NMI Holdings, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

EMERYVILLE, Calif., May 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NMI Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMIH) today reported net income of $52.9 million, or $0.61 per diluted share, for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021, which compares to $48.3 million, or $0.56 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2020 and $58.3 million, or $0.74 per diluted share, in the first quarter ended March 31, 2020. Adjusted net income for the quarter was $53.4 million, or $0.62 per diluted share, which compares to $50.8 million, or $0.59 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2020 and $52.7 million, or $0.75 per diluted share, in the first quarter ended March 31, 2020. The non-GAAP financial measures adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share and adjusted return on equity are presented in this release to enhance the comparability of financial results between periods. See “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and our reconciliation of such measures to their most comparable GAAP measures, below.

Claudia Merkle, CEO of National MI, said, “We achieved record NIW volume, significant growth in our insured portfolio and strong financial performance in the first quarter. We helped more borrowers than ever before gain access to housing and continued to differentiate with our lender customers. Our credit performance remained favorable and we are increasingly optimistic as the stress of the COVID pandemic has begun to recede, the outlook for the economy has improved sharply and the housing market continues to strengthen.”

Selected first quarter 2021 highlights include:

  • New insurance written was $26.4 billion, up 33% compared to $19.8 billion in the fourth quarter and 134% compared to $11.3 billion in the first quarter of 2020
  • Primary insurance-in-force at quarter end was $123.8 billion, up 11% from $111.3 billion at the end of the fourth quarter and 26% compared to the first quarter of 2020
  • Net premiums earned were $105.9 million, up 5% compared to $100.7 million in the fourth quarter and 7% compared to $98.7 million in the first quarter of 2020
  • Underwriting and operating expenses were $34.1 million, including $378 thousand of capital market transaction costs, compared to $35.0 million in the fourth quarter and $32.3 million in the first quarter of 2020
  • Insurance claims and claim expenses were $5.0 million, compared to $3.5 million in the fourth quarter and $5.7 million in the first quarter of 2020
  • At quarter-end, cash and investments were $1.9 billion and shareholders’ equity was $1.4 billion, equal to $16.13 per share
  • Annualized return on equity for the quarter was 15.4% and annualized adjusted return on equity was 15.5%
  • At quarter-end, the company reported total PMIERs available assets of $1.8 billion and net risk-based required assets of $1.3 billion

Concurrent with the release of first quarter earnings, the company has filed a Form 8-K that includes selected operating statistics for the month ended April 30, 2021. Investors may access the Form 8-K on the company’s website, www.nationalmi.com, in the “Investor Relations” section.

   
Quarter
Ended


Quarter
Ended


Quarter
Ended


Change



(1)


Change



(1)

   
3/31/2021

12/31/2020

3/31/2020

Q/Q

Y/Y
INSURANCE METRICS ($billions)
Primary Insurance-in-Force $ 123.8   $ 111.3   $ 98.5   11 % 26 %
New Insurance Written – NIW          
  Monthly premium 23.8   17.8   10.5   34 % 127 %
  Single premium 2.6   2.0   0.8   32 % 215 %
  Total 26.4   19.8   11.3   33 % 134 %
           
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS ($millions, except per share amounts)
Net Premiums Earned $ 105.9   $ 100.7   $ 98.7   5 % 7 %
Insurance Claims and Claim Expenses 5.0   3.5   5.7   40 % (13 )%
Underwriting and Operating Expenses 34.1   35.0   32.3   (3 )% 6 %
Net Income 52.9   48.3   58.3   10 % (9 )%
Adjusted Net Income 53.4   50.8   52.7   5 % 1 %
Cash and Investments   1,947     1,931     1,180   1 % 65 %
Shareholders’ Equity 1,380   1,370   975   1 % 42 %
Book Value per Share   16.13     16.08     14.15   % 14 %
Loss Ratio 4.7 % 3.5 % 5.8 %    
Expense Ratio 32.2 % 34.7 % 32.7 %    

(1) Percentages may not be replicated based on the rounded figures presented in the table.

Conference Call and Webcast Details

   
The company will hold a conference call, which will be webcast live today, May 4, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time / 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The webcast will be available on the company’s website, www.nationalmi.com, in the “Investor Relations” section. The conference call can also be accessed by dialing (888) 734-0328 in the U.S., or (914) 495-8578 internationally, and using Conference ID: 1887668 or by referencing NMI Holdings, Inc.

About NMI Holdings, Inc.

