Note 2 - Significant Accounting Policies Level 2 (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP and include the accounts of all wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions, including intercompany profits and losses, have been eliminated. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation, including the reclassification to services revenue and cost of services from other income and other operating expense, respectively, of items related to certain contract underwriting activities that were previously reported in the Mortgage Insurance segment, as further described in Note 4 below.

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 and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. While the amounts included in our consolidated financial statements include our best estimates and assumptions, actual results may vary materially.

Liability Reserve Estimate, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Reserve for Losses and LAE

We establish reserves to provide for losses and LAE, including the estimated costs of settling claims in our Mortgage Insurance segment, in accordance with the accounting standard regarding accounting and reporting by insurance enterprises. Although this standard specifically excludes mortgage insurance from its guidance relating to the reserve for losses, we establish reserves for mortgage insurance as described below, using the guidance contained in this standard supplemented with other accounting guidance, due to the lack of specific guidance for mortgage insurance.

Estimating our loss reserve involves significant reliance upon assumptions and estimates with regard to the likelihood, magnitude and timing of each potential loss, including an estimate of the impact of our Loss Mitigation Activities. The models, assumptions and estimates we use to establish loss reserves may prove to be inaccurate, especially during an extended economic downturn or a period of extreme market volatility and uncertainty. As such, we cannot be certain that our reserve estimate will be adequate to cover ultimate losses on incurred defaults. For example, our mortgage insurance loss reserves generally increase as defaulted loans age, because historically, as defaulted loans age, they have been more likely to result in foreclosure, and therefore, have been more likely to result in a claim payment. While we believe this remains accurate, following the financial crisis, there are a significant number of loans in our defaulted portfolio that have been in default for an extended period of time, but which have not been subject to foreclosure, and therefore, have not resulted in claims. As a result, significant uncertainty remains with respect to the ultimate resolution of these aged defaults. This uncertainty requires management to use considerable judgment in estimating the rate at which these loans will result in claims.

Commutations and other negotiated terminations of our insured risks in our Mortgage Insurance segment provide us with an opportunity to exit exposures for an agreed upon payment, or payments, sometimes at an amount less than the previously estimated ultimate liability. Once all exposures relating to such policies are extinguished, all reserves for losses and LAE and other balances relating to the insured policies are generally reversed, with any remaining net gain or loss typically recorded through provision for losses. We take into consideration the specific contractual and economic terms for each individual agreement when accounting for our commutations or other negotiated terminations, which may result in differences in the accounting for these transactions.

In our Mortgage Insurance business, the default and claim cycle begins with the receipt of a default notice from the loan servicer. Reserves for losses are established upon receipt of notification from servicers that a borrower has missed two monthly payments, which is when we consider a loan to be in default for financial statement and internal tracking purposes. We also establish reserves for associated LAE, consisting of the estimated cost of the claims administration process, including legal and other fees and expenses associated with administering the claims process. We maintain an extensive database of claim payment history, and use models based on a variety of loan characteristics to determine the likelihood that a default will reach claim status.

With respect to loans that are in default, considerable judgment is exercised as to the adequacy of reserve levels. For purposes of reserve modeling, loans are aggregated into groups using a variety of factors. The attributes currently used to define the groups for purposes of developing various assumptions include, but are not limited to, the Stage of Default, the Time in Default and type of insurance (i.e., primary or pool). We use an actuarial projection methodology referred to as a “roll rate” analysis that uses historical claim frequency information to determine the projected ultimate Default to Claim Rates based on the Stage of Default and Time in Default as well as the date that a loan goes into default. The Default to Claim Rate also includes our estimates with respect to expected Rescissions and Claim Denials, which have the effect of reducing our Default to Claim Rates. We forecast the impact of our Loss Mitigation Activity in protecting us against fraud, underwriting negligence, breach of representation and warranties, inadequate documentation of submitted claims and other items that may give rise to Rescissions or cancellations and Claim Denials, to help determine the Default to Claim Rate. Our Loss Mitigation Activities have resulted in challenges from certain lender and servicer customers, which have resulted in some reversals of our decisions regarding Rescissions, Claim Denials and Claim Curtailments. Although we believe that our Loss Mitigation Activities are justified under our policies, if any of these challenges result in disputes or are not resolved, they could result in arbitration or judicial proceedings and we may need to reassume the risk on, and increase loss reserves for, those policies or pay additional claims. Our Master Policies specify the time period during which a suit or action arising from any right of the insured under the policy must be commenced. The assumptions embedded in our estimated Default to Claim Rate on our in-force default inventory include an adjustment to our estimated Rescissions and Claim Denials to account for the fact that we expect a certain number of policies to be reinstated and ultimately to be paid, as a result of valid challenges by such policy holders.

