Back to GetFilings.com

Table of Contents

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2002

OR

FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM                          TO                         

COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 001-13709

ANWORTH MORTGAGE ASSET

CORPORATION

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (310) 255-4493

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: NONE

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

COMMON STOCK, $0.01 PAR VALUE

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 filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes  x     No  ¨

Indicate by check mark that 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 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.  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes  x    No  ¨

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the average closing bid and asked prices of such stock, as of June 28, 2002, was approximately $313,735,459. (All officers and directors of the registrant are considered affiliates.)

At March 21, 2003 the registrant had 26,403,601 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Part III of the Form 10-K incorporates by reference certain portions of the Registrant’s proxy statement for its 2003 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed with the Commission not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.

Table of Contents

ANWORTH MORTGAGE ASSET CORPORATION

FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT

FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2002

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

This Report contains or incorporates by reference certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are those that predict or describe future events or trends and that do not relate solely to historical matters. You can generally identify forward-looking statements as statements containing the words “will,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “assume” or other similar expressions. You should not rely on our forward-looking statements because the matters they describe are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond our control. These forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions that are difficult to predict and to various risks and uncertainties. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, some of which are listed under the section “Risk Factors” at the end of Item 7 of this Report. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

As used in this Form 10-K, “company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “Anworth” and “Anworth Mortgage” refer to Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation.

PART I.

Overview

We are in the business of investing primarily in United States agency and other highly rated single-family adjustable-rate and fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities that we acquire in the secondary market. United States agency securities are securities that are obligations guaranteed by the United States government or its agencies, such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. We seek attractive long-term investment returns by investing our equity capital and borrowed funds in such securities. Our returns are earned on the spread between the yield on our earning assets and the interest cost of the funds we borrow. We have elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, under the United States Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, we routinely distribute substantially all of the income generated from our operations to our stockholders. As long as we retain our REIT status, we generally will not be subject to federal or state taxes on our income to the extent that we distribute our net income to our stockholders.

At December 31, 2002, we had total assets of $2,443.9 million and equity of $265.5 million, or $10.48 book value per share. As of that date, approximately 100% of our assets consisted of mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by an agency of the United States government such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. For the year ended December 31, 2002, we reported net income of $31.7 million, or $1.80 per diluted share.

We were incorporated in Maryland on October 20, 1997 and commenced our operations on March 17, 1998. From the time of our inception through June 13, 2002, we were externally managed pursuant to a management agreement with Anworth Mortgage Advisory Corporation, or the manager. As an externally managed company, we had no employees of our own and relied on the manager to conduct our business and operations.

On June 13, 2002, the manager merged with and into our company. The merger was approved by a special committee consisting solely of our independent directors, our full board of directors and the vote of a majority of our stockholders. The stockholder of the manager, a trust controlled by Lloyd McAdams, our president, chairman and chief executive officer, and Heather U. Baines, one of our executive vice presidents, received 240,000 shares of our common stock as merger consideration, which was worth approximately $3.2 million based on the closing price of our common stock on June 13, 2002. As a result of the merger, we are now an internally managed company, and certain of the manager’s employees have become our employees. As a condition to the merger, we entered into direct employment contracts with Lloyd McAdams, Heather U. Baines and Joseph McAdams,

1

Table of Contents

adopted an incentive compensation plan for key employees, increased the size of our 1997 Stock Option and Awards Plan and provided for future automatic increases in the size of that plan. Upon the closing of the merger, the management agreement terminated.

Our Strategy

Investment Strategy

Our strategy is to invest primarily in United States agency and other highly rated single-family adjustable-rate and fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities that we acquire in the secondary market. We seek to acquire assets that will produce competitive returns after considering the amount and nature of the anticipated returns from the investment, our ability to pledge the investment to secure collateralized borrowings and the costs associated with financing, managing, securitizing and reserving for these investments. We do not currently originate mortgage loans or provide other types of financing to the owners of real estate.

Financing Strategy

We finance the acquisition of mortgage-backed securities with short-term borrowings and, to a lesser extent, equity capital. The amount of short-term borrowings we employ depends on, among other factors, the amount of our equity capital. We use leverage to attempt to increase potential returns to our stockholders. Pursuant to our capital and leverage policy, we seek to strike a balance between the under-utilization of leverage, which reduces potential returns to stockholders, and the over-utilization of leverage, which could reduce our ability to meet our obligations during adverse market conditions.

We usually borrow at short-term rates using reverse repurchase agreements, or “repurchase agreements.” Repurchase agreements are generally short-term in nature. We actively manage the adjustment periods and the selection of the interest rate indices of our borrowings against the adjustment periods and the selection of indices on our mortgage-related assets in order to limit our liquidity and interest rate related risks. We generally seek to diversify our exposure by entering into repurchase agreements with multiple lenders. In addition, we enter into repurchase agreements with institutions we believe are financially sound and which meet credit standards approved by our board of directors.

Growth Strategy

In addition to the strategies described above, we intend to pursue other strategies to further grow our earnings and our dividends per share, which may include the following:

Our Operating Policies and Programs

We have established the following four primary operating policies to implement our business strategies:

2

Table of Contents

Asset Acquisition Policy

Our asset acquisition policy provides guidelines for acquiring investments and contemplates that we will acquire a portfolio of investments that can be grouped into specific categories. Each category and our respective investment guidelines are as follows:

Under our Category III investment criteria, we may acquire other types of mortgage derivative securities, including, but not limited to, interest only, principal only or other mortgage-backed securities that receive a disproportionate share of interest income or principal.

Capital and Leverage Policy

We employ a leverage strategy to increase our investment assets by borrowing against existing mortgage-related assets and using the proceeds to acquire additional mortgage-related assets. We generally borrow between eight to twelve times the amount of our equity, although our borrowings may vary from time to time depending on market conditions and other factors deemed relevant by our management company and our board of directors. We believe that this will leave an adequate capital base to protect against interest rate environments in which our borrowing costs might exceed our interest income from mortgage-related assets. We enter into collateralized borrowings with institutions which meet credit standards approved by our board of directors.

Depending on the different cost of borrowing funds at different maturities, we may vary the maturities of our borrowed funds in an attempt to produce lower borrowing costs. Our borrowings are short-term and we manage actively, on an aggregate basis, both the interest rate indices and interest rate adjustment periods of our borrowings against the interest rate indices and interest rate adjustment periods on our mortgage-related assets.

Our mortgage-related assets are financed primarily at short-term borrowing rates through repurchase agreements and dollar-roll agreements. In the future we may also employ borrowings under lines of credit and other collateralized financings that we may establish with approved institutional lenders.

Credit Risk Management Policy

We review credit risk and other risks of loss associated with each of our potential investments. In addition, we may diversify our portfolio of mortgage-related assets to avoid undue geographic, insurer, industry and certain other types of concentrations. We may reduce certain risks from sellers and servicers through representations and warranties. We monitor the overall portfolio risk and determine appropriate levels of provision for loss.

3

Table of Contents

Compliance with our credit risk management policy guidelines is determined at the time of purchase of mortgage assets, based upon the most recent valuation utilized by us. Such compliance is not affected by events subsequent to such purchase, including, without limitation, changes in characterization, value or rating of any specific mortgage assets or economic conditions or events generally affecting any mortgage-related assets of the type held by us.

Asset/Liability Management Policy

Interest-Rate Risk Management.    To the extent consistent with our election to qualify as a REIT, we follow an interest rate risk management program intended to protect our portfolio of mortgage-related assets and related debt against the effects of major interest rate changes. Specifically, our interest rate management program is formulated with the intent to offset to some extent the potential adverse effects resulting from rate adjustment limitations on our mortgage-related assets and the differences between interest rate adjustment indices and interest rate adjustment periods of our adjustable-rate mortgage-related assets and related borrowings.

Our interest rate risk management program encompasses a number of procedures, including the following:

As a result, we expect to be able to adjust the average maturity/adjustment period of our borrowings on an ongoing basis by changing the mix of maturities and interest rate adjustment periods as borrowings come due or are renewed. Through the use of these procedures, we attempt to reduce the risk of differences between interest rate adjustment periods of our adjustable-rate mortgage-related assets and our related borrowings.

Depending on market conditions and the cost of the transactions, we may conduct certain hedging activities in connection with the management of our portfolio, including periodically entering into derivative transaction with the objective of reducing interest rate risk. To the extent consistent with our election to qualify as a REIT, we may adopt a hedging strategy intended to lessen the effects of interest rate changes and to enable us to earn net interest income in periods of generally rising, as well as declining or static, interest rates. Specifically, hedging programs are formulated with the intent to offset some of the potential adverse effects of changes in interest rate levels relative to the interest rates on the mortgage-related assets held in our investment portfolio, and differences between the interest rate adjustment indices and periods of our mortgage-related assets and our borrowings. We monitor carefully, and may have to limit, our asset/liability management program to assure that we do not realize excessive hedging income, or hold hedges having excess value in relation to mortgage-related assets, which would result in our disqualification as a REIT or, in the case of excess hedging income, if the excess is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, the payment of a penalty tax for failure to satisfy certain REIT income tests under the tax code. In addition, asset/liability management involves transaction costs that increase dramatically as the period covered by hedging protection increases and that may increase during periods of fluctuating interest rates.

Prepayment Risk Management.    We also seek to lessen the effects of prepayment of mortgage loans underlying our securities at a faster or slower rate than anticipated. We accomplish this by structuring a diversified portfolio with a variety of prepayment characteristics, investing in mortgage-related assets with prepayment prohibitions and penalties, investing in certain mortgage security structures that have prepayment protections, and purchasing mortgage-related assets at a premium and at a discount. We invest in mortgage-related assets that on a portfolio basis do not have significant purchase price premiums. Under normal market

4

Table of Contents

conditions, we seek to maintain the aggregate capitalized purchase premium of the portfolio at 3% or less. In addition, we can purchase principal only derivatives to a limited extent as a hedge against prepayment risks. We monitor prepayment risk through periodic review of the impact of a variety of prepayment scenarios on our revenues, net earnings, dividends, cash flow and net balance sheet market value.

We believe that we have developed cost-effective asset/liability management policies to mitigate prepayment risks. However, no strategy can completely insulate us from prepayment risks. Further, as noted above, certain of the federal income tax requirements that we must satisfy to qualify as a REIT limit our ability to fully hedge our prepayment risks. Therefore, we could be prevented from effectively hedging our interest rate and prepayment risks.

Our Investments

Mortgage-Backed Securities

Pass-Through Certificates.    We principally invest in pass-through certificates, which are securities representing interests in pools of mortgage loans secured by residential real property in which payments of both interest and principal on the securities are generally made monthly, in effect, passing through monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on the mortgage loans which underlie the securities, net of fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of the securities. Early repayment of principal on some mortgage-backed securities, arising from prepayments of principal due to sale of the underlying property, refinancing or foreclosure, net of fees and costs which may be incurred, may expose us to a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal. This is generally referred to as prepayment risk. Additionally, if a security subject to prepayment has been purchased at a premium, the value of the premium would be lost in the event of prepayment. Like other fixed-income securities, when interest rates rise, the value of a mortgage-backed security generally will decline.

When interest rates are declining, however, the value of mortgage-backed securities with prepayment features may not increase as much as other fixed-income securities. The rate of prepayments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-backed securities and may have the effect of shortening or extending the effective maturity of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of purchase. When interest rates rise, our holdings of mortgage-backed securities may experience reduced returns if the owners of the underlying mortgages pay off their mortgages later than anticipated. This is generally referred to as extension risk.