NMI Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: NMIH), is the parent company of National Mortgage Insurance Corporation (National MI), a U.S.-based, private mortgage insurance company enabling low down payment borrowers to realize home ownership while protecting lenders and investors against losses related to a borrower’s default. To learn more, please visit www.nationalmi.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release or any other written or oral statements made by or on behalf of the Company in connection therewith may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “PSLRA”). The PSLRA provides a “safe harbor” for any forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in or incorporated by reference in this release are forward-looking statements, including any statements about our expectations, outlook, beliefs, plans, predictions, forecasts, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “could,” “may,” “predict,” “assume,” “potential,” “should,” “will,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “continuing,” “ongoing,” “expect,” “intend” and similar words or phrases. All forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve estimates, known and unknown risks, assumptions and uncertainties that may turn out to be inaccurate and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Many risks and uncertainties are inherent in our industry and markets. Others are more specific to our business and operations. Important factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements include, but are not limited to: uncertainty relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken by governmental authorities and other third parties to combat it, including their impact on the global economy, the U.S. housing, real estate, housing finance and mortgage insurance markets, and the Company’s business, operations and personnel, changes in the business practices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (collectively, the “GSEs”), including decisions that have the impact of decreasing or discontinuing the use of mortgage insurance as credit enhancement generally, or with first time homebuyers or on very high loan-to-value mortgages; our ability to remain an eligible mortgage insurer under the private mortgage insurer eligibility requirements (“PMIERs”) and other requirements imposed by the GSEs, which they may change at any time; retention of our existing certificates of authority in each state and the District of Columbia (“D.C.”) and our ability to remain a mortgage insurer in good standing in each state and D.C.; our future profitability, liquidity and capital resources; actions of existing competitors, including other private mortgage insurers and government mortgage insurers, such as the Federal Housing Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and potential market entry by new competitors or consolidation of existing competitors; developments in the world’s financial and capital markets and our access to such markets, including reinsurance; adoption of new or changes to existing laws and regulations that impact our business or financial condition directly or the mortgage insurance industry generally or their enforcement and implementation by regulators, including the timing and eventual implementation of the final rules concerning “Qualified Mortgage” and “Qualified Residential Mortgage” definitions and the expiration of the “QM Patch” under the Dodd-Frank Act Ability to Repay/Qualified Mortgage rule; legislative or regulatory changes to the GSEs’ role in the secondary mortgage market or other changes that could affect the residential mortgage industry generally or mortgage insurance industry in particular; potential future lawsuits, investigations or inquiries or resolution of current lawsuits or inquiries; changes in general economic, market and political conditions and policies, interest rates, inflation and investment results or other conditions that affect the housing market or the markets for home mortgages or mortgage insurance; our ability to successfully execute and implement our capital plans, including our ability to access the capital, credit and reinsurance markets and to enter into, and receive approval of, reinsurance arrangements on terms and conditions that are acceptable to us, the GSEs and our regulators; our ability to implement our business strategy, including our ability to write mortgage insurance on high quality low-down payment residential mortgage loans, implement successfully and on a timely basis, complex infrastructure, systems, procedures, and internal controls to support our business and regulatory and reporting requirements of the insurance industry; our ability to attract and retain a diverse customer base, including the largest mortgage originators; failure of risk management or pricing or investment strategies; emergence of unexpected claim and coverage issues, including claims exceeding our reserves or amounts we had expected to experience; potential adverse impacts arising from natural disasters, including, with respect to affected areas, a decline in new business, adverse effects on home prices, and an increase in notices of default on insured mortgages; the inability of our counterparties, including third party reinsurers, to meet their obligations to us; failure to maintain, improve and continue to develop necessary information technology systems or the failure of technology providers to perform; and, our ability to recruit, train and retain key personnel. These risks and uncertainties also include, but are not limited to, those set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” detailed in Item 1A of Part I of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, as subsequently updated through other reports we file with the SEC. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement, which speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect new information, future events or circumstances that occur after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events except as required by law.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We believe the use of the non-GAAP measures of adjusted income before tax, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted EPS, adjusted return-on-equity, adjusted expense ratio and adjusted combined ratio enhances the comparability of our fundamental financial performance between periods, and provides relevant information to investors. These non-GAAP financial measures align with the way the company’s business performance is evaluated by management. These measures are not prepared in accordance with GAAP and should not be viewed as alternatives to GAAP measures of performance. These measures have been presented to increase transparency and enhance the comparability of our fundamental operating trends across periods. Other companies may calculate these measures differently; their measures may not be comparable to those we calculate and present.

Adjusted income before tax is defined as GAAP income before tax, excluding the pre-tax effects of the gain or loss related to the change in fair value of our warrant liability, periodic costs incurred in connection with capital markets transactions, net realized gains or losses from our investment portfolio, and discrete, non-recurring and non-operating items in the periods in which such items are incurred.

