XML 23 R13.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.19.2
Reinsurance
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2019
Reinsurance Disclosures [Abstract]  
Reinsurance Reinsurance
We enter into third-party reinsurance transactions to actively manage our risk, ensure PMIERs compliance and support the growth of our business. The GSEs and the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (Wisconsin OCI) have approved all such transactions (subject to certain conditions and ongoing review, including levels of approved capital credit).
The effect of our reinsurance agreements on premiums written and earned is as follows:
 
For the three months ended
 
For the six months ended
 
June 30, 2019
 
June 30, 2018
 
June 30, 2019
 
June 30, 2018
 
(In Thousands)
Net premiums written
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Direct
$
92,213

 
$
70,677

 
$
173,943

 
$
136,704

Ceded (1)
(9,604
)
 
(6,234
)
 
(19,411
)
 
(13,231
)
Net premiums written
$
82,609

 
$
64,443

 
$
154,532

 
$
123,473

 


 


 


 


Net premiums earned


 


 


 


Direct
$
95,180

 
$
70,609

 
$
181,478

 
$
134,212

Ceded (1)
(11,931
)
 
(8,994
)
 
(24,360
)
 
(17,683
)
Net premiums earned
$
83,249

 
$
61,615

 
$
157,118

 
$
116,529

(1) 
Net of profit commission.
Excess-of-loss reinsurance
2017 ILN Transaction
In May 2017, NMIC entered into a reinsurance agreement with Oaktown Re Ltd. (Oaktown Re), which provides for up to $211.3 million of aggregate excess-of-loss reinsurance coverage at inception for new delinquencies on an existing portfolio of mortgage insurance policies written from 2013 through December 31, 2016. For the reinsurance coverage period, NMIC retains the first layer of $126.8 million of aggregate losses, of which $124.4 million remained at June 30, 2019, and Oaktown Re then provides second layer coverage up to the outstanding reinsurance coverage amount. NMIC then retains losses in excess of the outstanding reinsurance coverage amount. The outstanding reinsurance coverage amount decreases from $211.3 million at inception over a ten-year period as the underlying covered mortgages are amortized or repaid, and/or the mortgage insurance coverage is canceled and was $91.5 million as of June 30, 2019. The outstanding reinsurance coverage amount will stop amortizing if certain credit enhancement or delinquency thresholds are triggered.
Oaktown Re financed the coverage by issuing mortgage insurance-linked notes in an aggregate amount of $211.3 million to unaffiliated investors (the 2017 Notes). The 2017 Notes mature on April 26, 2027. All of the proceeds paid to Oaktown Re from the sale of the 2017 Notes were deposited into a reinsurance trust to collateralize and fund the obligations of Oaktown Re to NMIC under the reinsurance agreement. Funds in the reinsurance trust account are required to be invested in high credit quality money market funds at all times.  We refer collectively to NMIC's reinsurance agreement with Oaktown Re and the issuance of the 2017 Notes by Oaktown Re as the 2017 ILN Transaction. Under the terms of the 2017 ILN Transaction, NMIC makes risk premium payments for the applicable outstanding reinsurance coverage amount and pays Oaktown Re for anticipated operating expenses (capped at $300 thousand per year). NMIC ceded risk premiums to Oaktown Re of $1.3 million and $2.6 million during the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, and $1.6 million and $3.3 million during the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, respectively. NMIC did not cede any losses to Oaktown Re during the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018.
2018 ILN Transaction
In July 2018, NMIC entered into a reinsurance agreement with Oaktown Re II Ltd. (Oaktown Re II), which provides for up to $264.5 million of aggregate excess-of-loss reinsurance coverage at inception for new delinquencies on an existing portfolio of mortgage insurance policies written between January 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018. For the reinsurance coverage period, NMIC retains the first layer of $125.3 million of aggregate losses, of which $125.2 million remained at June 30, 2019, and Oaktown Re II then provides second layer coverage up to the outstanding reinsurance coverage amount. NMIC then retains losses in excess of the outstanding reinsurance coverage amount. The outstanding reinsurance coverage amount decreases from $264.5 million at inception over a ten-year period as the underlying covered mortgages are amortized or repaid, and/or the mortgage insurance coverage is canceled, and was $258.2 million as of June 30, 2019. The outstanding reinsurance coverage amount will stop amortizing if certain credit enhancement or delinquency thresholds are triggered.
Oaktown Re II financed the coverage by issuing mortgage insurance-linked notes in an aggregate amount of $264.5 million to unaffiliated investors (the 2018 Notes). The 2018 Notes mature on July 25, 2028. All of the proceeds paid to Oaktown Re II from the sale of the 2018 Notes were deposited into a reinsurance trust to collateralize and fund the obligations of Oaktown Re II to NMIC
under the reinsurance agreement. Funds in the reinsurance trust account are required to be invested in high credit quality money market funds at all times. We refer collectively to NMIC's reinsurance agreement with Oaktown Re II and the issuance of the 2018 Notes by Oaktown Re II as the 2018 ILN Transaction. Under the terms of the 2018 ILN Transaction, NMIC makes risk premium payments for the applicable outstanding reinsurance coverage amount and pays Oaktown Re II for anticipated operating expenses (capped at $250 thousand per year). For the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, NMIC ceded risk premiums of $1.6 million and $3.3 million, respectively, to Oaktown Re II. NMIC did not cede any losses to Oaktown Re II during the three and six months ended June 30, 2019.