Payment of principal and interest on some mortgage pass-through securities, although not the market value of the securities themselves, may be guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the federal government, including securities backed by Ginnie Mae, or by agencies or instrumentalities of the federal government, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Mortgage-backed securities created by non-governmental issuers, including commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers, may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit, which may be issued by governmental entities, private insurers or the mortgage poolers.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations.    Collateralized mortgage obligations, or CMOs, are mortgage-backed securities. Interest and principal on a CMO are paid, in most cases, on a monthly basis. CMOs may be collateralized by whole mortgage loans, but are more typically collateralized by portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities. CMOs are structured into multiple classes, with each class bearing a different stated maturity. Monthly payments of principal, including prepayments, are first returned to investors holding the shortest maturity class; investors holding the longer maturity classes receive principal only after the first class has been retired. We will typically consider CMOs that are issued or guaranteed by the federal government or by any of its agencies or instrumentalities to be United States government securities.

5

Table of Contents

Other Mortgage-Backed Securities

Mortgage Derivative Securities.    We may acquire mortgage derivative securities in an amount not to exceed 10% of our total assets. Mortgage derivative securities provide for the holder to receive interest only, principal only, or interest and principal in amounts that are disproportionate to those payable on the underlying mortgage loans. Payments on mortgage derivative securities are highly sensitive to the rate of prepayments on the underlying mortgage loans. In the event of faster or slower than anticipated prepayments on these mortgage loans, the rates of return on interests in mortgage derivative securities representing the right to receive interest only or a disproportionately large amount of interest, or interest only derivatives, would be likely to decline or increase, respectively. Conversely, the rates of return on mortgage derivative securities representing the right to receive principal only or a disproportionate amount of principal, or principal only derivatives, would be likely to increase or decrease in the event of faster or slower prepayments, respectively.

We may also invest in inverse floaters, a class of CMOs with a coupon rate that resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest to which it is indexed, including LIBOR or the 11^th District Cost of Funds Index, or COFI. Any rise in the index rate, which can be caused by an increase in interest rates, causes a drop in the coupon rate of an inverse floater while any drop in the index rate causes an increase in the coupon of an inverse floater. An inverse floater may behave like a leveraged security since its interest rate usually varies by a magnitude much greater than the magnitude of the index rate of interest. The leverage-like characteristics inherent in inverse floaters are associated with greater volatility in their market prices.

We may also invest in other mortgage derivative securities that may be developed in the future.

Subordinated Interests.    We may also acquire subordinated interests, which are classes of mortgage-backed securities that are junior to other classes of the same series of mortgage-backed securities in the right to receive payments from the underlying mortgage loans. The subordination may be for all payment failures on the mortgage loans securing or underlying such series of mortgage securities. The subordination will not be limited to those resulting from particular types of risks, including those resulting from war, earthquake or flood, or the bankruptcy of a borrower. The subordination may be for the entire amount of the series of mortgage-related securities or may be limited in amount.

Mortgage Warehouse Participations.    We may also occasionally acquire mortgage warehouse participations as an additional means of diversifying our sources of income. We anticipate that these investments, together with our investments in other Category III assets, will not in the aggregate exceed 10% of our total mortgage-related assets. These investments are participations in lines of credit to mortgage loan originators that are secured by recently originated mortgage loans that are in the process of being sold to investors. Our investments in mortgage warehouse participations are limited because they are not qualified REIT assets under the tax code.

Other Mortgage-Related Assets

Mortgage Loans.    We may acquire and accumulate mortgage loans as part of our investment strategy until a sufficient quantity has been accumulated for securitization into high-quality mortgage-backed securities in order to enhance their value and liquidity. We anticipate that any mortgage loans that we acquire and do not immediately securitize, together with our investments in other mortgage-related assets that are not Category I assets, will not constitute more than 30% of our total mortgage-related assets at any time. All mortgage loans, if any, will be acquired with the intention of securitizing them into high-credit quality mortgage securities. Despite our intentions, however, we may not be successful in securitizing these mortgage loans. To meet our investment criteria, mortgage loans acquired by us will generally conform to the underwriting guidelines established by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or other credit insurers. Applicable banking laws generally require that an appraisal be obtained in connection with the original issuance of mortgage loans by the lending institution. We do not intend to obtain additional appraisals at the time of acquiring mortgage loans.

6

Table of Contents

Mortgage loans may be originated by or purchased from various suppliers of mortgage-related assets throughout the United States, including savings and loans associations, banks, mortgage bankers and other mortgage lenders. We may acquire mortgage loans directly from originators and from entities holding mortgage loans originated by others. Our board of directors has not established any limits upon the geographic concentration of mortgage loans that we may acquire or the credit quality of suppliers of the mortgage-related assets that we acquire.

Other Investments.    We may acquire other investments that include equity and debt securities issued by other primarily mortgage-related finance companies, interests in mortgage-related collateralized bond obligations, other subordinated interests in pools of mortgage-related assets, commercial mortgage loans and securities, and residential mortgage loans other than high-credit quality mortgage loans. Although we expect that our other investments will be limited to less than 10% of total assets, we have no limit on how much of our stockholders’ equity will be allocated to other investments. There may be periods in which other investments represent a large portion of our stockholders’ equity.

Competition

When we invest in mortgage-backed securities and other investment assets, we compete with a variety of institutional investors including other REITs, insurance companies, mutual funds, pension funds, investment banking firms, banks and other financial institutions that invest in the same types of assets. Many of these investors have greater financial resources and access to lower costs of capital than we do.

Employees

As of December 31, 2002, we had ten employees, eight of whom were part-time.

Company

We were incorporated in Maryland on October 20, 1997 and commenced our operations on March 17, 1998. Our principal executive offices are located at 1299 Ocean Avenue, Suite 250, Santa Monica, California. Our telephone number is (310) 255-4493, and our website address is www.anworth.com. We make our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports available free of charge on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we file these reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

7

Table of Contents

CERTAIN FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

The following discussion summarizes particular United States federal income tax considerations regarding our qualification and taxation as a REIT and particular United States federal income tax consequences resulting from the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common stock. This discussion is based on current law and assumes that we have qualified at all times throughout our existence, and will continue to qualify, as a REIT for United States federal income tax purposes. The tax law upon which this discussion is based could be changed, and any such change could have retroactive effect. The following discussion is not exhaustive of all possible tax considerations. This summary neither gives a detailed discussion of any state, local or foreign tax considerations nor discusses all of the aspects of United States federal income taxation that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances or to particular types of stockholders which are subject to special tax rules, such as insurance companies, tax-exempt entities, financial institutions or broker-dealers, foreign corporations or partnerships, and persons who are not citizens or residents of the United States, stockholders that hold our stock as a hedge, part of a straddle, conversion transaction or other arrangement involving more than one position, or stockholders whose functional currency is not the United States dollar. This discussion assumes that you will hold our common stock as a “capital asset,” generally property held for investment, under the tax code.

You are urged to consult with your own tax advisor regarding the specific consequences to you of the purchase, ownership and sale of stock in an entity electing to be taxed as a REIT, including the federal, state, local, foreign and other tax considerations of such purchase, ownership, sale and election and the potential changes in applicable tax laws.

General

Our qualification and taxation as a REIT depends upon our ability to continue to meet the various qualification tests imposed under the tax code and discussed below relating to our actual annual operating results, asset diversification, distribution levels and diversity of stock ownership. Accordingly, the actual results of our operations for any particular taxable year may not satisfy these requirements.

We have made an election to be taxed as a REIT under the tax code commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 1998. We currently expect to continue operating in a manner that will permit us to maintain our qualification as a REIT. All qualification requirements for maintaining our REIT status, however, may not have been or will not continue to be met.

So long as we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we generally will be permitted a deduction for dividends we pay to our stockholders. As a result, we generally will not be required to pay federal corporate income taxes on our net income that is currently distributed to our stockholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the “double taxation” that ordinarily results from investment in a corporation. Double taxation means taxation once at the corporate level when income is earned and once again at the stockholder level when this income is distributed. We will be required to pay federal income tax, however, as follows:

We will be required to pay a 100% tax on any net income from prohibited transactions. Prohibited transactions are, in general, sales or other taxable dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, held

8

Table of Contents

primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. Under existing law, whether property is held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business depends on all the facts and circumstances surrounding the particular transaction.

If we fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test discussed below, but nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT because certain other requirements are met, we will be subject to a tax equal to:

We will be required to pay a 4% excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the amounts actually distributed if we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of:

This distribution requirement is in addition to, and different from the distribution requirements discussed below in the section entitled “Annual Distribution Requirements.”

If we acquire any asset from a corporation which is or has been taxed as a C corporation under the tax code in a transaction in which the basis of the asset in our hands is determined by reference to the basis of the asset in the hands of the C corporation, and we subsequently recognize gain on the disposition of the asset during the ten-year period beginning on the date on which we acquired the asset, then we will be required to pay tax at the highest regular corporate tax rate on this gain to the extent of the excess of:

A C corporation is generally defined as a corporation required to pay full corporate-level tax. The results described in the preceding paragraph with respect to the recognition of gain will apply unless the C corporation makes an election under Treasury Regulation Section 1.337(d)-7T(c). If such an election were made, the C corporation would recognize taxable gain or loss as if it had sold the assets we acquired from the C corporation to an unrelated party at fair market value on the date we acquired the assets.

Finally, we could be subject to an excise tax if our dealings with any taxable REIT subsidiaries (defined below) are not at arm’s length.

Requirements for Qualification as a REIT

The tax code defines a REIT as a corporation, trust or association:

9

Table of Contents

The tax code provides that all of the first four conditions stated above must be met during the entire taxable year and that the fifth condition must be met during at least 335 days of a taxable year of twelve months, or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than twelve months. The fifth and sixth conditions do not apply until after the first taxable year for which an election is made to be taxed as a REIT.

For purposes of the sixth condition, pension trusts and other specified tax-exempt entities generally are treated as individuals, except that a “look-through” exception generally applies with respect to pension funds.

Stock Ownership Tests

Our stock must be beneficially held by at least 100 persons, the “100 Stockholder Rule,” and no more than 50% of the value of our stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals at any time during the last half of the taxable year, the “5/50 Rule.” For purposes of the 100 Stockholder Rule only, trusts described in Section 401(a) of the tax code and exempt under Section 501(a) of the tax code, are generally treated as persons. These stock ownership requirements must be satisfied in each taxable year other than the first taxable year for which an election is made to be taxed as a REIT. We are required to solicit information from certain of our record stockholders to verify actual stock ownership levels, and our charter provides for restrictions regarding the transfer of our stock in order to aid in meeting the stock ownership requirements. If we were to fail either of the stock ownership tests, we would generally be disqualified from REIT status.

Income Tests

We must satisfy two gross income requirements annually to maintain our qualification as a REIT:

For purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests, a REIT is deemed to have earned a proportionate share of the income earned by any partnership, or any limited liability company treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, in which it owns an interest, which share is determined by reference to its capital interest in such entity, and is deemed to have earned the income earned by any qualified REIT subsidiary (in general, a 100% owned corporate subsidiary of a REIT).

Interest earned by a REIT ordinarily does not qualify as income meeting the 75% or 95% gross income tests if the determination of all or some of the amount of interest depends in any way on the income or profits of any person. Interest will not be disqualified from meeting such tests, however, solely by reason of being based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales.

10

Table of Contents

If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we may nevertheless qualify as a REIT for the year if we are entitled to relief under the tax code. Generally, we may avail ourselves of the relief provisions if:

If we are entitled to avail ourselves of the relief provisions, we will maintain our qualification as a REIT but will be subject to certain penalty taxes as described above. We may not, however, be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions in all circumstances. If these relief provisions do not apply to a particular set of circumstances, we will not qualify as a REIT.

