Report Cites Enhanced Underwriting and Risk Management and Improving
Results in Double-A Niche
PHILADELPHIA, June 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Radian Group Inc.
(NYSE: RDN), a global credit risk management company, today announced that
Standard & Poor's has affirmed the AA financial strength rating, and
revised upward its outlook to stable for Radian Asset Assurance Inc.,
Radian's financial guaranty subsidiary. Reflecting the improved outlook for
Radian Asset Assurance, S&P also revised upward to stable its outlook on
Radian Group, while affirming its A credit rating.
In announcing its decision earlier today, S&P said the stable outlook
for the financial guaranty subsidiary reflects:
* Enhancements made to its underwriting and risk management areas
* Improving production results in its niche financial guaranty sectors
* Appropriate capitalization
* A supportive parent company
S.A. Ibrahim, chief executive officer of Radian, said, "We are
gratified by S&P's decision and believe it reflects Radian's significant
achievements of the past year - most notably our strengthened risk
management culture and our ability to demonstrate the viability of the
unique and growing double-A market niche."
Financial guaranty represents approximately 22 percent of Radian's
overall business. In 2005, gross par insured increased for all product
lines, totaling $24.7 billion, up 72% from $14.3 billion in 2004, and
strong production continued in the first quarter of 2006.
"Importantly, the company achieved this growth while continuing to
apply pricing discipline as well as focusing on higher credit quality
business with a superior risk-reward profile," said Stephen Cooke,
president of Radian Asset Assurance.
Mr. Ibrahim added that S&P's stable outlook is an important factor for
Radian Asset Assurance because it reduces market uncertainty and allows
Radian to maximize the full potential of its financial guaranty business.
Specifically, he said the company would continue to evaluate opportunities
to develop new sectors, asset classes and geographic areas; optimize its
business mix between direct insurance and reinsurance; capitalize on the
rapidly growing synthetic market; and further strengthen its business
position with its clients, counterparties and investors.
"We are confident in the direction of our financial guaranty business,"
Mr. Ibrahim said, also noting the unique synergies between Radian's
financial guaranty and mortgage insurance businesses, which allow the
company to create innovative client solutions and better manage its own
mortgage risk.
"We firmly believe we have the right strategy, at the right pace, to
achieve the desired results," he noted. "S&P's decision reaffirms this
belief."
S&P's revised rating also applies to Radian Asset Assurance Limited, an
insurance subsidiary of Radian Asset Assurance authorized to conduct
financial guaranty business in the U.K. S&P's financial strength ratings
for Radian's mortgage insurance subsidiaries continue at AA with a stable
outlook.
About Radian Group Inc.
Radian Group Inc. is a global credit risk management company
headquartered in Philadelphia with significant operations in both New York
and London. Radian develops innovative financial solutions by applying its
core mortgage credit risk expertise and structured finance capabilities to
the credit enhancement needs of the capital markets worldwide, primarily
through credit insurance products. The company also provides credit
enhancement for public finance and other corporate and consumer assets on
both a direct and reinsurance basis and holds strategic interests in active
credit-based consumer asset businesses. Additional information may be found
at http://www.radian.biz.
All statements made in this news release that address events or
developments that we expect or anticipate may occur in the future are
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
statements are made on the basis of management's current views and
assumptions with respect to future events. The forward-looking statements,
as well as Radian's prospects as a whole, are subject to risks and
uncertainties, including the following: changes in general financial and
political conditions such as extended national or regional economic
recessions (or expansions), changes in housing values, population trends
and changes in household formation patterns, changes in unemployment rates,
and changes or volatility in interest rates; changes in investor perception
of the strength of private mortgage insurers or financial guaranty
providers, and risks faced by the businesses, municipalities or pools of
assets covered by Radian's insurance; the loss of a customer with whom
Radian has a concentration of its insurance in force; increased severity or
frequency of losses associated with certain Radian products that are
riskier than traditional mortgage insurance and municipal guaranty
insurance policies; material changes in persistency rates of Radian's
mortgage insurance policies; downgrades of Radian's credit ratings or the
insurance financial-strength ratings assigned by the major ratings agencies
to Radian's operating subsidiaries; heightened competition from other
insurance providers and from alternative products to private mortgage
insurance and financial guaranty insurance; changes in the charters or
business practices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; the application of
federal or state consumer- lending, insurance and other applicable laws and
regulations, or unfavorable changes in these laws and regulations or the
way they are interpreted, including: (i) the possibility of private
lawsuits or investigations by state insurance departments and state
attorneys general alleging that services offered by the mortgage insurance
industry, such as captive reinsurance, pool insurance and contract
underwriting, are violative of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act
and/or similar state regulations (particularly in light of public reports
that some state insurance departments are investigating captive reinsurance
arrangements used in the mortgage insurance industry), or (ii) legislative
and regulatory changes affecting demand for private mortgage insurance or
financial guaranty insurance; the possibility that we may fail to estimate
accurately the likelihood, magnitude and timing of losses in connection
with establishing loss reserves for our mortgage insurance or financial
guaranty businesses or to estimate accurately the fair value amounts of
derivative financial guaranty contracts in determining gains and losses on
these contracts; changes in accounting guidance from the SEC or the
Financial Accounting Standards Board regarding income recognition and the
treatment of loss reserves in the mortgage insurance or financial guaranty
industries; changes in claims against mortgage insurance products resulting
from the aging of Radian's mortgage insurance policies; vulnerability to
the performance of Radian's strategic investments; changes in the
availability of affordable or adequate reinsurance for our non-prime risk;
and international expansion of our mortgage insurance and financial
guaranty businesses into new markets and risks associated with our
international business activities. For more information regarding these
risks and uncertainties, as well as certain additional risks that we face,
investors should refer to the risk factors detailed in Part I, Item 1A in
our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005. We
caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, which are current only as of the date of this news release.
Radian does not intend to and disclaims any duty or obligation to update or
revise any forward-looking statements made in this news release to reflect
new information, future events or for any other reason.
SOURCE Radian Group Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.radian.biz
CONTACT:
For investors: Mona Zeehandelaar,
+1-215-231-1674, mona.zeehandelaar@radian.biz, For the media:
Corporate Communications, +1-888-NEWS-520, media@radian.biz, both
of Radian Group
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