Adjusted net income is defined as GAAP net income, excluding the after-tax effects of the gain or loss related to the change in fair value of our warrant liability, periodic costs incurred in connection with capital markets transactions, net realized gains or losses from our investment portfolio, and discrete, non-recurring and non-operating items in the periods in which such items are incurred. Adjustments to components of pre-tax income are tax effected using the applicable federal statutory tax rate for the respective periods.

Adjusted diluted EPS is defined as adjusted net income divided by adjusted weighted average diluted shares outstanding. Adjusted weighted average diluted shares outstanding is defined as weighted average diluted shares outstanding, adjusted for changes in the dilutive effect of non-vested shares that would otherwise have occurred had GAAP net income been calculated in accordance with adjusted net income. There will be no adjustment to weighted average diluted shares outstanding in the periods that non-vested shares are anti-dilutive under GAAP.

Adjusted return on equity is calculated by dividing adjusted net income on an annualized basis by the average shareholders’ equity for the period.

Adjusted expense ratio is defined as GAAP underwriting and operating expenses, excluding the pre-tax effects of periodic costs incurred in connection with capital markets transactions, divided by net premiums earned.

Adjusted combined ratio is defined as the total of GAAP underwriting and operating expenses, excluding the pre-tax effects of periodic costs incurred in connection with capital markets transactions and insurance claims and claims expenses, divided by net premiums earned.

Although adjusted income before tax, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted EPS, adjusted return-on-equity, adjusted expense ratio and adjusted combined ratio exclude certain items that have occurred in the past and are expected to occur in the future, the excluded items: (1) are not viewed as part of the operating performance of our primary activities; or (2) are impacted by market, economic or regulatory factors and are not necessarily indicative of operating trends, or both. These adjustments, and the reasons for their treatment, are described below.

(1) Change in fair value of warrant liability. Outstanding warrants at the end of each reporting period are revalued, and any change in fair value is reported in the statement of operations in the period in which the change occurred. The change in fair value of our warrant liability can vary significantly across periods and is influenced principally by equity market and general economic factors that do not impact or reflect our current period operating results. We believe trends in our operating performance can be more clearly identified by excluding fluctuations related to the change in fair value of our warrant liability.

(2) Capital markets transaction costs. Capital markets transaction costs result from activities that are undertaken to improve our debt profile or enhance our capital position through activities such as debt refinancing and capital markets reinsurance transactions that may vary in their size and timing due to factors such as market opportunities, tax and capital profile, and overall market cycles.

(3) Net realized investment gains and losses. The recognition of the net realized investment gains or losses can vary significantly across periods as the timing is highly discretionary and is influenced by factors such as market opportunities, tax and capital profile, and overall market cycles that do not reflect our current period operating results.

(4) Infrequent or unusual non-operating items. Items that are the result of unforeseen or uncommon events, which occur separately from operating earnings and are not expected to recur in the future. Identification and exclusion of these items provides clarity about the impact special or rare occurrences may have on our current financial performance. Past adjustments under this category include the effects of the release of the valuation allowance recorded against our net federal and certain state net deferred tax assets in 2016 and the re-measurement of our net deferred tax assets in connection with tax reform in 2017. We believe such items are non-recurring in nature, are not part of our primary operating activities and do not reflect our current period operating results.

Investor Contact

John M. Swenson
Vice President, Investor Relations and Treasury
[email protected]
(510) 788-8417

Press Contact

Mary McGarity
Strategic Vantage Mortgage Public Relations
(203) 513-2721
[email protected]



Consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income For the three months ended March 31,
  2021   2020
   
Revenues (In Thousands, except for per share data)
Net premiums earned $ 105,879     $ 98,717  
Net investment income 8,814     8,104  
Net realized investment losses     (72 )
Other revenues 501     900  
Total revenues 115,194     107,649  
Expenses      
Insurance claims and claim expenses 4,962     5,697  
Underwriting and operating expenses 34,065     32,277  
Service expenses 591     734  
Interest expense 7,915     2,744  
Loss (gain) from change in fair value of warrant liability 205     (5,959 )
Total expenses 47,738     35,493  
       
Income before income taxes 67,456     72,156  
Income tax expense 14,565     13,885  
Net income $ 52,891     $ 58,271  
       
Earnings per share      
Basic $ 0.62     $ 0.85  
Diluted $ 0.61     $ 0.74  
       
Weighted average common shares outstanding      
Basic 85,317     68,563  
Diluted 86,487     70,401  
       
Loss ratio(1) 4.7 %   5.8 %
Expense ratio(2) 32.2 %   32.7 %
Combined ratio 36.9 %   38.5 %
       
Net income $ 52,891     $ 58,271  
       
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax:      
Unrealized losses in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax benefit of $11,997 and $3,424 for the quarters ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively (45,133 )   (12,881 )
Reclassification adjustment for realized losses included in net income, net of tax benefit of $15 for the quarter ended March 31, 2020     57  
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax (45,133 )   (12,824 )
Comprehensive income $ 7,758     $ 45,447  

(1)   Loss ratio is calculated by dividing insurance claims and claim expenses by net premiums earned.
(2)   Expense ratio is calculated by dividing other underwriting and operating expenses by net premiums earned.

