Note 1 - Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements - Basis of Presentation and Business Overview (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Accounting, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Our condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP and include the accounts of all wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions, and intercompany profits and losses, have been eliminated.
Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of our contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. While the amounts included in our condensed consolidated financial statements include our best estimates and assumptions, actual results may vary materially.
Debt, Policy [Policy Text Block]	We accounted for the June 2015 purchases of a portion of our outstanding convertible debt in exchange for cash and shares of Radian Group common stock as an induced conversion of convertible debt in accordance with the accounting standard regarding derecognition of debt with conversion and other options, and the accounting standard regarding debt modifications and extinguishments. The accounting standards require the recognition through earnings of an inducement charge equal to the fair value of the consideration delivered in excess of the consideration issuable under the original conversion terms. The remaining consideration delivered and transaction costs incurred are required to be allocated between the extinguishment of the liability component and the reacquisition of the equity component. Therefore, we recognized as a loss on induced conversion and debt extinguishment the sum of: (i) the inducement charge; (ii) the difference between the fair value and the carrying value of the liability component of the purchased debt; (iii) transaction costs allocated to the debt component; and (iv) unamortized debt issuance costs related to the purchased debt.
Stockholders' Equity, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Our ASR program consisted of the combination of the purchase of Radian Group common stock from an investment bank and a forward contract with that investment bank indexed to Radian Group common stock. We accounted for the ASR program in accordance with the provisions of the accounting standards regarding derivatives and hedging for contracts indexed to an entity’s own stock, and the accounting standard regarding equity. The up-front payment to the investment bank as part of the ASR program was accounted for as a reduction to stockholders’ equity in our consolidated balance sheets in the second quarter of 2015, the period in which the payment was made. The shares of Radian Group common stock received were retired, resulting in a decrease in shares issued and outstanding and a corresponding increase in unissued shares in the periods delivered. We reflect the ASR program as a repurchase of common stock in the periods delivered for purposes of calculating earnings per share and as forward contracts indexed to the company’s own common stock. The ASR program met all of the applicable criteria for equity classification, and therefore, was not accounted for as a derivative instrument.
Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Description of New Accounting Pronouncements Not yet Adopted [Text Block]	In May 2014, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard regarding revenue recognition. This update is intended to provide a consistent approach in recognizing revenue. In accordance with the new standard, recognition of revenue occurs when a customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In addition, the new standard requires that reporting companies disclose the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. While this update is not expected to change revenue recognition principles related to our insurance products, this update may be applicable to revenues from our Services segment, which has been included in our condensed consolidated statements of operations beginning with the third quarter of 2014. In July 2015, the FASB delayed the effective date for this updated standard to interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017.
Accounting Standards Update 2015-03 [Member] [Domain]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]	This update has also been applied retrospectively to prior periods presented. In April 2015, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard for the presentation of debt issuance costs in financial statements. The new standard requires an entity to present debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability as a direct reduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liability, consistent with debt discounts, rather than as a separate asset as currently required. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by the update. The provisions of this update are effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and must be applied on a retrospective basis for all periods presented. We early adopted this update effective June 30, 2015, as permitted for financial statements that have not been previously issued.
Accounting Standards Update 2015-05 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Description of New Accounting Pronouncements Not yet Adopted [Text Block]	In April 2015, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard for the accounting of internal-use software. The amendments in this update provide guidance to customers about whether a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license. If a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license, then the customer should account for the software license element of the arrangement consistent with the acquisition of other software licenses. If a cloud computing arrangement does not include a software license, the customer should account for the arrangement as a service contract. The provisions of this update are effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and early adoption is permitted.
Accounting Standards Update 2015-09 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Description of New Accounting Pronouncements Not yet Adopted [Text Block]	In May 2015, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard for the accounting of short-duration insurance contracts by insurance entities. The amendments in this update require insurance entities to disclose certain information about the liability for unpaid claims and claim adjustment expenses. The additional information required is focused on improvements in disclosures regarding insurance liabilities, including the timing, nature and uncertainty of future cash flows related to insurance liabilities and the effect of those cash flows on the statement of comprehensive income. The disclosures required by this update are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016; early adoption is permitted.
Accounting Standards Update 2015-16 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Description of New Accounting Pronouncements Not yet Adopted [Text Block]	In September 2015, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard for the accounting of business combinations to simplify the accounting for measurement period adjustments. The update requires adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period to be recognized by the acquirer in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. In that same reporting period, the acquirer must record in its financial statements the effect on earnings of changes in depreciation, amortization, or other income effects, if any, as a result of the change to the provisional amounts, calculated as if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date. Prior to the update to the accounting standard, adjustments to provisional amounts were required to be made retrospectively, with a corresponding adjustment to goodwill. The changes required by this update must be applied prospectively to provisional amount adjustments that are recorded in annual periods beginning after the December 15, 2015 effective date; early application is permitted for financial statements that have not been issued.