Under the terms of the 2018 ILN Transaction, we are required to maintain a certain level of restricted funds in a premium deposit account with Bank of New York Mellon until the 2018 Notes have been redeemed in full. "Cash and cash equivalents" on our balance sheet includes restricted cash of $1.4 million as of June 30, 2019. We are not required to deposit additional funds into the premium deposit account and the restricted balance will decrease over time as the principal balance of the 2018 Notes declines.
We refer collectively to the 2017 ILN Transaction and 2018 ILN Transaction as the ILN Transactions. NMIC holds optional termination rights under each ILN Transaction in the event of certain occurrences, including, among others, a clean-up call if the outstanding reinsurance coverage amount amortizes to 10% or less of the reinsurance coverage amount at inception or if NMIC reasonably determines that changes to GSE or rating agency asset requirements would cause a material and adverse effect on the capital treatment afforded to NMIC under a given agreement. In addition, there are certain events that trigger mandatory termination of an agreement, including NMIC's failure to pay premiums or consent to reductions in a trust account to make principal payments to noteholders, among others.
At inception of each ILN Transaction, we determined that Oaktown Re and Oaktown Re II were variable interest entities (VIEs). However, we concluded that we are not the primary beneficiary of either Oaktown Re or Oaktown Re II because NMIC does not have significant economic exposure to either Oaktown Re or Oaktown Re II, and, as such, we do not consolidate the VIEs in our consolidated financial statements.
The amount of reinsurance premium ceded under the ILN Transactions fluctuates based on changes in one-month LIBOR and changes in the earned rate on the money market funds in which the assets of the reinsurance trusts are invested.  As the reinsurance premiums will vary based on changes in these rates, we have concluded that the ILN Transactions contain embedded derivatives that must be accounted for separately as freestanding derivatives.  The total fair value of such derivatives at June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, and the change in fair value of the derivatives during the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, were not material to our consolidated financial statements.
Quota share reinsurance
2016 QSR Transaction
Effective September 1, 2016, NMIC entered into a quota-share reinsurance (QSR) transaction (the 2016 QSR Transaction) with a panel of third-party reinsurers. Each of the third-party reinsurers has an insurer financial strength rating of A- or better by Standard and Poor’s Rating Services (S&P), A.M. Best or both.
Under the 2016 QSR Transaction, NMIC ceded premiums written related to:
25% of existing risk written on eligible policies as of August 31, 2016;
100% of existing risk under our pool agreement with Fannie Mae; and
25% of risk on eligible policies written from September 1, 2016 through December 31, 2017.
The 2016 QSR Transaction is scheduled to terminate on December 31, 2027, except with respect to the ceded pool risk, which is scheduled to terminate on August 31, 2023. However, NMIC has the option, based on certain conditions and subject to a termination fee, to terminate the agreement as of December 31, 2020, or at the end of any calendar quarter thereafter, which would result in NMIC reassuming the related risk.
2018 QSR Transaction
Effective January 1, 2018, NMIC entered into a second quota share reinsurance treaty with a panel of third-party reinsurers (the 2018 QSR Transaction, together with the 2016 QSR Transaction, the QSR Transactions). Each of the third-party reinsurers has an insurer financial strength rating of A- or better by S&P, AM Best or both. Under the 2018 QSR Transaction, NMIC cedes premiums earned related to 25% of risk on eligible policies written in 2018 and 20% of risk on eligible policies written in 2019. The 2018 QSR Transaction is scheduled to terminate on December 31, 2029. However, NMIC has the option, based on certain conditions and subject to a termination fee, to terminate the agreement as of December 31, 2022, or at the end of any calendar quarter thereafter, which
would result in NMIC reassuming the related risk.
NMIC may terminate either or both of the QSR Transactions without penalty if, due to a change in PMIERs requirements, it is no longer able to take full PMIERs asset credit for the risk-in-force (RIF) ceded under the respective agreements. Additionally, under the terms of the QSR Transactions, NMIC may elect to selectively terminate its engagement with individual reinsurers on a run-off basis (i.e., reinsurers continue providing coverage on all risk ceded prior to the termination date, with no new cessions going forward) or cut-off basis (i.e., the reinsurance arrangement is completely terminated with NMIC recapturing all previously ceded risk) under certain circumstances.  Such selective termination rights arise when, among other reasons, a reinsurer experiences a deterioration in its capital position below a prescribed threshold and/or a reinsurer breaches (and fails to cure) its collateral posting obligations under the relevant agreement. 
Effective April 1, 2019, NMIC elected to terminate its engagement with one reinsurer under the 2016 QSR Transaction on a cut-off basis. In connection with the termination, NMIC recaptured approximately $500 million of previously ceded primary RIF and stopped ceding new premiums earned or written with respect to the recaptured risk.  With this termination, ceded premiums written under the 2016 QSR Transaction decreased from 25% to 20.5% on eligible policies.  The termination has no effect on the cession of pool risk under the 2016 QSR Transaction.
The following table shows the amounts related to the QSR Transactions:
 
