10-K: Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)
Published on February 14, 2008
UNITED
STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
___________________
FORM
10-K
x ANNUAL
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13
OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007
OR
¨ TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION
13 OR 15(d)OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the transition period from ______________ to ______________
Commission
File Number: 1-13991
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
_______________________
Maryland
(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
350
Park Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York
(Address
of principal executive offices)
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13-3974868
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
10022
(Zip
Code)
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(212)
207-6400
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
_______________________
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title
of Each Class
Common
Stock, $0.01 par value
8.50%
Series A Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred
Stock, $0.01 par value
|
Name
of Each Exchange on Which Registered
New
York Stock Exchange
New
York Stock Exchange
|
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined
in
Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes No
ü
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to
Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes No
ü
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to
be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required
to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements
for
the past 90 days. Yes ü No
Indicate
by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of
Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best
of the registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements
incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to
this
Form 10-K. ü
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of
“accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange
Act.
Large accelerated filer [ ] | Accelerated filer [ü] |
Non-accelerated
filer [ ]
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes No
ü
On
June
29, 2007, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by
non-affiliates of the registrant was $599,828,138 based on the closing sales
price of our common stock on such date as reported on the New York Stock
Exchange.
On
February 12, 2008, the registrant had a total of 151,651,761 shares of Common
Stock outstanding.
DOCUMENTS
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions
of the registrant’s proxy statement for the 2008 annual meeting of stockholders
scheduled to be held on May 21, 2008 are incorporated by reference into Part
III
of this annual report on Form 10-K.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
PART
I
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PART
II
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PART
III
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PART
IV
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CAUTIONARY
STATEMENT – This annual report on Form 10-K may contain “forward-looking”
statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933,
as
amended (or 1933 Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended (or 1934 Act). We caution that any such forward-looking
statements made by us are not guarantees of future performance and that actual
results may differ materially from those in such forward-looking
statements. Some of the factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from estimates contained in our forward-looking statements
are
set forth in this annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2007. See Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of this annual report on Form
10-K.
In
this annual report on Form 10-K, we refer to MFA Mortgage Investments, Inc.
and
its subsidiaries as “we,” “us,” or “our,” unless we specifically state otherwise
or the context indicates otherwise. The following defines certain of
the commonly used terms in this annual report on Form 10-K: MBS
refers to the mortgage-backed securities in our portfolio; Agency MBS refers
to
our MBS that are issued or guaranteed by a federally chartered corporation,
such
as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, or an agency of the U.S. government, such as
Ginnie Mae; Hybrids refers to hybrid mortgage loans that have interest rates
that are fixed for a specified period of time and, thereafter, generally adjust
annually to an increment over a specified interest rate index; ARMs refers
to
hybrids and adjustable-rate mortgage loans which typically have interest rates
that adjust annually to an increment over a specified interest rate index;
and
ARM-MBS refers to MBS that are secured by ARMs. Hybrid ARMs are identified
by
their initial fixed-rate and adjustable-rate periods; for example, 5/1 is used
to describe a Hybrid ARM with a five-year fixed interest rate period and
subsequent one-year interest rate adjustment periods. The date that a
Hybrid shifts from a fixed-rate payment schedule to an adjustable-rate payment
schedule is known as the reset date.
PART
I
Item
1. Business.
GENERAL
We
are a
self-advised real estate investment trust (or REIT) primarily engaged in the
business of investing, on a leveraged basis, in ARM-MBS, which are primarily
secured by pools of mortgages on single family residences. Our
ARM-MBS portfolio consists primarily of Agency MBS or MBS rated in one of the
two highest rating categories by at least one nationally recognized rating
agency, such as Moody’s Investors Services, Inc., Standard & Poor’s
Corporation or Fitch, Inc. (or Rating Agencies). Our principal
business objective is to generate net income for distribution to our
stockholders resulting from the spread between the interest and other income
we
earn on our investments and the interest expense we pay on the borrowings that
we use to finance our investments and our operating costs.
At
December 31, 2007, we had total assets of approximately $8.606 billion, of
which
$8.301 billion, or 96.5%, represented our MBS portfolio. At December
31, 2007, $7.870 billion, or 94.8%, of our MBS portfolio was comprised of Agency
MBS, $425.0 million, or 5.1%, was comprised of non-Agency AAA rated MBS and
$6.2
million, or 0.1%, was comprised of non-Agency MBS rated below AAA or
unrated. At December 31, 2007, all of the MBS in our portfolio
consisted of ARM-MBS and none of our MBS were backed by subprime mortgage
loans. At December 31, 2007, we also had an indirect investment of
$11.6 million in a 191-unit multi-family apartment property and other unrated
securities of $1.6 million, which, when combined, comprised 0.2% of our total
assets. In addition, through wholly-owned subsidiaries, we provide
investment advisory services to a third-party institution with respect to their
MBS portfolio investments and, as of December 31, 2007, had approximately $279.4
million of assets under management.
We
were
incorporated in Maryland on July 24, 1997 and began operations on April 10,
1998. We have elected to be treated as a REIT for U.S. federal income
tax purposes. One of the requirements of maintaining our
qualification as a REIT is that we must distribute at least 90% of our annual
net taxable income to our stockholders, subject to certain
adjustments.
INVESTMENT
STRATEGY
We
are
primarily engaged in the business of investing in Agency ARM-MBS and other
high
quality ARM-MBS. Our operating policies require that at least 50% of
our investment portfolio consist of ARM-MBS that are either (i) Agency MBS
or
(ii) rated in one of the two highest rating categories by at least one of the
Rating Agencies. Pursuant to our operating policies, the remainder of
our assets may consist of direct or indirect investments in: (i) other types
of
MBS; (ii) residential mortgage loans; (iii) collateralized debt obligations
and
other related securities; (iv) real estate; (v) securities issued by REITs,
limited partnerships and closed-end funds; (vi) high-yield corporate securities
and other fixed income instruments (corporate or government); and (vii) other
types of assets approved by our Board of Directors (or Board) or a committee
thereof. All of our Agency and AAA rated MBS are currently secured by
first lien mortgage loans on one to four family properties.
1
The
ARMs
collateralizing our MBS are primarily comprised of Hybrids, which have interest
rates that are fixed for a specified period (typically three to ten years)
and,
thereafter, generally adjust annually to an increment over a specified interest
rate index, and, to a lesser extent, adjustable-rate mortgages, which have
interest rates that generally adjust annually (although some adjust more
frequently) to an increment over a specified interest rate
index. Interest rates on the mortgage loans collateralizing our MBS
are based on specific index rates, such as London Interbank Offered Rate (or
LIBOR), the one-year constant maturity treasury (or CMT) rate, the Federal
Reserve U.S. 12-month cumulative average one-year CMT (or MTA) or the 11th
District Cost of Funds Index (or COFI). In addition, the ARMs
collateralizing our MBS typically have interim and lifetime caps on interest
rate adjustments.
Because
the coupons earned on ARM-MBS adjust over time as interest rates change
(typically after a fixed-rate period) the market values of these assets are
generally less sensitive to changes in interest rates than are fixed-rate
MBS. In order to mitigate our interest rate risks, our strategy is to
maintain a substantial majority of our portfolio in ARM-MBS. At
December 31, 2007, ARM-MBS comprised 96.5% of our total assets and 100% of
our
total MBS portfolio. The ability of ARM-MBS to reset over time based
on changes in interest rates helps to mitigate interest rate risk more
effectively over a longer time period than over the short term; however,
interest rate risk is not entirely eliminated.
FINANCING
STRATEGY
Our
financing strategy is designed to increase the size of our MBS portfolio by
borrowing against a substantial portion of the market value of the MBS in our
portfolio. We typically utilize repurchase agreements to finance the
acquisition of our MBS and, in certain cases, enter into interest rate swap
agreements (or Swaps) to hedge the interest rate risk associated with these
repurchase agreements. At December 31, 2007, we had $7.526 billion
outstanding under repurchase agreements, of which $4.628 billion was hedged
with
Swaps. At December 31, 2007, our assets-to-equity ratio was 9.3 to 1
and our debt-to-equity ratio was 8.1 to 1.
Repurchase
agreements are financing arrangements, (i.e., borrowings) under which we pledge
our MBS as collateral to secure loans with repurchase agreement counterparties
(i.e., lenders). The amount borrowed under a repurchase agreement is
limited to a specified percentage of the estimated market value of the pledged
collateral. The portion of the pledged collateral held by the lender
is the margin requirement for that borrowing. Repurchase agreements
take the form of a sale of the pledged collateral to a lender at an agreed
upon
price in return for such lender’s simultaneous agreement to resell the same
securities back to the borrower at a future date (i.e., the maturity of the
borrowing) at a higher price. The difference between the sale price
and repurchase price is the cost, or interest expense, of borrowing under a
repurchase agreement. Our cost of borrowings under repurchase
agreements generally corresponds to LIBOR plus or minus a
margin. Under our repurchase agreements, we retain beneficial
ownership of the pledged collateral, while the lender maintains custody of
such
collateral. At the maturity of a repurchase agreement, we are
required to repay the loan and concurrently receive back our pledged collateral
or, with the consent of the lender, we may renew such agreement at the then
prevailing market interest rate. Under our repurchase agreements, a
lender may require that we pledge additional assets to such lender (i.e., by
initiating a margin call) in the event the estimated fair value of our existing
pledged collateral declines below a specified percentage during the term of
the
borrowing. Our pledged collateral fluctuates in value due to, among
other things, principal repayments and changes in market interest
rates. By maintaining low leverage, we are better able to respond to
potential increases in margin requirements. To date, we have
satisfied all of our margin calls.
In
order
to reduce our exposure to counterparty-related risk, we generally seek to
diversify our exposure by entering into repurchase agreements with at least
four
separate lenders with a maximum loan from any lender of no more than three
times
our stockholders’ equity. At December 31, 2007, we had master
repurchase agreements with 19 separate counterparties and had amounts
outstanding under repurchase agreements with 18 such counterparties, with a
maximum net exposure (the difference between the amount loaned to us, including
interest due on such loans, and the estimated fair value of the security pledged
by us as collateral, including accrued interest on such securities) to any
single lender of $71.9 million. In addition, we also enter into Swaps
with certain of our repurchase agreement counterparties and other
institutions. At December 31, 2007, our aggregate maximum net
exposure to any single counterparty for repurchase agreements and Swaps was
$74.5 million.
We
enter
into derivative financial instruments (or Hedging Instruments) to hedge against
increases in interest rates on a portion of our anticipated LIBOR-based
repurchase agreements. At December 31, 2007, our Hedging Instruments
consisted solely of Swaps, which are used to lock-in fixed interest rates,
over
the term of the Swap,
2
related
to a portion of our current and anticipated repurchase agreements. At
December 31, 2007, we were a party to 131 fixed-pay Swaps with an aggregate
notional amount of $4.628 billion. Historically, we also purchased
interest rate cap agreements (or Caps) to hedge our interest rate
risk. A Cap is a contract whereby we, as the purchaser, pay a fee in
exchange for the right to receive payments equal to the principal (i.e.,
notional amount) times the difference between a specified interest rate and
a
future interest rate during a defined “active” period of time. Under
our Caps, if the 30-day LIBOR were to increase above the interest rate specified
in each Cap during the effective term of such Cap, we would be entitled to
receive monthly payments from the counterparty to such Cap during the period
that the 30-day LIBOR exceeded such specified interest rate. While we
may in the future purchase Caps, we have not purchased any since
2004. We do not anticipate entering into Hedging Instruments for
speculative or trading purposes.
We
indirectly own one multi-family apartment property, which is subject to a
long-term fixed-rate mortgage loan. The mortgage collateralized by
this property is non-recourse, subject to customary non-recourse exceptions,
which generally means that the lender’s final source of repayment in the event
of default is foreclosure of the property. At December 31, 2007, the
mortgage secured by this multi-family apartment property was $9.5
million. (See Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements,
included under Item 8 of this annual report on Form 10-K.)
In
the
future, we may also use other sources of funding, in addition to repurchase
agreements, to finance our MBS portfolio, including, but not limited to, other
types of collateralized borrowings, loan agreements, lines of credit, commercial
paper or the issuance of debt securities.
ADVISORY
BUSINESS AND OTHER INVESTMENTS
We,
through wholly-owned subsidiaries, provide investment advisory services to
a
third-party institution with respect to its MBS portfolio investments and,
as of
December 31, 2007, had approximately $279.4 million of assets under management
for one institution.
Even
though we have acquired primarily Agency and AAA rated MBS to date, pursuant
to
our operating policies, we also acquire MBS and other mortgage-related assets
of
lower credit quality (i.e., non-Agency MBS or other securities rated below
AAA). At December 31, 2007, 0.1% of our investment securities
portfolio was invested in securities that were rated below AAA or unrated (none
of which were backed by subprime collateral). To the extent that we
identify attractive investment opportunities, we may acquire additional assets
in the future that are rated below AAA, or in some cases are
unrated.
We
continue to explore alternative business strategies, investments and financing
sources and other initiatives to complement our core business
strategy. However, no assurance can be provided that any such
strategic initiatives will or will not be implemented in the future or, if
undertaken, that any such strategic initiative will favorably impact
us.
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
We
pride
ourselves on maintaining an ethical workplace in which the highest standards
of
professional conduct are practiced.
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Our
Board is composed of a majority of independent directors. Our Audit,
Nominating and Corporate Governance and Compensation Committees are
composed exclusively of independent
directors.
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In
order to foster the highest standards of ethics and conduct in all
of our
business relationships, we have adopted a Code of Business Conduct
and
Ethics and Corporate Governance Guidelines, which cover a wide range
of
business practices and procedures that apply to all of our directors,
officers and employees. In addition, we have implemented
Whistle Blowing Procedures for Accounting and Auditing Matters that
sets
forth procedures by which any officer or employee may raise, on a
confidential basis, concerns regarding any questionable or unethical
accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters with
our
Audit Committee.
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We
have an insider trading policy that prohibits any of our directors,
officers or employees from buying or selling our common and preferred
stock on the basis of material nonpublic information and prohibits
communicating material nonpublic information to
others.
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We
have a formal internal audit function to further the effective functioning
of our internal controls and procedures. Our internal audit
plan, which is approved annually by our Audit Committee, is based
on a
formal risk assessment and is intended to provide management and
our Audit
Committee with an effective tool to identify and address areas of
financial or operational concerns and to ensure that appropriate
controls
and procedures are in place. We have implemented Section 404 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (or the SOX Act), which
requires an evaluation of internal control over financial reporting
in
association with our financial statements for the year ending December
31,
2007. (See Item 9A, “Controls and Procedures” included in this
annual report on Form 10-K.)
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COMPETITION
We
operate in the mortgage-REIT industry. We believe that our principal
competitors in the business of acquiring and holding MBS of the types in which
we invest are financial institutions, such as banks, savings and loan
institutions, life insurance companies, institutional investors, including
mutual funds and pension funds, hedge funds and other
mortgage-REITs. Some of these entities may not be subject to the same
regulatory constraints (i.e., REIT compliance or maintaining an exemption under
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (or the Investment Company Act))
as us. In addition, many of these entities have greater financial
resources and access to capital than us. The existence of these
entities, as well as the possibility of additional entities forming in the
future, may increase the competition for the acquisition of MBS, resulting
in
higher prices and lower yields on such assets.
EMPLOYEES
At
December 31, 2007, we had 16 employees, all of which were
full-time. We believe that our relationship with our employees is
good. None of our employees are unionized or represented under a
collective bargaining agreement.
AVAILABLE
INFORMATION
We
maintain a website at www.mfa-reit.com. We
make available, free of charge, on our website our (a) annual report on Form
10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K (including
any amendments thereto), proxy statements and other information (or
collectively, the Company Documents) filed with, or furnished to, the Securities
and Exchange Commission (or SEC), as soon as reasonably practicable after such
documents are so filed or furnished, (b) Corporate Governance Guidelines, (c)
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and (d) written charters of the Audit
Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee of our Board. Our Company Documents filed with, or
furnished to, the SEC are also available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. We
also provide copies of our Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Business
Conduct and Ethics, free of charge, to stockholders who request
it. Requests should be directed to Timothy W. Korth, General Counsel,
Senior Vice President – Business Development and Secretary, at MFA Mortgage
Investments, Inc., 350 Park Avenue, 21st floor, New York, New York
10022.
4
Item
1A. Risk
Factors.
Our
business and operations are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties,
the
occurrence of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition,
results of operations and ability to make distributions to stockholders and
could cause the value of our capital stock to decline.
General.
Our
business and operations are affected by a number of factors, many of which
are
beyond our control, and primarily depend on, among other things, the level
of
our net interest income, the market value of our assets and the supply of,
and
demand for, MBS in the market place. Our net interest income varies
primarily as a result of changes in interest rates, the slope of the yield
curve
(i.e., the differential between long-term and short-term interest rates), the
availability of adequate financing, borrowing costs (i.e., interest expense)
and
prepayment speeds on our MBS portfolio, the behavior of which involves various
risks and uncertainties. Interest rates and prepayment speeds, as
measured by the constant prepayment rate (or CPR), vary according to the type
of
investment, conditions in the financial markets, competition and other factors,
none of which can be predicted with any certainty.
Our
operating results also depend upon our ability to effectively manage the risks
associated with our business operations, including our interest rate and
prepayment risks, while maintaining our qualification as a REIT. In
addition, we face risks inherent in our other assets, comprised of an indirect
100% interest in a multi-family apartment property, non-Agency MBS rated below
AAA and derivative financial instruments. Although these assets
represent a small portion of our total assets, less than 1.0% at December 31,
2007, they have the potential of materially impacting our operating performance
in future periods if such assets were to become impaired.
An
increase in our borrowing costs relative to the interest we receive on our
MBS
may adversely affect our profitability.
In
general, we generate income primarily based on the spread (i.e., the difference)
between the interest income we earn on our portfolio, less net amortization
of
purchase premiums and discounts, and the interest expense we pay on our
borrowings. We rely primarily on borrowings under repurchase
agreements, typically with terms from one to 60 months, to finance the
acquisition of MBS which have longer-term contractual
maturities. Even though most of our MBS have interest rates that
adjust over time based on short-term changes in corresponding interest rate
indexes, the interest we pay on our borrowings may increase at a faster pace
than the interest we earn on our MBS. If the interest expense on our
borrowings increases relative to the interest income we earn on our MBS, our
profitability may be adversely affected.
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Changes
in interest rates, cyclical or otherwise, may adversely affect our
profitability. Interest rates are highly sensitive to
many factors, including fiscal and monetary policies and domestic
and
international economic and political conditions, as well as other
factors
beyond our control. In general, we finance the acquisition of
our MBS through borrowings in the form of repurchase transactions,
which
exposes us to interest rate risk on the acquired assets. The
cost of our borrowings is based on prevailing market interest
rates. Because the term of our repurchase transactions
typically ranges from one to 60 months at inception, the interest
rates on
our borrowings generally adjust more frequently (as new repurchase
transactions are entered into upon the maturity of existing repurchase
transactions) than the interest rates on our MBS. During a
period of rising interest rates, our borrowing costs generally will
increase at a faster pace than our interest earnings on the leveraged
portion of our MBS portfolio, which could result in a decline in
our net
interest spread and net interest margin. The severity of any
such decline would depend on our asset/liability composition at the
time
as well as the magnitude and period over which interest rates
increase. Further, an increase in short-term interest rates
could also have a negative impact on the market value of our MBS
portfolio. If any of these events happen, we could experience a
decrease in net income or incur a net loss during these periods,
which may
negatively impact our distributions to stockholders.
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Hybrid
MBS have fixed interest rates for an initial period which may reduce
our
profitability if short-term interest rates increase. The
ARMs collateralizing our MBS are primarily comprised of Hybrids,
which
have interest rates that are fixed for an initial period (typically
three
to ten years) and, thereafter, generally adjust annually to an increment
over a pre-determined interest rate index. Accordingly, during
a period of rising interest rates, the cost of our borrowings would
increase while the interest income we earn on our MBS portfolio would
not
increase with respect to our Hybrid MBS that were then in their fixed
rate
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5
period. If
this happens, we could experience a decrease in net income or incur a net loss
during these periods, which may negatively impact our distributions to
stockholders.
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A
flat or inverted yield curve may adversely affect ARM-MBS prepayment
rates
and supply. Our net interest income varies primarily as
a result of changes in interest rates as well as changes in interest
rates
across the yield curve. When the differential between
short-term and long-term benchmark interest rates narrows, the yield
curve
is said to be “flattening.” We believe that when the yield
curve is relatively flat, borrowers have an incentive to refinance
into
Hybrids with longer initial fixed-rate periods and fixed rate mortgages,
causing our MBS to experience faster prepayments. In addition,
a flatter yield curve generally leads to fixed-rate mortgage rates
that
are closer to the interest rates available on ARMs, potentially decreasing
the supply of ARM-MBS. At times, short-term interest rates may
increase and exceed long-term interest rates, causing an inverted
yield
curve. When the yield curve is inverted, fixed-rate mortgage
rates may approach or be lower than mortgage rates on ARMs, further
increasing ARM-MBS prepayments and further negatively impacting ARM-MBS
supply. Increases in prepayments on our MBS portfolio cause our
premium amortization to accelerate, lowering the yield on such
assets. If this happens, we could experience a decrease in net
income or incur a net loss during these periods, which may negatively
impact our distributions to stockholders.
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Interest
rate caps on the ARMs collateralizing our MBS may adversely affect
our
profitability if short-term interest rates increase. The
coupons earned on ARM-MBS adjust over time as interest rates change
(typically after a fixed-rate period). The financial markets
primarily determine the interest rates that we pay on the repurchase
transactions used to finance the acquisition of our MBS; however,
the
level of adjustment on the interest rates earned on our ARM-MBS is
typically limited by contract. The interim and lifetime
interest rate caps on the ARMs collateralizing our MBS limit the
amount by
which the interest rates on such assets can adjust. Interim
interest rate caps limit the amount interest rates on a particular
ARM can
adjust during any given year or period. Lifetime interest rate
caps limit the amount interest rates can increase from inception
through
maturity of a particular ARM. Our repurchase transactions are
not subject to similar restrictions. Accordingly, in a
sustained period of rising interest rates or a period in which interest
rates rise rapidly, we could experience a decrease in net income
or a net
loss because the interest rates paid by us on our borrowings could
increase without limitation (as new repurchase transactions are entered
into upon the maturity of existing repurchase transactions) while
increases in the interest rates earned on the ARMs collateralizing
our MBS
could be limited due to interim or lifetime interest rate caps.
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Adjustments
of interest rates on our borrowings may not be matched to interest
rate
indexes on our MBS. In general, the interest rates on
our repurchase transactions are based on LIBOR, while the interest
rates
on our ARM-MBS may be indexed to LIBOR or another index rate, such
as the
one-year CMT rate, MTA or COFI. Accordingly, any increase in
LIBOR relative to one-year CMT rates, MTA or COFI will generally
result in
an increase in our borrowing costs that is not matched by a corresponding
increase in the interest earned on our ARM-MBS. Any such
interest rate index mismatch could adversely affect our profitability,
which may negatively impact our distributions to stockholders.
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Prepayment
rates on the mortgage loans underlying our MBS may adversely affect our
profitability.
The
MBS
that we acquire are primarily secured by pools of ARMs on one-to-four family
properties. In general, the ARMs collateralizing our MBS may be
prepaid at any time without penalty (other than certain MTA-indexed
ARMs). Prepayments on our MBS result when homeowners/mortgagees
satisfy (i.e., payoff the mortgage) upon selling or refinancing their mortgaged
property. In addition, because our MBS are primarily Agency MBS,
defaults and foreclosures on such guaranteed MBS typically have the same effect
as prepayments. When we acquire a particular MBS, we anticipate that
the underlying mortgage loans will prepay at a projected rate which provides
us
with an expected yield on such MBS. When homeowners/mortgagees prepay
their mortgage loans faster than anticipated, it results in a faster prepayment
rate on the related MBS in our portfolio and this may adversely affect our
profitability. Prepayment rates generally increase when interest
rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise, but changes in prepayment
rates are difficult to predict. Prepayment rates also may be affected
by conditions in the housing and financial markets, general economic conditions
and the relative interest rates on fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage
loans.
We
often
purchase MBS that have a higher interest rate than the prevailing market
interest rate. In exchange for a higher interest rate, we typically
pay a premium over par value to acquire these securities. In
accordance with
6
generally
accepted accounting principles (or GAAP), we amortize the premiums on our MBS
over the life of the related MBS. If the mortgage loans securing our
MBS prepay at a rapid rate, we will have to amortize our premiums on an
accelerated basis which may adversely affect our profitability. As of
December 31, 2007, the amortized cost of our portfolio of MBS was approximately
101.2% of par value.
Prepayments,
which are the primary feature of MBS that distinguish them from other types
of
bonds, are difficult to predict and can vary significantly over
time. As the holder of MBS, we receive a portion of our investment
principal when underlying mortgages are prepaid. In order to continue
to earn a return on this prepaid principal, we must reinvest it in additional
MBS or other assets; however, if interest rates decline, we may earn a lower
return on our new investments as compared to the MBS that
prepay. Prepayments may have a negative impact on our financial
results, the effects of which depends on, among other things, the amount of
unamortized premium on the MBS, the reinvestment lag and the reinvestment
opportunities.
Our
business strategy involves a significant amount of leverage which may adversely
affect our return on our investments and may reduce cash available for
distribution to our stockholders as well as increase losses when economic
conditions are unfavorable.
Pursuant
to our financing strategy, we borrow against a substantial portion of the market
value of our MBS and use the borrowed funds to acquire additional investment
assets. We are not required to maintain any particular
assets-to-equity ratio. Future increases in the amount by which the
collateral value is required to contractually exceed the repurchase agreement
loan amount, decreases in the market value of our MBS, increases in interest
rate volatility and changes in the availability of adequate financing could
cause us to be unable to achieve the degree of leverage we believe to be
optimal. Our return on our assets and cash available for distribution
to our stockholders may be reduced to the extent that changes in market
conditions prevent us from leveraging our investments or cause the cost of
our
financing to increase relative to the income that can be derived from the
leveraged assets. In addition, our payment of interest expense on our
borrowings will reduce cash flow available for distributions to our
stockholders. If the interest income on our MBS purchased with
borrowed funds fails to cover the interest expense of the related borrowings,
we
will experience net interest losses and may experience net losses from
operations. Such losses could be significant as a result of our
leveraged structure. The use of borrowing, or “leverage,” to finance
our MBS and other assets involves a number of other risks, including the
following:
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Adverse
developments involving major financial institutions or involving
one of
our lenders could result in a rapid reduction in our ability to borrow
and
adversely affect our business and
profitability. Although as of December 31, 2007 we had
amounts outstanding under repurchase agreements with 18 separate
lenders
and continue to develop new relationships with additional lenders,
recent
turmoil in the financial markets as it relates to major financial
institutions has raised concerns that a material adverse development
involving one or more major financial institutions could result in
our
lenders reducing our access to funds available under our repurchase
agreements. Because all of our repurchase agreements are
uncommitted, such a disruption could cause our lenders to determine
to
reduce or terminate our access to future borrowings, which could
adversely
affect our business and profitability. Furthermore, if many of
our lenders became unwilling or unable to provide us with financing,
we
could be forced to sell our investment securities at an inopportune
time
when prices are depressed.
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Our profitability
may be limited by a reduction in our leverage. As long
as we earn a positive spread between interest and other income we
earn on
our assets and our borrowing costs, we can generally increase our
profitability by using greater amounts of leverage. We
cannot, however, assure you that repurchase financing will remain
an
efficient source of long-term financing for our assets. The
amount of leverage that we use may be limited because our lenders
might
not make funding available to us at acceptable rates or they may
require
that we provide additional collateral to secure our
borrowings. If our financing strategy is not viable, we will
have to find alternative forms of financing for our assets which
may not
be available. In addition, in response to certain interest rate
and investment environments, we could implement a strategy of reducing
our
leverage by selling assets or not replacing MBS as they amortize
and/or
prepay, thereby decreasing the outstanding amount of our related
borrowings. Such an action would likely reduce interest income,
interest expense and net income, the extent of which would be dependent
on
the level of reduction in assets and liabilities as well as the sale
prices for which the assets were sold.
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If
we are unable to renew our borrowings at favorable rates, it may
force us
to sell assets and our profitability may be adversely
affected. Since we rely primarily on borrowings under
repurchase
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7
agreements
to finance our MBS, our ability to achieve our investment objectives depends
on
our ability to borrow money in sufficient amounts and on favorable terms and
on
our ability to renew or replace maturing borrowings on a continuous
basis. Our ability to enter into repurchase agreements in the future
will depend on the market value of our MBS pledged to secure the specific
borrowings, the availability of adequate financing and other conditions existing
in the lending market at that time. If we are not able to renew or
replace maturing borrowings, we would be forced to sell some of our assets
under
possibly adverse market conditions, which may adversely affect our
profitability.
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A
decline in the market value of our assets may result in margin calls
that
may force us to sell assets under adverse market
conditions. The market value of our MBS, generally moves
inversely to changes in interest rates and, as a result, may be negatively
impacted by increases in interest rates. Accordingly, in a
rising interest rate environment, the value of our assets may
decline. A decline in the market value of our MBS may limit our
ability to borrow against such assets or result in lenders initiating
margin calls, which require a pledge of additional collateral or
cash to
re-establish the required ratio of borrowing to collateral value,
under
our repurchase agreements. Posting additional collateral or
cash to support our credit will reduce our liquidity and limit our
ability
to leverage our assets, which could adversely affect our
business. As a result, we could be forced to sell some of our
assets in order to maintain liquidity. Forced sales typically
result in lower sales prices than do market sales which are made
in the
normal course of business. If our MBS were liquidated at prices
below our amortized cost (i.e., the carrying value) of such investments,
we would incur losses. Such a situation could result in a rapid
deterioration of our financial condition and possibly necessitate
a filing
for bankruptcy protection.
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If
a counterparty to our repurchase transactions defaults on its obligation
to resell the underlying security back to us at the end of the transaction
term or if we default on our obligations under the repurchase agreement,
we would incur losses.
