The 1980s financial crisis also affected insurance companies, with commercial insurers doubling and tripling rates to make up for "cash flow" underwriting in the late 1970s. In cash flow underwriting, an insurer undercuts premiums, expecting to make substantial profit on an anticipated investment return of 15% to 20%. The problem was that when the rate of return lowered from 20% in 1980 to 8% in 1984, the loss in anticipated investment profit could not sustain the outflow of cash necessary to pay insurance claims.  