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The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary prospectus and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell these securities and are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

 

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-195738

Subject to Completion, dated June 15, 2015

Preliminary Prospectus Supplement

(To Prospectus dated May 6, 2014)

$            

 

Radian Group Inc.

        % Senior Notes due 2020

 

 

Radian Group is offering $         aggregate principal amount of its         % Senior Notes due 2020. The notes will bear interest at a rate of         % per year, payable semi-annually in arrears on      and      of each year, beginning on             , 2015. The notes will mature on June     , 2020 unless earlier redeemed. We may redeem the notes at any time or from time to time, in whole or in part, at the applicable redemption price as described in this prospectus supplement in the section entitled “Description of Notes—Optional Redemption.”

The notes will be Radian Group’s general unsecured, senior obligations and will rank equally in right of payment with all of its other existing and future obligations that are unsecured and unsubordinated; senior in right of payment to Radian Group’s existing and future obligations that are expressly subordinated in right of payment to the notes; effectively subordinate to any of Radian Group’s secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness; and structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities, including claims with respect to insured policies and trade payables, of its subsidiaries.

The notes will not be listed on any securities exchange or automated dealer quotation system.

Investing in the notes involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the discussion under “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-6 of this prospectus supplement, on page 5 of the accompanying prospectus and in the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

 

		Per Note				Total
Public offering price (1)				%		$
Underwriting discounts and commissions				%		$
Proceeds to Radian Group Inc. (before expenses) (1)				%		$

 

(1)	Plus accrued interest, if any, from, and including, June     , 2015.

 

 

The underwriters expect to deliver the notes in book-entry form only, through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company on or about June     , 2015.

 

 

Bookrunning Managers

Goldman, Sachs & Co.   BofA Merrill Lynch   Deutsche Bank Securities

 

 

Prospectus Supplement dated June     , 2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

Prospectus Supplement
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT			ii
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			ii
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION			iv
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY			1
RISK FACTORS			6
USE OF PROCEEDS			11
CAPITALIZATION			12
DESCRIPTION OF THE NOTES			13
DESCRIPTION OF OTHER INDEBTEDNESS			21
CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS			23
UNDERWRITING			27
VALIDITY OF SECURITIES			31
EXPERTS			31
INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE			32
Prospectus
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS			1
RADIAN GROUP INC.			2
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION			2
RISK FACTORS			5
USE OF PROCEEDS			5
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES			6
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE OFFERED SECURITIES			6
DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK			6
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES			13
DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES			33
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS TO PURCHASE SHARES OF COMMON STOCK, PREFERRED STOCK OR OTHER SECURITIES			35
DESCRIPTION OF RIGHTS TO PURCHASE SHARES OF COMMON STOCK, PREFERRED STOCK OR OTHER SECURITIES			36
DESCRIPTION OF STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS			38
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS			39
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			39
LEGAL MATTERS			42
EXPERTS			42
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			42
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE			42

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

Unless the context otherwise requires, we use the terms “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” to refer to Radian Group Inc. and its subsidiaries. When we use the term “Radian Group” we are only referring to Radian Group Inc. and not its subsidiaries.

This document is comprised of two parts. The first part is the prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this note offering and certain other matters relating to us and our financial condition, and it adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The second part is the accompanying prospectus, dated May 6, 2014, which provides more general information about the securities Radian Group may offer from time to time under the registration statement, some of which may not apply to the notes covered by this prospectus supplement. If there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement, on the one hand, and the information contained in the accompanying prospectus, on the other hand, the information in this prospectus supplement will control. You should read both this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus together with the additional information described in “Where You Can Find More Information” and the documents listed in “Information Incorporated by Reference” before you decide whether to invest in the notes.

In making an investment decision, you must rely on your own examination of the Company and the terms of this offering and the notes, including the merits and risks involved. We are not making any representation to any purchaser of the notes regarding the legality of an investment in the notes by such purchaser. You should not consider any information in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus to be legal, business or tax advice. You should consult your own attorney, business advisor or tax advisor for legal, business and tax advice regarding an investment in the notes.

You should rely only on the information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and any free writing prospectus that Radian Group authorizes to be distributed to you. Radian Group has not, and the underwriters have not, authorized any other person to provide you with additional or different information. If anyone provides you with additional or different information, you should not rely on it. Radian Group is not and the underwriters are not making an offer to sell the notes or soliciting an offer to buy the notes in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, any free writing prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference is accurate only as of their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed materially since such respective dates.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the “SEC,” a registration statement on Form S-3, of which this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are a part. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules to the registration statement. For further information with respect to the Company and the notes offered hereby, you are referred to the registration statement, including the exhibits and schedules to the registration statement. Statements contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to in, or incorporated by reference in, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not necessarily complete and, where that contract or other document is an exhibit to the registration statement, each statement is qualified in all respects by the exhibit to which the reference relates.

 

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We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These documents contain specific information regarding us. These documents, including any exhibits and schedules, may be inspected without charge at the SEC’s principal office in Washington, D.C., and copies of all or any part of such documents may be obtained from the Public Reference Room of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a website that provides online access to reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC at the address http://www.sec.gov. Radian Group’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “RDN.” Our SEC filings are also available (free of charge) from our website at www.radian.biz. Information contained on our website or any other website is not incorporated into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus and does not constitute a part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

 

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

In addition to historical information, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, contain statements relating to events, developments or results that we expect or anticipate may occur in the future. These statements are “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 United States of America (“U.S.”) Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In most cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “seek,” “strategy,” “future,” “likely” or the negative or other variations on these words and other similar expressions. These statements, which may include, without limitation, projections regarding our future performance and financial condition, are made on the basis of management’s current views and assumptions with respect to future events. Any forward-looking statement is not a guarantee of future performance and actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statement. These statements speak only as of the date they were made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. We operate in a changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all risks that may affect us. The forward-looking statements, as well as our prospects as a whole, are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, including:

 

•

changes in general economic and political conditions, including unemployment rates, changes in the U.S. housing and mortgage credit markets (including declines in home prices and property values), the performance of the U.S. or global economies, the amount of liquidity in the capital or credit markets, changes or volatility in interest rates or consumer confidence and changes in credit spreads, all of which may be impacted by, among other things, legislative activity or inactivity, actual or threatened downgrades of U.S. government credit ratings, or actual or threatened defaults on U.S. government obligations;

 

•

changes in the way customers, investors, regulators or legislators perceive the strength of private mortgage insurers;

 

•

catastrophic events, increased unemployment, home price depreciation or other negative economic changes generally or in geographic regions where our mortgage insurance exposure is more concentrated;

 

•

Radian Guaranty Inc.’s ability to remain eligible under applicable requirements imposed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) and by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (collectively, the “GSEs”) to insure loans purchased by the GSEs;

 

•

our ability to maintain sufficient holding company liquidity to meet our short- and long-term liquidity needs. We expect to contribute a significant amount of our holding company liquidity to support Radian Guaranty Inc.’s compliance with the final financial requirements (“PMIERs Financial Requirements”) of the Private Mortgage Insurer Eligibility Requirements that were issued by the FHFA in final form on April 17, 2015 (“PMIERs”) and which become effective for existing mortgage insurers on December 31, 2015. Our projections regarding the amount of holding company liquidity that we may contribute for Radian Guaranty Inc. (“Radian Guaranty”), a Pennsylvania domiciled insurance subsidiary of Radian Group, to comply with the PMIERs Financial Requirements are based on our estimates of Radian Guaranty’s “Minimum Required Assets”(a risk-based minimum required asset amount, as defined in the PMIERs, calculated based on net risk in force, which approximates the maximum loss exposure at any point in time (“RIF”) and a variety of measures designed to evaluate credit quality) and “Available Assets” (as defined in the PMIERs, these assets primarily include the liquid assets of a mortgage insurer and its affiliated reinsurers, and exclude premiums received but not

 

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yet earned (“Unearned Premium Reserves”)), which may not prove to be accurate, and which could be impacted by: (1) our ability to receive GSE approval for the amendments to our existing quota share reinsurance arrangements and receive the full PMIERs benefit for these arrangements; (2) whether we elect to convert certain liquid assets into PMIERs-compliant Available Assets; (3) factors affecting the performance of our mortgage insurance business, including our level of defaults, prepayments, the losses we incur on new or existing defaults and the credit characteristics of our mortgage insurance; and (4) how much capital we expect to maintain at our mortgage insurance subsidiaries in excess of the amount required to satisfy the PMIERs Financial Requirements. Contributions of holding company cash and investments from Radian Group will leave less liquidity to satisfy Radian Group’s future obligations. Depending on the amount of holding company contributions that we make, we may be required or may decide to seek additional capital by incurring additional debt, by issuing additional equity, or by selling assets, which we may not be able to do on favorable terms, if at all;

 

•

our ability to maintain an adequate level of capital in our insurance subsidiaries to satisfy existing and future state regulatory requirements, including new capital adequacy standards that currently are being developed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”) and that could be adopted by certain states in which we write business;

 

•

changes in the charters or business practices of, or rules or regulations imposed by or applicable to the GSEs, including: (1) the implementation of the final PMIERs, which (a) will increase the amount of capital that Radian Guaranty is required to hold, and therefore, reduce our current returns on subsidiary capital, (b) impose extensive and more stringent operational requirements in areas such as claim processing, loss mitigation, document retention, underwriting, quality control, reporting and monitoring, among others, that may result in additional costs to achieve and maintain compliance, and (c) require the consent of the GSEs for Radian Guaranty to take certain actions such as paying dividends, entering into various inter-company agreements, and commuting or reinsuring risk, among others; (2) changes that could limit the type of business that Radian Guaranty and other private mortgage insurers are willing to write, which could reduce our new insurance written (“NIW”); (3) changes that could increase the cost of private mortgage insurance, including as compared to the Federal Housing Administration’s (“FHA”) pricing, or result in the emergence of other forms of credit enhancement; and (4) changes that could require us to alter our business practices and which may result in substantial additional costs;

 

•

our ability to continue to effectively mitigate our mortgage insurance losses, including a decrease in net “Rescissions” (our legal right, under certain conditions, to unilaterally rescind coverage on our mortgage insurance policies if we determine that a loan did not qualify for insurance), “Claim Denials” (our legal right, under certain conditions, to deny a claim) or “Claim Curtailments” (our legal right, under certain conditions, to reduce the amount of a claim, including due to servicer negligence) resulting from an increase in the number of successful challenges to previous Rescissions, Claim Denials or Claim Curtailments (including as part of one or more settlements of disputed Rescissions or Claim Denials), or as a result of the GSEs intervening in or otherwise limiting our loss mitigation practices, including settlements of disputes regarding “Loss Mitigation Activities” (activities such as Rescissions, Claim Denials, Claim Curtailments and cancellations);

 

•

the negative impact that our Loss Mitigation Activities may have on our relationships with our customers and potential customers, including the potential loss of current or future business and the heightened risk of disputes and litigation;

 

•

any disruption in the servicing of mortgages covered by our insurance policies, as well as poor servicer performance;

 

•

a substantial decrease in the persistency rates of our mortgage insurance policies, which has the effect of reducing our premium income on our premiums on mortgage insurance products paid on a monthly installment basis (“Monthly Premium Policies”) and could decrease the profitability of our mortgage insurance business;

 

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•

heightened competition for our mortgage insurance business from others such as the FHA, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and other private mortgage insurers (including with respect to other private mortgage insurers, those that have been assigned higher ratings than we have, that may have access to greater amounts of capital than we do, or that are new entrants to the industry, and therefore, are not burdened by legacy obligations) and the impact such heightened competition may have on our returns and our NIW;

 

•

the increased demand from lenders for customized (reduced) rates on lender-paid, single premium mortgage insurance products, which could further reduce our overall average premium rates and returns and, to the extent we decide to limit this type of business, could adversely impact our market share and our customer relationships;

 

•

changes to the current system of housing finance, including the possibility of a new system in which private mortgage insurers are not required or their products are significantly limited in effect or scope;

 

•

the effect of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act on the financial services industry in general, and on our businesses in particular;

 

•

the adoption of new or application of existing federal or state laws and regulations, or changes in these laws and regulations or the way they are interpreted, including, without limitation: (1) the resolution of existing, or the possibility of additional, lawsuits, inquiries or investigations (including a recent inquiry from the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance to all private mortgage insurers pertaining to customized insurance rates and terms offered to mortgage insurance customers); (2) changes to the Mortgage Guaranty Insurers Model Act (“Model Act”) being considered by the NAIC that could include more stringent capital and other requirements for Radian Guaranty in states that adopt the new Model Act in the future; and (3) legislative and regulatory changes (a) impacting the demand for our products, (b) limiting or restricting the products we may offer or increasing the amount of capital we are required to hold, (c) affecting the form in which we execute credit protection, or (d) otherwise impacting our existing businesses or future prospects;

 

•

the amount and timing of potential payments or adjustments associated with federal or other tax examinations, including deficiencies assessed by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) resulting from the examination of our 2000 through 2007 tax years, which we are currently contesting;

 

•

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 business;

 

•

volatility in our results of operations caused by changes in the fair value of our assets and liabilities, including a significant portion of our investment portfolio and certain of our long-term incentive compensation awards;

 

•

changes in “GAAP” (accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S.) or “SAP” (statutory accounting practices including those required or permitted, if applicable, by the insurance departments of the respective states of domicile of our insurance subsidiaries) rules and guidance, or their interpretation;

 

•

legal and other limitations on amounts we may receive from our subsidiaries as dividends or through our tax- and expense-sharing arrangements with our subsidiaries; and

 

•

the possibility that we may need to impair the estimated fair value of goodwill established in connection with our acquisition of Clayton Holdings LLC (“Clayton”), a Delaware domiciled indirect non-insurance subsidiary of Radian Group, the valuation of which requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions with respect to the estimated future economic benefits arising from certain assets acquired in the transaction such as the value of expected future cash flows of Clayton, Clayton’s workforce, expected synergies with our other affiliates and other unidentifiable intangible assets.

 

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For more information regarding these risks and uncertainties as well as certain additional risks that we face, investors should review the discussion under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the discussion under “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, and the discussion under “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, and those risks detailed in our subsequent reports and registration statements filed from time to time with the SEC. We caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are current only as of the date of the document in which they are included.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in the notes involves risk. Please see the risk factors described in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and “Part II. Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2015, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider these risks as well as other information we include or incorporate by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. These risk factors may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by subsequent filings we make under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

The risks and uncertainties discussed below and in the documents incorporated by reference are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Our business, financial condition, or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks and cause the value of our securities, including the notes offered by this prospectus supplement, to decline. The trading price of our securities, including the notes offered by this prospectus supplement, could decline due to any of these risks, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to the Offering and the Notes

The notes are unsecured, are effectively subordinated to any future secured indebtedness, to the extent of the value of the assets securing that indebtedness, and are structurally subordinated to all liabilities of our subsidiaries, including claims with respect to insured policies and trade payables.

The notes will rank equal in right of payment to our existing and future liabilities that are not expressly subordinated in right of payment to the notes. In addition, the notes are unsecured and effectively subordinated in right of payment to certain of our future secured indebtedness, to the extent of the value of the assets securing that indebtedness, and are structurally subordinated to all liabilities of our subsidiaries, including claims with respect to insured policies and trade payables. As of March 31, 2015, Radian Group had no secured debt outstanding. At that date, Radian Group did have outstanding $195.5 million principal amount of 9.000% Senior Notes due in June 2017, $450 million principal amount of 3.000% Convertible Senior Notes due in November 2017, $400 million principal amount of 2.250% Convertible Senior Notes due in March 2019, and $300 million principal amount of 5.500% Senior Notes due in June 2019, all of which would rank equally in right of payment with the notes offered hereby. Under the indentures governing our 9.000% Senior Notes due June 2017, our 5.500% Senior Notes due June 2019 and the indenture to be entered into in connection with the notes offered hereby, however, any lien on the stock of certain subsidiaries would also have to secure the indebtedness under these indentures, which would cause all such indebtedness to rank equally and ratably. In the event of our insolvency, bankruptcy, liquidation, reorganization, dissolution or winding up, any of our assets that secure other debt will be available to pay obligations on the notes only after the secured debt has been paid in full. We may not have sufficient assets to pay any or all of the amounts due on the notes then outstanding. See “Description of the Notes—Ranking.” After giving effect to the issuance of the notes and the receipt (but not the use) of proceeds therefrom, our total indebtedness as of March 31, 2015 would have been approximately $         million and would have represented approximately         % of our total capitalization as of that date. See “Capitalization.”

Radian Group acts principally as a holding company and does not have any significant operations of its own. Because most of its operations are conducted through its subsidiaries, substantially all of its consolidated assets are held by its subsidiaries and most of its cash flow, and consequently, its ability to pay any amounts due on the notes, is dependent on the earnings of those subsidiaries and the transfer of funds by those subsidiaries to it in the form of dividends or permitted payments under tax- and expense-sharing arrangements, supplemented with borrowings. However, the notes are exclusively Radian Group’s obligations, and are not guaranteed by any

 

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of its subsidiaries. Our subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities and have no obligation, contingent or otherwise, to pay holders any amounts due on the notes or to make any funds available for payment on the notes, whether by dividends, loans or other payments, although Radian Group does have expense-sharing arrangements in place with its principal operating subsidiaries under which those subsidiaries have agreed to pay Radian Group their share of holding-company-level expenses, including interest expense on long-term debt. These expense-sharing arrangements, as amended, have been, where required, approved by applicable state insurance departments, but such approval may be modified or revoked at any time. Radian Group’s insurance subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends to Radian Group is subject to various conditions imposed by the insurance regulations of the states where they are domiciled and by the GSEs and certain rating agencies. As a result, Radian Group may be unable to gain access to the cash flow or assets of its insurance subsidiaries.

We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to pay the principal of or interest on the notes.

At maturity, the entire principal amount of the notes then outstanding, plus any accrued and unpaid interest, will become due and payable. We must pay interest in cash on the notes on              and              of each year, beginning on             , 2015. We may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain sufficient financing at the time we are required to make these payments. Furthermore, our ability to make these payments may be limited by law, by regulatory authority or by agreements governing our future indebtedness. Our failure to pay interest when due, if uncured for 30 days, or our failure to pay the principal amount when due will constitute an event of default under the indenture. A default under the indenture could also lead to a default under agreements governing our existing or future indebtedness. If the repayment of that indebtedness is accelerated as a result, then we may not have sufficient funds to repay that indebtedness or to pay the principal of or interest on the notes.

Increased leverage as a result of this offering may harm our financial condition and results of operations.

Upon the sale of the notes we are offering by this prospectus supplement our total consolidated long-term debt as of March 31, 2015 would have been approximately $         million and would have represented approximately         % of our total capitalization as of that date. See “Capitalization.” In addition, the indenture for the notes will not restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness. We may also incur additional long-term indebtedness or obtain working capital lines of credit to meet future financing needs. Our indebtedness could have significant negative consequences for our business, financial condition and results of operations including:

 

•

increasing our vulnerability to adverse economic and industry conditions;

 

•

limiting our ability to obtain additional financing;

 

•

requiring the dedication of a substantial portion of the cash flow from our subsidiaries’ operations to service our indebtedness, thereby reducing the amount of cash flow available for other purposes;

 

•

making it more difficult for us to obtain investment-grade credit ratings in the future;

 

•

making it more difficult to conduct our business successfully or to grow our business, or limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business; and

 

•

placing us at a possible competitive disadvantage with less leveraged competitors and competitors that may have better access to capital resources.

We cannot assure you that we will continue to maintain sufficient cash reserves or that our business will generate cash flow from operations at levels sufficient to permit us to pay principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness, or that our cash needs will not increase. Our cash needs may increase if, among other things, we make acquisitions, investments, or enter into strategic transactions or initiatives in furtherance of our business strategy. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds necessary to make required payments, or if we fail to comply with the various requirements of our existing indebtedness, the notes or any indebtedness which we may incur in the future, which may be secured, we would be in default, which would

 

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permit the holders of such indebtedness to accelerate the maturity of that indebtedness and could cause defaults under other indebtedness. Any default on our indebtedness would likely have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The indenture under which the notes will be issued will contain only limited protection for holders of the notes in the event Radian Group is involved in certain transactions, including a highly leveraged transaction, reorganization, restructuring, merger or similar transaction, in the future.

The indenture under which the notes will be issued may not sufficiently protect holders of notes in the event Radian Group is involved in certain transactions, including a highly leveraged transaction, reorganization, restructuring, merger or similar transaction. The indenture will not contain any provisions restricting Radian Group’s ability to:

 

•

incur additional debt, including debt senior in right of payment to the notes;

 

•

pay dividends on or purchase or redeem capital stock;

 

•

sell assets (other than certain restrictions on Radian Group’s ability to consolidate, merge or sell all or substantially all of its assets and its ability to sell the stock of certain subsidiaries);

 

•

enter into transactions with affiliates;

 

•

create liens (other than certain limitations on creating liens on the stock of certain subsidiaries) or enter into sale and leaseback transactions; or

 

•

create restrictions on the payment of dividends or other amounts to Radian Group from its subsidiaries.

