Note 1 - Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements - Business Overview and Significant Accounting Policies	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure and Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]	Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements—Business Overview and Significant Accounting Policies Business Overview We are a diversified mortgage and real estate services business, providing both credit-related insurance coverage and other credit risk management solutions, as well as a broad array of mortgage, real estate and title services. We have two reportable business segments—Mortgage Insurance and Services. Mortgage Insurance Our Mortgage Insurance segment provides credit-related insurance coverage, principally through private mortgage insurance on residential first-lien mortgage loans, as well as other credit risk management solutions, to mortgage lending institutions and mortgage credit investors. We provide our mortgage insurance products and services mainly through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Radian Guaranty. Private mortgage insurance plays an important role in the U.S. housing finance system because it promotes affordable home ownership and helps protect mortgage lenders, investors and other beneficiaries by mitigating default-related losses on residential mortgage loans. Generally, these loans are made to homebuyers who make down payments of less than 20% of the purchase price for their home or, in the case of refinancings, have less than 20% equity in their home. Private mortgage insurance also facilitates the sale of these low down payment loans in the secondary mortgage market, most of which are currently sold to the GSEs. Our total direct primary mortgage IIF and RIF were $237.2 billion and $60.4 billion, respectively, as of September 30, 2019. Services Our Services segment is primarily a fee-for-service business that offers a broad array of services to market participants across the mortgage and real estate value chain. These services comprise mortgage services, real estate services and title services, including technology and turn-key solutions, that provide information and other resources used to originate, evaluate, acquire, securitize, service and monitor residential real estate and loans secured by residential real estate. These services are primarily provided to mortgage lenders, financial institutions, investors and government entities. In addition, we provide title insurance to mortgage lenders as well as directly to borrowers. Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation Our condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP and include the accounts of Radian Group Inc. and its subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions, and intercompany profits and losses, have been eliminated. We have condensed or omitted certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP pursuant to the instructions set forth in Article 10 of Regulation S-X of the SEC. We refer to Radian Group Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries as “Radian,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our,” unless the context requires otherwise. We generally refer to Radian Group Inc. alone, without its consolidated subsidiaries, as “Radian Group.” Unless otherwise defined in this report, certain terms and acronyms used throughout this report are defined in the Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms included as part of this report. The financial information presented for interim periods is unaudited; however, such information reflects all adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair statement of the financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income and cash flows for the interim periods presented. Such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. The year-end condensed balance sheet data was derived from our audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. To fully understand the basis of presentation, these interim financial statements and related notes contained herein should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in our 2018 Form 10-K. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the full year or for any other period. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation. Use of Estimates 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. Other Significant Accounting Policies See Note 2 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our 2018 Form 10-K for information regarding other significant accounting policies. There have been no significant changes in our significant accounting policies from those discussed in our 2018 Form 10-K, other than described below in “—Recent Accounting Pronouncements—Accounting Standards Adopted During 2019.” Recent Accounting Pronouncements Accounting Standards Adopted During 2019. We adopted ASU 2016-02, Leases (“ASU 2016-02”), on January 1, 2019. Most significantly, this update requires a lessee to recognize, as of the lease commencement date, a liability to make lease payments and an asset with respect to its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. Upon adoption for contracts in effect as of January 1, 2019, we recorded a lease liability of $73.5 million within other liabilities, and a right-of-use asset of $49.4 million within other assets, corresponding to the lease liability as adjusted for deferred rent and unamortized allowances and incentives of $24.1 million. We elected the optional transition method and the practical expedients for transitioning existing leases to the new standard as of the effective date. As a result of applying the practical expedients: (i) we did not reassess expired or existing contracts to determine if they contain additional leases; (ii) we did not reassess the lease classification for expired and existing leases; and (iii) we did not reassess initial direct costs for existing leases. Prior period amounts continue to be reported in accordance with our historic accounting under previous lease guidance. With respect to leases entered into subsequent to the adoption of this ASU, we determine if an arrangement includes a lease at inception. If it does, we recognize a right-of-use asset and lease liability in other assets and other liabilities, respectively, in our condensed consolidated balance sheet. Right-of-use assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and are recognized net of any payments made or received from the lessor. Lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease and are based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. In determining the net present value of lease payments, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the lease commencement date or as of our date of adoption, January 1, 2019. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the expected lease term. For lease agreements entered into after the adoption of this ASU that include lease and non-lease components, such components are generally not accounted for separately. We have elected the short-term exemption for contracts with lease terms of 12 months or less. Our lease agreements primarily relate to operating leases for office space we use in our operations. Certain of our leases include renewal options and/or termination options that we did not consider in the determination of the right-of-use asset or the lease liability as we did not believe it was reasonably certain that we would exercise such options. Our lease agreements do not contain any variable lease payments, material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants. We do not have material sublease agreements. As of September 30, 2019, there were no leases that had not yet commenced but that created significant rights and obligations for us. See Note 12 for more information about our lease agreements. We adopted ASU 2017-08, Receivables-Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs, on January 1, 2019. The new standard requires certain premiums on purchased callable debt securities to be amortized to the earliest call date. The amortization period for callable debt securities purchased at a discount will not be impacted. The adoption of this update did not have a material effect on our financial statements and disclosures. Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses, and issued subsequent amendments to the initial guidance. This ASU and the associated subsequent amendments require that financial assets measured at their amortized cost basis be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. Credit losses relating to our available for sale debt securities are to be recorded through an allowance for credit losses, rather than a write-down of the asset, with the amount of the allowance limited to the amount by which fair value is less than amortized cost. This allowance method will allow reversals of credit losses if the estimate of credit losses declines. This ASU will also affect certain of our accounts and notes receivable, including premiums receivable, and certain of our other assets, including reinsurance recoverables. However, this ASU is not applicable to the accounting for insurance losses and loss adjustment expenses. Due to the nature of our assets affected by this update, we do not expect it to have a material effect on our financial statements and disclosures. This update is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for the fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-12, Financial Services-Insurance. The new standard: (i) requires that assumptions used to measure the liability for future policy benefits be reviewed at least annually; (ii) defines and simplifies the measurement of market risk benefits; (iii) simplifies the amortization of deferred acquisition costs; and (iv) enhances the required disclosures about long-duration contracts. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of the adoption of this update but do not expect it to have a material effect on our financial statements and disclosures. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software. This ASU requires the capitalization of implementation costs for activities performed in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract. The new standard aligns the accounting for implementation costs of hosting arrangements that are service contracts with the accounting for capitalizing internal-use software. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of the adoption of this update but do not expect it to have a material effect on our financial statements and disclosures. In April 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-04, Codification Improvements related to Financial Instruments-Credit Losses, Derivatives and Hedging, and Financial Instruments. This update to the accounting standards regarding financial instruments and derivatives and hedging clarifies the accounting treatment for the measurement of credit losses and provides further clarification on previously issued updates. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of the adoption of this update but do not expect it to have a material effect on our financial statements and disclosures.

