Mathematical and Statistical Methods for Actuarial Sciences and Finance

This volume collects a selection of refereed papers of the more than one hundred presented at the InternationalConference MAF 2008 – Mathematicaland Statistical Methods for Actuarial Sciences and Finance. The conference was organised by the Department of Applied Mathematics and theDepartment ofStatisticsoftheUniversityCa’Foscari Venice(Italy),withthec- laborationofthe Department ofEconomics and StatisticalSciences ofthe University ofSalerno(Italy).Itwas heldinVenice, fromMarch 26to28,2008,attheprestigious CavalliFranchettipalace, alongGrand Canal,oftheIstitutoVenetodiScienze,Lettere ed Arti. This conference was the ?rst international edition of a biennial national series begunin2004,whichwas bornof thebrilliantbeliefofthe colleagues –and friends– oftheDepartmentofEconomicsandStatisticalSciences oftheUniversityofSalerno: the idea following which the cooperation between mathematicians and statisticians in working in actuarial sciences, in insurance and in ?nance can improve research on these topics. The proof of this consists in the wide participation in these events. In particular, with reference to the 2008 internationaledition: – More than 150 attendants, both academicians and practitioners; – More than 100 accepted communications, organised in 26 parallel sessions, from authors coming from about twenty countries (namely: Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic,France, Germany, Great Britain,Greece, Hungary,Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, USA); – two plenary guest-organised sessions; and – aprestigiouskeynotelecturedeliveredbyProfessorWolfgangHa ¨rdleoftheH- boldt Universityof Berlin (Germany).