Asset Tests

At the close of each quarter of our taxable year, we must satisfy four tests relating to the nature and diversification of our assets:

A “taxable REIT subsidiary” is any corporation in which we own stock and as to which we and such corporation jointly elect to treat such subsidiary as a taxable REIT subsidiary. For purposes of the asset tests, we will be deemed to own a proportionate share of the assets of any partnership, or any limited liability company treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, in which we own an interest, which share is determined by reference to our capital interest in the entity, and will be deemed to own the assets owned by any qualified REIT subsidiary and any other entity that is disregarded for federal income tax purposes.

After initially meeting the asset tests at the close of any quarter, we will not lose our status as a REIT for failure to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a later quarter solely by reason of changes in asset values. If we fail to satisfy the asset tests because we acquire securities or other property during a quarter, we can cure this failure by disposing of sufficient nonqualifying assets within 30 days after the close of that quarter. For this purpose, an increase in our interests in any partnership or limited liability company in which we own an interest will be treated as an acquisition of a portion of the securities or other property owned by that partnership or limited liability company.

Annual Distribution Requirements

To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are required to distribute dividends, other than capital gain dividends, to our stockholders in an amount at least equal to the sum of:

11

Table of Contents

For purposes of these distribution requirements, our “REIT taxable income” is computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction (described below) and net capital gain. For purposes of this test, non-cash income means income attributable to leveled stepped rents, certain original issue discount, certain like-kind exchanges that are later determined to be taxable and income from cancellation of indebtedness. In addition, our taxable income would exceed our net income for financial reporting purposes to the extent that compensation paid to our chief executive officer and our other four highest paid officers exceeds $1,000,000 for any such officer for any calendar year. Since payments under our 2002 Incentive Compensation Plan do not qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the tax code, a portion of the payments made under such plan to certain of such officers would not be deductible for federal income tax purposes under such circumstances. Moreover, if we disposed of any asset we acquired from a corporation which is or has been a C corporation in a transaction in which our basis in the asset is determined by reference to the basis of the asset in the hands of that C corporation and we elected not to recognize gain currently in connection with the acquisition of such asset, we would be required to distribute at least 90% of the after-tax gain, if any, we recognize on a disposition of the asset within the ten-year period following our acquisition of such asset, to the extent that such gain does not exceed the excess of:

Only distributions that qualify for the “dividends paid deduction” available to REITs under the tax code are counted in determining whether the distribution requirements are satisfied. We must make these distributions in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if they are declared before we timely file our tax return for that year, paid on or before the first regular dividend payment following the declaration and we elect on our tax return to have a specified dollar amount of such distributions treated as if paid in the prior year. For these and other purposes, dividends declared by us in October, November or December of one taxable year and payable to a stockholder of record on a specific date in any such month shall be treated as both paid by us and received by the stockholder during such taxable year, provided that the dividend is actually paid by us by January 31 of the following taxable year.

In addition, dividends distributed by us must not be preferential. If a dividend is preferential, it will not qualify for the dividends paid deduction. To avoid being preferential, every stockholder of the class of stock to which a distribution is made must be treated the same as every other stockholder of that class, and no class of stock may be treated other than according to its dividend rights as a class.

To the extent that we do not distribute all of our net capital gain, or we distribute at least 90%, but less than 100%, of our “REIT taxable income,” as adjusted, we will be required to pay tax on this undistributed income at regular ordinary and capital gain corporate tax rates.

Failure to Qualify as a REIT

If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year, and the relief provisions of the tax code do not apply, we will be required to pay tax, including any applicable alternative minimum tax, on our taxable income in that taxable year and all subsequent taxable years at regular corporate rates. Distributions to stockholders in any year in which we fail to qualify as a REIT will not be deductible by us and we will not be required to distribute any amounts to our stockholders. As a result, we anticipate that our failure to qualify as a REIT would reduce the cash available for distribution to our stockholders. In addition, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, all distributions to stockholders will be taxable at ordinary income rates to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. In this event, corporate distributees may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction. Unless entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions, we will also be disqualified from taxation as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year in which we lose our qualification.

12

Table of Contents

Taxation Of Taxable United States Stockholders

For purposes of the discussion in this Form 10-K, the term “United States stockholder” means a holder of our stock that is, for United States federal income tax purposes:

Distributions Generally

Distributions out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, other than capital gain dividends, will be taxable to United States stockholders as ordinary income. Provided that we continue to qualify as a REIT, dividends paid by us will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction generally available to United States stockholders that are corporations. To the extent that we make distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits, the distributions will be treated as a tax-free return of capital to each United States stockholder, and will reduce the adjusted tax basis which each United States stockholder has in our stock by the amount of the distribution, but not below zero. Distributions in excess of a United States stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in its stock will be taxable as capital gain, and will be taxable as long-term capital gain if the stock has been held for more than one year. If we declare a dividend in October, November, or December of any calendar year which is payable to stockholders of record on a specified date in such a month and actually pay the dividend during January of the following calendar year, the dividend is deemed to be paid by us and received by the stockholder on December 31^st of the previous year. Stockholders may not include in their own income tax returns any of our net operating losses or capital losses.

Capital Gain Distributions

Distributions designated by us as capital gain dividends will be taxable to United States stockholders as capital gain income. We can designate distributions as capital gain dividends to the extent of our net capital gain for the taxable year of the distribution. This capital gain income will generally be taxable to non-corporate United States stockholders at a 20% or 25% rate based on the characteristics of the asset we sold that produced the gain. United States stockholders that are corporations may be required to treat up to 20% of certain capital gain dividends as ordinary income.

An 18% capital gains rate applies to certain assets acquired after December 31, 2000, and to certain assets held on January 1, 2001, as to which an election is made to treat such assets as having been sold and then reacquired on the same date. If the election is made, the asset will be deemed to be sold at its fair market value and any gain, but not loss, will be recognized. Although the IRS has yet to issue any official guidance on how the 18% rate would apply to distributions made by us, the IRS has indicated in income tax forms that the lower rate will apply to designated capital gain distributions we make to the extent that the gain is derived from the disposition of a capital asset acquired by us after December 31, 2000 and held for more than five years at the time of disposition.

13

Table of Contents

Retention of Net Capital Gains

We may elect to retain, rather than distribute as a capital gain dividend, our net capital gains. If we were to make this election, we would pay tax on such retained capital gains. In such a case, our stockholders would generally:

Passive Activity Losses, Investment Interest Limitations and Other Considerations of Holding Our Stock

Distributions we make and gains arising from the sale or exchange of our stock by a United States stockholder will not be treated as passive activity income. As a result, United States stockholders will not be able to apply any “passive losses” against income or gains relating to our stock. Distributions by us, to the extent they do not constitute a return of capital, generally will be treated as investment income for purposes of computing the investment interest limitation under the tax code. Further, if we, or a portion of our assets, were to be treated as a taxable mortgage pool, any excess inclusion income that is allocated to you could not be offset by any losses or other deductions you may have.

Dispositions of Stock

A United States stockholder that sells or disposes of our stock will recognize gain or loss for federal income tax purposes in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash or the fair market value of any property the stockholder receives on the sale or other disposition and the stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in the stock. This gain or loss will be capital gain or loss and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the stockholder has held the stock for more than one year. In general, any loss recognized by a United States stockholder upon the sale or other disposition of our stock that the stockholder has held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent the stockholder received distributions from us which were required to be treated as long-term capital gains.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

We report to our United States stockholders and the IRS the amount of dividends paid during each calendar year, and the amount of any tax withheld. Under the backup withholding rules, a stockholder may be subject to backup withholding with respect to dividends paid and redemption proceeds unless the holder is a corporation or comes within other exempt categories and, when required, demonstrates this fact, or provides a taxpayer identification number or social security number, certifying as to no loss of exemption from backup withholding, and otherwise complies with applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules. A United States stockholder that does not provide us with its correct taxpayer identification number or social security number may also be subject to penalties imposed by the IRS. A United States stockholder can meet this requirement by providing us with a correct, properly completed and executed copy of IRS Form W-9 or a substantially similar form. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amount paid as backup withholding will be creditable against the stockholder’s income tax liability, if any, and otherwise be refundable. In addition, we may be required to withhold a portion of capital gain distributions made to any stockholders who fail to certify their non-foreign status.

The backup withholding tax rate is 30% for amounts distributed after December 31, 2001 and on or before December 31, 2003. After 2003, the backup withholding tax rate will be gradually reduced until 2006, when the backup-withholding rate will be 28%.

14

Table of Contents

Taxation of Tax-Exempt Stockholders

The IRS has ruled that amounts distributed as a dividend by a REIT will be treated as a dividend by the recipient and excluded from the calculation of unrelated business taxable income when received by a tax-exempt entity. Based on that ruling, provided that a tax-exempt stockholder has not held our stock as “debt financed property” within the meaning of the tax code, i.e., property the acquisition or holding of which is financed through a borrowing by the tax-exempt United States stockholder, the stock is not otherwise used in an unrelated trade or business, and we do not hold a residual interest in a real estate mortgage investment conduit, REMIC, that gives rise to “excess inclusion” income, as defined in Section 860E of the tax code, dividend income on our stock and income from the sale of our stock should not be unrelated business taxable income to a tax-exempt stockholder. However, if we were to hold residual interests in a REMIC, or if we or a pool of our assets were to be treated as a “taxable mortgage pool,” a portion of the dividends paid to a tax-exempt stockholder may be subject to tax as unrelated business taxable income. Although we do not believe that we, or any portion of our assets, will be treated as a taxable mortgage pool, no assurance can be given that the IRS might not successfully maintain that such a taxable mortgage pool exists.

For tax-exempt stockholders that are social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts, and qualified group legal services plans exempt from federal income taxation under Sections 501(c)(7), (c)(9), (c)(17) and (c)(20) of the tax code, respectively, income from an investment in our stock will constitute unrelated business taxable income unless the organization is able to properly claim a deduction for amounts set aside or placed in reserve for certain purposes so as to offset the income generated by its investment in our stock. Any prospective investors should consult their tax advisors concerning these “set aside” and reserve requirements.

Notwithstanding the above, however, a substantial portion of the dividends you receive may constitute unrelated business taxable income if we are treated as a “pension-held REIT” and you are a pension trust which:

Tax-exempt pension funds that are described in Section 401(a) of the tax code and exempt from tax under Section 501(a) of the tax code are referred to below as “qualified trusts.”

A REIT is a “pension-held REIT” if:

The percentage of any REIT dividend treated as unrelated business taxable income is equal to the ratio of:

A de minimis exception applies where the percentage is less than 5% for any year. As a result of the limitations on the transfer and ownership of stock contained in our charter, we do not expect to be classified as a “pension-held REIT.”

15

Table of Contents

Taxation of Non-United States Stockholders

The rules governing federal income taxation of “non-United States stockholders” are complex and no attempt will be made herein to provide more than a summary of these rules. “Non-United States stockholders” mean beneficial owners of shares of our stock that are not United States stockholders (as such term is defined in the discussion above under the heading entitled “Taxation of Taxable United States Stockholders”).