When we engage in repurchase transactions, we generally sell securities
to
lenders (i.e., repurchase agreement counterparties) and receive cash
from
the lenders. The lenders are obligated to resell the same
securities back to us at the end of the term of the
transaction. Because the cash we receive from the lender when
we initially sell the securities to the lender is less than the value
of
those securities (this difference is referred to as the haircut),
if the
lender defaults on its obligation to resell the same securities back
to us
we would incur a loss on the transaction equal to the amount of the
haircut (assuming there was no change in the value of the
securities). Further, if we default on one of our obligations
under a repurchase transaction, the lender can terminate the transaction
and cease entering into any other repurchase transactions with
us. Our repurchase agreements contain cross-default provisions,
so that if a default occurs under any one agreement, the lenders
under our
other agreements could also declare a default. Any losses we
incur on our repurchase transactions could adversely affect our earnings
and thus our cash available for distribution to our stockholders.
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Our
use of repurchase agreements to borrow money may give our lenders
greater
rights in the event of bankruptcy. Borrowings made under
repurchase agreements may qualify for special treatment under the
U.S.
Bankruptcy Code. In the unlikely event that a lender under our
repurchase agreements files for bankruptcy it may be difficult for
us to
recover our assets pledged as collateral to such lender. In
addition, if we ever file for bankruptcy, lenders under our repurchase
agreements may be able to avoid the automatic stay provisions of
the
Bankruptcy Code and take possession of, and liquidate, our collateral
under our repurchase agreements without delay.
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We
may experience a decline in the market value of our assets.
A
decline
in the market value of our MBS or other assets may require us to recognize
an
“other-than-temporary” impairment against such assets under GAAP if we were to
determine that, with respect to any assets in unrealized loss positions, we
do
not have the ability and intent to hold such assets to maturity or for a period
of time sufficient to allow for recovery to the amortized cost of such
assets. If such a determination were to be made, we would recognize
unrealized losses through earnings and write down the amortized cost of such
assets to a new cost basis, based on the fair market value of such assets on
the
date they are considered to be other-than-temporarily impaired. Such
impairment charges reflect non-cash losses at the time of recognition;
subsequent disposition or sale of such assets could further affect our future
losses or gains, as they are based on the difference between the sale price
received and adjusted amortized cost of such assets at the time of
sale.
8
Our
investment strategy may involve credit risk.
The
holder of a mortgage or MBS assumes a risk that the borrowers may default on
their obligations to make full and timely payments of principal and
interest. Our investment policy requires that at least 50% of our
assets consist of ARM-MBS that are either issued or guaranteed by a federally
charted corporation, such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, or an agency of the
U.S.
government, such as Ginnie Mae, or are rated in one of the two highest rating
categories by at least one of the Rating Agencies. Even though we
have acquired primarily Agency and AAA rated MBS to date, pursuant to our
investment policy, we have the ability to acquire MBS and other investment
assets of lower credit quality. At December 31, 2007, we owned $7.9
million of non-Agency MBS and other securities that were rated below AAA or
unrated, none of which were backed by subprime collateral. Such lower
credit quality investments could cause us to incur losses of income from, and/or
losses in market value relating to, these assets if there are defaults of
principal and/or interest on, or if the Rating Agencies downgrade the credit
rating of, these assets.
Our
use of hedging strategies to mitigate our interest rate exposure may not be
effective and may expose us to counterparty risks.
In
accordance with our operating policies, we may pursue various types of hedging
strategies, including Swaps, Caps and other derivative transactions, to seek
to
mitigate or reduce our exposure to losses from adverse changes in interest
rates. Our hedging activity will vary in scope based on the level and
volatility of interest rates, the type of assets held and financing sources
used
and other changing market conditions. No hedging strategy, however,
can completely insulate us from the interest rate risks to which we are exposed
or that the implementation of any hedging strategy would have the desired impact
on our results of operations or financial condition. Certain of the
U.S. federal income tax requirements that we must satisfy in order to qualify
as
a REIT may limit our ability to hedge against such risks. We will not
enter into derivative transactions if we believe that they will jeopardize
our
qualification as a REIT.
Interest
rate hedging may fail to protect or could adversely affect us because, among
other things:
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interest
rate hedging can be expensive, particularly during periods of rising
and
volatile interest rates;
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available
interest rate hedges may not correspond directly with the interest
rate
risk for which protection is sought;
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the
duration of the hedge may not match the duration of the related liability;
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the
amount of income that a REIT may earn from hedging transactions (other
than through taxable REIT subsidiaries (or TRSs)) to offset interest
rate
losses is limited by U.S. federal tax provisions governing REITs;
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the
credit quality of the party owing money on the hedge may be downgraded
to
such an extent that it impairs our ability to sell or assign our
side of
the hedging transaction; and
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the
party owing money in the hedging transaction may default on its obligation
to pay.
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We
primarily use Swaps to hedge against anticipated future increases in interest
rates on our repurchase agreements. Should a Swap counterparty be
unable to make required payments pursuant to such Swap, the hedged liability
would cease to be hedged for the remaining term of the Swap. In
addition, we may be at risk for any collateral held by a hedging counterparty
to
a Swap, should such counterparty become insolvent or file for
bankruptcy. Our hedging transactions, which are intended to limit
losses, may actually adversely affect our earnings, which could reduce our
cash
available for distribution to our stockholders.
Hedging
Instruments involve risk since they often are not traded on regulated exchanges,
guaranteed by an exchange or its clearing house, or regulated by any U.S. or
foreign governmental authorities. Consequently, there are no
requirements with respect to record keeping, financial responsibility or
segregation of customer funds and positions. Furthermore, the
enforceability of Hedging Instruments may depend on compliance with
applicable
9
statutory
and commodity and other regulatory requirements and, depending on the identity
of the counterparty, applicable international requirements. The
business failure of a hedging counterparty with whom we enter into a hedging
transaction will most likely result in its default. Default by a
party with whom we enter into a hedging transaction may result in the loss
of
unrealized profits and force us to cover our commitments, if any, at the then
current market price. Although generally we will seek to reserve the
right to terminate our hedging positions, it may not always be possible to
dispose of or close out a hedging position without the consent of the hedging
counterparty and we may not be able to enter into an offsetting contract in
order to cover our risk. We cannot assure you that a liquid secondary
market will exist for hedging instruments purchased or sold, and we may be
required to maintain a position until exercise or expiration, which could result
in losses.
We
may enter into Hedging Instruments that could expose us to contingent
liabilities in the future.
Subject
to maintaining our qualification as a REIT, part of our financing strategy
will
involve entering into Hedging Instruments that could require us to fund cash
payments in certain circumstances (e.g., the early termination of a Hedging
Instrument caused by an event of default or other voluntary or involuntary
termination event or the decision by a hedging counterparty to request the
posting of collateral it is contractually owed under the terms of a Hedging
Instrument). With respect to the termination of an existing Swap, the
amount due would generally be equal to the unrealized loss of the open Swap
position with the hedging counterparty and could also include other fees and
charges. These economic losses will be reflected in our financial
results of operations and our ability to fund these obligations will depend
on
the liquidity of our assets and access to capital at the time. Any
losses we incur on our Hedging Instruments could adversely affect our earnings
and thus our cash available for distribution to our
stockholders.
We
may change our investment strategy, operating policies and/or asset allocations
without stockholder consent.
We
may
change our investment strategy, operating policies and/or asset allocation
with
respect to investments, acquisitions, leverage, growth, operations,
indebtedness, capitalization and distributions at any time without the consent
of our stockholders. A change in our investment strategy may increase
our exposure to interest rate and/or credit risk, default risk and real estate
market fluctuations. Furthermore, a change in our asset allocation
could result in our making investments in asset categories different from our
historical investments. These changes could adversely affect our
financial condition, results of operations, the market price of our common
stock
or our ability to pay dividends or distributions.
We
have not established a minimum dividend payment level.
We
intend
to pay dividends on our common stock in an amount equal to at least 90% of
our
REIT taxable income, which is calculated before deductions of dividends paid
and
excluding net capital gains and losses, in order to maintain our qualification
as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Dividends will be
declared and paid at the discretion of our Board and will depend on our
earnings, our financial condition, maintenance of our REIT qualification and
such other factors as our Board may deem relevant from time to
time. We have not established a minimum dividend payment level for
our common stock and our ability to pay dividends may be negatively impacted
by
adverse changes in our operating results.
We
are dependent on our executive officers and key personnel for our
success.
As
a
self-advised REIT, our success is dependent upon the efforts, experience,
diligence, skill and network of business contacts of our executive officers
and
key personnel, including Stewart Zimmerman, Chairman of the Board, Chief
Executive Officer and President; William S. Gorin, Executive Vice President
and
Chief Financial Officer; Ronald A. Freydberg, Executive Vice President and
Chief
Portfolio Officer; Timothy W. Korth, General Counsel, Senior Vice President
-
Business Development and Corporate Secretary; and Teresa D. Covello, Senior
Vice
President, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer. The departure of
any of our executive officers and/or key personnel could have a material adverse
effect on our operations and performance.
We
are dependent on information systems and systems’ failures could significantly
disrupt our business.
Our
business is highly dependent on our communications and information
systems. Any failure or interruption of our systems could cause
delays or other problems in our securities trading activities, which could
have
a material adverse effect on our operation and performance.
10
We
may be subject to risks associated with our investments in real
estate.
Real
property investments are subject to varying degrees of risk. The
economic returns from our indirect investment in Lealand Place, a 191-unit
multi-family apartment property located in Lawrenceville, Georgia (or Lealand),
may be impacted by a number of factors, including general and local economic
conditions, the relative supply of apartments and other housing in the area,
interest rates on mortgage loans, the need for and costs of repairs and
maintenance of the property, government regulations and the cost of complying
with them, taxes and inflation. In general, local conditions in the
applicable market area significantly affect occupancy or rental rates for
multi-family apartment properties. Real estate investments are
relatively illiquid and, therefore, we will have limited ability to dispose
of
our investment quickly in response to changes in economic or other
conditions. In addition, under certain circumstances, we may be
subject to significant tax liability in the event that we sell our investment
in
the property. Under various federal, state and local environmental
laws, regulations and ordinances, we may be required, regardless of knowledge
or
responsibility, to investigate and remediate the effects of hazardous or toxic
substances or petroleum product releases at the property and may be held liable
to a governmental entity or to third parties for property or personal injury
damages and for investigation and remediation costs incurred as a result of
contamination. These damages and costs may be
substantial. The presence of such substances, or the failure to
properly remediate the contamination, may adversely affect our ability to borrow
against, sell or rent the affected property. We must operate the
property in compliance with numerous federal, state and local laws and
regulations, including landlord tenant laws, the Americans with Disabilities
Act
of 1990 and other laws generally applicable to business
operations. Noncompliance with such laws could expose us to
liability.
We
operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities and
competition may limit our ability to acquire desirable investment
securities.
We
operate in a highly competitive market for investment
opportunities. Our profitability depends, in large part, on our
ability to acquire MBS or other investment securities at favorable
prices. In acquiring our investment securities, we compete with a
variety of institutional investors, including other REITs, public and private
funds, commercial and investment banks, commercial finance and insurance
companies and other financial institutions. Many of our competitors
are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical,
marketing and other resources than we do. Several other REITs have
recently raised, or are expected to raise, significant amounts of capital,
and
may have investment objectives that overlap with ours, which may create
additional competition for investment opportunities. Some competitors
may have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that are not
available to us. Many of our competitors are not subject to the
operating constraints associated with REIT tax compliance or maintenance of
an
exemption from the Investment Company Act. In addition, some of our
competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments,
which
could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and establish
additional business relationships than us. Furthermore, competition
for investment securities of the types and classes which we acquire may lead
to
the price of such assets increasing, which may further limit our ability to
generate desired returns. We cannot assure you that the competitive
pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business,
financial condition and results of operations. Also, as a result of
this competition, desirable investments may be limited in the future and we
may
not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time
to time, as we can provide no assurance that we will be able to identify and
make investments that are consistent with our investment
objectives.
Our
qualification as a REIT.
We
believe that we qualify for taxation as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax
purposes and plan to operate so that we can continue to meet the requirements
for qualification and taxation as a REIT. So long as we qualify as a
REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our income
that we distribute currently to our stockholders. Many of the REIT
requirements, however, are highly technical and complex. The
determination that we are a REIT requires an analysis of various factual matters
and circumstances, some of which may not be totally within our control and
some
of which involve questions of interpretation. For example, to qualify
as a REIT, at least 95% of our gross income must come from specific passive
sources, like mortgage interest, that are itemized in the REIT tax
laws. In addition, the composition of our assets must meet certain
requirements at the close of each quarter. There can be no assurance
that the Internal Revenue Service (or IRS) or a court would agree with any
conclusions or positions we have taken in interpreting the REIT
requirements. We also are required to distribute to our stockholders
at least 90% of our net taxable income (excluding net capital gains and losses)
on an annual basis.
11
Such
distribution requirement limits the amount of cash we have available for other
business purposes, including amounts to fund our growth. Also, it is
possible that because of differences in timing between the recognition of
taxable income and the actual receipt of cash, we may have to borrow funds
on a
short-term basis to meet the 90% distribution requirement. Even a
technical or inadvertent mistake could jeopardize our REIT qualification unless
we meet certain statutory relief provisions. Furthermore, Congress
and the IRS might make changes to the tax laws and regulations, and the courts
might issue new rulings, that make it more difficult or impossible for us to
remain qualified as a REIT.
If
we
fail to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we would be
subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates. Also,
unless the IRS granted us relief under certain statutory provisions, we would
remain disqualified as a REIT for four years following the year we first failed
to qualify. If we failed to qualify as a REIT, we would have to pay
significant income taxes. This likely would have a significant
adverse effect on the value of our securities. In addition, we would
no longer be required to pay any dividends to stockholders.
Even
if
we qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we are required
to
pay certain federal, state and local taxes on our income and
property. Any of these taxes will reduce our operating cash
flow.
Compliance
with securities laws and regulations could be costly.
The
SOX
Act and the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC and the New York Stock
Exchange affect the scope, complexity and cost of corporate governance,
regulatory compliance and reporting, and disclosure practices. We
believe that these rules and regulations will continue to make it costly for
us
to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be required to
accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same
coverage. These rules and regulations could also make it more
difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of management and
our
Board (particularly with respect to Board members serving on our Audit
Committee).
In
addition, our management is required to deliver a report that assesses the
effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, pursuant to
Section 302 of the SOX Act. Section 404 of the SOX Act requires
our independent registered public accounting firm to deliver an attestation
report on management’s assessment of, and the operating effectiveness of, our
internal controls over financial reporting in conjunction with their opinion
on
our audited financial statements as of each December 31. We cannot
give any assurances that material weaknesses will not be identified in the
future in connection with our compliance with the provisions of Sections 302
and
404 of the SOX Act. The existence of any such material weakness would
preclude a conclusion by management and our independent auditors that we
maintained effective internal control over financial reporting. Our
management may be required to devote significant time and expense to remediate
any material weaknesses that may be discovered and may not be able to remediate
any material weaknesses in a timely manner. The existence of any
material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting could also
result in errors in our financial statements that could require us to restate
our financial statements, cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations
and
cause stockholders to lose confidence in our reported financial information,
all
of which could lead to a decline in the market price of our common
stock.
Loss
of our Investment Company Act exemption would adversely affect
us.
We
intend
to conduct our business so as to maintain our exempt status under, and not
to
become regulated as an investment company for purposes of, the Investment
Company Act. If we failed to maintain our exempt status under the
Investment Company Act and became regulated as an investment company, our
ability to, among other things, use leverage would be substantially reduced
and,
as a result, we would be unable to conduct our business as described in this
annual report on Form 10-K. The Investment Company Act exempts
entities that are “primarily engaged in the business of purchasing or otherwise
acquiring mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate” (i.e.,
qualifying interests). Under the current interpretation of the staff
of the SEC, in order to qualify for this exemption, we must maintain (i) at
least 55% of our assets in qualifying interests (or the 55% Test) and (ii)
at
least 80% of our assets in real estate related assets (including qualifying
interests) (or the 80% Test). MBS that do not represent all of the
certificates issued (i.e., an undivided interest) with respect to the entire
pool of mortgages (i.e., a whole pool) underlying such MBS may be treated as
securities separate from such underlying mortgage loans and, thus, may not
be
considered qualifying interests for purposes of the 55% Test; however, such
MBS would be considered real estate related assets for purposes of the
80% Test. Therefore, for purposes of the 55% Test, our ownership
of these types of MBS is limited by the provisions of the Investment Company
Act. In meeting the 55% Test, we treat as qualifying interests those
MBS issued with respect to an underlying pool as to which we own all
of
12
the
issued certificates. There can be no assurance that the laws and
regulations governing REITs, including the Division of Investment Management
of
the SEC, providing more specific or different guidance regarding the treatment
of assets as qualifying interests or real estate related assets, will not change
in a manner that adversely affects our operations. If the SEC or its
staff were to adopt a contrary interpretation, we could be required to sell
a
substantial amount of our investment securities under potentially adverse market
conditions. Further, in order to insure that we at all times
qualifies for this exemption from the Investment Company Act, we may be
precluded from acquiring MBS whose yield is higher than the yield on MBS that
could be otherwise purchased in a manner consistent with this
exemption. Accordingly, we monitor our compliance with both of the
55% Test and the 80% Test in order to maintain our exempt status under the
Investment Company Act; however, there can be no assurance that we will be
able
to maintain our exemption as an investment company under the Investment Company
Act. If we fail to qualify for this exception in the future, we could
be required to restructure our activities, including effecting sales of our
investment securities under potentially adverse market conditions, which could
negatively affect the value of our common stock, the sustainability of our
business model and our ability to make distributions. As of December
31, 2007, we had determined that we were in, and had maintained compliance
with,
both of the 55% Test and the 80% Test.
Item
1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item
2.
Properties.
Executive
Offices
We
have a
lease for our corporate headquarters in New York, New York which extends through
April 30, 2017 and provides for aggregate cash payments ranging from
approximately $1.1 million to $1.4 million per year, paid on a monthly basis,
exclusive of escalation charges and landlord incentives. In connection with
this
lease, we established a $350,000 irrevocable standby letter of credit in lieu
of
lease security for the benefit of our landlord through April 30, 2017. The
letter of credit may be drawn upon by the landlord in the event that we default
under certain terms of the lease. In addition, we have a lease through December
2011 for our off-site back-up facility located in Rockville Centre, New York,
which provides for, among other things, rent of approximately $27,000 per year,
paid on a monthly basis. We believe that our current facilities are adequate
to
meet our needs in the foreseeable future.
Properties
Owned Through Subsidiary Corporations
At
December 31, 2007, we indirectly owned 100% interest in Lealand, an apartment
property located at 2945 Cruse Road, Lawrenceville, Georgia. (See Note 6 to
the
consolidated financial statements, included under Item 8 of this annual report
on Form 10-K.)
Item
3.
Legal Proceedings.
None.
To
date,
we have not been required to make any payments to the IRS as a penalty for
failing to make disclosures required with respect to certain transactions that
have been identified by the IRS as abusive or that have a significant tax
avoidance purpose.
Item
4.
Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security
Holders.
None.
13
Item
4A.
Executive Officers.
The
following table sets forth certain information with respect to each of our
executive officers at December 31, 2007. The Board appoints or
annually reaffirms the appointment of all of our executive
officers.
Officer
|
Age
|
Position
held with our company
|
||
Stewart
Zimmerman
|
63
|
Chairman
of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and
President
|
||
William
S. Gorin
|
49
|
Executive
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
|
||
Ronald
A. Freydberg
|
47
|
Executive
Vice President and Chief Portfolio Officer
|
||
Teresa
D. Covello
|
42
|
Senior
Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and
Treasurer
|
||
Timothy
W. Korth
|
42
|
General
Counsel, Senior Vice President – Business Development and
Corporate Secretary
|
Stewart
Zimmerman has served as our Chief Executive Officer, President and a
Director since 1997 and was appointed Chairman of the Board in March
2003. From 1989 through 1997, he initially served as a consultant to
The America First Companies and became Executive Vice President of America
First
Companies, L.L.C. During this time, he held a number of positions:
President and Chief Operating Officer of America First REIT, Inc. and President
of several mortgage funds, including America First Participating/Preferred
Equity Mortgage Fund, America First PREP Fund 2, America First PREP Fund II
Pension Series L.P., Capital Source L.P., Capital Source II L.P.-A, America
First Tax Exempt Mortgage Fund Limited Partnership and America First Tax Exempt
Fund 2-Limited Partnership. Previously, Mr. Zimmerman held various progressive
positions with other companies, including Security Pacific Merchant Bank, EF
Hutton & Company, Inc., Lehman Brothers, Bankers Trust Company and Zenith
Mortgage Company. Mr. Zimmerman holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from
Michigan State University.
William
S. Gorin serves as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer. He has served as Executive Vice President since 1997 and was
appointed Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in 2001. From 1998 to
2001, Mr. Gorin served as our Executive Vice President and
Secretary. From 1989 to 1997, Mr. Gorin held various positions with
PaineWebber Incorporated/Kidder, Peabody & Co. Incorporated, serving as a
First Vice President in the Research Department. Prior to that
position, Mr. Gorin was Senior Vice President in the Special Products
Group. From 1982 to 1988, Mr. Gorin was employed by Shearson Lehman
Hutton, Inc./E.F. Hutton & Company, Inc. in various positions in corporate
finance and direct investments. Mr. Gorin has a Masters of Business
Administration degree from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Arts degree
in
Economics from Brandeis University.
Ronald
A. Freydberg serves as our Executive Vice President and Chief Portfolio
Officer, which positions he was appointed to in 2001. From 1997 to
2001, he served as our Senior Vice President. From 1995 to 1997, Mr.
Freydberg served as a Vice President of Pentalpha Capital, in Greenwich,
Connecticut, where he was a fixed-income quantitative analysis and structuring
specialist. From 1988 to 1995, Mr. Freydberg held various positions
with J.P. Morgan & Co. From 1994 to 1995, he was with the Global
Markets Group. In that position, he was involved in commercial
mortgage-backed securitization and sale of distressed commercial real estate,
including structuring, due diligence and marketing. From 1985 to
1988, Mr. Freydberg was employed by Citicorp. Mr. Freydberg holds a
Masters of Business Administration degree in Finance from George Washington
University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Muhlenberg
College.
Teresa
D. Covello serves as our Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer
and Treasurer, which positions she was appointed to in 2003. From
2001 to 2003, Ms. Covello served as our Senior Vice President and
Controller. From 2000 until joining us in 2001, Ms. Covello was a
self-employed financial consultant, concentrating in investment banking within
the financial services sector. From 1990 to 2000, she was the
Director of Financial Reporting and served on the Strategic Planning Team for
JSB Financial, Inc. Ms. Covello began her career in public accounting
with KPMG Peat Marwick (predecessor to KPMG LLP). Ms. Covello
currently serves as a director and president of the board of directors of
Commerce Plaza, Inc., a not-for-profit organization. Ms. Covello is a
Certified Public Accountant and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Public
Accounting from Hofstra University.
Timothy
W. Korth II serves as our General Counsel, Senior Vice President –
Business Development and Corporate Secretary, which positions he has
held since
July 2003. From 2001 to 2003, Mr. Korth was a Counsel at the law firm
of Clifford Chance US LLP, where he specialized in corporate and securities
transactions involving REITs and other real estate companies and, prior to
such
time, had practiced law with that firm and its predecessor, Rogers & Wells
LLP, since 1992. Mr. Korth is admitted as an attorney in the State of
New York and has a Juris Doctor and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree
in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.
14
PART
II
Item
5. Market
for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related
Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity
Securities.
Market
Information
Our
common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, under the symbol
“MFA.” On February 12, 2008, the last sales price for our common
stock on the New York Stock Exchange was $10.70 per share. The
following table sets forth the high and low sales prices per share of our common
stock during each calendar quarter for the years ended December 31, 2007 and
2006.
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||||
Quarter
Ended
|
High
|
Low
|
High
|
Low
|
||||||||||||
March
31
|
$ | 7.87 | $ | 6.75 | $ | 6.90 | $ | 5.65 | ||||||||
June
30
|
$ | 8.06 | $ | 6.90 | $ | 7.08 | $ | 5.95 | ||||||||
September
30
|
$ | 8.65 | $ | 5.55 | $ | 7.49 | $ | 6.53 | ||||||||
December
31
|
$ | 9.30 | $ | 7.61 | $ | 8.12 | $ | 7.20 |
Holders
As
of
February 1, 2008, we had 1,045 registered holders and approximately 35,224
beneficial owners of our common stock. Such information was obtained
through our registrar and transfer agent, based on the results of a broker
search.
Dividends
No
dividends may be paid on our common stock unless full cumulative dividends
have
been paid on our 8.50% Series A Cumulative Redeemable preferred stock, par
value
$0.01 per share. From the date of our original issuance in April 2004
through December 31, 2007, we have paid full cumulative dividends on our
preferred stock.
We
have
historically declared cash dividends on our common stock on a quarterly
basis. During 2007 and 2006, we declared total cash dividends to
holders of our common stock of $42.2 million ($0.415 per share) and $16.7
million ($0.21 per share), respectively. In general, our common stock
dividends have been characterized as ordinary income to our stockholders for
income tax purposes. However, a portion of our common stock dividends
may, from time to time, be characterized as capital gains or return of
capital. For 2007 and 2006, our common stock dividends were
characterized as ordinary income to stockholders. (For additional
dividend information, see Notes 9(a) and 9(b) to the consolidated financial
statements, included under Item 8 of this annual report on Form
10-K.)
We
elected to be treated as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing
with our taxable year ended December 31, 1998 and, as such, have distributed
and
anticipate distributing annually at least 90% of our net taxable income, subject
to certain adjustments. Although we may borrow funds to make
distributions, cash for such distributions has generally been and is expected
to
continue to be largely generated from our results of
operations.
We
declared and paid the following dividends on our common stock during the years
2007 and 2006:
Year
|
Declaration
Date
|
Record
Date
|
Payment
Date
|
Dividend
per
Share
|
||||||
2007
|
April
3, 2007
|
April
13, 2007
|
April
30, 2007
|
$ | 0.080 | |||||
July
2, 2007
|
July
13, 2007
|
July
31, 2007
|
0.090 | |||||||
October
1, 2007
|
October
12, 2007
|
October
31, 2007
|
0.100 | |||||||
December
13, 2007
|
December
31, 2007
|
January
31, 2008
|
0.145 | (1) | ||||||
2006
|
April
3, 2006
|
April
17, 2006
|
April
28, 2006
|
$ | 0.050 | |||||
July
5, 2006
|
July
17, 2006
|
July
31, 2006
|
0.050 | |||||||
October
2, 2006
|
October
13, 2006
|
October
31, 2006
|
0.050 | |||||||
December
14, 2006
|
December
29, 2006
|
January
31, 2007
|
0.060 | (1) | ||||||
(1) For
tax purposes, a portion of each of the dividends declared on December
13,
2007 and December 14,
2006 was treated as a dividend for stockholders in the subsequent
year.
|
15
Dividends
are declared and paid at the discretion of our Board and depend on our cash
available for distribution, financial condition, ability to maintain our
qualification as a REIT, and such other factors that our Board may deem
relevant. We have not established a minimum payout level for our
common stock. See Item 1A, “Risk Factors”, and Item 7, “Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations”, of
this annual report on Form 10-K, for information regarding the sources of funds
used for dividends and for a discussion of factors, if any, which may adversely
affect our ability to pay dividends at the same levels in 2008 and
thereafter.
Discount
Waiver, Direct Stock Purchase and Dividend Reinvestment Plan
In
September 2003, we initiated a Discount Waiver, Direct Stock Purchase and
Dividend Reinvestment Plan (or the DRSPP) to provide existing stockholders
and
new investors with a convenient and economical way to purchase shares of our
common stock. Under the DRSPP, existing stockholders may elect to
automatically reinvest all or a portion of their cash dividends in additional
shares of our common stock and existing stockholders and new investors may
make
optional monthly cash purchases of shares of our common stock in amounts ranging
from $50 (or $1,000 for new investors) to $10,000 and, with our prior approval,
in excess of $10,000. At our discretion, shares of our common stock
purchased under the DRSPP may be acquired at discounts of up to 5% from the
prevailing market price at the time of purchase. BNY Mellon
Shareowner Services is the administrator of the DRSPP (or the Plan
Agent). Stockholders who own common stock that is registered in their
own name and want to participate in the DRSPP must deliver a completed
enrollment form to the Plan Agent. Stockholders who own common stock
that is registered in a name other than their own (e.g., broker, bank or other
nominee) and want to participate in the DRSPP must either request such nominee
holder to participate on their behalf or request that such nominee holder
re-register our common stock in the stockholder’s name and deliver a completed
enrollment form to the Plan Agent. Additional information regarding
the DRSPP (including a DRSPP prospectus) and enrollment forms are available
online from the Plan Agent via Investor Service Direct at www.melloninvestor.com
or from our website at www.mfa-reit.com. During
2007, we sold 978,086 shares of common stock through the DRSPP generating net
proceeds of $8.1 million.
Controlled
Equity Offering Program
On
August
20, 2004, we initiated a controlled equity offering program (or the CEO Program)
through which we may publicly offer and sell, from time to time, shares of
our
common stock through Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (or Cantor) in privately
negotiated and/or at-the-market transactions. During 2007, we issued
3,206,000 shares of common stock in at-the-market transactions through our
CEO
Program, raising cash proceeds of $23,891,416 million, net of fees and
commissions of $557,119 paid to Cantor in connection with these
transactions.
Securities
Authorized For Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
During
2004, we adopted the 2004 Equity Compensation Plan (or the 2004 Plan), as
approved by our stockholders. The 2004 Plan amended and restated our
Second Amended and Restated 1997 Stock Option Plan. (For a
description of the 2004 Plan, see Note 12(a) to the consolidated financial
statements included under Item 8 of this annual report on Form
10-K.)
The
following table presents certain information about our equity compensation
plans
as of December 31, 2007:
Plan
category
|
Number
of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options,
warrants
and rights
|
Weighted-average
exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and
rights
|
Number
of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity
compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in the first column
of
this table)
|
|||||||||
Equity
compensation plans approved by security holders
|
962,000 | $ | 9.33 | 1,918,125 | ||||||||
Equity
compensation plans not approved by security holders
|
- | - | - | |||||||||
Total
|
962,000 | $ | 9.33 | 1,918,125 | ||||||||
16
Item
6. Selected
Financial Data.
Set
forth
below is our selected financial data which should be read in conjunction with
our consolidated financial statements and notes to the consolidated financial
statements, included under Item 8 of this annual report on Form
10-K.
