Book Description

During the last two decades actuarial research has developed in a more applied direction. Although the original risk models generally served as convenient and sometimes tractable mathematical examples of general probabilistic and/or statistical theories, nowadays models and techniques are encountered that can be considered to be typically actuarial. Examples include ordering of risks by dangerousness, credibility theory and techniques based on IBNR models. Not only does this book present the underlying mathematics of these subjects, but it also deals with the practical application of the techniques. In order to provide results based on real insurance portfolios, use is made of three software packages, namely SLIC performing stop-loss insurance calculations for individual and collective risk models, CRAC dealing with actuarial applications of credibility theory, and LORE giving IBNR-based estimates for loss reserves. Worked-out examples illustrate the theoretical results. This book is intended for use in preparing university actuarial exams, and contains many exercises with varying levels of complexity. It is valuable as a textbook for students in actuarial sciences during their last year of study. Due to the emphasis on applications and because of the worked-out examples on real portfolio data, it is also useful for practising actuaries to guide them in interpreting their own results.