Premiums Earned by OR Carriers Up 5.9%

Premiums earned by Oregon workers' compensation insurers for calendar year 2001 totaled $648.4 million, up 5.9 percent from the 2000 premium level of $612.0 million. This was the second increase after four consecutive years of decreases in Oregon's premium volume. The insurance commissioner approved a rate decrease of 3.7 percent for 2001, the eleventh consecutive rate reduction. Private insurers' premiums decreased $3.5 million, or 1.1 percent from $316.8 million in 2000 to $313.3 million in 2001. Four private companies exceeded the $10 million mark for 2001: Liberty Northwest, Zuri...