Essent Group
Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE: ESNT) is a Bermuda-domiciled holding company that provides private mortgage insurance, reinsurance, and title insurance and settlement services to US mortgage lenders and the housing finance industry, with a Q1 2026 annualized revenue run rate above $1.3 billion.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersHamilton, Bermuda
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Essent Group does
Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE: ESNT) is a Bermuda-domiciled holding company that, through its operating subsidiaries, provides private mortgage insurance, reinsurance, and title insurance and settlement services to the US housing finance industry. The company's core offering is private mortgage insurance, which enables borrowers to obtain residential mortgages with down payments below 20% by providing credit risk transfer to originating lenders such as banks, credit unions, and non-bank mortgage companies. The group also operates Essent Re, which provides mortgage reinsurance and has expanded into property and casualty reinsurance through Lloyd's of London quota share arrangements in 2026, and a title insurance and settlement services arm that complements the mortgage origination workflow.
The company monetizes primarily through risk-based, recurring insurance premiums earned on policies in force, with premium rates filed with state regulators and calculated per policy based on loan amount, loan-to-value ratio, credit score, property type, and other credit risk factors. Underlying technology comprises risk assessment and underwriting systems, statistical credit risk models, and portfolio analytics platforms that monitor delinquency and loss performance. The go-to-market is a B2B enterprise sales motion executed through direct account management and dedicated lender-relationship teams, supplemented by investor relations activity given the company's public-company status.
Essent generated approximately $1.25 billion in full-year 2025 revenue and $336.07 million in Q1 2026 (up 5.8% year-over-year), with $11.1 billion in new insurance written in Q1 2026. The business carries a 12% annualized return on average equity, a 2.29% delinquency rate, and operates with a 501-1000 employee base. The company returned nearly $700 million to shareholders in 2025 through dividends and repurchases, has raised its dividend for seven consecutive years, and is incorporated in Bermuda with a market capitalization of approximately $5.69 billion as of February 2026.
Essent Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Essent Group
- Legal name
- Essent Group Ltd.
- Website
- https://essentgroup.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Essent Group Ltd. (NYSE: ESNT) is a Bermuda-domiciled holding company that provides private mortgage insurance, reinsurance, and title insurance and settlement services to US mortgage lenders and the housing finance industry, with a Q1 2026 annualized revenue run rate above $1.3 billion.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Essent Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mortgage Insurance
- NAICS
- Management of Companies and Enterprises (551)
- SIC
- Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mortgage Default Insurance & Loss Mitigation Services (Claims, Recoveries, MI Servicing) (FSALAJAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Quality Control (QC), Compliance & Audit Tools for Underwriting (FSALALAL)
Keywords
Where Essent Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamilton
- HQ country
- Bermuda
Offices1 record
Markets served
Essent Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Net Premiums Earned: Core revenue stream from private mortgage insurance premiums. Premiums are earned on insurance policies written, with revenue driven by the volume of new mortgage insurance written (NMI) and the existing insurance in force portfolio.
- Reinsurance Premiums: Reinsurance revenue from Essent Re subsidiary, including expansion into property and casualty reinsurance through Lloyd's quota share agreements. Essent Re generated approximately $80 million in third-party net income and targets $100-150 million in written premium through Lloyd's arrangements.
- Title Insurance and Settlement Services: Revenue from title insurance and settlement services provided to the housing finance industry, complementing the core mortgage insurance offerings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Private mortgage insurance premium rates |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Essent Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Essent Group Ltd. is a Bermuda-based holding company offering private mortgage insurance, reinsurance, and title insurance and settlement services to serve the housing finance industry. The company enables affordable homeownership by providing private mortgage insurance that allows borrowers to obtain mortgages with down payments below 20%, while also providing reinsurance capacity and title/closing services to mortgage lenders and real estate participants.