PROSPECTIVE NON-UNITED STATES STOCKHOLDERS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF FOREIGN, FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL INCOME TAX LAWS WITH REGARD TO AN INVESTMENT IN OUR STOCK AND OF OUR ELECTION TO BE TAXED AS A REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST, INCLUDING ANY REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

Distributions to non-United States stockholders that are not attributable to gain from our sale or exchange of United States real property interests and that are not designated by us as capital gain dividends or retained capital gains will be treated as dividends of ordinary income to the extent that they are made out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. These distributions will generally be subject to a withholding tax equal to 30% of the distribution unless an applicable tax treaty reduces or eliminates that tax. However, if income from an investment in our stock is treated as effectively connected with the non-United States stockholder’s conduct of a United States trade or business, the non-United States stockholder generally will be subject to federal income tax at graduated rates in the same manner as United States stockholders are taxed with respect to those distributions, and also may be subject to the 30% branch profits tax in the case of a non-United States stockholder that is a corporation. We expect to withhold tax at the rate of 30% on the gross amount of any distributions made to a non-United States stockholder unless:

Any portion of the dividends paid to non-United States stockholders that is treated as excess inclusion income will not be eligible for exemption from the 30% withholding tax or a reduced treaty rate.

Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will not be taxable to non-United States stockholders to the extent that these distributions do not exceed the adjusted basis of the stockholder’s stock, but rather will reduce the adjusted basis of that stock. To the extent that distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits exceed the adjusted basis of a non-United States stockholder’s stock, these distributions will give rise to tax liability if the non-United States stockholder would otherwise be subject to tax on any gain from the sale or disposition of its stock, as described below. Because it generally cannot be determined at the time a distribution is made whether or not such distribution may be in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits, the entire amount of any distribution normally will be subject to withholding at the same rate as a dividend. However, amounts so withheld are creditable against United States tax liability, if any, or refundable by the IRS to the extent the distribution is subsequently determined to be in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. We are also required to withhold 10% of any distribution in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits if our stock is a United States real property interest because we are not a domestically controlled REIT, as discussed below. Consequently, although we intend to withhold at a rate of 30% on the entire amount of any distribution, to the extent that we do not do so, any portion of a distribution not subject to withholding at a rate of 30% may be subject to withholding at a rate of 10%.

Distributions attributable to our capital gains which are not attributable to gain from the sale or exchange of a United States real property interest generally will not be subject to income taxation, unless (1) investment in

16

Table of Contents

our stock is effectively connected with the non-United States stockholder’s U.S. trade or business (or, if an income tax treaty applies, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment of the non-United States stockholder), in which case the non-United States stockholder will be subject to the same treatment as United States stockholders with respect to such gain (except that a corporate non-United States stockholder may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax), or (2) the non-United States stockholder is a non-resident alien individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are satisfied, in which case the non-resident alien individual will be subject to a 30% tax on the individual’s capital gains.

For any year in which we qualify as a REIT, distributions that are attributable to gain from the sale or exchange of a United States real property interest, which includes some interests in real property, but generally does not include an interest solely as a creditor in mortgage loans or mortgage-backed securities, will be taxed to a non-United States stockholder under the provisions of the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980, or FIRPTA. Under FIRPTA, distributions attributable to gain from sales of United States real property interests are taxed to a non-United States stockholder as if that gain were effectively connected with the stockholder’s conduct of a United States trade or business. Non-United States stockholders thus would be taxed at the normal capital gain rates applicable to stockholders, subject to applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of nonresident alien individuals. Distributions subject to FIRPTA also may be subject to the 30% branch profits tax in the hands of a non-United States corporate stockholder. We are required to withhold 35% of any distribution that we designate (or, if greater, the amount that we could designate) as a capital gains dividend. The amount withheld is creditable against the non-United States stockholder’s FIRPTA tax liability.

Gains recognized by a non-United States stockholder upon a sale of our stock generally will not be taxed under FIRPTA if we are a domestically controlled REIT, which is a REIT in which at all times during a specified testing period less than 50% in value of the stock was held directly or indirectly by non-United States stockholders. Because our stock is publicly traded, we cannot assure our investors that we are or will remain a domestically controlled REIT. Even if we are not a domestically-controlled REIT, however, a non-United States stockholder that owns, actually or constructively, 5% or less of our stock throughout a specified testing period will not recognize taxable gain on the sale of our stock under FIRPTA if the shares are traded on an established securities market.

If gain from the sale of the stock were subject to taxation under FIRPTA, the non-United States stockholder would be subject to the same treatment as United States stockholders with respect to that gain, subject to applicable alternative minimum tax, a special alternative minimum tax in the case of nonresident alien individuals, and the possible application of the 30% branch profits tax in the case of non-United States corporations. In addition, the purchaser of the stock could be required to withhold 10% of the purchase price and remit such amount to the IRS.

Gains not subject to FIRPTA will be taxable to a non-United States stockholder if:

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

If the proceeds of a disposition of our stock are paid by or through a U.S. office of a broker-dealer, the payment is generally subject to information reporting and to backup withholding (currently at a rate of 30%,

17

Table of Contents

subject to reduction in years after 2003) unless the disposing non-United States stockholder certifies as to his name, address and non-U.S. status or otherwise establishes an exemption. Generally, U.S. information reporting and backup withholding will not apply to a payment of disposition proceeds if the payment is made outside the U.S. through a foreign office of a foreign broker-dealer. If the proceeds from a disposition of our stock are paid to or through a foreign office of a U.S. broker-dealer or a non-U.S. office of a foreign broker-dealer that is (i) a “controlled foreign corporation” for federal income tax purposes, (ii) a foreign person 50% or more of whose gross income from all sources for a three-year period was effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, (iii) a foreign partnership with one or more partners who are U.S. persons and who in the aggregate hold more than 50% of the income or capital interest in the partnership, or (iv) a foreign partnership engaged in the conduct of a trade or business in the United States, then (i) backup withholding will not apply unless the broker-dealer has actual knowledge that the owner is not a foreign stockholder, and (ii) information reporting will not apply if the non-United States stockholder satisfies certification requirements regarding its status as a foreign stockholder.

State, Local and Foreign Taxation

We may be required to pay state, local and foreign taxes in various state, local and foreign jurisdictions, including those in which we transact business or make investments, and our stockholders may be required to pay state, local and foreign taxes in various state, local and foreign jurisdictions, including those in which they reside. Our state, local and foreign tax treatment may not conform to the federal income tax consequences summarized above. In addition, a stockholder’s state, local and foreign tax treatment may not conform to the federal income tax consequences summarized above. Consequently, prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect of state, local and foreign tax laws on an investment in our stock.

We sublease approximately 5,500 square feet of office space in Santa Monica, California under a sublease agreement with Pacific Income Advisers, Inc. that expires in 2012.

We are not a party to any material pending legal proceedings.

No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the quarter ended December 31, 2002.

18

Table of Contents

PART II

Market Information

Our common stock began trading under the symbol ANH on the American Stock Exchange on March 17, 1998. Preceding March 17, 1998, there had been no public market for our common stock. The high and low sale prices for our common stock as reported by the American Stock Exchange for the periods indicated are as follows:

Holders

As of March 21, 2003 there were approximately 452 record holders of our common stock. On March 21, 2003, the last reported sale price of the common stock on the American Stock Exchange was $13.05 per share.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

On June 13, 2002, Anworth Mortgage Advisory Corporation, our external manager, merged with and into our company. The stockholder of the manager, a trust controlled by Lloyd McAdams, our president, chairman and chief executive officer, and Heather U. Baines, one of our executive vice presidents, received 240,000 unregistered shares of our common stock as merger consideration, which was worth approximately $3.2 million based on the closing price of our common stock on June 13, 2002. The shares were issued pursuant to the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933.

Dividends

We pay cash dividends on a quarterly basis. The following table lists the cash dividends declared on each share of our common stock for our most recent two fiscal years. The dividends listed below were based primarily on the board of directors’ evaluation of earnings for each listed quarter and were declared on the date indicated.

19

Table of Contents

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table provides information as of December 31, 2002 with respect to our common shares issuable under our equity compensation plans:

20

Table of Contents

The selected financial data as of December 31, 2002 and 2001 and the three years in the period ended December 31, 2002 are derived from our audited financial statements included in this Form 10-K. The selected financial data as of December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998 and for the year ended December 31, 1999 and for the period from commencement of operations on March 17, 1998 to December 31, 1998 are derived from audited financial statements not included in this Form 10-K. You should read these selected financial data together with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited and unaudited financial statements and notes thereto that are included in this Form 10-K beginning on page F-1.

21

Table of Contents

22

Table of Contents

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including those set forth under “Risk Factors” herein.

General

We were formed in October 1997 to invest primarily in mortgage-related assets, including mortgage pass-through certificates, collateralized mortgage obligations, mortgage loans and other securities representing interests in, or obligations backed by, pools of mortgage loans which can be readily financed. We commenced operations on March 17, 1998 upon the closing of our initial public offering. Our principal business objective is to generate net income for distribution to stockholders based upon the spread between the interest income on our mortgage-backed securities and the costs of borrowing to finance our acquisition of mortgage-backed securities.

From the time of our inception through June 13, 2002, we were externally managed by Anworth Mortgage Advisory Company, or the manager, pursuant to a management agreement. As an externally managed company, we had no employees of our own and relied on the manager to conduct our business and operations. On June 13, 2002, the manager merged with and into our company. The merger was approved by a special committee consisting solely of our independent directors, our full board of directors and the vote of a majority of our stockholders. Upon the closing of the merger, the management agreement terminated.

The market value of our common stock issued, valued as of the consummation of the merger, in excess of the fair value of the net tangible assets acquired, has been accounted for as a non-cash charge to operating income. Since we did not acquire tangible net assets from the manager in the merger, the non-cash charge equaled the value of the consideration paid in the merger, which was approximately $3.2 million. This non-cash charge did not reduce our taxable income of which at least 90% must be paid as dividends to stockholders to maintain our status as a REIT. It did, however, reduce our reportable net income. In addition, we incurred $295,000 in merger related expenses.

Over the past year, the continued dramatic decline in the general level of interest rates has had a materially positive impact on our financial results. As a result of the interest rate reductions by the Federal Reserve Board, the one-month LIBOR rate has declined from 1.87% as of December 31, 2001 to 1.38% as of December 31, 2002. This decline in short-term interest rates has reduced the rates at which we borrow funds to finance our portfolio holdings. Our cost of financing has declined from 4.16% for the year ended December 31, 2001 to 2.14% for the year ended December 31, 2002.

We are organized for tax purposes as a REIT. Accordingly, we generally distribute substantially all of our earnings to stockholders without paying federal or state income tax at the corporate level on the distributed earnings. As of December 31, 2002, our qualified REIT assets (real estate assets, as defined in the tax code, cash and cash items and government securities) were greater than 90% of our total assets, as compared to the tax code requirement that at least 75% of our total assets must be qualified REIT assets. Greater than 99% of our 2002 revenue qualifies for both the 75% source of income test and the 95% source of income test under the REIT rules. We believe we met all REIT requirements regarding the ownership of our common stock and the distributions of our net income. Therefore, we believe that we continue to qualify as a REIT under the provisions of the tax code.

23

Table of Contents

Results Of Operations

Years Ended December 31, 2002 and 2001

For the year ended December 31, 2002, our net income was $31,670,000, or $1.80 per diluted share, based on an average of 17,590,888 shares outstanding. For the year ended December 31, 2001, our net income was $3,706,000, or $1.50 per diluted share, based on an average of 2,466,817 shares outstanding. Net interest income is comprised of the interest income earned on mortgage investments less interest expense from borrowings. The increase in our profitability in 2002 over 2001 was due to the continued decline in the general level of interest rates, allowing us to decrease our borrowing expense at a rate greater than the rate at which the interest income on our assets declined. There is no assurance that this trend will continue in 2003.

