Radian Group Inc. RDN reported first-quarter 2016 operating income of 37 cents per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 23% and improving 5.7% year over year. Higher revenues aided the improvement. The quarter witnessed outstanding credit trends.Radian Group Inc. (RDN) Street EPS & Surprise Percent - Last 5 Quarters | FindTheCompanyBehind the HeadlinesTotal revenue of Radian came in at $281.7 million, up 2.8% year over year on higher premiums earned and net investment income. Revenues surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $272 million.New mortgage insurance written (NIW) was $8.1 billion in the quarter, down 13.8% year over year. Notably, the quarter’s NIW consisted of loans with excellent risk characteristics. Total primary mortgage insurance in force was $175.4 billion as of Mar 31, 2016 against $172.1 million as of Dec 31, 2015.Persistency, which is the percentage of mortgage insurance in force that remains on the company’s books after a 12-month period, was 79.4% as of Mar 31, 2016 compared with 82.6% as of Mar 31, 2015.Primary delinquent loans decreased 24% year over year in the quarter.Total expenses increased 37.5% year over year to $210.6 million, primarily due to higher direct cost services and loss on induced conversion and debt extinguishment.Segment UpdateNet premiums earned in the company’s Mortgage Insurance segment were $221 million, down 1.6% year over year. Claims paid were $127.7 million in the quarter, down 38% year over year. Loss ratio improved 80 basis points to 19.6%. For 2016, claims paid amount is expected within $400–$450 million. The company also got back its investment grade rating in the quarter.In the Mortgage and Real Estate Services segment – formed after the acquisition of Clayton Holdings in Jun 2014 – total revenue was $32.2 million, up 2.2% year over year. Pretax operating loss was $3.7 million against income of $3.4 million in the year-ago quarter.Financial UpdateRadian Group ended the quarter with a cash balance of $74.8 million, up 4.8% year over year.Long-term debt was $1.3 billion, up 8.3% year over year.As of Mar 31, 2016, Radian Guaranty’s risk-to-capital ratio was 12.5:1.Book value per share, a measure of net worth, was $12.42 as of Mar 31, 2016, up 7.7% year over year.The company completed its share repurchase program by buying back $100 million worth shares.Zacks Rank and Other InsurersRadian Group carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Among the other multiline insurers that reported their first-quarter results, Assurant Inc. AIZ beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate. However, MGIC Investment Corp MTG and CNO Financial Group, Inc. CNO missed the same.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report RADIAN GRP INC (RDN): Free Stock Analysis Report ASSURANT INC (AIZ): Free Stock Analysis Report MGIC INVSTMT CP (MTG): Free Stock Analysis Report CNO FINL GRP (CNO): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research