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Business Developments and Risks and Uncertainties | 6 Months Ended
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Jun. 30, 2016
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Business Developments and Risks and Uncertainties | Note 1: Business Developments and Risks and Uncertainties Summary MBIA Inc., together with its consolidated subsidiaries, (collectively, “MBIA” or the “Company”) operates one of the largest financial guarantee insurance businesses in the industry. MBIA manages three operating segments: 1) United States (“U.S.”) public finance insurance; 2) corporate; and 3) international and structured finance insurance. The Company’s U.S. public finance insurance business is primarily operated through National Public Finance Guarantee Corporation (“National”) and its international and structured finance insurance business is primarily operated through MBIA Insurance Corporation and its subsidiaries (“MBIA Corp.”). Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references to “MBIA Corp.” are to MBIA Insurance Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, MBIA UK Insurance Limited (“MBIA UK”) and MBIA Mexico S.A. de C.V (“MBIA Mexico”). E ffective on January 1, 2015, the Company exited its advisory services business through the sale of Cutwater Holdings, LLC and its subsidiaries (“Cutwater”) to a subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. Refer to “Note 10: Business Segments” for further information about the Company’s operating segments. Business Developments National Ratings and New Business Opportunities National’s ability to write new business and compete with other financial guarantors is largely dependent on the financial strength ratings assigned to National by the rating agencies. During the second quarter of 2016, all of the rating agencies completed their annual reviews of National and affirmed the following ratings: AA+ wi th a stable outlook by Kroll Bond Rating Agency; AA- with a stable outlook by Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“S&P”); and A3 with a negative outlook by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”). National seeks to generate shareholder value thr ough appropriate risk adjusted pricing; however, current market conditions and the competitive landscape may limit National’s new business opportunities and its abilities to price and underwrite risk with attractive returns. Refer to “Risks and Uncertainti es” below for a discussion of business risks related to National’s insured portfolio. Risks and Uncertainties The Company’s financial statements include estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. The outcome of certain significant risks and uncertainties could cause the Company to revise its estimates and assumptions or could cause actual results to differ from the Company’s estimates. The discussion below highlights the significant risks and uncertainties that could have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements a nd business objectives in future periods. U.S. Public Finance Market Conditions National’s insured portfolio continued to perform satisfactorily against a backdrop of strengthening domestic economic activity. While a stable or growing economy will genera lly benefit tax revenues and fees charged for essential municipal services which secure National’s insured bond portfolio, some state and local governments and territory obligors National insures remain under financial and budgetary stress. This could lead to an increase in defaults by such entities on the payment of their obligations and losses or impairments on a greater number of the Company’s insured transactions. The Company monitors and analyzes these situations and other stressed credits closely, and the overall extent and duration of this stress is uncertain. Puerto Rico is experiencing fiscal stress and constrained liquidity due to, among other things, Puerto Rico’s structural budget imbalance, limited access to the capital markets, a stagnating l ocal economy, net migration of people out of Puerto Rico and a high debt burden. Although Puerto Rico has tried to address its significant financial challenges through various fiscal policies, it continues to experience significant fiscal stress. On July 1, 2016, Puerto Rico defaulted on scheduled debt service for National insured bonds and National paid claims in aggregate of $173 million as a result of these defaults. The Company continue s to believe, based on its analysis of Puerto Rico’s fiscal and stru ctural circumstances, the details of its insured exposures, and its legal and contractual rights, that all of National’s insured Puerto Rico related debt, and any related claims, will ultimately be substantially repaid. MBIA Corp. Insured Portfolio and Re coveri es MBIA Corp.’s primary objectives are to satisfy those claims of its policyholders, and to maximize future recoveries to its surplus note holders and preferred stock holders. The Company is execut ing t his strategy by reducing and mitigating potentia l losses on its