For
the Year Ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Operating
Data:
|
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
2003
|
|||||||||||||||
(In
Thousands, Except per Share Amounts)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Interest
and dividends on securities
|
$ | 380,170 | $ | 216,871 | $ | 235,798 | $ | 174,957 | $ | 119,612 | ||||||||||
Interest
income on short-term cash investments
|
4,493 | 2,321 | 2,921 | 807 | 746 | |||||||||||||||
Interest
income on income notes
|
158 | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(321,305 | ) | (181,922 | ) | (183,833 | ) | (88,888 | ) | (56,592 | ) | ||||||||||
Net
(loss) gain on sale of investment securities (1)
|
(21,793 | ) | (23,113 | ) | (18,354 | ) | 371 | (265 | ) | |||||||||||
Net
loss on early termination of Swaps
|
(384 | ) | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
Other-than-temporary
impairment on investment
securities
(1)
|
- | - | (20,720 | ) | - | - | ||||||||||||||
Other
income (2)
|
2,060 | 2,264 | 1,811 | 1,675 | 1,346 | |||||||||||||||
Operating
and other expenses
|
(13,446 | ) | (11,185 | ) | (10,829 | ) | (10,622 | ) | (8,295 | ) | ||||||||||
Income
from continuing operations
|
29,953 | 5,236 | 6,794 | 78,300 | 56,552 | |||||||||||||||
Discontinued
operations, net
|
257 | 3,522 | (86 | ) | (227 | ) | 1,296 | |||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ | 30,210 | $ | 8,758 | $ | 6,708 | $ | 78,073 | $ | 57,848 | ||||||||||
Preferred
stock dividends
|
8,160 | 8,160 | 8,160 | 3,576 | - | |||||||||||||||
Net
income (loss) to common stockholders
|
$ | 22,050 | $ | 598 | $ | (1,452 | ) | $ | 74,497 | $ | 57,848 | |||||||||
Earnings
(loss) per common share from
continuing
operations – basic and diluted
|
$ | 0.24 | $ | (0.03 | ) | $ | (0.02 | ) | $ | 0.98 | $ | 1.05 | ||||||||
Earnings
per common share from discontinued
operations
– basic and diluted
|
$ | - | $ | 0.04 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | .02 | ||||||||||
Earnings
(loss) per common share, basic and diluted
|
$ | 0.24 | $ | 0.01 | $ | (0.02 | ) | $ | 0.98 | $ | 1.07 | |||||||||
Dividends
declared per share of common stock (3)
|
$ | 0.415 | $ | 0.210 | $ | 0.405 | $ | 0.960 | $ | 1.090 | ||||||||||
Dividends
declared per share of preferred stock
|
$ | 2.125 | $ | 2.125 | $ | 2.125 | $ | 1.440 | $ | - | ||||||||||
At
December 31,
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
Sheet Data:
|
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
2003
|
|||||||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
MBS
|
$ | 8,301,183 | $ | 6,340,668 | $ | 5,714,906 | $ | 6,777,574 | $ | 4,372,718 | ||||||||||
Total
assets
|
8,605,859 | 6,443,967 | 5,846,917 | 6,913,684 | 4,564,930 | |||||||||||||||
Repurchase
agreements
|
7,526,014 | 5,722,711 | 5,099,532 | 6,113,032 | 4,024,376 | |||||||||||||||
Preferred
stock, liquidation preference (4)
|
96,000 | 96,000 | 96,000 | 96,000 | - | |||||||||||||||
Total
stockholders’ equity
|
927,263 | 678,558 | 661,102 | 728,834 | 484,958 | |||||||||||||||
(1)
|
During
2007, we selectively sold $844.5 million of Agency and AAA rated
MBS,
resulting in a realized net loss of $21.8 million. These sales were
primarily made in the third quarter of 2007. Beginning in the fourth
quarter of 2005 through the second quarter of 2006, we reduced our
asset
base through a strategy under which we, among other things, sold
our
higher duration and lower yielding MBS. During 2006, we sold approximately
$1.844 billion of MBS, realizing net losses of $23.1 million, comprised
of
gross losses of $25.2 million and gross gains of $2.1 million. For
2005,
the repositioning involved the sale of $564.8 million of MBS, which
resulted in an $18.4 million loss on sale, and an impairment charge
of
$20.7 million against certain MBS with an amortized cost of $842.2
million.
|
(2)
|
Results
of operations for real estate sold has been reclassified to discontinued
operations for each of the prior periods presented.
|
(3)
|
We
generally declare dividends on our common stock in the month subsequent
to
the end of each calendar quarter, with the exception of the fourth
quarter
dividend which is typically declared during the fourth calendar quarter
for tax purposes.
|
(4)
|
Reflects
the aggregate liquidation preference on the 3,840,000 outstanding
shares
of our 8.50% Series A Cumulative Redeemable preferred stock, par
value
$0.01. Our preferred stock is redeemable exclusively at our option
at
$25.00 per share plus accrued interest and unpaid dividends (whether
or
not declared) commencing on April 27, 2009. No dividends may be paid
on
our common stock unless full cumulative dividends have been paid
on our
preferred stock. From the date of our original issuance in April
2004
through December 31, 2007, we have paid full quarterly dividends
on our
preferred stock.
|
17
Item
7. Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations.
GENERAL
At
December 31, 2007, 99.7% of our assets consisted of Agency MBS, AAA rated MBS,
MBS-related receivables, cash, cash equivalents and restricted
cash. In addition, at December 31, 2007, we held a 100% indirect
interest a multi-family apartment property and $7.9 million of Non-Agency MBS
and other securities rated below AAA or unrated (none of which were backed
by
subprime collateral). Through wholly-owned subsidiaries, we also
provide third-party investment advisory services.
Our
principal business objective is to generate net income for distribution to
our
stockholders resulting from the spread between the interest and other income
we
earn on our investments and the interest expense we pay on the borrowings that
we use to finance our investments and our operating costs.
The
results of our business operations are affected by a number of factors and
primarily depend on, among other things, the level of our net interest income,
the market value of our assets and the supply of, and demand for, MBS in the
market place. Our net interest income varies primarily as a result of
changes in interest rates, the slope of the yield curve, borrowing costs (i.e.,
our interest expense) and prepayment speeds on our MBS portfolio, the behavior
of which involves various risks and uncertainties. Interest rates and
prepayment speeds, as measured by the CPR, vary according to the type of
investment, conditions in the financial markets, competition and other factors,
none of which can be predicted with any certainty.
With
respect to our business operations, increases in interest rates, in general,
may
over time cause: (i) the interest expense associated with our borrowings, which
are primarily comprised of repurchase agreements, to increase; (ii) the value
of
our MBS portfolio and, correspondingly, our stockholders’ equity to decline;
(iii) coupons on our MBS to reset, although on a delayed basis, to higher
interest rates; (iv) prepayments on our MBS portfolio to slow, thereby slowing
the amortization of our MBS purchase premiums; and (v) the value of our Swaps
and, correspondingly, our stockholders’ equity to
increase. Conversely, decreases in interest rates, in general, may
over time cause: (i) prepayments on our MBS portfolio to increase, thereby
accelerating the amortization of our MBS purchase premiums; (ii) the interest
expense associated with our borrowings to decrease; (iii) the value of our
MBS
portfolio and, correspondingly, our stockholders’ equity to increase; (iv) the
value of our Swaps and, correspondingly, our stockholders’ equity to decrease,
and (v) coupons on our MBS assets to reset, although on a delayed basis, to
lower interest rates. In addition, our borrowing costs and credit
lines are further affected by the type of collateral pledged and general
conditions in the credit market.
We
expect
that over time ARM-MBS experience higher prepayment rates than do fixed-rate
MBS, as we believe that homeowners with ARMs exhibit more rapid housing turnover
levels or refinancing activity compared to fixed-rate borrowers. In
addition, we anticipate that prepayments on ARM-MBS accelerate significantly
as
the coupon reset date approaches. Over the last consecutive eight
quarters, ending with December 31, 2007, the CPR on our MBS portfolio has ranged
from a low of 13.4% to a high of 26.4%, with an average quarterly CPR of
21.8%. Our premium amortization, which reduces the yield earned on
our MBS, is impacted by the amount of our purchase premiums relative to our
MBS
investments and is also affected by the speed at which our MBS
prepay. At December 31, 2007, we had net purchase premiums of $101.6
million, or 1.2% of current par value, compared to $98.8 million of net purchase
premiums, or 1.6% of par balance, at December 31, 2006.
During
each of the last three quarters of the year ended December 31, 2007, our CPR
declined. We believe that our investments in 7/1 and 10/1 MBS, which
have longer fixed-rate periods (i.e., seven years for a 7/1 and 10 years for
a
10/1), weakness in the housing market and the tightening of underwriting
standards on mortgage loans contributed to reducing the speed at which our
MBS
prepay. As of December 31, 2007, assuming a 20% CPR, which
approximates the speed at which we estimate that our MBS will prepay over time,
approximately 31.3% of our MBS assets were expected to reset or prepay during
the next 12 months, with a total of 84.6% expected to reset or prepay during
the
next 60 months, with an average time period until our assets prepay or reset
of
approximately 33 months. Our repurchase agreements, extended on
average approximately 23 months, including the impact of Swaps, resulting in
an
asset/liability mismatch of approximately 10 months, assuming a 20% CPR, at
December 31, 2007.
18
The
following table presents the quarterly average CPR experienced on our MBS
portfolio, on an annualized basis:
CPR
|
||||||||
Quarter
Ended
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
December
31
|
13.4 | % | 26.0 | % | ||||
September
30
|
18.1 | 26.4 | ||||||
June
30
|
22.5 | 26.1 | ||||||
March
31
|
23.8 | 24.4 |
The
ARMs
collateralizing our MBS are primarily comprised of Hybrids, which have interest
rates that are fixed typically fixed for three to ten years and, thereafter,
generally adjust annually to an increment over a specified interest rate index
and, to a lesser extent, adjustable-rate mortgage loans, which have interest
rates that generally adjust annually (although some may adjust more frequently)
to an increment over a specified interest rate index. The following
table presents information about the interim and lifetime caps on our ARM-MBS
portfolio at December 31, 2007.
Lifetime
Caps on ARM-MBS
|
Interim
Interest Rate Caps on ARM-MBS
|
|||||
%
of Total
|
%
of Total
|
|||||
8.0%
to 10.0%
|
9.1%
|
1.0%
|
2.6%
|
|||
>10.0%
to 12.0%
|
80.2
|
2.0%
and 3.0%
|
5.3
|
|||
>12.0%
to 15.0%
|
10.7
|
5.0%
and 6.0%
|
86.5
|
|||
100.0%
|
8.5%
to 13.1%
|
5.6
|
||||
100.0%
|
It
is our
business strategy to hold our investment securities, primarily comprised of
MBS,
as long-term investments. As such, on at least a quarterly basis, we
assess both our ability and intent to continue to hold each of our investment
securities. As part of this process, we monitor our investment
securities for other-than-temporary impairment. A change in our
ability and/or intent to continue to hold any of our investment securities
could
result in our recognizing an impairment charge or realizing losses upon the
sale
of such securities. At December 31, 2007, we had net unrealized gains
of $29.2 million on our investment securities portfolio, comprised of gross
unrealized gains of $48.6 million and gross unrealized losses of $19.4
million. We expect to hold our investment securities which were in an
unrealized loss position at December 31, 2007 until such time that we recover
such losses or until maturity.
During
2007, as part of our hedging strategy, we: (i) entered into 106 new Swaps with
an aggregate notional amount of $3.965 billion; (ii) had Swaps with an aggregate
notional amount of $841.1 million expire and (iii) terminated six Swaps with
an
aggregate notional amount of $305.2 million, in connection with the satisfaction
of the repurchase agreements that such Swaps hedged, and realized a net loss
of
$384,000. We paid a weighted average fixed rate of 4.97% on our Swaps
and received a variable rate of 5.20% for the year ended December 31,
2007. Our Swaps resulted in a net reduction of interest expense of
$6.5 million, or ten basis points, for the year ended December 31,
2007. At December 31, 2007, we had repurchase agreements of $7.526
billion and Swaps with an aggregate notional amount of $4.628
billion. During the year ended December 31, 2007, we received
payments of approximately $327,000 on our Caps and recognized $278,000 of Cap
premium amortization. During 2007, we did not purchase any Caps and
had all of our remaining Caps with $150.0 million notional amount
expire. (See Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements,
included under Item 8 of this annual report on Form 10-K.)
On
February 12, 2008, MFResidential Investments, Inc., a newly-organized Maryland
corporation (or MFResidential), filed its initial registration statement on
Form
S-11 with the SEC. MFResidential’s business strategy will be to
invest primarily, on a leveraged basis, in residential MBS, residential mortgage
loans and other real estate-related financial assets. MFResidential
will be externally managed by one of our subsidiaries, for which we will,
indirectly, be entitled to receive management fee income pursuant to a written
management agreement. In addition, in connection with its initial
public offering, we have agreed to make an investment in MFResidential and/or
its operating partnership subsidiary equal in the aggregate to 9.8% of the
outstanding shares of common stock of MFResidential after giving effect to
such
offering. In addition, we will continue to explore alternative
business strategies, investments and financing sources and other strategic
initiatives, including, but not limited to, the expansion of our third-party
advisory services, the creation of new investment vehicles to manage MBS and/or
other
19
real
estate-related assets and the creation and/or acquisition of a third-party
asset
management business to complement our core business strategy of investing,
on a
leveraged basis, in high quality ARM-MBS. However, no assurance can
be provided that any such strategic initiatives will or will not be implemented
in the future or, if undertaken, that any such strategic initiatives will
favorably impact us.
The
interest rates on our ARM-MBS reset based upon the benchmark interest rates
to
which they are indexed. At December 31, 2007, our ARM-MBS were
indexed as follows: 67.5% to 12-month LIBOR; 11.3% to 6-month LIBOR;
15.5% to the one-year CMT, 5.2% to the 12-month MTA and 0.5% to
COFI.
The
following table presents the quarterly average of certain benchmark interest
rates during 2007 and 2006:
Year
|
Quarter
Ended
|
30-Day
LIBOR
|
6-Month
LIBOR
|
12-Month
LIBOR
|
1-Year
CMT
|
2-Year
Treasury
|
10-Year
Treasury
|
|||||||||||||||||||
2007
|
December
31
|
4.60 | % | 4.60 | % | 4.22 | % | 3.34 | % | 3.05 | % | 4.03 | % | |||||||||||||
September
30
|
5.12 | 5.13 | 4.90 | 4.05 | 3.96 | 4.58 | ||||||||||||||||||||
June
30
|
5.32 | 5.39 | 5.43 | 4.91 | 4.88 | 5.03 | ||||||||||||||||||||
March
31
|
5.32 | 5.33 | 5.22 | 4.90 | 4.58 | 4.65 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2006
|
December
31
|
5.33 | % | 5.37 | % | 5.30 | % | 4.99 | % | 4.74 | % | 4.63 | % | |||||||||||||
September
30
|
5.35 | 5.49 | 5.51 | 5.09 | 4.93 | 4.89 | ||||||||||||||||||||
June
30
|
5.09 | 5.34 | 5.45 | 5.02 | 4.99 | 5.07 | ||||||||||||||||||||
March
31
|
4.61 | 4.91 | 5.04 | 4.64 | 4.59 | 4.57 |
Market
Conditions
During
2007, concerns about increased mortgage delinquencies led investors to question
the underlying risk and value of MBS across the ratings
spectrum. Since the beginning of July, banks, brokers and insurers
have announced many billions in losses from exposure to the U.S. mortgage credit
market. These losses have reduced financial industry capital and have
led to reduced liquidity. This reduced liquidity has in turn led to
forced asset sales providing attractive spread investment opportunities for
MFA.
From
September 18, 2007 to December 31, 2007, the Federal Reserve (or the Fed)
decreased the target federal funds rate on three occasions, by an aggregate
of
100 basis points from 5.25% to 4.25%. Beginning in the latter part of
the third quarter of 2007, spreads on MBS, relative to our cost of funding,
widened. We took advantage of these market conditions by raising
additional capital. From September 12, 2007 through December 31,
2007, we raised aggregate net proceeds of $277.1 million from the issuance
of
approximately 38.0 million shares of our common stock in three separate public
offerings. We invested the net cash proceeds, on a leveraged basis,
in Agency ARM-MBS, with initial fixed rate periods ranging from three to ten
years (i.e., 3/1 through 10/1 Hybrid ARMs). On January 16, 2008, we
announced a public offering of our common stock, which settled on January 23,
2008. Through this offering, we raised net proceeds of $253.0 million
from the issuance of approximately 28.8 million shares of our common
stock.
On
January 30, 2008, following a 75 basis point inter-meeting rate cut the previous
week, the Fed lowered the target federal funds rate an additional 50 basis
points to 3.00%. The investment of the proceeds from our equity
offerings, on a leverage basis, along with our reduced funding costs due to
declines in interest rates should lead to increased spreads in the first quarter
of 2008.
At
December 31, 2007, our MBS portfolio was $8.301 billion, compared to $6.341
billion at December 31, 2006. Our leverage ratio, as measured by
assets-to-equity, was 9.3 to 1 at December 31, 2007 compared to 9.5 to 1 at
December 31, 2006. (See Notes 9(c) and 9(d) to the consolidated
financial statements, included under Item 8.)
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
Year
Ended December 31, 2007 Compared to Year Ended December 31,
2006
For
2007,
we had net income available to our common stockholders of $22.1 million, or
$0.24 per common share, compared to net income of $598,000, or $0.01 per share,
for 2006. During 2007 and 2006, we repositioned
20
our
MBS
portfolio, realizing net losses on the sale of MBS of $21.8 million and $23.1
million, respectively. In addition, our 2006 net income was
positively impacted by the net results of our discontinued operations, which
was
comprised of a net gain realized on the sale of two multi-family apartment
properties net of such properties’ operating losses.
Interest
income on our investment securities portfolio for 2007 increased by $163.4
million, or 75.4%, to $380.3 million compared to $216.9 million for
2006. This increase in interest income reflects the growth in, and an
increase in the yield earned on, our MBS portfolio. Our MBS yield was
positively impacted by purchases of higher yielding 7/1 and 10/1 MBS and the
repositioning of our portfolio in response to market conditions, whereby, in
addition to reducing our non-Agency MBS concentration, we sold lower yielding,
longer duration Agency MBS. Excluding changes in market values, our
average investment in MBS increased by $2.142 billion, or 45.2%, to $6.887
billion for 2007 from $4.744 billion for 2006. The net yield on our
MBS portfolio increased to 5.52% for 2007 from 4.57% for 2006. This
increase primarily reflects a 66 basis point increase in the gross yield on
the
MBS portfolio to 6.11% for 2007 from 5.45% for 2006 and a 27 basis point
reduction in the cost of net premium amortization. The cost of our
premium amortization decreased to 41 basis points for 2007 from 68 basis points
for 2006. This decrease in the cost of our premium amortization
during 2007 reflects a decrease in the average CPR experienced on our portfolio
to 19.1% for 2007 from 25.7% for 2006 as well as a decrease in the average
purchase premium on our MBS portfolio to 1.4% for 2007 from 1.8 % for
2006.
The
following table presents the components of the net yield earned on our MBS
portfolio for the quarterly periods presented:
Year
|
Quarter
Ended
|
Gross
Yield/Stated Coupon
|
Net
Premium Amortization
|
Cost
of Delay for Principal
Receivable
|
Net
Yield
|
|||||||||||||
2007
|
December
31
|
6.12 | % | (0.25 | )% | (0.14 | )% | 5.73 | % | |||||||||
September
30
|
6.12 | (0.38 | ) | (0.16 | ) | 5.58 | ||||||||||||
June
30
|
6.09 | (0.50 | ) | (0.19 | ) | 5.40 | ||||||||||||
March
31
|
6.11 | (0.55 | ) | (0.21 | ) | 5.35 | ||||||||||||
2006
|
December
31
|
6.04 | % | (0.64 | )% | (0.22 | )% | 5.18 | % | |||||||||
September
30
|
5.74 | (0.70 | ) | (0.21 | ) | 4.83 | ||||||||||||
June
30
|
5.16 | (0.76 | ) | (0.19 | ) | 4.21 | ||||||||||||
March
31
|
4.86 | (0.64 | ) (1) | (0.18 | ) | 4.04 |
(1)
The cost of net premium amortization for the quarter ended March 31, 2006 was
lower as a result of a $20.7 million impairment charge taken against certain
MBS
at December 31, 2005. This impairment charge resulted in a new cost
basis for the MBS that were identified as impaired which reduced our purchase
premiums on these assets, which in turn reduced our purchase premium
amortization as they were sold or prepaid. During the quarter ended
March 31, 2006, we sold all of the MBS that were identified as
impaired.
Interest
income from our cash investments increased by $2.2 million to $4.5 million
for
2007 from $2.3 million for 2006. Our average cash investments
increased by $43.4 million to $93.4 million for 2007 compared to $50.0 million
for 2006 and yielded 4.81% for 2007 compared to 4.65% for 2006. In
general, we manage our cash investments relative to our investing, financing,
operating requirements, investment opportunities and current and anticipated
market conditions. During the third quarter ended September 30, 2007,
our yield on cash investments began to decline, in line with declining market
interest rates. We expect that the yield on our cash investments will
continue to follow the direction of Fed changes to the target federal funds
rate.
Our
borrowings under repurchase agreements increased as we leveraged equity capital
raised during 2007 to grow our MBS portfolio. Our average repurchase
agreements for 2007 increased by $2.141 billion, or 52.4%, to $6.229 billion
from $4.088 billion for 2006. We experienced a 71 basis point
increase in our effective cost of borrowing to 5.16% for 2007 from 4.45% for
2006. This increase in rate paid on our borrowings reflects the
higher market rates paid on incremental borrowings and repurchase agreements
that matured during 2007. Our Hedging Instruments reduced the cost of
our borrowings by $6.6 million, or ten basis points, for 2007 and $5.2 million,
or 13 basis points, for 2006. Our interest expense for 2007 increased
by 76.6% to $321.3 million, from $181.9 million for 2006, reflecting an increase
in the amount of, and interest rate paid on, our borrowings.
Our
cost
of funding on the hedged portion of our repurchase agreements is in effect
fixed, over the term of the related Swap, such that the interest rate on our
hedged repurchase agreements will not decrease in connection with the recent
decline in market interest rates, but rather will remain at the fixed Swap
rate
over the term of the Swap. At December 31, 2007, we had repurchase
agreements of $7.526 billion and Swaps with an aggregate
notional
21
amount
of
$4.628 billion which had a weighted average fixed pay rate of 4.83% and a
weighted average remaining term of 30 months. The remainder of our
repurchase agreements, which are not hedged, had a weighted average term to
maturity of 15 months at December 31, 2007. (See Notes 2(n) and 5 to
the consolidated financial statements, included under Item 8 of this annual
report on Form 10-K.)
For
2007,
our net interest income increased by $26.2 million, or 70.4%, to $63.5 million,
from $37.3 million for 2006. This increase reflects the growth in our
interest-earning assets, an increase in the yield on our MBS and an improvement
in our net interest spread as MBS yields relative to our cost of funding
widened. For 2007, our net interest spread and margin increased to
0.35% and 0.91%, respectively, from 0.12% and 0.78%, respectively, for
2006. The following table presents quarterly information regarding
our net interest spread and net interest margin (which is net interest income
divided by interest-earning assets) for the quarters
presented.
For
the
Quarter
Ended
|
Net
Interest Spread
|
Net
Interest Margin
|
||||||
December
31, 2007
|
0.65 | % | 1.22 | % | ||||
September
30, 2007
|
0.36 | % | 0.90 | % | ||||
June
30, 2007
|
0.20 | 0.74 | ||||||
March
31, 2007
|
0.16 | 0.73 | ||||||
December
31, 2006
|
0.08 | 0.72 |
The
following table presents information regarding our average balances, interest
income and expense, yields on interest earning assets, cost of funds and net
interest income for the quarterly periods presented.
For
the Quarter Ended
|
Average
Amortized Cost of MBS
(1)
|
Interest
Income on Investment Securities
|
Average
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
|
Total
Interest Income
|
Yield
on Average Interest-Earning Assets
|
Average
Balance of Repurchase Agreements
|
Interest
Expense
|
Average
Cost of Funds
|
Net
Interest Income
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars
in Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December
31, 2007
|
$ | 7,681,065 | $ | 109,999 | $ | 196,344 | $ | 112,284 | 5.70 | % | $ | 6,975,521 | $ | 88,881 | 5.05 | % | $ | 23,403 | ||||||||||||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
6,852,994 | 95,590 | 90,006 | 96,716 | 5.57 | 6,225,695 | 81,816 | 5.21 | 14,900 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
June
30, 2007
|
6,696,979 | 90,392 | 51,160 | 91,026 | 5.39 | 6,051,209 | 78,348 | 5.19 | 12,678 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
March
31, 2007
|
6,300,491 | 84,347 | 34,443 | 84,795 | 5.35 | 5,647,700 | 72,260 | 5.19 | 12,535 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December
31, 2006
|
5,469,461 | 70,836 | 52,412 | 71,480 | 5.18 | 4,833,897 | 62,114 | 5.10 | 9,366 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(1)
Unrealized gains and losses are not reflected in the average
amortized
cost of MBS.
|
For
2007,
we had a net other loss of $20.1 million compared to a net other loss of $20.8
million for 2006. Our net other losses for both periods were
primarily comprised of losses realized on sales of our MBS. During
2007, we realized losses of $21.8 million on sales of Agency and AAA rated
MBS,
which primarily occurred during the third quarter of 2007. As a
result of these sales, we decreased the size of our non-Agency MBS portfolio
and
positively impacted the spreads earned on our MBS portfolio by disposing of
lower-yielding Agency MBS acquired prior to 2006. During 2006, we
realized a net loss of $23.1 million on sales of MBS, as a result of the
repositioning of our MBS portfolio.
During
2007, we realized a net loss of $384,000 on the early termination of six Swaps,
which had an aggregate notional amount of $305.2 million, upon the satisfaction
of the repurchase agreements that such Swaps hedged. We earned
$424,000 and $724,000 in advisory fees during 2007 and 2006, respectively,
which
are included in miscellaneous other income, net. Revenue from our
real estate investment remained relatively flat at approximately $1.6
million. (See Note 6(a) to the consolidated financial statements,
included under Item 8 of this annual report on Form 10-K.)
For
2007,
we had operating and other expenses of $13.4 million, including real estate
operating expenses and mortgage interest totaling $1.8 million attributable
to
our one remaining real estate investment. For 2007, our non-real
estate related overhead, comprised of compensation and benefits and other
general and administrative expense, was $11.7 million, or 0.17% of average
assets, compared to $9.6 million, or 0.20% of average assets, for
2006. Our expenses as a percentage of our average assets decreased,
as we grew our average assets by leveraging our existing and new equity capital
during 2007. The cost of our compensation and benefits increased by
$890,000 for 2007 compared to the 2006, reflecting an increase in compensation
to existing employees and our additional hires. Our compensation
expense of $6.6 million for 2007 included aggregate non-cash share-based
expenses of $512,000,
22
compared
to $539,000 for 2006. (See Note 12 to the consolidated financial
statements, included under Item 8 of this annual report on Form
10-K.) Our other general and administrative expenses for 2007 were
comprised primarily of the cost of professional services, including auditing
and
legal fees, costs of complying with the provisions of the SOX Act, office rent,
corporate insurance, Board fees and miscellaneous other operating
costs. The increase in our other general and administrative expense
for 2007 to $5.1 million from $3.8 million for 2006, primarily reflects the
cost
of our additional office space as we grew and the renewal of our existing lease
at our headquarters at current market rates commencing with the second quarter
of 2007.
For
2007,
we recognized $257,000 of income from discontinued operations related to a
reduction of the $1.8 million built-in-gains tax of recognized on the sale
of
the Greenhouse, a 128-unit multi-family apartment building in Omaha, Nebraska,
during 2006. During 2006, we reported income of $3.5 million
from discontinued operations, or $0.04 per common share, which primarily
reflected a net gain of $4.4 million realized on sales of two real estate
properties and related prepayment penalties of $712,000 incurred on the
satisfaction of the mortgages secured by those properties. The loss
of $198,000 from discontinued operations for 2006 reflected the reclassified
net
results of operations for the two properties sold during such
year. (See Notes 2(h) and 6 to the consolidated financial statements,
included under Item 8 of
this
annual report on Form 10-K.)
Year
Ended December 31, 2006 Compared to Year Ended December 31,
2005
In
accordance with applicable GAAP, revenues and expenses for our indirect
interests in properties classified as held-for-sale or sold have been reported
on a net basis as a component of discontinued operations, for each of the
periods presented. (See Notes 2(h) and 6 to the consolidated
financial statements, included under Item 8 of this annual report on Form
10-K.)
For
2006,
we had net income available to our common stockholders of $598,000, or a $0.01
per common share, compared to a net loss of $1.5 million, or $(0.02) per share,
for 2005. Both 2006 and 2005 were transitional years that resulted in
net losses from the repositioning of our MBS portfolio. As a result
of our repositioning, we realized net losses of $23.1 million on the sale of
MBS
during 2006 and, recognized an aggregate loss of $39.1 million, comprised of
an
$18.4 million loss on the sale of MBS and an impairment charge of $20.7 million,
during 2005. Our 2006 net income was positively impacted by a net
gain realized on the sale of two multi-family apartment properties, which is
a
component of discontinued operations. For 2006, discontinued
operations, which was primarily comprised of the net gain on the sales of the
two properties, increased our earnings by $3.5 million, or $0.04 per common
share. Results from discontinued operations were not meaningful for
2005.
Our
interest income for 2006 decreased by $19.5 million, or 8.2%, to $219.2 million
compared to $238.7 million for 2005. This decrease in interest income
primarily reflects the decrease in the size of our MBS portfolio, resulting
from
sales of certain of our MBS during 2005 and 2006 and our strategy to limit
reinvestment of principal payments received on our MBS
portfolio. Excluding changes in market values, our average investment
in MBS decreased by $2.046 billion, or 30.1%, to $4.744 billion for 2006 from
$6.790 billion for 2005. The net yield on our MBS portfolio increased
to 4.57% for 2006 from 3.47% for 2005. This increase primarily
reflects the increase of 93 basis points in the gross yield on the MBS portfolio
to 5.45% for 2006 from 4.52% for 2005 and, to a lesser extent, a 19 basis point
reduction in the cost of net premium amortization to 68 basis points for 2006
from 87 basis points for 2005. The decrease in the cost of our
premium amortization during 2006 reflects a decrease in the average purchase
premium on our MBS portfolio and the corresponding impact of a decrease in
the
CPR on our portfolio to 25.7% for 2006 from 29.8% CPR for
2005.
