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An elementary approach to discrete models of dividend strategies

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  • Gerber, Hans U.
  • Shiu, Elias S.W.
  • Yang, Hailiang

Abstract

The paper studies a discrete counterpart of Gerber et al. (2006). The surplus of an insurance company (before dividends) is modeled as a time-homogeneous Markov chain with possible changes of size +1,0,-1,-2,-3,.... If a barrier strategy is applied for paying dividends, it is shown that the dividends-penalty identity holds. The identity expresses the expected present value of a penalty at ruin in terms of the expected discounted dividends until ruin and the expected present value of the penalty at ruin if no dividends are paid. For the problem of maximizing the difference between the expected discounted dividends until ruin and the expected present value of the penalty at ruin, barrier strategies play a prominent role. In some cases an optimal dividend barrier exists. The paper discusses in detail the special case where the distribution of the change in surplus does not depend on the current surplus (so that in the absence of dividends the surplus process has independent increments). A closed-form result for zero initial surplus is given, and it is shown how the relevant quantities can be calculated recursively. Finally, it is shown how optimal dividend strategies can be determined; typically, they are band strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerber, Hans U. & Shiu, Elias S.W. & Yang, Hailiang, 2010. "An elementary approach to discrete models of dividend strategies," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 109-116, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:insuma:v:46:y:2010:i:1:p:109-116
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cheng, Shixue & Gerber, Hans U. & Shiu, Elias S. W., 2000. "Discounted probabilities and ruin theory in the compound binomial model," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(2-3), pages 239-250, May.
    2. Hans U. Gerber, 1972. "Games of Economic Survival with Discrete- and Continuous-Income Processes," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 20(1), pages 37-45, February.
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    4. Yuen, Kam C. & Wang, Guojing & Li, Wai K., 2007. "The Gerber-Shiu expected discounted penalty function for risk processes with interest and a constant dividend barrier," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 104-112, January.
    5. Dickson, David C. M. & Hipp, Christian, 2001. "On the time to ruin for Erlang(2) risk processes," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 333-344, December.
    6. Hans Gerber & Elias Shiu, 2005. "The Time Value of Ruin in a Sparre Andersen Model," North American Actuarial Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(2), pages 49-69.
    7. Pavlova, Kristina P. & Willmot, Gordon E., 2004. "The discrete stationary renewal risk model and the Gerber-Shiu discounted penalty function," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 267-277, October.
    8. Li, Shuanming & Garrido, José, 2002. "On the time value of ruin in the discrete time risk model," DEE - Working Papers. Business Economics. WB wb021812, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía de la Empresa.
    9. Benjamin Avanzi, 2009. "Strategies for Dividend Distribution: A Review," North American Actuarial Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(2), pages 217-251.
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    11. S. X. Liu & J. Y. Guo, 2006. "Discrete Risk Model Revisited," Methodology and Computing in Applied Probability, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 303-313, June.
    12. Albrecher, Hansjörg & Constantinescu, Corina & Pirsic, Gottlieb & Regensburger, Georg & Rosenkranz, Markus, 2010. "An algebraic operator approach to the analysis of Gerber-Shiu functions," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 42-51, February.
    13. Sheldon Lin, X. & E. Willmot, Gordon & Drekic, Steve, 2003. "The classical risk model with a constant dividend barrier: analysis of the Gerber-Shiu discounted penalty function," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 551-566, December.
    14. Gerber, Hans U. & Lin, X. Sheldon & Yang, Hailiang, 2006. "A Note on the Dividends-Penalty Identity and the Optimal Dividend Barrier," ASTIN Bulletin, Cambridge University Press, vol. 36(2), pages 489-503, November.
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    Cited by:

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    2. He, Yue & Kawai, Reiichiro & Shimizu, Yasutaka & Yamazaki, Kazutoshi, 2023. "The Gerber-Shiu discounted penalty function: A review from practical perspectives," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 1-28.
    3. Christian Hipp, 2020. "Optimal Dividend Payment in De Finetti Models: Survey and New Results and Strategies," Risks, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-27, September.
    4. Chen, Mi & Yuen, Kam Chuen & Guo, Junyi, 2014. "Survival probabilities in a discrete semi-Markov risk model," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 232(C), pages 205-215.
    5. Yue He & Reiichiro Kawai & Yasutaka Shimizu & Kazutoshi Yamazaki, 2022. "The Gerber-Shiu discounted penalty function: A review from practical perspectives," Papers 2203.10680, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2022.
    6. Zhou, Zhou & Jin, Zhuo, 2020. "Optimal equilibrium barrier strategies for time-inconsistent dividend problems in discrete time," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 100-108.

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