Reinsurance

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

The reinsurance agreements to which we are a party, excluding captive agreements (which were immaterial), are discussed below. The effect of all of our reinsurance agreements on premiums earned and losses incurred is shown in table 4.1 below.


Reinsurance
Table	4.1
		Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
(In thousands)		2020		2019		2020		2019
Premiums earned:
Direct		$	300,557	$	294,909	$	896,346	$	861,705
Assumed		2,729		1,388		8,719		3,275
Ceded (1)		(47,173)		(28,440)		(144,489)		(100,260)
Net premiums earned		$	256,113	$	267,857	$	760,576	$	764,720

Losses incurred:
Direct		$	61,164	$	36,755	$	383,950	$	102,835
Assumed		229		(34)		528		(110)
Ceded		(20,707)		(2,736)		(65,462)		(7,841)
Losses incurred, net		$	40,686	$	33,985	$	319,016	$	94,884

(1)Ceded premiums earned on our quota share reinsurance agreements are net of profit commission. The profit commission varies directly and inversely with the level of ceded losses on a “dollar for dollar” basis and can be eliminated at ceded loss levels higher than we experienced in the first nine months of 2020. As a result, lower levels of losses result in a higher profit commission and less benefit from ceded losses; higher levels of losses result in more benefit from ceded losses and a lower profit commission.

Quota share reinsurance

Each of the reinsurers under our quota share reinsurance (“QSR”) agreements described below has an insurer financial strength rating of A- or better (or a comparable rating) by Standard and Poor's Rating Services, A.M. Best, Moody's, or a combination of the three.

2020 QSR Coverage. We entered into QSR agreements with a group of unaffiliated reinsurers with an effective date of January 1, 2020 (“2020 QSR Transaction”), which provides coverage on eligible NIW in 2020. Under the 2020 QSR Transaction, we will cede losses and premiums on or after the effective date through December 31, 2031, at which time the agreement expires. Early termination of the agreement can be elected by us effective December 31, 2022 and bi-annually thereafter, for a fee, or under specified scenarios for no fee upon prior written notice, including if we will receive less than 90% of the full credit amount under the PMIERs full financial statement credit or full credit under applicable regulatory capital requirements for the risk ceded in any required calculation period.

The structure of the 2020 QSR Transaction is a 30% quota share, with a one-time option, elected by us, to reduce the cede rate to either 25% or 20% effective July 1, 2021, or bi-annually thereafter, for a fee, for all policies covered, with a 20% ceding commission as well as a profit commission. Generally, under the 2020 QSR Transaction we will receive an annual profit commission provided the annual loss ratio on the loans covered under the transaction remains below 62%.

2021 QSR Coverage. In addition, one of the 2020 agreements also provides coverage on eligible NIW in 2021 ("2021 QSR Transaction").

Under the 2021 QSR Transaction, we will cede losses and premiums on or after the effective date through December 31, 2032 for 2021 NIW, at which time the agreement expires. Early termination of the agreement can be elected by us effective December 31, 2023, and bi-annually thereafter, for a fee, or under specified scenarios for no fee upon prior written notice, including if we will receive less than 90% of the full credit amount under the PMIERs for the risk ceded in any required calculation period or full credit under applicable regulatory capital requirements for the risk ceded in any required calculation period.

The structure of the 2021 QSR Transaction is a 17.5% quota share on 2021 NIW, with an option, elected by us, to reduce the cede rate to either 14.5% or 12% effective July 1, 2022 or semiannually thereafter. Generally, under the 2021 QSR Transaction, we will receive a profit commission provided the annual loss ratio on the loans covered under the transaction remains below 62%.

Credit Union Quota Share Program

We entered into a Credit Union QSR Transaction with an unaffiliated reinsurer which covers NIW on loans originated by credit unions from April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2025. Eligible credit union business written before 2020 was covered by our 2019 and prior QSR Transactions. Under the Credit Union QSR Transaction, we will cede losses and premiums on the covered NIW through December 31, 2039. Early termination of the agreement can be elected by us at any quarter-end if we will receive less than 80% of the full credit amount under the PMIERs for the risk ceded in any required calculation period or full credit under applicable regulatory capital requirements for the risk ceded in any required calculation period.

The structure of the Credit Union QSR Transaction is a 65% quota share, with a 20% ceding commission as well as a profit commission. Generally, we will receive a profit commission provided the annual loss ratio on the loans covered under the transaction remains below 50%.

