Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2015 / iii / Paper 34 / 1

Write $m_X=\mathbb{E}{X}_1$ and $v_X=\mathrm{Var}(X_1)$. For the random sum of independent claims, conditioning on $N$ givesThe law of total expectation and the law of total variance therefore give the aggregate momentsThe first term in the variance measures variation of the individual claims at a fixed count; the second measures variation of the count itself. These formulas require the indicated moments to be finite.

For the moment-generating function, independent random variables givewhere $G_N(z)=\mathbb{E}[z^N]$ is the probability generating function. This identity holds wherever the expectations are finite; in particular a moment-generating function need not exist for positive $t$ for an arbitrary positive claim distribution. The empty sum for $N=0$ is zero.

For the exponential distribution with expected value $\mu$,The Poisson distribution has both expected value and variance equal to $\lambda$. Substitution into the random sum of independent claims formulas gives the portfolio A moments

To distinguish the random intensity from its possible values, write it as $\Lambda$. Its law is a gamma distribution with shape $2$ and rate $p/q$. HenceFor the Poisson mixture, conditional expectation and conditional variance both equal $\Lambda$. The law of total expectation and the law of total variance yieldwhere $p+q=1$. Applying the random sum of independent claims formulas with the exponential distribution of the claim sizes gives the portfolio B momentsAt the matched intensity ${\lambda }_0$, the expected value for portfolio A is also $2q\mu /p$, whereas its variance is $4q{\mu }^2/p$. Thus the expected totals agree, but mixing increases the variance:The extra term is precisely ${\mu }^2\mathrm{Var}(\Lambda )$.

Conditioning on the intensity in the Poisson mixture givesThus $N$ has the negative binomial distribution with two successes and success probability $p$, counting failures; explicitly $\mathbb{P}(N=j)=(j+1)p^2{q}^j$ for $j\ge 0$. The probability generating function is finite for real $z<1/q$.

The claim-size moment-generating function is $M_X(t)=(1-\mu t{)}^{-1}$. Substituting into the aggregate moment-generating function and using $p+q=1$ givesPut $L(t)=p/(p-\mu t)$, the moment-generating function of an exponential distribution with rate $p/\mu$. The identitythen yieldsThe gamma-mixed Poisson aggregate with exponential claims has three nonnegative mixture weights summing to one. By uniqueness of the moment-generating function near zero, the aggregate distribution isHere ${\delta }_0$ is the Dirac measure at zero. In particular $\mathbb{P}(S=0)=p^2$, consistently with $\mathbb{P}(N=0)$. The positive components have respective expected values $\mu /p$ and $2\mu /p$; their mixture distribution accounts for the possibility of no aggregate payout.