Consolidated balance sheets March 31, 2021   December 31, 2020
   
Assets (In Thousands, except for share data)
Fixed maturities, available-for-sale, at fair value (amortized cost of $1,815,190 and
$1,730,835 as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively)
$ 1,831,511     $ 1,804,286  
Cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash of $4,868 and $5,555 as of
March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively)
115,517     126,937  
Premiums receivable 52,206     49,779  
Accrued investment income 10,495     9,862  
Prepaid expenses 4,999     3,292  
Deferred policy acquisition costs, net 62,294     62,225  
Software and equipment, net 31,298     29,665  
Intangible assets and goodwill 3,634     3,634  
Prepaid reinsurance premiums 4,842     6,190  
Reinsurance recoverable 18,686     17,608  
Other assets 52,349     53,188  
Total assets $ 2,187,831     $ 2,166,666  
       
Liabilities      
Debt $ 393,622     $ 393,301  
Unearned premiums 127,407     118,817  
Accounts payable and accrued expenses 57,139     61,716  
Reserve for insurance claims and claim expenses 96,103     90,567  
Reinsurance funds withheld 7,569     8,653  
Warrant liability, at fair value 4,239     4,409  
Deferred tax liability, net 115,150     112,586  
Other liabilities 6,294     7,026  
Total liabilities 807,523     797,075  
       
Shareholders’ equity      
Common stock – class A shares, $0.01 par value; 85,599,908 and 85,163,039 shares
issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively
(250,000,000 shares authorized)
856     852  
Additional paid-in capital 940,827     937,872  
Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax 8,723     53,856  
Retained earnings 429,902     377,011  
Total shareholders’ equity 1,380,308     1,369,591  
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 2,187,831     $ 2,166,666  

Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliations
  Quarter ended   Quarter ended   Quarter ended
  3/31/2021   12/31/2020   3/31/2020
As Reported (In Thousands, except for per share data)
Revenues          
Net premiums earned $ 105,879     $ 100,709     $ 98,717  
Net investment income 8,814     8,386     8,104  
Net realized investment gains (losses)     295     (72 )
Other revenues 501     513     900  
Total revenues 115,194     109,903     107,649  
Expenses          
Insurance claims and claim expenses 4,962     3,549     5,697  
Underwriting and operating expenses 34,065     34,994     32,277  
Service expenses 591     459     734  
Interest expense 7,915     7,906     2,744  
Loss (gain) from change in fair value of warrant liability 205     1,379     (5,959 )
Total expenses 47,738     48,287     35,493  
           
Income before income taxes 67,456     61,616     72,156  
Income tax expense 14,565     13,348     13,885  
Net income $ 52,891     $ 48,268     $ 58,271  
           
Adjustments:          
Net realized investment (gains) losses     (295 )   72  
Loss (gain) from change in fair value of warrant liability 205     1,379     (5,959 )
Capital markets transaction costs 378     1,719     474  
Adjusted income before taxes 68,039     64,419     66,743  
           
Income tax expense on adjustments 79     299     115  
Adjusted net income $ 53,395     $ 50,772     $ 52,743  
           
Weighted average diluted shares outstanding 86,487     86,250     70,401  
           
Diluted EPS

(1)
$ 0.61     $ 0.56     $ 0.74  
Adjusted diluted EPS $ 0.62     $ 0.59     $ 0.75  
           
Return-on-equity 15.4 %   14.4 %   24.5 %
Adjusted return-on-equity 15.5 %   15.2 %   22.1 %
           
           
Expense ratio

(2)
32.2 %   34.7 %   32.7 %
Adjusted expense ratio

(3)
31.8 %   33.0 %   32.2 %
           
Combined ratio

(4)
36.9 %   38.3 %   38.5 %
Adjusted combined ratio

(5)
36.5 %   36.6 %   38.0 %

(1) Diluted net income for the quarter ended March 30, 2020, excludes the impact of the warrant fair value change as it was anti-dilutive. For all other periods presented, diluted net income equals reported net income as the impact of the warrant fair value change was dilutive.
(2) Expense ratio is calculated by dividing underwriting and operating expenses by net premiums earned.
(3) Adjusted expense ratio is calculated by dividing adjusted underwriting and operating expense (underwriting and operating expenses excluding costs related to capital markets reinsurance transactions) by net premiums earned.
(4) Combined ratio is calculated by dividing the total of underwriting and operating expenses and insurance claims and claims expense by net premiums earned.
(5) Adjusted combined ratio is calculated by dividing the total of adjusted underwriting and operating expenses (underwriting and operating expenses excluding costs related to capital market reinsurance transaction) and insurance claims and claims expense by net premiums earned.

