Fractional insurance: strategies to deal with huge potential losses

Abstract

This paper describes and compares different optimization criteria for choosing fractional insurance coverage for risky ventures that may incur large losses and have high insurance rates due to substantial chances of failure. Four criteria are included: minimax loss, minimum expected loss, minimum expected loss with a limit on maximum loss, and maximum expected utility. The discussion is illustrated by satellite missions that can incur losses in excess of $100 million.