After estimating the Default to Claim Rate, we estimate Claim Severity based on the average of recently observed severity rates within product type, type of insurance, and Time in Default cohorts. These average severity estimates are then applied to individual loan coverage amounts to determine reserves. Similar to the Default to Claim Rate, Claim Severity also is impacted by the length of time that loans are in default and by our Loss Mitigation Activity. For claims under our primary mortgage insurance, the coverage percentage is applied to the claim amount, which consists of the unpaid loan principal, plus past due interest (for which our liability is contractually capped in accordance with the terms of our Master Policies) and certain expenses associated with the default, to determine our maximum liability. Therefore, Claim Severity generally increases the longer that a loan is in default. In addition, we estimate the impact that the amount that Claim Curtailments due to servicer noncompliance with our insurance policies and servicing guidelines have on the amount that we ultimately will have to pay with respect to claims. As part of our claims review process, we assess whether defaulted loans were serviced appropriately in accordance with our insurance policies and servicing guidelines. If a servicer failed to satisfy its servicing obligations, our insurance policies provide that we may curtail the claim payment for such default, and in some circumstances, cancel coverage or deny the claim.

We do not establish reserves for loans that are in default if we believe that we will not be liable for the payment of a claim with respect to that default. We do not establish loss reserves for expected future claims on insured mortgages that are not in default. See “—Reserve for Premium Deficiency” below for an exception to this general principle.

IBNR and Other Reserves

We also establish reserves for defaults that we estimate have been incurred but have not been reported to us on a timely basis by the servicer, as well as for previous Rescissions, Claim Denials and Claim Curtailments that we estimate will be reinstated and subsequently paid. We generally give the policyholder up to 30 days to challenge our decision to rescind coverage before we consider a policy to be rescinded and remove it from our defaulted inventory; therefore, we currently expect only a limited percentage of policies that were rescinded to be reinstated. We currently expect a significant percentage of claims that were denied to be resubmitted as a perfected claim and ultimately paid. Most often, a Claim Denial is the result of a servicer’s inability to provide the loan origination file or other servicing documents for review. Under the terms of our Master Policies with our lending customers, our policyholders have up to one year after the acquisition of borrower’s title to provide to us the necessary documents to perfect a claim. All estimates are periodically reviewed and adjustments are made as they become necessary.

The impact to our reserve due to estimated future Loss Mitigation Activities incorporates our expectations regarding the number of policies that we expect to be reinstated as a result of our claims rebuttal process. Rescissions, Claim Denials and Claim Curtailments may occur for various reasons, including, without limitation, underwriting negligence, fraudulent applications and appraisals, breach of representations and warranties and inadequate documentation, primarily related to our Legacy Portfolio. The level of Rescissions, Claim Denials and Claim Curtailments has been declining in recent periods as our defaulted Legacy Portfolio continues to decline, and we expect this trend to continue. In addition, with respect to claims decisions on the population of Future Legacy Loans covered under the BofA Settlement Agreement, Radian Guaranty has agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions and conditions, that it will limit Rescissions, Claim Denials or Claim Curtailments. See Note 11 for additional information about the BofA Settlement Agreement.

Unless a liability associated with such activities or discussions becomes probable and can be reasonably estimated, we consider our claim payments and our Rescissions, Claim Denials and Claim Curtailments to be resolved for financial reporting purposes. Under the accounting standard regarding contingencies, an estimated loss is accrued only if we determine that the loss is probable and can be reasonably estimated. For populations of disputed Rescissions, Claim Denials and Claim Curtailments where we determine that a settlement is probable and that a loss can be reasonably estimated, we reflect our best estimate of the expected loss related to the populations under discussion in our financial statements, primarily as a component of our IBNR reserve. While our reserves include our best estimate of such losses, the outcome of the discussions or potential legal proceedings that could ensue is uncertain, and it is reasonably possible that a loss exists in excess of the amount accrued.