For the three months ended
 
For the six months ended
 
June 30, 2019
 
June 30, 2018
 
June 30, 2019
 
June 30, 2018
 
(In Thousands)
Ceded risk-in-force
$
4,558,862

 
$
3,606,928

 
$
4,558,862

 
$
3,606,928

Ceded premiums written
(18,592
)
 
(15,318
)
 
(37,437
)
 
(29,843
)
Ceded premiums earned
(20,919
)
 
(18,077
)
 
(42,387
)
 
(34,295
)
Ceded claims and claim expenses
770

 
173

 
1,669

 
716

Ceding commission written
3,717

 
3,064

 
7,488

 
5,969

Ceding commission earned
4,171

 
3,536

 
8,377

 
6,687

Profit commission
11,884

 
10,707

 
23,945

 
19,908


Ceded premiums written under the 2016 QSR Transaction are recorded on the balance sheet as prepaid reinsurance premiums and amortized to ceded premiums earned in a manner consistent with the recognition of revenue on direct premiums. Under the 2018 QSR Transaction, premiums are ceded on an earned basis as defined in the agreement. NMIC receives a 20% ceding commission for premiums ceded under the QSR Transactions. NMIC also receives a profit commission, provided that the loss ratio on the loans covered under the 2016 QSR Transaction and 2018 QSR Transaction generally remains below 60% and 61%, respectively, as measured annually. Ceded claims and claim expenses under the QSR Transactions reduce NMIC's profit commission on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
In accordance with the terms of the 2016 QSR Transaction, rather than making a cash payment or transferring investments for ceded premiums written, NMIC established a funds withheld liability, which also includes amounts due to NMIC for ceding and profit commissions. Any loss recoveries and any potential profit commission to NMIC will be realized from this account until exhausted. NMIC's reinsurance recoverable balance is further supported by trust accounts established and maintained by each reinsurer in accordance with the PMIERs funding requirements for risk ceded to non-affiliates. The reinsurance recoverable on loss reserves related to our 2016 QSR Transaction was $2.7 million as of June 30, 2019.
In accordance with the terms of the 2018 QSR Transaction, cash payments for ceded premiums earned are settled on a quarterly basis, offset by amounts due to NMIC for ceding and profit commissions. Any loss recoveries and any potential profit commission to NMIC are also settled quarterly. NMIC's reinsurance recoverable balance is supported by trust accounts established and maintained by each reinsurer in accordance with the PMIERs funding requirements for risk ceded to non-affiliates. The reinsurance recoverable on loss reserves related to our 2018 QSR Transaction was $1.1 million as of June 30, 2019.