Note 8 - Reinsurance Captive and Smart Home Transactions (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Ceded Credit Risk [Line Items]
Ceded Premiums Earned	$ 57,780	$ 61,017	$ 67,291
Radian Guaranty [Member]
Ceded Credit Risk [Line Items]
Policyholder Benefits and Claims Incurred, Assumed and Ceded	$ 20,950	21,213	47,151
Radian Guaranty [Member] \| Captives [Member]
Ceded Credit Risk [Line Items]
Captive Reinsurers Minimum Capitalization Percentage To Risk Assumed	10.00%
Amount of New Business Being Placed Into Captive Reinsurance Arrangements	$ 0
Contracts in Force Ceded Under Captive Reinsurance Arrangements	71,359	129,795
Reinsurance Recoverables on Unpaid Losses	7,293	24,711
Ceded Premiums Written	9,950	12,948	17,812
Ceded Premiums Earned	$ 9,959	$ 12,958	$ 17,853

Amount of New Business Being Placed Into Captive Reinsurance Arrangements

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- Definition

Captive Reinsurers Minimum Capitalization Percentage To Risk Assumed

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

The amount of risk in force on ceded insurance contracts.

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

Amount of earned premiums ceded to other entities.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 225
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-04.1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879464&loc=d3e573970-122913

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 605
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (b),(c)(2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6486672&loc=d3e27261-158547

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 605
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6486662&loc=d3e27175-158546

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 235
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.12-17)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=34713774&loc=d3e574992-122915

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- Definition

Amount of written premiums ceded to other entities.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 605
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (b),(c)(2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6486672&loc=d3e27261-158547

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation S-X (SX)
-Number 210
-Section 17
-Article 12

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Amount of recovery (expense) related to provision for policy benefits and costs incurred for policies assumed and ceded.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 40
-Section 50
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-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6482485&loc=d3e14764-158437

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- Definition

Amount after valuation allowance of reinsurance recoverables for losses reported to the ceding insurer but not yet paid, amounts expected of incurred losses and settlement expenses, which have not yet been reported to the ceding insurer.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 310
-Section 45
-Paragraph 6
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6485522&loc=d3e21412-158489

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