Historical Quarterly Data 2021   2020   2019
  March 31   December 31   September 30   June 30   March 31   December 31
   
Revenues (In Thousands, except for per share data)
Net premiums earned $ 105,879     $ 100,709     $ 98,802     $ 98,944     $ 98,717     $ 95,517  
Net investment income 8,814     8,386     8,337     7,070     8,104     7,962  
Net realized investment gains (losses)     295     (4 )   711     (72 )   264  
Other revenues 501     513     648     1,223     900     1,154  
Total revenues 115,194     109,903     107,783     107,948     107,649     104,897  
Expenses                      
Insurance claims and claim expenses 4,962     3,549     15,667     34,334     5,697     4,269  
Underwriting and operating expenses 34,065     34,994     33,969     30,370     32,277     31,296  
Service expenses 591     459     557     1,090     734     937  
Interest expense 7,915     7,906     7,796     5,941     2,744     2,974  
Loss (gain) from change in fair value of warrant liability 205     1,379     437     1,236     (5,959 )   2,632  
Total expenses 47,738     48,287     58,426     72,971     35,493     42,108  
                       
Income before income taxes 67,456     61,616     49,357     34,977     72,156     62,789  
Income tax expense 14,565     13,348     11,178     8,129     13,885     12,594  
Net income $ 52,891     $ 48,268     $ 38,179     $ 26,848     $ 58,271     $ 50,195  
                       
Earnings per share                      
Basic $ 0.62     $ 0.57     $ 0.45     $ 0.36     $ 0.85     $ 0.74  
Diluted $ 0.61     $ 0.56     $ 0.45     $ 0.36     $ 0.74     $ 0.71  
                       
Weighted average common shares outstanding                      
Basic 85,317     84,956     84,805     73,617     68,563     68,140  
Diluted 86,487     86,250     85,599     74,174     70,401     70,276  
                       
Other data                      
Loss Ratio(1) 4.7 %   3.5 %   15.9 %   34.7 %   5.8 %   4.5 %
Expense Ratio(2) 32.2 %   34.7 %   34.4 %   30.7 %   32.7 %   32.8 %
Combined ratio (3) 36.9 %   38.3 %   50.2 %   65.4 %   38.5 %   37.2 %

(1)   Loss ratio is calculated by dividing insurance claims and claim expenses by net premiums earned.
(2)   Expense ratio is calculated by dividing underwriting and operating expenses by net premiums earned.
(3)   Combined ratio may not foot due to rounding.


Portfolio Statistics

The table below highlights trends in our primary portfolio as of the date and for the periods indicated.

Primary portfolio trends As of and for the three months ended
  March 31,
2021
  December 31,
2020
  September 30,
2020
  June 30, 2020   March 31,
2020
  December 31,
2019
  ($ Values In Millions, except as noted below)
New insurance written $ 26,397     $ 19,782     $ 18,499     $ 13,124     $ 11,297     $ 11,949  
New risk written 6,531     4,868     4,577     3,260     2,897     3,082  
Insurance in force (IIF) (1) 123,777     111,252     104,494     98,905     98,494     94,754  
Risk in force (1) 31,206     28,164     26,568     25,238     25,192     24,173  
Policies in force (count) (1) 436,652     399,429     381,899     372,934     376,852     366,039  
Average loan size ($ value in thousands)(1) $ 283     $ 279     $ 274     $ 265     $ 261     $ 259  
Coverage percentage (2) 25.2 %   25.3 %   25.4 %   25.5 %   25.6 %   25.5 %
Loans in default (count) (1) 11,090     12,209     13,765     10,816     1,449     1,448  
Default rate (1) 2.54 %   3.06 %   3.60 %   2.90 %   0.38 %   0.40 %
Risk in force on defaulted loans (1) $ 785     $ 874     $ 1,008     $ 799     $ 84     $ 84  
Net premium yield (3) 0.36 %   0.37 %   0.39 %   0.40 %   0.41 %   0.41 %
Earnings from cancellations $ 9.9     $ 11.7     $ 12.6     $ 15.5     $ 8.6     $ 8.0  
Annual persistency (4) 51.9 %   55.9 %   60.0 %   64.1 %   71.7 %   76.8 %
Quarterly run-off (5) 12.5 %   12.5 %   13.1 %   12.9 %   8.0 %   7.7 %

(1) Reported as of the end of the period.
(2) Calculated as end of period risk-in-force (RIF) divided by end of period IIF.
(3) Calculated as net premiums earned, divided by average primary IIF for the period, annualized.
(4) Defined as the percentage of IIF that remains on our books after a given twelve-month period.
(5) Defined as the percentage of IIF that is no longer on our books after a given three month period.