insurance exposures and pursuing various actions focused on maximizing the collection of recoveries. MBIA Corp.’s insured portfolio could deteriorate and result in additional significant loss reserves and claim payments. MBIA Corp.’s abili ty to meet its obligations is limited by available liquidity and its ability to secure liquidity through financing and other transactions. There can be no assurance that MBIA Corp. will be successful in generating sufficient cash to meet its obligations. At this time, MBIA Corp. is particularly focused on the policy it issued on a series of notes (the “Zohar II Notes”) issued by Zohar II 2005-1, Limited (“Zohar II”), a high yield corporate collateralized debt obligation (“CDO”), which mature in January of 2017 and which, as of June 30, 2016, had $772 million of gross par outstanding. According to the sponsor and former collateral manager of Zohar II, the assets of Zohar II include loans made to, and equity interests in, companies that the Zohar Sponsor purp orts to control. MBIA Corp. does not currently expect Zohar II to have sufficient cash flow to repay a substantial amount of the currently outstanding Zohar II Notes at maturity in January of 2017. If cash flows generated by Zohar II are insufficient to pa y the Zohar II Notes in full at maturity, MBIA Corp. expects that the trustee for the Zohar II Notes would make a claim under its policy to satisfy any shortfall. MBIA Corp. does not currently have a sufficient amount of liquid assets to pay all or a subst antial amount of the Zohar II Notes at maturity. While MBIA Corp. continues to pursue strategies to restructure the Zohar II Notes and to increase its liquid assets, there is no assurance that MBIA Corp. will be successful in the execution of any such stra tegies. If the New York State Department of Financial Services (“NYSDFS”) at any time concludes that MBIA Insurance Corporation does not have, or will be unable to raise sufficient liquid assets to pay its expected claims in a timely manner, including a c laim on the Zohar II Notes, or will be unable to timely collect expected recoveries, it could, under Article 74 of the New York Insurance Law, put MBIA Insurance Corporation, exclusive of MBIA UK and MBIA Mexico, into a rehabilitation or liquidation proceeding, or issue an order directing MBIA Insurance Corporation to not pay claims. The determination to commence such a proceeding or issue such a n order is not within the control of the Company. Given the separation of MBIA Inc. and MBIA Corp. as distinct legal entities, the absence of any material intercompany lending agreements or cross defaults between the entities, and the lack of reliance by MBIA Inc. on MBIA Corp. for the receipt of dividends, the Company does not believe that a rehabilitation or liquidation proceeding w ith respect to MBIA Insurance Corporation would have any significant liquidity impact on MBIA Inc. or result in a liquidation or similar proceeding of MBIA UK or MBIA Mexico. Such a proceeding could have material adverse consequences for MBIA Insurance Cor poration, including the termination of insured credit default swap (“CDS”) contracts for which counterparties may assert market-based claims, the acceleration of debt obligations issued by affiliates and insured by MBIA Insurance Corporation, the loss of c ontrol of MBIA Insurance Corporation to a rehabilitator or liquidator, and unplanned costs. The amount and timing of projected collections from excess spread from second-lien residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”) and the put-back recoverable fro m Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, DLJ Mortgage Capital, Inc., and Select Portfolio Servicing Inc. (collectively, “Credit Suisse”) are uncertain. Refer to “Note 5: Loss and Loss Adjustment Expense Reserves” for information about MBIA Corp.’s loss reserves and recoveries. Corporate Liquidit y As of June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the liquidity position of MBIA Inc. was $295 million and $416 million, respectively. The term “liquidity position” refers to cash and liquid asset s available for general liquidity purposes. During the six months ended June 30, 2016, $105 million was released to MBIA Inc. under the MBIA group’s tax sharing agreement and related escrow agreement (the “Tax Escrow Account”). Based on the Company’s projections of National’s dividends, payments into the Tax Escrow Account, and other cash inflows, the Company expects that MBIA Inc. will have sufficient cash to satisfy its debt service and general corporate needs. However, MBIA Inc. con tinues to have liquidity risk which could be triggered by deterioration in the performance of invested assets, interruption of or reduction in dividends or tax payments received from operating subsidiaries, impaired access to the capital markets, as well a s other factors which cannot be anticipated at this time. Furthermore, failure by MBIA Inc. to settle liabilities that are also insured by MBIA Corp. could result in claims on MBIA Corp.

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