Note 1 - Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements - Basis of Presentation and Business Overview (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2015

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Accounting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Our condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP and include the accounts of all wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions, and intercompany profits and losses, have been eliminated.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of our contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. While the amounts included in our condensed consolidated financial statements include our best estimates and assumptions, actual results may vary materially.

Debt, Policy [Policy Text Block]

We accounted for the June 2015 purchases of a portion of our outstanding convertible debt in exchange for cash and shares of Radian Group common stock as an induced conversion of convertible debt in accordance with the accounting standard regarding derecognition of debt with conversion and other options, and the accounting standard regarding debt modifications and extinguishments. The accounting standards require the recognition through earnings of an inducement charge equal to the fair value of the consideration delivered in excess of the consideration issuable under the original conversion terms. The remaining consideration delivered and transaction costs incurred are required to be allocated between the extinguishment of the liability component and the reacquisition of the equity component. Therefore, we recognized as a loss on induced conversion and debt extinguishment the sum of: (i) the inducement charge; (ii) the difference between the fair value and the carrying value of the liability component of the purchased debt; (iii) transaction costs allocated to the debt component; and (iv) unamortized debt issuance costs related to the purchased debt.

Stockholders' Equity, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Our ASR program consisted of the combination of the purchase of Radian Group common stock from an investment bank and a forward contract with that investment bank indexed to Radian Group common stock. We accounted for the ASR program in accordance with the provisions of the accounting standards regarding derivatives and hedging for contracts indexed to an entity’s own stock, and the accounting standard regarding equity. The up-front payment to the investment bank as part of the ASR program was accounted for as a reduction to stockholders’ equity in our consolidated balance sheets in the second quarter of 2015, the period in which the payment was made. The shares of Radian Group common stock received were retired, resulting in a decrease in shares issued and outstanding and a corresponding increase in unissued shares in the periods delivered. We reflect the ASR program as a repurchase of common stock in the periods delivered for purposes of calculating earnings per share and as forward contracts indexed to the company’s own common stock. The ASR program met all of the applicable criteria for equity classification, and therefore, was not accounted for as a derivative instrument.

Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 [Member]

New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]

Description of New Accounting Pronouncements Not yet Adopted [Text Block]

In May 2014, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard regarding revenue recognition. This update is intended to provide a consistent approach in recognizing revenue. In accordance with the new standard, recognition of revenue occurs when a customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In addition, the new standard requires that reporting companies disclose the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. While this update is not expected to change revenue recognition principles related to our insurance products, this update may be applicable to revenues from our Services segment, which has been included in our condensed consolidated statements of operations beginning with the third quarter of 2014. In July 2015, the FASB delayed the effective date for this updated standard to interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017.

Accounting Standards Update 2015-03 [Member] [Domain]

New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

This update has also been applied retrospectively to prior periods presented.

In April 2015, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard for the presentation of debt issuance costs in financial statements. The new standard requires an entity to present debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability as a direct reduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liability, consistent with debt discounts, rather than as a separate asset as currently required. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by the update. The provisions of this update are effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and must be applied on a retrospective basis for all periods presented. We early adopted this update effective June 30, 2015, as permitted for financial statements that have not been previously issued.

Accounting Standards Update 2015-05 [Member]

New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]

Description of New Accounting Pronouncements Not yet Adopted [Text Block]

In April 2015, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard for the accounting of internal-use software. The amendments in this update provide guidance to customers about whether a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license. If a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license, then the customer should account for the software license element of the arrangement consistent with the acquisition of other software licenses. If a cloud computing arrangement does not include a software license, the customer should account for the arrangement as a service contract. The provisions of this update are effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and early adoption is permitted.

Accounting Standards Update 2015-09 [Member]

New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]

Description of New Accounting Pronouncements Not yet Adopted [Text Block]

In May 2015, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard for the accounting of short-duration insurance contracts by insurance entities. The amendments in this update require insurance entities to disclose certain information about the liability for unpaid claims and claim adjustment expenses. The additional information required is focused on improvements in disclosures regarding insurance liabilities, including the timing, nature and uncertainty of future cash flows related to insurance liabilities and the effect of those cash flows on the statement of comprehensive income. The disclosures required by this update are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016; early adoption is permitted.

Accounting Standards Update 2015-16 [Member]

New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]

Description of New Accounting Pronouncements Not yet Adopted [Text Block]

In September 2015, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard for the accounting of business combinations to simplify the accounting for measurement period adjustments. The update requires adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period to be recognized by the acquirer in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. In that same reporting period, the acquirer must record in its financial statements the effect on earnings of changes in depreciation, amortization, or other income effects, if any, as a result of the change to the provisional amounts, calculated as if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date. Prior to the update to the accounting standard, adjustments to provisional amounts were required to be made retrospectively, with a corresponding adjustment to goodwill. The changes required by this update must be applied prospectively to provisional amount adjustments that are recorded in annual periods beginning after the December 15, 2015 effective date; early application is permitted for financial statements that have not been issued.