National MI Announces $322 Million Insurance-Linked Notes Transaction

EMERYVILLE, Calif., July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NMI Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMIH) today announced the pricing of $322 million aggregate principal amount of 10-year mortgage insurance-linked notes issued by Oaktown Re IV Ltd. (Oaktown Re IV), a newly formed Bermuda special-purpose insurer.  The notes were offered for sale to eligible third-party investors in an unregistered private offering.  Oaktown Re IV is not a subsidiary or affiliate of NMIH.  The transaction is expected to close on July 30, 2020, subject to customary conditions.

In connection with the transaction, NMIH’s wholly owned subsidiary National Mortgage Insurance Corporation (National MI) will receive $322 million of fully collateralized excess of loss reinsurance protection from Oaktown Re IV, covering an existing portfolio of mortgage insurance policies written from July 2019 through March 2020.  The excess of loss reinsurance coverage provides National MI protection for aggregate losses on subject loans beginning at a 2.50% cumulative claim rate threshold and continuing up to an eventual 8.00% aggregate detachment level.  National MI expects to receive initial PMIERs credit for the portion of coverage attaching within the current risk-based required asset charge on subject loans and additional benefit in the future if the PMIERs requirement on subject loans increases, all subject to GSE approval.   

The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.  This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the aforementioned securities and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which, or to any person to whom, such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About National MI

National Mortgage Insurance Corporation (National MI), a subsidiary of NMI Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: NMIH), is 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 .

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 coronavirus ("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 any action by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to address the planned 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, 2019 and in Item 1A of Part II of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 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.

Investor Contact

John M. Swenson

Vice President, Investor Relations and Treasury

 

(510) 788-8417