23
The
following table presents the components of the net yield earned on our MBS
portfolio for the quarterly periods presented:
Year
|
Quarter
Ended
|
Stated
Coupon
|
Net
Premium Amortization
|
Cost
of Delay
and
Other
|
Net
Yield
|
|||||||||||||
2006
|
December
31
|
6.04 | % | (0.64 | )% | (0.22 | )% | 5.18 | % | |||||||||
September
30
|
5.74 | (0.70 | ) | (0.21 | ) | 4.83 | ||||||||||||
June
30
|
5.16 | (0.76 | ) | (0.19 | ) | 4.21 | ||||||||||||
March
31
|
4.86 | (0.64 | ) (1) | (0.18 | ) | 4.04 | ||||||||||||
2005
|
December
31
|
4.70 | % | (0.90 | )% | (0.18 | )% | 3.62 | % | |||||||||
September
30
|
4.55 | (1.05 | ) | (0.19 | ) | 3.31 | ||||||||||||
June
30
|
4.48 | (0.86 | ) | (0.17 | ) | 3.45 | ||||||||||||
March
31
|
4.36 | (0.70 | ) | (0.15 | ) | 3.51 |
(1)
The cost of net premium amortization for the quarter ended March 31, 2006 was
lower as a result of a $20.7 million impairment charge taken against certain
MBS
at December 31, 2005. This impairment charge resulted in a new cost
basis for the MBS that were identified as impaired which reduced our purchase
premiums on these assets, which in turn reduced our purchase premium
amortization as they were sold or prepaid. During the quarter ended
March 31, 2006, we sold all of the MBS that were identified as impaired at
December 31, 2005.
The
following table presents the quarterly average CPR experienced on our MBS
portfolio, on an annualized basis:
CPR
|
||||||||
Quarter
Ended
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
December
31
|
26.0 | % | 31.2 | % | ||||
September
30
|
26.4 | 34.9 | ||||||
June
30
|
26.1 | 29.3 | ||||||
March
31
|
24.4 | 24.1 |
Interest
income from our cash investments, comprised of money market/sweep accounts,
decreased by $600,000 to $2.3 million for 2006 from $2.9 million for
2005. While our yield on cash investments increased to 4.65% for
2006, compared to 3.17% for 2005, reflecting market increases in short-term
interest rates, our average investment in cash investments decreased to $50.0
million for 2006 compared to $92.0 million for 2005. In general, we
manage our cash investments relative to our investing, financing and operating
requirements and investment opportunities.
Our
interest expense for 2006 decreased by 1.0% to $181.9 million, from $183.8
million for 2005. This decrease in interest expense for 2006 reflects
the reduction in our borrowings, which was partially offset by an increase
in
the rate paid on our borrowings. Our borrowings declined as a result
of a reduction of our assets and liabilities during the period beginning in
the
fourth quarter of 2005 through the second quarter of 2006. Our
average liability under repurchase agreements for 2006 was $4.088 billion,
compared to $6.103 billion for 2005, while our cost of borrowings increased
to
4.45% for 2006, from 3.01% for 2005. This increase in our cost of
borrowings reflects the increase in short-term market interest
rates. Our Hedging Instruments decreased the cost of our borrowings
by $5.2 million, or 13 basis points for 2006, while such instruments increased
our cost of borrowings by $1.2 million, or two basis points for
2005. (See Notes 2(n) and 5 to the consolidated financial statements,
included under Item 8 of this annual report on Form 10-K.)
For
2006,
our net interest income decreased by $17.6 million, or 32.1%, to $37.3 million,
from $54.9 million for 2005, reflecting the decrease in the size of both our
MBS
portfolio and borrowings. Further, the increase in interest rates,
along with the flattened and at times inverted yield curve during 2006, reduced
our net interest spread and margin to 0.12% and 0.78%, respectively, for 2006,
from 0.46% and 0.80%, respectively, for 2005.
24
The
following table presents quarterly information regarding our average balances,
interest income and expense, yields, cost of funds and net interest income
for
the quarters presented.
For
the Quarter Ended
|
Average
Amortized Cost of MBS
(1)
|
Interest
Income on MBS
|
Average
Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
Total
Interest Income
|
Yield
on Average Interest-Earning Assets
|
Average
Balance of Repurchase Agreements
|
Interest
Expense
|
Average
Cost of Funds
|
Net
Interest Income
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars
in Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December
31, 2006
|
$ | 5,469,461 | $ | 70,836 | $ | 52,412 | $ | 71,480 | 5.18 | % | $ | 4,833,897 | $ | 62,114 | 5.10 | % | $ | 9,366 | ||||||||||||||||||
September
30, 2006
|
3,899,728 | 47,061 | 39,240 | 47,532 | 4.83 | 3,245,774 | 38,205 | 4.67 | 9,327 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
June
30, 2006
|
4,337,887 | 45,645 | 47,266 | 46,185 | 4.21 | 3,672,905 | 38,818 | 4.24 | 7,367 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
March
31, 2006
|
5,276,973 | 53,329 | 61,126 | 53,995 | 4.05 | 4,605,790 | 42,785 | 3.77 | 11,210 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December
31, 2005
|
6,378,629 | 57,708 | 115,619 | 58,806 | 3.62 | 5,718,634 | 48,498 | 3.36 | 10,308 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(1)
Unrealized gains/(losses) are not reflected in the average amortized
cost
of MBS, while other-than-temporary impairment charges are.
|
For
2006,
we realized net other operating losses of $20.8 million, comprised primarily
of
$23.1 million of net losses on sales of MBS, as a result of the repositioning
of
our MBS portfolio. Our remaining real estate investment, which is not
considered a material component of our operations, generated revenue of $1.6
million for 2006 compared to $1.5 million for 2005. We earned
$708,000 of miscellaneous other income, net, comprised primarily of advisory
fees of $724,000 for 2006, compared to $444,000 for 2005.
During
2006, we had operating and other expenses of $11.2 million, including real
estate operating expenses and mortgage interest of $1.6 million attributable
to
our remaining real estate investment. (See Note 6 to the consolidated
financial statements, included under Item 8 of this annual report on Form
10-K.) For 2006, our non-real estate related overhead, comprised of
compensation and benefits and other general and administrative expense, was
$9.6
million, or 0.20% of average assets, compared to $9.2 million, or 0.13% of
average assets, for 2005. Our compensation expense of $5.7 million
included a non-cash share-based expense of $539,000, of which $374,000
represented the vesting of stock options and $165,000 was for restricted stock
granted during 2006. The increase in our expenses as a percentage of
our average assets for 2006 reflects the decrease in the size of our average
assets resulting from our MBS sales during 2006. Other general and
administrative expenses, which were $3.8 million for 2006 compared to $3.7
million for 2005, are comprised primarily of the cost of professional services,
including auditing and legal fees, and include the cost of complying with the
provisions of the SOX Act, corporate insurance, office rent, Board fees and
miscellaneous other operating overhead.
During
2006, we reported income of $3.5 million from discontinued operations, or $0.04
per common share, which primarily reflects a net gain of $4.4 million realized
on sales of two real estate properties and related prepayment penalties of
$712,000 we incurred on the satisfaction of the mortgages secured by those
properties. The loss of $198,000 from discontinued operations
reflects the reclassified net results of operations for the two properties
sold
during 2006. (See Notes 2(h) and 6 to the consolidated financial
statements, included under Item 8 of
this
annual report on Form 10-K.)
CRITICAL
ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Our
management has the obligation to ensure that our policies and methodologies
are
in accordance with GAAP. During 2007, management reviewed and
evaluated our critical accounting policies and believes them to be
appropriate.
Our
consolidated financial statements include our accounts and all majority owned
and controlled subsidiaries. The preparation of consolidated
financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make
estimates and assumptions in certain circumstances that affect amounts reported
in the consolidated financial statements. In preparing these
consolidated financial statements, management has made estimates and judgments
of certain amounts included in the consolidated financial statements, giving
due
consideration to materiality. We do not believe that there is a great
likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported related to
accounting policies described below. However, application of these
accounting policies involves the exercise of judgment and use of assumptions
as
to future uncertainties and, as a result, actual results could differ from
these
estimates.
25
Our
accounting policies are described in Note 2 to the consolidated financial
statements, included under Item 8 of this annual report on Form
10-K. Management believes the more significant of these to be as
follows:
Classifications
of Investment Securities and Valuations of Such Securities
Our
investments in securities, primarily comprised of Agency and AAA rated MBS,
are
classified as available-for-sale securities, as discussed in Note 2(b) to the
consolidated financial statements, included under Item 8 of this annual report
on Form 10-K. Although all of our MBS are carried on the balance
sheet at their estimated fair value, the classification of the securities as
available-for-sale results in changes in the estimated fair value being recorded
as adjustments to accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss), which is a
component of stockholders’ equity, rather than through earnings. We
do not intend to hold any of our investment securities for trading purposes;
however, if available-for-sale securities were classified as trading securities,
there could be substantially greater volatility in our
earnings.
As
noted
above, all of our MBS are carried on the balance sheet at their estimated fair
value. The estimated fair values of such assets are based on prices
obtained from a third-party pricing service; if pricing is not available for
a
particular security from the pricing service, the average of broker quotes
received for such security is used to determine the estimated fair value of
such
security. Given that our securities generally trade in an active
market, we believe that the estimated market values presented reflect the
estimated fair market value of our securities at the time of
valuation.
When
the
estimated fair value of an available-for-sale security is less than amortized
cost, we consider whether there is an other-than-temporary impairment in the
value of the security. If, in our judgment, an other-than-temporary
impairment exists, the cost basis of the security is written down to the
then-current estimated fair value, with the amount of impairment charged against
earnings. The determination of other-than-temporary impairment is a
subjective on-going process, and different judgments and assumptions could
affect the timing and amount of losses realized. (See Note 2(e) to
the consolidated financial statements, included under Item 8 of this annual
report on Form 10-K.)
Interest
Income Recognition
Interest
income on our MBS is accrued based on the actual coupon rate and the outstanding
principal balance of such securities. Premiums and discounts are
amortized or accreted into interest income over the lives of the securities
using the effective yield method, as adjusted for actual prepayments in
accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (or FAS) No. 91,
“Accounting for Nonrefundable Fees and Costs Associated with Originating or
Acquiring Loans and Initial Direct Costs of Leases”.
Derivative
Financial Instruments and Hedging Activities
We
apply
the provisions of FAS No. 133, “Accounting for Derivative Instruments and
Hedging Activities,” (or FAS 133) as amended by FAS No. 138, “Accounting for
Certain Derivative Instruments and Certain Hedging
Activities”.
In
accordance with FAS 133, a derivative, which is designated as a hedge, is
recognized as an asset/liability and measured at estimated fair
value. To qualify for hedge accounting, we must, at inception of a
hedge, anticipate and document that the hedge will be highly
effective. As long as the hedge remains effective, changes in the
estimated fair value of the Hedging Instrument are included in accumulated
other
comprehensive income, a component of stockholders’ equity.
To
determine the estimated fair value of our Hedging Instruments, which were
entirely comprised of Swaps at December 31, 2007, we received a valuation from
each Swap counterparty. These Swap valuations approximate the amounts
which we would pay or receive if we terminated the Swap at such
date. We independently review the valuations we receive from our
counterparties for reasonableness relative to the forward curve to verify that
the amount at which the Swap could be settled approximates its fair
value.
No
premium is paid to enter into Swaps. Net payments received on our
Swaps, if any, offset interest expense on our hedged liabilities; while net
payments made by us on our Swaps, if any, increase our interest expense on
our
hedged liabilities.
In
order
to continue to qualify for and to apply hedge accounting, our Hedging
Instruments are documented at inception and are monitored, on a quarterly basis,
to determine whether they continue to be effective or, if prior
to
26
the
commencement of the active period, whether the hedge is expected to be
effective. If during the term of a Hedging Instrument we determine
that the hedge is not effective or that the hedge is not expected to be
effective, the ineffective portion of the hedge will no longer qualify for
hedge
accounting and, accordingly, subsequent changes in the fair value of such
Hedging Instrument would be reflected in earnings. At December 31,
2007, we had 131 Swaps with an aggregate notional amount of $4.628 billion
with
net unrealized losses of $99.7 million, comprised of gross unrealized losses
of
$99.8 million and gross unrealized gains of $103,000. The Company had
no Caps at December 31, 2007. (See Notes 2(n) and 5 to the
consolidated financial statements, included under Item 8 of this annual report
on Form 10-K.)
Income
Taxes
Our
financial results generally do not reflect provisions for current or deferred
income taxes. We believe that we operate in, and intend to continue
to operate in, a manner that allows and will continue to allow us to be taxed
as
a REIT. As a result of our REIT status, we do not generally expect to
pay corporate level taxes. Many of the REIT requirements, however,
are highly technical and complex. If we were to fail to meet the REIT
requirements, we would be subject to U.S. federal, state and local income
taxes.
Accounting
for Stock-Based Compensation
We
account for our equity based compensation on a fair value basis in accordance
with FAS No. 123R, “Share-Based Payment,” (or FAS 123R). We expense
our equity based compensation awards over the vesting period of such awards
using the straight-line method, based upon the estimated fair value of such
awards at the grant date. Equity-based awards for which there is no
risk of forfeiture are expensed upon grant or at such time that there is no
longer a risk of forfeiture. (See Notes 2(j) and 12(a) to the
consolidated financial statements, included under Item 8 of this annual report
on Form 10-K.)
Estimating
the fair value of stock options requires that we use a model to value such
options. We use the Black-Scholes-Merton option model to value our
stock options. There are limitations inherent in this model, as with
all other models currently used in the market place to value stock options,
as
they typically were not designed to value stock options which contain
significant restrictions and forfeiture risks, such as those contained in the
stock options that we issue. We make significant assumptions in order
to determine our option value, all of which are subjective.
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Our
principal sources of cash generally consist of borrowings under repurchase
agreements, payments of principal and interest we receive on our MBS portfolio,
cash generated from our operating results and, depending on market
opportunities, proceeds from capital market transactions. We use
significant cash to repay principal and interest on our repurchase agreements,
purchase MBS, make dividend payments on our capital stock, fund our operations
and to make other investments that we consider appropriate. Based
upon market conditions, we may also use cash to repurchase shares of our common
stock pursuant to our stock repurchase program (or Repurchase
Program). We have not repurchased any shares of common stock since
April 2006 and may suspend or discontinue our Repurchase Program at any time
and
without prior notice.
We
employ
a diverse capital raising strategy under which we may issue capital
stock. From September 2007 through December 31, 2007, we raised
aggregate net proceeds of $277.1 million through the issuance of approximately
38.0 million shares of our common stock in three separate public
offerings. We used the net proceeds from these offerings to acquire
additional high quality ARM-MBS, on a leveraged basis, and for working capital
purposes. In addition, during 2007, we issued 3.2 million shares of
common stock pursuant to our CEO Program raising net proceeds of $23.9 million
and approximately 978,000 shares of common stock pursuant to our DRSPP raising
net proceeds of $8.1 million. At December 31, 2007, we had the
ability to issue an unlimited amount of common stock, preferred stock,
depositary shares representing preferred stock and/or warrants pursuant to
our
automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 and 8.5 million shares of
common stock available for issuance pursuant to our DRSPP shelf registration
statement on Form S-8.
To
the
extent we raise additional equity capital from future capital market
transactions, we currently anticipate using such cash proceeds to purchase
additional MBS or other securities, to make scheduled payments of principal
and
interest on our repurchase agreements and for other general corporate
purposes. We may also acquire additional interests in residential
ARMs and/or other investments consistent with our investment strategies and
operating
27
policies. There
can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to raise additional equity
capital at any particular time or on any particular terms.
While
we
generally intend to hold our MBS as long-term investments, certain MBS may
be
sold in order to manage our interest rate risk and liquidity needs, meet other
operating objectives and adapt to market conditions. As such, all of
our investment securities are designated as available-for-sale. The
timing and impact of future sales of investment securities, if any, cannot
be
predicted with any certainty. During 2007, we received cash of $1.697
billion from prepayments and scheduled amortization on our investment securities
and sold 32 MBS, generating net proceeds of $844.5 million. Since our
MBS are generally financed with repurchase agreements, a significant portion
of
the proceeds from our MBS sales, prepayments and scheduled amortization were
used to repay balances under our repurchase agreements. During the
year ended December 31, 2007, we purchased $4.492 billion of investment
securities, primarily comprised of ARM-MBS, primarily using proceeds from
repurchase agreements, cash raised from the sale of our common stock and
existing cash.
Borrowings
under repurchase agreements were $7.526 billion at December 31, 2007, compared
to $5.723 billion at December 31, 2006. At December 31, 2007, our
assets-to-equity ratio was 9.3 to 1. At December 31, 2007, we had
master repurchase agreements with 19 separate counterparties, had amounts
outstanding under repurchase agreements with 18 of such counterparties and
had
available capacity under our credit limits with respect to our repurchase
agreements.
During
2007, we paid cash dividends of $8.2 million on shares in our preferred stock
and $29.3 million on our common stock. In addition, on December 13,
2007, we declared our fourth quarter 2007 dividend on our common stock, which
totaled $17.8 million and was paid on January 31, 2008 to stockholders of record
on December 31, 2007.
Under
our
repurchase agreements we pledge additional assets as collateral to our
repurchase agreement counterparties (i.e., lenders) when the estimated fair
value of the existing pledged collateral under such agreements declines and
such
lenders demand additional collateral (i.e., initiate a margin
call). Margin calls result from a decline in the value of the MBS
collateralizing our repurchase agreements, generally following the monthly
principal reduction of such MBS due to scheduled amortization and prepayments
on
the underlying mortgages, changes in market interest rates, a decline in market
prices affecting our MBS and other market factors. To cover a margin
call, we may pledge additional securities or cash. At the time one of
our repurchase agreement matures, cash on deposit as collateral (i.e.,
restricted cash), if any, would generally be applied against the repurchase
agreement balance, thereby reducing the amount borrowed. In addition,
we are required to pledge MBS or cash as collateral against our
Swaps. At December 31, 2007, we had $79.9 million of MBS and $4.5
million of restricted cash pledged as collateral against our Swaps, which had
notional amount of $4.628 billion. As interest rates decline, the
value of our Swaps generally decreases, resulting in margin calls. We
believe that we will be able to meet our Swap margin calls. Cash
collateral on Swaps and repurchase agreements is held in interest-bearing
deposit accounts with lenders, and is reported on our balance sheet as
“restricted cash”. Collateral pledged against Swaps is returned to us
when margin requirements are exceeded or when a Swap is terminated or
expires.
Through
December 31, 2007, we satisfied all of our margin calls with either cash or
an
additional pledge of MBS collateral. At December 31, 2007, we had MBS
with a fair value of $254.2 million that were not pledged as collateral and
$234.4 million of cash. We believe that we have adequate financial
resources to meet our obligations, including margin calls, as they come due,
to
fund dividends we declare and to actively pursue our investment
strategies. However, should the value of our MBS suddenly decrease,
significant margin calls on our repurchase agreements could result, causing
an
adverse change in our liquidity position.
The
following table summarizes the effect on our liquidity and cash flows of
contractual obligations for the principal amounts due on our repurchase
agreements, non-cancelable office leases and the mortgage loan on the property
held by our real estate subsidiaries at December 31, 2007:
(In
Thousands)
|
2008
|
2009
|
2010
|
2011
|
2012
|
Thereafter
|
||||||||||||||||||
Repurchase
agreements
|
$ | 6,079,078 | $ | 1,162,935 | $ | 75,901 | $ | 208,100 | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||||||||
Mortgage
loan
|
153 | 166 | 209 | 8,934 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||
Long-term
lease obligations
|
1,069 | 1,079 | 1,099 | 1,115 | 1,183 | 6,158 | ||||||||||||||||||
$ | 6,080,300 | $ | 1,164,180 | $ | 77,209 | $ | 218,149 | $ | 1,183 | $ | 6,158 |
Note: The
above table does not include interest due on our repurchase agreements, Swaps,
or mortgage loan.
28
OFF-BALANCE
SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
We
do not
have any material off-balance-sheet arrangements.
INFLATION
Substantially
all of our assets and liabilities are financial in nature. As a
result, changes in interest rates and other factors impact our performance
far
more than does inflation. Our financial statements are prepared in
accordance with GAAP and dividends are based upon net income as calculated
for
tax purposes; in each case, our results of operations and reported assets,
liabilities and equity are measured with reference to historical cost or fair
market value without considering inflation.
FORWARD
LOOKING STATEMENTS
When
used
in this annual report on Form 10-K, in future filings with the SEC or in press
releases 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 1933 Act and Section 21E of the 1934 Act 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 our MBS; changes in the prepayment rates on the mortgage
loans collateralizing our MBS; our ability to use borrowings to finance our
assets; changes in government regulations affecting our business; our ability
to
maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
and
risks associated with investing in real estate, including changes in business
conditions and the general economy. These and other risks,
uncertainties and factors, including those described in the annual, quarterly
and current reports that we file with the SEC, could cause our actual results
to
differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements we
make. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they
are made and we do 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. See Item
1A, “Risk Factors” of this annual report on Form 10-K.
29
Item
7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risk.
We
seek
to manage our risks related to interest rates, liquidity, prepayment speeds,
market value and the credit quality of our assets while, at the same time,
seeking to provide an opportunity to stockholders to realize attractive total
returns through ownership of our capital stock. While we do not seek
to avoid risk, we seek to: assume risk that can be quantified from historical
experience, and actively manage such risk; earn sufficient returns to justify
the taking of such risks; and, maintain capital levels consistent with the
risks
that we undertake.
INTEREST
RATE RISK
We
primarily invest in ARM-MBS on a leveraged basis. We take into
account both anticipated coupon resets and expected prepayments when measuring
the sensitivity of our ARM-MBS portfolio to changes in interest
rates. In measuring our repricing gap (i.e., the weighted average
time period until our ARM-MBS are expected to prepay or reprice less the
weighted average time period for liabilities to reprice (or Repricing Gap)),
we
measure the difference between: (a) the weighted average months until the next
coupon adjustment or projected prepayment on the ARM-MBS portfolio; and (b)
the
months remaining until our repurchase agreements mature, applying the same
projected prepayment rate and including the impact of Swaps. A CPR is
applied in order to reflect, to a certain extent, the prepayment characteristics
inherent in our interest-earning assets and interest-bearing
liabilities. Over the last consecutive eight quarters ended December
31, 2007, the monthly CPR on our MBS portfolio ranged from a high of 26.4%
experienced during the quarter ended September 30, 2006 to a low of 13.4%
experienced during the quarter ended December 31, 2007, with an average
quarterly CPR of 21.8%.
The
following table presents information at December 31, 2007 about our Repricing
Gap based on contractual maturities (i.e., 0 CPR), and applying a 15% CPR,
20%
CPR and 25% CPR.
CPR
|
Estimated
Months to Asset Reset or Expected Prepayment
|
Estimated
Months to Liabilities Reset (1)
|
Repricing
Gap in Months
|
|||||||||||
0 | % (2) | 59 | 23 | 36 | ||||||||||
15 | % | 38 | 23 | 15 | ||||||||||
20 | % | 33 | 23 | 10 | ||||||||||
25 | % | 28 | 23 | 5 |
|
(1)
|
Reflects
the effect of our Swaps.
|
|
(2)
|
Reflects
contractual maturities, which does not consider any prepayments.
|
At
December 31, 2007, our financing obligations under repurchase agreements had
remaining contractual terms of approximately five years or less. Upon
contractual maturity or an interest reset date, these borrowings are refinanced
at then prevailing market rates. However, our Swaps in effect lock-in
a fixed rate of interest over the term of each of our Swaps on a corresponding
portion of our repurchase agreements. At December 31, 2007, we had
repurchase agreements of $7.526 billion hedged with $4.628 billion of Swaps
that
had weighted average fixed-pay rate of 4.83% and extended an average of 30
months.
We
use
Swaps as part of our interest rate risk management strategy. Our
Swaps are intended to serve as a hedge against future interest rate increases
on
our repurchase agreements, which are typically priced off of
LIBOR. During 2007, our Swaps reduced our borrowing costs by $6.5
million, or 10 basis points. Our Swaps result in interest savings in
a rising interest rate environment, while in a declining interest rate
environment result in us paying the stated fixed rate on the notional amount
for
each of our Swaps, which could be higher than the market
rate.
The
interest rates for most of our adjustable-rate assets are primarily dependent
on
LIBOR, the CMT rate or the MTA rate, while our debt obligations, in the form
of
repurchase agreements, are generally priced off of LIBOR. While LIBOR
and CMT generally move together, there can be no assurance that such movements
will be parallel, such that the magnitude of the movement of one index will
match that of the other index. At December 31, 2007, we had 78.8% of
our ARM-MBS repricing from LIBOR (of which 67.5% repriced based on 12-month
LIBOR and 11.3% repriced based on six-month LIBOR), 15.5% repricing from the
one-year CMT index, 5.2% repricing from MTA and 0.5% repricing from
COFI.
Our
adjustable-rate assets reset on various dates that are not matched to the reset
dates on our repurchase agreements. In general, the repricing of our
repurchase agreements occurs more quickly than the repricing of
our
30
assets. Therefore,
on average, our cost of borrowings may rise or fall more quickly in response
to
changes in market interest rates than would the yield on our interest-earning
assets.
The
mismatch between repricings or maturities within a time period is commonly
referred to as the “gap” for that period. A positive gap, where
repricing of interest-rate sensitive assets exceeds the maturity of
interest-rate sensitive liabilities, generally will result in the net interest
margin increasing in a rising interest rate environment and decreasing in a
falling interest rate environment; conversely, a negative gap, where the
repricing of interest rate sensitive liabilities exceeds the repricing of
interest-rate sensitive assets will generate opposite results. As
presented in the following table, at December 31, 2007, we had a positive gap
of
$287.0 million in our less than three month category. The following
gap analysis is prepared assuming a 20% CPR; however, actual future prepayment
speeds could vary significantly. The gap analysis does not reflect
the constraints on the repricing of ARM-MBS in a given period resulting from
interim and lifetime cap features on these securities, nor the behavior of
various indices applicable to our assets and liabilities. The gap
methodology does not assess the relative sensitivity of assets and liabilities
to changes in interest rates and also fails to account for interest rate caps
and floors imbedded in our MBS or include assets and liabilities that are not
interest rate sensitive. The notional amount of our Swaps is
presented in the following table, as they fix the cost and repricing
characteristics of a portion of our repurchase agreements. While the
fair value of our Swaps are reflected in our consolidated balance sheets, the
notional amounts, presented in the table below, are not.
The
following table presents our interest rate risk using the gap methodology
applying a 20% CPR on MBS at December 31, 2007.
Gap
Table
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
At
December 31, 2007
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Less
than 3 Months
|
Three
Months to One Year
|
One
Year to Two Years
|
Two
Years to Three Years
|
Beyond
Three Years
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest-Earning
Assets:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
ARM-MBS
|
$ | 1,081,721 | $ | 1,518,486 | $ | 1,170,015 | $ | 974,247 | $ | 3,556,714 | $ | 8,301,183 | ||||||||||||
Income
notes
|
- | - | - | - | 1,614 | 1,614 | ||||||||||||||||||
Cash
and restricted cash
|
238,927 | - | - | - | - | 238,927 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total
interest-earning assets
|
$ | 1,320,648 | $ | 1,518,486 | $ | 1,170,015 | $ | 974,247 | $ | 3,558,328 | $ | 8,541,724 | ||||||||||||
Interest-Bearing
Liabilities:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Repurchase
agreements
|
$ | 5,661,178 | $ | 417,900 | $ | 1,270,736 | $ | 176,200 | $ | - | $ | 7,526,014 | ||||||||||||
Mortgage
Loans
|
- | - | - | - | 9,462 | 9,462 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total
interest-bearing liabilities
|
$ | 5,661,178 | $ | 417,900 | $ | 1,270,736 | $ | 176,200 | $ | 9,462 | $ | 7,535,476 | ||||||||||||
Gap
before Hedging Instruments
|
$ | (4,340,530 | ) | $ | 1,100,586 | $ | (100,721 | ) | $ | 798,047 | $ | 3,548,866 | $ | 1,006,248 | ||||||||||
Swaps,
notional amount
|
$ | 4,627,560 | - | - | - | - | $ | 4,627,560 | ||||||||||||||||
Cumulative
Difference Between
Interest-Earnings
Assets and
Interest
Bearing Liabilities after
Hedging
Instruments
|
$ | 287,030 | $ | 1,387,616 | $ | 1,286,895 | $ | 2,084,942 | $ | 5,633,808 |
MARKET
VALUE RISK
All
of
our investment securities are designated as “available-for-sale”
assets. As such, they are reflected at their estimated fair value,
with the difference between amortized cost and estimated fair value reflected
in
accumulated other comprehensive income, a component of Stockholders’ Equity.
(See Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements, included under Item
8 of
this annual report on Form 10-K.) The estimated fair value of our MBS
fluctuate primarily due to changes in interest rates and other factors; however,
given that, at December 31, 2007, these securities were primarily Agency MBS
or
AAA rated MBS, such changes in the estimated fair value of our MBS are generally
not believed to be credit-related. At December 31, 2007, we held $4.6
million of investment securities that were rated below AAA and $3.3 million
of
unrated securities. Accordingly, to a limited extent,
we
31
are
exposed to credit-related market value risk. The following table
presents information about our non-Agency investment securities (none of which
were backed by subprime collateral) held at December 31,
2007.