Net interest income for the year ended December 31, 2002 totaled $37,279,000, or 55.8% of total interest income, compared to $4,405,000, or 40.9% of total interest income, for the year ended December 31, 2001. As a result of investing the proceeds of our common stock offerings, our assets and borrowings have increased significantly from last year. This has resulted in a large increase in our income and interest expense in 2002 compared to 2001. The increase in our spread, the difference between the yield on interest earning assets and the cost of funds on interest bearing liabilities, was due primarily to short-term interest rates paid on our borrowings decreasing more than the interest rates earned on our mortgage-backed assets. Also, during the year ended December 31, 2002, we realized a net gain on the sale of assets in the amount of $4,708,605, or 7.0% of total interest income, compared to $430,000 or 4.0% of total interest income, during the year ended December 31, 2001.

For the year ended December 31, 2002, our operating expenses increased to $4,701,227, or 7.0% of total interest income, from $323,000, or 3.0% of total interest income, for the year ended December 31, 2001. This increase was due primarily to increased expenses associated with compensation paid under our incentive compensation plan resulting from increased earnings.

Our return on average equity was 19.79% for the year ended December 31, 2002, compared to 18.28% for the year ended December 31, 2001. Excluding management and incentive fees paid to our management company, incentive compenation paid to our employees and the acquisition costs of $3,475,000 paid for the manager, our return on average equity was 25.20% for the year ended December 31, 2002.

We paid the manager an incentive fee of $1,741,393 for the period between January 1, 2002 and June 13, 2002, the date of our merger. In 2001, the manager earned an incentive fee of $598,000. We paid incentive compensation under our 2002 Incentive Compensation Plan of $3,054,911 for the period between June 13, 2002, the date of our merger, and December 31, 2002.

Years Ended December 31, 2001 and 2000

For the year ended December 31, 2001, our net income was $3,706,000, or $1.50 per diluted share, based on an average of 2,466,817 shares outstanding. For the year ended December 31, 2000, our net income was $1,261,000, or $0.54 per diluted share based on an average of 2,330,987 shares outstanding. The increase in our profitability in 2001 over 2000 was due to the dramatic decline in the general level of interest rates, allowing us to decrease our borrowing expense at a rate greater than the rate at which the interest income on our assets declined.

Net interest income for the year ended December 31, 2001 totaled $4,405,000, or 40.9% of total interest income, compared to $1,640,000, or 15.9% of total interest income, for the year ended December 31, 2000. Also, during the year ended December 31, 2001, we realized a net gain on the sale of assets in the amount of $430,000, or 4.0% of total interest income.

For the year ended December 31, 2001, our operating expenses, other than management and incentive fees, increased to $323,000, or 3.0% of total interest income, from $212,000, or 2.1% of total interest income, for the year ended December 31, 2000.

24

Table of Contents

Our return on average equity was 18.28% for the year ended December 31, 2001, compared to 6.58% for the year ended December 31, 2000. The manager earned an incentive fee of $598,000 for the year ended December 31, 2001, compared to no incentive fee for the year ended December 31, 2000.

Return on Average Equity Prior to Gain on Sale of Securities

The table below shows the components of return on average equity(1):

Average Cash Equivalents and Average Mortgage Assets

The table below shows our average balances of cash equivalents and mortgage assets, the annualized yields earned on each type of earning assets, the yield on average earning assets and interest income:

Average Borrowed Funds and Annualized Average Cost of Funds

The table below shows our average borrowed funds and annualized average cost of funds:

25

Table of Contents

Operating Expenses/Total Assets

The table below shows operating expenses as a percent of total assets:

Financial Condition

At December 31, 2002, we held total assets of $2,443.9 million, consisting primarily of $2,091 million of adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities, $339 million of fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities. This balance sheet size represents an approximate 475% increase over our balance sheet size at December 31, 2001. At December 31, 2002, we were well within our asset allocation guidelines, with approximately 100% of total assets consisting of mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by an agency of the United States government such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae. Of the adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities owned by us, 46% were adjustable-rate pass-through certificates that reset at least once a year. The remaining 54% were  ³/1 and  ⁵/1 hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities. Hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities have an initial interest rate that is fixed for a certain period, usually three to five years, and then adjust annually for the remainder of the term of the loan.

Mortgage-Backed Securities by Type of Issuer

The following table presents a schedule of mortgage-backed securities owned at December 31, 2002 and December 31, 2001, classified by type of issuer:

26

Table of Contents

Mortgage-Backed Securities by Interest Rate Index

The following table classifies our portfolio of mortgage-backed securities owned at December 31, 2002 and December 31, 2001, by type of interest rate index (with respect to our hybrid ARMs, the fair value of these securities appears on the line associated with the index based on which the security will eventually reset, once the initial fixed interest rate period has expired):

Our mortgage-backed securities portfolio had a weighted average coupon of 5.21% at December 31, 2002. The weighted average one-month constant prepayment rates of our mortgage-backed securities portfolio were 29.3%, 36.0% and 34.6%, respectively, for the months of October, November and December 2002. At December 31, 2002, the unamortized net premium paid for our mortgage-backed securities was $60.8 million.

We analyze our mortgage-backed securities and the extent to which prepayments impact the yield of the securities. When actual prepayments exceed expectations, we amortize the premiums paid on mortgage assets over a shorter time period, resulting in a reduced yield to maturity on our mortgage assets. Conversely, if actual prepayments are less than the assumed constant prepayment rate, the premium would be amortized over a longer time period, resulting in a higher yield to maturity. We monitor our prepayment expectations versus our actual prepayment experience on a monthly basis in order to adjust the amortization of the net premium.

As of December 31, 2002, the fair value of our portfolio of mortgage-related assets classified as available for sale was $14.86 million, or 0.61% greater than the amortized cost of our portfolio.

Hedging

We periodically enter into derivative transactions, in the form of forward purchase commitments, which are intended to hedge our exposure to rising rates on funds borrowed to finance our investments in securities. We have designated these transactions as cash flow hedges. We also enter into derivative transactions, also in the form of forward purchase commitments, which are not designated as hedges. Other than these types of transactions, we have not entered into any hedging agreements to date.

As part of our asset/liability management policy, we may enter into hedging agreements such as interest rate caps, floors or swaps. These agreements would be entered into to try to reduce interest rate risk and would be designed to provide us with income and capital appreciation in the event of certain changes in interest rates. We review the need for hedging transactions on a regular basis consistent with our capital investment policy.

During the year ended December 31, 2002, we entered into various mortgage-backed securities transactions where we agreed to take delivery of the securities more than one month from the trade date. As directed by accounting rules for these types of extended delivery transactions, the economic benefit or cost that occurs between the trade date and the delivery date are designated as a derivative gain or loss. We were not a party to any derivative transactions as of December 31, 2002.

27

Table of Contents

Liquidity And Capital Resources

Our primary source of funds consists of repurchase agreements, which totaled $2,154 million at December 31, 2002. Our other significant source of funds for the year ended December 31, 2002 consisted of payments of principal and interest from our mortgage securities portfolio in the amount of $538.6 million. As of December 31, 2002, we had raised approximately $32.9 million in capital under our amended dividend reinvestment and direct stock purchase plan, $32.1 million of which was raised in 2002.

In the future, we expect that our primary sources of funds will consist of borrowed funds under repurchase agreement transactions with one- to twelve-month maturities and of monthly payments of principal and interest on our mortgage-backed securities portfolio. Our liquid assets generally consist of unpledged mortgage-backed securities, cash and cash equivalents.

Our borrowings had a weighted average interest cost during the year ended December 31, 2002 of 2.14% compared with 4.16% for the year ended December 31, 2001. As of December 31, 2002, all of our repurchase agreements were fixed-rate term repurchase agreements with original maturities ranging from one to twenty-four months. On December 31, 2002, we had borrowing arrangements with seventeen different financial institutions and had borrowed funds under repurchase agreements with fifteen of these firms. Because we borrow money based on the fair value of our mortgage-backed securities and because increases in short-term interest rates can negatively impact the valuation of mortgage-backed securities, our borrowing ability could be limited and lenders may initiate margin calls in the event short-term interest rates increase or the value of our mortgage-backed securities declines for other reasons. During the year ended December 31, 2002, we had adequate cash flow, liquid assets and unpledged collateral with which to meet our margin requirements during the period.

From time to time, we raise additional equity dependent upon market conditions and other factors. In that regard, we completed a public offering on February 28, 2002 that raised approximately $40 million in net proceeds, and a public offering on June 26, 2002 that raised approximately $126 million in net proceeds. We also intend to raise additional equity through the issuance of capital stock as described in our registration statement on Form S-3 that was initially declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission in September 2002. The registration statement was subsequently amended and the post-effective amendment was declared effective in January 2003.

In December 2002, we entered into a sales agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., or Cantor, to sell up to 4,800,000 shares of common stock from time to time through a controlled equity offering program under which Cantor acts as sales agent. Sales of the shares have been and will be made by means of ordinary brokers’ transactions on the American Stock Exchange at market prices and through privately negotiated transactions. We intend to make such sales when we believe the issuance of stock would be accretive to our shareholders. To date, we have sold 587,570 shares under the controlled equity offering program, which provided net proceeds of approximately $7.1 million. The sales agent received an aggregate of approximately $218,000, which represents a commission of 3% on the gross sales price per share of the sales under the sales agreement through March 21, 2003.

Stockholders’ Equity

We use available for sale treatment for our mortgage-backed securities. These assets are carried on the balance sheet at fair value rather than historical amortized cost. Based upon such available for sale treatment, our equity base at December 31, 2002 was $265.5 million, or $10.48 per share.

With our available for sale accounting treatment, unrealized fluctuations in fair values of assets do not impact GAAP income or taxable income but rather are reflected on the balance sheet by changing the carrying value of the asset and reflecting the change in stockholders’ equity under “Accumulated other comprehensive income, unrealized gain (loss) on available for sale securities.”

28

Table of Contents

As a result of this mark-to-market accounting treatment, our book value and book value per share are likely to fluctuate far more than if we used historical amortized cost accounting. As a result, comparisons with companies that use historical cost accounting for some or all of their balance sheet may not be meaningful.

Unrealized changes in the fair value of mortgage-backed securities have one significant and direct effect on our potential earnings and dividends: positive mark-to-market changes will increase our equity base and allow us to increase our borrowing capacity while negative changes will tend to limit borrowing capacity under our capital investment policy. A very large negative change in the net market value of our mortgage-backed securities might reduce our liquidity, requiring us to sell assets with the likely result of realized losses upon sale. “Accumulated other comprehensive income, unrealized gain (loss) on available for sale securities” was $14.86 million, or 0.61%, of the amortized cost of mortgage-backed securities at December 31, 2002.

Critical Accounting Policies

Management has the obligation to ensure that its policies and methodologies are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. During 2002, management reviewed and evaluated its critical accounting policies and believes them to be appropriate.

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to makes estimates and assumptions in certain circumstances that affect amounts reported in the accompanying financial statements. In preparing these financial statements, management has made its best estimates and judgments of certain amounts included in the 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. Nevertheless, 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.

Our accounting policies are described in Note 1 to our financial statements. Management believes the more significant of these to be as follows:

Revenue Recognition

The most significant source of our revenue is derived from our investments in mortgage-backed securities. We reflect income using the effective yield method, which, through amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts, recognizes periodic income over the estimated life of the investment on a constant yield basis, as adjusted for estimated prepayment activity. Management believes our revenue recognition policies are appropriate to reflect the substance of the underlying transactions.