New Insurance Written (NIW), Insurance in Force (IIF) and Premiums

The tables below present primary NIW and primary and pool IIF, as of the dates and for the periods indicated.

Primary NIW Three months ended
  March 31, 2021   December 31,
2020
  September 30,
2020
  June 30, 2020   March 31, 2020   December 31,
2019
  (In Millions)
Monthly $ 23,764     $ 17,789     $ 16,516     $ 11,885     $ 10,461     $ 11,085  
Single 2,633     1,993     1,983     1,239     836     864  
Primary $ 26,397     $ 19,782     $ 18,499     $ 13,124     $ 11,297     $ 11,949  

Primary and pool IIF As of
  March 31, 2021   December 31,
2020
  September 30,
2020
  June 30, 2020   March 31, 2020   December 31,
2019
  (In Millions)
Monthly $ 106,920     $ 95,336     $ 88,584     $ 82,848     $ 81,347     $ 77,097  
Single 16,857     15,916     15,910     16,057     17,147     17,657  
Primary 123,777     111,252     104,494     98,905     98,494     94,754  
                       
Pool 1,642     1,855     2,115     2,340     2,487     2,570  
Total $ 125,419     $ 113,107     $ 106,609     $ 101,245     $ 100,981     $ 97,324  

The following table presents the amounts related to the company’s quota-share reinsurance transactions (the 2016 QSR Transaction, 2018 QSR Transaction, 2020 QSR Transaction and 2021 QSR Transaction, and collectively, the QSR Transactions), and Insurance-Linked Note transactions (the 2017 ILN Transaction, 2018 ILN Transaction, 2019 ILN Transaction, 2020-1 ILN Transaction and 2020-2 ILN Transaction, and collectively, the ILN Transactions) for the periods indicated.

  For the three months ended
  March 31,
2021
  December 31,
2020
  September 30,
2020
  June 30, 2020   March 31,
2020
  December 31,
2019
  (In Thousands)
The QSR Transactions                      
Ceded risk-in-force $ 6,330,409       $ 5,543,969       $ 5,159,061       $ 4,563,676       $ 4,843,715       $ 5,137,249    
Ceded premiums earned (25,747 )     (24,161 )     (24,517 )     (23,210 )     (23,011 )     (23,673 )  
Ceded claims and claim expenses 1,180       601       3,200       8,669       1,532       1,030    
Ceding commission earned 5,162       4,787       4,798       4,428       4,513       4,691    
Profit commission 13,380       13,184       11,034       5,271       12,413       13,314    
                       
The ILN Transactions                      
Ceded premiums $ (9,397 )     $ (9,422 )     $ (6,268 )     $ (3,267 )     $ (3,872 )     $ (4,263 )  

The tables below present our total primary NIW by FICO, loan-to-value (LTV) ratio, and purchase/refinance mix for the periods indicated.

Primary NIW by FICO For the three months ended  
  March 31, 2021   December 31, 2020   March 31, 2020  
   
  ($ In Millions)
>= 760 $ 12,914     $ 11,495     $ 6,290    
740-759 5,312     3,387     1,615    
720-739 3,963     2,447     1,579    
700-719 2,358     1,430     1,038    
680-699 1,360     820     565    
<=679 490     203     210    
Total $ 26,397     $ 19,782     $ 11,297    
Weighted average FICO 755     761       757    

Primary NIW by LTV For the three months ended
  March 31, 2021   December 31, 2020   March 31, 2020
   
  (In Millions)
95.01% and above $ 2,451     $ 1,877     $ 721  
90.01% to 95.00% 11,051     7,839     5,009  
85.01% to 90.00% 7,848     6,239     4,082  
85.00% and below 5,047     3,827     1,485  
Total $ 26,397     $ 19,782     $ 11,297  
Weighted average LTV 91.0 %   90.9 %   91.3 %

Primary NIW by purchase/refinance mix For the three months ended
  March 31, 2021   December 31, 2020   March 31, 2020
   
  (In Millions)
Purchase $ 17,909     $ 13,085     $ 7,991  
Refinance 8,488     6,697     3,306  
Total $ 26,397     $ 19,782     $ 11,297  

The table below presents a summary of our primary IIF and RIF by book year as of March 31, 2021.

