio was 108. In 2008, Oregon's combined ratio was 117 while the countrywide ratio was 103.

Dividends paid or credited to policyholders by SAIF and private insurers increased from $1.1 million in 2008 to $2.9 million in 2009.

The top 30 private insurers had an average expense loading factor of 1.385, down from 1.403 in 2008. Since 1990, SAIF's load factor has been lower than the private-market average. SAIF had a 2009 load factor of 1.201, down from 1.204 in 2008.

Oregon's Assigned Risk Pool (ARP) written premiums were down 36.4 percent, from $38.2 million in 2008 to $24.3 million. At 4.5 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 thirteenth smallest among 24 jurisdictions with fully assigned risk plans.

The insurance commissioner approved a 1.8 percent lowering in overall rates for 2011. This represents the twenty-first consecutive year of either rate reductions or no increase in overall pure premium.