Valuation of Investment Securities

We carry our investment securities on its balance sheet at fair value. The fair values of our mortgage-backed securities are generally based on market prices provided by certain dealers who make markets in such securities. The fair values of other marketable securities are obtained from the last reported sale of such securities on its principal exchange or, if no representative sale is reported, the mean between the closing bid and ask prices. If, in the opinion of management, one or more securities prices reported to us are not reliable or unavailable, management estimates the fair value based on characteristics of the security it receives from the issuer and available market information. The fair values reported reflect estimates and may not necessarily be indicative of the amounts we could realize in a current market exchange.

Income Taxes

Our financial results do not reflect provisions for current or deferred income taxes. Management believes that we have and intend to continue to operate in a manner that will continue to allow us to be taxed as a REIT and as a result does not expect to pay substantial corporate level taxes. Many of these requirements, however, are highly technical and complex. If we were to fail to meet these requirements, we would be subject to federal income tax.

29

Table of Contents

RISK FACTORS

An investment in our stock involves a number of risks. Before making a decision to purchase our securities, you should carefully consider all of the risks described in this annual report. If any of the risks discussed in this annual report actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. If this were to occur, the trading price of our securities could decline significantly and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risk Related To Our Business

Interest rate mismatches between our adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities and our borrowings used to fund our purchases of the assets may reduce our income during periods of changing interest rates.

We fund most of our acquisitions of adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities with borrowings that have interest rates based on indices and repricing terms similar to, but of shorter maturities than, the interest rate indices and repricing terms of our mortgage-backed securities. Accordingly, if short-term interest rates increase, this may adversely affect our profitability.

Most of the mortgage-backed securities we acquire are adjustable-rate securities. This means that their interest rates may vary over time based upon changes in a short-term interest rate index. Therefore, in most cases the interest rate indices and repricing terms of the mortgage-backed securities that we acquire and their funding sources will not be identical, thereby creating an interest rate mismatch between assets and liabilities. While the historical spread between relevant short-term interest rate indices has been relatively stable, there have been periods when the spread between these indices was volatile. During periods of changing interest rates, these mismatches could reduce our net income, dividend yield and the market price of our stock.

The interest rates on our borrowings generally adjust more frequently than the interest rates on our adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities. For example, on December 31, 2002, our adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities had a weighted average term to next rate adjustment of approximately 16 months, while our borrowings had a weighted average term to next rate adjustment of 166 days. Accordingly, in a period of rising interest rates, we could experience a decrease in net income or a net loss because the interest rates on our borrowings adjust faster than the interest rates on our adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities.

We may experience reduced net interest income from holding fixed-rate investments during periods of rising interest rates.

We generally fund our acquisition of fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities with short-term borrowings. During periods of rising interest rates, our costs associated with borrowings used to fund acquisition of fixed-rate assets are subject to increases while the income we earn from these assets remains substantially fixed. This reduces or could eliminate the net interest spread between the fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities that we purchase and our borrowings used to purchase them, which could lower our net interest income or cause us to suffer a loss. On December 31, 2002, 14% of our mortgage-backed securities were fixed-rate securities.

Increased levels of prepayments from mortgage-backed securities may decrease our net interest income.

Pools of mortgage loans underlie the mortgage-backed securities that we acquire. We generally receive payments from principal payments that are made on these underlying mortgage loans. When borrowers prepay their mortgage loans faster than expected, this results in prepayments that are faster than expected on the mortgage-backed securities. Faster than expected prepayments could adversely affect our profitability, including in the following ways:

30

Table of Contents

to acquire the security. In accordance with accounting rules, we amortize this premium over the term of the mortgage-backed security. If the mortgage-backed security is prepaid in whole or in part prior to its maturity date, however, we expense the premium that was prepaid at the time of the prepayment. On December 31, 2002, approximately 98% of our mortgage-backed securities were acquired at a premium.

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.

While we seek to minimize prepayment risk to the extent practical, in selecting investments we must balance prepayment risk against other risks and the potential returns of each investment. No strategy can completely insulate us from prepayment risk.

We may incur increased borrowing costs related to repurchase agreements and that would adversely affect our profitability.

Currently, all of our borrowings are collateralized borrowings in the form of repurchase agreements. If the interest rates on these repurchase agreements increase, that would adversely affect our profitability.

Our borrowing costs under repurchase agreements generally correspond to short-term interest rates such as LIBOR or a short-term Treasury index, plus or minus a margin. The margins on these borrowings over or under short-term interest rates may vary depending upon:

Interest rate caps on our adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities may reduce our income or cause us to suffer a loss during periods of rising interest rates.

Our adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities are typically subject to periodic and lifetime interest rate caps. Periodic interest rate caps limit the amount an interest rate can increase during any given period. Lifetime interest rate caps limit the amount an interest rate can increase through maturity of a mortgage-backed security. Our borrowings are not subject to similar restrictions. Accordingly, in a period of rapidly increasing interest rates, the interest rates paid on our borrowings could increase without limitation while caps would limit the interest rates on our adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities. This problem is magnified for our adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities that are not fully indexed. Further, some adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities may be subject to periodic payment caps that result in a portion of the interest being deferred and added to the principal outstanding. As a result, we could receive less cash income on adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities than we need to pay interest on our related borrowings. These factors could lower our net interest

31

Table of Contents

income or cause us to suffer a loss during periods of rising interest rates. On December 31, 2002, approximately 86% of our mortgage-backed securities were adjustable-rate securities.

Our leveraging strategy increases the risks of our operations.

We generally borrow between eight and twelve times the amount of our equity, although our borrowings may at times be above or below this amount. We incur this leverage by borrowing against a substantial portion of the market value of our mortgage-backed securities. Use of leverage can enhance our investment returns. Leverage, however, also increases risks. In the following ways, the use of leverage increases our risk of loss and may reduce our net income by increasing the risks associated with other risk factors, including a decline in the market value of our mortgage-backed securities or a default of a mortgage-related asset:

We have not extensively used derivatives to mitigate our interest rate and prepayment risks and this leaves us exposed to certain risks.

Our policies permit us to enter into interest rate swaps, caps and floors and other derivative transactions to help us reduce our interest rate and prepayment risks described above. We have made only limited use of these types of instruments as discussed under “Hedging” above. We have determined that, generally, the costs of these transactions outweigh their benefits. This strategy saves us the additional costs of such hedging transactions, but it leaves us exposed to the types of risks that such hedging transactions would be designed to reduce. If we decide to enter into derivative transactions in the future, these transactions may mitigate our interest rate and prepayment risks but cannot eliminate these risks. Additionally, the use of derivative transactions could have a negative impact on our earnings.

An increase in interest rates may adversely affect our book value.

Increases in interest rates may negatively affect the market value of our mortgage-related assets. Our fixed-rate securities are generally more negatively affected by these increases. In accordance with accounting rules, we reduce our book value by the amount of any decrease in the market value of our mortgage-related assets.

32

Table of Contents

We may invest in leveraged mortgage derivative securities that generally experience greater volatility in market prices, thus exposing us to greater risk with respect to their rate of return.

We may acquire leveraged mortgage derivative securities that may expose us to a high level of interest rate risk. The characteristics of leveraged mortgage derivative securities result in greater volatility in their market prices. Thus, acquisition of leveraged mortgage derivative securities would expose us to the risk of greater price volatility in our portfolio and that could adversely affect our net income and overall profitability.

We depend on borrowings to purchase mortgage-related assets and reach our desired amount of leverage. If we fail to obtain or renew sufficient funding on favorable terms, we will be limited in our ability to acquire mortgage-related assets and our earnings and profitability would decline.

We depend on short-term borrowings to fund acquisitions of mortgage-related assets and reach our desired amount of leverage. Accordingly, our ability to achieve our investment and leverage objectives depends on our ability to borrow money in sufficient amounts and on favorable terms. In addition, we must be able to renew or replace our maturing short-term borrowings on a continuous basis. Moreover, we depend on a few lenders to provide the primary credit facilities for our purchases of mortgage-related assets.

If we cannot renew or replace maturing borrowings, we may have to sell our mortgage-related assets under adverse market conditions and may incur permanent capital losses as a result. Any number of these factors in combination may cause difficulties for us, including a possible liquidation of a major portion of our portfolio at disadvantageous prices with consequent losses, which may render us insolvent.

Possible market developments could cause our lenders to require us to pledge additional assets as collateral. If our assets are insufficient to meet the collateral requirements, then we may be compelled to liquidate particular assets at an inopportune time.

Possible market developments, including a sharp rise in interest rates, a change in prepayment rates or increasing market concern about the value or liquidity of one or more types of mortgage-related assets in which our portfolio is concentrated, may reduce the market value of our portfolio, which may cause our lenders to require additional collateral.

This requirement for additional collateral may compel us to liquidate our assets at a disadvantageous time, thus adversely affecting our operating results and net profitability.

Our use of repurchase agreements to borrow funds may give our lenders greater rights in the event that either we or a lender files for bankruptcy.

Our borrowings under repurchase agreements may qualify for special treatment under the bankruptcy code, giving our lenders the ability to avoid the automatic stay provisions of the bankruptcy code and to take possession of and liquidate our collateral under the repurchase agreements without delay in the event that we file for bankruptcy. Furthermore, the special treatment of repurchase agreements under the bankruptcy code may make it difficult for us to recover our pledged assets in the event that a lender files for bankruptcy. Thus, the use of repurchase agreements exposes our pledged assets to risk in the event of a bankruptcy filing by either a lender or us.

Because assets we acquire may experience periods of illiquidity, we may lose profits or be prevented from earning capital gains if we cannot sell mortgage-related assets at an opportune time.

We bear the risk of being unable to dispose of our mortgage-related assets at advantageous times or in a timely manner because mortgage-related assets generally experience periods of illiquidity. The lack of liquidity may result from the absence of a willing buyer or an established market for these assets, as well as legal or

33

Table of Contents

contractual restrictions on resale. As a result, the illiquidity of mortgage-related assets may cause us to lose profits or the ability to earn capital gains.

We depend on our key personnel and the loss of any of our key personnel could severely and detrimentally affect our operations.

We depend on the diligence, experience and skill of our officers and other employees for the selection, structuring and monitoring of our mortgage-related assets and associated borrowings. Our key officers include Lloyd McAdams, President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Joseph McAdams, Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer and Director, Thad Brown, Chief Financial Officer, Evangelos Karagiannis, Vice President, and Bistra Pashamova, Vice President. The loss of any key person could harm our entire business, financial condition, cash flow and results of operations.

Our officers devote a portion of their time to another company in capacities that could create conflicts of interest that may adversely affect our investment opportunities; this lack of a full-time commitment could also adversely affect our operating results.

Lloyd McAdams, Joseph McAdams, Evangelos Karagiannis and others are involved in investing both our assets and approximately $4 billion in mortgage-backed securities and other fixed income assets for institutional clients and individual investors through Pacific Income Advisers, Inc., or PIA. A trust controlled by Lloyd McAdams and Heather U. Baines is the principal stockholder of PIA. These multiple responsibilities could conceivably create conflicts of interest if these officers are presented with opportunities that may benefit both us and the clients of PIA. These officers allocate investments among our portfolio and the clients of PIA by determining the entity or account for which the investment is most suitable. In making this determination, these officers consider the investment strategy and guidelines of each entity or account with respect to acquisition of assets, leverage, liquidity and other factors that our officers determine appropriate. These officers, however, have no obligation to make any specific investment opportunities available to us and the above mentioned conflicts of interest may result in decisions or allocations of securities that are not in our best interests.