Included in our loss reserves is an estimate related to a potential additional payment to Freddie Mac under the Freddie Mac Agreement, which is dependent upon the Loss Mitigation Activity on the population of loans subject to that agreement. Our reserve related to this potential additional payment is based on the estimated Rescissions, Claim Denials, Claim Curtailments and cancellations for this population of loans, determined using assumptions that are consistent with those utilized to determine our overall loss reserves. See Note 11 for additional information about the Freddie Mac Agreement.

Senior management regularly reviews the modeled frequency, Rescission, Claim Denial and Claim Severity estimates, which are based on historical trends, as described above. If recent emerging or projected trends differ significantly from the historical trends used to develop the modeled estimates, management evaluates these trends and determines how they should be considered in its reserve estimates.

Reserve For Premium Deficiency

Reserve for PDR

Insurance enterprises are required to establish a PDR if the net present value of the expected future losses and expenses for a particular product line exceeds the net present value of expected future premiums and existing reserves for that product line. We reassess our expectations for premiums, losses and expenses for our mortgage insurance business at least quarterly and update our premium deficiency analyses accordingly. Expected future expenses include consideration of maintenance costs associated with maintaining records relating to insurance contracts and with the processing of premium collections. We also consider investment income in the premium deficiency calculation through the use of our pre-tax investment yield to discount certain cash flows for this analysis.

For our mortgage insurance business, we group our mortgage insurance products into two categories: first-lien and Second-lien. To assess the need for a PDR on our first-lien insurance portfolio, we develop loss projections based on modeled loan defaults related to our current RIF. This projection is based on recent trends in default experience, severity and rates of defaulted loans moving to claim (such Default to Claim Rates are net of our estimates of Rescissions and Claim Denials), as well as recent trends in the rate at which loans are prepaid.

For our Second-lien insurance business, we project future premiums and losses using historical results to help determine future performance for both prepayments and claims. An estimated expense factor is then applied, and the result is discounted using a rate of return that approximates our pre-tax investment yield. This net present value, less any existing reserves, is recorded as a premium deficiency and the reserve is updated at least quarterly based on actual results for that quarter, along with updated transaction level projections.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Our estimated fair value measurements are intended to reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability based on the best information available. Assumptions include the risks inherent in a particular valuation technique (such as a pricing model) and the risks inherent in the inputs to the model. Changes in economic conditions and capital market conditions, including but not limited to, credit spread changes, benchmark interest rate changes, market volatility and changes in the value of underlying collateral, could cause actual results to differ materially from our estimated fair value measurements. We define fair value as the current amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

In accordance with GAAP, we established a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosure of fair value measurements based on the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability as of the measurement date. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level I measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level III measurements). The level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement falls is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the measurement in its entirety. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are defined below:


Level I	— Unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;


Level II	— Prices or valuations based on observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities; and


Level III	— Prices or valuations that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable. Level III inputs are used to measure fair value only to the extent that observable inputs are not available.

For markets in which inputs are not observable or are limited, we use significant judgment and assumptions that a typical market participant would use to evaluate the market price of an asset or liability. Given the level of judgment necessary, another market participant may derive a materially different estimate of fair value. These assets and liabilities are classified in Level III of our fair value hierarchy.

Available for sale securities, trading securities, and certain other assets are recorded at fair value as described in Note 5. All changes in fair value of trading securities and certain other assets are included in our consolidated statements of operations. All changes in the fair value of available for sale securities are recorded in AOCI.

Insurance Premiums-Revenue Recognition

Insurance Premiums—Revenue Recognition

Mortgage insurance premiums written on an annual or multi-year basis are initially recorded as unearned premiums and earned over time. Annual premiums are amortized on a monthly, straight-line basis. Multi-year premiums are amortized over the terms of the contracts in relation to the anticipated claim payment pattern based on historical industry experience. Premiums written on a monthly basis are earned over the period that coverage is provided. When we rescind insurance coverage on a loan, we refund all premiums received in connection with such coverage. Premium revenue is recognized net of our accrual for estimated premium refunds due to Rescissions or other factors. With respect to our reinsurance transactions, ceded premiums written are initially set up as prepaid reinsurance and are amortized in a manner consistent with the recognition of income on direct premiums.

Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs

Incremental, direct costs associated with the successful acquisition of mortgage insurance business, consisting of compensation and other policy issuance and underwriting expenses, are initially deferred and reported as deferred policy acquisition costs. Amortization of these costs for each underwriting year book of business is expensed in proportion to estimated gross profits over the estimated life of the policies. This includes accruing interest on the unamortized balance of deferred policy acquisition costs. Ceding commissions received under our reinsurance arrangements related to these costs are also deferred and accounted for using similar assumptions, including certain amounts received under our reinsurance transactions. See Notes 8 and 9 for additional details.

Estimates of expected gross profit, including the Persistency Rate and loss development assumptions for each underwriting year used as a basis for amortization, are evaluated quarterly and the total amortization recorded to date is adjusted by a charge or credit to our consolidated statements of operations if actual experience or other evidence suggests that previous estimates should be revised. Considerable judgment is used in evaluating these estimates and the assumptions on which they are based. The use of different assumptions may have a significant effect on the amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs.

Revenue Recognition, Sales of Services [Policy Text Block]

Revenue Recognition—Services Revenue

Services revenue is recognized when pervasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the service has been performed, the fee is fixed and determinable and collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured.

The Services segment derives most of its revenue from professional service activities. A portion of these activities are provided under “time-and-materials” billing arrangements. Services revenue consisting of billed fees and pass-through expenses is recorded as work is performed and expenses are incurred. Services revenue also includes expenses billed to clients, which includes travel and other out-of-pocket expenses, and other reimbursable expenses.

The Services segment also derives revenue from REO management activities, and is generally paid a fixed fee or a percentage of the sale proceeds upon the sale of a property. Services revenue is recognized when the sale of a property closes and the client has confirmed receipt of the sale proceeds from a buyer. In certain instances, fees are received at the time that an asset is assigned to Radian for REO management. These fees are recorded as deferred revenue and are recognized on a straight-line basis over the average period of time required to sell an asset and complete the earnings process.

The Services segment also generates additional revenue utilizing a percentage-of-sales contract. Through the use of Services’ proprietary technology, property leads are sent to select clients. Services recognizes revenue for these transactions based on a percentage of the sale, upon the client’s successful closing on the property.

The Services segment also provides certain services under multiple element arrangements, including valuations, title reviews and tax lien reviews. Contracts for these services include provisions requiring the client to pay a per-unit price for services that have been performed if the client cancels the contract. Each service qualifies as a separate unit of accounting on a per-unit basis, and we recognize revenue as each individual service is performed.

We do not recognize revenue or expense related to amounts advanced by us and subsequently reimbursed by clients for maintenance or repairs of REO properties because we are not the primary obligor and we have minimal credit risk. We record an expense if an advance is made that is not in accordance with a client contract and the client is not obligated to reimburse us.

Cost of Services

Cost of services consists primarily of employee compensation and related payroll benefits, the cost of billable labor assigned to revenue-generating activities, as well as corresponding travel and related expenses incurred in providing such services to clients in our Services segment. Cost of services also includes costs paid to outside vendors, including real estate agents that provide valuation and related services as well as data acquisition costs and other compensation-related expenses to maintain software application platforms that directly support our businesses. Cost of services does not include an allocation of overhead costs.

Income Taxes

We provide for income taxes in accordance with the provisions of the accounting standard regarding accounting for income taxes. As required under this standard, our DTAs and DTLs are recognized under the balance sheet method, which recognizes the future tax effect of temporary differences between the amounts recorded in our consolidated financial statements and the tax bases of these amounts. DTAs and DTLs are measured using the enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the periods in which the DTA or DTL is expected to be realized or settled.