Primary IIF and RIF As of March 31, 2021
  IIF   RIF
   
  (In Millions)
March 31, 2021 $ 26,296     $ 6,508  
2020 53,650     13,397  
2019 20,402     5,342  
2018 8,074     2,057  
2017 6,700     1,678  
2016 and before 8,655     2,224  
Total $ 123,777     $ 31,206  

The tables below present our total primary IIF and RIF by FICO and LTV and total primary RIF by loan type as of the dates indicated.

Primary IIF by FICO As of
  March 31, 2021   December 31, 2020   March 31, 2020
   
  (In Millions)
>= 760 $ 63,919     $ 58,368     $ 47,340  
740-759 20,537     17,442     16,060  
720-739 17,167     15,091     14,002  
700-719 11,536     10,442     10,518  
680-699 7,329     6,777     6,879  
<=679 3,289     3,132     3,695  
Total $ 123,777     $ 111,252     $ 98,494  

Primary RIF by FICO As of
  March 31, 2021   December 31, 2020   March 31, 2020
   
  (In Millions)
>= 760 $ 15,920     $ 14,634     $ 12,076  
740-759 5,214     4,449     4,121  
720-739 4,378     3,868     3,626  
700-719 2,981     2,692     2,696  
680-699 1,896     1,748     1,760  
<=679 817     773     913  
Total $ 31,206     $ 28,164     $ 25,192  

Primary IIF by LTV As of
  March 31, 2021   December 31, 2020   March 31, 2020
   
  (In Millions)
95.01% and above $ 10,616     $ 9,129     $ 8,838  
90.01% to 95.00% 54,832     49,898     46,318  
85.01% to 90.00% 40,057     36,972     31,729  
85.00% and below 18,272     15,253     11,609  
Total $ 123,777     $ 111,252     $ 98,494  

Primary RIF by LTV As of
  March 31, 2021   December 31, 2020   March 31, 2020
   
  (In Millions)
95.01% and above $ 3,106     $ 2,637     $ 2,478  
90.01% to 95.00% 16,139     14,673     13,587  
85.01% to 90.00% 9,818     9,067     7,767  
85.00% and below 2,143     1,787     1,360  
Total $ 31,206     $ 28,164     $ 25,192  

Primary RIF by Loan Type As of
  March 31, 2021   December 31, 2020   March 31, 2020
           
Fixed 99 %   99 %   98 %
Adjustable rate mortgages          
Less than five years          
Five years and longer 1     1     2  
Total 100 %   100 %   100 %

The table below presents a summary of the change in total primary IIF during the periods indicated.

Primary IIF For the three months ended
  March 31, 2021   December 31, 2020   March 31, 2020
   
  (In Millions)
IIF, beginning of period $ 111,252       $ 104,494       $ 94,754    
NIW 26,397       19,782       11,297    
Cancellations, principal repayments and other reductions (13,872 )     (13,024 )     (7,557 )  
IIF, end of period $ 123,777       $ 111,252       $ 98,494    



Geographic Dispersion

The following table shows the distribution by state of our primary RIF as of the periods indicated.

Top 10 primary RIF by state As of
  March 31, 2021   December 31, 2020   March 31, 2020
California 10.8 %   11.2 %   11.5 %
Texas 9.5     8.8     8.2  
Florida 7.9     7.3     5.9  
Virginia 5.0     5.1     5.3  
Colorado 4.1     4.1     3.6  
Maryland 3.8     3.7     3.4  
Illinois 3.7     3.8     3.8  
Washington 3.5     3.5     3.3  
Georgia 3.3     3.2     2.7  
Pennsylvania 3.3     3.4     3.7  
Total 54.9 %   54.1 %   51.4 %

The table below presents selected primary portfolio statistics, by book year, as of March 31, 2021.