MBS
Amortized Cost
|
Estimated
Fair Value
|
Percent
of Total
|
Weighted
Average Price at December 31, 2007
|
Weighted
Average Loan Age
|
Loan
to Value at Origination
|
Weighted
Average
FICO
at
Origination
(1)
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(Dollars
in Thousands)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Non-Agency
MBS:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
AAA
rated
|
$ | 431,379 | $ | 424,954 | 98.56 | % | 98.83 | % |
26
months
|
71 | % | 734 | |||||||||||||
AA
rated
|
1,413 | 1,392 | 0.32 | 98.50 |
49
months
|
61 | 744 | ||||||||||||||||||
Single
A & A - rated
|
986 | 967 | 0.22 | 97.75 |
49
months
|
61 | 744 | ||||||||||||||||||
BBB
and BBB - rated
|
559 | 543 | 0.13 | 96.00 |
49
months
|
61 | 744 | ||||||||||||||||||
BB
and below rated
|
1,512 | 1,646 | 0.38 | 91.56 |
34
months
|
71 | 730 | ||||||||||||||||||
Unrated
|
2,968 | 1,689 | 0.39 | 1.60 |
(2)
|
25
months
|
77 | 721 | |||||||||||||||||
Total
Non-Agency MBS
|
$ | 438,817 | $ | 431,191 | 100.00 | % | 98.80 | % |
26
months
|
71 | % | 734 | |||||||||||||
(1) FICO,
named after Fair Isaac Corp., is a credit score used by major credit
bureaus to indicate a borrower’s credit
worthiness.
|
||||||||||||||
(2) Includes
an interest only net interest margin security which at December 31,
2007
had an amortized cost of 1.59% of the notional amount and an estimated
market value of 1.67% of the notional amount.
|
||||||||||||||
Generally,
in a rising interest rate environment, the estimated fair value of our MBS
would
be expected to decrease; conversely, in a decreasing interest rate environment,
the estimated fair value of our MBS would be expected to increase. If
the estimated fair value of our MBS collateralizing our repurchase agreements
decreases, we may receive margin calls from our repurchase agreement
counterparties for additional MBS collateral or cash due to such
decline. If such margin calls were not met, the lender could
liquidate the securities collateralizing our repurchase agreements with such
lender, resulting in a loss to us. In such a scenario, we could apply
a strategy of reducing borrowings and assets, by selling assets or not replacing
securities as they amortize and/or prepay, thereby “shrinking the balance
sheet”. Such an action would likely reduce our interest income,
interest expense and net income, the extent of which would be dependent on
the
level of reduction in assets and liabilities as well as the sale price of the
assets sold. Such a decrease in our net interest income could
negatively impact cash available for distributions, which in turn could reduce
the market price of our issued and outstanding common stock and preferred
stock. Further, if we were unable to meet margin calls, lenders could
sell the securities collateralizing our repurchase agreements with such lenders,
which sales could result in a loss to us.
LIQUIDITY
RISK
The
primary liquidity risk for us arises from financing long-maturity assets, which
have interim and lifetime interest rate adjustment caps, with shorter-term
borrowings in the form of repurchase agreements. Although the
interest rate adjustments of these assets and liabilities fall within the
guidelines established by our operating policies, maturities are not required
to
be, nor are they, matched.
Our
assets which are pledged to secure repurchase agreements are typically
high-quality MBS. At December 31, 2007, we had cash and cash
equivalents of $234.4 million and unpledged MBS of $254.2 million available
to
meet margin calls on our repurchase agreements and for other corporate
purposes. However, should the value of our investment securities
pledged as collateral suddenly decrease, margin calls relating to our repurchase
agreements could increase, causing an adverse change in our liquidity
position. As such, we cannot assure that we will always be able to
roll over our repurchase agreements.
PREPAYMENT
AND REINVESTMENT RISK
Premiums
paid on our investment securities are amortized against interest income and
discounts are accreted to interest income as we receive principal payments
(i.e., prepayments and scheduled amortization) on such
securities. Premiums arise when we acquire MBS at a price in excess
of the principal balance of the mortgages securing such
32
MBS
(i.e., par value). Conversely, discounts arise when we acquire MBS at
a price below the principal balance of the mortgages securing such
MBS. For financial accounting purposes, interest income is accrued
based on the outstanding principal balance of the investment securities and
their contractual terms. In general, purchase premiums on our
investment securities, currently comprised primarily of MBS, are amortized
against interest income over the lives of the securities using the effective
yield method, adjusted for actual prepayment activity. An increase in
the prepayment rate, as measured by the CPR, will typically accelerate the
amortization of purchase premiums, thereby reducing the yield/interest income
earned on such assets.
For
tax
accounting purposes, the purchase premiums and discounts are amortized based
on
the constant effective yield calculated at the purchase
date. Therefore, on a tax basis, amortization of premiums and
discounts will differ from those reported for financial purposes under
GAAP. At December 31, 2007, the net premium on our investment
securities portfolio for financial accounting purposes was $101.6 million (1.2%
of the principal balance of MBS); while the net premium for income tax purposes
was estimated at $98.8 million.
In
general, we believe that we will be able to reinvest proceeds from scheduled
principal payments and prepayments at acceptable yields; however, no assurances
can be given that, should significant prepayments occur, market conditions
would
be such that acceptable investments could be identified and the proceeds timely
reinvested.
TABULAR
PRESENTATION
The
information presented in the following table projects the potential impact
of
sudden parallel changes in interest rates on net interest income and portfolio
value, including the impact of Hedging Instruments, over the next 12 months
based on the assets in our investment portfolio on December 31,
2007. We acquire interest-rate sensitive assets and fund them with
interest-rate sensitive liabilities. All changes in income and value
are measured as the percentage change from the projected net interest income
and
portfolio value at the base interest rate scenario.
Change
in
Interest
Rates
|
Percentage
Change
in
Net Interest Income
|
Percentage
Change
in
Portfolio Value
|
||
+ 1.00%
|
(7.56%)
|
(1.04%)
|
||
+ 0.50%
|
(2.49%)
|
(0.41%)
|
||
- 0.50%
|
0.47%
|
0.19%
|
||
- 1.00%
|
0.79%
|
0.15%
|
Certain
assumptions have been made in connection with the calculation of the information
set forth in the above table and, as such, there can be no assurance that
assumed events will occur or that other events will not occur that would affect
the outcomes. The base interest rate scenario assumes interest rates
at December 31, 2007. The analysis presented utilizes assumptions and
estimates based on management’s judgment and experience. Furthermore,
while we generally expect to retain such assets and the associated interest
rate
risk to maturity, future purchases and sales of assets could materially change
our interest rate risk profile. It should be specifically noted that
the information set forth in the above table and all related disclosure
constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of
the
1933 Act and Section 21E of the 1934 Act. Actual results could differ
significantly from those estimated in the table.
The
table
quantifies the potential changes in net interest income and portfolio value
should interest rates immediately change (or Shock). The table
presents the estimated impact of interest rates instantaneously rising 50 and
100 basis points, and falling 50 and 100 basis points. The cash flows
associated with the portfolio of MBS for each rate Shock are calculated based
on
assumptions, including, but not limited to, prepayment speeds, yield on future
acquisitions, slope of the yield curve and size of the
portfolio. Assumptions made on the interest rate sensitive
liabilities, which are assumed to be repurchase agreements, include anticipated
interest rates, collateral requirements as a percent of the repurchase
agreement, amount and term of borrowing.
The
impact on portfolio value is approximated using the calculated effective
duration (i.e., the price sensitivity to changes in interest rates) of 0.59
and
expected convexity (i.e., the approximate change in duration relative to the
change in interest rates) of (0.89). The impact on net interest
income is driven mainly by the difference between portfolio yield and cost
of
funding of our repurchase agreements, which includes the cost and/or benefit
from Hedging Instruments that hedge certain of our repurchase
agreements. Our asset/liability structure is generally such that an
increase in interest rates would be expected to result in a decrease in net
interest income, as our repurchase agreements are generally shorter term than
our interest-earning assets. When interest rates are Shocked,
prepayment assumptions are adjusted based on management’s expectations along
with the results from the prepayment model.
33
Item
8. Financial
Statements and Supplementary
Data.
Index
to Financial Statements
Page
|
||
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
|
35 | |
Financial
Statements:
|
||
Consolidated
Balance Sheets at December
31, 2007 and December 31, 2006
|
36 | |
Consolidated
Statements of Income for the years ended December
31, 2007, 2006 and 2005
|
37 | |
Consolidated
Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended
December
31, 2007, 2006 and 2005
|
38 | |
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December
31, 2007, 2006 and 2005
|
39 | |
Consolidated
Statements of Comprehensive Income for the years ended December
31, 2007, 2006 and 2005
|
40 | |
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
|
41 | |
All
financial statement schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or
the
required information is included in the consolidated financial statements and/or
notes thereto.
Financial
statements of subsidiaries have been omitted; as such entities do not
individually or in the aggregate exceed the 20% threshold under either the
investment or income tests. The Company owned 100% of each of its
subsidiaries.
34
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To
The
Board of Directors and Stockholders of
MFA
Mortgage Investments, Inc.
We
have
audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of MFA Mortgage
Investments, Inc. as of December 31, 2007 and 2006, and the related consolidated
statements of income, changes in stockholders’ equity, cash flows, and
comprehensive income for each of the three years in the period ended December
31, 2007. These financial statements are the responsibility of the
Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on
these financial statements based on our audits.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require
that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether
the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit
includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and
disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement
presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis
for our opinion.
In
our
opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all
material respects, the consolidated financial position of MFA Mortgage
Investments, Inc. at December 31, 2007 and 2006, and the consolidated results
of
its operations, its cash flows, and its comprehensive income for each of the
three years in the period ended December 31, 2007, in conformity with U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles.
We
also
have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States), the effectiveness of MFA Mortgage Investments,
Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2007, based
on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report
dated February 12, 2008 expressed an unqualified opinion
thereon.
Ernst
& Young LLP
New
York,
New York
February
12, 2008
35
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
At
December 31,
|
||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
(In
Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)
|
||||||||
Assets:
|
||||||||
Mortgage-backed
securities (“MBS”), at fair value (including pledged
MBS
of $8,046,947 and $6,065,021 at December 31, 2007 and
2006,
respectively,
(Notes 3 and 7)
|
$ | 8,301,183 | $ | 6,340,668 | ||||
Income
notes (Note 3)
|
1,614 | - | ||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
234,410 | 47,200 | ||||||
Restricted
cash (Note 2d)
|
4,517 | - | ||||||
Interest
receivable (Note 4)
|
43,610 | 33,182 | ||||||
Interest
rate cap agreements (“Caps”), at fair value (Note
5)
|
- | 361 | ||||||
Swap
agreements (“Swaps”), at fair value (Note 5)
|
103 | 2,412 | ||||||
Real
estate, net (Note 6)
|
11,611 | 11,789 | ||||||
Goodwill
(Note 2f)
|
7,189 | 7,189 | ||||||
Prepaid
and other assets
|
1,622 | 1,166 | ||||||
Total
Assets
|
$ | 8,605,859 | $ | 6,443,967 | ||||
Liabilities:
|
||||||||
Repurchase
agreements (Note 7)
|
$ | 7,526,014 | $ | 5,722,711 | ||||
Accrued
interest payable
|
20,212 | 23,164 | ||||||
Mortgage
payable on real estate (Note 6)
|
9,462 | 9,606 | ||||||
Swaps,
at fair value (Note 5)
|
99,836 | 1,893 | ||||||
Dividends
and dividend equivalents payable (Note 9(b))
|
18,005 | 4,899 | ||||||
Accrued
expenses and other liabilities
|
5,067 | 3,136 | ||||||
Total
Liabilities
|
7,678,596 | 5,765,409 | ||||||
Commitments
and contingencies (Note 8)
|
||||||||
Stockholders’
Equity:
|
||||||||
Preferred
stock, $.01 par value; series A 8.50% cumulative
redeemable;
5,000
shares authorized; 3,840 shares issued and outstanding
at
December
31, 2007 and 2006 ($96,000 aggregate liquidation
preference)
(Note 9)
|
38 | 38 | ||||||
Common
stock, $.01 par value; 370,000 shares authorized;
122,887
and 80,695 issued and outstanding at December 31,
2007
and 2006, respectively (Note 9)
|
1,229 | 807 | ||||||
Additional
paid-in capital, in excess of par
|
1,085,760 | 776,743 | ||||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(89,263 | ) | (68,637 | ) | ||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive loss (Note 11)
|
(70,501 | ) | (30,393 | ) | ||||
Total
Stockholders’ Equity
|
927,263 | 678,558 | ||||||
Total
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
|
$ | 8,605,859 | $ | 6,443,967 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial
statements.
36
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF INCOME
For
the Year Ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
(In
Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)
|
||||||||||||
Interest
Income:
|
||||||||||||
MBS
income (Note 3)
|
$ | 380,170 | $ | 216,871 | $ | 235,798 | ||||||
Interest
income on short-term cash investments
|
4,493 | 2,321 | 2,921 | |||||||||
Interest
income on income notes
|
158 | - | - | |||||||||
Interest
Income
|
384,821 | 219,192 | 238,719 | |||||||||
Interest
Expense (Note 7)
|
321,305 | 181,922 | 183,833 | |||||||||
Net
Interest Income
|
63,516 | 37,270 | 54,886 | |||||||||
Other
Income:
|
||||||||||||
Net
loss on sale of MBS (Note 3)
|
(21,793 | ) | (23,113 | ) | (18,354 | ) | ||||||
Revenue
from operations of real estate (Note 6)
|
1,638 | 1,556 | 1,460 | |||||||||
Net
loss on early termination of Swaps (Note 5)
|
(384 | ) | - | - | ||||||||
Miscellaneous
other income, net
|
422 | 708 | 351 | |||||||||
Other-than-temporary
impairment on MBS (Note 3)
|
- | - | (20,720 | ) | ||||||||
Other
Income (Loss)
|
(20,117 | ) | (20,849 | ) | (37,263 | ) | ||||||
Operating
and Other Expense:
|
||||||||||||
Compensation
and benefits (Note 12)
|
6,615 | 5,725 | 5,505 | |||||||||
Real
estate operating expense and mortgage interest (Note
6)
|
1,764 | 1,617 | 1,673 | |||||||||
Other
general and administrative
|
5,067 | 3,843 | 3,651 | |||||||||
Operating
and Other Expense
|
13,446 | 11,185 | 10,829 | |||||||||
Income
from Continuing Operations
|
29,953 | 5,236 | 6,794 | |||||||||
Discontinued
Operations: (Note 6)
|
||||||||||||
Gain
on sale of real estate, net of tax
|
257 | 4,432 | - | |||||||||
Loss
from discontinued operations, net
|
- | (198 | ) | (86 | ) | |||||||
Mortgage
prepayment penalty
|
- | (712 | ) | - | ||||||||
Income
(Loss) from Discontinued Operations
|
257 | 3,522 | (86 | ) | ||||||||
Income
Before Preferred Stock Dividends
|
30,210 | 8,758 | 6,708 | |||||||||
Less:
Preferred Stock Dividends
|
8,160 | 8,160 | 8,160 | |||||||||
Net
Income (Loss) to Common Stockholders
|
$ | 22,050 | $ | 598 | $ | (1,452 | ) | |||||
Earnings
(Loss) Per Share of Common Stock: (Note 10)
|
||||||||||||
Earnings
(loss) from continuing operations – basic and
diluted
|
$ | 0.24 | $ | (0.03 | ) | $ | (0.02 | ) | ||||
Earnings
from discontinued operations – basic and diluted
|
- | 0.04 | - | |||||||||
Earnings
(loss) per share – basic and diluted
|
$ | 0.24 | $ | 0.01 | $ | (0.02 | ) | |||||
Dividends
declared per share of common stock (Note 9b)
|
$ | 0.415 | $ | 0.210 | $ | 0.405 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial
statements.
37
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’
EQUITY
For
the Year Ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Dollars
|
Shares
|
Dollars
|
Shares
|
Dollars
|
Shares
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(In
Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preferred
Stock, Series A 8.50% Cumulative Redeemable –
Liquidation
Preference $25.00 Per Share:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
$ | 38 | 3,840 | $ | 38 | 3,840 | $ | 38 | 3,840 | |||||||||||||||
Issuance
of shares
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at end of year
|
38 | 3,840 | 38 | 3,840 | 38 | 3,840 | ||||||||||||||||||
Common
Stock, Par Value $0.01:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
807 | 80,695 | 801 | 80,121 | 820 | 82,017 | ||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock
|
422 | 42,192 | 15 | 1,501 | 4 | 368 | ||||||||||||||||||
Repurchase
of common stock
|
- | - | (9 | ) | (927 | ) | (23 | ) | (2,264 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Balance
at end of year
|
1,229 | 122,887 | 807 | 80,695 | 801 | 80,121 | ||||||||||||||||||
Additional
Paid-in Capital, in excess of Par:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
776,743 | 770,789 | 780,406 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock, net of expenses
|
308,506 | 11,103 | 2,994 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Share-based
compensation expense, excluding par
|
511 | 539 | 493 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Repurchase
of common stock
|
- | (5,688 | ) | (13,104 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at end of year
|
1,085,760 | 776,743 | 770,789 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Accumulated
Deficit:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
(68,637 | ) | (52,315 | ) | (17,330 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
30,210 | 8,758 | 6,708 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Dividends
declared on common stock
|
(42,231 | ) | (16,920 | ) | (33,533 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Dividends
declared on preferred stock
|
(8,160 | ) | (8,160 | ) | (8,160 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Payments
on dividend equivalent rights (“DERs”)
|
(445 | ) | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at end of year
|
(89,263 | ) | (68,637 | ) | (52,315 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Accumulated
Other Comprehensive Loss:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
(30,393 | ) | (58,211 | ) | (35,100 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Unrealized
gains/(losses) on investment securities, net
|
60,227 | 30,733 | (28,617 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Unrealized
(losses)/gains on Caps, net
|
(83 | ) | (342 | ) | 2,735 | |||||||||||||||||||
Unrealized
(losses)/gains on Swaps
|
(100,252 | ) | (2,573 | ) | 2,771 | |||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at end of year
|
(70,501 | ) | (30,393 | ) | (58,211 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Total
Stockholders’ Equity at year end
|
$ | 927,263 | $ | 678,558 | $ | 661,102 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial
statements.
38
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For
the Year Ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
|||||||||
Cash
Flows From Operating Activities:
|
||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ | 30,210 | $ | 8,758 | $ | 6,708 | ||||||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating
activities:
|
||||||||||||
Losses
on sale of MBS
|
22,143 | 25,245 | 18,364 | |||||||||
Gains
on sale of MBS
|
(350 | ) | (2,132 | ) | (10 | ) | ||||||
Losses
on early termination of Swaps
|
627 | - | - | |||||||||
Gains
on early termination of Swaps
|
(243 | ) | - | - | ||||||||
Other-than-temporary
impairment recognized on MBS
|
- | - | 20,720 | |||||||||
Amortization
of purchase premium on MBS, net of accretion of
discounts
|
27,535 | 30,974 | 56,515 | |||||||||
Amortization
of premium cost for Caps
|
278 | 1,700 | 1,578 | |||||||||
(Increase)/decrease
in interest receivable
|
(10,428 | ) | (8,984 | ) | 2,230 | |||||||
Decrease
in receivable under the Discount Waiver, Direct Stock
Purchase
and
Dividend Reinvestment Plan (“DRSPP”)
|
- | - | 985 | |||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization on real estate, including discontinued
operations
|
432 | 574 | 838 | |||||||||
(Increase)/decrease
in other assets and other
|
(467 | ) | 18 | (65 | ) | |||||||
Increase/(decrease)
in accrued expenses and other liabilities
|
2,176 | (1,950 | ) | 2,475 | ||||||||
(Decrease)/increase
in accrued interest payable
|
(2,952 | ) | (30,993 | ) | 25,806 | |||||||
Gain
on sale of real estate included in discontinued
operations
|
(257 | ) | (6,660 | ) | - | |||||||
Loss
on sale of real estate included in discontinued
operations
|
- | 408 | - | |||||||||
Share-based
compensation expense
|
511 | 539 | 493 | |||||||||
Negative
amortization on investments securities
|
(537 | ) | (1,614 | ) | (443 | ) | ||||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
68,678 | 15,883 | 136,194 | |||||||||
Cash
Flows From Investing Activities:
|
||||||||||||
Principal
payments on MBS and other investment securities
|
1,697,287 | 1,637,304 | 2,629,887 | |||||||||
Proceeds
from sale of MBS
|
844,480 | 1,843,659 | 617,152 | |||||||||
Purchases
of MBS and other investment securities
|
(4,492,460 | ) | (4,128,466 | ) | (2,308,134 | ) | ||||||
Proceeds
from sale of real estate
|
- | 23,534 | ||||||||||
Additions
to leasehold improvements
|
(231 | ) | - | - | ||||||||
Net
cash (used)/provided by investing activities
|
(1,950,924 | ) | (623,969 | ) | 938,905 | |||||||
Cash
Flows From Financing Activities:
|
||||||||||||
Increase
in restricted cash
|
(4,517 | ) | - | - | ||||||||
Principal
payments on repurchase agreements
|
(43,374,020 | ) | (21,101,718 | ) | (19,571,976 | ) | ||||||
Proceeds
from borrowings under repurchase agreements
|
45,177,323 | 21,724,897 | 18,558,476 | |||||||||
Proceeds
from terminations of Swaps
|
243 | - | - | |||||||||
Payments
made for terminations of Swaps
|
(627 | ) | - | - | ||||||||
Proceeds
from issuance of common stock
|
308,928 | 11,118 | 2,998 | |||||||||
Dividends
paid on preferred stock
|
(8,160 | ) | (8,160 | ) | (8,160 | ) | ||||||
Common
stock repurchased
|
- | (6,127 | ) | (12,697 | ) | |||||||
Dividends
paid on common stock and DER payments
|
(29,570 | ) | (16,079 | ) | (47,646 | ) | ||||||
Principal
payments on and satisfaction of mortgages from discontinued
operations
|
(144 | ) | (12,946 | ) | (134 | ) | ||||||
Net
cash provided/(used) by financing activities
|
2,069,456 | 590,985 | (1,079,139 | ) | ||||||||
Net
increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
187,210 | (17,101 | ) | (4,040 | ) | |||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
47,200 | 64,301 | 68,341 | |||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
$ | 234,410 | $ | 47,200 | $ | 64,301 | ||||||
Supplemental
Disclosure of Cash Flow Information:
|
||||||||||||
Interest
paid
|
$ | 332,566 | $ | 219,262 | $ | 159,050 | ||||||
Mortgage
prepayment penalty paid – discontinued operations
|
$ | - | $ | 712 | $ | - | ||||||
Built-in
gains taxes (refunded)/paid on sales of real estate
|
$ | (91 | ) | $ | 1,320 | $ | - | |||||
Noncash
investing and financing activities:
|
||||||||||||
Dividends
and DERs declared and unpaid
|
$ | 18,005 | $ | 4,899 | $ | 4,058 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial
statements.
39
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
For
the Year Ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Net
income before preferred stock dividends
|
$ | 30,210 | $ | 8,758 | $ | 6,708 | ||||||
Other
Comprehensive Income:
|
||||||||||||
Unrealized
gain/(loss) on investment securities arising during
the
period,
net
|
49,352 | 6,165 | (68,185 | ) | ||||||||
Reclassification
adjustment for net losses included in net income
from
MBS
|
10,875 | 24,568 | 39,568 | |||||||||
Unrealized
(loss)/gain on Caps arising during the period, net
|
(83 | ) | (342 | ) | 2,735 | |||||||
Unrealized
(loss)/gain on Swaps arising during the period, net
|
(100,252 | ) | (2,573 | ) | 2,771 | |||||||
Comprehensive
(loss)/income before preferred stock dividends
|
$ | (9,898 | ) | $ | 36,576 | $ | (16,403 | ) | ||||
Dividends
on preferred stock
|
(8,160 | ) | (8,160 | ) | (8,160 | ) | ||||||
Comprehensive
(Loss)/Income to Common Stockholders
|
$ | (18,058 | ) | $ | 28,416 | $ | (24,563 | ) |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial
statements.
40
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
1.
Organization
MFA
Mortgage Investments, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Maryland on July
24, 1997 and began operations on April 10, 1998. The Company has
elected to be treated as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for federal
income tax purposes. In order to maintain its qualification as a
REIT, the Company must comply with a number of requirements under federal tax
law, including that it must distribute at least 90% of its annual net taxable
income to its stockholders, subject to certain adjustments. (See Note
9(b).)
2.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
(a)
Basis of Presentation and Consolidation
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the accrual
basis of accounting in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles (“GAAP”). The preparation of financial statements in
conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions
that
affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and
the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting
period. Actual results could differ from those
estimates.
The
consolidated financial statements of the Company include the accounts of all
subsidiaries; significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been
eliminated.
(b)
MBS/Investment
Securities
The
Company’s investment securities are comprised primarily of hybrid and
adjustable-rate MBS (collectively, “ARM-MBS”) that are issued or guaranteed as
to principal and/or interest by a federally chartered corporation, such as
Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, or an agency of the U.S. government, such as Ginnie
Mae (collectively, “Agency MBS”) or are rated AAA by at least one nationally
recognized rating agency, such as Moody’s Investors Services, Inc., Standard
& Poor’s Corporation or Fitch, Inc. (“Rating Agencies”). Hybrid
MBS have interest rates that are fixed for a specified period and, thereafter,
generally reset annually. To a lesser extent, the Company also holds
investments in non-Agency MBS, mortgage-related securities and other investments
that are rated below AAA. At December 31, 2007, the Company held
securities with a carrying value of $7.9 million rated below AAA, including
unrated investment securities. (See Note 3.)
The
Company accounts for its investment securities in accordance with Statement
of
Financial Accounting Standards (“FAS”) No. 115, “Accounting for Certain
Investments in Debt and Equity Securities,” which requires that investments in
securities be designated as either “held-to-maturity,” “available-for-sale” or
“trading” at the time of acquisition. All of the Company’s investment
securities are designated as available-for-sale and are carried at their
estimated fair value with unrealized gains and losses reported in other
comprehensive income, a component of Stockholder’s Equity. The
Company determines the fair value of its investment securities based upon prices
obtained from a third-party pricing service and broker quotes. On
December 31, 2005, the Company adopted the guidance prescribed in Financial
Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Staff Position FAS 115-1 and FAS 124-1, “The
Meaning of Other-Than-Temporary Impairment and its Application to Certain
Investments” (the “FASB Impairment Position”). The application of the
FASB Impairment Position resulted in the Company recognizing an
other-than-temporary impairment charge of $20.7 million on December 31,
2005. (See Note 2(e).)
Although
the Company generally intends to hold its investment securities until maturity,
it may, from time to time, sell any of its securities as part of the overall
management of its business. The available-for-sale designation
provides the Company with the flexibility to sell any of its investment
securities. Upon the sale of an investment security, any unrealized
gain or loss is reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income
to
earnings as a realized gain or loss using the specific identification
method.
Interest
income is accrued based on the outstanding principal balance of the investment
securities and their contractual terms. Premiums and discounts
associated with Agency MBS and MBS rated AAA are amortized into interest income
over the life of such securities using the effective yield method, adjusted
for
actual prepayment activity in accordance with FAS No. 91, “Accounting for
Nonrefundable Fees and Costs Associated with Originating or Acquiring Loans
and
Initial Direct Costs of Leases.” Certain of the Agency MBS owned by
the Company contractually provide for negative amortization, which occurs when
the full amount of the stated coupon interest due on the distribution date
for
an MBS is not received from the underlying mortgages. The Company
recognizes such interest shortfall on its Agency MBS as interest income with
a
corresponding increase in the related Agency MBS principal value (i.e., par)
as
the interest shortfall is guaranteed by the issuing agency.
41
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
Interest
income on the Company’s securities rated below AAA, including unrated
securities, is recognized in accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”)
of FASB 99-20, “Recognition of Interest Income and Impairment on Purchased and
Retained Beneficial Interests in Securitized Financial Assets” (“EITF
99-20”). Pursuant to EITF 99-20, cash flows from a security are
estimated applying assumptions used to determine the fair value of such security
and the excess of the future cash flows over the investment is recognized as
interest income under the effective yield method. The Company reviews
and, if appropriate, makes adjustments to its cash flow projections at least
quarterly and monitors these projections based on input and analysis received
from external sources, internal models, and its judgment about interest rates,
prepayment rates, the timing and amount of credit losses, and other
factors. Changes in cash flows from those originally projected, or
from those estimated at the last evaluation, may result in a prospective change
in interest income recognized on, or the carrying value of, such
securities.
(c)
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash
and
cash equivalents include cash on deposit with financial institutions and
investments in high quality overnight money market funds, all of which have
original maturities of three months or less. The carrying amount of
cash equivalents approximates their fair value.
(d)
Restricted
Cash
Restricted
cash represents cash held in an interest-bearing account by Swap counterparties
as collateral against the Company’s Swaps. Swap collateral
requirements vary by counterparty. Restricted cash is not available
to the Company for general corporate purposes, but may be applied to payments
due to Swap counterparties or returned to the Company in the event that the
collateral is in excess of the collateral requirements and/or at expiration
of
the Swap. In addition, the Company may also pledge cash as collateral
against its repurchase agreements. The Company had no restricted cash
held as collateral against any of its repurchase agreements at December 31,
2007
or 2006. (See Note 5.)
(e)
Other-Than-Temporary Impairment and Credit Risk
The
Company limits its exposure to credit losses on its investment portfolio by
requiring that at least 50% of its investment portfolio consist of hybrid and
adjustable-rate MBS that are either (i) issued or guaranteed by a federally
chartered corporation, such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, or an agency of the
U.S. government, such as Ginnie Mae, or (ii) rated in one of the two highest
rating categories by at least one nationally recognized rating
agency. The remainder of the Company’s investment portfolio may
consist of direct or indirect investments in: (i) other types of MBS; (ii)
residential mortgage loans; (iii) collateralized debt obligations and other
related securities; (iv) real estate; (v) securities issued by REITs, limited
partnerships and closed-end funds; (vi) high-yield corporate securities and
other fixed income instruments (corporate or government); and (vii) other types
of assets approved by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) or a
committee thereof. At December 31, 2007, 91.9% of the Company’s
assets consisted of Agency MBS and related receivables, 5.0% were MBS rated
AAA
by Standard & Poor’s Corporation, a nationally recognized rating agency, and
related receivables and 2.8% were cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash;
combined these assets comprised 99.7% of the Company’s total
assets. The Company’s remaining assets consisted of an investment in
real estate, securities rated below AAA or unrated and other
assets.
FASB
Impairment Position
On
December 31, 2005, the Company adopted the FASB Impairment
Position. Among other things, the FASB Impairment Position
specifically addresses: the determination as to when an investment is considered
impaired; whether that impairment is other-than-temporary; the measurement
of an
impairment loss; accounting considerations subsequent to the recognition of
an
other-than-temporary impairment; and certain required disclosures about
unrealized losses that have not been recognized as other-than-temporary
impairments.
