A unifying approach to constrained and unconstrained optimal reinsurance

Abstract

In this paper, we study two classes of optimal reinsurance models from perspectives of both insurers and reinsurers by minimizing their convex combination where the risk is measured by a distortion risk measure and the premium is given by a distortion premium principle. Firstly, we show that how optimal reinsurance models for the unconstrained optimization problem and constrained optimization problems can be formulated in a unified way. Secondly, we propose a geometric approach to solve optimal reinsurance problems directly. This paper considers a class of increasing convex ceded loss functions and derives the explicit solutions of the optimal reinsurance which can be in forms of quota-share, stop-loss, change-loss, the combination of quota-share and change-loss or the combination of change-loss and change-loss with different retentions. Finally, we consider two specific cases: Value at Risk (VaR) and Tail Value at Risk (TVaR).