Comp Underwriting Profit Moving Onto Shakier Ground, Analysts Say

The workers’ comp industry is on track to end this year with an underwriting profit, according to analysts, but 2018 may be a different story, as ongoing rate decreases could move insurers toward the break-even point. A new report from Fitch Ratings on performance of the property and casualty industry predicts a workers’ comp combined ratio of 97% for 2017. That’s a slight deterioration from a combined ratio of 95.4% in 2015 and 95.6% in 2016, according to Fitch. Fitch Managing Director Jim Auden said he foresees the workers’ comp underwriting gain to be closer to...