The
Company assesses its investment securities for other-than-temporary impairment
on at least a quarterly basis. When the fair value of an investment
is less than its amortized cost at the balance sheet date of the reporting
period for which impairment is assessed, the impairment is designated as either
“temporary” or “other-than-temporary.” If it is determined that
impairment is other-than-temporary, then an impairment loss is recognized in
earnings reflecting the entire difference between the investment's cost basis
and its fair value at the balance sheet date of the reporting period for which
the assessment is made. The measurement of the impairment is not
permitted to include partial recoveries subsequent to the balance sheet
date. Following the recognition of an other-than-temporary
impairment, the fair value of the investment becomes the new cost basis of
the
investment and is not adjusted for subsequent recoveries in fair value through
earnings. Because management’s assessments are based on factual
information as well as subjective information available at the time of
assessment, the determination as to whether an other-than-temporary impairment
exists and, if so, the amount considered impaired, or not impaired, is
subjective and, therefore, constitute material estimates that are susceptible
to
significant change.
42
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Upon
a
decision to sell an impaired available-for-sale investment security on which
the
Company does not expect the fair value of the investment to fully recover prior
to the expected time of sale, the investment shall be deemed
other-than-temporarily impaired in the period in which the decision to sell
is
made. The Company recognizes an impairment loss when the impairment
is deemed other-than-temporary even if a decision to sell has not been
made. Upon implementing the FASB Impairment Position in 2005, the
Company recorded an impairment charge of $20.7 million related to
other-than-temporary impairments on certain MBS that the Company did not expect
to hold until recovery of such impairment. The Company had no
other-than-temporarily impaired MBS at December 31, 2007 and did not recognize
any impairment charges against its MBS portfolio during the years ended December
31, 2007 and 2006. At December 31, 2005, the Company had MBS of
$821.5 million on which an impairment charge had been made; all such MBS were
sold during the first quarter of 2006, resulting in a net gain of $1.6 million
reflecting the amount of market recovery subsequent to December 31, 2005, the
impairment measurement date. (See Note 3.)
Securities
Rated Below AAA
Certain
of the Company’s investment securities rated below AAA were purchased at a
discount to par value, with a portion of such discount considered credit
protection against future credit losses. The initial credit
protection (i.e., discount) on these MBS may be adjusted over time, based on
review of the investment or, if applicable, its underlying collateral, actual
and projected cash flow from such collateral, economic conditions and other
factors. If the performance of these securities is more favorable
than forecasted, a portion of the amount designated as credit discount may
be
accreted into interest income over time. Conversely, if the
performance of these securities is less favorable than forecasted, impairment
charges and a write down of such security to a new cost basis could
result. The Company did not have any impairment charges against any
of its securities rated below AAA during the three years ended December 31,
2007. At December 31, 2007, the Company had $7.9 million, or 0.1%
(i.e., 1/10 of 1%) of its assets, invested in investment securities rated below
AAA or unrated.
(f)
Goodwill
The
Company accounts for its goodwill in accordance with FAS No. 142, "Goodwill
and
Other Intangible Assets" (“FAS 142”) which provides, among other things, how
entities are to account for goodwill and other intangible assets that arise
from
business combinations or are otherwise acquired. FAS 142 requires
that goodwill be tested for impairment annually or more frequently under certain
circumstances. At December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006, the
Company had goodwill of $7.2 million, which represents the unamortized portion
of the excess of the fair value of our common stock issued over the fair value
of net assets acquired in connection with its formation in
1998. Goodwill is tested for impairment at least annually at the
entity level. Through December 31, 2007, the Company had not
recognized any impairment against its goodwill.
(g)
Real Estate
At
December 31, 2007, the Company indirectly held 100% of the ownership interest
in
Lealand Place, a 191-unit apartment property located in Lawrenceville, Georgia
(“Lealand”), which is consolidated with the Company. This property
was acquired through a tax-deferred exchange under Section 1031 of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). (See Notes 2(h) and
6.)
The
property, capital improvements and other assets held in connection with this
investment are carried at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and
amortization. Maintenance, repairs and minor improvements are charged
to expense in the period incurred, while real estate assets, except land, and
capital improvements are depreciated over their useful life using the
straight-line method.
(h)
Real Estate Held-for-Sale/Discontinued Operations
The
Company accounts for its real estate held-for-sale in accordance with FASB
Statement No. 144, “Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long Lived
Assets” (“FAS 144”). Among other things, FAS 144 provides that a
long-lived asset classified as held-for-sale shall: (i) not be depreciated
while
classified as held-for-sale; (ii) be measured at the lower of its carrying
amount or fair value less cost to sell; and (iii) result in a loss recognized
for any initial or subsequent write-down to fair value less cost to sell or
a
gain recognized for any subsequent increase in fair value less cost to sell,
but
not in excess of the cumulative loss previously recognized. A gain or
loss, not previously recognized, that results from the sale of a long-lived
asset shall be recognized at the date of sale. In accordance with FAS
144, as amended by Statement No. 154, “Accounting Changes and Error Corrections”
(“FAS 154”), revenues and expenses for the Company’s indirect interest in a
property classified as held-for-sale or sold have been reclassified as
discontinued operations, on a net basis for each of the periods presented.
This reclassification had no effect on the Company’s reported net
income. (See Note 6.)
43
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS,
INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
During
the first quarter of 2006, the Company sold its 100% indirect membership
interest in Greenhouse Holdings, LLC (“Greenhouse”), which held a 128-unit
multi-family apartment building in Omaha, Nebraska known as “The
Greenhouse”. The transaction resulted in a gain of $4.8 million net
of selling costs and a built-in gains tax of $1.8 million. In
addition, a $135,000 mortgage prepayment penalty was incurred on the
satisfaction of the mortgage secured by such property. Prior to the
quarter in which the sale of Greenhouse occurred, there was no definitive plan
to sell such property. During the third quarter of 2007, the Company
recognized income of $257,000 related to a reduction of the $1.8 million of
built-in-gains taxes previously recognized on the sale of
Greenhouse.
On
June
30, 2006, the Company classified its indirect investment in Cameron at Hickory
Grove Apartments, a 201-unit multi-family apartment complex in Charlotte, North
Carolina (“Cameron”), as held-for-sale. Upon the reclassification,
Cameron was reviewed for impairment and it was determined that Cameron’s
carrying value approximated its fair value less cost to sell. The
sale of Cameron during the fourth quarter of 2006 ultimately resulted in a
net
loss of $408,000. In addition, a prepayment penalty of $577,000 was
incurred on the satisfaction of the mortgage secured by such
property. (See Note 6.)
In
accordance with FAS 144, the historical results of operations from Greenhouse
and Cameron have been reclassified, on a net basis, as a component of
discontinued operations.
(i)
Repurchase Agreements
The
Company finances the acquisition of its MBS through repurchase
agreements. Under these repurchase agreements, the Company sells
securities to a lender and agrees to repurchase the same securities in the
future for a price that is higher than the original sale price. The
difference between the sale price that the Company receives and the repurchase
price that the Company pays represents interest paid to the
lender. Although structured as a sale and repurchase, under
repurchase agreements, the Company pledges its securities as collateral to
secure a loan which is equal in value to a specified percentage of the estimated
fair value of the pledged collateral, while the Company retains beneficial
ownership of the pledged collateral. At the maturity of a repurchase
agreement, the Company is required to repay the loan and concurrently receives
back its pledged collateral from the lender. With the consent of the
lender, the Company may renew a repurchase agreement at the then prevailing
financing terms. Margin calls, whereby a lender requires that the
Company pledge additional securities or cash as collateral to secure borrowings
under its repurchase agreements with such lender, are routinely experienced
by
the Company as the value of the MBS pledged as collateral declines due to
scheduled monthly amortization and prepayments of principal on such
MBS. In addition, margin calls may also occur when the fair value of
the MBS pledged as collateral declines due to changes in market interest rates
or other market conditions. Through December 31, 2007, the Company
had satisfied all of its margin calls. (See Note
7.)
Original
terms to maturity of the Company’s repurchase agreements range from one month to
60 months. Should a counterparty decide not to renew a repurchase
agreement at maturity, the Company must either refinance elsewhere or be in
a
position to satisfy this obligation. If, during the term of a
repurchase agreement, a lender should file for bankruptcy, the Company might
experience difficulty recovering its pledged assets and may have an unsecured
claim against the lender’s assets for the difference between the amount loaned
to the Company plus interest due to the counterparty and the estimated fair
value of the collateral pledged to such lender. The Company generally
seeks to diversify its exposure by entering into repurchase agreements with
at
least four separate lenders with a maximum loan from any lender of no more
than
three times the Company’s stockholders’ equity. At December 31, 2007,
the Company had outstanding balances under repurchase agreements with 18
separate lenders with a maximum net exposure (the difference between the amount
loaned to the Company including interest payable and the fair value of the
security pledged by the Company as collateral including accrued interest on
such
securities) to a single lender of $71.9 million, or 7.8% of stockholders’
equity. (See Note 7.)
Prior
to
the first quarter of 2006, the Company had, in some cases, purchased MBS from
a
counterparty and subsequently financed the acquisition of these MBS through
repurchase agreements, which financing was also collateralized by such MBS,
with
the same counterparty (a “Same Party Transaction”). The Company
recorded the acquisition of these MBS as assets and the related financings
under
repurchase agreements as liabilities on its consolidated balance sheets, with
changes in the fair value of these MBS recorded in other comprehensive income,
a
component of stockholders’ equity. The corresponding interest income
earned on these MBS and interest expense incurred on the related repurchase
agreements were reported gross on the Company’s consolidated statements of
income. At December 31, 2007, the Company had no Same Party
Transactions.
44
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
In
July
2007, the FASB issued the exposure draft for FASB Staff Position (“FSP”) 140-d,
“Accounting for Transfers of Financial Assets and Repurchase Financing
Transactions,” (“FSP 140-d”), which addresses Same Party
Transactions. At the January 2008 meeting, the Board redeliberated
significant issues relating to the proposed FSP and authorized the staff to
proceed to a draft of a final FSP for vote. Among other things, the
FASB tentatively determined that the FSP should be effective for fiscal years
beginning after November 15, 2008 and that early adoption is not
permitted. As such, the Company does not expect that the adoption of
FSP 140-d, if adopted by the FASB in its current form will have any impact
on
the Company’s financial statements.
(j)
Equity Based Compensation
The
Company accounts for its stock-based compensation in accordance with FAS No.
123R, “Share-Based Payment,” (“FAS 123R”), which was adopted on January 1,
2006. The adoption of FAS 123R did not have any impact, as the
Company had applied the fair value method of accounting for stock based
compensation since January 1, 2003, and its use of stock based compensation
historically was not a key component of its compensation
structure. The Company uses the Black-Scholes-Merton option model to
value its stock options. There are limitations inherent in this
model, as with all other models currently used in the market place to value
stock options, as they typically have not been designed to value stock options
which contain significant restrictions and forfeiture risks, such as those
contained in the stock options that are issued to certain
employees. Significant assumptions are made in order to determine the
Company’s option value, all of which are subjective. The fair value
of the Company’s stock options are expensed using the straight-line
method.
Pursuant
to FAS 123R, compensation expense for restricted stock awards, restricted stock
units (“RSUs”) and stock options is recognized over the vesting period of such
awards, based upon the estimated fair value of such awards at the grant
date. DERs attached to such awards are charged to stockholders’
equity when declared. Equity based awards for which there is no risk
of forfeiture are expensed upon grant, or at such time that there is no longer
a
risk of forfeiture. A zero forfeiture rate is applied to the
Company’s equity based awards, as such awards have been granted to a limited
number of employees, (primarily long-term executives that have employment
agreements with the Company) and forfeiture rates have been
minimal. Should information arise indicating that forfeitures may
occur, the forfeiture rate would be revised and accounted for as a change in
estimate. Grantees are not required to return the dividends or DERs
if their awards do not vest, accordingly, payments made on instruments that
ultimately do not vest are recognized as additional compensation expense at
the
time an award is forfeited. There were no forfeitures of any equity
based compensation awards during the three years ended December 31, 2007, and
125,000 options expired unexercised during the year ended December 31,
2005. (See Note 12.)
(k)
Earnings per Common Share (“EPS”)
Basic
EPS
is computed by dividing net income available to holders of common stock by
the
weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the
period. Diluted EPS is computed by dividing net income available to
holders of common stock by the weighted average shares of common stock and
common equivalent shares outstanding during the period. For the
diluted EPS calculation, common equivalent shares outstanding includes the
weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding adjusted for
the
effect of dilutive unexercised stock options and RSUs outstanding using the
treasury stock method. Under the treasury stock method, common
equivalent shares are calculated assuming that all dilutive common stock
equivalents are exercised and the proceeds, along with future compensation
expenses for unvested stock options and RSUs, are used to repurchase shares
of
the Company’s outstanding common stock at the average market price during the
reported period. No common share equivalents are included in the
computation of any diluted per share amount for a period in which a net
operating loss is reported. (See Note 10.)
(l)
Comprehensive Income/Loss
Comprehensive
income/(loss) for the Company includes net income/(loss) and the change in
net
unrealized gains/(losses) on investment securities and derivative instruments,
adjusted by realized net gain/loss included in net income for the period and
reduced by dividends declared on the Company’s preferred
stock.
(m)
U.S. Federal Income Taxes
The
Company has elected to be taxed as a REIT under the provisions of the Code
and
the corresponding provisions of state law. The Company expects to
operate in a manner that will enable it to continue to be taxed as a
REIT. A REIT is not subject to tax on its earnings to the extent that
it distributes its ordinary taxable income to stockholders. As such,
no provision for current or deferred income taxes has been made in the
accompanying consolidated financial statements.
45
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Under
the
“Built-in Gain Rules” of the Code, a REIT is subject to a corporate tax if it
disposes of an asset acquired from a C corporation during the ten-year period
following the initial acquisition of such asset. Such built-in gain
tax is imposed at the highest regular corporate tax rate on the lesser of (i)
the amount of gain recognized by the REIT at the time of the sale or disposition
of such asset or (ii) the amount of such asset’s built-in gains at the time the
asset was acquired from the non-REIT C corporation. During the first
quarter of 2006, the Company was subject to a built-in gains tax of $1.8 million
in connection with the sale of Greenhouse, which, net of such tax and selling
expenses, resulted in a gain of $4.8 million. During the quarter
ended December 31, 2007, the Company recognized income of $257,000 related
to a
reduction of the $1.8 million of built-in gains tax previously recognized on
the
sale of Greenhouse. (See
Note 6.)
(n)
Derivative Financial Instruments/Hedging Activity
The
Company hedges a portion of its interest rate risk through the use of derivative
financial instruments, comprised of Swaps and Caps (collectively, “Hedging
Instruments”). The Company accounts for Hedging Instruments in
accordance with FAS No. 133, “Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging
Activities,” (“FAS 133”), as amended by FAS No. 138, “Accounting for Certain
Derivative Instruments and Certain Hedging Activities,” and FAS No. 149
“Amendment of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments and Hedging
Activities.” The Company’s Hedging Instruments are carried on the
balance sheet at their fair value, as assets, if their fair value is positive,
or as liabilities, if their fair value is negative. Since the
Company’s Hedging Instruments are designated as “cash flow hedges,” the change
in the fair value of any such instrument is recorded in other comprehensive
income for hedges that qualify as an effective hedge and is transferred from
other comprehensive income to earnings as the hedged liability affects
earnings. The ineffective amount of all Hedging Instruments, if any,
is recognized in earnings each quarter. To date, except for gains and
losses realized on Swaps terminated early and deemed ineffective, the Company
has not recognized any change in the value of its Hedging Instruments in
earnings as a result of the hedge or a portion thereof being
ineffective.
Upon
entering into hedging transactions, the Company documents the relationship
between the Hedging Instruments and the hedged liability. The Company
also documents its risk-management policies, including objectives and
strategies, as they relate to its hedging activities. The Company
assesses, both at inception of a hedge and on an on-going basis, whether or
not
the hedge is “highly effective,” as defined by FAS 133. The Company
discontinues hedge accounting on a prospective basis and recognizes changes
in
the estimated fair value reflected in earnings when: (i) it is determined that
the derivative is no longer effective in offsetting cash flows of a hedged
item
(including hedged items such as forecasted transactions); (ii) it is no
longer probable that the forecasted transaction will occur; or (iii) it is
determined that designating the derivative as a Hedging Instrument is no longer
appropriate.
The
Company utilizes Hedging Instruments to manage a portion of its interest rate
risk and does not enter into derivative transactions for speculative or trading
purposes. (See Note 5.)
Interest
Rate Swaps
No
cost
is incurred by the Company at the inception of a Swap; however, in certain
cases, the Company is required to pledge cash or securities equal to a specified
percentage of the notional amount of the Swap to the counterparty as
collateral. When the Company enters into a Swap, it agrees to pay a
fixed rate of interest and to receive a variable interest rate, generally based
on the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). The Company’s Swaps
are designated as cash flow hedges against the benchmark interest rate risk
associated with its borrowings.
While
the
fair value of our Swaps are reflected in our consolidated balance sheets, the
notional amounts are not. All changes in the value of Swaps are
recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income. The estimated
fair value of our Swaps approximates the amount at which our Swaps could be
terminated with each of our Swap counterparties at the valuation
date. Interest rate swap values are typically based upon their terms
relative to the forward curve at the valuation date. In addition, we
independently review the valuations we receive from our Swap counterparties
for
reasonableness relative to the forward curve to assure that the amount at which
the Swap could be settled approximates its fair value. If it becomes
probable that the forecasted transaction (which in this case refers to interest
payments to be made under the Company’s short-term borrowing agreements) will
not occur by the end of the originally specified time period, as documented
at
the inception and throughout the term of the hedging relationship, then the
related gain or loss in accumulated other comprehensive income would be
recognized through earnings.
Realized
gains and losses resulting from the early termination of a Swap are initially
recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income, a component of stockholders’
equity. The gain or loss from a terminated Swap remains in
accumulated other comprehensive income until the forecasted interest payments
affect earnings. However, if it is probable that the forecasted
interest payments will not occur, then the entire gain or loss is recognized
through earnings.
46
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS,
INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Interest
Rate Caps
A
one-time fee (i.e., a premium) is paid upon purchasing a
Cap. Pursuant to the terms of a Cap, the Company will receive cash
payments if the interest rate index specified in a Cap increases above the
contractually specified level. Therefore, Caps have the effect of
capping (i.e., limiting), the interest rate on a portion of the Company’s
borrowings, equal to the notional amount of the active Caps, to the rate
specified in the Cap agreement.
In
order
for the Company’s Caps to qualify for hedge accounting, upon entering into the
Cap, the Company must anticipate that the hedge will be “highly effective,” as
defined by FAS 133, in limiting the Company’s cost beyond the Cap threshold on
its matching (on an aggregate basis) anticipated repurchase agreements during
the active period of the Cap. Provided that the hedge remains
effective, changes in the estimated fair value of the Caps are included in
other
comprehensive income. Upon commencement of the Cap active period, the
premium paid to enter into the Cap is amortized to interest
expense. The periodic amortization of Cap premiums are based on an
allocation of the premium, determined at inception of the hedge, for the monthly
components on an estimated fair value basis. Payments received in
connection with Caps, if any, reduce interest expense. If it is
determined that a Cap is not effective, the premium would be reduced and a
corresponding charge made to interest expense for the ineffective portion of
the
Cap. The maximum cost related to the Company’s Caps is limited to the
premium paid to enter into the Cap. The Company had no Caps at
December 31, 2007 and did not purchase any Caps during the three years ended
December 31, 2007.
(o)
Adoption of New Accounting Standards
FASB
Statements and Interpretations
On
January 1, 2007, the Company adopted FASB Interpretation (“FIN”) No. 48,
“Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes, an interpretation of FASB Statement
No. 109” (“FIN 48”). FIN 48, among other things, prescribes a
recognition threshold and measurement attributes for the financial statement
recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken
in a
tax return. The Company’s adoption of FIN 48 did not have an impact
on the Company’s financial statements.
Effective
January 1, 2007, the Company adopted FAS No. 155, “Accounting for Certain Hybrid
Instruments” (“FAS 155”), an amendment to FAS 133 and FAS No. 140, “Accounting
for Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishments of
Liabilities” (“FAS 140”). Among other things, FAS 155: (i) permits
fair value remeasurement for any hybrid financial instrument that contains
an
embedded derivative that otherwise would require bifurcation; (ii) clarified
which interest-only strips and principal-only strips are not subject to the
requirements of FAS 133; (iii) established a requirement to evaluate interests
in securitized financial assets to identify interests that are freestanding
derivatives or that are hybrid financial instruments that contain an embedded
derivative requiring bifurcation; (iv) clarified that concentrations of credit
risk in the form of subordination are not embedded derivatives; and (v) amended
FAS 140 to eliminate the prohibition on a qualifying special-purpose entity
from
holding a derivative financial instrument that pertains to a beneficial interest
other than another derivative financial instrument.
Securitized
interests which only contain
an embedded derivative that is tied to the prepayment risk of the underlying
prepayable financial assets and for which the investor does not control the
right to accelerate the settlement of such financial assets are excluded under
a
scope exception adopted by the FASB. As a result of this scope
exception, none of the Company’s assets were subject to FAS 155. The
Company continues to record changes in the market value of its investment
securities through other comprehensive income. Therefore, the
adoption of FAS 155 did not have any impact on the Company’s financial
statements. However, if future investments by the Company in
securitized financial assets do not meet the scope exception to FAS 155, the
Company’s results of operations may exhibit future volatility if such
investments are required to be bifurcated or marked to market value through
the
income statement.
(p)
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
In
September 2006, the FASB issued FAS No. 157, "Fair Value Measurements" ("FAS
157"), which defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair
value in generally accepted accounting principles and expands disclosures about
fair value measurements. FAS 157 is effective for fiscal years
beginning after November 15, 2007 and, with respect to the Company, is to
be applied prospectively. The Company does not expect that the
adoption of FAS 157 beginning in the first quarter of 2008 will have a
material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
47
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
In
February 2007, the FASB issued FAS No. 159, “The Fair Value Option for Financial
Assets and Financial Liabilities” (“FAS 159”). FAS 159 permits
entities to elect to measure many financial instruments and certain other items
at fair value. Unrealized gains and losses on items for which the
fair value option has been elected will be recognized in earnings at each
subsequent reporting date. A decision to elect the fair value option
for an eligible financial instrument, which can be made on an instrument by
instrument basis, is irrevocable. The Company will adopt FAS 159 on
January 1, 2008 on a prospective basis. The Company does
not expect that the adoption of FAS 159 will have a material impact on its
consolidated financial statements.
In
April
2007, the FASB issued FIN No. 39-1, “Amendment of FASB Interpretation No. 39.”
(“FIN 39-1”). FIN 39-1 defines “right of setoff” and specifies what
conditions must be met for a derivative contract to qualify for this right
of
setoff. FIN 39-1 also addresses the applicability of a right of
setoff to derivative instruments and clarifies the circumstances in which it
is
appropriate to offset amounts recognized for those instruments in the balance
sheet. In addition, FIN 39-1 permits offsetting of fair value amounts
recognized for multiple derivative instruments executed with the same
counterparty under a master netting arrangement and fair value amounts
recognized for the right to reclaim cash collateral (a receivable) or the
obligation to return cash collateral (a payable) arising from the same master
netting arrangement as the derivative instruments. FIN 39-1 is
effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2008. The Company does
not expect that the adoption of FIN 39-1 will have a material impact on its
consolidated financial statements.
In
June
2007, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (“AICPA”) issued
Statement of Position (“SOP”) 07-01 “Clarification of the Scope of the Audit and
Accounting Investment Companies and Accounting by Parent Companies and Equity
Method Investors for Investments in Investment Companies” (“SOP 07-1”) which
provides guidance for determining whether an entity is within the scope of
the
guidance in the AICPA Audit and Accounting Guide for Investment
Companies. On February 6, 2008, the FASB decided to indefinitely
defer the effective date of SOP 07-1.
(q)
Reclassifications
Certain
prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period
presentation.
48
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
3.
Investment Securities
At
December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006, the Company’s investment securities
portfolio consisted primarily of pools of ARM-MBS, which were primarily
comprised of Agency MBS and non-Agency MBS that were rated AAA by one or more
of
the Rating Agencies. The following tables present certain information
about the Company's investment securities at December 31, 2007 and December
31,
2006.
December
31, 2007
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Principal/
Current Face
|
Purchase
Premiums
|
Purchase
Discounts
|
MBS
Amortized Cost (1)
|
Carrying
Value/ Estimated Fair Value
|
Gross
Unrealized Gains
|
Gross
Unrealized Losses
|
Net
Unrealized Gain/(Loss)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Agency
MBS:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fannie
Mae Certificates
|
$ | 7,157,079 | $ | 91,610 | $ | (706 | ) | $ | 7,247,983 | $ | 7,287,111 | $ | 47,486 | $ | (8,358 | ) | $ | 39,128 | ||||||||||||||
Ginnie
Mae Certificates
|
172,340 | 3,173 | - | 175,513 | 174,089 | 78 | (1,502 | ) | (1,424 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Freddie
Mac Certificates
|
393,441 | 6,221 | - | 409,337 | 408,792 | 781 | (1,326 | ) | (545 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Non-Agency
MBS: (2)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rated
AAA
|
430,025 | 2,341 | (987 | ) | 431,379 | 424,954 | 97 | (6,522 | ) | (6,425 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Rated
AA+
|
1,413 | - | - | 1,413 | 1,392 | - | (21 | ) | (21 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Rated
single A+
|
989 | - | (3 | ) | 986 | 967 | - | (19 | ) | (19 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Rated
BBB+
|
559 | - | - | 559 | 543 | - | (16 | ) | (16 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Rated
BB and below
|
1,512 | - | - | 1,512 | 1,646 | 134 | - | 134 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unrated
|
2,968 | - | - | 2,968 | 1,689 | 35 | (1,314 | ) | (1,279 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
MBS
|
$ | 8,160,326 | $ | 103,345 | $ | (1,696 | ) | $ | 8,271,650 | $ | 8,301,183 | $ | 48,611 | $ | (19,078 | ) | $ | 29,533 | ||||||||||||||
Income
notes, unrated:
|
1,935 | - | (20 | ) | 1,915 | 1,614 | - | (301 | ) | (301 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 8,162,261 | $ | 103,345 | $ | (1,716 | ) | $ | 8,273,565 | $ | 8,302,797 | $ | 48,611 | $ | (19,379 | ) | $ | 29,232 | ||||||||||||||
December
31, 2006
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Principal/
Current Face
|
Purchase
Premiums
|
Purchase
Discounts
|
MBS
Amortized Cost (1)
|
Carrying
Value/ Estimated Fair Value
|
Gross
Unrealized Gains
|
Gross
Unrealized Losses
|
Net
Unrealized Gain/(Loss)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Agency
MBS:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fannie
Mae Certificates
|
$ | 5,421,923 | $ | 84,146 | $ | - | $ | 5,506,189 | $ | 5,482,112 | $ | 2,116 | $ | (26,193 | ) | $ | (24,077 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Ginnie
Mae Certificates
|
301,813 | 5,659 | - | 307,472 | 304,826 | 173 | (2,819 | ) | (2,646 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Freddie
Mac Certificates
|
285,059 | 5,849 | - | 301,016 | 299,505 | 50 | (1,561 | ) | (1,511 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Non-Agency
MBS:
(2)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rated
AAA
|
229,030 | 3,184 | - | 237,805 | 234,275 | - | (3,530 | ) | (3,530 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Rated
AA
|
2,253 | - | - | 2,253 | 2,218 | - | (35 | ) | (35 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Rated
single A & A-
|
3,041 | - | (12 | ) | 3,029 | 3,014 | - | (15 | ) | (15 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Rated
BBB and BBB-
|
9,024 | - | (17 | ) | 9,007 | 8,972 | - | (35 | ) | (35 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Rated
BB and below
|
2,150 | - | (10 | ) | 2,140 | 2,255 | 115 | - | 115 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Unrated
|
2,754 | - | (2 | ) | 2,752 | 3,491 | 739 | - | 739 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 6,257,047 | $ | 98,838 | $ | (41 | ) | $ | 6,371,663 | $ | 6,340,668 | $ | 3,193 | $ | (34,188 | ) | $ | (30,995 | ) |
(1)
Includes principal
payments receivable, which is not included in the Principal/Current
Face
(2)
Based upon ratings
by Standard & Poor's.
Agency
MBS: Although
Agency MBS carry an implied AAA rating, Agency MBS are guaranteed as to
principal and/or interest by a federally chartered corporation, such as Fannie
Mae or Freddie Mac, or an agency of the U.S. government, such as Ginnie
Mae. The payment of principal and/or interest on Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac MBS is guaranteed by those respective agencies and the payment
of
principal and/or interest on Ginnie Mae MBS is backed by the full faith and
credit of the U.S. government.
49
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Non-Agency
MBS: The Company’s non-Agency
MBS are certificates that are backed by pools of single-family
mortgage
loans, which are
not guaranteed by the U.S. government, any federal agency or any federally
chartered corporation. Non-Agency MBS may be rated from AAA to B by
one or more of the Rating Agencies or may be unrated. The rating
indicates the credit worthiness of the investment (i.e., the obligor’s ability
to meet its financial commitment on the obligation).
Other
Investments: At December 31, 2007, the Company’s other
investment securities were comprised of income
notes. Income notes are unrated securities
collateralized by capital securities of a diversified pool of issuers,
consisting primarily of depository institutions and insurance
companies.
The
Company monitors the performance and market value of its investment securities
portfolio on an ongoing basis. At December 31, 2007, the Company had
184 securities, with an amortized cost of $1.037 billion and fair value of
$1.023 billion, that had unrealized losses for 12 months or more. At
December 31, 2007, these securities had gross unrealized losses of $14.2
million, of which $10.2 million was attributable to Agency MBS and $4.0 million
was attributable to AAA rated MBS. The following table presents the
gross unrealized losses and the estimated fair value of the Company’s investment
securities, aggregated by investment category or rating and length of time
that
such securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position, at December
31, 2007.