Product overview
Essent Group Ltd. is a Bermuda-based holding company offering private mortgage insurance, reinsurance, and title insurance and settlement services to serve the housing finance industry. The company operates as a unified portfolio of three core product lines—private mortgage insurance (the primary offering), reinsurance and risk management products, and title insurance with settlement services—all targeted at mortgage lenders, investors, and participants in the housing finance ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Private Mortgage Insurance
- Reinsurance
- Title Insurance and Settlement Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 12% return on average equity
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Essent Group
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Essent Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Essent Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Lloyd's of LondoncoreEssent Re expanded into property and casualty reinsurance through Lloyd's quota share agreements, effective Q1 2026. The arrangement targets $100-150 million of written premium with approximately two-thirds expected to be earned in 2026. This represents a significant diversification of Essent Re's third-party reinsurance business.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Essent Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Fidelity National Financial: Largest US title insurer with a much broader real-estate services platform; overlaps Essent's title business and adjacent mortgage-related services.
- Arch Capital Group: Broader P&C/specialty insurer whose Arch MI unit is a major US private MI competitor, offering overlapping capability within a much larger diversified insurance platform.
- RenaissanceRe Holdings: Bermuda-based specialty and mortgage reinsurer with broader P&C reinsurance franchise; a counterparty and competitor to Essent Re, particularly relevant given the Lloyd's expansion.
Direct peers
- Enstar Group: Bermuda-domiciled legacy and reinsurance specialist with similar Bermuda holding-company structure and reinsurance focus; comparable to Essent Re on third-party reinsurance expansion.
- MGIC Investment Corporation: NYSE-listed pure-play US private mortgage insurer; the most direct structural comparable to Essent's PMI franchise, sharing GSE channel, master policy economics, and underwriting cycle exposure.
- Radian Group Inc. Direct US mortgage insurance peer with a similar mix of mortgage insurance and complementary real-estate services; competes head-to-head with Essent for GSE-approved lender volume.
- Genworth Financial (Enact Holdings): Parent/major shareholder of Enact Holdings, one of the largest US MI underwriters and the closest scale comparable to Essent on the insured side.
- First American Financial Corporation: Title insurance and settlement services provider that overlaps with Essent's title/settlement business and competes for the same US mortgage closing dollar.
- Stewart Information Services Corporation: Public US title insurance and real-estate services company; comparable to Essent's title insurance and settlement services line within the same US mortgage channel.
Others
- PartnerRe: Covéa-owned global reinsurer that was an early investor in Essent's IPO and a long-standing reinsurance counterparty for Essent Re; structurally related via the mortgage reinsurance relationship.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Essent Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Essent Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Essent Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Essent Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Essent Group
What does Essent Group do?
Essent Group Ltd. is a Bermuda-based holding company offering private mortgage insurance, reinsurance, and title insurance and settlement services to serve the housing finance industry. The company enables affordable homeownership by providing private mortgage insurance that allows borrowers to obtain mortgages with down payments below 20%, while also providing reinsurance capacity and title/closing services to mortgage lenders and real estate participants.
Is Essent Group a public or private company?
Essent Group is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Essent Group founded?
Essent Group was founded in 2015. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Essent Group based?
Essent Group is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.
How does Essent Group make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Net Premiums Earned is the primary driver. The others are reinsurance Premiums and title Insurance and Settlement Services.
Who are Essent Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Fidelity National Financial, Arch Capital Group and RenaissanceRe Holdings. Direct peers are Enstar Group, MGIC Investment Corporation, Radian Group Inc., Genworth Financial (Enact Holdings), First American Financial Corporation and Stewart Information Services Corporation. PartnerRe is listed as an others.
Does Essent Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Essent Group.
What industry is Essent Group in?
Essent Group's product category is Mortgage Insurance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSALAJAH, Mortgage Default Insurance & Loss Mitigation Services (Claims, Recoveries, MI Servicing), with a secondary code of FSALALAL, Quality Control (QC), Compliance & Audit Tools for Underwriting. Its NAICS code is 551 and its SIC code is 6411.