We are a diversified mortgage and real estate services business, providing both credit-related insurance coverage and other credit risk management solutions, as well as a broad array of mortgage, real estate and title services. We have two reportable business segments—Mortgage Insurance and Services.

Our Mortgage Insurance segment provides credit-related insurance coverage, principally through private mortgage insurance on residential first-lien mortgage loans, as well as other credit risk management solutions, to mortgage lending institutions and mortgage credit investors. We provide our mortgage insurance products and services mainly through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Radian Guaranty. Private mortgage insurance plays an important role in the U.S. housing finance system because it promotes affordable home ownership and helps protect mortgage lenders, investors and other beneficiaries by mitigating default-related losses on residential mortgage loans. Generally, these loans are made to homebuyers who make down payments of less than 20% of the purchase price for their home or, in the case of refinancings, have less than 20% equity in their home. Private mortgage insurance also facilitates the sale of these low down payment loans in the secondary mortgage market, most of which are currently sold to the GSEs. Our total direct primary mortgage IIF and RIF were $237.2 billion and $60.4 billion, respectively, as of September 30, 2019.

Our Services segment is primarily a fee-for-service business that offers a broad array of services to market participants across the mortgage and real estate value chain. These services comprise mortgage services, real estate services and title services, including technology and turn-key solutions, that provide information and other resources used to originate, evaluate, acquire, securitize, service and monitor residential real estate and loans secured by residential real estate. These services are primarily provided to mortgage lenders, financial institutions, investors and government entities. In addition, we provide title insurance to mortgage lenders as well as directly to borrowers.

Our condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP and include the accounts of Radian Group Inc. and its subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions, and intercompany profits and losses, have been eliminated. We have condensed or omitted certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP pursuant to the instructions set forth in Article 10 of Regulation S-X of the SEC.

We refer to Radian Group Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries as “Radian,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our,” unless the context requires otherwise. We generally refer to Radian Group Inc. alone, without its consolidated subsidiaries, as “Radian Group.” Unless otherwise defined in this report, certain terms and acronyms used throughout this report are defined in the Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms included as part of this report.