Unrealized
Loss Position for:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Less
than 12 Months
|
12
Months or more
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Estimated
Fair Value
|
Unrealized
losses
|
Estimated
Fair Value
|
Unrealized
losses
|
Estimated
Fair Value
|
Unrealized
losses
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Agency
MBS:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fannie
Mae
|
$ | 231,974 | $ | 486 | $ | 681,538 | $ | 7,872 | $ | 913,512 | $ | 8,358 | ||||||||||||
Ginnie
Mae
|
29,650 | 81 | 128,590 | 1,421 | 158,240 | 1,502 | ||||||||||||||||||
Freddie
Mac
|
115,235 | 393 | 55,004 | 933 | 170,239 | 1,326 | ||||||||||||||||||
Non-Agency
MBS:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rated
AAA
|
148,346 | 2,517 | 158,325 | 4,005 | 306,671 | 6,522 | ||||||||||||||||||
Rated
AA
|
1,392 | 21 | - | - | 1,392 | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||
Rated
A
|
967 | 19 | - | - | 967 | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||
Rated
BBB & BBB-
|
543 | 16 | - | - | 543 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
Unrated
MBS
|
1,639 | 1,314 | - | - | 1,639 | 1,314 | ||||||||||||||||||
Unrated
other securities
|
1,614 | 301 | - | - | 1,614 | 301 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total
temporarily impaired securities
|
$ | 531,360 | $ | 5,148 | $ | 1,023,457 | $ | 14,231 | $ | 1,554,817 | $ | 19,379 |
At
December 31, 2007, the Company determined that it had the intent and ability
to
continue to hold those investment securities on which it had unrealized losses
until recovery of such unrealized losses or until maturity, such that the
impairment of these securities was considered temporary. In making
this determination, the Company considered that the decline in the value of
Agency MBS to be primarily related to changes in market interest rates and
spreads, as the receipt of par is guaranteed by the respective Agency MBS
guarantor and that all of the non-Agency securities in an unrealized loss
position at December 31, 2007 had maintained their rating. However,
such assessment may change over time given, among other things, the dynamic
nature of interest rate markets and other variables. Future sales or
changes in the Company’s assessment of its ability and/or intent to hold
impaired investment securities until recovery or maturity could result in the
Company recognizing other-than-temporary impairment charges or realized losses
in the future.
50
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
The
following table presents the impact of the Company’s investment securities on
the Company’s other comprehensive income/(loss) for the years ended December 31,
2007, 2006 and 2005.
For
the Year Ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Accumulated
Other Comprehensive (Loss)/Income from
investment
securities:
|
||||||||||||
Unrealized
loss on investment securities at beginning of
year
|
$ | (30,995 | ) | $ | (61,728 | ) | $ | (33,111 | ) | |||
Unrealized
gain/(loss) on investment securities, net
|
49,352 | 6,165 | (68,185 | ) | ||||||||
Reclassification
adjustment for net loss included in net
income
from MBS
|
10,875 | 24,568 | 39,568 | |||||||||
Balance
at the end of year
|
$ | 29,232 | $ | (30,995 | ) | $ | (61,728 | ) |
During
the year ended December 31, 2007, the Company sold 32 MBS for $844.5 million,
resulting in net losses of $21.8 million, comprised of gross losses of $22.1
million and gross gains of $350,000. During the year ended December
31, 2006, the Company sold 84 MBS for $1.844 billion, resulting in net realized
losses of $23.1 million, comprised of gross losses of $25.2 million and gross
gains of $2.1 million.
The
following table presents components of interest income on the Company’s MBS
portfolio for the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006 and
2005.
December
31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Coupon
interest on MBS
|
$ | 407,705 | $ | 247,845 | $ | 292,313 | ||||||
Premium
amortization
|
(27,745 | ) | (31,085 | ) | (56,548 | ) | ||||||
Discount
accretion
|
210 | 111 | 33 | |||||||||
Interest
income on MBS, net
|
$ | 380,170 | $ | 216,871 | $ | 235,798 |
The
following table presents certain information about the Company’s MBS that will
reprice or amortize based on contractual terms, which do not consider prepayment
assumptions, at December 31, 2007.
December
31, 2007
|
||||||||||||
Months
to Coupon Reset or Contractual Payment
|
Fair
Value
|
%
of Total
|
WAC
(1)
|
|||||||||
(Dollars
in Thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Within
one month
|
$ | 600,568 | 7.2 | % | 6.55 | % | ||||||
One
to three months
|
67,114 | 0.8 | 6.11 | |||||||||
Three
to 12 Months
|
507,935 | 6.1 | 6.27 | |||||||||
One
to two years
|
47,412 | 0.6 | 5.35 | |||||||||
Two
to three years
|
133,941 | 1.6 | 5.86 | |||||||||
Three
to five years
|
3,034,622 | 36.6 | 6.11 | |||||||||
Five
to ten years
|
3,909,591 | 47.1 | 6.01 | |||||||||
Total
|
$ | 8,301,183 | 100.0 | % | 6.10 | % | ||||||
(1)
"WAC" is the weighted average coupon rate on the Company’s MBS, which is
higher than the net yield that will be earned on such MBS. The net
yield is primarily reduced by net premium amortization and the contractual
delay in receiving payments, which delay varies by
issuer.
|
51
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
The
following table presents information about the Company's MBS pledged as
collateral under repurchase agreements and in connection with Swaps at December
31, 2007.
MBS
Pledged Under Repurchase Agreements
|
MBS
Pledged for Swaps
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MBS
Pledged
|
Estimated
Fair Value/ Carrying Value
|
Amortized
Cost
|
Accrued
Interest on Pledged MBS
|
Estimated
Fair Value/ Carrying Value
|
Amortized
Cost
|
Accrued
Interest on Pledged Swaps
|
Total
Fair Value of MBS Pledged and Accrued Interest
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fannie
Mae
|
$ | 7,063,599 | $ | 7,023,674 | $ | 35,212 | $ | 65,270 | $ | 65,928 | $ | 360 | $ | 7,164,441 | ||||||||||||||
Freddie
Mac
|
355,265 | 355,308 | 3,658 | 13,179 | 13,316 | 161 | 372,263 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Ginnie
Mae
|
132,350 | 133,533 | 652 | 1,459 | 1,451 | 8 | 134,469 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Rated
AAA
|
415,825 | 421,938 | 2,020 | - | - | - | 417,845 | |||||||||||||||||||||
$ | 7,967,039 | $ | 7,934,453 | $ | 41,542 | $ | 79,908 | $ | 80,695 | $ | 529 | $ | 8,089,018 |
4. Interest
Receivable
The
following table presents the amounts of the Company’s interest receivable by
investment category at December 31, 2007 and 2006.
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||
Agency
MBS:
|
||||||||
Fannie
Mae
|
$ | 36,376 | $ | 27,592 | ||||
Ginnie
Mae
|
870 | 1,391 | ||||||
Freddie
Mac
|
4,177 | 3,107 | ||||||
Non-Agency
MBS:
|
||||||||
Rated
AAA
|
2,070 | 1,053 | ||||||
Rated
AA
|
7 | 9 | ||||||
Rated
A & A-
|
5 | 6 | ||||||
Rated
BBB and BBB-
|
3 | 18 | ||||||
Rated
BB and below
|
6 | 5 | ||||||
Unrated
MBS
|
1 | 1 | ||||||
Total
MBS
|
$ | 43,515 | $ | 33,182 | ||||
Unrated
other securities
|
3 | - | ||||||
Cash
investments
|
92 | - | ||||||
Total
interest receivable
|
$ | 43,610 | $ | 33,182 |
5. Hedging
Instruments
In
connection with the Company’s interest rate risk management process, the Company
periodically hedges a portion of its interest rate risk by entering into
derivative financial instrument contracts. At December 31, 2007, the
Company’s derivatives were comprised of Swaps, which had the effect of modifying
the repricing characteristics of the Company’s repurchase agreements and cash
flows on such liabilities. The use of Hedging Instruments creates
exposure to credit risk relating to potential losses that could be recognized
in
the event that the counterparties to these instruments fail to perform their
obligations under the contracts. In addition, the Company is required
to pledge assets as collateral for certain of its Swaps, which amount varies
over time based on the market value, notional amount and remaining term of
the
Swap. The Company had MBS with a fair value of $79.9 million and
$13.5 million pledged as collateral against its Swaps at December 31, 2007
and
December 31, 2006, respectively, and had $4.5 million of cash (i.e., restricted
cash) pledged against Swaps at December 31, 2007. In the event of a
default by the counterparty, the Company may not receive payments provided
for
under the terms of its Hedging Instruments, and may have difficulty obtaining
its assets pledged as collateral for Swaps.
52
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
The
following table presents the impact of the Company’s Hedging Instruments on the
Company’s other comprehensive income/(loss) for the years ended December 31,
2007, 2006 and 2005.
For
the Year Ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Accumulated
Other Comprehensive (Loss)/Income
from
Hedging Instruments:
|
||||||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
$ | 602 | $ | 3,517 | $ | (1,989 | ) | |||||
Unrealized
(loss)/gain on Caps, net
|
(83 | ) | (342 | ) | 2,735 | |||||||
Unrealized
(loss)/gain on Swaps, net
|
(100,252 | ) | (2,573 | ) | 2,771 | |||||||
Balance
at the end of year
|
$ | (99,733 | ) | $ | 602 | $ | 3,517 |
(a)
Interest Rate Swaps
Swaps
are
used by the Company to lock in a fixed interest rate on a portion of its current
and anticipated future repurchase agreements. During the year ended
December 31, 2007, the Company terminated six Swaps with an aggregate notional
amount of $305.2 million, resulting in net realized losses of
$384,000. Correspondingly, the Company also satisfied the repurchase
agreements that such Swaps hedged.
The
following table presents the weighted average rate paid on Swaps, the weighted
average rate received on Swaps and the impact of Swaps on the Company’s interest
expense for the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005,
respectively.
For
the Year Ended
December
31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
(Dollars
In Thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Weighted
average Swap rate paid
|
4.97 | % | 4.31 | % | 3.53 | % | ||||||
Weighted
average Swap rate received
|
5.20 | % | 5.15 | % | 3.57 | % | ||||||
Net
reduction to interest expense from Swaps
|
$ | 6,507 | $ | 4,124 | $ | 108 |
At
December 31, 2007, the Company’s Swaps had a weighted average remaining term of
30 months. At December 31, 2007, the Company’s Swaps extended a
maximum of 85 months. The following table presents information about
the Company’s Swaps at December 31, 2007, all of which were
active.
Notional
Amount
|
Weighted
Average Fixed Pay Swap Rate
|
Estimated
Fair Value/Carrying Value
|
Gross
Unrealized Gains
|
Gross
Unrealized (Losses)
|
||||||||||||||||
(Dollars
in Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Currently
Active
|
$ | 4,627,560 | 4.83 | % | $ | (99,733 | ) | $ | 103 | $ | (99,836 | ) |
(b)
Interest Rate Caps
Caps
are
designated by the Company as cash flow hedges against interest rate risk
associated with the Company’s existing and forecasted repurchase
agreements. When the 30-day LIBOR increases above the rate specified
in the Cap Agreement during the effective term of the Cap, the Company receives
monthly payments from its Cap counterparty. The Company had no Caps
at December 31, 2007.
The
following table presents the impact of Caps on the Company’s interest expense
for the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005,
respectively.
For
Year Ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Premium
amortization on Caps
|
$ | 278 | $ | 1,700 | $ | 1,578 | ||||||
Payments
earned on Caps
|
(327 | ) | (2,807 | ) | (316 | ) | ||||||
Net
(reduction)/increase on interest expense related to
Caps
|
$ | (49 | ) | $ | (1,107 | ) | $ | 1,262 |
53
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
6.
Real Estate and Discontinued Operations
(a)
Real Estate
The
Company’s investment in real estate at December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006
was comprised of an indirect 100% ownership interest in Lealand, a 191-unit
apartment property located in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The following
table presents the summary of assets and liabilities of Lealand at December
31,
2007 and December 31, 2006.
December
31,
|
||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
Real
Estate Assets and Liabilities:
|
||||||||
Land
and buildings, net of
accumulated
depreciation
|
$ | 11,611 | $ | 11,789 | ||||
Cash
|
26 | 126 | ||||||
Prepaid
and other assets
|
260 | 146 | ||||||
Mortgages
payable (1)
|
(9,462 | ) | (9,606 | ) | ||||
Accrued
interest and other payables
|
(256 | ) | (122 | ) | ||||
Real
estate assets, net
|
$ | 2,179 | $ | 2,333 |
(1)
The mortgage collateralized by Lealand is non-recourse, subject to customary
non-recourse exceptions, which generally means that the lender’s final source of
repayment in the event of default is foreclosure of the property securing such
loan. At December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006, the mortgage had a
fixed interest rate of 6.87%, which contractually matures on February 1, 2011
and is subject to a penalty if prepaid. The Company has made loans to
Lealand to fund operations, and at December 31, 2007 and 2006, Lealand owed
the
Company $185,000 and $120,000, respectively for such loans. This loan
and the related interest accounts are eliminated in
consolidation.
The
following table presents the summary results of operations for Lealand, for
the
years ended December 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005.
December
31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Revenue
from operations of real estate
|
$ | 1,638 | $ | 1,556 | $ | 1,460 | ||||||
Mortgage
interest expense
|
(664 | ) | (675 | ) | (682 | ) | ||||||
Other
real estate operating expense
|
(1,100 | ) | (942 | ) | (991 | ) | ||||||
Loss
from real estate operations, net
|
$ | (126 | ) | $ | (61 | ) | $ | (213 | ) |
(b)
Discontinued Operations
The
Company’s discontinued operations reflect the operating results for Cameron and
Greenhouse, each indirectly owned by the Company through wholly-owned
subsidiaries, which were sold during 2006. The sale of these
properties resulted in the Company realizing a net gain of $4.4 million, net
of
a built-in gains tax of $1.8 million incurred upon the sale of one property
and
selling costs. In addition, mortgage prepayment penalties of $712,000
were incurred upon the satisfaction of the mortgages secured by these
properties. During the quarter ended December 31, 2007, the Company
recognized income of $257,000 related to a reduction of the built-in gains
tax
previously recognized on the sale of Greenhouse. The historical
results of operations for both Cameron and Greenhouse, which are neither
individually nor in the aggregate material to the Company, have been
reclassified and reported as a net component of discontinued
operations.
7.
Repurchase Agreements
The
Company’s repurchase agreements are collateralized by the Company’s MBS and
typically bear interest at rates that are LIBOR-based. At December
31, 2007, the Company’s repurchase agreements had a weighted average remaining
contractual maturity of approximately five months and an effective repricing
period of 23 months with the impact of related Swap hedges. At
December 31, 2006, the Company’s repurchase agreements had a weighted average
remaining contractual maturity of 11 months and an effective repricing period
of
15 months with the impact of related Swap hedges.
54
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
The
following table presents contractual repricing information about the Company’s
repurchase agreements, which does not reflect the impact of related derivative
hedges, at December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006.
December
31, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||||||||||||
Weighted
Average
|
Weighted
Average
|
|||||||||||||||
Maturity
(1)
|
Balance
|
Interest
Rate
|
Balance
|
Interest
Rate
|
||||||||||||
(Dollars
in Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Within
30 days
|
$ | 4,435,676 | 5.05 | % | $ | 2,848,300 | 5.30 | % | ||||||||
30
days to 3 months
|
1,225,502 | 4.96 | 1,017,900 | 5.10 | ||||||||||||
Over
3 months to 6 months
|
417,900 | 5.20 | 37,200 | 3.98 | ||||||||||||
Over
6 months to 12 months
|
- | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
Over
12 months to 24 months
|
1,162,935 | 5.22 | 1,505,311 | 5.16 | ||||||||||||
Over
24 months to 36 months
|
75,901 | 4.94 | 314,000 | 5.33 | ||||||||||||
Over
36 months
|
208,100 | 4.67 | - | - | ||||||||||||
$ | 7,526,014 | 5.06 | % | $ | 5,722,711 | 5.22 | % | |||||||||
(1)
Swaps, which are not reflected in the table, in effect modify the
repricing period and rate paid on the Company’s repurchase
agreements. (See Note 5.)
|
The
following table presents information about the Company's MBS that are pledged
as
collateral under repurchase agreements based upon the term to maturity of the
repurchase agreements at December 31, 2007.
Term
to Contractual Maturity on Repurchase Agreement
|
||||||||||||||||||||
MBS
Collateral
|
Fair
Value of Collateral
|
Up
to 30 Days
|
30
to 90 Days
|
Over
90 Days
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Agency
MBS
|
$ | 7,551,214 | $ | 4,083,634 | $ | 1,199,186 | $ | 1,864,836 | $ | 7,147,656 | ||||||||||
AAA
Rated
|
415,825 | 352,042 | 26,316 | - | 378,358 | |||||||||||||||
$ | 7,967,039 | $ | 4,435,676 | $ | 1,225,502 | $ | 1,864,836 | $ | 7,526,014 |
8.
Commitments and Contingencies
|
Lease
Commitments and Contingencies
|
The
Company pays monthly rent pursuant to two separate operating
leases. The Company’s lease for its corporate headquarters extends
through April 30, 2017 and provides for aggregate cash payments ranging from
approximately $1.1 million to $1.4 million per year, exclusive of escalation
charges and landlord incentives. In connection with this lease, the
Company established a $350,000 irrevocable standby letter of credit in lieu
of
lease security for the benefit of the landlord through April 30,
2017. The letter of credit may be drawn upon by the landlord in the
event that the Company defaults under certain terms of the lease. In
addition, at December 31, 2007, the Company had a lease through December 2011
for its off-site back-up facilities located in Rockville Centre, New York,
which
provides for, among other things, rent of approximately $27,000 per
year.
At
December 31, 2007, the contractual minimum rental payments (exclusive of
possible rent escalation charges and normal recurring charges for maintenance,
insurance and taxes) were as follows:
Year
Ended December 31,
|
Minimum
Rental Payments
|
|||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||
2008
|
$ | 1,069 | ||
2009
|
1,079 | |||
2010
|
1,099 | |||
2011
|
1,115 | |||
2012
|
1,183 | |||
Thereafter
|
6,158 | |||
$ | 11,703 |
55
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
9.
Stockholders’ Equity
(a)
Dividends on Preferred Stock
At
December 31, 2007, the Company had issued and outstanding 3.8 million shares
of
Series A preferred stock, with a par value $0.01 per share and a liquidation
preference of $25.00 per share. The Company’s preferred stock, which
is redeemable at $25.00 per share plus accrued and unpaid dividends (whether
or
not declared) exclusively at the Company’s option commencing on April 27, 2009
(subject to the Company’s right under limited circumstances to redeem the
preferred stock prior to that date in order to preserve its qualification as
a
REIT), is senior to the Company’s common stock with respect to dividends and
distributions. The preferred stock must be paid a dividend at a rate
of 8.50% per year on the $25.00 liquidation preference before our common stock
is entitled to receive any dividends and is senior to our common stock with
respect to distributions upon liquidation, dissolution or winding
up. The preferred stock generally does not have any voting rights,
subject to an exception in the event Company’s fails to pay dividends on the
preferred stock for six or more quarterly periods (whether or not
consecutive). Under such circumstances, the preferred stock will be
entitled to vote to elect two additional directors to the Board, until all
unpaid dividends have been paid or declared and set apart for
payment. In addition, certain material and adverse changes to the
terms of the preferred stock cannot be made without the affirmative vote of
holders of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding shares of preferred
stock. Through December 31, 2007, the Company had declared and paid
all required quarterly dividends on the preferred stock.
The
following table presents dividends declared by the Company on its preferred
stock, for each of the three years ended December 31, 2007, 2006 and
2005.
Year
|
Declaration
Date
|
Record
Date
|
Payment
Date
|
Cash
Dividend
Per
share
|
||||||
2007
|
February
16, 2007
|
March
1, 2007
|
March
30, 2007
|
$ | 0.53125 | |||||
May
21, 2007
|
June
1, 2007
|
June
29, 2007
|
0.53125 | |||||||
August
24, 2007
|
September
4, 2007
|
September
28, 2007
|
0.53125 | |||||||
November
21, 2007
|
December
3, 2007
|
December
31, 2007
|
0.53125 | |||||||
2006
|
February
17, 2006
|
March
1, 2006
|
March
31, 2006
|
$ | 0.53125 | |||||
May
19, 2006
|
June
1, 2006
|
June
30, 2006
|
0.53125 | |||||||
August
21, 2006
|
September
1, 2006
|
September
29, 2006
|
0.53125 | |||||||
November
20, 2006
|
December
1, 2006
|
December
29, 2006
|
0.53125 | |||||||
2005
|
February
18, 2005
|
March
1, 2005
|
March
31, 2005
|
$ | 0.53125 | |||||
May
20, 2005
|
June
1, 2005
|
June
30, 2005
|
0.53125 | |||||||
August
19, 2005
|
September
1, 2005
|
September
30, 2005
|
0.53125 | |||||||
November
18, 2005
|
December
1, 2005
|
December
30, 2005
|
0.53125 |
(b)
Dividends on Common Stock
The
Company typically declares quarterly cash dividends on its common stock in
the
month following the close of each fiscal quarter, except that dividends for
the
fourth quarter of each year are declared in that quarter for tax reasons related
to its REIT status.
56
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
The
following table presents cash dividends declared by the Company on its common
stock during each of the three years ended December 31, 2007, 2006 and
2005.
Year
|
Declaration
Date
|
Record
Date
|
Payment
Date
|
Dividend
per
Share
|
||||||
2007
|
April
3, 2007
|
April
13, 2007
|
April
30, 2007
|
$ | 0.080 | |||||
July
2, 2007
|
July
13, 2007
|
July
31, 2007
|
0.090 | |||||||
October
1, 2007
|
October
12, 2007
|
October
31, 2007
|
0.100 | |||||||
December
13, 2007
|
December
31, 2007
|
January
31, 2008
|
0.145 | |||||||
2006
|
April
3, 2006
|
April
17, 2006
|
April
28, 2006
|
$ | 0.050 | |||||
July
5, 2006
|
July
17, 2006
|
July
31, 2006
|
0.050 | |||||||
October
2, 2006
|
October
13, 2006
|
October
31, 2006
|
0.050 | |||||||
December
14, 2006
|
December
29, 2006
|
January
31, 2007
|
0.060 | |||||||
2005
|
April
1, 2005
|
April
12, 2005
|
April
29, 2005
|
$ | 0.180 | |||||
July
1, 2005
|
July
12, 2005
|
July
29, 2005
|
0.125 | |||||||
October
3, 2005
|
October
14, 2005
|
October
28, 2005
|
0.050 | |||||||
December
15, 2005
|
December
27, 2005
|
January
31, 2006
|
0.050 |
In
general, the Company’s common stock dividends have been characterized as
ordinary income to its stockholders for income tax purposes. However,
a portion of the Company’s common stock dividends may, from time to time, be
characterized as capital gains or return of capital. For income tax
purposes, for the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, all of the
Company’s common stock dividends were characterized as ordinary income to
stockholders, and a portion of such dividends declared was treated as a dividend
to stockholders in the subsequent year.
(c)
Shelf Registrations
On
October 19, 2007, the Company filed an automatic shelf registration statement
on
Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) with respect to an
indeterminate amount of common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares
representing preferred stock and/or warrants that may be sold by the Company
from time to time pursuant to Rule 415 of the 1933 Act. Pursuant to
Rule 462(e) of the 1933 Act, this registration statement became effective
automatically upon filing with the SEC. On November 5, 2007, the
Company filed a post-effective amendment to this automatic shelf registration
statement, which became effective automatically upon filing with the
SEC.
On
December 17, 2004, the Company filed a registration statement on Form S-8 with
the SEC under the 1933 Act for the purpose of registering additional common
stock for issuance in connection with the exercise of awards under the Company’s
2004 Equity Compensation Plan (the “2004 Plan”), which amended and restated the
Company’s Second Amended and Restated 1997 Stock Option Plan (the “1997
Plan”). This registration statement became effective automatically
upon filing and, when combined with the previously registered, but unissued,
portions of the Company’s prior registration statements on Form S-8 relating to
awards under the 1997 Plan, related to an aggregate of 3.3 million shares of
common stock, of which 1.9 million shares remained available for issuance at
December 31, 2007.
On
December 17, 2004, the Company filed a shelf registration statement on Form
S-3
with the SEC under the 1933 Act for the purpose of registering additional common
stock for sale through the DRSPP. This shelf registration statement
was declared effective by the SEC on January 4, 2005 and, when combined with
the
unused portion of the Company’s previous DRSPP shelf registration statement,
registered an aggregate of 10 million shares of common stock. At
December 31, 2007, 8.5 million shares of common stock remained available for
issuance pursuant to the DRSPP shelf registration statement.
(d)
Public
Offerings of Common Stock
On
November 14, 2007, the Company completed a public offering of 17,250,000 shares
of common stock, which included the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment
option in full, at a public offering price of $7.95 per share and received
net
proceeds of approximately $130.0 million after the payment of underwriting
discounts and commissions and related expenses.
57
MFA
MORTGAGE
INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
On
October 5, 2007, the Company completed a public offering of 8,050,000 shares
of
common stock, which included the exercise of the underwriters’
over-allotment option in full, at a public offering price of
$7.90 per share and
received net proceeds of approximately $60.2 million after the payment of
underwriting discounts and commissions and related expenses.
On
September 12, 2007, the Company completed a public offering of 12,650,000 shares
of common stock, which included the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment
option in full, at a public offering price of $7.25 per share and received
net
proceeds of approximately $86.9 million after the payment of underwriting
discounts and commissions and related expenses.
(e)
DRSPP
Commencing
in September 2003, the Company’s DRSPP, which is designed to provide existing
stockholders and new investors with a convenient and economical way to purchase
shares of common stock (through the automatic reinvestment of dividends and/or
optional monthly cash investments) became operational. During the
quarter ended December 31, 2007, the Company issued 966,059 shares of common
stock through the DRSPP raising net proceeds of $8.0 million. During
the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, the Company issued 978,086,
3,509 and 368,702 shares of common stock through the DRSPP raising net proceeds
of $8,067,213, $27,299 and $3,018,084, respectively. From the
inception of the DRSPP through December 31, 2007, the Company issued 13,041,718
shares pursuant to the DRSPP raising net proceeds of $118.9
million.
(f)
Controlled Equity Offering Program
On
August
20, 2004, the Company initiated a controlled equity offering program (the “CEO
Program”) through which it may, from time to time, publicly offer and sell
shares of common stock through Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“Cantor”) in
privately negotiated and/or at-the-market transactions. During the
years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006, the Company issued 3,206,000 and
1,461,600 shares of common stock in at-the-market transactions through the
CEO
Program, raising net proceeds of $23,891,416 and $11,170,052,
respectively. The Company did not issue any shares through the CEO
Program during the year ended December 31, 2005. In connection with
such transactions, the Company paid Cantor fees and commissions of $557,119
and
$286,361 for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006,
respectively. From inception of the CEO Program through December 31,
2007, the Company issued 6,500,815 shares of common stock in at-the-market
transactions through such program raising net proceeds of $51,543,121 and,
in
connection with such transactions, paid Cantor fees and commissions of
$1,263,421. Shares for the CEO Program are issued through the
automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 filed on October 19,
2007.
(g)
Stock Repurchase Program
On
August
11, 2005, the Company announced the implementation of a stock repurchase program
(the “Repurchase Program”) to repurchase up to 4.0 million shares of its
outstanding common stock. Subject to applicable securities laws,
repurchases of common stock under the Repurchase Program are made at times
and
in amounts as the Company deems appropriate, using available cash
resources. Shares of common stock repurchased by the Company under
the Repurchase Program are cancelled and, until reissued by the Company, are
deemed to be the authorized but unissued shares of the Company’s common
stock.
From
inception of the Repurchase Program through December 31, 2007, the Company
repurchased 3,191,200 shares of common stock at an average cost per share of
$5.90. On May 2, 2006, the Company announced an increase in the size
of the Repurchase Program, by an additional 3,191,200 shares of common stock,
resetting the number of shares of common stock that the Company is authorized
to
repurchase to 4.0 million shares. At December 31, 2007, 4.0
million shares remained authorized for repurchase. The Repurchase
Program may be suspended or discontinued by the Company at any time and without
prior notice. The Company has not repurchased any shares of its
common stock under the Repurchase Program since April 2006.
58
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
10.
EPS
Calculation
The
following table presents a reconciliation of the earnings and shares used in
calculating basic and diluted EPS for the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006
and 2005.
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
(In
Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)
|
||||||||||||
Numerator:
|
||||||||||||
Net
income to commons stockholders:
|
||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ | 30,210 | $ | 8,758 | $ | 6,708 | ||||||
Net
income/(loss) from discontinued operations
|
257 | 3,522 | (86 | ) | ||||||||
Net
income from continuing operations
|
29,953 | 5,236 | 6,794 | |||||||||
Dividends
declared on preferred stock
|
(8,160 | ) | (8,160 | ) | (8,160 | ) | ||||||
Net
(loss)/income to common stockholders from
|
||||||||||||
continuing
operations for basic and diluted earnings per share
|
21,793 | (2,924 | ) | (1,366 | ) | |||||||
Net
income/(loss) from discontinued operations
|
257 | 3,522 | (86 | ) | ||||||||
Net
income/(loss) to common stockholders from
|
||||||||||||
continuing
operations
|
$ | 22,050 | $ | 598 | $ | (1,452 | ) | |||||
Denominator:
|
||||||||||||
Weighted
average common shares for basic earnings per share
|
90,610 | 79,526 | 82,025 | |||||||||
Weighted
average effect of dilutive employee stock options
|
30 | 29 |
(1)
|
- | ||||||||
Denominator
for diluted earnings per share (2)
|
90,640 | 79,555 | 82,025 | |||||||||
Basic
and diluted net earnings (loss) per share:
|
||||||||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$ | 0.24 | $ | (0.03 | ) | $ | (0.02 | ) | ||||
Discontinued
operations
|
- | 0.04 | - | |||||||||
Total
Basic and Diluted earnings per share
|
$ | 0.24 | $ | 0.01 | $ | (0.02 | ) |
(1)
For the year ended December 31, 2005, securities issuable pursuant to the
exercise of the Company’s common stock options that could potentially dilute
basic earnings per share in the future are not included in the computation
of
diluted earnings per share because to have done so would have been
anti-dilutive, as 2005 was a loss year.
(2)
The impact of dilutive stock options is not included in the computation of
earnings per share from continuing operations and discontinued operations for
periods in which their inclusion would be anti-dilutive.