2019 and prior QSR Transactions. See Note 9 “Reinsurance” to Consolidated Financial Statements in our 2019 Form 10-K for more information about our QSR Transactions entered into prior to 2020.

Our QSR Transactions typically have annual loss ratio caps of 300% and lifetime loss ratio caps of 200%.

Table 4.2 below provides a summary of our quota share reinsurance agreements, excluding captive agreements, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019.


Quota Share Reinsurance
Table	4.2
		Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
(In thousands)		2020		2019		2020		2019
Ceded premiums written and earned, net of profit commission (1)		$	43,448	$	23,032	$	131,651	$	87,721
Ceded losses incurred		20,707		2,729		65,493		7,845
Ceding commissions (2)		12,128		11,042		35,518		37,807
Profit commission (3)		17,191		32,177		45,939		108,079

(1)Under our QSR Transactions, premiums are ceded on an earned and received basis as defined in the agreements. The nine months ended September 30, 2019 include a $6.8 million termination fee related to our 2015 QSR Transaction.

(2)Ceding commissions are reported within Other underwriting and operating expenses, net on the consolidated statements of operations.

(3)The profit commission varies directly and inversely with the level of ceded losses on a “dollar for dollar” basis and can be eliminated at ceded loss levels higher than we experienced in the first nine months of 2020. As a result, lower levels of losses result in a higher profit commission and less benefit from ceded losses; higher levels of losses result in a lower profit commission and more benefit from ceded losses.

Under the terms of our QSR Transactions, currently in effect, reinsurance premiums, ceding commission and profit commission are settled net on a quarterly basis. The ceded premiums due after deducting the related ceding commission and profit commission is reported within Other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

The reinsurance recoverable on loss reserves related to our QSR Transactions was $83.1 million as of September 30, 2020 and $21.6 million as of December 31, 2019. The reinsurance recoverable balance is secured by funds on deposit from the reinsurers, the amount of which is based on the funding requirements of PMIERs. An allowance for credit losses was not required for 2020.

Excess of loss reinsurance

We have aggregate excess of loss reinsurance agreements (“Home Re Transactions”) with unaffiliated special purpose insurers domiciled in Bermuda (“Home Re Entities”). For the reinsurance coverage periods, we retain the first layer of the respective aggregate losses, and a Home Re special purpose entity will then provide second layer coverage up to the outstanding reinsurance coverage amount. We retain losses in excess of the outstanding reinsurance coverage amount. The aggregate excess of loss reinsurance coverage decreases over a ten-year period, subject to certain conditions, as the underlying covered mortgages amortize or are repaid, or mortgage insurance losses are paid. For each of our 2018 and 2019 Home Re Transaction, a “Trigger Event” has occurred because the reinsured principal balance of loans that were reported 60 or more days delinquent exceeded 4% of the total reinsured principal balance of loans under each transaction. While the “Trigger Event” is in effect, payment of principal on the related notes will be suspended and the reinsurance coverage available to MGIC under the transactions will not be reduced by such principal payments.

MGIC has rights to terminate the Home Re Transactions under certain circumstances. The Home Re entities financed the coverages by issuing mortgage insurance-linked notes (“ILNs”) to unaffiliated investors in an aggregate amount equal to the initial reinsurance coverage amounts. The ILNs each have ten-year legal maturities and are non-recourse to any assets of MGIC or affiliates. The proceeds of the ILNs, which were deposited into reinsurance trusts for the benefit of MGIC, will be the source of reinsurance claim payments to MGIC and principal repayments on the ILNs.

Table 4.3 provides a summary of our excess of loss reinsurance agreements as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019.


Excess of Loss Reinsurance
Table	4.3
(In thousands)				September 30, 2020				December 31, 2019
Home Re Entity (Issue Date)		Policy Inforce Dates	Termination Option Date (1)	Remaining First Layer Retention		Remaining Excess of Loss Reinsurance Coverages		Remaining First Layer Retention		Remaining Excess of Loss Reinsurance Coverages
Home Re 2018-1 Ltd. (Oct. - 2018)		July 1, 2016 - December 31, 2017	October 25, 2025	$	166,246	$	218,343	$	167,779	$	260,957
Home Re 2019-1 Ltd. (May - 2019)		January 1, 2018 - March 31, 2019	May 25, 2026	184,797		208,146		185,636		271,021
Total				$	351,043	$	426,489	$	353,415	$	531,978

(1)We have the right to terminate the excess-of-loss reinsurance agreements under certain circumstances and on any payment date on or after the respective termination option date.