Each of our officers is also an officer and employee of PIA and devotes a portion of their time to PIA. Their service to PIA reduces the time and effort that they can dedicate to managing our company and this may adversely affect our overall management and operating results.

Our incentive compensation plan may create an incentive to increase the risk of our mortgage portfolio in an attempt to increase compensation.

In addition to their base salaries, management and key employees are eligible to earn incentive compensation for each fiscal year pursuant to our incentive compensation plan. Under the plan, the aggregate amount of compensation that may be earned by all employees equals a percentage of taxable net income, before incentive compensation, in excess of the amount that would produce an annualized return on average net worth equal to the ten-year US Treasury Rate plus 1%. In any fiscal quarter in which our taxable net income is an amount less than the amount necessary to earn this threshold return, we calculate negative incentive compensation for that fiscal quarter which will be carried forward and will offset future incentive compensation earned under the plan, but only with respect to those participants who were participants during the fiscal quarter(s) in which negative incentive compensation was generated. Although negative incentive compensation is used to offset future incentive compensation, as our management evaluates different mortgage-backed securities for our investment, there is a risk that management will cause us to assume more risk than is prudent.

34

Table of Contents

Our board of directors may change our operating policies and strategies without prior notice or stockholder approval and such changes could harm our business, results of operation and stock price.

Our board of directors can modify or waive our current operating policies and our strategies without prior notice and without stockholder approval. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating policies and strategies may have on our business, operating results and stock price, however, the effects may be adverse.

Competition may prevent us from acquiring mortgage-related assets at favorable yields and that would negatively impact our profitability.

Our net income largely depends on our ability to acquire mortgage-related assets at favorable spreads over our borrowing costs. In acquiring mortgage-related assets, we compete with other REITs, investment banking firms, savings and loan associations, banks, insurance companies, mutual funds, other lenders and other entities that purchase mortgage-related assets, many of which have greater financial resources than us. As a result, we may not in the future be able to acquire sufficient mortgage-related assets at favorable spreads over our borrowing costs. If that occurs, our profitability will be harmed.

Our investment policy involves risks associated with the credit quality of our investments. If the credit quality of our investments declines or if there are defaults on the investments we make, our profitability may decline and we may suffer losses.

Our mortgage-backed securities have primarily been agency certificates that, although not rated, carry an implied “AAA” rating. Agency certificates are mortgage-backed securities where either Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae guarantees payments of principal or interest on the certificates. Our capital investment policy, however, provides us with the ability to acquire a material amount of lower credit quality mortgage-backed securities. If we acquire mortgage-backed securities of lower credit quality, our profitability may decline and we may incur losses if there are defaults on the mortgages backing those securities or if the rating agencies downgrade the credit quality of those securities or the securities of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Risks Related to REIT Compliance and Other Matters

If we are disqualified as a REIT, we will be subject to tax as a regular corporation and face substantial tax liability.

We believe that since our initial public offering in 1998 we have operated so as to qualify as a REIT under the tax code, and we intend to continue to meet the requirements for taxation as a REIT. Nevertheless, we may not remain qualified as a REIT in the future. Qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex tax code provisions for which only a limited number of judicial or administrative interpretations exist. Even a technical or inadvertent mistake could jeopardize our REIT status. Furthermore, Congress or the IRS might change tax laws or regulations and the courts might issue new rulings, in each case potentially having retroactive effect that could make it more difficult or impossible for us to qualify as a REIT. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any tax year, then:

35

Table of Contents

Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forego otherwise attractive opportunities.

In order to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, our sources of income, the nature and diversification of our mortgage-backed securities, the amounts we distribute to our stockholders and the ownership of our stock. We may also be required to make distributions to stockholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Thus, compliance with REIT requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits.

Complying with REIT requirements may limit our ability to hedge effectively

The REIT provisions of the tax code may substantially limit our ability to hedge mortgage-backed securities and related borrowings by requiring us to limit our income in each year from qualified hedges, together with any other income not generated from qualified REIT real estate assets, to less than 25% of our gross income. In addition, we must limit our aggregate income from hedging and services from all sources, other than from qualified REIT real estate assets or qualified hedges, to less than 5% of our annual gross income. As a result, although we do not currently engage in hedging transactions, we may in the future have to limit our use of advantageous hedging techniques. This could result in greater risks associated with changes in interest rates than we would otherwise want to incur. If we were to violate the 25% or 5% limitations, we may have to pay a penalty tax equal to the amount of income in excess of those limitations, multiplied by a fraction intended to reflect our profitability. If we fail to satisfy the 25% and 5% limitations, unless our failure was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect, we could lose our REIT status for federal income tax purposes.

Complying with REIT requirements may force us to liquidate otherwise attractive investments.

In order to qualify as a REIT, we must also ensure that at the end of each calendar quarter at least 75% of the value of our assets consists of cash, cash items, government securities and qualified REIT real estate assets. The remainder of our investment in securities generally cannot include more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer or more than 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer. In addition, in general, no more than 5% of the value of our assets can consist of the securities of any one issuer. If we fail to comply with these requirements, we must dispose of a portion of our assets within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter in order to avoid losing our REIT status and suffering adverse tax consequences.

Complying with REIT requirements may force us to borrow to make distributions to stockholders.

As a REIT, we must distribute 90% of our annual taxable income (subject to certain adjustments) to our stockholders. From time to time, we may generate taxable income greater than our net income for financial reporting purposes from, among other things, amortization of capitalized purchase premiums, or our taxable income may be greater than our cash flow available for distribution to stockholders. For example, our taxable income would exceed our net income for financial reporting purposes to the extent that compensation paid to our chief executive officer and our other four highest paid officers exceeds $1,000,000 for any such officer for any calendar year under Section 162(m) of the tax code. Since payments under our 2002 Incentive Compensation Plan do not qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m), a portion of the payments made under such plan to certain of such officers would not be deductible for federal income tax purposes under such circumstances. If we do not have other funds available in these situations, we may be unable to distribute substantially all of our taxable income as required by the REIT provisions of the tax code. Thus, we could be required to borrow funds, sell a portion of our mortgage-backed securities at disadvantageous prices or find another alternative source of funds. These alternatives could increase our costs or reduce our equity.

Failure to maintain an exemption from the Investment Company Act would adversely affect our results of operations.

We believe that we conduct our business in a manner that allows us to avoid being regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. If we fail to continue to qualify

36

Table of Contents

for an exemption from registration as an investment company, our ability to use leverage would be substantially reduced and we would be unable to conduct our business as planned. 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.” Under the SEC’s current interpretation, qualification for this exemption generally requires us to maintain at least 55% of our assets directly in qualifying real estate interests. Mortgage-backed securities that do not represent all the certificates issued with respect to an underlying pool of mortgages may be treated as securities separate from the underlying mortgage loans and thus may not qualify for purposes of the 55% requirement. Therefore, our ownership of these mortgage-backed securities is limited by the Investment Company Act. In meeting the 55% requirement under the Investment Company Act, we treat as qualifying interests mortgage-backed securities issued with respect to an underlying pool for which we hold all issued certificates. If the SEC or its staff adopts a contrary interpretation, we could be required to sell a substantial amount of our mortgage-backed securities under potentially adverse market conditions. Further, in order to maintain our exemption from registration as an investment company, we may be precluded from acquiring mortgage-backed securities whose yield is somewhat higher than the yield on mortgage-backed securities that could be purchased in a manner consistent with the exemption.

Additional Risk Factors

We may not be able to use the money we raise to acquire investments at favorable prices.

We intend to seek to raise additional capital from time to time if we determine that it is in the best interests of our stockholders, including through public offerings of our stock. The net proceeds of any offering could represent a significant increase in our equity. Depending on the amount of leverage that we use, the full investment of the net proceeds of any offering might result in a substantial increase in our total assets. There can be no assurance that we will be able to invest all of such additional funds in mortgage-backed securities at favorable prices. We may not be able to acquire enough mortgage-backed securities to become fully invested after an offering, or we may have to pay more for mortgage-backed securities than we have historically. In either case, the return that we earn on stockholders’ equity may be reduced.

We have not established a minimum dividend payment level and there are no assurances of our ability to pay dividends in the future.

We intend to pay quarterly dividends and to make distributions to our stockholders in amounts such that all or substantially all of our taxable income in each year, subject to certain adjustments, is distributed. This, along with other factors, should enable us to qualify for the tax benefits accorded to a REIT under the tax code. We have not established a minimum dividend payment level and our ability to pay dividends may be adversely affected by the risk factors described in this annual report on Form 10-K. All distributions will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, our financial condition, maintenance of our REIT status and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant from time to time. There are no assurances of our ability to pay dividends in the future.

If we raise additional capital, our earnings per share and dividends per share may decline since we may not be able to invest all of the new capital during the quarter in which additional shares are sold and possibly the entire following calendar quarter.

We may incur excess inclusion income that would increase the tax liability of our stockholders.

In general, dividend income that a tax-exempt entity receives from us should not constitute unrelated business taxable income as defined in Section 512 of the tax code. If we realize excess inclusion income and allocate it to stockholders, this income cannot be offset by net operating losses. If the stockholder was a tax-exempt entity, then this income would be fully taxable as unrelated business taxable income under Section 512 of the tax code. If the stockholder was foreign, then it would be subject to federal income tax withholding on this income without reduction pursuant to any otherwise applicable income-tax treaty.

37

Table of Contents

Excess inclusion income could result if we held a residual interest in a REMIC. Excess inclusion income also would be generated if we were to issue debt obligations with two or more maturities and the terms of the payments on these obligations bore a relationship to the payments that we received on our mortgage-backed securities securing those debt obligations. We generally structure our borrowing arrangements in a manner designed to avoid generating significant amounts of excess inclusion income. We do, however, enter into various repurchase agreements that have differing maturity dates and afford the lender the right to sell any pledged mortgage securities if we default on our obligations. The IRS may determine that these borrowings give rise to excess inclusion income that should be allocated among stockholders. Furthermore, some types of tax-exempt entities, including, without limitation, voluntary employee benefit associations and entities that have borrowed funds to acquire their shares of our common stock, may be required to treat a portion of or all of the dividends they may receive from us as unrelated business taxable income. We also invest in equity securities of other REITs. If we were to receive excess inclusion income from another REIT, we may be required to distribute the excess inclusion income to our stockholders, which may result in the recognition of unrelated business taxable income.

Our charter does not permit ownership of over 9.8% of our common or preferred stock and attempts to acquire our common or preferred stock in excess of the 9.8% limit are void without prior approval from our board of directors.

For the purpose of preserving our REIT qualification and for other reasons, our charter prohibits direct or constructive ownership by any person of more than 9.8% of the lesser of the total number or value of the outstanding shares of our common stock or more than 9.8% of the outstanding shares of our preferred stock. Our charter’s constructive ownership rules are complex and may cause the outstanding stock owned by a group of related individuals or entities to be deemed to be constructively owned by one individual or entity. As a result, the acquisition of less than 9.8% of the outstanding stock by an individual or entity could cause that individual or entity to own constructively in excess of 9.8% of the outstanding stock, and thus be subject to our charter’s ownership limit. Any attempt to own or transfer shares of our common or preferred stock in excess of the ownership limit without the consent of the board of directors shall be void, and will result in the shares being transferred by operation of law to a charitable trust. Our board of directors has granted Lloyd McAdams, our President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and his family members an exemption from the 9.8% ownership limitation as set forth in our charter documents. This exemption permits Lloyd McAdams, Heather Baines and Joseph McAdams collectively to hold up to 19% of our outstanding shares.