11.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
Accumulated
other comprehensive loss at December 31, 2007 and 2006 was as
follows:
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||
Available-for-sale
Investment Securities:
|
||||||||
Unrealized
gain
|
$ | 48,611 | $ | 3,193 | ||||
Unrealized
(loss)
|
(19,379 | ) | (34,188 | ) | ||||
29,232 | (30,995 | ) | ||||||
Hedging
Instruments:
|
||||||||
Unrealized
(loss) gain on Swaps, net
|
(99,733 | ) | 519 | |||||
Unrealized
gain on Caps
|
- | 83 | ||||||
(99,733 | ) | 602 | ||||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive (loss)
|
$ | (70,501 | ) | $ | (30,393 | ) |
59
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
12.
Equity
Compensation, Employment Agreements and Other Benefit
Plans
(a)
2004 Equity Compensation Plan
In
accordance with the terms of the 2004 Plan, directors, officers and employees
of
the Company and any of its subsidiaries and other persons expected to provide
significant services (of a type expressly approved by the Compensation Committee
of the Board as covered services for these purposes) for the Company and any
of
its subsidiaries are eligible to receive grants of stock options (“Options”),
restricted stock, RSUs, DERs and other stock-based awards under the 2004
Plan.
In
general, subject to certain exceptions, stock-based awards relating to a maximum
of 3.5 million shares of common stock may be granted under the 2004 Plan;
forfeitures and/or awards that expire unexercised do not count towards such
limit. At December 31, 2007, 1.9 million shares of common stock
remained available for grant under the 2004 Plan. Subject to certain
exceptions, a participant may not receive stock-based awards in excess of
500,000 shares of common stock in any one-year and no award may be granted
to
any person who, assuming exercise of all Options and payment of all awards
held
by such person, would own or be deemed to own more than 9.8% of the outstanding
shares of the Company’s capital stock. Unless previously terminated
by the Board, awards may be granted under the 2004 Plan until the tenth
anniversary of the date that the Company’s stockholders approved such
plan.
A
DER is
a right to receive, as specified by the Compensation Committee at the time
of
grant, a distribution equal to the dividend that would be paid on a share of
common stock. DERs may be granted separately or together with other
awards and are paid in cash or other consideration at such times, and in
accordance with such rules, as the Compensation Committee shall determine in
its
discretion. Distributions are made with respect to vested DERs only
to the extent of ordinary income and DERs are not entitled to distributions
representing a return of capital. Payments made on the Company’s DERs
are charged to stockholders’ equity when the corresponding common stock
dividends are declared. The Company made DER payments, which were
charged against stockholders’ equity, of $445,000, $188,000 and $296,000,
respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006 and
2005. At December 31, 2007, the Company had 960,750 DERs outstanding,
all of which were vested.
Options
Pursuant
to Section 422(b) of the Code, in order for stock options granted under the
2004
Plan and vesting in any one calendar year to qualify as an incentive stock
option (“ISO”) for tax purposes, the market value of our common stock, as
determined on the date of grant, shall not exceed $100,000 during a calendar
year. The exercise price of an ISO may not be lower than 100% (110%
in the case of an ISO granted to a 10% stockholder) of the fair market value
of
our common stock on the date of grant. The exercise price for any
other type of Option so issued may not be less than the fair market value on
the
date of grant. Each Option is exercisable after the period or periods
specified in the award agreement, which will generally not exceed ten years
from
the date of grant. Options will be exercisable at such times and
subject to such terms set forth in the related Option award agreement, which
terms are determined by the Compensation Committee. No Options were
granted during the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005. At
December 31, 2007, all Options outstanding were vested and had a weighted
average remaining contractual term of 3.5 years. As of December 31,
2007, the aggregate intrinsic value of total Options outstanding was
$438,000.
The
following table presents information about the Company’s Options for the periods
presented.
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Options
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
Options
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
Options
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Outstanding
at beginning of year:
|
962,000 | $ | 9.33 | 962,000 | $ | 9.33 | 1,087,000 | $ | 9.34 | |||||||||||||||
Granted
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||
Cancelled,
forfeited or expired
|
- | - | - | - | (125,000 | ) | 9.38 | |||||||||||||||||
Exercised
|
- | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||
Outstanding
at end of year
|
962,000 | $ | 9.33 | 962,000 | $ | 9.33 | 962,000 | $ | 9.33 | |||||||||||||||
Options
exercisable at end of year
|
962,000 | $ | 9.33 | 949,500 | $ | 9.32 | 824,000 | $ | 9.18 |
60
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
Certain
information about the Company’s Options that were outstanding as of December 31,
2007 is set forth below:
Exercise
Price or Price Range
|
Options
Outstanding
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
Weighted
Average Remaining Contractual Life (years)
|
|||||||||||
$ |
4.88
|
100,000 | $ | 4.88 | 1.6 | |||||||||
8.40
|
30,000 | 8.40 | 6.6 | |||||||||||
9.38
|
330,000 | 9.38 | 0.3 | |||||||||||
10.23
– 10.25
|
502,000 | 10.25 | 5.8 | |||||||||||
962,000 | $ | 9.33 | 3.5 |
Restricted
Stock
During
the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006, the Company issued 57,745 and 35,738
shares of restricted common stock, respectively. The Company did not
grant or have outstanding any shares of restricted stock prior to
2006. At December 31, 2007 and 2006, the Company had unrecognized
compensation expense of $200,000 and $84,000, respectively, related to the
unvested shares of restricted common stock. The following table
presents information about the Company’s restricted stock awards for the periods
presented:
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||||
Shares
of Restricted Stock
|
Weighted
Average Price on Grant Date
|
Shares
of Restricted Stock
|
Weighted
Average Price on Grant Date
|
|||||||||||||
Outstanding
at beginning of year:
|
35,738 | $ | 7.00 | - | $ | - | ||||||||||
Granted
(1)
|
57,745 | 8.23 | 35,738 | 7.00 | ||||||||||||
Cancelled/forfeited
|
- | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
Outstanding
at end of year
|
93,483 | $ | 7.76 | 35,738 | $ | 7.00 | ||||||||||
Shares
vested at end of year
|
69,909 | $ | 7.47 | 24,917 | $ | 6.65 |
(1)
|
Awards
vested 25% upon grant, and vest 25% per year for each of the next
three
years on the grant date anniversary. Grants for which there is no
substantial risk of forfeiture are considered vested at the time
of grant.
|
Restricted
Stock Units
During
the year ended December 31, 2007, the Company granted an aggregate of 326,392
RSUs, with a corresponding number of DERs attached, to certain of its
employees. RSUs, upon vesting, are settled in an equivalent number of
shares of the Company’s common stock. At December 31, 2007, all of
the Company’s RSUs outstanding were subject to cliff vesting on December 31,
2010 or earlier in the event of death or disability of the grantee or
termination of an employee for any reason, other than “cause”, as defined in the
related RSU award agreement. RSUs are to be settled in shares of the
Company’s common stock on the earlier of a termination of service, a change in
control or on January 1, 2013, as described in the related award agreement.
At
December 31, 2007, the Company had unrecognized compensation expense of $2.7
million related to the unvested RSUs.
The
following table presents expenses recorded by the Company related to its equity
based compensation instruments for the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006
and
2005.
For
the Year Ended December 31,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Options
|
$ | (5 | ) | $ | (374 | ) | $ | (493 | ) | |||
Restricted
shares of common stock
|
(359 | ) | (165 | ) | - | |||||||
RSUs
|
(148 | ) | - | - | ||||||||
$ | (512 | ) | $ | (539 | ) | $ | (493 | ) |
(b)
Employment
Agreements
The
Company has an employment agreement with each of its five senior officers,
with
varying terms that provide for, among other things, base salary, bonuses and
change-in-control provisions that are subject to the occurrence of certain
triggering events.
61
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(c)
Deferred Compensation Plans
The
Company administers the MFA Mortgage Investments, Inc. 2003 Non-employee
Directors’ Deferred Compensation Plan and the MFA Mortgage Investments, Inc.
Senior Officers Deferred Bonus Plan (collectively, the “Deferred
Plans”). Pursuant to the Deferred Plans, directors and senior
officers of the Company may elect to defer a certain percentage of their
compensation. The Deferred Plans are intended to provide non-employee
Directors and senior officers of the Company with an opportunity to defer up
to
100% of certain compensation, as defined in the Deferred Plans, while at the
same time aligning their interests with the interests of the Company’s
stockholders. Amounts deferred are considered to be converted into
“stock units” of the Company. Stock units do not represent stock of
the Company, but rather represent a liability that increases or decreases in
value as would equivalent shares of the Company’s common
stock. Deferred compensation liabilities are settled in cash at the
termination of the deferral period, based on the value of the stock units at
that time. The Deferred Plans are non-qualified plans under the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act and, as such, are not
funded. Prior to the time that the deferred accounts are settled,
participants are unsecured creditors of the Company. Effective
January 1, 2007, the Board resolved to suspend indefinitely the directors’
ability to defer additional compensation under the MFA Mortgage Investments,
Inc. 2003 Non-employee Directors’ Deferred Compensation
Plan.
The
following table presents the aggregate amount of income deferred by participants
of the Deferred Plans through December 31, 2007 and 2006 the Company’s
associated liability under such plans based on the market value of the Company’s
liability for its obligations under Deferred Plans at such
dates.
December
31, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||||||||||||
Cumulative
Deferred
Income
|
Liability
Under Deferred Plans
|
Cumulative
Deferred Income
|
Liability
Under Deferred Plans
|
|||||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Directors’
deferred
|
$ | 551 | $ | 745 | $ | 551 | $ | 594 | ||||||||
Officers’
deferred
|
282 | 348 | 282 | 277 | ||||||||||||
$ | 833 | $ | 1,093 | $ | 833 | $ | 871 |
(d)
Savings Plan
The
Company sponsors a tax-qualified employee savings plan (the “Savings Plan”), in
accordance with Section 401(k) of the Code. Subject to certain
restrictions, all of the Company’s employees are eligible to make tax deferred
contributions to the Savings Plan subject to limitations under applicable
law. Participant’s accounts are self-directed and the Company bears
the costs of administering the Savings Plan. The Company matches 100%
of the first 3% of eligible compensation deferred by employees and 50% of the
next 2%, subject to a maximum as provided by the Code. The Company
has elected to operate the Savings Plan under applicable safe harbor provisions
of the Code, whereby among other things, the Company must make contributions
for
all participating employees and all matches contributed by the Company
immediately vest 100%. For the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006
and 2005 the Company recognized expenses for matching contributions of $92,000,
$78,000 and $77,000, respectively.
62
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
13. Estimated
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
FAS
No.
107 “Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments” defines the fair
value of a financial instrument as the amount at which the instrument could
be
exchanged in a current transaction between willing parties. The
relevance and reliability of the estimates of fair values presented are limited,
given the dynamic nature of market conditions, assumptions made in calculating
certain estimates of fair values and other factors over time. The
following table presents the carrying value and estimated fair value of the
Company’s financial instruments, at December 31, 2007 and
2006.
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||||
Carrying
Value
|
Estimated
Fair
Value
|
Carrying
Value
|
Estimated
Fair
Value
|
|||||||||||||
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Financial
Assets:
|
||||||||||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 234,410 | $ | 234,410 | $ | 47,200 | $ | 47,200 | ||||||||
Restricted
cash
|
4,517 | 4,517 | - | - | ||||||||||||
Investment
securities
|
8,302,797 | 8,302,797 | 6,340,668 | 6,340,668 | ||||||||||||
Hedging
assets
|
103 | 103 | 2,773 | 2,773 | ||||||||||||
Financial
Liabilities:
|
||||||||||||||||
Repurchase
agreements
|
7,526,014 | 7,548,968 | 5,722,711 | 5,717,381 | ||||||||||||
Real
estate mortgages
|
9,462 | 9,812 | 9,606 | 10,268 | ||||||||||||
Hedging
liabilities
|
99,836 | 99,836 | 1,893 | 1,893 |
The
following methods and assumptions were used by the Company in arriving at the
estimated fair value of its financial instruments presented in the above
table:
Investment
Securities: Reflects prices obtained from a third-party
pricing service or, if pricing is not available for a particular security from
such pricing service, the average of broker quotes received for such security
is
used to determine the estimated fair value of such security.
Cash
and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash: Estimated fair value
approximates the carrying value of such assets.
Repurchase
agreements: Reflects the present value of the contractual cash flow
discounted at LIBOR quoted at the valuation date, for the term closest to the
weighted average term to maturity of the aggregate repurchase
agreements.
Real
Estate Mortgages: Reflects the contractual cash flows of the
mortgage discounted at a market interest rate that the Company would expect
to
pay, if such mortgage obligation, based on the remaining terms, were financed
at
the valuation date.
Hedging
Assets and Liabilities: The fair value of Hedging Instruments
is based on each instrument’s terms relative to the forward curve at the
valuation date, which approximates the amount at which such instruments could
be
settled with each respective hedging counterparty.
Commitments: Commitments
to purchase securities are derived by applying the fees currently charged to
enter into similar agreements, taking into account remaining terms of the
agreements and the present credit worthiness of the
counterparties. The Company did not have any commitments to purchase
MBS at December 31, 2007. The securities committed to be purchased at
December 31, 2006 would have been offered at substantially the same price and
under substantially the same terms as those committed to be purchased at such
date; therefore, the estimated fair value of the Company’s purchase commitments
was zero at December 31, 2006.
63
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
14. Summary
of Quarterly Results of Operations (Unaudited)
2007
Quarter Ended
|
||||||||||||||||
March
31
|
June
30
|
September
30
|
December
31
|
|||||||||||||
(In
Thousands, Except per Share Amounts)
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
$ | 84,795 | $ | 91,026 | $ | 96,716 | $ | 112,284 | ||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(72,260 | ) | (78,348 | ) | (81,816 | ) | (88,881 | ) | ||||||||
Net
interest income
|
12,535 | 12,678 | 14,900 | 23,403 | ||||||||||||
Gain
(loss) on sale of MBS, net (1)
|
3 | (116 | ) | (22,027 | ) | 347 | ||||||||||
Gain
(loss) on early termination of Swaps
|
- | 176 | (560 | ) | - | |||||||||||
Other
income
|
528 | 522 | 508 | 502 | ||||||||||||
Operating
and other expenses
|
(3,216 | ) | (3,082 | ) | (3,511 | ) | (3,637 | ) | ||||||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
|
9,850 | 10,178 | (10,690 | ) | 20,615 | |||||||||||
Income
(loss) from discontinued operations
|
- | - | 257 | - | ||||||||||||
Net
income (loss) before preferred dividends
|
9,850 | 10,178 | (10,433 | ) | 20,615 | |||||||||||
Preferred
stock dividends
|
(2,040 | ) | (2,040 | ) | (2,040 | ) | (2,040 | ) | ||||||||
Net
Income (Loss) to Common Stockholders
|
$ | 7,810 | $ | 8,138 | $ | (12,473 | ) | $ | 18,575 | |||||||
Per
Share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Earnings
(loss) from continuing operations - basic and
diluted
|
$ | 0.10 | $ | 0.10 | $ | (0.15 | ) | $ | 0.16 | |||||||
Earnings
(loss) from discontinued operations - basic and
diluted
|
$ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||||
Earnings
(loss) per share - basic and diluted
|
$ | 0.10 | $ | 0.10 | $ | (0.15 | ) | $ | 0.16 | |||||||
2006
Quarter Ended
|
||||||||||||||||
March
31
|
June
30
|
September
30
|
December
31
|
|||||||||||||
(In
Thousands, Except per Share Amounts)
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
$ | 53,995 | $ | 46,185 | $ | 47,532 | $ | 71,480 | ||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(42,785 | ) | (38,818 | ) | (38,205 | ) | (62,114 | ) | ||||||||
Net
interest income
|
11,210 | 7,367 | 9,327 | 9,366 | ||||||||||||
Gain
(loss) on sale of MBS, net (2)
|
1,597 | (24,746 | ) | 36 | - | |||||||||||
Other
income
|
621 | 593 | 533 | 517 | ||||||||||||
Operating
and other expenses
|
(3,093 | ) | (2,891 | ) | (2,818 | ) | (2,383 | ) | ||||||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
|
10,335 | (19,677 | ) | 7,078 | 7,500 | |||||||||||
Income
(loss) from discontinued operations
|
4,628 | (56 | ) | (1 | ) | (1,049 | ) | |||||||||
Net
income (loss) before preferred dividends
|
14,963 | (19,733 | ) | 7,077 | 6,451 | |||||||||||
Preferred
stock dividends
|
(2,040 | ) | (2,040 | ) | (2,040 | ) | (2,040 | ) | ||||||||
Net
Income (Loss) to Common Stockholders
|
$ | 12,923 | $ | (21,773 | ) | $ | 5,037 | $ | 4,411 | |||||||
Per
Share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Earnings
(loss) from continuing operations - basic and
diluted
|
$ | 0.10 | $ | (0.27 | ) | $ | 0.06 | $ | 0.07 | |||||||
Earnings
(loss) from discontinued operations - basic and
diluted
|
$ | 0.06 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | (0.01 | ) | |||||||
Earnings
(loss) per share - basic and diluted
|
$ | 0.16 | $ | (0.27 | ) | $ | 0.06 | $ | 0.06 |
(1)
|
Primarily
in the third quarter of 2007, we selectively sold certain of our
MBS.
These sales were primarily made pursuant to the Company’s strategy to
reduce its asset base by selling higher duration and lower yielding
ARM-MBS.
|
(2)
|
During
2006, the Company sold approximately $1.844 billion of MBS, realizing
net
losses of $23.1 million, comprised of gross losses of $25.2 million
and
gross gains of $2.1 million. These sales were primarily made pursuant
to
the Company’s strategy to reduce its asset base by selling higher duration
and lower yielding ARM-MBS.
|
64
MFA
MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS, INC.
NOTES
TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
15. Subsequent
Events
(a)
CEO Program
On
January 7, 2008, the Company entered into a Sales Agreement (the “Agreement”)
with Cantor, as sales agent. In accordance with the terms of the
Agreement, the Company may offer and sell up to 12,500,000 shares of common
stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Shares”) from time to time through
Cantor. Sales of the Shares, if any, may be made in privately
negotiated transactions and/or any other method permitted by law, including,
but
not limited to, sales at other than a fixed price made on or through the
facilities of the New York Stock Exchange, or sales made to or through a market
maker or through an electronic communications network, or in any other manner
that may be deemed to be an “at-the-market offering” as defined in Rule 415 of
the 1933 Act. Cantor will make all sales on a best efforts basis
using commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and
sales practices on mutually agreed terms between the Company and
Cantor.
(b)
Issuance of Common Stock
On
January 23, 2008, the Company completed a public offering of 28,750,000 shares
of common stock, which included the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment
option in full, at a public offering price of $9.25 per share and received
net
proceeds of approximately $253.0 million after the payment of underwriting
discounts and commissions and related expenses.
65
Item
9. Changes
in and Disagreements with Accountants on
Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.
Item
9A. Controls
and Procedures.
A
review
and evaluation was performed by the Company’s management, including the
Company’s Chief Executive Officer (the “CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (the
“CFO”), of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s
disclosure controls and procedures (as such terms are defined in Rules 13a-15(e)
and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“1934
Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this annual report on Form
10-K. Based on that review and evaluation, the CEO and CFO have
concluded that the Company’s current disclosure controls and procedures, as
designed and implemented, were effective.
Management
Report On Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management
of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal
control over financial reporting for the Company. Internal control
over financial reporting is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) promulgated
under the 1934 Act as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the
Company’s principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by
the Company’s Board, management and other personnel to provide reasonable
assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation
of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP and
includes those policies and procedures that:
|
•
|
pertain
to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately
and
fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of
the
Company;
|
|
•
|
provide
reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary
to permit
preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and
that
receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance
with authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and
|
|
•
|
provide
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of
unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that
could have a material effect on the financial statements.
|
Because
of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may
not
prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of
effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risks that controls may
become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of
compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
The
Company’s management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal
control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2007. In making
this assessment, the Company’s management used criteria set forth by the
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal
Control-Integrated Framework.
Based
on
its assessment, the Company’s management believes that, as of December 31, 2007,
the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective based on
those criteria. There have been no changes in the Company’s internal
control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December
31, 2007 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially
affect, its internal control over financial reporting.
The
Company’s independent auditors, Ernst & Young LLP, have issued an
attestation report on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over
financial reporting. This report appears on page 67 of this annual
report on Form 10-K.
66
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To
The
Board of Directors and Stockholders of
MFA
Mortgage Investments, Inc.
We
have
audited MFA Mortgage Investments, Inc.’s (the “Company”) internal control over
financial reporting as of December 31, 2007, based on criteria established
in
Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the “COSO” criteria). The
Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control
over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal
control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management Report
on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is
to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting
based on our audit.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require
that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether
effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all
material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of
internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material
weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness
of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other
procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We
believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our
opinion.
A
company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to
provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting
and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal
control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that
(1)
pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately
and
fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company;
(2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary
to
permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are
being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors
of
the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely
detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s
assets that could have a material effect on the financial
statements.
Because
of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may
not
prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation
of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may
become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of
compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
In
our
opinion, MFA Mortgage Investments, Inc. maintained in all material respects,
effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2007,
based on the COSO criteria.
We
also
have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheets of MFA Mortgage
Investments, Inc. as of December 31, 2007 and 2006, and the related consolidated
statements of income, changes in stockholders’ equity, cash flows, and
comprehensive income for each of the three years in the period ended December
31, 2007, and our report dated February 12, 2008 expressed an unqualified
opinion thereon.
Ernst
& Young LLP
New
York,
New York
February
12, 2008
67
Item
9B. Other
Information.
None.
PART
III
Item
10. Directors,
Executive Officers and Corporate
Governance.
The
information regarding the Company’s directors and certain other matters required
by Item 401 of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the
Company’s proxy statement, relating to its 2008 annual meeting of stockholders
to be held on May 21, 2008 (the “Proxy Statement”), to be filed with the SEC
within 120 days after December 31, 2007.
The
information regarding the Company’s executive officers required by Item 401 of
Regulation S-K appears under Item 4A of this annual report on Form
10-K.
The
information regarding compliance with Section 16(a) of the 1934 Act required
by
Item 405 of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy
Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31,
2007.
The
information regarding the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics required
by Item 406 of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy
Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31,
2007.
The
information regarding certain matters pertaining to the Company’s corporate
governance required by Item 407(c)(3), (d)(4) and (d)(5) of Regulation S-K
is
incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within
120 days after December 31, 2007.
Item
11. Executive
Compensation.
The
information regarding executive compensation and other compensation related
matters required by Items 402 and 407(e)(4) and (e)(5) of Regulation S-K is
incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement to be filed with the
SEC
within 120 days after December 31, 2007.
Item
12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and
Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The
tables on equity compensation plan information and beneficial ownership of
the
Company required by Items 201(d) and 403 of Regulation S-K are incorporated
herein by reference to the Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within
120 days after December 31, 2007.
Item
13. Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions
and Director Independence.
The
information regarding transactions with related persons, promoters and certain
control persons and director independence required by Items 404 and 407(a)
of
Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement to
be
filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31,
2007.
Item
14. Principal
Accountant Fees and
Services.
The
information concerning principal accounting fees and services and the Audit
Committee’s pre-approval policies and procedures required by Item 14 is
incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement to be filed with the
SEC
within 120 days after December 31, 2007.
68
PART
IV
Item
15. Exhibits
and Financial Statement
Schedules.
(a) Documents
filed as part of the report
The
following documents are filed as part of this annual report on Form
10-K:
Financial
Statements. The
consolidated financial statements of the Company, together with the independent
registered public accounting firm’s report thereon, are set forth on pages 36
through 66 of this annual report on Form 10-K and are incorporated herein by
reference.
Schedules
to Financial Statements.
(b) Exhibits
required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K
3.1
Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant (incorporated
herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Form 8-K, dated April 10, 1998, filed
by the Registrant pursuant to the 1934 Act (Commission File No.
1-13991)).
3.2
Articles of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation
of
the Registrant, dated August 5, 2002 (incorporated herein by reference to
Exhibit 3.1 of the Form 8-K, dated August 13, 2002, filed by the Registrant
pursuant to the 1934 Act (Commission File No. 1-13991)).
3.3
Articles of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation
of
the Registrant, dated August 13, 2002 (incorporated herein by reference to
Exhibit 3.3 of the Form 10-Q, for the quarter ended December 31, 2002, filed
by
the Registrant pursuant to the 1934 Act (Commission File No.
1-13991)).
3.4
Articles Supplementary of the Registrant, dated April 22, 2004, designating
the
Registrant’s 8.50% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (incorporated
herein by reference to Exhibit 3.4 of the Form 8-A, dated April 23, 2004, filed
by the Registrant pursuant to the 1934 Act (Commission File No.
1-13991)).
3.5
Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant (incorporated herein by reference
to Exhibit 3.2 of the Form 8-K, dated August 13, 2002, filed by the Registrant
pursuant to the 1934 Act (Commission File No. 1-13991)).
4.1
Specimen of Common Stock Certificate of the Registrant (incorporated herein
by
reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registration Statement on Form S-4, dated
February 12, 1998, filed by the Registrant pursuant to the 1933 Act (Commission
File No. 333-46179)).
4.2
Specimen of Stock certificate representing the 8.50% Series A Cumulative
Redeemable Preferred Stock of the Registrant (incorporated herein by reference
to Exhibit 4 of the Form 8-A, dated April 23, 2004, filed by the Registrant
pursuant to the 1934 Act (Commission File No. 1-13991)).
10.1
Amended and Restated Employment Agreement of Stewart Zimmerman, dated as of
April 16, 2006 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Form
8-K, dated April 25, 2006, filed by the Registrant pursuant to the 1934 Act
(Commission File No. 1-13991)).
10.2
Amended and Restated Employment Agreement of William S. Gorin, dated as of
April
16, 2006 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Form 8-K,
dated April 25, 2006, filed by the Registrant pursuant to the 1934 Act
(Commission File No. 1-13991)).
10.3
Amended and Restated Employment Agreement of Ronald A. Freydberg, dated as
of
April 16, 2006 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Form
8-K, dated April 25, 2006, filed by the Registrant pursuant to the 1934 Act
(Commission File No. 1-13991)).
10.4
Amended and Restated Employment Agreement of Teresa D. Covello, dated as of
January 1, 2008 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Form
8-K, dated January 2, 2008, filed by the Registrant pursuant to the 1934 Act
(Commission File No. 1-13991)).
69
10.5
Amended
and Restated Employment Agreement of Timothy W. Korth II, dated as of January
1,
2008 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Form 8-K, dated
January 2, 2008, filed by the Registrant pursuant to the 1934 Act (Commission
File No. 1-13991)).
10.6
2004 Equity Compensation Plan of the Registrant (incorporated herein by
reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the
Registration Statement on Form S-3, dated July 21, 2004, filed by the Registrant
pursuant to the 1933 Act (Commission File No. 333-106606)).
10.7
MFA Mortgage Investments, Inc. Senior Officers Deferred Compensation Plan,
adopted December 19, 2002 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.7
of
the Form 10-K, dated December 31, 2002, filed by the Registrant pursuant to
the
1934 Act (Commission File No. 1-13991)).
10.8
MFA Mortgage Investments, Inc. 2003 Non-Employee Directors Deferred Compensation
Plan, adopted December 19, 2002 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit
10.8 of the Form 10-K, dated December 31, 2002, filed by the Registrant pursuant
to the 1934 Act (Commission File No. 1-13991)).
10.9
Form of Incentive Stock Option Award Agreement relating to the Registrant’s 2004
Equity Compensation Plan (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.9
of
the Form 10-Q, dated December 31, 2004, filed by the Registrant pursuant to
the
1934 Act (Commission File No. 1-13991)).
10.10 Form
of Non-Qualified Stock Option Award Agreement relating to the Registrant’s 2004
Equity Compensation Plan (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.10
of
the Form 10-Q, dated December 31, 2004, filed by the Registrant pursuant to
the
1934 Act (Commission File No. 1-13991)).
10.11 Form
of Restricted Stock Award Agreement relating to the Registrant’s 2004 Equity
Compensation Plan (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.11 of the
Form
10-Q, dated December 31, 2004, filed by the Registrant pursuant to the 1934
Act
(Commission File No. 1-13991)).
10.12 Form
of Phantom Share Award Agreement relating to the Registrant’s 2004 Equity
Compensation Plan (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 99.1 of the
Form
8-K, dated October 23, 2007, filed by the Registrant pursuant to the 1934 Act
(Commission File No. 1-13991)).
12.1
Computation
of Ratio of Assets to Equity.
12.2
Computation
of Ratio of Debt to Equity.
23.1
Consent
of Ernst & Young LLP.
31.1
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section
1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
31.2
Certification of the Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section
1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
32.1 Certification
of the Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted
pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2 Certification
of the Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted
pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
(c) Financial
Statement Schedules required by Regulation S-X
Financial
statement schedules have been omitted because they are not applicable or the
required information is presented in the consolidated financial statements
and/or in the notes to consolidated financial statements filed in response
to
Item 8 of this annual report on Form 10-K.
70
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by
the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
MFA Mortgage Investments, Inc. | |||
Date:
February 13,
2008
|
By:
|
/s/ Stewart Zimmerman | |
Stewart Zimmerman | |||
Chief Executive Officer and President | |||
Date:
February 13,
2008
|
By:
|
/s/ William S. Gorin | |
William S. Gorin | |||
Executive
Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer
|
|||
(Principal
Financial Officer)
|
Date:
February 13,
2008
|
By:
|
/s/ Teresa D. Covello | |
Teresa
D. Covello
|
|||
Senior
Vice President and Chief
Accounting Officer
|
|||
(Principal
Accounting Officer)
|
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has
been
signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.
Date:
February 13,
2008
|
By:
|
/s/ Stewart Zimmerman | |
Stewart
Zimmerman
|
|||
Chairman,
President and Chief
Executive Officer
|
|||
Date:
February 13,
2008
|
By:
|
/s/ Stephen R. Blank | |
Stephen
R.
Blank
|
|||
Director
|
|||
Date:
February 13,
2008
|
By:
|
/s/ Edison C. Buchanan | |
Edison
C.
Buchanan
|
|||
Director
|
|||
Date:
February 13,
2008
|
By:
|
/s/ Michael L. Dahir | |
Michael
L. Dahir
|
|||
Director
|
|||
Date:
February 13,
2008
|
By:
|
/s/ Alan Gosule | |
Alan
Gosule
|
|||
Director
|
|||
Date:
February 13,
2008
|
By:
|
/s/ George Krauss | |
George
Krauss
|
|||
Director
|
|||
71