In October, MGIC entered into a $412.9 million excess of loss reinsurance agreement (executed through an insurance linked note transaction) that covers policies with inforce dates from January 1, 2020 through July 31, 2020.

The reinsurance premiums ceded to each Home Re Entity are composed of coverage, initial expense and supplemental premiums. The coverage premiums are generally calculated as the difference between the amount of interest payable by the Home Re Entity on the remaining reinsurance coverage levels, and the investment income collected on the collateral assets held in a reinsurance trust account and used to collateralize the Home Re Entity’s reinsurance obligation to MGIC. The amount of monthly reinsurance coverage premium ceded will fluctuate due to changes in one-month LIBOR, (or the fallback reference rate, as applicable) and changes in money market rates that affect investment income collected on the assets in the reinsurance trust. As a result, we concluded that each reinsurance agreement contains an embedded derivative that is accounted for separately as a freestanding derivative. The fair values of the derivatives at September 30, 2020, were not material to our consolidated balance sheet, and the change in fair value during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 was not material to our consolidated statements of operations. Total ceded premiums were $3.7 million and $12.8 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively and $5.4 million and $12.4 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively.

At the time the Home Re Transactions were entered into, we concluded that each Home Re Entity is a variable interest entity (“VIE”). A VIE is a legal entity that does not have sufficient equity at risk to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support or is structured such that equity investors lack the ability to make sufficient decisions relating to the entity’s operations through voting rights or do not substantively participate in gains and losses of the entity. Given that MGIC (1) does not have the unilateral power to direct the activities that most significantly affect each Home Re Entity’s economic performance and (2) does not have the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of each Home Re Entity, consolidation of neither Home Re Entity is required.

We are required to disclose our maximum exposure to loss, which we consider to be an amount that we could be required to record in our statements of operations, as a result of our involvement with the VIEs under our Home Re Transactions. As of September 30, 2020, and December 31, 2019, we did not have material exposure to the VIEs as we have no investment in the VIEs and had no reinsurance claim payments due from either VIE under our reinsurance agreements. We are unable to determine the timing or extent of claims from losses that are ceded under the reinsurance agreements. The VIE assets are deposited in reinsurance trusts for the benefit of MGIC that will be the source of reinsurance claim payments to MGIC. The purpose of the reinsurance trusts is to provide security to MGIC for the obligations of the VIEs under the reinsurance agreements. The trustee of the reinsurance trusts, a recognized provider of corporate trust services, has established segregated accounts within the reinsurance trusts for the benefit of MGIC, pursuant to the trust agreements. The trust agreements are governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York. If the trustee of the reinsurance trusts failed to distribute claim payments to us as provided in the reinsurance trusts, we would incur a loss related to our losses ceded under the reinsurance agreements and deemed unrecoverable. We are also unable to determine the impact such possible failure by the trustee to perform pursuant to the reinsurance trust agreements may have on our consolidated financial statements. As a result, we are unable to quantify our maximum exposure to loss related to our involvement with the VIEs. MGIC has certain termination rights under the reinsurance agreements should its claims not be paid. We consider our exposure to loss from our reinsurance agreements with the VIEs to be remote.

Table 4.4 presents the total assets of the Home Re Entities as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019.


Home Re total assets
Table	4.4
(In thousands)
Home Re Entity (Issue date)		Total VIE Assets
September 30, 2020
Home Re 2018-01 Ltd. (Oct - 2018)		$	218,343
Home Re 2019-01 Ltd. (May - 2019)		208,146

December 31, 2019
Home Re 2018-01 Ltd. (Oct - 2018)		$	269,451
Home Re 2019-01 Ltd. (May - 2019)		283,150

The reinsurance trust agreements provide that the trust assets may generally only be invested in certain money market funds that (i) invest at least 99.5% of their total assets in cash or direct U.S. federal government obligations, such as U.S. Treasury bills, as well as other short-term securities backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. federal government or issued by an agency of the U.S. federal government, (ii) have a principal stability fund rating of “AAAm” by S&P or a money market fund rating of “Aaa-mf” by Moody’s as of the Closing Date and thereafter maintain any rating with either S&P or Moody’s, and (iii) are permitted investments under the applicable credit for reinsurance laws and applicable PMIERs credit for reinsurance requirements.

The assets of the Home Re Entities provide capital credit, subject to a modest reduction, under the PMIERs financial requirements (see Note 1 - “Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation”). A decline in the assets available to pay claims and principal repayments reduces the capital credit available to MGIC.