Because provisions contained in Maryland law, our charter and our bylaws may have an anti-takeover effect, investors may be prevented from receiving a “control premium” for their shares.

Provisions contained in our charter and bylaws, as well as Maryland corporate law, may have anti-takeover effects that delay, defer or prevent a takeover attempt, which may prevent stockholders from receiving a “control premium” for their shares. For example, these provisions may defer or prevent tender offers for our common stock or purchases of large blocks of our common stock, thereby limiting the opportunities for our stockholders to receive a premium for their common stock over then-prevailing market prices. These provisions include the following:

38

Table of Contents

Issuances of large amounts of our stock could cause the price of our stock to decline.

We may issue additional shares of common stock or shares of preferred stock that are convertible into common stock. If we issue a significant number of shares of common stock or convertible preferred stock in a short period of time, there could be a dilution of the existing common stock and a decrease in the market price of the common stock.

Future offerings of debt securities, which would be senior to our common stock upon liquidation, or equity securities, which would dilute our existing stockholders and may be senior to our common stock for the purposes of dividend distributions, may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by making additional offerings of debt or equity securities, including commercial paper, medium-term notes, senior or subordinated notes and classes of preferred stock or common stock. Upon liquidation, holders of our debt securities and shares of preferred stock and lenders with respect to other borrowings will receive a distribution of our available assets prior to the holders of our common stock. Our preferred stock, if issued, may have a preference on dividend payments that could limit our ability to make a dividend distribution to the holders of our common stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, our stockholders bear the risk of our future offerings reducing the market price of our common stock.

39

Table of Contents

We seek to manage the interest rate, market value, liquidity, prepayment and credit risks inherent in all financial institutions in a prudent manner designed to insure our longevity while, at the same time, seeking to provide an opportunity for stockholders to realize attractive total rates of return through ownership of our common stock. While we do not seek to avoid risk completely, we do seek, to the best of our ability, to assume risk that can be quantified from historical experience, to actively manage that risk, to earn sufficient compensation to justify taking those risks and to maintain capital levels consistent with the risks we undertake.

Interest Rate Risk

We primarily invest in adjustable-rate, hybrid and fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities. Hybrid mortgages are adjustable-rate mortgages that have a fixed interest rate for an initial period of time (typically three years or greater) and then convert to a one-year adjustable-rate for the remaining loan term. Our debt obligations are generally repurchase agreements of limited duration that are periodically refinanced at current market rates.

Adjustable-rate mortgage-backed assets are typically subject to periodic and lifetime interest rate caps that limit the amount an adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities’ interest rate can change during any given period. Adjustable-rate mortgage securities are also typically subject to a minimum interest rate payable. Our borrowings are not subject to similar restrictions. Hence, in a period of increasing interest rates, interest rates on our borrowings could increase without limitation, while the interest rates on our mortgage-related assets could be limited. This problem would be magnified to the extent we acquire mortgage-backed securities that are not fully indexed. Further, some adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities may be subject to periodic payment caps that result in some portion of the interest being deferred and added to the principal outstanding. These factors could lower our net interest income or cause a net loss during periods of rising interest rates, which would negatively impact our liquidity, net income and our ability to make distributions to stockholders.

We fund the purchase of a substantial portion of our adjustable-rate mortgage-backed debt securities with borrowings that have interest rates based on indices and repricing terms similar to, but of somewhat shorter maturities than, the interest rate indices and repricing terms of the mortgage assets. Thus, we anticipate that in most cases the interest rate indices and repricing terms of our mortgage assets and our funding sources will not be identical, thereby creating an interest rate mismatch between assets and liabilities. During periods of changing interest rates, such interest rate mismatches could negatively impact our net income, dividend yield and the market price of our common stock.

Most of our adjustable-rate assets are based on the one-year constant maturity treasury rate and our debt obligations are generally based on LIBOR. These indices generally move in parallel, but there can be no assurance that this will continue to occur.

40

Table of Contents

Our adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities and borrowings reset at various different dates for the specific asset or obligation. In general, the repricing of our debt obligations occurs more quickly than on our assets. Therefore, on average, our cost of funds may rise or fall more quickly than does our earnings rate on the assets.

Further, our net income may vary somewhat as the spread between one-month interest rates and six- and twelve-month interest rates varies.

As of December 31, 2002, our mortgage-backed securities and borrowings will prospectively reprice based on the following time frames:

Market Value Risk

Substantially all of our mortgage-backed securities and equity securities are classified as available for sale assets. As such, they are reflected at fair value (i.e., market value) with the adjustment to fair value reflected as part of accumulated other comprehensive income that is included in the equity section of our balance sheet. The market value of our assets can fluctuate due to changes in interest rates and other factors.

Liquidity Risk

Our primary liquidity risk arises from financing long-maturity mortgage-backed securities with short-term debt. The interest rates on our borrowings generally adjust more frequently than the interest rates on our adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities. For example, at December 31, 2002, our adjustable-rate mortgage-backed securities had a weighted average term to next rate adjustment of approximately 16 months, while our borrowings had a weighted average term to next rate adjustment of 166 days. Accordingly, in a period of rising interest rates, our borrowing costs will usually increase faster than our interest earnings from mortgage-backed securities. As a result, we could experience a decrease in net income or a net loss during these periods. Our assets that are pledged to secure short-term borrowings are high-quality, liquid assets. As a result, we have not had difficulty rolling over our short-term debt as it matures. There can be no assurance that we will always be able to roll over our short-term debt. At December 31, 2002, we had $254 million of debt which could be considered long-term debt with a term greater than one-year.

Prepayment Risk

Prepayments are the full or partial repayment of principal prior to the original term to maturity of a mortgage loan and typically occur due to refinancing of mortgage loans. Prepayment rates on mortgage-related securities vary from time to time and may cause changes in the amount of our net interest income. Prepayments of adjustable-rate mortgage loans usually can be expected to increase when mortgage interest rates fall below the

41

Table of Contents

then-current interest rates on such loans and decrease when mortgage interest rates exceed the then-current interest rate on such loans, although such effects are not predictable. Prepayment experience also may be affected by the conditions in the housing and financial markets, general economic conditions and the relative interest rates on fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage loans underlying mortgage-backed securities. The purchase prices of mortgage-backed securities are generally based upon assumptions regarding the expected amounts and rates of prepayments. Where slow prepayment assumptions are made, we may pay a premium for mortgage-backed securities. To the extent such assumptions differ from the actual amounts of prepayments, we could experience reduced earnings or losses. The total prepayment of any mortgage-backed securities purchased at a premium by us would result in the immediate write-off of any remaining capitalized premium amount and a reduction of our net interest income by such amount. Finally, in the event that we are unable to acquire new mortgage-backed securities to replace the prepaid mortgage-backed securities, our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations could be harmed.

We often purchase mortgage-backed securities that have a higher interest rate than the market interest rate at the time. In exchange for this higher interest rate, we must pay a premium over par value to acquire these securities. In accordance with accounting rules, we amortize this premium over the term of the mortgage-backed security. As we receive repayments of mortgage principal, we amortize the premium balances as a reduction to our income. If the mortgage loans underlying a mortgage-backed security are prepaid at a faster rate than we anticipate, we would have to amortize the premium at a faster rate. This would reduce our income. At December 31, 2002, unamortized mortgage premium balances of mortgage-backed securities for financial accounting purposes were $60.8 million, or 2.5% of total assets.

Tabular Presentation

The information presented in the table below projects the impact of sudden changes in interest rates on our 2003 projected net income and net assets as more fully discussed below based on investments in place on December 31, 2002, and includes all of our interest-rate sensitive assets and liabilities. We acquire interest-rate sensitive assets and fund them with interest-rate sensitive liabilities. We generally plan to retain such assets and the associated interest rate risk to maturity.

Many assumptions are made to present the information in the above table, as such, there can be no assurance that assumed events will occur or that other events will not occur that would affect the outcomes; therefore, the above table and all related disclosure constitutes forward-looking statements. The analysis presented utilizes assumptions and estimates based on management’s judgment and experience. Furthermore, future sales, acquisitions and restructuring could materially change our interest rate risk profile.

The table quantifies the potential changes in net income and net asset value should interest rates immediately change (are “shocked”). The results of interest rate shocks of plus and minus 100 and 200 basis points are presented. The cash flows associated with the portfolio of mortgage-backed securities for each rate shock are calculated based on a variety of assumptions, including prepayment speeds, time until coupon reset, yield on future acquisitions, slope of the yield curve and size of the portfolio. Assumptions made on the interest-rate sensitive liabilities, which are repurchase agreements, include anticipated interest rates (no negative rates are utilized), collateral requirements as a percent of the repurchase agreement and amount of borrowing. Assumptions made in calculating the impact on net asset value of interest rate shocks include interest rates, prepayment rates and the yield spread of mortgage-backed securities relative to prevailing interest rates.

42

Table of Contents

Our asset/liability structure is generally such that a decrease in interest rates would be expected to result in an increase to net interest income, as our cost of funds are generally shorter term than our interest earning assets. Nevertheless, given the impact of prepayment assumptions and other assumptions coupled with the low level of interest rates at December 31, 2002, the interest rate shocks presented in the above table would cause net income to decrease under each of the interest rate shock scenarios presented. When interest rates are shocked, prepayment assumptions are adjusted based on management’s best estimate of the effects of changes in interest rates on prepayment speeds. For example, under current market conditions, a 100 basis point decline in interest rates is estimated to result in a 32% increase in the prepayment rate of our mortgage-backed securities portfolio. The base interest rate scenario assumes interest rates at December 31, 2002. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimated in the table.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, issued Financial Accounting Standards, or FAS, No. 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation—Transition and Disclosure”, or FAS 148,. FAS 148, amends FAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation,”, or FAS 123, by providing alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. In addition, FAS 148 amends the disclosure requirements of FAS 123 to require prominent disclosures in both annual and interim financial statements about the method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation and the effect of the method used on reported results. FAS 148 is not expected to have a significant impact on us.

In January 2003, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 46 “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities—an interpretation of ARB No. 51”, or FIN 46, in an effort to improve financial reporting by achieving more consistent application of consolidation policies to variable interest entities, or VIEs. In general, VIEs lack substantial equity or substance as an entity. Their risks and returns generally inure to those other that the holders of the VIE’s equity (who are referred to as “primary beneficiaries”). VIEs are required to be consolidated by their primary beneficiaries. As of December 31, 2002, we did not have any interests in VIEs and does not believe that the provisions of FIN 46 will have a material effect on our financial statements.

The financial statements and related financial information required to be filed hereunder are indexed under Item 14 of this report and are incorporated herein by reference.

None.

43

Table of Contents

PART III

The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference from the information under the captions entitled “Election of Directors-Information Regarding Nominees for Director,” “Executive Officers” and “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” in our definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC no later than April 30, 2003.

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference from the information under the caption entitled “Executive Compensation” in our definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC no later than April 30, 2003.

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference from the information under the caption entitled “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” in our definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC no later than April 30, 2003.

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference from the information under the caption entitled “Certain Transactions and Relationships” in our definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC no later than April 30, 2003.

Within the 90 days prior to the date of this report, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-14. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in timely alerting them to material information relating to us required to be included in our periodic SEC filings.

There were no significant changes in our internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to the date of the evaluation referred to above. There were no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses, and therefore there were no corrective actions taken.

44

Table of Contents

PART IV

(a)  Documents filed as part of this report:

(1)  The following financial statements of the Company are included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K: