Note 9 - Losses and LAE Rescissions And Denials (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended					9 Months Ended									15 Months Ended	33 Months Ended		15 Months Ended	33 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014 Mortgage Insurance Segment		Sep. 30, 2013 Mortgage Insurance Segment		Sep. 30, 2014 Mortgage Insurance Segment		Sep. 30, 2013 Mortgage Insurance Segment		Dec. 31, 2013 Mortgage Insurance Segment	Sep. 30, 2014 Mortgage Insurance Segment Claims Denied in the Last Twelve Months [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Mortgage Insurance Segment Curtailed Claim Payments in the Last Twenty Four Months [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Mortgage Insurance Segment Policies Rescinded in the Last Twenty Four Months [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Maximum [Member] Mortgage Insurance Segment Claims Denied in the Last Twelve Months [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Maximum [Member] Mortgage Insurance Segment Policies Rescinded in the Last Twenty Four Months [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Minimum [Member] Mortgage Insurance Segment Claims Denied in the Last Twelve Months [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Minimum [Member] Mortgage Insurance Segment Policies Rescinded in the Last Twenty Four Months [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Bank of America Settlement Agreement [Member] Mortgage Insurance Segment servicers	Aug. 31, 2013 2013 Freddie Mac Agreement [Member] Mortgage Insurance Segment	Sep. 30, 2014 First Lien Position [Member] 2013 Freddie Mac Agreement [Member] Primary Mortgage Product [Member] Mortgage Insurance Segment	Sep. 30, 2014 First Lien Position [Member] 2013 Freddie Mac Agreement [Member] Primary Mortgage Product [Member] Mortgage Insurance Segment	Dec. 31, 2013 First Lien Position [Member] 2013 Freddie Mac Agreement [Member] Primary Mortgage Product [Member] Mortgage Insurance Segment	Sep. 30, 2014 Pro Forma [Member] First Lien Position [Member] 2013 Freddie Mac Agreement [Member] Primary Mortgage Product [Member] Bank of America Settlement Agreement [Member] Mortgage Insurance Segment	Sep. 30, 2014 Pro Forma [Member] First Lien Position [Member] 2013 Freddie Mac Agreement [Member] Primary Mortgage Product [Member] Bank of America Settlement Agreement [Member] Mortgage Insurance Segment
Rescissions And Denials [Line Items]
Final Loss Mitigation Activity																				$ 38
Not Final Loss Mitigation Activity																					118			32
Proposed Final Loss Mitigation Activity Related to Settlement of Dispute																							106
Restricted Investments Held as Collateral for Master Transaction Agreement, Net																			205	209	209	205
Decrease To Our Loss Reserves Due To Estimated Rescissions And Denials		134				134				247
Claims Rescissions and Denials [Abstract]
Claim rescissions		14.5		21.6		48.3		56.5
Claim denials		39.0		4.1		45.0		131.3
Total rescissions and denials		53.5	[1]	25.7	[1]	93.3	[1]	187.8	[1]
Number of Servicers With Which the Entity is in Settlement Discussions With																		1
Minimum Number of Days Past Due for a Loan to be Included in Settlement Agreement	90 days
Loss Contingency, Settlement Agreement, Percentage of Subject Loans Not Held by Insureds or Are Non-GSE Investors																		12.00%
Liability for Unpaid Claims and Claims Adjustment Expense, Incurred but Not Reported (IBNR) Claims, Amount		153.3				153.3				281.9	18.3	10.2	1.9					112.3
Gross Exposure Related to Denied Claims From Previous Twelve Months											140.8
Gross Exposure Related to Rescinded Policies Within Twenty Four Months													135.0
Net Exposure Related to Claim Curtailments Within Twenty Four Months												63
Number of Months That the Gross Reinstatement Rate Used in Estimating Claim Liability Declines											12 months		24 months
Gross Reinstatement Percentage Assumption for Denied Claims														60.00%		0.00%
Gross Reinstatement Percentage Assumption on Rescinded Policies															20.00%		0.00%
Accrued Liability For Premiums Expected To Be Refunded From Rescissions		$ 8.0				$ 8.0				$ 17.0

[1] Includes an amount related to a small number of submitted claims that were subsequently withdrawn by the insured.