We are required to establish a valuation allowance against our DTA when it is more likely than not that all or some portion of our DTA will not be realized. At each balance sheet date, we assess our need for a valuation allowance. Our assessment is based on all available evidence, both positive and negative. This requires management to exercise judgment and make assumptions regarding whether our DTA will be realized in future periods.

Our framework for assessing the recoverability of our DTAs requires consideration of all available evidence, including:


•	whether there are cumulative losses from previous years;


•	future projections of taxable income within the applicable carryback and carryforward periods, including the sustainability of our forecasts of future taxable income under potential stress scenarios;


•	the degree of certainty regarding our projected incurred losses;


•	future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences; and


•	potential tax planning strategies.

Our provision for income taxes for interim financial periods is based on an estimate of our annual effective tax rate for the full year of 2016 and 2015. When estimating our full year 2016 and 2015 effective tax rates, we adjust our forecasted pre-tax income for gains and losses on our investments, changes in the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes, changes in our beginning of year valuation allowance, and other adjustments. The impact of these items is accounted for discretely at the applicable federal tax rate.

Foreign Currency Revaluation/Translation

Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are revalued or translated at year-end exchange rates. Operating results are translated at average rates of exchange prevailing during the year. Unrealized gains and losses, net of deferred taxes, resulting from translation are included in AOCI in stockholders’ equity. Realized gains and losses resulting from transactions in foreign currency are recorded in our statements of operations.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Cash and Restricted Cash ($ in thousands)

Included in our restricted cash balances as of December 31, 2016 were: (i) funds for a mortgage insurance reserve policy held in escrow for any future duties, rights and liabilities; (ii) funds held as collateral under our insurance trust agreements related to health care benefits; (iii) funds held in trust for the benefit of certain policyholders; (iv) escrow funds held for servicer liabilities; and (v) escrow funds held for title services obligations. Total cash and restricted cash shown in the consolidated statement of cash flows as of December 31, 2016 of $61,814 is comprised of cash and restricted cash of $52,149 and $9,665, respectively, as shown on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2016. Total cash and restricted cash shown in the consolidated statement of cash flows as of December 31, 2015 of $59,898 is comprised of cash and restricted cash of $46,898 and $13,000, respectively, as shown on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015.

Within our consolidated statements of cash flows, we classify cash receipts and cash payments related to items measured at fair value according to their nature and purpose. Because our investment activity for trading securities relates to overall strategic initiatives and is not trading related, it is recorded as cash flows from investing activities.

Investments

We group assets in our investment portfolio into one of three main categories: held to maturity, available for sale or trading securities. Fixed-maturity securities for which we have the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity, if any, are classified as held to maturity and are reported at amortized cost. Investments in securities not classified as held to maturity or trading securities are classified as available for sale and are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses (net of tax) reported as a separate component of stockholders’ equity as AOCI. Investments classified as trading securities are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses reported as a separate component of income. Short-term investments consist of money market instruments, certificates of deposit and highly liquid, interest-bearing instruments with an original maturity of three months or less at the time of purchase. Amortization of premium and accretion of discount are calculated principally using the interest method over the term of the investment. Realized gains and losses on investments are recognized using the specific identification method. See Notes 5 and 6 for further discussion on the fair value of investments.

We record an other-than-temporary impairment adjustment on a security if we intend to sell the impaired security, if it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the impaired security prior to recovery of its amortized cost basis, or if the present value of cash flows we expect to collect is less than the amortized cost basis of the security. If a sale is likely, the security is classified as other-than-temporarily impaired and the full amount of the impairment is recognized as a loss in the statement of operations. Otherwise, losses on securities that are other-than-temporarily impaired are separated into: (i) the portion of loss that represents the credit loss and (ii) the portion that is due to other factors. The credit loss portion is recognized as a loss in the statement of operations, while the loss due to other factors is recognized in AOCI, net of taxes. A credit loss is determined to exist if the present value of discounted cash flows expected to be collected from the security is less than the cost basis of the security. The present value of discounted cash flows is determined using the original yield of the security. In evaluating whether a decline in value is other-than-temporary, we consider several factors in addition to the above, including, but not limited to, the following:


•	the extent and the duration of the decline in value;


•	the reasons for the decline in value (e.g., credit event, interest related or market fluctuations); and


•	the financial position, access to capital and near term prospects of the issuer, including the current and future impact of any specific events.