Additionally, the indenture will not require Radian Group to offer to purchase the notes in connection with a change of control or require that Radian Group adhere to any financial tests or ratios or specified levels of net worth. Radian Group’s ability to recapitalize, incur additional debt and take a number of other actions that are not limited by the terms of the notes could have the effect of diminishing Radian Group’s ability to make payments on the notes when due.

If an active and liquid trading market for the notes does not develop, the market price of the notes may decline and you may be unable to sell your notes.

The notes are a new issue of securities for which there is currently no public market. We do not intend to list the notes on any national securities exchange or to arrange for quotation of the notes on any automated dealer quotation system. The underwriters have indicated to us that they intend to make a market for the notes after the offering is completed as permitted by applicable law and regulations. However, the underwriters may cease their market-making at any time without notice. In addition, the liquidity of the trading market in the notes, and the market price quoted for the notes, may be adversely affected by changes in the overall market for this type of security and by changes in our financial performance or prospects or in the prospects for companies in our industry generally. As a result, an active trading market may not develop for the notes. Even if a trading market for the notes develops, the market may not be liquid. If an active trading market does not develop or is not maintained, the market price and liquidity of the notes may be adversely affected. In that case, you may be unable to sell your notes at a particular time or you may not be able to sell your notes at a favorable price. It is possible that the market for the notes will be subject to disruptions that may have a negative effect on the holders of notes, regardless of our prospects or financial performance.

An adverse rating of the notes, or a downgrade or potential downgrade of our credit ratings, may cause the trading price of the notes to fall.

Credit ratings are limited in scope, and do not address all material risks related to an investment in the notes, but rather reflect only the view of each rating agency at the time the rating is issued. Rating agencies may lower

 

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ratings on the notes in the future. If rating agencies assign a lower-than-expected rating or reduce, or indicate that they may reduce, their ratings in the future, the trading price or liquidity of the notes could significantly decline. A downgrade or potential downgrade of our credit ratings may also cause the trading price of the notes to fall. Ratings on the notes are not a recommendation to buy the notes and such ratings may be withdrawn or changed at any time.

We may redeem your notes at our option, which may adversely affect your return.

We may redeem the notes, in whole or in part, at our option at any time or from time to time at the applicable redemption prices described in this prospectus supplement. Prevailing interest rates at the time we redeem the notes may be lower than the interest rate on the notes. As a result, you may not be able to reinvest the redemption proceeds in a comparable security at an interest rate equal to or higher than the interest rate on the notes. See “Description of Notes—Optional Redemption” for a more detailed description of the conditions under which we may redeem the notes.

The notes will initially be held in book-entry form and, therefore, you must rely on the procedures and relevant clearing systems to exercise your rights and remedies.

Unless certificated notes are issued in exchange for book-entry interests in the notes, owners of book-entry interests will not be considered owners or holders of the notes. Instead, DTC, or its nominee, will be the sole holder of the notes. Payments of principal, interest and other amounts owing on or in respect of the notes in global form will be made to the paying agent, which will make payments to DTC. Thereafter, such payments will be credited to DTC participants’ accounts that hold book-entry interests in the notes in global form and credited by such participants to indirect participants. Unlike holders of the notes themselves, owners of book-entry interests will not have the direct right to act upon our solicitations for consents or requests for waivers or other actions from holders of the notes. Instead, if you own a book-entry interest, you will be permitted to act only to the extent you have received appropriate proxies to do so from DTC or, if applicable, a DTC participant. We cannot assure you that procedures implemented for the granting of such proxies will be sufficient to enable you to vote on any requested actions on a timely basis.

Management will have broad discretion to use the proceeds from this offering, and may not use them successfully.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with shares of our common stock, to purchase some of our outstanding 2017 Convertible Notes and thereafter, to repurchase some of our common stock we may issue in connection with such purchases, and otherwise for general corporate purposes. Accordingly, you will be relying on the judgment of our management and our board of directors with regard to the use of these proceeds and you will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether proceeds are being used appropriately.

We cannot assure you as to the market price for the notes; therefore, you may suffer a loss.

We cannot assure you as to the market price for the notes. If you are able to resell your notes, the price you receive will depend on many other factors that may vary over time, including:

 

•

the number of potential buyers;

 

•

the level of liquidity of the notes;

 

•

our credit ratings published by major credit ratings agencies;

 

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our financial performance;

 

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the amount of total indebtedness we have outstanding;

 

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•

the level, direction and volatility of market interest rates generally;

 

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the market for similar securities;

 

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the repayment and redemption features of the notes; and

 

•

the time remaining until the notes mature.

As a result of these and other factors, you may be able to sell your notes only at a price below that which you believe to be appropriate, including a price below the price you paid for them.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $            , after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. We cannot assure you that this offering will be completed.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with shares of our common stock, to purchase some of our outstanding 2017 Convertible Notes and thereafter, to repurchase some of our common stock we may issue in connection with such purchases, and otherwise for general corporate purposes.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table shows our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments and capitalization at March 31, 2015:

 

•

on an actual basis; and

 

•

on an as adjusted basis to reflect this offering, but does not reflect the use of proceeds.

This table should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, our historical financial statements and the accompanying notes in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

 

		March 31, 2015 (unaudited) (in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
		Actual				As Adjusted
Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments		$	1,265,704			$
Long-term obligations:
% Senior Notes due 2020		$	—			$
9.000% Senior Notes due 2017 (1)			192,870
3.000% Convertible Senior Notes due 2017 (1)(2)			381,018
2.250% Convertible Senior Notes due 2019 (1)(2)			345,084
5.500% Senior Notes due 2019 (1)			300,000
Total long-term obligations (2)			1,218,972
Equity component of currently redeemable convertible senior notes (2)			68,982
Stockholders’ equity:
Preferred Stock, par value $.001 per share; 20,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding			—				—
Common Stock, par value $.001 per share; 485,000,000 shares authorized; 208,974,967 issued and 191,053,530 outstanding			209
Treasury Stock, at cost, 17,559,241 shares			(893,149	)
Additional paid-in capital			2,541,585
Retained earnings			498,593
Accumulated other comprehensive income			59,674
Total Stockholders’ Equity			2,206,912
Total Capitalization		$	3,494,866			$

 

(1)

Reflects the amount set forth on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. The outstanding principal amounts as of March 31, 2015 are $195.5 million of 9.000% Senior Notes due in June 2017, $450 million of 3.000% Convertible Senior Notes due 2017, $400 million of 2.250% Convertible Senior Notes due 2019 and $300 million of 5.500% Senior Notes due in June 2019.

(2)

In accordance with ASC 470-20, convertible debt that may be wholly or partially settled in cash is required to be separated into a liability and an equity component, such that interest expense reflects the issuer’s non-convertible debt interest rate. Upon issuance, a debt discount is recognized as a decrease in debt and an increase in equity. The debt component will accrete up to the principal amount ($450 million for the 3.000% Convertible Senior Notes due November 2017 and $400 million for the 2.250% Convertible Senior Notes due March 2019) over the expected term of the debt. With respect to the Company’s 3.000% Convertible Notes due November 2017, because the principal amount must be settled in cash, the equity component has been reclassified as mezzanine equity because, as of March 31, 2015, the holders are able to convert the notes during the quarterly period ending June 30, 2015. ASC 470-20 does not affect the actual amount that we are required to repay, and the amounts shown in the table above for Radian Group’s previously issued convertible notes reflect the approximate liability component net of the discount recognized in equity or temporary equity (mezzanine equity), excluding any tax effect.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE NOTES

Set forth below is a description of the specific terms of the         % senior notes due that we refer to in this prospectus supplement as the “notes.” This description supplements, and should be read together with, the description of the general terms and provisions of the notes set forth in the accompanying prospectus under the caption “Description of Debt Securities.” In particular, the “Terms Applicable to All Debt Securities” and the “Particular Terms of the Senior Debt Securities” in the “Description of Debt Securities” apply to the notes, unless specified otherwise below. As used in this “Description of Notes” section, unless the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” us, “our” or “Radian Group” refer to Radian Group Inc. alone without its consolidated subsidiaries.

The following description does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, the description in the accompanying prospectus, the senior indenture, dated as of March 4, 2013, between us and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, which we sometimes refer to in this prospectus supplement as the “trustee,” as amended and supplemented by a supplemental indenture, to be dated as of June     , 2015, between Radian Group and the trustee, and the instrument under which we designate the terms of the notes pursuant to the senior indenture. We sometimes refer in this prospectus supplement to the senior indenture, as so amended and supplemented, as the “indenture” or the “senior indenture.” The terms of the notes include those expressly set forth in the indenture and those made part of the indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”).

You may request a copy of the indenture from us as described under “Where You Can Find More Information” in the accompanying prospectus.

General

The notes will be issued as a series of senior debt securities under the senior indenture. The notes will be initially issued in the aggregate principal amount of $            . We may, without the consent of the holders of the notes, issue additional notes having the same ranking and interest rate, maturity and other terms as the notes (except for the issue price and issue date). Any additional notes having such similar terms, together with the notes, will constitute a single series of debt securities under the senior indenture.

The entire principal amount of the notes will mature and become due and payable, together with any accrued and unpaid interest thereon, on June     , 2020. The notes are not subject to any sinking fund or mandatory redemption provision. The notes are available for purchase in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

Interest

Each note will bear interest at the rate of         % per year from the date of original issuance, payable semiannually in arrears on and             of each year, each of which we sometimes refer to in this prospectus supplement as an “interest payment date,” to the person in whose name such note is registered at the close of business on the fifteenth calendar day on the month prior to such payment date (whether or not a business day). However, in the case of notes that have been called for redemption, interest will in some cases be payable to the holder of the notes on the redemption date. The initial interest payment date will be                     , 2015. The amount of interest payable will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months. In the event that any date on which interest is payable on the notes is not a business day, then payment of the interest payable on such date will be made on the next succeeding day which is a business day (and without any interest or other payment in respect of any such delay), with the same force and effect as if made on such date. A “business day” means a day other than a Saturday or Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in New York, New York or at a place of payment under the senior indenture are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to remain closed.

 

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Ranking

The notes will be our general unsecured obligations that rank senior in right of payment to all of our existing and future indebtedness that is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the notes. The notes will rank equally in right of payment with all of our existing and future liabilities that are not so subordinated. However, under certain indentures governing our outstanding senior notes and the indenture to be entered into in connection with the notes offered hereby, any lien that we grant on the stock of certain subsidiaries would also have to secure the indebtedness under these indentures, which would cause all such secured indebtedness to rank equally and ratably. Except as provided in the preceding sentence, the notes will effectively rank subordinate to certain of our secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. The notes will be structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities, including claims with respect to insured policies and trade payables, of our subsidiaries. Any right of ours to receive the assets of any of our subsidiaries upon its liquidation or reorganization, and the consequent right of the holders of the notes to participate in those assets, will be effectively subordinated to the claims of that subsidiary’s creditors, except to the extent that we are recognized as a creditor of such subsidiary, in which case our claims would still be subordinated to any security interests in the assets of such subsidiary and any indebtedness of such subsidiary that is senior to that held by us.

We are a holding company and do not have any significant operations of our own. Because most of our operations are conducted through our subsidiaries, most of our cash flow and, consequently, our ability to pay any amounts due on the notes, depend on the earnings of those subsidiaries and the transfer of funds by those subsidiaries to us in the form of dividends or permitted payments under tax- and expense-sharing arrangements, supplemented with borrowings. However, the notes are exclusively our obligations. Our subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities and have no obligation, contingent or otherwise, to pay holders any amounts due on the notes or to make any funds available for payment on the notes, whether by dividends, loans or other payments, although we do have expense-sharing arrangements in place with our principal operating subsidiaries under which they have agreed to pay us their share of holding-company-level expenses, including interest expense on most of our long-term debt. These expense-sharing arrangements, as amended, have been, where required, approved by applicable state insurance departments, but such approval may be modified or revoked at any time. Our insurance subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends to us is subject to, among other things, various conditions imposed by the insurance regulations of the states where they are domiciled, by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and by certain rating agencies (to avoid a downgrade). As a result, we may be unable to gain access to the cash flow or assets of our subsidiaries.

In the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation, reorganization or other winding up, our assets that secure any of our indebtedness will first be used to repay that indebtedness. Any assets remaining after such repayment will be used to satisfy our payment obligations under the notes and other liabilities that rank equally in right of payment to the notes. There may not be sufficient assets to pay any or all of the amounts due on the notes then outstanding.

As of March 31, 2015, we had no secured debt outstanding, but we did have outstanding $195.5 million principal amount of 9.000% Senior Notes due in June 2017, $450 million principal amount of 3.000% Convertible Senior Notes due November 2017, $400 million principal amount of 2.250% Convertible Senior Notes due in March 2019, and $300 million principal amount of 5.500% Senior Notes due June 2019. Our subsidiaries currently have no indebtedness that would effectively rank senior to the notes. As adjusted to include the sale of the notes we are offering by this prospectus supplement (and without reference to the use of proceeds from this offering), our total consolidated long-term debt as of March 31, 2015 would have been approximately $         million and would have represented approximately         % of our total capitalization as of that date. See “Description of Other Indebtedness” and “Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Offering and the Notes—The notes are unsecured, are effectively subordinated to any future secured indebtedness, to the extent of the value of the assets securing that indebtedness, and are structurally subordinated to all liabilities of our subsidiaries, including claims with respect to insured policies and trade payables.”

 

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The senior indenture does not limit the amount of additional indebtedness, including senior or secured indebtedness, which we may create, incur, assume or guarantee, nor does the indenture limit the amount of indebtedness or other liabilities that our subsidiaries may create, incur, assume or guarantee.

Optional Redemption

We will have the option to redeem the notes, at any time in whole or from time to time in part, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice, at a redemption price, which we sometimes refer to in this prospectus supplement as the “Redemption Price,” equal to the greater of:

(i) 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed; or

(ii) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal of and interest on the notes to be redeemed (not including any portion of such payments of interest accrued to the redemption date) discounted to the redemption date on a semiannual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Adjusted Treasury Rate plus basis points, as calculated by an Independent Investment Banker.

In each case, the Redemption Price is payable together with accrued and unpaid interest on the notes to be redeemed to, but excluding, the redemption date.

“Adjusted Treasury Rate” means, with respect to any redemption date:

 

•

the yield, under the heading which represents the average for the immediately preceding week, appearing in the most recently published statistical release designated “H.15(519)” or any successor publication which is published weekly by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and which establishes yields on actively traded United States Treasury securities adjusted to constant maturity under the caption “Treasury Constant Maturities,” for the maturity corresponding to the Comparable Treasury Issue (if no maturity is within three months before or after the Remaining Life, yields for the two published maturities most closely corresponding to the Comparable Treasury Issue shall be determined and the Adjusted Treasury Rate shall be interpolated or extrapolated from such yields on a straight line basis, rounding to the nearest month); or

 

•

if such release (or any successor release) is not published during the week preceding the calculation date or does not contain such yields, the rate per annum equal to the semi-annual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, calculated using a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for such redemption date.

The Adjusted Treasury Rate shall be calculated on the second business day preceding the redemption date.

“Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by an Independent Investment Banker as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term of the notes to be redeemed that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of the notes to be redeemed, or “Remaining Life.”

“Comparable Treasury Price” means (1) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for such redemption date, after excluding the highest and lowest Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (2) if the Independent Investment Banker obtains fewer than four such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all such quotations.

“Independent Investment Banker” means one of the Reference Treasury Dealers appointed by us.

 

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“Reference Treasury Dealer” means:

 

•

each of Goldman, Sachs & Co., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and one other nationally recognized investment banking firm that is a primary U.S. Government securities dealer specified from time to time by us and its respective successors; provided that, if any of the foregoing ceases to be a primary U.S. Government securities dealer in New York City (a “Primary Treasury Dealer”), we will substitute another Primary Treasury Dealer; and

 

•

any other Primary Treasury Dealer selected by us.

“Reference Treasury Dealer Quotation” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any redemption date, the average, as determined by the Independent Investment Banker, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Independent Investment Banker at 3:30 p.m., New York City time, on the third business day preceding such redemption date.

If we have given notice of redemption as provided in the senior indenture, the notes to be so redeemed shall, on the date of redemption, become due and payable at the Redemption Price together with any accrued interest thereon, and from and after such date (unless we shall default in the payment of the Redemption Price and accrued interest) such notes shall cease to bear interest. If any note called for redemption shall not be paid upon surrender thereof for redemption, the principal shall, until paid, bear interest from the date of redemption at         % per year.

Subject to the foregoing and to applicable law (including, without limitation, United States federal securities laws), we or our affiliates may, at any time and from time to time, purchase outstanding notes by tender, in the open market or by private agreement.

Certain Covenants

The notes will include the following additional covenants:

Limitation on Liens of Stock of Designated Subsidiaries

Neither we nor any of our subsidiaries will be permitted to create, assume, incur or permit to exist any indebtedness secured by any lien on the present or future capital stock of any designated subsidiary unless the notes, and at our election, any other indebtedness of ours that is not subordinate to the notes and with respect to which the governing instruments require, or pursuant to which we are otherwise obligated, to provide such security, are secured equally and ratably with such indebtedness for at least the time period this indebtedness is so secured. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may, without securing the notes or such other indebtedness, incur liens existing on such capital stock before the acquisition thereof by us or by any designated subsidiary so long as (1) such lien was in existence prior to, and is not created in contemplation of or in connection with, such acquisition, (2) such lien will not apply to capital stock of any other designated subsidiary and (3) such lien will secure only those obligations which it secures on the date of such acquisition, and extensions, renewals and replacements of the foregoing liens that do not increase the outstanding principal amount secured by such liens and do not extend to capital stock of any other designated subsidiary.

Limitation on Sales of Capital Stock of Designated Subsidiaries

Neither we nor any of the designated subsidiaries will be permitted to issue, sell, transfer or dispose of capital stock of a designated subsidiary, except to us or one of our subsidiaries that agrees to hold the transferred shares subject to the terms of this sentence, unless (1) we dispose of the entire capital stock of the designated subsidiary at the same time for cash or property which, in the opinion of our board of directors, is at least equal to

 

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the fair market value of the capital stock or (2) we sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any capital stock of a designated subsidiary for at least fair market value (in the opinion of our board of directors) and, after giving effect thereto, we and our subsidiaries would own more than 80% of the issued and outstanding voting stock of such designated subsidiary.

Certain Definitions

“Designated subsidiary” means any present or future consolidated subsidiary, the consolidated stockholders’ equity of which constitutes at least 15% of our consolidated stockholders’ equity. As of the date hereof, the only designated subsidiary is Radian Guaranty Inc.

“Indebtedness” means, with respect to any person:

(1) the principal of, and any premium and interest on, indebtedness of the person for money borrowed and indebtedness evidenced by notes, debentures, bonds or other similar instruments for the payment of which that person is responsible or liable;

(2) all capitalized lease obligations of that person;

(3) all obligations of that person issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property, all conditional sale obligations and all obligations under any title retention agreement (but excluding trade accounts payable arising in the ordinary course of business and deferred purchase price due and payable within 90 days);

(4) all obligations of that person for the reimbursement of any obligor on any letter of credit, banker’s acceptance or similar credit transaction, other than obligations with respect to letters of credit securing obligations entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(5) all obligations of that person under interest swap agreements, interest rate cap agreements and interest collar agreements and other agreements or arrangements designed to protect that person against fluctuations in interest rates;

(6) all obligations of the type referred to above of other persons and all dividends of other persons for which that person is responsible or liable as obligor, guarantor or otherwise, except Indebtedness will not include (i) endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business or (ii) financial guaranties made by an insurance company (including a financial guaranty company) as an incident to the conduct of its insurance business and in the ordinary course of such business;

(7) all obligations of the type referred to above of other persons secured by any lien on any property or asset of that person; and

(8) any amendments, modifications, refundings, renewals or extensions of any indebtedness or obligation described above.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) Indebtedness of a person will not include any Conduit Indebtedness or any Insured Indebtedness of that person or any guaranty of that type of Indebtedness by such person in the ordinary course of its business, and (ii) in connection with the purchase by a person of any business, the term Indebtedness will exclude post-closing payment adjustments to which the seller may become entitled to the extent such payment is determined by a final closing so long as at the time of closing, the amount of any such payment is not determinable and, to the extent such payment thereafter becomes fixed and determined, the amount is paid when due. “Conduit Indebtedness” means, with respect to a person, Indebtedness of a special purpose entity or subsidiary of such person that is consolidated on such person’s financial statements in accordance with GAAP so long as (i) the proceeds of such debt are used by such special purpose entity or

 

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subsidiary to make loans to, or to purchase assets from, another person that is not an affiliate of such person, in the ordinary course of business and (ii) such Indebtedness and/or any payment with respect to accounts receivable and other assets underlying such Indebtedness are guaranteed by the former person or one or more of its subsidiaries, in the ordinary course of business. “Insured Indebtedness” means, with respect to a person, any Indebtedness of such person or its subsidiaries that is guaranteed by such person or another subsidiary of such person that is an insurance company (including a financial guaranty company) so long as the proceeds of such Indebtedness are used to purchase securities, instruments, notes or other obligations issued or owed by a person that is not an affiliate of such person, in the ordinary course of business.

“Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.

“Subsidiary” means, with respect to us:

(1) any corporation of which at least a majority of the outstanding stock having ordinary voting power (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to elect a majority of the directors of such corporation, is at the time, directly or indirectly, owned or controlled by us or by one or more of our subsidiaries (or any combination thereof);

(2) any partnership (a) of which we or one of our subsidiaries is the sole general partner or the managing general partner or (b) the only general partners of which are us or one or more of our subsidiaries (or any combination thereof); or

(3) any other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of equity interests entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by us or one or more of our subsidiaries (or a combination thereof).

Methods of Receiving Payments on the Notes

If a holder of the notes has given us wire transfer instructions, we will pay all principal, interest, and premium, if any, on that holder’s notes in accordance with those instructions. All other payments on notes will be made at the office or agency of the paying agent and registrar within the City and State of New York unless we elect to make interest payments by check mailed to the holders at their addresses set forth in the register of notes.

Transfer and Exchange

The notes may be transferred or exchanged in accordance with the senior indenture. The registrar and the trustee may require a holder of the notes, among other things, to furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents and we may require a holder to pay any taxes and fees required by law or permitted by the senior indenture. We are not required to transfer or exchange any note selected for redemption. Also, we are not required to transfer or exchange any note for a period of 15 days before a selection of notes to be redeemed.

The registered holder of a note will be treated as its owner for all purposes under the senior indenture.

Concerning the Trustee

U.S. Bank National Association will be the initial trustee and will also serve as the initial registrar and paying agent for the notes. U.S. Bank National Association, in each of its capacities, including without limitation as trustee, registrar and paying agent, assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information concerning us or our affiliates or any other party contained in this document or the related

 

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documents or for any failure by us or any other party to disclose events that may have occurred and may affect the significance or accuracy of such information. We maintain banking relationships in the ordinary course of business with the trustee and its affiliates.

We may change the trustee, paying agent and/or registrar without prior notice to the holders of the notes.

Governing Law

The indenture provides that the notes and the indenture will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

Book-Entry, Settlement and Clearance

The Global Notes

The notes will be initially issued in the form of one or more registered notes in global form, without interest coupons (the “global notes”). Upon issuance, each of the global notes will be deposited with the trustee as custodian for DTC and registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee of DTC.

Ownership of beneficial interests in a global note will be limited to persons who have accounts with DTC (“DTC participants”) or persons who hold interests through DTC participants. We expect that under procedures established by DTC:

 

•

upon deposit of a global note with DTC’s custodian, DTC will credit portions of the principal amount of the global note to the accounts of the DTC participants designated by the underwriters; and

 

•

ownership of beneficial interests in a global note will be shown on, and transfer of ownership of those interests will be effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to interests of DTC participants) and the records of DTC participants (with respect to other owners of beneficial interests in the global note).

Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus to “holders,” includes holders of beneficial interests in such global notes. Beneficial interests in global notes may not be exchanged for notes in physical, certificated form except in the limited circumstances described below.

Book-entry Procedures for the Global Notes

All interests in the global notes will be subject to the operations and procedures of DTC. We provide the following summary of those operations and procedures solely for the convenience of investors. The operations and procedures of DTC are controlled by that settlement system and may be changed at any time. Neither we nor the underwriters are responsible for those operations or procedures.

DTC has advised us that it is:

 

•

a limited purpose trust company organized under the laws of the State of New York;

 

•

a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York State Banking Law;

 

•

a member of the Federal Reserve System;

 

•

a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the Uniform Commercial Code; and

 

•

a “clearing agency” registered under Section 17A of the Exchange Act.

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participants. DTC’s participants include securities brokers and dealers, including the underwriters; banks and trust companies; clearing corporations and other organizations. Indirect access to DTC’s system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies; these indirect participants clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC participant, either directly or indirectly. Investors who are not DTC participants may beneficially own securities held by or on behalf of DTC only through DTC participants or indirect participants in DTC.

So long as DTC’s nominee is the registered owner of a global note, that nominee will be considered the sole owner or holder of the notes represented by that global note for all purposes under the indenture. Except as provided below, owners of beneficial interests in a global note:

 

•

will not be entitled to have notes represented by the global note registered in their names;

 

•

will not receive or be entitled to receive physical, certificated notes; and

 

•

will not be considered the owners or holders of the notes under the indenture for any purpose, including with respect to the giving of any direction, instruction or approval to the trustee under the indenture.

As a result, each investor who owns a beneficial interest in a global note must rely on the procedures of DTC to exercise any rights of a holder of notes under the indenture (and, if the investor is not a participant or an indirect participant in DTC, on the procedures of the DTC participant through which the investor owns its interest).

Payments of principal and interest with respect to the notes represented by a global note will be made by the trustee to DTC’s nominee as the registered holder of the global note. Neither we nor the trustee will have any responsibility or liability for the payment of amounts to owners of beneficial interests in a global note, for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of those interests by DTC, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records of DTC relating to those interests.

Payments by participants and indirect participants in DTC to the owners of beneficial interests in a global note will be governed by standing instructions and customary industry practice and will be the responsibility of those participants or indirect participants and DTC.

Transfers between participants in DTC will be effected under DTC’s procedures and will be settled in same-day funds.

Certificated Notes

Notes in physical, certificated form will be issued and delivered (i) to each person that DTC identifies as a beneficial owner of the related notes only if (a) DTC notifies us at any time that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary for the global notes and a successor depositary is not appointed within 90 calendar days; or (b) DTC ceases to be registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act and a successor depositary is not appointed within 90 calendar days; or (ii) if an event of default with respect to the notes has occurred and is continuing, to each beneficial owner who requests that its beneficial interests in the notes be exchanged for notes in physical, certificate form.

No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees and Stockholders

None of our directors, officers, employees, incorporators or stockholders or those of any of our subsidiaries, as such, shall have any liability for any of our obligations under the notes, the senior indenture, or for any claim based on, in respect of, such obligations or their creation. Each holder of notes by accepting a note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the notes. The waiver may not be effective to waive liabilities under the federal securities laws.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF OTHER INDEBTEDNESS

The following is a general description of the material provisions of certain of our existing indebtedness in addition to the indebtedness represented by the notes offered by this prospectus supplement. This summary is not a complete description of our indebtedness. You should read the indentures for our 9.000% Senior Notes due June 2017, our 3.000% Convertible Senior Notes due November 2017, our 2.250% Convertible Senior Notes due March 2019, and our 5.500% Senior Notes due June 2019, which are incorporated by reference into exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement forms a part.

Existing Senior Notes

As of March 31, 2015, we had the following carrying amounts outstanding on our long-term debt:

 

		March 31, 2015 (in thousands)
9.000% Senior Notes due June 2017		$	192,870
3.000% Convertible Senior Notes due November 2017			381,018
2.250% Convertible Senior Notes due March 2019			345,084
5.500% Senior Notes due June 2019			300,000

During 2013, Radian Group exchanged $195.5 million aggregate principal amount of 5.375% Senior Notes due June 2015 for a like aggregate principal amount of 9.000% Senior Notes due June 2017. These new notes bear interest at a rate of 9.000% per annum, payable semi-annually on June 15 and December 15, and mature on June 15, 2017. Radian Group has the option to redeem some or all of such notes at any time and from time to time with not less than 30 days’ notice at a redemption price equal to the greater of (i) the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed or (ii) the present value of the notes to be redeemed discounted at the treasury rate plus 50 basis points.

In November 2010, Radian Group issued $450 million of unsecured Convertible Senior Notes. These notes bear interest at the rate of 3.000% per annum, payable semi-annually on May 15 and November 15. These notes mature in November 2017 and may not be redeemed before maturity. Holders of these notes may convert their notes from August 15, 2017 through the maturity date, subject to certain conditions. Holders of the notes will also be able to exercise their conversion rights prior to August 15, 2017, subject to certain conditions, only under certain circumstances, including if our common stock meets the sale price criteria in any calendar quarter. During the calendar quarter ended March 31, 2015, the sale price of our common stock met the sale price criteria for these notes and therefore, the holders of the notes are currently able to convert the notes, at their option, during the second calendar quarter of 2015. Upon a conversion, we will pay cash up to the aggregate principal amount of the notes to be converted and pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock, at our election, in respect of the remainder, if any, of our conversion obligation that is in excess of the aggregate principal amount of the notes being converted. The conversion rate will initially be 85.5688 shares of our common stock per $1,000 principal amount of notes (corresponding to an initial conversion price of approximately $11.69 per share of common stock). The conversion rate will be subject to adjustment in certain events, but will not be adjusted for any accrued and unpaid interest. In addition, following certain corporate events, we will increase the conversion rate for a holder who elects to convert their notes in connection with that corporate event in certain circumstances.

In March 2013, Radian Group issued $400 million of unsecured Convertible Senior Notes. These notes bear interest at the rate of 2.25% per annum, payable semi-annually on March 1 and September 1. These notes mature in March 2019 and may be redeemed by Radian Group any time on or after March 8, 2016 if certain trading price conditions are met. The redemption price will generally be equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date. Holders of these notes may

 

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convert their notes from December 1, 2018 through the maturity date, subject to certain conditions. Holders of the notes will also be able to exercise their conversion rights prior to December 1, 2018, subject to certain conditions, only under certain circumstances, including if our common stock meets the sale price criteria in any calendar quarter. During the calendar quarter ended March 31, 2015, the sale price of our common stock met the sale price criteria for these notes and therefore, the holders of the notes are currently able to convert the notes, at their option, during the second calendar quarter of 2015. Upon a conversion, we will pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock, at our election. The conversion rate will initially be 94.3396 shares of our common stock per $1,000 principal amount of notes (corresponding to an initial conversion price of approximately $10.60 per share of common stock). The conversion rate will be subject to adjustment for certain events, but will not be adjusted for any accrued and unpaid interest. In addition, following certain corporate events, we will increase the conversion rate for a holder who elects to convert its notes in connection with that corporate event in certain circumstances.

On May 13, 2014, Radian Group issued $300 million of unsecured Senior Notes due June 2019. These notes bear interest at the rate of 5.500% per annum, payable semi-annually on June 1 and December 1, and mature on June 1, 2019. Radian Group has the option to redeem some or all of such notes at any time and from time to time with not less than 30 days’ notice at a redemption price equal to the greater of (i) the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed or (ii) the present value of the notes to be redeemed discounted at the treasury rate plus 50 basis points.

Covenants Under Our Existing Senior Notes

Certain of our existing senior notes contain covenants that, among other things, limit or restrict our ability, and the ability of our subsidiaries, to create liens on or sell stock of certain of our subsidiaries.

 

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CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

The following is a description of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of the notes. It does not purport to be a comprehensive description of all of the tax considerations that may be relevant to a particular investor’s decision to invest in the notes, and does not address certain tax rules that are generally assumed to be understood by investors. This summary is based on the United States Internal Revenue Code, U.S. federal income tax regulations promulgated or proposed thereunder (the “Treasury Regulations”), judicial authority, and published rulings and administrative pronouncements of the IRS, each as of the date of this prospectus supplement and each of which are subject to change at any time, possibly with retroactive effect. This summary is limited to beneficial owners that purchase notes in the initial offering at their original issue price (i.e., the first price at which a substantial amount of the notes is sold to purchasers other than bond houses, brokers or similar persons or organizations acting in the capacity of underwriters, placement agents or wholesalers) for cash and hold the notes as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment).

This summary does not address the tax consequences to investors that are subject to special rules, such as financial institutions, banks, thrift institutions, real estate investment trusts, personal holding companies, regulated investment companies, insurance companies, tax-exempt entities, qualified retirement plans, brokers and dealers in securities or currencies, traders in securities that elect to use mark-to-market method of accounting, persons that hold the notes in a “straddle” or as part of a “hedging,” “conversion” or constructive sale transaction, U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, partnerships or other entities classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and persons who have ceased to be citizens or residents of the United States. Further, we do not address:

 

•

the U.S. federal income tax consequences to stockholders in, or partners or beneficiaries of, an entity that is an owner of the notes;

 

•

the U.S. federal estate and gift or alternative minimum tax consequences of the purchase, ownership or sale of the notes; or

 

•

any state, local or foreign tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and sale of the notes.

If a partnership or other entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes owns notes, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the partner’s status and the activities of the partnership. If you are such a partnership entity investing in notes (or if you are a partner in such a partnership entity), you are urged to consult your own tax advisor about the U.S. federal income tax consequences of acquiring, owning and disposing of the notes.

For purposes of this summary, you are a “U.S. holder” if you are a beneficial owner of a note and you are:

 

•

an individual citizen or resident of the United States;

 

•

a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, that is created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

•

an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

 

•

a trust if it (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) has a valid election in effect under applicable Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

For purposes of this summary, a non-U.S. holder is a beneficial owner of a note that is not a U.S. holder and is not a partnership or other entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

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This summary is not binding on the IRS. We have not sought, and do not plan to not seek, any ruling from the IRS with respect to the statements made in this summary, and there can be no assurance that the IRS will not take a position contrary to these statements or that a contrary position taken by the IRS will not be sustained by a court.

This summary constitutes neither tax nor legal advice. Prospective investors are urged to consult their own tax advisors to determine the specific tax consequences and risks to them of purchasing, holding and disposing of the notes, including the application to their particular situation of any U.S. federal, state, local, and non-U.S. tax laws and of any applicable income tax treaty.

Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders

This subsection describes certain U.S. federal income tax consequences to a U.S. holder. If you are not a U.S. holder, this subsection does not apply to you and you should refer to “—Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders” below.

Interest and Original Issue Discount on the Notes

It is expected, and therefore this discussion assumes, that the notes will be treated as issued without original issue discount (“OID”) for federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, you will generally be required to include stated interest in income as ordinary income at the time the interest is received or accrued, according to your method of tax accounting.

Sale, Exchange or Repurchase of the Notes

You will generally recognize gain or loss upon a sale, exchange or repurchase of a note equal to the difference between (1) the amount of cash proceeds and the fair market value of any property received and (2) your adjusted tax basis in the note. Your adjusted tax basis in notes generally will equal the cost of the notes to you. Any gain or loss you recognize generally will be treated as a capital gain or loss (except to the extent the amount received is attributable to accrued unpaid interest not previously included in income, which will be taxable as ordinary interest income). The capital gain or loss will be long-term if your holding period at that point has exceeded twelve months and will be short-term if your holding period is twelve months or less. A reduced tax rate may apply to individuals and other noncorporate U.S. holders with long-term capital gains. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to certain limitations.

Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders

This subsection describes certain U.S. federal income tax consequences to a non-U.S. holder. If you are not a non-U.S. holder, this subsection does not apply to you and you should refer to “—Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders” above.

Special rules may apply to certain non-U.S. holders such as “controlled foreign corporations,” “passive foreign investment companies” and, in certain circumstances, individuals who are U.S. expatriates. If you are a non-U.S. holder that falls within any of the foregoing categories, you should consult your own tax advisor to determine the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences that may be relevant to you. Further, this summary does not address all of the special rules that may be applicable to foreign partnerships or partnerships with foreign partners. If you are a partnership holding notes, you are urged to consult your own tax advisor concerning the tax, withholding and reporting rules that may apply to you.

 

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Payments with Respect to the Notes

If you are a non-U.S. holder, all payments of principal or interest made to you on the notes, and any gain realized on a sale, exchange, conversion, or repurchase of the notes, will be exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax, provided that you satisfy one of two tests. The first test is satisfied if:

 

•

you do not (directly or indirectly, actually or constructively) own 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of Radian Group’s stock that are entitled to vote and are not a controlled foreign corporation related, directly or indirectly, to Radian Group through stock ownership;

 

•

you are not a bank for whom the note reflects an extension of credit made pursuant to a loan agreement entered into in the ordinary course of your trade or business;

 

•

you certify to us or our paying agent on IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable (or appropriate substitute form), under penalties of perjury, that you are not a U.S. person. If you hold the notes through a financial institution or other agent acting on your behalf, you will be required to provide appropriate documentation to the agent who will then be required to provide certification to us or our paying agent, either directly or through other intermediaries in the payment chain. Special rules apply to estates and trusts and, in certain circumstances, certifications as to foreign status of trust owners or beneficiaries may have to be provided. In addition, special rules apply to qualified intermediaries that enter into withholding agreements with the IRS; and

 

•

in the case of a sale, exchange, conversion, or repurchase of the notes:

 

•

if you are an individual non-U.S. holder, you are present in the United States for fewer than 183 days in the taxable year of disposition; and

 

•

your holding of the notes is not effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States.

The second test is satisfied if you are otherwise entitled to the benefits of an income tax treaty under which such interest is exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax, and you (or your agent) provide to us a properly executed IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable (or an appropriate substitute form), claiming eligibility for the exemption.

If you cannot satisfy the requirements described above with respect to interest payments, payments of interest will be subject to the 30% U.S. federal withholding tax, unless you provide us with a properly executed IRS Form W-8ECI (or successor form) stating that interest paid on the notes is not subject to withholding tax because it is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States, and, if a tax treaty applies, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment.

If you are engaged in a trade or business in the United States and interest on a note or gain recognized on the sale, exchange, conversion, or repurchase of a note is effectively connected with the conduct of that trade or business, you will be subject to U.S. federal income tax (but not the 30% withholding tax if you provide a Form W-8ECI as described above) on that interest gain on a net income basis in the same manner as if you were a U.S. person as defined under the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, if you are a foreign corporation, you may be subject to a “branch profits tax” equal to 30% (or lower applicable income tax treaty rate) of your earnings and profits for the taxable year, subject to certain adjustments, that are effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States. For this purpose, any such interest or gain will be included in the earnings and profits of a foreign corporation. An individual non-U.S. holder who is in the United States for more than 183 days in the taxable year in which the note is sold, exchanged, redeemed or repurchased, and meets certain other conditions, will be subject to a flat 30% U.S. federal income tax (which rate may, however, be reduced if the individual is entitled to the benefit of a nondiscrimination provision of an applicable tax treaty) on any gain recognized on such a disposition, which gain may be offset by such a person’s U.S.-source capital losses, if any.

 

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Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

If you are a U.S. holder of a note, information reporting requirements generally will apply to all payments we make to you and the proceeds from a sale of the note, unless you are an exempt recipient such as a corporation. If you fail to supply your correct taxpayer identification number, underreport your tax liability or otherwise fail to comply with applicable U.S. information reporting or certification requirements, the IRS may require us to backup withhold U.S. federal income tax at the rate set by Section 3406 of the Internal Revenue Code (currently 28%) from those payments.

In general, if you are a non-U.S. holder, you will not be subject to information reporting and backup withholding with respect to payments that we make to you provided that we do not have actual knowledge or reason to know that you are a U.S. person and you have given us the certification described under “—Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders—Payments with Respect to the Notes.” In addition, if you are a non-U.S. holder, you will not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding with respect to the proceeds of the sale of a note within the United States or conducted through certain U.S.-related financial intermediaries, if the payor receives the certification described above under “—Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders—Payments with Respect to the Notes” and does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that you are a U.S. person, as defined under the Internal Revenue Code, or you otherwise establish an exemption.

Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against your U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is furnished to the IRS.

FATCA Withholding

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), which was enacted as part of the HIRE Act of 2010, generally imposes a U.S. federal withholding tax of 30% on payments of interest, and payments of the gross proceeds from the sale or other taxable disposition (including a retirement or redemption) of the notes after December 31, 2016, made to non-U.S. financial institutions and certain other non-U.S. nonfinancial entities (including, in some instances, where such an institution or entity is acting as an intermediary) that fail to comply with certain information reporting obligations and the requirement to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN-E that establishes exemption from FATCA withholding.

If a FATCA withholding tax were to apply to a payment made in respect of the notes, neither we, as the issuer, nor any paying agent nor any other person would be required under the terms and conditions of the notes to pay any additional amount as a result of the FATCA withholding. Accordingly, any investor that fails to documents its exemption from FATCA may receive less interest or principal than expected.

Prospective investors should consult with their own tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA with respect to an investment in the notes. Accordingly, prospective investors should consult their banks or brokers about the likelihood that payments to those banks or brokers (for credit to such investors) will become subject to withholding in the payment chain. Investors in the notes could be affected by FATCA withholding if a financial institution or other intermediary in the payment chain, such as a bank or broker, through which they hold the notes is subject to withholding because it fails to comply with the reporting requirements.

 

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UNDERWRITING

Radian Group is offering the notes described in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus through Goldman, Sachs & Co., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated as representatives (the “representatives”) of the several underwriters (collectively, the “underwriters”). Radian Group has entered into an underwriting agreement with the underwriters, dated as of June     , 2015 (the “Underwriting Agreement”). Subject to the terms and conditions of the Underwriting Agreement, each of the underwriters has severally agreed to purchase the principal amount of the notes listed next to its name in the following table:

 

Underwriters		Principal Amount
Goldman, Sachs & Co.		$
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.		$
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith     Incorporated.		$
Total		$

Radian Group’s notes are offered subject to a number of conditions, including receipt and acceptance of the notes by the underwriters.

In connection with this offering, the underwriters or securities dealers may distribute documents to investors electronically.

