Optimal reinsurance for risk over surplus ratios

Abstract

Optimal reinsurance when Value at Risk and expected surplus is balanced through their ratio is studied, and it is demonstrated how results for risk-adjusted surplus can be utilized. Simplifications for large portfolios are derived, and this large-portfolio study suggests a new condition on the reinsurance pricing regime which is crucial for the results obtained. One or two layer contracts now become optimal for both risk-adjusted surplus and the risk over expected surplus ratio, but there is no second layer when portfolios are large or when reinsurance prices are below some threshold. Simple approximations of the optimum portfolio is considered, and their degree of degradation compared to the optimum is studied which leads to theoretical degradation rates as the number of policies grow. The theory is supported by numerical experiments which suggest that the shape of the claim severity distributions may not be of primary importance when designing an optimal reinsurance program. It is argued that the approach can be applied to Conditional Value at Risk as well.