The financial information presented for interim periods is unaudited; however, such information reflects all adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair statement of the financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income and cash flows for the interim periods presented. Such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. The year-end condensed balance sheet data was derived from our audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP.

To fully understand the basis of presentation, these interim financial statements and related notes contained herein should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in our 2018 Form 10-K. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the full year or for any other period. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation.

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

See Note 2 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our 2018 Form 10-K for information regarding other significant accounting policies. There have been no significant changes in our significant accounting policies from those discussed in our 2018 Form 10-K, other than described below in “—Recent Accounting Pronouncements—Accounting Standards Adopted During 2019.”

Accounting Standards Adopted During 2019. We adopted ASU 2016-02, Leases (“ASU 2016-02”), on January 1, 2019. Most significantly, this update requires a lessee to recognize, as of the lease commencement date, a liability to make lease payments and an asset with respect to its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. Upon adoption for contracts in effect as of January 1, 2019, we recorded a lease liability of $73.5 million within other liabilities, and a right-of-use asset of $49.4 million within other assets, corresponding to the lease liability as adjusted for deferred rent and unamortized allowances and incentives of $24.1 million. We elected the optional transition method and the practical expedients for transitioning existing leases to the new standard as of the effective date. As a result of applying the practical expedients: (i) we did not reassess expired or existing contracts to determine if they contain additional leases; (ii) we did not reassess the lease classification for expired and existing leases; and (iii) we did not reassess initial direct costs for existing leases. Prior period amounts continue to be reported in accordance with our historic accounting under previous lease guidance.

With respect to leases entered into subsequent to the adoption of this ASU, we determine if an arrangement includes a lease at inception. If it does, we recognize a right-of-use asset and lease liability in other assets and other liabilities, respectively, in our condensed consolidated balance sheet. Right-of-use assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and are recognized net of any payments made or received from the lessor. Lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease and are based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. In determining the net present value of lease payments, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the lease commencement date or as of our date of adoption, January 1, 2019.

Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the expected lease term. For lease agreements entered into after the adoption of this ASU that include lease and non-lease components, such components are generally not accounted for separately. We have elected the short-term exemption for contracts with lease terms of 12 months or less.

Our lease agreements primarily relate to operating leases for office space we use in our operations. Certain of our leases include renewal options and/or termination options that we did not consider in the determination of the right-of-use asset or the lease liability as we did not believe it was reasonably certain that we would exercise such options. Our lease agreements do not contain any variable lease payments, material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants. We do not have material sublease agreements. As of September 30, 2019, there were no leases that had not yet commenced but that created significant rights and obligations for us. See Note 12 for more information about our lease agreements.

We adopted ASU 2017-08, Receivables-Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs, on January 1, 2019. The new standard requires certain premiums on purchased callable debt securities to be amortized to the earliest call date. The amortization period for callable debt securities purchased at a discount will not be impacted. The adoption of this update did not have a material effect on our financial statements and disclosures.

Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses, and issued subsequent amendments to the initial guidance. This ASU and the associated subsequent amendments require that financial assets measured at their amortized cost basis be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. Credit losses relating to our available for sale debt securities are to be recorded through an allowance for credit losses, rather than a write-down of the asset, with the amount of the allowance limited to the amount by which fair value is less than amortized cost. This allowance method will allow reversals of credit losses if the estimate of credit losses declines. This ASU will also affect certain of our accounts and notes receivable, including premiums receivable, and certain of our other assets, including reinsurance recoverables. However, this ASU is not applicable to the accounting for insurance losses and loss adjustment expenses. Due to the nature of our assets affected by this update, we do not expect it to have a material effect on our financial statements and disclosures. This update is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for the fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-12, Financial Services-Insurance. The new standard: (i) requires that assumptions used to measure the liability for future policy benefits be reviewed at least annually; (ii) defines and simplifies the measurement of market risk benefits; (iii) simplifies the amortization of deferred acquisition costs; and (iv) enhances the required disclosures about long-duration contracts. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of the adoption of this update but do not expect it to have a material effect on our financial statements and disclosures.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software. This ASU requires the capitalization of implementation costs for activities performed in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract. The new standard aligns the accounting for implementation costs of hosting arrangements that are service contracts with the accounting for capitalizing internal-use software. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of the adoption of this update but do not expect it to have a material effect on our financial statements and disclosures.

In April 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-04, Codification Improvements related to Financial Instruments-Credit Losses, Derivatives and Hedging, and Financial Instruments. This update to the accounting standards regarding financial instruments and derivatives and hedging clarifies the accounting treatment for the measurement of credit losses and provides further clarification on previously issued updates. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of the adoption of this update but do not expect it to have a material effect on our financial statements and disclosures.