Accounts and Notes Receivable

Accounts and notes receivable primarily consist of accrued premiums receivable due from our mortgage insurance customers, amounts due from our Services customers for services our Services segment has performed, and profit commission receivable, if any, related to our reinsurance transactions. See Note 8 for details. Accounts and notes receivable are carried at their estimated collectible amounts, net of any allowance for doubtful accounts, and are periodically evaluated for collectability based on past payment history and current economic conditions.

Company-Owned Life Insurance

Company-Owned Life Insurance (“COLI”)

We are the beneficiary of insurance policies on the lives of certain of our current and past officers and employees. We have recognized the amount that could be realized upon surrender of the insurance policies in other assets in our consolidated balance sheets.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment is carried at cost, net of depreciation. For financial statement reporting purposes, computer hardware and software is generally depreciated over three or five years and furniture, fixtures and office equipment is depreciated over seven years. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the lesser of the estimated useful life of the asset improved or the remaining term of the lease. For income tax purposes, we use accelerated depreciation methods.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, Net

Goodwill and other intangible assets were established primarily in connection with our acquisition of Clayton. Goodwill is an asset representing the estimated future economic benefits arising from the assets we have acquired that were not individually identified and separately recognized, and includes the value of discounted expected future cash flows of Clayton, Clayton’s workforce, expected synergies with our other affiliates and other unidentifiable intangible assets. Goodwill is deemed to have an indefinite useful life and is subject to review for impairment annually, or more frequently, whenever circumstances indicate potential impairment at the reporting unit level. A reporting unit represents a business for which discrete financial information is available; more than one reporting unit may be aggregated into a single reporting unit if they have similar economic characteristics. Events that could result in an interim assessment of goodwill impairment and/or a potential impairment charge include, but are not limited to: (i) significant under-performance relative to historical or projected future operating results; (ii) significant changes in the strategy for the Services segment; (iii) significant negative industry or economic trends; and (iv) a decline in market capitalization below book value attributable to the Services segment. Management regularly updates certain assumptions related to our projections, including the likelihood of achieving the assumed potential revenues from new initiatives and business strategies, and if these or other items have a significant negative impact on the reporting unit’s projections we may perform additional analysis to determine whether an impairment charge is needed. Lower earnings over sustained periods also can lead to impairment of goodwill, which could result in a charge to earnings. The value of goodwill is primarily supported by revenue projections, which are mostly driven by projected transaction volume and margins.

Intangible assets, other than goodwill, primarily consist of customer relationships, technology, trade name and trademarks, client backlog and non-competition agreements. Customer relationships represent the value of the specifically acquired customer relationships and are valued using the excess earnings approach using estimated client revenues, attrition rates, implied royalty rates and discount rates. The excess earnings approach estimates the present value of expected earnings in excess of a traditional return on business assets. Technology represents proprietary software used for loan review, underwriting and due diligence, managing the REO disposition process, performing surveillance of mortgage loan servicers, real estate valuations and client workflow solutions. Trade name and trademarks reflect the value inherent in the recognition of the “Clayton” name and its reputation. For purposes of our intangible assets, we use the term client backlog to refer to the estimated present value of fees to be earned for services performed on loans currently under surveillance or REO assets under management. The value of a non-competition agreement is an appraisal of potential lost revenues that would arise from an individual leaving to work for a competitor or initiating a competing enterprise. For financial reporting purposes, intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over their applicable estimated useful lives in a manner that approximates the pattern of expected economic benefit from each intangible asset.

The calculation of the estimated fair value of goodwill and other intangibles is performed primarily using an income approach and requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions that are highly subjective in nature, such as attrition rates, discount rates, future expected cash flows and market conditions. The most significant assumptions relate to the valuation of goodwill and customer relationships. In particular, future expected cash flows include estimated transaction volumes that are not currently contracted, as well as volume projections associated with non-agency RMBS securitizations, for which current market conditions are not favorable. Our estimates are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable.

Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets, Transfers of Financial Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Held-For-Sale Classification

We report a business as held for sale when management is committed to a formal plan to sell the assets, the business is available for immediate sale and is being actively marketed at a price that is reasonable in relation to its fair value, an active program to locate a buyer and other actions required to complete the plan to sell the asset have been initiated, the sale is probable and expected to be completed within one year, and it is deemed unlikely that significant changes to the plan will be made or that the plan will be withdrawn. A business classified as held for sale is reflected at the lower of its carrying amount or estimated fair value less cost to sell. If the carrying amount of the business exceeds its estimated fair value, a loss is recognized. Assets and liabilities related to a business classified as held for sale are segregated in the consolidated balance sheets in the period in which the business is classified as held for sale. After a business is classified as held for sale, depreciation and amortization expense is not recognized on its assets.

Discontinued Operations, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Discontinued Operations

We report the results of operations of a business as discontinued operations if the business is classified as held for sale, the operations and cash flows of the business have been or will be eliminated from our ongoing operations as a result of a disposal transaction and we will not have any significant continuing involvement in the operations of the business after the disposal transaction. In the period in which the business meets the criteria of a discontinued operation, its results are reported in income or loss from discontinued operations in the consolidated statements of operations for current and prior periods, and include any required adjustment of the carrying amount to its fair value less cost to sell. In addition, tax is allocated to continuing operations and discontinued operations. The amount of tax allocated to discontinued operations is the difference between the tax originally allocated to continuing operations and the tax allocated to the restated amount of income from continuing operations in each period.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

Accounting for Share-Based Compensation

The stock-based compensation cost related to share-based liability awards is based on the fair value as of the measurement date. The compensation cost for equity instruments is measured based on the grant-date fair value at the date of issuance. Compensation cost is generally recognized over the periods that an employee provides service in exchange for the award. See Note 15 for further information.

Debt, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Purchases of Convertible Debt Prior to Maturity

We account for the purchases of our outstanding convertible debt as induced conversions 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 recognize a loss on induced conversion and debt extinguishment equal to 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.

Reinsurance Accounting Policy [Policy Text Block]

Reinsurance

In accordance with the terms of the Single Premium QSR Transaction, rather than making a cash payment or transferring investments for ceded premiums written, Radian Guaranty holds the related amounts to collateralize the reinsurers’ obligations and has established a corresponding funds withheld liability. Any loss recoveries and any potential profit commission to Radian Guaranty will be realized from this account. The reinsurers’ share of earned premiums is paid from this account on a quarterly basis. This liability also includes an interest credit on funds withheld, which is recorded as ceded premiums at a rate specified in the agreement and, depending on experience under the contract, may be paid to either Radian Guaranty or the reinsurers. Ceded premiums written are recorded on the balance sheet as prepaid reinsurance premiums and amortized to ceded premiums earned in a manner consistent with the recognition of income on direct premiums. See Note 8 for further discussion of our reinsurance transactions.

Stockholders' Equity, Policy [Policy Text Block]

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.

Accelerated Share Repurchase

In 2015, we had an ASR program that 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.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Standards Adopted During 2016

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. The implementation of this update, effective January 1, 2016, did not have a material impact to our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

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. We adopted this update effective December 31, 2016. See Note 11 for additional disclosures.

In August and November 2016, the FASB issued updates to the accounting standard regarding the statement of cash flows. The updates reduce diversity in practice over the presentation and classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments. Specifically, the revisions provide guidance related to certain cash flow issues, including a requirement that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning and ending amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. These updates are effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, and we elected to early adopt these updates effective December 31, 2016. As a result of the early adoption of these updates, there were no changes in the presentation or classification of cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows; however, restricted cash is now included with cash and cash equivalents in the beginning and ending cash balances, retrospectively for all the periods presented.

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

Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

In May 2014, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard regarding revenue recognition. 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. This update is not expected to change revenue recognition principles related to our investments and insurance products, which represent a significant portion of our total revenues. This update is primarily applicable to revenues from our Services segment. In July 2015, the FASB delayed the effective date for this updated standard to interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and subsequently issued various clarifying updates. Early adoption is permitted. This standard permits the use of the retrospective or cumulative effective transition method. We are currently in the process of categorizing the Services revenues to evaluate the impact to our financial statements and future disclosures as a result of the updates.

