Optimal reinsurance-investment problem with default risk for an insurer under the constant elasticity of variance model

Abstract

Abstract Accepted by: Giorgio Consigli In this paper we study the optimal reinsurance-investment problem for an insurer with constant absolute risk aversion (CARA) utility. Because the insurer needs to avoid large claims and make profits in the actual operation process, he/she is allowed to buy proportional reinsurance and invest in a risk-free bond, a stock and a default bond. Moreover, the price process of the stock follows the constant elasticity of variance (CEV) model and the correlation between the risk process and the stock’s price is considered. For the objective of expected utility maximization, we establish the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation and derive the optimal reinsurance-investment strategy explicitly for the pre-default case and the post-default case via the dynamic programming. Finally, numerical examples and sensitivity analyses are provided to illustrate the effects of model parameters on the optimal strategy. We find that (i) the default risk has no impact on the optimal strategy of the stock and the parameters of the stock’s price have no impact on the optimal money amount invested in the defaultable bond. (ii) The optimal reinsurance strategy depends on the volatility of the stock’s price under the CEV model. (iii) The correlation between risk model and the stock’s price does have effects on the insurer’s optimal reinsurance-investment strategy. These findings may provide guidance to the management of insurers in practice.