The notes sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus supplement, plus accrued interest from the original issue date of the notes, if any. If all of the notes are not sold at the public offering price, the representatives may change the offering price and the other selling terms. Sales of the notes made outside of the United States may be made by affiliates of the underwriters. The notes are a new issue of securities with no established trading market. We have been advised by the underwriters that the underwriters intend to make a market in the notes but are not obligated to do so and may discontinue market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the notes. The offering of the notes by the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters’ right to reject any order in whole or in part.

Radian Group estimates that the total expenses of this offering payable by it, not including the underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $            .

Indemnification and Contribution

Radian Group has agreed to indemnify the several underwriters and their affiliates, selling agents and controlling persons against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. If Radian Group is unable to provide this indemnification, Radian Group will contribute to the payments the underwriters and their affiliates, selling agents and controlling persons may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

Price Stabilization, Short Positions and Passive Market Making

In order to facilitate the offering of the notes, the underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the notes. Specifically, the underwriters may sell a greater principal amount of notes than they are obligated to purchase under the underwriting agreement, creating a naked short position. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing notes in the open market. A

 

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naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the notes in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. As an additional means of facilitating this offering, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, notes in the open market to stabilize the price of the notes. These activities may raise or maintain the market price of the notes above independent market levels or prevent or delay a decline in the market price of the notes. The underwriters are not required to engage in these activities, and may end any of these activities at any time.

In general, purchases of a security for the purpose of stabilizing or reducing a syndicate short position could cause the price of the security to be higher than it might otherwise be in the absence of such purchases. Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the notes. In addition, neither we nor the underwriters make any representation that the underwriters will engage in such transactions or that such transactions will not be discontinued without notice, once they are commenced.

Penalty Bids

The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representative has repurchased notes sold by or for the account of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

Affiliations

The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include sales and trading, commercial and investment banking, advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, market making, brokerage and other financial and non-financial activities and services. The underwriters and their respective affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, a variety of these services to us and our affiliates in the ordinary course of their business, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses. In addition, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated are providing investment banking and advisory services to us. Each of Goldman, Sachs & Co., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, and their respective affiliates, have in the past received, and will be entitled to receive, separate fees for such services.

In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates, officers, directors and employees may purchase, sell or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps and other financial instruments for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and trading activities may involve or relate to our assets, securities and/or instruments (directly, as collateral securing other obligations or otherwise) and/or persons and entities with relationships with us. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such assets, securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they should acquire, long and/or short positions in such assets, securities and instruments.

Certain of the underwriters or their affiliates that have a lending relationship with us routinely hedge their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. Typically, such underwriters and their affiliates would hedge such exposure by entering into transactions which consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities, including potentially the notes offered hereby. Any such credit default swaps or short positions could adversely affect future trading prices of the notes offered hereby.

 

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Selling Restrictions

Other than in the United States, no action has been taken by Radian Group that would permit a public offering of the notes offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. The notes offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, nor may this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the offer and sale of any such notes be distributed or published in any jurisdiction, except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of that jurisdiction. Persons into whose possession this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus come are advised to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions relating to this offering and the distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any notes offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or a solicitation is unlawful.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area

In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a “Relevant Member State”), each underwriter has represented and agreed that with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State, it has not made and will not make an offer of the notes to the public in that Relevant Member State other than:

 

a)

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive;

 

b)

to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the other representatives for any such offer; or

 

c)

in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive;

provided that no such offer of notes will require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive.

For the purposes of the above, (i) the expression an “offer of notes to the public” in relation to any notes in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the notes to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the notes, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State, and (ii) the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC (as amended, including by Directive 2010/73/EU), and includes any relevant implementing measure in the Relevant Member State.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom

Each underwriter has represented, warranted and agreed that:

 

•

it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the “FSMA”)) received by it in connection with the issue or sale of the notes which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in circumstances in which Section 21 (1) of the FSMA does not apply to us; and

 

•

it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the notes in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.

 

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Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong

The notes may not be offered or sold by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the notes may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to notes which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan

The notes have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Act No. 25 of 1948, as amended; the “Financial Instruments and Exchange Law”) and each underwriter has agreed that it will not offer or sell any of the notes, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus have not been registered as prospectuses with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any related free writing prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the notes may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the notes be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where the notes are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 by a relevant person which is: (a) a corporation (which is not an accredited investor) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or (b) a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest in that trust will not be transferable for 6 months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the notes under Section 275 except: (1) to an institutional investor under Section 275(2) of the SFA, or any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA; (2) where no consideration is given for the transfer; (3) where the transfer is by operation of law; or (4) as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA.

 

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VALIDITY OF SECURITIES

The validity of the securities being offered by this prospectus supplement has been passed upon for us by Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering are being passed upon for the underwriters by Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has represented and may continue to represent the Company and its affiliates, from time to time, in connection with various legal matters.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. These documents contain important information about us and our financial condition. This information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus supplement, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information.

We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and their amendments, except information furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K, which is neither deemed filed nor incorporated by reference herein:

 

•

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, filed on March 2, 2015.

 

•

The information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K from our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A, filed on April 10, 2015.

 

•

Our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2015, filed on May 8, 2015.

 

•

Our Current Reports on Form 8-K dated February 5, 2015, April 1, 2015, May 13, 2015 and June 15, 2015, and filed, respectively, on February 10, 2015, April 7, 2015, May 14, 2015 and June 15, 2015.

 

•

The description of common stock set forth in our registration statement on Form 8-A/A filed on August 12, 2004, including any and all amendments and reports filed for the purpose of updating that description.

 

•

The description of our preferred share purchase rights set forth in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed on October 13, 2009, the amendments set forth on Form 8-A/A filed on May 4, 2010 and in any and all amendments and reports filed for the purpose of updating that description.

 

•

Any future filings we make under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including any filings after the date of this registration statement until we terminate this offering.

Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein may be modified or superseded in the future. Any such statement so modified shall not be deemed to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement except as so modified and any statement so superseded shall not be deemed to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement.

You may request a free copy of these filings, other than any exhibits, unless the exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

Radian Group Inc.

1601 Market Street

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103

Attention: Investor Relations

(215) 564-6600

 

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PROSPECTUS

 

 

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Depositary Shares

Warrants

Rights

Stock Purchase Contracts

Units

 

 

Radian Group Inc., from time to time, may offer, issue and sell, together or separately, (1) shares of common stock; (2) shares of preferred stock; (3) debt securities, which may be senior debt securities, senior subordinated debt securities or subordinated debt securities; (4) depositary shares; (5) warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock or other securities; (6) rights to purchase common stock, preferred stock or other securities; (7) stock purchase contracts; and (8) units consisting of two or more classes of the securities registered hereunder.

This prospectus contains a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we issue the securities pursuant to this registration statement we will provide a prospectus supplement containing specific information about the terms of that issuance, which also may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read carefully this prospectus and any applicable supplements before deciding to invest.

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “RDN.” We expect that any common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be listed on such exchange, subject to official notice of issuance. Any prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing on the New York Stock Exchange or any other securities exchange of the other securities covered by the prospectus supplement.

The securities may be sold directly to investors, through agents designated from time to time or to or through underwriters or dealers. See “Plan of Distribution” on page 39 of this prospectus. If any agents or underwriters are involved in the sale of any securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered, the names of such agents or underwriters and any applicable commissions or discounts will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. The net proceeds we expect to receive from such sale also will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell any securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

 

 

Consider carefully the “Risk Factors” beginning on page 5, in any accompanying prospectus supplement, and in the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus before deciding to invest in any of these securities.

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is May 6, 2014.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

		Page

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS			1
RADIAN GROUP INC.			2
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION			2
RISK FACTORS			5
USE OF PROCEEDS			5
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES			6
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE OFFERED SECURITIES			6
DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK			6

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES			13
DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES			33
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS TO PURCHASE SHARES OF COMMON STOCK, PREFERRED STOCK OR OTHER SECURITIES			35
DESCRIPTION OF RIGHTS TO PURCHASE SHARES OF COMMON STOCK, PREFERRED STOCK OR OTHER SECURITIES			36
DESCRIPTION OF STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS			38
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS			39
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			39
LEGAL MATTERS			42
EXPERTS			42
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			42
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE			42

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

Unless the context otherwise requires, we use the terms “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” to refer to either Radian Group Inc. or to Radian Group Inc. and its subsidiaries. When we use the term “Radian Group” we are only referring to Radian Group Inc. and not its subsidiaries.

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using a “shelf” registration. Under this shelf registration, we may sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell the securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus.

For general information about the distribution of securities offered, please see “Plan of Distribution” on page 39 of this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, together with the additional information described in “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference,” before you decide whether to invest in any of the securities.

You should rely only on the information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement. You may obtain the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus without charge by following the instructions under “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” below. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not making an offer to sell these securities or soliciting an offer to buy the securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

This prospectus summarizes certain documents and other information, and we refer you to them for a more complete understanding of what we discuss in this prospectus. In making an investment decision, you must rely on your own examination of our Company and the terms of this offering and the securities, including the merits and risks involved.

We are not making any representation to any purchaser of the securities regarding the legality of an investment in the securities by such purchaser. You should not consider any information in this prospectus to be legal, business or tax advice. You should consult your own attorney, business advisor or tax advisor for legal, business and tax advice regarding an investment in the securities.

 

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RADIAN GROUP INC.

We are a credit enhancement company with a primary strategic focus on domestic first-lien residential mortgage insurance.

We have two business segments—mortgage insurance and financial guaranty:

 

·

Our mortgage insurance segment provides credit-related insurance coverage, principally through private mortgage insurance, and risk management services to mortgage lending institutions. We conduct our mortgage insurance business primarily through Radian Guaranty Inc. (“Radian Guaranty”), our principal mortgage insurance subsidiary.

 

·

Our financial guaranty segment has provided direct insurance and reinsurance on credit-based risks, and also offered credit protection on various asset classes through financial guaranty policies and credit default swaps. Our principal financial guaranty subsidiary, Radian Asset Assurance Inc. (“Radian Asset Assurance”), is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Radian Guaranty which allows our financial guaranty business to serve as an important source of capital support for our mortgage insurance business. While Radian Asset Assurance discontinued writing new financial guaranty business in 2008, it continues to provide financial guaranty insurance on a portfolio of transactions, consisting primarily of public finance and structured finance transactions.

Our principal executive offices are located at 1601 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. Our telephone number is (215) 231-1000. We maintain a website at www.radian.biz where general information about us is available. We are not incorporating the contents of the website into this prospectus. Radian Group was incorporated in Delaware in 1991.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

In addition to historical information, this prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus, contains statements relating to events, developments or results that we expect or anticipate may occur in the future. These statements are “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 United States (“U.S.”) Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In most cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “seek,” “strategy,” “future,” “likely” or the negative or other variations on these words and other similar expressions. These statements, which may include, without limitation, projections regarding our future performance and financial condition, are made on the basis of management’s current views and assumptions with respect to future events. Any forward-looking statement is not a guarantee of future performance and actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statement. These statements speak only as of the date they were made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. We operate in a changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all risks that may affect us. The forward-looking statements, as well as our prospects as a whole, are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, including:

 

•

changes in general economic and political conditions, including unemployment rates, changes in the U.S. housing and mortgage credit markets (including declines in home prices and property values), the performance of the U.S. or global economies, the amount of liquidity in the capital or credit markets, changes or volatility in interest rates or consumer confidence and changes in credit spreads, all of which may be impacted by, among other things, legislative activity or inactivity, actual or threatened

 

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downgrades of U.S. government credit ratings, or actual or threatened defaults on U.S. government obligations;

 

•

changes in the way customers, investors, regulators or legislators perceive the strength of private mortgage insurers or financial guaranty providers, in particular in light of the fact that certain of our former competitors have ceased writing new insurance business and have been placed under supervision or receivership by insurance regulators;

 

•

catastrophic events, municipal and sovereign or sub-sovereign bankruptcy filings or other economic changes in geographic regions where our mortgage insurance exposure is more concentrated or where we have financial guaranty exposure;

 

•

our ability to maintain sufficient holding company liquidity to meet our short- and long-term liquidity needs;

 

•

a reduction in, or prolonged period of depressed levels of, home mortgage originations due to reduced liquidity in the lending market, tighter underwriting standards, or general reduced housing demand in the U.S., which may be exacerbated by regulations impacting home mortgage originations, including requirements established under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”);

 

•

our ability to maintain an adequate risk-to-capital position, minimum policyholder position and other surplus requirements for Radian Guaranty, our principal mortgage insurance subsidiary, and an adequate minimum policyholder position and surplus for our insurance subsidiaries that provide reinsurance or capital support to Radian Guaranty;

 

•

our ability to continue to effectively mitigate our mortgage insurance and financial guaranty losses;

 

•

a more rapid than expected decrease in the levels of mortgage insurance rescissions and claim denials, which have reduced our paid losses and resulted in a significant reduction in our loss reserves, including a decrease in net rescissions or denials resulting from an increase in the number of successful challenges to previously rescinded policies or claim denials (including as part of one or more settlements of disputed rescissions or denials), or by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (the “Government-Sponsored Enterprises” or the “GSEs”) intervening in or otherwise limiting our loss mitigation practices, including settlements of disputes regarding loss mitigation activities;

 

•

the negative impact that our loss mitigation activities may have on our relationships with our customers and potential customers, including the potential loss of current or future business and the heightened risk of disputes and litigation;

 

•

the need, in the event that we are unsuccessful in defending our loss mitigation activities, to increase our loss reserves for, and reassume risk on, rescinded or cancelled loans or denied claims, and to pay additional claims, including amounts previously curtailed;

 

•

any disruption in the servicing of mortgages covered by our insurance policies, as well as poor servicer performance;

 

•

adverse changes in the severity or frequency of losses associated with certain products that we formerly offered (and which remain a small part of our insured portfolio) that are riskier than traditional mortgage insurance or financial guaranty insurance policies;

 

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•

a substantial decrease in the persistency rates of our mortgage insurance policies, which has the effect of reducing our premium income on our monthly premium policies and could decrease the profitability of our mortgage insurance business;

 

•

heightened competition for our mortgage insurance business from others such as the Federal Housing Administration, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and other private mortgage insurers, including with respect to other private mortgage insurers, those that have been assigned higher ratings than we have, that may have access to greater amounts of capital than we do, that are less dependent on capital support from their subsidiaries than we are or that are new entrants to the industry, and therefore, are not burdened by legacy obligations;

 

•

changes in requirements for Radian Guaranty to remain an eligible insurer to the GSEs (which are expected to be released in draft form for public comment as early as the second quarter of 2014, and to become effective following an implementation period), which may include, among other items, more onerous risk-to-capital ratio requirements, capital requirements based on a variety of risk characteristics and measures of credit quality and a limitation on the amount of capital credit available for Radian Guaranty’s equity in its subsidiaries, including capital attributable to our financial guaranty business; the form of the new eligibility requirements and the timeframe for their implementation remain uncertain, and we cannot give any assurances as to their potential impact on us;

 

•

changes in the charters or business practices of, or rules or regulations applicable to, the GSEs;

 

•

changes to the current system of housing finance, including the possibility of a new system in which private mortgage insurers are not required or their products are significantly limited in effect or scope;

 

•

the effect of the Dodd-Frank Act on the financial services industry in general, and on our mortgage insurance and financial guaranty businesses in particular, including whether and to what extent loans with private mortgage insurance may be considered “qualified residential mortgages” for purposes of the Dodd-Frank Act securitization provisions;

 

•

the application of existing federal or state laws and regulations, or changes in these laws and regulations or the way they are interpreted, including, without limitation: (i) the resolution of existing, or the possibility of additional, lawsuits or investigations (including in particular investigations and litigation relating to captive reinsurance arrangements under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974); (ii) changes to the Mortgage Guaranty Insurers Model Act (the “Model Act”) being considered by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”) that could include more stringent capital and other requirements for Radian Guaranty in states that adopt the new Model Act in the future; and (iii) legislative and regulatory changes (a) impacting the demand for private mortgage insurance, (b) limiting or restricting the products we may offer or increasing the amount of capital we are required to hold, (c) affecting the form in which we execute credit protection, or (d) otherwise impacting our existing businesses or future prospects;

 

•

the amount and timing of potential payments or adjustments associated with federal or other tax examinations, including adjustments proposed by the Internal Revenue Service resulting from the examination of our 2000 through 2007 tax years, which we are currently contesting;

 

•

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 instruments in determining gains and losses on these instruments;

 

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•

volatility in our earnings caused by changes in the fair value of our assets and liabilities carried at fair value, including our derivative instruments, substantially all of our investment portfolio and certain of our long-term incentive compensation awards;

 

•

our ability to realize some or all of the tax benefits associated with our gross deferred tax assets, which will depend, in part, on our ability to generate sufficient sustainable taxable income in future periods;

 

•

changes in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America or statutory accounting principles, rules and guidance, or their interpretation;

 

•

legal and other limitations on amounts we may receive from our subsidiaries as dividends or through our tax- and expense-sharing arrangements with our subsidiaries; and

 

•

our pending acquisition of Clayton Holdings LLC (“Clayton”), including: the potential to not fully realize the benefits anticipated from the acquisition, or to not realize such benefits during the anticipated time frame, including as a result of a loss of customers and/or employees; the potential inability to successfully integrate Clayton’s business with our business or the inability to complete such integration during the anticipated time frame; the inability or decision to not complete the acquisition, or to not complete the acquisition on a timely basis; the potential distraction of management time and attention; the risk that we are not able to finance the acquisition as anticipated, or that, if the financing efforts are successful, we are not able to utilize the funds raised efficiently in the event that we do not complete the acquisition.

For more information regarding these risks and uncertainties as well as certain additional risks that we face, you should review the discussion under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, including the discussion under “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and those risks detailed in our subsequent reports and registration statements filed from time to time with the SEC. We caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are current only as of the date of the document in which they are included.

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves risk. You should carefully consider the risk factors contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are incorporated by reference herein, and the other information contained in this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in the applicable prospectus supplement before acquiring any of such securities. These risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition and cause the value of our securities to decline. You could lose all or part of your investment.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We do not currently know the number or types of securities that ultimately will be sold pursuant to this prospectus or the prices at which such securities will be sold. Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus, we intend to use the net proceeds of any sale of securities under this prospectus for any combination of the repayment of outstanding indebtedness, working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, capital support for our subsidiaries and general business purposes. Until we use the net proceeds in the manner described above, we may temporarily use them to make short-term investments.

 

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RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The following table sets forth our historical ratio of earnings to fixed charges and to combined fixed charges from continuing operations. Earnings consist of income from continuing operations before income taxes, extraordinary items, cumulative effect of accounting changes, equity in net income of affiliates and fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of interest expense and capitalized interest and an estimate of interest expense within rental expense. Radian Group does not have any outstanding shares of preferred stock.

 

				Fiscal Years Ended December 31,
(in thousands)		Three Months Ended March 31, 2014		2013		2012		2011		2010		2009
Net earnings (loss) available for fixed charges		$222,877		(131,006)		(390,387)		431,519		(1,521,450)		(215,960)
Ratio of net earnings (loss) to fixed charges (B)		11.0x		(A)		(A)		6.8x		(A)		(A)

 

 

(A)	For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2013, 2012, 2010 and 2009, earnings were not adequate to cover fixed charges in the amount of $(131,006), $(390,387), $(1,521,450) and $(215,960).

 

(B)	Interest on tax accruals that are non-third party indebtedness are excluded from the calculation.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE OFFERED SECURITIES

We may from time to time offer under this prospectus, separately or together:

 

·

common stock;

 

·

preferred stock, which may be represented by depositary shares as described below;

 

·

senior, senior subordinated or subordinated debt securities;

 

·

warrants to purchase from us shares of our common stock, preferred stock or other securities;

 

·

rights to purchase from us shares of our common stock, preferred stock or other securities;

 

·

stock purchase contracts; and

 

·

units, each representing a combination of two or more of the foregoing securities.

DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK

The following is a general description of our capital stock. The terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws are more detailed than the general information provided below. You should read our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws, which are incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

Authorized and Outstanding Capital Stock

Radian Group is authorized to issue a total of 505,000,000 shares of our capital stock, with a par value of $0.001 per share. Of the authorized amount, 485,000,000 of the shares are designated as common stock and 20,000,000 of the shares are designated as preferred stock.

As of March 31, 2014, there were 173,166,892 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, and no shares of preferred stock were issued or outstanding.

 

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Description of Common Stock

General.  Each share of our common stock has the same rights and privileges. Holders of our common stock do not have any preferences or any preemptive, redemption, subscription, conversion or exchange rights. All of our outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and nonassessable. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “RDN.”

Voting Rights.  The holders of our common stock are entitled to vote upon all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders and are entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held. There is no cumulative voting.

Dividends.  Subject to the prior rights and preferences, if any, applicable to shares of preferred stock or any series of preferred stock, the holders of common stock are entitled to participate ratably in all dividends, payable in cash, stock or otherwise, that may be declared by our board of directors out of any funds legally available for the payment of dividends. Each such distribution will be payable to holders of record as they appear on our stock transfer books on such record dates and dividend dates as may be fixed by our board of directors.