In January 2016, the FASB issued an update that makes certain changes to the standard for the accounting of financial instruments. Among other things, the update requires: (i) equity investments to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income; (ii) the use of the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes; (iii) separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset; and (iv) separate presentation in other comprehensive income of the portion of the total change in the fair value of a liability resulting from a change in the instrument-specific credit risk (also referred to as “own credit”) when the organization has elected to measure the liability at fair value in accordance with the fair value option for financial instruments. The update also eliminates the requirement to disclose the methods and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value that is required to be disclosed for financial instruments measured at amortized cost on the balance sheet. This update is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is not permitted, with the exception of the “own credit” provision. We are currently evaluating the impact to our financial statements and future disclosures as a result of this update, but we do not expect the impact to be material due to the current amount of our investments in equity securities and our investment strategy.

In February 2016, the FASB issued an update that replaces the existing accounting and disclosure requirements for leases of property, plant and equipment. The update requires lessees to recognize, as of the lease commencement date, assets and liabilities for all leases with lease terms of more than 12 months, which is a change from the current GAAP requirement to recognize only capital leases on the balance sheet. Pursuant to the new standard, the liability initially recognized for the lease obligation is equal to the present value of the lease payments not yet made, discounted over the lease term at the implicit interest rate of the lease, if available, or otherwise at the lessee’s incremental borrowing rate. The lessee is also required to recognize an asset for its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term, based on the liability subject to certain adjustments, such as for initial direct costs. Leases are required to be classified as either operating or finance, with expense on operating leases recorded as a single lease cost on a straight-line basis. For finance leases, interest expense on the lease liability is required to be recognized separately from the straight-line amortization of the right-of-use asset. Quantitative disclosures are required for certain items, including the cost of leases, the weighted-average remaining lease term, the weighted-average discount rate and a maturity analysis of lease liabilities. Additional qualitative disclosures are also required regarding the nature of the leases, such as basis, terms and conditions of: (i) variable interest payments; (ii) extension and termination options; and (iii) residual value guarantees. This update is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The new standard must be adopted by applying the new guidance as of the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented, using a modified retrospective transition approach with certain optional practical expedients. We are currently evaluating the impact to our financial statements and future disclosures as a result of this update.

In March 2016, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standards for share-based payment transactions, including: (i) accounting for income taxes; (ii) classification of excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows; (iii) forfeitures; (iv) minimum statutory tax withholding requirements; (v) classification of employee taxes paid on the statement of cash flows when an employer withholds shares for tax withholding purposes; (vi) the practical expedient for estimating the expected term; and (vii) intrinsic value. Among other things, the update requires: (i) all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies to be recognized as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement as they occur; (ii) recognition of excess tax benefits, regardless of whether the benefits reduce taxes payable in the current period; and (iii) excess tax benefits to be classified along with other cash flows as an operating activity, rather than separated from other income tax cash flows as a financing activity. For companies with significant share-based compensation, these changes may result in more volatile effective tax rates and net earnings, and result in additional dilution in earnings per share calculations. This update is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. Our adoption of this update, effective January 1, 2017, had an immaterial impact on our financial statements at implementation. As a result of implementation of this new standard, however, we expect the potential for limited increased volatility in our effective tax rate, which would impact our results of operations.

In June 2016, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard regarding the measurement of credit losses on financial instruments. This update requires that financial assets measured at amortized cost basis be presented at the net (of allowance for credit losses) amount expected to be collected. Credit losses relating to 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 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 as of the fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We are currently evaluating the impact to our financial statements and future disclosures as a result of this update.

In October 2016, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard regarding the accounting for income taxes. This update requires an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. This update will be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. This update is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in the first interim period of the adoption year. We are currently evaluating the impact to our financial statements as a result of this update.

In January 2017, the FASB issued an update to the accounting standard regarding goodwill and other intangibles. This update simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating step two of the goodwill impairment test. Instead, an entity should perform its annual or interim goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount and recognize an impairment charge for any excess of the reporting unit’s carrying amount over the reporting unit’s estimated fair value. The provisions of this update are effective for interim and annual goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. We intend to early adopt this update, effective as of our goodwill impairment test in 2017.