Published on February 14, 2005
MFA MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC. 350 Park Avenue NEW YORK, NY 10022 TELEPHONE (212) 207-6400 |
PRESS RELEASE | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | ||
February 14, 2005 | NEW YORK METRO | ||
CONTACT: | Shira Finkel | NYSE: MFA | |
(212) 207-6400 | |||
www.mfa-reit.com |
MFA
Mortgage Investments, Inc. Announces
Dividend Tax Information for 2004
MFA Mortgage
Investments, Inc. (MFA), a real estate investment trust (REIT),
today announced tax information regarding its dividend distributions for the tax
year ended December 31, 2004.
Stockholders
should check their 2004 tax statements received from brokerage firms in order to
ensure that the MFA dividend distribution information reported on such statements
conforms to the information reported herein. Stockholders should also consult with
their tax advisors to determine their individual tax treatment of the dividend
distributions paid by MFA.
As a REIT, MFAs
dividend distributions are generally not eligible for the tax rate reductions enacted
for qualified dividend income under the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation
Act of 2003. Thus, the portion of MFAs dividends that are characterized as
ordinary income generally will be subject to full ordinary income tax rates. For
stockholders that are corporations, MFAs dividends are not eligible for the
corporate dividend distributions received deduction on Form 1120.
The following
table provides detailed tax information relating to the quarterly dividend
distributions paid to stockholders during the 2004 tax year:
MFAs
Common Stock (CUSIP: 55272X102):
Quarter | Dividend Type |
Declaration Date |
Record
Date |
Payable
Date |
Total
Distribution per Share |
Dividend
From Ordinary Earnings |
Return
of Capital |
Capital
Gain Distribution |
12/31/03 | Common | 12/17/2003 | 12/30/2003 | 1/30/2004 | $0.03880 | $0.03880 | $0.000 | $0.00000 |
1 Q | Common | 04/01/2004 | 04/12/2004 | 04/30/2004 | $0.26000 | $0.25898 | $0.000 | $0.00102 |
2 Q | Common | 07/01/2004 | 07/12/2004 | 07/30/2004 | $0.25000 | $0.24855 | $0.000 | $0.00107 |
3 Q | Common | 10/01/2004 | 10/12/2004 | 10/29/2004 | $0.23000 | $0.22852 | $0.000 | $0.00109 |
4 Q | Common | 12/16/2004 | 12/27/2004 | 01/31/2005 | $0.22000 | $0.21888 | $0.000 | $0.00112 |
During the 2004
tax year, MFA declared total dividend distributions of $0.960 per share of Common Stock.
As explained above, approximately $0.960 per share of these dividend distributions were
reported to MFA stockholders as dividends for the tax year ended December 31, 2004 and
$0.03880 per share of ordinary dividends, which were declared in the 4th quarter of 2003
and paid in January of 2004, were also reported to MFA stockholders as taxable dividends
for the tax year ended December 31, 2004.
MFAs
Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (CUSIP: 55272X201):
Quarter | Dividend Type |
Declaration Date |
Record
Date |
Payable
Date |
Total
Distribution per Share |
Dividend
From Ordinary Earnings |
Return
of Capital |
Capital
Gain Distribution |
2 Q | Preferred | 05/27/2004 | 06/04/2004 | 06/30/2004 | $0.37780 | $0.37797 | $0.000 | $0.0003 |
3 Q | Preferred | 08/23/2004 | 09/01/2004 | 09/30/2004 | $0.53125 | $0.53121 | $0.000 | $0.0003 |
4 Q | Preferred | 11/19/2004 | 12/01/2004 | 12/31/2004 | $0.53125 | $0.53120 | $0.000 | $0.0005 |
During 2004, MFA declared
total dividend distributions of $1.4403 per share of Series A Cumulative
Redeemable Preferred Stock.
MFA elected,
commencing with its taxable year ended December 31, 1998, to be taxed as a REIT under
Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code),
and the regulations promulgated thereunder applicable to REITs. In accordance with
the Code, dividends declared by a REIT in the last month of a calendar year with a
record date in such calendar year, but which are payable in January of the following
year, are considered paid for Form 1099-DIV reporting purposes on the record date, not
on the payable date.
Pursuant to
the Code, $.02003 per share paid in January 2005 will be treated as distributions
to stockholders in 2005 for federal, state and local income tax purposes. This
amount represents the per share portion of the dividend distribution which
exceeded the Companys distributable earnings and profits for the year ended
December 31, 2004. This amount will be treated for income tax purposes as a
2005 dividend distribution to MFAs stockholders to whom the distribution
was payable on January 31, 2005.
MFA seeks to
generate income from investment in high-quality ARM-MBS and other assets. At
December 31, 2004, MFA had total assets of approximately $6.9 billion.
Stockholders
interested in participating in MFAs Discount Waiver, Direct Stock Purchase and
Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the Plan) or receiving a Plan prospectus may do
so by contacting Mellon Investor Services, the Plan administrator, at
1-866-249-2610 (toll free). For more information about the Plan, interested
stockholders may also go to the website established for the Plan at
www.melloninvestor.com or visit MFAs website at www.mfa-reit.com.
When used in
this press release or other written or oral communications, statements which are not
historical in nature, including those containing words such as anticipate, estimate, should, expect, believe, intend and
similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and, as such, may involve known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are
subject to various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those
relating to; changes in interest rates and the market value of MFAs MBS;
changes in the prepayment rates on the mortgage loans securing MFAs MBS; MFAs
ability to use borrowings to finance its assets; changes in government regulations
affecting MFAs business; MFAs ability to maintain its qualification as a
REIT for federal income tax purposes; and risks associated with investing in real
estate assets, including changes in business conditions and the general economy. These
and other risks, uncertainties and factors, including those described in reports that
MFA files from time to time with the SEC, could cause MFAs actual results to
differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements it makes. All
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and MFA does not
undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the
date of such statements.