Tax Benefit Preservation Strategy.  As part of our strategy to protect stockholder value by preserving important tax assets of the Company, our board of directors has adopted (1) a tax benefit preservation plan, (2) an amendment to our amended and restated bylaws, and (3) an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. The tax benefit preservation plan and amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation were both approved by our stockholders at our 2010 annual meeting of stockholders and re-approved by our stockholders at our 2013 annual meeting of stockholders. Pursuant to our tax benefit preservation plan, our board of directors authorized and declared one preferred share purchase right for each outstanding share of common stock. Any future issued shares of common stock will include an associated preferred share purchase right. Descriptions of the tax benefit preservation plan and the related bylaw and charter amendments are set forth in more detail below under “Anti-takeover Provisions – Other Transfer Restrictions.”

Liquidation and Distribution.  If we voluntarily or involuntarily liquidate, dissolve or wind-up, or upon any distribution of our assets, the holders of our common stock will be entitled to receive, after distribution in full of the preferential amounts, if any, to be distributed to the holders of preferred stock or any series of preferred stock, all of the remaining assets available for distribution equally and ratably in proportion to the number of shares of common stock held by them.

Description of Preferred Stock

General.  The preferred stock authorized under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors has the full authority permitted by law to establish, without further stockholder approval, one or more series and the number of shares constituting each such series and to fix by resolution full or limited, multiple or fractional, or no voting rights, and such designations, preferences, qualifications, privileges, limitations, restrictions, options, conversion rights and other special or relative rights of any series of the preferred stock that may be desired. Subject to the limitation on the total number of shares of preferred stock that we have authority to issue under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the board of directors is also authorized to increase or decrease the number of shares of any series, subsequent to the issue of that series, but not below the number of shares of such series then-outstanding. In case the number of shares of any series is so decreased, the shares constituting such decrease will resume the status that they had prior to the adoption of the resolution originally fixing the number of shares of such series. We may amend from time to time our certificate of incorporation and bylaws to increase the number of authorized shares of preferred stock or common stock or to make other changes or additions.

Any preferred stock that we issue under this prospectus will have the voting, dividend, liquidation, redemption and conversion rights described below, unless otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement relating to a

 

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particular series of preferred stock. You should read the prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of preferred stock for specific terms of the series, including:

 

·

the title and liquidation preference per share and the number of shares offered;

 

·

the price at which shares of the series will be sold;

 

·

the form of dividend and dividend rate, if any, or method of calculation of dividends, the dates on which dividends will be payable, whether such dividends shall be cumulative or noncumulative and, if cumulative, the dates from which dividends will commence to accumulate;

 

·

any redemption or sinking fund provisions;

 

·

any conversion provisions; and

 

·

any additional dividend, liquidation, redemption or sinking fund provisions and other rights, preferences, privileges, limitations and restrictions of such preferred stock.

When issued, the preferred stock will be fully paid and nonassessable. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement relating to a series of preferred stock, in the event of a liquidation, each series of preferred stock will rank on a parity as to dividends and distributions with all other outstanding preferred stock, if any. The following is a discussion of terms we expect to be generally applicable to the preferred stock that we may issue from time to time. The particular terms relating to a series of preferred stock that we offer pursuant to this prospectus, which may be different from or in addition to the terms described below, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement relating to such series of preferred stock.

Voting Rights.  If we issue shares of any series of preferred stock, holders of such shares will be entitled to one vote for each share held on matters on which holders of such series are entitled to vote, as set forth in the prospectus supplement with respect to such series or as expressly required by applicable law.

The affirmative vote or consent of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of each series of preferred stock, unless our board of directors establishes a higher amount, voting as a separate class, will be required for any amendment of our certificate of incorporation that adversely changes any rights or preferences of such series of preferred stock.

Dividend Rights.  Holders of the preferred stock of a particular series will be entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by our board of directors, out of our assets legally available therefor, cash dividends at such rates and on such dates as are set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series. The rate may be fixed or variable or both. Dividends will be payable to the holders of record as they appear on our stock books on the record dates and dividend dates fixed by our board of directors or a duly authorized committee thereof. Dividends on any series of preferred stock may be cumulative or noncumulative, as provided in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of preferred stock. If our board of directors fails to declare a dividend payable on a dividend payment date on any series of preferred stock for which dividends are noncumulative, then the right to receive a dividend in respect of the dividend period ending on such dividend payment day will be lost, and we will have no obligation to pay the dividend accrued for that period, whether or not dividends are declared for any subsequent period.

If the prospectus supplement relating to a series of preferred stock so provides, when dividends are not paid in full upon any series of preferred stock and any other preferred stock ranking on a parity as to dividends with such series of preferred stock, all dividends declared upon such series of preferred stock and any other preferred stock ranking on a parity as to dividends will be declared pro rata so that the amount of dividends declared per share on such series and such other preferred stock will in all cases bear to each other the same ratio that accrued

 

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dividends per share on such series of preferred stock and such other preferred stock bear to each other. Except as provided in the preceding sentence, unless full dividends, including, in the case of cumulative preferred stock, accumulations, if any, in respect of prior dividend payment periods on all outstanding shares of any series of preferred stock have been paid, no dividends, other than in shares of common stock or another stock ranking junior to such series of preferred stock as to dividends and upon liquidation, will be declared or paid or set aside for payment or other distributions made upon our common stock or any of our other stock ranking junior to such preferred stock (including other series of preferred stock ranking junior to such series of preferred stock) as to dividends. If the prospectus supplement relating to a series of preferred stock so provides, no common stock or any other stock (including other series of preferred stock) ranking junior to or on a parity with such series of preferred stock as to dividends or upon liquidation may be redeemed, purchased or otherwise acquired for any consideration, or any monies paid to or made available for a sinking fund for the redemption of any shares of any such stock, by us, while such preferred stock remains outstanding, except by conversion into or exchange for our stock ranking junior to such series of preferred stock as to dividends and upon liquidation.

The amount of dividends payable for each dividend period will be computed by annualizing the applicable dividend rate and dividing by the number of dividend periods in a year, except that the amount of dividends payable for the initial dividend period or any period shorter than a full dividend period will be computed on the basis of 30-day months, a 360-day year and the actual number of days elapsed in the period.

Liquidation and Distribution.  In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our business, the holders of each series of preferred stock will be entitled to receive out of our assets available for distribution to stockholders, before any distribution of assets is made to holders of common stock or any other class of stock ranking junior to such series of preferred stock upon liquidation, liquidating distributions in the amount set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of preferred stock. If, upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our business, the amounts payable with respect to the preferred stock of any series and any other shares of our stock ranking as to any such distribution on a parity with such series of preferred stock are not paid in full, the holders of the preferred stock of such series and of such other shares will share ratably in any such distribution of our assets in proportion to the full respective preferential amounts to which they are entitled.

Redemption.  A series of preferred stock may be redeemable, in whole or in part, at our option, and may be subject to mandatory redemption pursuant to a sinking fund or otherwise, in each case upon terms, at the times and the redemption prices and for the types of consideration set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series.

Conversion or Exchange Rights.  The prospectus supplement relating to a series of preferred stock will state the terms, if any, on which shares of that series are convertible or exchangeable into shares of our common stock, debt securities or another series of our preferred stock. These provisions may allow or require the number of our shares of common stock or other securities to be received by holders of shares of preferred stock to be adjusted upon the occurrence of events described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including: the issuance of a stock dividend to common stockholders or a combination, subdivision or reclassification of common stock; the issuance of rights, warrants or options to all common and preferred stockholders entitling them to purchase common stock for an aggregate purchase price per share less than the current market price per share of common stock; and any other events described in the prospectus supplement. Unless the prospectus supplement relating to a series of preferred stock so provides, our preferred stock will have no preemptive rights.

Anti-takeover Provisions

Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.  Certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws summarized below may delay, defer or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt, including attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for our securities.

 

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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide:

 

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that directors can be removed only for cause and only upon the vote of the holders of shares entitled to cast a majority of the votes that all stockholders are entitled to cast in an election of directors;

 

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that we may issue preferred stock with such rights, preferences, privileges and limitations as our board of directors may, without prior stockholder approval, establish;

 

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that special meetings of stockholders may only be called by the chairman of the board, a majority of our board of directors or the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock then-outstanding;

 

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advance notice procedures with regard to the nomination, other than by or at the direction of our board of directors or a committee of the board, of candidates for election as directors; and

 

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transfer restrictions in the amended and restated bylaws and amended and restated certificate of incorporation that prohibit any person from transferring, directly or indirectly, any of the shares of common stock if the transfer would

 

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create or result in a person becoming a five-percent shareholder under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code (“Section 382”), or

 

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increase the stock ownership of any existing five-percent shareholder under Section 382.

These restrictions apply to all shares of our common stock issued after April 30, 2010, and to any shares of common stock owned, at the time of the stockholder vote to amend the amended and restated certificate of incorporation to include such transfer restrictions, by any stockholder who voted in favor of that amendment.

Restrictions on Ownership Under Insurance Laws.  The application of various state insurance laws could be a significant deterrent to any person interested in acquiring control of us. The insurance and insurance holding company laws of each of the jurisdictions in which our insurance subsidiaries are incorporated or commercially domiciled govern any acquisition of control of our insurance subsidiaries or of us. In general, these laws provide that no person or entity may directly or indirectly acquire control of an insurance company unless that person or entity has received the prior approval of the insurance regulatory authorities. An acquisition of control generally is presumed in the case of any person or entity who purchases 10% or more of the outstanding common stock, unless a request for an exemption from the acquisition of control is filed by the acquirer and subsequently approved by all of the applicable insurance regulatory authorities.

Delaware General Corporation Law.  Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law applies to Radian Group because it is listed on a national securities exchange. Pursuant to Section 203, with certain exceptions, a Delaware corporation may not engage in any of a broad range of business combinations, such as mergers, consolidations and sales of assets, with an “interested stockholder,” as defined below, for a period of three years from the date that person became an interested stockholder, unless:

 

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the transaction that results in a person becoming an interested stockholder or the business combination is approved by the board of directors of the corporation before the person becomes an interested stockholder;

 

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upon consummation of the transaction that results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned 85% or more of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and shares owned by certain employee stock plans; or

 

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·

at or after the time the person becomes an interested stockholder, the business combination is approved by the corporation’s board of directors and by holders of at least two-thirds of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock, excluding shares owned by the interested stockholder, at a meeting of stockholders.

Under Section 203, an “interested stockholder” is defined as any person, other than the corporation and any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary, that is:

 

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the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation; or

 

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an affiliate or associate of the corporation and was the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation at any time within the three-year period immediately before the date on which it is sought to be determined whether such person is an interested stockholder.

Other Transfer Restrictions.  On October 8, 2009, our board of directors adopted a Tax Benefit Preservation Plan (the “Plan”), which, as amended, was approved by our stockholders at our 2010 and 2013 annual stockholder meetings. We also adopted certain amendments to our amended and restated bylaws (“Bylaw Amendment”) and at our 2010 and 2013 annual meetings, our stockholders approved certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (“Charter Amendment”). The Plan, the Bylaw Amendment and the Charter Amendment were implemented in order to protect our ability to utilize our net operating losses (“NOLs”) and other tax assets, which can generally be used to offset our future taxable income and therefore reduce our U.S. federal income tax obligations, by preventing an “ownership change” under U.S. federal income tax rules. In general, an ownership change will occur if the “five-percent shareholders,” as defined under Section 382, collectively increase their ownership in Radian Group (as determined for Section 382 purposes) by more than 50 percentage points over the lowest percentage of stock of Radian Group owned by such shareholders at any time during a rolling three-year testing period. The provisions in the Plan, the Bylaw Amendment and the Charter Amendment restrict or discourage certain transfers of our common stock that would (1) create or result in a person becoming a five-percent shareholder under Section 382 or (2) increase the stock ownership of any existing five-percent shareholder under Section 382. The Plan, the Bylaw Amendment and the Charter Amendment will no longer be effective if the Plan and the Charter Amendment are not re-approved every three years by a majority of our stockholders at our annual meeting of stockholders. If the Plan is not re-approved, it will terminate, and if the Charter Amendment is not re-approved, the transfer restrictions in the Charter Amendment and the Bylaw Amendment will terminate. Our stockholders re-approved the Plan and the Charter Amendment at our 2013 annual meeting of stockholders. Assuming they are not terminated before then, the next time we are required to submit the Plan and Charter Amendment for re-approval by our stockholders will be in connection with the 2016 annual meeting of stockholders. Our board of directors also considers, at least annually, whether a limitation on the use of the tax benefits under Section 382 would no longer be material to the Company. If it makes such a determination, the Plan and the transfer restrictions will terminate, as described below.

The rules for determining ownership for the purposes of the Plan, the Bylaw Amendment, and the Charter Amendment track the definition of ownership for the purposes of Section 382, which differs from the traditional concepts of beneficial ownership under the federal securities laws. In particular, ownership for Section 382 purposes is determined primarily by an economic test, while the definition of beneficial ownership under the federal securities laws focuses generally on the right to vote or control the disposition of the shares. For example, different portfolios in a single mutual fund complex or groups of customers advised by the same investment advisor would normally not be aggregated for Section 382 purposes even though they may be aggregated for determining beneficial ownership under SEC rules and reporting requirements. Consequently, although the Section 382 definition of ownership is different from and generally is narrower than the definition of beneficial ownership under the federal securities laws, an investor in our common stock is not able to rely upon the definition of beneficial ownership under the federal securities laws in determining whether or not such investor is in compliance with the requirements of the Plan, the Bylaw Amendment, and the Charter Amendment, which

 

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may lead to ambiguity for such investor. For purposes of Section 382 and under the Plan, the Bylaw Amendment and the Charter Amendment, unless the Company has actual knowledge to the contrary, the Company is entitled to rely on filings of Schedules 13D, 13F and 13G to identify the holders of our common stock who may be subject to such provisions.

Pursuant to the Plan, our board of directors authorized and declared a dividend of one preferred share purchase right (a “Right”) for each outstanding share of common stock. Any future issued shares of common stock will include an associated Right for so long as the Plan remains in effect. The dividend was paid on October 19, 2009 to the stockholders of record as of the close of business on that date. Each Right entitles the registered holder to purchase from us one one-thousandth of a share of our Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock (the “Preferred Stock”) at a price of $70.00 per one one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock (the “Purchase Price”), subject to adjustment. The Rights become exercisable if any person becomes an “acquiring person”—by becoming the owner (for Section 382 purposes) of 4.90% or more of our outstanding common stock or by adding to a position of 4.90% or more of our outstanding common stock. If the Rights are triggered, each holder of a Right (other than the acquiring person, related persons, and transferees) will have the right to receive upon exercise of a Right (including payment of the Purchase Price) that number of shares of common stock having a market value of two times the Purchase Price. The Plan also provides for other methods of exercise or exchange in the discretion of our board of directors.

Both the Bylaw Amendment and the Charter Amendment impose substantially similar transfer restrictions designed to protect our important tax assets. The transfer restrictions prohibit any person from attempting to transfer, directly or indirectly, any of the shares of common stock so restricted if the transfer would (1) create or result in a person becoming a Section 382 five-percent shareholder or (2) increase the stock ownership of any such existing Section 382 five-percent shareholder. Transfers that violate the provisions of the Bylaw Amendment or Charter Amendment will be null and void and will not be effective to transfer any record, legal, beneficial or any other ownership of the number of shares which result in the violation of the restrictions (which shares are referred to as “excess shares”). The purported transferee will not be entitled to any rights as a Radian Group stockholder with respect to the excess shares. Instead, the purported transferee would be required, upon demand by us, to transfer the excess shares to our designated agent for the limited purpose of consummating an orderly arm’s-length sale of such excess shares, primarily in the open market. Any such sales would occur in privately negotiated transactions or over a national securities exchange or national securities quotation system on which our securities may be traded. The net proceeds of the sale would be distributed first to reimburse the agent for any costs associated with the sale, second to the purported transferee to the extent of the price it paid, and finally any additional amount would go to the original transferor, or, if the original transferor cannot be readily identified, to a charity designated by our board of directors.

The Bylaw Amendment imposes these transfer restrictions on our shares of common stock issued after the effective date of the amendment, including any shares of common stock issued pursuant to this registration statement and any shares of common stock issued upon conversion or exchange of securities issued pursuant to this registration statement. The Charter Amendment is enforceable against the holders of the shares that voted in favor of the amendment, their transferees, and holders of shares of common stock issued after the amendment was approved. We intend to presume, with regard to each share of common stock issued before the effectiveness of the Charter Amendment that is proposed to be transferred, that it was voted in favor of the Charter Amendment, or is subject to the transfer restrictions in the amended and restated bylaws, unless the stockholder can demonstrate otherwise to our reasonable satisfaction. In certain circumstances, we also intend to assert that stockholders have waived the right to challenge or are estopped from challenging the enforceability of the Charter Amendment, unless a stockholder establishes, to our satisfaction, that such stockholder did not vote in favor of the Charter Amendment. However, it is possible that one or more stockholders could challenge the enforceability of the transfer restrictions contained in the Charter Amendment, and a court could find that the Charter Amendment is unenforceable, either in general or as applied to a particular stockholder or particular fact situation. However, as Radian Group currently intends to retain the Plan in place, it is unlikely that any investor will seek to exceed the limits included in the Plan and so will not likely have any reason to challenge the Charter Amendment.

 

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The Plan, the Bylaw Amendment and the Charter Amendment are intended to protect our tax benefits as long as a limitation on the use of the tax benefits under Section 382 would be material to the Company. Accordingly, the Plan and transfer restrictions will terminate upon the earliest of:

 

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the beginning of a taxable year for which our board of directors determines that no tax benefits may be carried forward;

 

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the date Section 382 or any successor statute is repealed, if our board of directors determines that the Plan or the transfer restrictions are no longer necessary for the preservation of our tax benefits;

 

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such date as our board of directors determines that a limitation on the use of the tax benefits under Section 382 would no longer be material to the Company, which our board of directors has agreed to review annually; or

 

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the close of business on the second business day after the adjournment of the third consecutive annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders after the Charter Amendment in the Plan was most recently approved or re-approved by the stockholders of the Company unless re-approved at that meeting.

In addition, the Plan will expire on the close of business on October 9, 2019 (unless that date is advanced or extended).

Our board of directors has the discretion to grant exemptions to persons or transactions from the transfer restrictions in the Plan, and in the Bylaw Amendment and the Charter Amendment, if our board of directors determines that the transfer will not be likely to limit the availability of the Company’s tax benefits or is otherwise in the best interests of the Company.

The above discussion of the Plan, and the related Bylaw Amendment and the Charter Amendment is intended as a summary only, and is not comprehensive. Investors are urged to consult with their tax advisors regarding the implications of the Plan, the Bylaw Amendment and the Charter Amendment.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for the common stock is Computershare, Inc.

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

The following is a general description of the debt securities that we may issue from time to time. The particular terms relating to each debt security, which may be different from or in addition to the terms described below, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement relating to such securities.

The debt securities will be our direct obligations. The senior debt securities will rank equally with all of our other senior and unsubordinated debt. The senior subordinated debt securities will have a junior position to all of our senior debt, which is generally defined in both the subordinated debt indenture and senior subordinated debt indenture to include all debt other than debt that is expressly subordinated to or pari passu with the subordinated debt securities or senior subordinated debt securities, as the case may be. The subordinated debt securities will have a junior position to all of our senior debt and all of our senior subordinated debt. The senior debt securities will be issued under a senior debt indenture, the senior subordinated debt securities will be issued under a senior subordinated debt indenture, and the subordinated debt securities will be issued under a subordinated debt indenture. The indentures will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. The type and terms of the debt securities we offer under this prospectus may be limited by the other debt instruments to which we are a party at the time of the offering.

Because most of our operations are conducted through our insurance subsidiaries, most of our cash flow, and consequently, our ability to service debt, including the debt securities, is dependent upon the earnings of those

 

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subsidiaries and the transfer of funds by those subsidiaries to us in the form of dividends or permitted payments under tax- and expense-sharing arrangements, supplemented with borrowings from time to time. Our insurance subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends to us is subject to various conditions imposed by the insurance regulations of the states where they are domiciled and by the GSEs. In addition, the expense-sharing arrangements between us and our insurance subsidiaries have been approved by applicable state insurance departments, and such approvals are subject to change at any time.

Some of our subsidiaries may finance their operations by borrowing from external creditors; lending agreements between some of the operating subsidiaries and external creditors also may restrict the amount of net assets available for cash dividends and other payments to us.

Because we are a holding company, we rely on dividends from, and permitted payments under tax- and expense-sharing arrangements with, our subsidiaries to meet our liquidity needs, and therefore to make payments in respect of our securities. As such, any securities we issue will be structurally subordinated to the indebtedness and other liabilities, if any, of our subsidiaries, including claims of our subsidiaries’ policyholders, trade creditors, preferred stockholders and creditors, and any taxing authorities. Any claims we have as an unsecured creditor of one of our subsidiaries would be subordinate to any security interest in the assets of that subsidiary and any indebtedness of that subsidiary senior to the indebtedness held by us.