  As of March 31, 2021
Book year Original
Insurance Written
  Remaining
Insurance in
Force
  %
Remaining
of Original Insurance
  Policies
Ever in
Force
  Number of
Policies in
Force
  Number
of Loans
in Default
  # of
Claims
Paid
  Incurred
Loss Ratio
(Inception
to Date)


(1)
  Cumulative
Default Rate


(2)
  Current
default rate


(3)
  ($ Values in Millions)    
2013 $ 162     $ 10     6 %   655     66     2     1     0.4 %   0.5 %   3.0 %
2014 3,451     414     12 %   14,786     2,452     114     48     4.2 %   1.1 %   4.6 %
2015 12,422     2,529     20 %   52,548     13,334     541     113     3.2 %   1.2 %   4.1 %
2016 21,187     5,702     27 %   83,626     27,332     1,256     122     2.8 %   1.6 %   4.6 %
2017 21,582     6,700     31 %   85,897     32,499     1,972     84     4.4 %   2.4 %   6.1 %
2018 27,295     8,074     30 %   104,043     38,090     2,679     64     8.5 %   2.6 %   7.0 %
2019 45,141     20,402     45 %   148,423     77,278     3,276     9     14.1 %   2.2 %   4.2 %
2020 62,702     53,650     86 %   186,174     163,626     1,247         8.3 %   0.7 %   0.8 %
2021 26,397     26,296     100 %   82,232     81,975     3         %   %   %
Total $ 220,339     $ 123,777         758,384     436,652     11,090     441              

(1)   Calculated as total claims incurred (paid and reserved) divided by cumulative premiums earned, net of reinsurance.
(2)   Calculated as the sum of the number of claims paid ever to date and number of loans in default divided by policies ever in force.
(3)   Calculated as the number of loans in default divided by number of policies in force.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending reserve balances for primary insurance claims and claim expenses:

  For the three months ended
  March 31, 2021   March 31, 2020
   
  (In Thousands)
Beginning balance $ 90,567     $ 23,752  
Less reinsurance recoverables (1) (17,608 )   (4,939 )
Beginning balance, net of reinsurance recoverables 72,959     18,813  
       
Add claims incurred:      
Claims and claim expenses incurred:      
Current year (2) 10,557     7,558  
Prior years (3) (5,595 )   (1,861 )
Total claims and claim expenses incurred 4,962     5,697  
       
Less claims paid:      
Claims and claim expenses paid:      
Current year (2) 12      
Prior years (3) 492     1,224  
Total claims and claim expenses paid 504     1,224  
       
Reserve at end of period, net of reinsurance recoverables 77,417     23,286  
Add reinsurance recoverables (1) 18,686     6,193  
Ending balance $ 96,103     $ 29,479  

(1) Related to ceded losses recoverable under the QSR Transactions.
(2) Related to insured loans with their most recent defaults occurring in the current year. For example, if a loan had defaulted in a prior year and subsequently cured and later re-defaulted in the current year, the default would be included in the current year. Amounts are presented net of reinsurance and included $5.3 million attributed to net case reserves and $5.3 million attributed to net IBNR reserves for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and $6.0 million attributed to net case reserves and $1.6 million attributed to net IBNR reserves for the three months ended March 31, 2020.
(3) Related to insured loans with defaults occurring in prior years, which have been continuously in default before the start of the current year. Amounts are presented net of reinsurance and included $0.6 million attributed to net case reserves and $5.0 million attributed to net IBNR reserves for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and $0.6 million attributed to net case reserves and $1.3 million attributed to net IBNR reserves for the three months ended March 31, 2020.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending count of loans in default for the periods indicated.

  For the three months ended
  March 31, 2021   March 31, 2020
Beginning default inventory 12,209     1,448  
Plus: new defaults 1,767     512  
Less: cures (2,868 )   (475 )
Less: claims paid (16 )   (34 )
Less: claims denied (2 )   (2 )
Ending default inventory 11,090     1,449  

The following table provides details of our claims paid, before giving effect to claims ceded under the QSR Transactions, for the periods indicated.

  For the three months ended
  March 31, 2021   March 31, 2020
   
  (In Thousands)
Number of claims paid (1) 16     34  
Total amount paid for claims $ 606     $ 1,503  
Average amount paid per claim $ 38     $ 44  
Severity(2) 61 %   83 %

(1) Count includes one claim settled without payment for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020.
(2) Severity represents the total amount of claims paid including claim expenses divided by the related RIF on the loan at the time the claim is perfected, and is calculated including claims settled without payment.

The following table shows our average reserve per default, before giving effect to reserves ceded under the QSR Transactions, as of the periods indicated.

Average reserve per default: As of March 31, 2021   As of March 31, 2020
   
  (In Thousands)
Case (1) $ 7.9     $ 18.6  
IBNR (1)(2) 0.8     1.7  
Total $ 8.7     $ 21.3  

(1)   Defined as the gross reserve per insured loan in default.
(2)   Amount includes claims adjustment expenses.

The following table provides a comparison of the PMIERs financial requirements as reported by NMIC as of the dates indicated.

  As of
  March 31, 2021   December 31, 2020   March 31, 2020
   
  (In Thousands)
Available Assets $ 1,809,589     $ 1,750,668     $ 1,069,695  
Risk-Based Required Assets 1,261,015     984,372     912,321