We have summarized below the material provisions of the three indentures. The summary is not complete and is subject in all respects to the provisions of and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the forms of indentures, which are filed as exhibits and incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The prospectus supplement relating to the applicable issuance of debt securities will describe any significant differences between the indentures and the summary below. The forms of senior indenture, senior subordinated indenture and subordinated indenture are substantially the same, except for certain covenants of ours and provisions relating to subordination. You should read the indentures for provisions that may be important to you. The forms of indentures may be supplemented or revised in connection with the filing of a prospectus supplement with respect to a particular series of debt securities and such later version will govern any debt securities issued in conjunction with that prospectus supplement.

Terms Applicable to All Debt Securities

No Limit on Debt Amounts.  The indentures do not limit the amount of debt that can be issued under the indentures. These amounts will be set from time to time by our board of directors.

Prospectus Supplements.  The prospectus supplement relating to a series of debt securities will summarize the specific terms of such debt securities and the related offering including, with respect to each series of debt securities, some or all of the following, as well as any other material terms of the debt securities:

 

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the title of the securities of the series (which title will distinguish the securities of the series from all other series of securities);

 

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any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the securities of the series which may be authenticated and delivered (which limit will not pertain to securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other securities of the series or any securities that are deemed never to have been authenticated and delivered);

 

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the date or dates on which the principal of and premium, if any, on the securities of the series is payable or the method or methods of determination thereof;

 

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the rate or rates at which the securities of the series will bear interest, if any, or the method or methods of calculating such rate or rates of interest, the date or dates from which such interest will accrue or the

 

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method or methods by which such date or dates will be determined, the dates on which any such interest will be payable, the right, if any, of the Company to defer or extend an interest payment date, the record date, if any, for the interest payable on any such security on any interest payment date, and the basis upon which interest will be calculated if other than that of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months;

 

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the place or places where the principal of, premium, if any, and interest, if any, on securities of the series will be payable, any securities of the series may be surrendered for registration of transfer, securities of the series may be surrendered for exchange and notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the securities of the series and the indenture may be served and notices to holders will be published;

 

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the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which, the currency or currencies (including currency unit or units) in which, and the other terms and conditions upon which, securities of the series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company and, the manner in which the particular securities of such series (if less than all securities of such series are to be redeemed) are to be selected for redemption;

 

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the right or the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase securities of the series pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or upon the happening of a specified event or at the option of a holder thereof, and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which, the currency or currencies (including currency unit or units) in which, and the other terms and conditions upon which, securities of the series will be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

 

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if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof, the denominations in which securities of the series will be issuable;

 

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if other than U.S. dollars, the currency or currencies (including currency unit or units) in which the principal of, premium, if any, and interest, if any, on the securities of the series will be payable, or in which the securities of the series will be denominated, and the particular provisions applicable thereto;

 

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if the payments of principal of, premium, if any, or interest, if any, on the securities of the series are to be made, at the election of the Company or a holder, in a currency or currencies (including currency unit or units) other than that in which the securities of such series are denominated or designated to be payable, the currency or currencies (including currency unit or units) in which such payments are to be made, the terms and conditions of such payments and the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to such payments will be determined, and the particular provisions applicable thereto;

 

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if the amount of payments of principal of, premium, if any, and interest, if any, on the securities of the series will be determined with reference to an index, formula or other method (which index, formula or method may be based, without limitation, on a currency or currencies (including currency unit or units) other than that in which the securities of the series are denominated or designated to be payable), the index, formula or other method by which such amounts will be determined and any special voting or defeasance provisions in connection therewith;

 

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if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of such securities of the series which will be payable upon declaration of acceleration thereof or the method by which such portion will be determined;

 

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the person to whom any interest on any securities of the series will be payable;

 

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provisions, if any, granting special rights to the holders of securities of the series upon the occurrence of such events as may be specified;

 

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·

any deletions from, modifications of or additions to the events of default or covenants of the Company pertaining to the securities of the series;

 

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under what circumstances, if any, and with what procedures and documentation the Company will pay additional amounts on the securities of the series held by a person who is not a U.S. person (including any definition of such term) in respect of taxes, assessments or similar charges withheld or deducted and, if so, whether the Company has the option to redeem such securities rather than pay such additional amounts (and the terms of any such option);

 

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the forms of the securities of the series;

 

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the applicability, if any, of any means of defeasance or covenant defeasance as may be specified for the securities of such series;

 

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if other than the trustee, the identity of the registrar, conversion agent (if any) and any paying agent;

 

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if the securities of the series will be issued in whole or in part in global form, (A) the depositary for such global securities, (B) whether beneficial owners of interests in any securities of the series in global form may exchange such interests for certificated securities of such series, to be registered in the names of or to be held by such beneficial owners or their nominees and to be of like tenor of any authorized form and denomination, and (C) the circumstances under which any such exchange may occur;

 

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the designation of the depositary with respect to the securities of the series;

 

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any restrictions on the registration, transfer or exchange of the securities of the series;

 

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if the securities of the series may be issued or delivered (whether upon original issuance or upon exchange of a temporary security of such series or otherwise), or any installment of principal or interest is payable, only upon receipt of certain certificates or other documents or satisfaction of other conditions, the form and terms of such certificates, documents or conditions;

 

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if the securities of the series will be convertible into or for other securities or property of the Company, and any deletions from, modifications of or additions to the terms and conditions of any right to convert, exercise or exchange securities of the series into or for other securities or property of the Company;

 

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whether the securities of the series are secured or unsecured, and if secured, the security and related terms in connection therewith (which will be provided for in a separate security agreement and/or other appropriate documentation); and

 

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any other terms of the securities of the series, including any terms which may be required by or advisable under United States laws or regulations or advisable (as determined by the Company) in connection with the marketing of securities of the series.

Unless otherwise provided in an applicable indenture relating to debt securities, the debt securities will be issued in the form of one or more fully registered global securities that will be deposited with and registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee. Upon issuance of a registered global security, the depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, participants’ accounts with the principal amount of the debt security beneficially owned by such participants. Each person owning a beneficial interest in a registered global security will have to rely on the procedures of the depositary for such registered global security to exercise any rights of a holder under the applicable indenture. No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of the debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange and any expenses payable in connection with any registration

 

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of transfer or exchange of debt securities, other than exchanges not involving any transfer, such as the issuance of definitive securities in replacement of temporary securities or the issuance of new securities upon surrender of a security that is transferred or redeemed in part.

A series of debt securities may be issued under the relevant indenture as original issue discount securities, which are securities that are offered and sold at a discount from their stated principal amount. In addition, debt securities offered and sold at their stated principal amount may under some circumstances, pursuant to applicable regulations of the U.S. Department of the Treasury promulgated under the Internal Revenue Code, be treated as issued at an original issue discount for federal income tax purposes. Federal income tax consequences and other special considerations applicable to any such original issue discount securities (or other debt securities treated as issued at an original issue discount) will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to those securities.

Covenants.  We will agree in the indentures with respect to any series of debt securities to:

 

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pay the principal, interest and any premium on the securities of the series when due;

 

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maintain an office or agency where the securities of the series may be surrendered for registration of transfer, exchange, payment or conversion (if the debt securities are convertible) and where notices and demands to or upon us in respect of the securities of the series and the relevant indenture may be served;

 

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prepare and file or deliver certain reports, as more fully specified in the relevant indenture, with the SEC, the trustee under the relevant indenture, and/or registered holders of the securities of the series, as the case may be;

 

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deliver to the trustee under the relevant indenture, as more fully specified in that indenture, officers’ certificates relating to our compliance under the relevant indenture and the occurrence of any default or event of default under that indenture; and

 

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unless our board of directors determines that it is no longer desirable in the conduct of our business and that there will be no adverse impact in any material respect to the holders of the securities of the series, subject to those exceptions as more fully specified in the relevant indenture, do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect our existence as a corporation and our rights (charter and statutory rights) and franchises.

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets.  We will agree in the indentures with respect to any series of debt securities that we will not consolidate with or merge into any other entity or transfer all or substantially all of our assets unless:

 

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we are the surviving entity; or

 

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the successor or surviving entity assumes all of our obligations under the securities of such series and the indentures pursuant to supplemental indentures in forms reasonably satisfactory to the trustee(s) under the relevant indentures and is organized or existing under the laws of the United States of America and any state thereof or the District of Columbia; and, in either case,

 

·

immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no event of default under the relevant indenture will have happened and be continuing.

Upon any such consolidation, merger or transfer of all or substantially all of our assets, the successor will be substituted for us under the indenture and we will be relieved of all obligations and covenants under the indenture with respect to such series of debt securities, except in the case of a lease of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets.

 

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Satisfaction and Discharge.  Upon our request, the relevant indenture will no longer be effective with respect to any series of debt securities for all but certain specified purposes if either:

 

·

all outstanding securities of that series have been delivered to the trustee for cancellation, we have paid all sums payable in respect of that series and we have delivered to the trustee a certificate and opinion of legal counsel that all conditions precedent to satisfaction and discharge have been fulfilled; or

 

·

the only securities that remain outstanding have, or within one year will, become due and payable or are to be called for redemption, we have deposited with the trustee funds that are sufficient to make all future payments, no default or event of default will have occurred and be continuing on the date of that deposit, we have paid all other sums payable in respect of that series, and we have delivered to the trustee a certificate and opinion of counsel that all conditions precedent to satisfaction and discharge have been fulfilled.

Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance.  Under each indenture, we may elect with respect to a series of debt securities, at our option and subject to the satisfaction of the conditions described below, either:

 

·

to be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness represented by the outstanding securities of the applicable series and to have satisfied all of our other obligations under the securities of the applicable series and under the provisions of the relevant indenture, which we refer to as legal defeasance; or

 

·

to be released from some of our obligations under the relevant indenture, which we refer to as covenant defeasance.

We can exercise legal or covenant defeasance with respect to any series of debt securities if the following conditions are met:

 

·

we irrevocably deposit with the applicable indenture trustee (or another trustee meeting certain eligibility requirements and agreeing to be bound by the applicable provisions of the relevant indenture), in trust, for the benefit of the holders of the applicable series of debt securities:

 

¡

cash in United States dollars;

 

¡

non-callable and non-redeemable direct obligations of the United States of America or of an agency or instrumentality controlled or supervised by the United States of America, in each instance, the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation of the United States of America; or

 

¡

a combination of the foregoing that, in each case, is sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants, to pay the principal of, interest and premium, if any, on the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series on their stated maturity or applicable redemption date, as the case may be, and any mandatory sinking fund payments applicable to that particular series of debt securities on the day on which the payments are due;

 

·

we deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel confirming that the holders of the outstanding securities of the applicable series will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of the defeasance;

 

·

no default or event of default shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of the deposit of the amounts to be held in trust for the benefit of the holders (other than a default or event of default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to the deposit) or in the case of any insolvency-

 

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related defaults, at any time in the period ending on the 91st day after the date of the deposit (or greater period of time in which any such deposit of trust funds may remain subject to bankruptcy or insolvency laws that apply to the deposit by us); and

 

·

we deliver to the trustee an officers’ certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent provided for or relating to legal defeasance or covenant defeasance, as the case may be, have been complied with.

After satisfying the conditions for legal defeasance, the debt securities of the applicable series will be deemed outstanding only for limited purposes as more fully set forth in the relevant indenture. After legal defeasance, the holders of outstanding debt securities of the applicable series will have to rely solely on the deposits we make to the trust for repayment of such debt securities.

After satisfying the conditions for covenant defeasance, the debt securities of the applicable series will be deemed not outstanding for the purposes of the covenants from which we have been released, but will continue to be deemed outstanding for all other purposes under the relevant indenture.

The prospectus supplement relating to a series of debt securities may describe additional provisions, if any, permitting legal defeasance or covenant defeasance, and any modifications to the provisions described above, with respect to the debt securities of a particular series.

Information Concerning the Trustee.  The prospectus supplement relating to a series of debt securities will include information concerning the trustee under the applicable indenture and our relationship with the trustee at the time any debt securities are offered. We may also maintain bank accounts, borrow money and have other banking or investment banking relationships with the trustee, or its affiliates, in the ordinary course of business.

Global Securities.  The registered debt securities may be issued in the form of one or more fully registered global securities that will be deposited with and registered in the name of a depositary or in the name of a nominee for a depositary identified in the prospectus supplement relating to such debt securities. The specific terms of the depositary arrangement with respect to any debt securities to be represented by a registered global security will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to such debt securities. We anticipate that the description below will apply to all depositary arrangements.

Ownership of beneficial interests in a registered global security will be limited to persons that have accounts with the depositary for such registered global security (“participants”) or persons that may hold interests through participants. Upon the issuance of a registered global security, the depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the participants’ accounts with the principal amounts of the debt securities represented by the registered global security beneficially owned by such participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in such registered global security will be shown on, and the transfer of such ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by the depositary for such registered global security or on the records of participants for interests of persons holding through participants.

So long as the depositary for a registered global security, or its nominee, is the registered owner of a registered global security, the depositary or the nominee will be considered the sole owner or holder of the debt securities represented by the registered global security for all purposes. Except as set forth below, owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security will not:

 

·

be entitled to have the debt securities represented by such registered global security registered in their names;

 

·

receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of such debt securities in definitive forms; or

 

·

be considered the owners of record or holders of the debt securities.

 

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Each person owning a beneficial interest in a registered global security will have to rely on the procedures of the depositary for such registered global security and, if such person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which such person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder under the applicable indenture. We understand that under existing industry practices, if we were to request any action of holders, or if an owner of a beneficial interest in a registered global security desired to take any action that a holder is entitled to take under the applicable indenture, the depositary would authorize the participants holding the relevant beneficial interests to take such action, and such participants would authorize beneficial owners owning through such participants to take such action.

Principal of, interest and premium, if any, on debt securities represented by a registered global security registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee will be made to such depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner of such registered global security. Neither we nor the trustee will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such registered global security.

We expect that the depositary for any debt securities represented by a registered global security, upon receipt of any payment of principal, interest or premium, if any, will immediately credit participants’ accounts with such payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in such registered global security as shown on the records of such depositary. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in such a registered global security held by the participants will be governed by standing customer instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name.”

If the depositary notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary for the global security or if at any time the depositary ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and such registration as a clearing agency is required by applicable law or regulation to serve as a depositary, and, in either situation, we do not appoint a successor depositary within 90 days, we will issue debt securities in certificated form in exchange for the global security. In addition, we may at any time in our sole discretion decide not to have any debt securities represented by a global security. In such event we will issue debt securities in certificated form in exchange for the global security. The debt securities in certificated form will be in the same minimal denominations and be of the same aggregate outstanding principal amount and tenor as the portion of each global security to be exchanged.

Any debt securities issued in certificated form in exchange for a global security will be registered in such name or names as the depositary shall instruct the relevant trustee. We expect that such instructions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in such registered global security.

If provided in a prospectus supplement relating to a series of debt securities, the debt securities of that series also may be issued in the form of one or more global securities that will be deposited with a common depositary identified in the prospectus supplement. The specific terms and procedures, including the specific terms of the depositary arrangement, with respect to any portion of a series of debt securities to be represented by a global security will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to that series.

Form, Exchange, Transfer.  Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement relating to a series of debt securities, debt securities will be issued in global form with accompanying book-entry procedures as outlined above. They also may be issued in registered form without coupons.

A holder of debt securities of any series may exchange the debt securities for other debt securities of the same series, in any authorized denomination and with the same terms and aggregate principal amount. The securities are transferable at the corporate trust office or corporate trust agency office of the trustee or at any transfer agent designated by us for that purpose. No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of the debt

 

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securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange and any expenses payable in connection with any registration of transfer or exchange of debt securities, other than exchanges not involving any transfer, such as the issuance of definitive securities in replacement of temporary securities or the issuance of new securities upon surrender of a security that is redeemed in part.

Particular Terms of the Senior Debt Securities

Ranking of Senior Debt Securities.  Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement relating to a series of senior debt securities, the senior debt securities will constitute part of our senior debt and rank equally with all our other senior debt that is unsecured (and will effectively rank junior to any secured debt). In addition to senior debt securities offered under this prospectus, senior debt includes obligations under any credit facilities with banks or other institutional lenders. The senior debt securities will be senior to our senior subordinated debt and subordinated debt. Our obligations under the senior debt securities will be structurally subordinated to certain obligations of our subsidiaries, including claims payable.

Events of Default.  The following, among others, are events of default under a series of senior debt securities:

 

·

we fail to pay the principal, premium, if any, or any sinking fund payment on any securities of that series when due;

 

·

we fail to pay interest on any securities of that series when due and that failure continues for a period of 30 days;

 

·

upon exercise of a holder’s conversion right, we fail to deliver conversion consideration in accordance with the indenture;

 

·

we fail to comply with our obligations in the event of a consolidation, merger or sale of assets, as set forth in the indenture;

 

·

we fail to observe or perform any other covenant or agreement in the senior indenture for the benefit of that series (other than a covenant or agreement with respect to which a failure to observe or perform is dealt with otherwise in the senior indenture or is expressly included in the senior indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than such series of debt securities) and that failure continues for 90 days after we receive notice to comply from the trustee or holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding senior debt securities;

 

·

we fail to pay our indebtedness or to pay or discharge certain final judgments against us, as set forth in the indenture; and

 

·

certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency occur, whether voluntary or not.

The indenture and the prospectus supplement relating to a series of senior debt securities may describe additional or different events of default that apply to that series. An event of default with respect to one series of senior debt securities will not necessarily constitute an event of default with respect to any other series of senior debt securities.

If a default or an event of default occurs and is continuing, the trustee will mail to the holders of senior debt securities of the affected series a notice to that effect within 90 days after the default occurs, if a responsible officer of the trustee under the indenture has actual knowledge of the default or event of default. Except in the case of a default in the payment of principal or interest, the trustee under the senior indenture may withhold notice if, and so long as, a committee of the trustee’s responsible officers in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of the holders.

 

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If an event of default with respect to one or more series of senior debt securities occurs and is continuing, the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding senior debt securities of all series with respect to which the event of default occurs and is continuing, treating all those series as a single class, may declare all the principal of, accrued and unpaid interest or premium (or a lesser amount as may be provided for in the senior debt securities of the series), if any, of all the senior debt securities of those series to be immediately due and payable. The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding senior debt securities of all series covered by such declaration may annul or rescind the declaration and any related payment default that resulted from the declaration but not any other payment default. Certain events of bankruptcy and insolvency will result in all outstanding series of senior debt securities becoming due and payable immediately without any further action on the part of the trustee or the holders.

The senior indenture entitles the trustee to be indemnified by the holders before proceeding to exercise any right or power at the request of any of the holders.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding senior debt securities of all series with respect to which an event of default occurs and is continuing, treating all those series as a single class, may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust power conferred on it, except that:

 

·

the direction cannot conflict with any law or regulation or the indenture;

 

·

the trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the trustee that is not inconsistent with the direction; and

 

·

the trustee need not take any action that might subject it to personal liability or be unduly prejudicial to the holders of the senior debt securities not joining in the action.

A holder may pursue a remedy directly under the senior indenture or a particular series of senior debt securities but, before doing so, the following must occur:

 

·

the holder must give to the trustee written notice that an event of default has occurred and is continuing;

 

·

the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the then outstanding senior debt securities of all affected series, treating all those series as a single class, must make a written request to the trustee to pursue the remedy;

 

·

the holder, or holders, must offer and, if requested, provide to the trustee an indemnity satisfactory to the trustee against any loss, liability or expense from the taking of the action;

 

·

the trustee does not comply with the request within 60 days after receipt of the request and offer and, if requested, the provision of indemnity; and

 

·

during the 60-day period, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding senior debt securities of all those series, treating all those series as a single class, do not give the trustee a direction inconsistent with the written request.

However, holders have an absolute right to receipt of principal, interest or premium, if any, on or after the respective due dates and to institute suit for the enforcement of those payments. The right of a holder of senior debt securities to bring suit for the enforcement of any payments of principal, interest or premium, if any, on senior debt securities on or after the respective due dates may not be impaired or affected without the consent of that holder.

 

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The holders of a majority in principal amount of the senior debt securities then outstanding of all affected series, treating all such series as a single class, may, by notice to the trustee on behalf of all holders of the senior debt securities of all those series, waive any past defaults, except:

 

·

a continuing default in payment of the principal of, interest or premium, if any, on, or any sinking fund payment on, senior debt securities of the series;

 

·

a continuing default in respect of a covenant or provision of the indenture that cannot be amended or modified without the consent of each holder of senior debt securities affected;

 

·

one arising from a failure to pay or deliver to converting holders consideration due upon conversion; and

 

·

in respect of a covenant or provision that under the senior indenture cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding note affected.

We periodically will file statements with the trustees regarding our compliance with covenants in the senior indenture.

Modifications and Amendments.  Except as provided below, or more fully specified in the senior indenture and described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the senior indenture may be amended or supplemented by us and the trustee with the consent of holders of a majority in principal amount of all series of senior debt securities affected by the amendment or supplement, treating all such series as a single class. In addition, the record holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding senior debt securities of all series affected by the waiver, treating all such series as a single class, may, with respect to those series, waive defaults under, or compliance with, the provisions of the senior indenture. Some amendments or waivers, however, require the consent of each holder of any senior debt security affected. Without the consent of each affected holder, an amendment or waiver regarding a series of senior debt securities may not:

 

·

change the maturity date, or the payment date of any installment interest on, any securities;

 

·

reduce the principal amount of, or interest on, any securities;

 

·

change the place, manner or currency of payment of principal of, or interest on, any securities;

 

·

impair the right to institute a suit for the enforcement of any payment on, or with respect to, or of the conversion of, any security;

 

·

change the ranking of the securities in a manner adverse to the holders of securities;

 

·

adversely affect the right of holders of securities to convert their securities in accordance with the indenture, or reduce the amount of consideration due upon conversion;

 

·

reduce the percentage in aggregate principal amount of outstanding securities whose holders must consent to a modification or amendment of the indenture or the securities;

 

·

reduce the percentage in aggregate principal amount of outstanding securities whose holders must consent to a waiver of compliance with any provision in the indenture, or the securities or a waiver of any default or event of default; or

 

·

modify the applicable provisions of the indenture, except to increase the percentage required for modification or waiver or to provide for the consent of each affected holder.

 

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We and the trustee under the senior indenture may amend or supplement the senior indenture or the senior debt securities issued thereunder without notice to or the consent of any holder to:

 

·

provide for the assumption by a successor company of the Company’s obligations under the securities and the indenture;

 

·

add guarantees with respect to the securities;

 

·

secure the securities;

 

·

add to the covenants for the benefit of the holders or surrender any right or power conferred upon the Company;

 

·

make any change, including to cure any omission, ambiguity, manifest error or defect or to correct any inconsistency in the indenture that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder in any material respect;

 

·

comply with any requirement of the SEC in connection with the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act or with the rules of any applicable securities depositary;

 

·

provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the securities of any series, to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of securities;

 

·

add additional events of default;

 

·

evidence the acceptance or appointment of a successor trustee or to add an additional trustee or agent in accordance with the indenture; or

 

·

conform the provisions of the indenture and the securities to the “Description of Notes” section as set forth in a preliminary prospectus supplement related to the offering and sale of the securities, as supplemented by the related pricing term sheet.

Particular Terms of the Senior Subordinated Debt Securities

Ranking of Senior Subordinated Debt Securities.  As described below, the senior subordinated debt securities will rank senior to any subordinated debt securities and will be subordinated and junior in right of payment to any senior debt securities issued by us, as well as certain other indebtedness incurred by us to the extent set forth in the applicable indenture and described in the prospectus supplement relating to a series of senior subordinated debt securities. Unless the prospectus supplement relating to a series of senior subordinated debt securities indicates otherwise, the following description will apply to our senior subordinated debt securities.

Subordination.  Our obligations under the senior subordinated debt securities will be subordinated in right of payment to our obligations under our senior debt and will be structurally subordinated to certain obligations of our subsidiaries, including claims payable. In the indenture relating to the senior subordinated securities, we will agree not to create, incur or otherwise be liable for any other indebtedness that ranks junior to the senior debt in right of payment, but senior to the senior subordinated securities. For this purpose, “senior debt” generally includes any indebtedness that does not expressly provide that it is on a parity with or subordinated in right of payment to the senior subordinated debt securities. Specifically, senior debt includes obligations under any credit

 

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facility with banks or other institutional lenders and obligations under the senior debt securities described in this prospectus. Senior debt will not include:

 

·

any liability for federal, state, local or other taxes;

 

·

any indebtedness to any of our subsidiaries or other affiliates;

 

·

any trade payables;

 

·

any indebtedness that we may incur in violation of the senior subordinated indenture; or

 

·

obligations under any subordinated debt securities.

If we distribute our assets to creditors upon any dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization or in bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar proceedings, we must first pay all amounts due or to become due on all senior debt before we pay the principal of, or make any other payment on, the senior subordinated debt securities. The provisions of the senior subordinated debt indenture providing these payment restrictions will not limit the right, if any, of a holder of senior subordinated debt securities to convert the debt securities into equity securities.

We may not make any payment on the senior subordinated debt securities if a default in the payment of the principal, interest or premium, if any, including a default under any repurchase or redemption obligation in respect of designated senior debt, occurs and continues beyond any applicable grace period. We may not make any payment on the senior subordinated debt securities if any other default occurs and continues with respect to designated senior debt that permits holders of the designated senior debt to accelerate its maturity and the trustee receives a notice of default from any person permitted to give notice. We may not resume payments on the senior subordinated debt securities until the defaults are cured or specified time periods pass, unless the senior debt is paid in full. The provisions of the senior subordinated debt indenture providing these payment restrictions will not limit the right, if any, of a holder of senior subordinated debt securities to convert the debt securities into equity securities.

The term “designated senior debt” means our obligations under our principal bank or other institutional credit facility, if any, and any other debt expressly designated as senior debt with respect to the applicable senior subordinated debt securities.

We expect that the terms of some of our senior debt will provide that an event of default under the senior subordinated debt securities or an acceleration of their maturity will constitute an event of default under the senior debt. In that case, if the maturity of the senior subordinated debt securities is accelerated because of an event of default, we may not make any payment on the senior subordinated debt securities until we have paid all senior debt or the acceleration has been rescinded. If the payment of the senior subordinated debt securities is accelerated because of an event of default, we must promptly notify the holders of senior debt of the acceleration.

If we experience a bankruptcy, dissolution or reorganization, holders of senior debt may receive more, ratably, and holders of the senior subordinated debt securities may receive less, ratably, than our other creditors.

The indenture for senior subordinated debt securities may not limit our ability to incur additional senior debt.

Events of Default.  The following, among others, may be events of default under a series of senior subordinated debt securities:

 

·

we fail to pay the principal, premium, if any, or any sinking fund payment on any securities of that series when due;

 

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·

we fail to pay interest on any securities of that series when due and that failure continues for a period of 30 days;

 

·

upon exercise of a holder’s conversion right, we fail to deliver conversion consideration in accordance with the indenture;

 

·

we fail to comply with our obligations in the event of a consolidation, merger or sale of assets, as set forth in the indenture;

 

·

we fail to observe or perform any other covenant or agreement in the senior subordinated indenture for the benefit of that series (other than a covenant or agreement with respect to which a failure to observe or perform is dealt with otherwise in the senior subordinated indenture or is expressly included in the senior subordinated indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than such series of debt securities) and that failure continues for 90 days after we receive notice to comply from the trustee or holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding senior subordinated debt securities;

 

·

we fail to pay our indebtedness or to pay or discharge certain final judgments against us, as set forth in the indenture; and

 

·

certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency occur, whether voluntary or not.

The indenture and prospectus supplement relating to a series of senior subordinated debt securities may describe additional or different events of default that apply to that series. An event of default with respect to one series of senior subordinated debt securities will not necessarily constitute an event of default with respect to any other series of senior subordinated debt securities.

If a default or an event of default occurs and is continuing, the trustee will mail to the holders of senior subordinated debt securities of the affected series a notice to that effect within 90 days after the default occurs, if a responsible officer of the trustee under the indenture has actual knowledge of the default or event of default.

Except in the case of a default in the payment of principal or interest, the trustee under the senior subordinated indenture may withhold notice if, and so long as, a committee of the trustee’s responsible officers in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of the holders.

If an event of default with respect to one or more series of senior subordinated debt securities occurs and is continuing, the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding senior subordinated debt securities of all series with respect to which the event of default occurs and is continuing, treating all those series as a single class, may declare all the principal of, accrued and unpaid interest and premium (or such lesser amount as may be provided for in the senior subordinated debt securities of the series), if any (subject to applicable subordination provisions in the senior subordinated indenture) of all the senior subordinated debt securities of those series, to be immediately due and payable. The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding senior subordinated debt securities of all series covered by such declaration may annul and rescind the declaration and any related payment default that resulted from the declaration but not any other payment default. Certain events of bankruptcy and insolvency will result in all outstanding series of senior subordinated debt securities becoming due and payable immediately without any further action on the part of the trustee or the holders.

The senior subordinated indenture entitles the trustee to be indemnified by the holders before proceeding to exercise any right or power at the request of any of the holders.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding senior subordinated debt securities of all series with respect to which an event of default occurs and is continuing, treating all those series as a single class, may

 

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direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust power conferred on it, except that:

 

·

the direction cannot conflict with any law or regulation or the indenture;

 

·

the trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the trustee that is not inconsistent with the direction; and

 

·

the trustee need not take any action that might subject it to personal liability or be unduly prejudicial to the holders of the senior subordinated debt securities not joining in the action.

A holder may pursue a remedy directly under the senior subordinated indenture or a particular series of senior subordinated debt securities but, before doing so, the following must occur:

 

·

the holder must give to the trustee written notice that an event of default has occurred and is continuing;

 

·

the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the then outstanding senior subordinated debt securities of all affected series, treating all those series as a single class, must make a written request to the trustee to pursue the remedy;

 

·

the holder, or holders, must offer and, if requested, provide to the trustee an indemnity satisfactory to the trustee against any loss, liability or expense from the taking of the action;

 

·

the trustee does not comply with the request within 60 days after receipt of the request and offer and, if requested, the provision of indemnity; and

 

·

during the 60-day period, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding senior subordinated debt securities of all affected series, treating all those series as a single class, do not give the trustee a direction inconsistent with the written request.

However, holders have an absolute right to receipt of principal, interest or premium, if any, on or after the respective due dates and to institute suit for the enforcement of those payments. The right of a holder of senior subordinated debt securities to bring suit for the enforcement of any payments of principal, interest or premium, if any, on senior subordinated debt securities on or after the respective due dates, without regard to acceleration or default, may not be impaired or affected without the consent of that holder.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the senior subordinated debt securities then outstanding of all affected series, treating all those series as a single class, may, by notice to the trustee on behalf of all holders of the senior subordinated debt securities of those series, waive any past defaults, except:

 

·

a continuing default in payment of the principal of, interest or premium, if any, on, or any sinking fund payment on, senior subordinated debt securities of the series;

 

·

a continuing default in respect of a covenant or provision of the indenture that cannot be amended or modified without the consent of each holder of senior subordinated debt securities affected;

 

·

one arising from a failure to pay or deliver to converting holders consideration due upon conversion; and

 

·

in respect of a covenant or provision that under the senior subordinated indenture cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding note affected.

We periodically will file statements with the trustees regarding our compliance with covenants in the senior subordinated indenture.

 

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Modifications and Amendments.  Except as provided below, or more fully specified in the senior subordinated indenture and described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the senior subordinated indenture may be amended or supplemented by us and the trustee with the consent of holders of a majority in principal amount of all series of senior subordinated debt securities affected by the amendment or supplement, treating all such series as a single class. In addition, the record holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding senior subordinated debt securities of all series affected by the waiver, treating all such series as a single class, may, with respect to those series, waive defaults under, or compliance with, the provisions of the senior subordinated indenture. Some amendments or waivers, however, require the consent of each holder of any senior subordinated debt security affected. Without the consent of each affected holder, an amendment or waiver regarding a series of senior subordinated debt securities may not:

 

·

change the maturity date, or the payment date of any installment interest on, any securities;

 

·

reduce the principal amount of, or interest on, any securities;

 

·

change the place, manner or currency of payment of principal of, or interest on, any securities;

 

·

impair the right to institute a suit for the enforcement of any payment on, or with respect to, or of the conversion of, any security;

 

·

change the ranking of the securities in a manner adverse to the holders of securities;

 

·

adversely affect the right of holders of securities to convert their securities in accordance with the indenture, or reduce the amount of consideration due upon conversion;

 

·

reduce the percentage in aggregate principal amount of outstanding securities whose holders must consent to a modification or amendment of the indenture or the securities;

 

·

reduce the percentage in aggregate principal amount of outstanding securities whose holders must consent to a waiver of compliance with any provision in the indenture, or the securities or a waiver of any default or event of default; or

 

·

modify the applicable provisions of the indenture, except to increase the percentage required for modification or waiver or to provide for the consent of each affected holder.

We and the trustee under the senior subordinated indenture may amend or supplement the senior subordinated indenture or the senior subordinated debt securities of any series issued thereunder without the consent of any holder to:

 

·

provide for the assumption by a successor company of the Company’s obligations under the securities and the indenture;

 

·

add guarantees with respect to the securities;

 

·

secure the securities;

 

·

add to the covenants for the benefit of the holders or surrender any right or power conferred upon the Company;

 

·

make any change, including to cure any omission, ambiguity, manifest error or defect or to correct any inconsistency in the indenture that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder in any material respect;

 

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·

comply with any requirement of the SEC in connection with the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act or with the rules of any applicable securities depositary;

 

·

provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the securities of any series, to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished , or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of securities;

 

·

add additional events of default;

 

·

evidence the acceptance or appointment of a successor trustee or to add an additional trustee or agent in accordance with the indenture; or

 

·

conform the provisions of the indenture and the securities to the “Description of Notes” section as set forth in a preliminary prospectus supplement related to the offering and sale of the securities, as supplemented by the related pricing term sheet.

Particular Terms of the Subordinated Debt Securities

Ranking of Subordinated Debt Securities.  The subordinated debt securities will be subordinated and junior in right of payment to any senior debt securities and senior subordinated debt securities issued by us, as well as certain other indebtedness incurred by us to the extent set forth in the applicable indenture described in the prospectus supplement relating to a series of subordinated debt securities.

Subordination.  Unless the prospectus supplement relating to a series of subordinated debt securities indicates otherwise, the subordination provisions of the subordinated debt securities will be the same as those of the senior subordinated debt securities just described, except that:

 

·

“Senior debt” will include our obligations under the senior subordinated debt securities, as well as under the other debt specified above, including the “designated senior debt;” and

 

·

different series of subordinated debt securities may rank senior to other series. In that case, our obligations under the higher-ranking series will be “senior debt” in relation to the lower-ranking series, as set forth in the prospectus supplement.

The subordinated indenture does not limit the amount of additional senior debt that we may incur. We expect from time to time to incur additional indebtedness constituting senior debt.

Events of Default.  The following, among others, may be events of default under a series of subordinated debt securities:

 

·

we fail to pay the principal, premium, if any, or any sinking fund payment on any securities of that series when due;

 

·

we fail to pay interest on any securities of that series when due and that failure continues for a period of 30 days;

 

·

upon exercise of a holder’s conversion right, we fail to deliver conversion consideration in accordance with the indenture;

 

·

we fail to comply with our obligations in the event of a consolidation, merger or sale of assets, as set forth in the indenture;

 

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·

we fail to observe or perform any other covenant or agreement in the subordinated indenture for the benefit of that series (other than a covenant or agreement with respect to which a failure to observe or perform is dealt with otherwise in the subordinated indenture or is expressly included in the subordinated indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than such series of debt securities) and that failure continues for 90 days after we receive notice to comply from the trustee or holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding subordinated debt securities;

 

·

we fail to pay our indebtedness or to pay or discharge certain final judgments against us, as set forth in the indenture; and

 

·

certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency occur, whether voluntary or not.

The indenture and prospectus supplement relating to a series of subordinated debt securities may describe additional or different events of default that apply to that series. An event of default with respect to one series of subordinated debt securities will not necessarily constitute an event of default with respect to any other series of subordinated debt securities.

If a default or an event of default occurs and is continuing, the trustee will mail to the holders of subordinated debt securities of the affected series a notice to that effect within 90 days after the default occurs, if a responsible officer of the trustee under the indenture has actual knowledge of the default or event of default.

Except in the case of a default in the payment of principal or interest, the trustee under the subordinated indenture may withhold notice if, and so long as, a committee of the trustee’s responsible officers in good faith determines that withholding the notice is in the interests of the holders.

If an event of default with respect to one or more series of subordinated debt securities occurs and is continuing, the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding subordinated debt securities of all series with respect to which the event of default occurs and is continuing, treating all those series as a single class, may declare all the principal of, accrued and unpaid interest and premium (or a lesser amount as may be provided for in the subordinated debt securities of the series), if any, (subject to applicable subordination provisions in the relevant indenture) of all the subordinated debt securities of those series to be immediately due and payable. The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding subordinated debt securities of all series covered by such declaration may annul and rescind the declaration and any related payment default that resulted from the declaration but not any other payment default. Certain events of bankruptcy and insolvency will result in all outstanding series of subordinated debt securities becoming due and payable immediately without any further action on the part of the trustee or the holders.

The subordinated indenture entitles the trustee to be indemnified by the holders before proceeding to exercise any right or power at the request of any of the holders.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding subordinated debt securities of all series with respect to which an event of default occurs and is continuing and that rank equal with each other, treating all those series as a single class, may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust power conferred on it with respect to those series, except that:

 

·

the direction cannot conflict with any law or regulation or the subordinated indenture;

 

·

the trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the trustee that is not inconsistent with the direction; and

 

·

the trustee need not take any action that might subject it to personal liability or be unduly prejudicial to the holders of the subordinated debt securities not joining in the action.

 

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A holder may pursue a remedy directly under the subordinated indenture or a particular series of subordinated debt securities but, before doing so, the following must occur:

 

·

the holder must give to the trustee written notice that an event of default has occurred and is continuing;

 

·

the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the then outstanding subordinated debt securities of all affected series that rank equal with each other, treating all those series as a single class, must make a written request to the trustee to pursue the remedy;

 

·

the holder, or holders, must offer and, if requested, provide to the trustee an indemnity satisfactory to the trustee against any loss, liability or expense from the taking of the action;

 

·

the trustee does not comply with the request within 60 days after receipt of the request and offer and, if requested, the provision of indemnity; and

 

·

during the 60-day period, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding subordinated debt securities of all those series, treating all those series as a single class, do not give the trustee a direction inconsistent with the written request.

However, holders have an absolute right to receipt of principal, interest and premium, if any, on or after the respective due dates and to institute suit for the enforcement of those payments. The right of a holder of subordinated debt securities to bring suit for the enforcement of any payments of principal, interest and premium, if any, on subordinated debt securities on or after the respective due dates may not be impaired or affected without the consent of that holder.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding subordinated debt securities of all affected series that rank equal with each other treating all such series as a single class, may, by notice to the trustee on behalf of all holders of the subordinated debt securities of such series, waive any past defaults, except:

 

·

a continuing default in payment of the principal of, interest or premium, if any, on, or any sinking fund payment on, subordinated debt securities of the series;

 

·

a continuing default in respect of a covenant or provision of the indenture that cannot be amended or modified without the consent of each holder of subordinated debt securities affected;

 

·

one arising from a failure to pay or deliver to converting holders consideration due upon conversion; and

 

·

in respect of a covenant or provision that under the subordinated indenture cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding note affected.

We periodically will file statements with the trustee regarding our compliance with covenants in the subordinated indenture.

Modifications and Amendments.  Except as provided below, or more fully specified in the subordinated indenture and described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the subordinated indenture may be amended or supplemented by us and the trustee with the consent of holders of a majority in principal amount of all affected series of subordinated debt securities that rank equal with each other, treating all such series as a single class. In addition, the record holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding subordinated debt securities of all series affected by the waiver that rank equal with each other, treating such series as a single class, may, with respect to those series, waive defaults under, or compliance with, the provisions of the subordinated indenture. Some amendments or waivers, however, require the consent of each holder of any subordinated debt security

 

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affected. Without the consent of each affected holder, an amendment or waiver regarding a series of subordinated debt securities may not:

 

·

change the maturity date, or the payment date of any installment interest on, any securities;

 

·

reduce the principal amount of, or interest on, any securities;

 

·

change the place, manner or currency of payment of principal of, or interest on, any securities;

 

·

impair the right to institute a suit for the enforcement of any payment on, or with respect to, or of the conversion of, any security;

 

·

change the ranking of the securities in a manner adverse to the holders of securities;

 

·

adversely affect the right of holders of securities to convert their securities in accordance with the indenture, or reduce the amount of consideration due upon conversion;

 

·

reduce the percentage in aggregate principal amount of outstanding securities whose holders must consent to a modification or amendment of the indenture or the securities;

 

·

reduce the percentage in aggregate principal amount of outstanding securities whose holders must consent to a waiver of compliance with any provision in the indenture, or the securities or a waiver of any default or event of default; or

 

·

modify the applicable provisions of the indenture, except to increase the percentage required for modification or waiver or to provide for the consent of each affected holder.

We and the trustee under the subordinated indenture may amend or supplement the subordinated indenture or the subordinated debt securities issued thereunder without the consent of any holder to:

 

·

provide for the assumption by a successor company of the Company’s obligations under the securities and the indenture;

 

·

add guarantees with respect to the securities;

 

·

secure the securities;

 

·

add to the covenants for the benefit of the holders or surrender any right or power conferred upon the Company;

 

·

make any change, including to cure any omission, ambiguity, manifest error or defect or to correct any inconsistency in the indenture that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder in any material respect;

 

·

comply with any requirement of the SEC in connection with the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act or with the rules of any applicable securities depositary;

 

·

provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the securities of any series, to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of securities;

 

·

add additional events of default;

 

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·

evidence the acceptance or appointment of a successor trustee or to add an additional trustee or agent in accordance with the indenture; or

 

·

conform the provisions of the indenture and the securities to the “Description of Notes” section as set forth in a preliminary prospectus supplement related to the offering and sale of the securities, as supplemented by the related pricing term sheet.

DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES

We describe in this section the general terms of depositary shares. We will describe the specific terms of any depositary shares issued in a prospectus supplement. The following description of the deposit agreement, the depositary shares and the depositary receipts is only a summary and you should refer to the forms of the deposit agreement and depositary receipt that will be filed with the SEC in connection with any particular offering of depositary shares.

General

We may offer fractional interests in preferred stock, rather than full shares of preferred stock. In that case, we will provide for the issuance by a depositary to investors of receipts for depositary shares, each representing a fractional interest in a share of a particular series of preferred stock. The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued under the depositary agreement. For a description of our preferred stock, see “Description of Our Capital Stock – Description of Preferred Stock.”

The shares of any series of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares will be deposited under a deposit agreement between us and the depositary, which must be a bank or trust company having its principal office in the United States and having a combined capital and surplus of at least $500,000,000. The depositary will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement. Subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, each owner of a depositary share will have a fractional interest in all the rights and preferences of the preferred stock underlying such depositary share. Those rights include any dividend, voting, redemption, conversion and liquidation rights.

Dividends and Other Distributions

The depositary will distribute all cash dividends, if any, and other cash distributions, if any, received in respect of the preferred stock to the record holders of depositary shares representing the preferred stock in proportion to the number of depositary shares owned by such holders on the relevant record date.

If there is a distribution other than in cash, the depositary will distribute property received by it to the record holders of depositary shares entitled thereto in proportion to the number of depositary shares owned by such holders on the relevant record date, unless the depositary determines that it is not feasible to make such distribution, in which case the depositary may, with our approval, sell such property and distribute the net proceeds from such sale to such holders.

Withdrawal

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement and unless the related depositary shares have been called for redemption, if you surrender depositary receipts at the principal office of the depositary, then you will be entitled to receive the number of shares of preferred stock and any money or other property represented by such depositary shares. We will not issue partial shares of preferred stock. If you deliver depositary receipts evidencing a number of depositary shares that represent other than a whole number of shares of preferred stock by surrender for redemption or exchange, the depositary will issue to you a new depositary receipt evidencing the remainder of depositary shares at the same time that the preferred stock is withdrawn. Holders of shares of preferred stock received in exchange for depositary shares will no longer be entitled to deposit those shares under the deposit agreement or to receive depositary shares in exchange for those shares of preferred stock.

 

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Redemption of Depositary Shares

Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, neither the depositary shares nor the series of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares will be convertible or exchangeable into any other class or series of our capital stock.

If the series of the preferred stock underlying the depositary shares is subject to redemption, the depositary shares will be redeemed from the redemption proceeds, in whole or in part, of the series of the preferred stock held by the depositary. The redemption price per depositary share will bear the same relationship to the redemption price per share of preferred stock that the depositary share bears to the underlying preferred stock. Whenever we redeem preferred stock held by the depositary, the depositary will redeem, as of the same date, the number of depositary shares representing the preferred stock redeemed. If less than all the depositary shares are to be redeemed, the depositary shares to be redeemed will be selected by lot or pro rata as determined by the depositary.

Voting the Preferred Stock

Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of the preferred stock are entitled to vote, the depositary will mail information about the meeting contained in the notice to the record holders of the depositary shares relating to the preferred stock. Each record holder of the depositary shares on the record date (which will be the same date as the record date for the preferred stock) will be entitled to instruct the depositary as to how the preferred stock underlying the holder’s depositary shares should be voted. The depositary will be required to vote, insofar as practicable, the number of shares of the preferred stock represented by such depositary shares in accordance with such instructions, and we will agree to take all action that the depositary deems necessary in order to enable the depositary to do so. The depositary will abstain from voting shares of preferred stock to the extent it does not receive specific instructions from the holders of depositary shares representing such shares of preferred stock.

Amendment and Termination of the Deposit Agreement

We may amend the form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the deposit agreement by agreement with the depositary at any time. However, any amendment that materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders of depositary receipts of a particular series or class will not be effective unless such amendment has been approved by the holders of depositary receipts representing at least a majority of the depositary shares of such series or class then outstanding. Additionally, in the case of amendments relating to or affecting rights to receive dividends or distributions or voting or redemption rights, approval is also required by the holders of depositary receipts representing not less than a specified percentage or all of the depositary shares of such series or class then outstanding, as provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. The deposit agreement may be terminated by us or the depositary only if:

 

·

all outstanding depositary shares relating to the deposit agreement have been redeemed or converted into or exchanged for other securities;

 

·

there has been a final distribution on the preferred stock underlying the depositary shares relating to the deposit agreement in connection with our liquidation, dissolution or winding up and the distribution has been made to the holders of the related depositary shares evidenced by depositary receipts; or

 

·

the holders of depositary receipts representing not less than a specified majority of the outstanding depositary shares relating to the deposit agreement have consented to such termination.

 

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Charges of Depositary

We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of the depositary arrangements. We also will pay charges of the depositary in connection with the initial deposit of the related class or series of shares of preferred stock and any redemption of such shares of preferred stock. Holders of depositary receipts will pay all other transfer and other taxes and governmental charges and such other charges as are expressly provided in the deposit agreement for their accounts.

The depositary may refuse to effect any transfer of a depositary receipt or any withdrawal of shares of a class or series of shares of preferred stock evidenced thereby until all such taxes and charges with respect to such depositary receipt or such shares of preferred stock are paid by the holders thereof.

Miscellaneous

The depositary will forward to the holders of depositary receipts all reports and communications that we must furnish to the holders of the preferred stock.

Neither we nor the depositary will be liable for any damages if, by law or any circumstance beyond our control, either of us is prevented or delayed in performing our respective obligations under the deposit agreement. Our obligations and the depositary’s obligations under the deposit agreement will be limited to performance in good faith of the duties set forth in the deposit agreement. Neither we nor the depositary will be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding connected with any depositary shares or preferred stock unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. We and the depositary may rely upon written advice of counsel or accountants, or information provided by persons presenting preferred stock for deposit, holders of depositary shares or other persons believed to be competent and on documents believed to be genuine.

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS TO PURCHASE SHARES OF COMMON STOCK, PREFERRED STOCK OR OTHER SECURITIES

The following is a description of the warrants that we may issue from time to time. The particular terms relating to the warrants, which may be different from or in addition to the terms described below, will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to the warrants.

We may issue warrants to purchase shares of our common stock or our preferred stock, depositary shares, senior debt securities, senior subordinated debt securities, subordinated debt securities or any combination thereof. The warrants may be issued independently or together with any other securities and may be attached or separate from the other securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between a warrant agent and us. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants of any series and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency for or with holders or beneficial owners of warrants.

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any warrants and the related offering in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered, including the following:

 

·

the title of the warrants;

 

·

the aggregate number of the warrants;

 

·

the price or prices at which the warrants will be issued;

 

·

the designation and terms of the underlying securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants and the number of such underlying securities initially issuable upon exercise of the warrants;

 

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·

the price or prices at which the warrants may be exercised to purchase the securities underlying them;

 

·

the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and the date on which the right shall expire;

 

·

if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be exercised at any one time;

 

·

if applicable, the designation and terms of the other securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of such warrants issued with each such underlying warrant;

 

·

if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and other securities will be separately transferable;

 

·

information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any;

 

·

if applicable, a discussion of certain material United States federal income tax considerations;

 

·

the procedures and conditions relating to the exercise of the warrants; and

 

·

any other terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the warrants.

In the case of warrants to purchase shares of our capital stock, certain provisions may allow or require the exercise price payable and/or the number of shares of stock purchasable upon warrant exercise to be adjusted upon the occurrence of events described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including the issuance of a stock dividend or a combination, subdivision or reclassification of stock; the issuance of rights, warrants or options to all common and preferred stockholders entitling them to purchase our capital stock for an aggregate consideration per share less than the current market price per share of such stock; and any other events described in the prospectus supplement.

DESCRIPTION OF RIGHTS TO PURCHASE SHARES OF COMMON STOCK, PREFERRED STOCK OR OTHER SECURITIES

The following is a general description of the rights we may issue to our stockholders or, under certain circumstances, third parties, from time to time. The particular terms of the rights, which may be different from or in addition to the terms described below, will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to the rights.

General

We may issue rights to purchase shares of our common stock or our preferred stock, depositary shares, senior debt securities, senior subordinated debt securities, subordinated debt securities, or any combination thereof. The rights may be issued independently or together with any other securities and may be attached or separate from the other securities. Each series of rights will be issued under a separate rights agreement to be entered into between a rights agent and us. The rights agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the rights and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency for or with the holders or beneficial owners of rights.

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any rights and the related offering in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered, including the following:

 

·

the title of the rights;

 

·

the aggregate number of rights issued;

 

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·

the date of determining the stockholders entitled to the rights distribution;

 

·

the rights agent;

 

·

the designation and terms of the underlying securities purchasable upon exercise of the rights and the number of such underlying securities initially issuable upon exercise of the rights;

 

·

if applicable, the designation and terms of the other securities with which the rights are issued and the number of such rights issued with each such underlying right;

 

·

the price or prices at which the rights may be exercised to purchase the securities underlying them;

 

·

the date, if any, on and after which the rights will be separately transferable;

 

·

the date on which the right to exercise the rights will commence, and the date on which the right will expire;

 

·

if applicable, the minimum or maximum number of rights that may be exercised at any one time;

 

·

the procedure and conditions related to the exercise of the rights;

 

·

the conditions to the completion of the offering, if any;

 

·

the withdrawal, termination and cancellation rights, if any;

 

·

if applicable, a discussion of certain material United States federal income tax considerations; and

 

·

any other terms of the rights, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the distribution, exchange and exercise of the rights.

Each right will entitle the holder of rights to purchase for cash the principal amount of shares of common stock, preferred stock or other securities at the exercise price provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, rights may be exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date for the rights provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Rights will be issued in registered form only.

In the case of rights to purchase shares of our capital stock, certain provisions may allow or require the exercise price payable and/or the number of shares of stock purchasable upon exercise of the rights to be adjusted upon the occurrence of events described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including the issuance of a stock dividend or a combination, subdivision or reclassification of stock; the issuance of rights, warrants or options to all common and preferred stockholders entitling them to purchase our capital stock for an aggregate consideration per share less than the current market price per share of such stock; and any other events described in the prospectus supplement.

Exercise of Rights

Holders may exercise rights as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Upon receipt of payment and the rights certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the rights agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, forward the shares of common stock, preferred stock or other securities, as applicable, purchasable upon exercise of the rights. If less than all of the rights issued in any rights offering are exercised, we may offer any unsubscribed securities directly to stockholders or to persons other than stockholders, to or through agents, underwriters or dealers or through a combination of such methods, including pursuant to standby arrangements, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS

The following is a general description of some of the provisions of the stock purchase contracts we may offer from time to time, as well as the related purchase contract agreement and the pledge agreement. The particular terms of any series of stock purchase contracts, which may be different from or in addition to the terms described below, will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to the stock purchase contracts.

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any stock purchase contracts and the related offering in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, we may issue stock purchase contracts, including contracts obligating holders to purchase from us and obligating us to sell to the holders, a specified number of shares of our common stock or our preferred stock or depositary shares at a future date or dates. Alternatively, the stock purchase contracts may obligate us to purchase from holders, and obligate holders to sell to us, a specified or varying number of shares of our common stock or our preferred stock or depositary shares. The consideration per share of common stock or preferred stock or per depositary share may be fixed at the time the stock purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by a specific reference to a formula set forth in the stock purchase contracts. The stock purchase contracts may provide for settlement by delivery by us, or on our behalf, of shares of common stock or preferred stock or depositary shares or it may provide for cash value settlement by reference or linkage to the value, performance or trading price of our common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares, all as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. The stock purchase contracts may be issued separately or as part of stock purchase units consisting of a stock purchase contract and debt securities, preferred stock or debt obligations of third parties, including U.S. treasury securities, other stock purchase contracts or common stock, securing the holders’ obligations to purchase or sell, as the case may be, the common stock or the preferred stock under the stock purchase contracts. The stock purchase contracts may require us to make periodic payments to the holders of the stock purchase units or vice versa, and such payments may be unsecured or prefunded on some basis and may be paid on a current or on a deferred basis. The stock purchase contracts may require holders to secure their obligations thereunder in a specified manner and may provide for the prepayment of all or part of the consideration payable by holders in connection with the purchase of common stock or preferred stock pursuant to the stock purchase contracts.

The securities related to the stock purchase contracts may be pledged to a collateral agent for our benefit pursuant to a pledge agreement to secure the obligations of holders of stock purchase contracts to purchase common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares under the related stock purchase contracts. The rights of holders of stock purchase contracts to the related pledged securities will be subject to our security interest therein created by the pledge agreement. No holder of stock purchase contracts will be permitted to withdraw the pledged securities related to such stock purchase contracts from the pledge arrangement except upon the termination or early settlement of the related stock purchase contracts or in the event other securities, cash or property is made subject to the pledge agreement in lieu of the pledged securities, if permitted by the pledge agreement, or as otherwise provided in the pledge agreement. Subject to such security interest and the terms of the purchase contract agreement and the pledge agreement, each holder of a stock purchase contract will retain full beneficial ownership of the related pledged securities. Except as described in the prospectus supplement, the collateral agent will, upon receipt of distributions on the pledged securities, distribute such payments to us or the purchase contract agent, as provided in the pledge agreement. The purchase agent will in turn distribute payments it receives as provided in the purchase contract agreement.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units consisting of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, rights, stock purchase contracts or any combination of those securities. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe their terms of any units and the related offering in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered, including the following:

 

·

the terms of each of the securities included in the units, including whether and under what circumstances the securities included in the units may or may not be traded separately or exchanged for or converted into any other securities;

 

·

the terms of any unit agreement governing the units;

 

·

if applicable, a discussion of certain United States federal income tax considerations; and

 

·

the provisions for the payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities in any one or more of the following ways:

 

·

directly to investors, including through a specific bidding, auction or other process;

 

·

to investors through agents;

 

·

directly to agents;

 

·

to or through brokers or dealers;

 

·

to the public through underwriting syndicates led by one or more managing underwriters;

 

·

in “at the market” offerings, within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act, to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market on an exchange or otherwise;

 

·

to one or more underwriters acting alone for resale to investors or to the public; and

 

·

through a combination of any such methods of sale.

If we sell securities to a dealer acting as principal, the dealer may resell such securities at varying prices to be determined by such dealer in its discretion at the time of resale without consulting with us and such resale prices may not be disclosed in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Any underwritten offering may be on a best efforts or a firm commitment basis. We may also offer securities through subscription rights distributed to our stockholders on a pro rata basis, which may or may not be transferable. In any distribution of subscription rights to stockholders, if all of the underlying securities are not subscribed for, we may then sell the unsubscribed securities directly to third parties or may engage the services of one or more underwriters, dealers or agents, including standby underwriters, to sell the unsubscribed securities to third parties.

 

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Sales of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions:

 

·

at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

 

·

at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

 

·

at prices related to prevailing market prices; or

 

·

at negotiated prices.

Any of the prices may represent a discount from the then prevailing market prices.

In connection with the sale of any of the securities, underwriters or agents may receive compensation from us in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and may also receive compensation from purchasers of the securities, for whom they may act as agents, in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents. Discounts, concessions and commissions may be changed from time to time. Dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters under the Securities Act, and any discounts, concessions or commissions they receive from us and any profit on the resale of securities they realize may be deemed to be underwriting compensation under applicable federal and state securities laws.

The applicable prospectus supplement will, where applicable:

 

·

identify any such underwriter, dealer or agent;

 

·

describe any compensation in the form of discounts, concessions, commissions or otherwise received from us by each such underwriter or agent and in the aggregate by all underwriters and agents;

 

·

describe any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers;

 

·

identify the amounts underwritten; and

 

·

identify the nature of the underwriter’s or underwriters’ obligation to take the securities.

Unless otherwise specified in the related prospectus supplement, each series of securities will be a new issue with no established trading market, other than our common stock, which is listed on the NYSE. We expect that any common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be listed on the NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance. We may elect to list any series of debt securities or preferred stock on an exchange, but we are not obligated to do so. It is possible that one or more underwriters may make a market in the securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of, or the trading market for, any offered securities.

We may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If disclosed in the applicable prospectus supplement, in connection with those derivative transactions, third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and such prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or from others to settle those short sales or to close out any related open borrowings of securities, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivative transactions to close out any related open borrowings of securities. If the third party is or may be deemed to be an underwriter under the Securities Act, it will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplements.

 

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Until the distribution of the securities is completed, rules of the SEC may limit the ability of any underwriters and selling group members to bid for and purchase the securities. As an exception to these rules, underwriters are permitted to engage in some transactions that stabilize the price of the securities. Such transactions consist of bids or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the securities.

Underwriters may engage in overallotment. If any underwriters create a short position in the securities in an offering in which they sell more securities than are set forth on the cover page of the applicable prospectus supplement, the underwriters may reduce that short position by purchasing the securities in the open market.

The lead underwriters may also impose a penalty bid on other underwriters and selling group members participating in an offering. This means that if the lead underwriters purchase securities in the open market to reduce the underwriters’ short position or to stabilize the price of the securities, they may reclaim the amount of any selling concession from the underwriters and selling group members who sold those securities as part of the offering.

In general, purchases of a security for the purpose of stabilization or to reduce a short position could cause the price of the security to be higher than it might be in the absence of such purchases. The imposition of a penalty bid might also have an effect on the price of a security to the extent that it were to discourage resales of the security before the distribution is completed.

We do not make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above might have on the price of the securities. In addition, we do not make any representation that underwriters will engage in such transactions or that such transactions, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Under agreements into which we may enter, underwriters, dealers and agents who participate in the distribution of the securities may be entitled to indemnification by us against or contribution towards certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the applicable securities laws.

If we offer securities in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders, we may enter into a standby underwriting agreement with dealers, acting as standby underwriters. We may pay the standby underwriters a commitment fee for the securities they commit to purchase on a standby basis. If we do not enter into a standby underwriting arrangement, we may retain a dealer-manager to manage a subscription rights offering for us.

Underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

If indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by particular institutions to purchase securities from us at the public offering price set forth in such prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date or dates stated in such prospectus supplement. Each delayed delivery contract will be for an amount no less than, and the aggregate amounts of securities sold under delayed delivery contracts shall be not less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Institutions with which such contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and others, but will in all cases be subject to our approval. The obligations of any purchaser under any such contract will be subject to the conditions that (a) the purchase of the securities shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of any jurisdiction in the United States to which the purchaser is subject, and (b) if the securities are being sold to underwriters, we shall have sold to the underwriters the total amount of the securities less the amount thereof covered by the contracts. The underwriters and such other agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of such contracts.

 

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To comply with applicable state securities laws, the securities offered by this prospectus will be sold, if necessary, in such jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, securities may not be sold in some states unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.

LEGAL M ATTERS

The validity of the securities described in this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz or such other counsel to be named in the prospectus supplement relating to such securities. The validity of any securities offered in the prospectus supplement relating to such securities will be passed upon for any underwriters or agents by counsel to be named in the prospectus supplement relating to such securities.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm given on the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

Radian Group Inc.

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3, of which this prospectus is a part. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement do not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and exhibits and schedules to the registration statement. For further information with respect to our Company and the securities registered hereby, reference is made to the registration statement, including the exhibits and schedules to the registration statement. Statements contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to in, or incorporated by reference in, this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement are not necessarily complete and, where that contract or other document is an exhibit to the registration statement, each statement is qualified in all respects by the exhibit to which the reference relates.

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These documents contain specific information regarding us. These documents, including exhibits and schedules thereto, may be inspected without charge at the SEC’s principal office in Washington, D.C., and copies of all or any part thereof may be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Section may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a website which provides online access to reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC at the address http://www.sec.gov. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “RDN.” Our SEC filings are also available (free of charge) from our web site at www.radian.biz. Information contained on our web site or any other web site is not incorporated into this prospectus and does not constitute a part of this prospectus.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. These documents contain important information about us and our financial condition. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and may supersede

 

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this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and their amendments, except information furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K, which is neither deemed filed nor incorporated by reference herein:

 

·

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, filed on February 28, 2014;

 

·

the information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K from our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A, filed on April 7, 2014;

 

·

the description of common stock set forth in our registration statement on Form 8-A/A filed on August 12, 2004, including any and all amendments and reports filed for the purpose of updating that description;

 

·

the description of our preferred share purchase rights set forth in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed on October 13, 2009, the amendments set forth on Form 8-A/A filed on May 4, 2010 and in any and all amendments and reports filed for the purpose of updating that description; and

 

·

any future filings we make under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including any filings after the date of this registration statement until we terminate this offering.

Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein may be modified or superseded in the future. Any such statement so modified shall not be deemed to constitute a part of this registration statement except as so modified and any statement so superseded shall not be deemed to constitute a part of this registration statement.

You may request a free copy of these filings, other than any exhibits, unless the exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into this prospectus, by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

Radian Group Inc.

1601 Market Street

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103

Attention: Investor Relations

(215) 564-6600

 

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