SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
_________________
FORM 10-QSB
_________________
|X| QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT
OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2005
or
|_| TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR
15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from __________ to __________.
Commission File Number: 0-28325
TMSF HOLDINGS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
(State of other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
_________________
87-0642252
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
727 West Seventh Street Suite 850 Los Angeles, CA
90017
(Address of principal executive office)
(213) 234-2400
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
_________________
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes |X| No |_|
The number of shares of Common Stock outstanding as of May 16, 2005: 15,000,000
Pa | ge | |||||||
Nu | mber | |||||||
PART I | FINANCIAL INFORMATION | |||||||
Item 1 | Financial Statements | |||||||
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2005 (unaudited) | ||||||||
and December 31, 2004 | 1 | |||||||
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three months | ||||||||
ended March 31, 2005 (unaudited) and 2004 (unaudited) | 2 | |||||||
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended | ||||||||
March 31, 2005 (unaudited) and 2004 (unaudited) | 3 | |||||||
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) | 4 | |||||||
Item 2 | Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition | |||||||
and Results of Operations | 13 | |||||||
Item 3 | Controls and Procedures | 38 | ||||||
PART II | OTHER INFORMATION | |||||||
Item 1 | Legal Proceedings | 38 | ||||||
Item 2 | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds | 38 | ||||||
Item 3 | Defaults Upon Senior Securities | 38 | ||||||
Item 4 | Submission of Matters to a Vote of Securities Holders | 38 | ||||||
Item 5 | Other Information | 39 | ||||||
Item 6 | Exhibits | 39 |
ASSETS | ||
March 31, | December 31, | |
2005 | 2004 | |
(unaudited) | ||
Current assets | ||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ 7,025,640 | $ 8,565,215 |
Mortgage loans held for sale | ||
(net of loss reserves of $127,500 & $43,690 respectively) | 91,062,307 | 121,115,941 |
Mortgage loans to be repurchased | ||
(net of loss reserves of $775,600 & $475,238 respectively) | 6,535,998 | 3,843,045 |
Prepaid expenses | 255,818 | 84,227 |
Warehouse receivables | 4,579,169 | 3,126,439 |
Other receivables and employee advances | 82,257 | 128,855 |
Total current assets | 109,541,189 | 136,863,722 |
Restricted cash | 1,551,087 | 1,356,170 |
Real estate owned (net of loss reserves of $50,000 & $0, respectively) | 654,821 | - |
Property and equipment, (net of accumulated depreciation of | ||
$419,269 & $342,704, respectively) | 939,546 | 667,269 |
Deposits and other assets | 30,390 | 28,574 |
Deferred tax asset | 439,701 | 439,701 |
Total assets | $113,156,734 | $139,355,436 |
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY | ||
Current liabilities | ||
Warehouse lines of credit | $ 84,522,516 | $ 115,554,147 |
Obligation to repurchase mortgage loans | 7,311,598 | 4,318,283 |
Accounts and other payables | 1,648,625 | 4,464,956 |
Accrued expenses | 596,706 | 346,770 |
Accrued income taxes | 1,694,311 | 259,063 |
Total current liabilities | $95,773,756 | $124,943,219 |
Long Term Liabilities | ||
Deferred tax liability | 102,709 | 102,709 |
Total Liabilities | 95,876,465 | 125,045,928 |
Commitments and contingencies | ||
Shareholders' equity | ||
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value | ||
10,000,000 shares authorized | ||
no shares issued and outstanding | - | - |
Common stock, $0.001 par value | ||
100,000,000 shares authorized | ||
15,000,000 shares | ||
issued and outstanding | 15,000 | 15,000 |
Additional paid-in capital | 3,078,682 | 3,078,682 |
Retained earnings | 14,186,587 | 11,215,826 |
Total shareholders' equity | 17,280,269 | 14,309,508 |
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity | $ 113,156,734 | $ 139,355,436 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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For the Three Months Ended March 31, | ||
---|---|---|
2005 | 2004 | |
(unaudited) | (unaudited) | |
Loan income | ||
Income from the sale of mortgage loans | $15,673,881 | $6,196,081 |
Mortgage interest income | 3,420,680 | 1,049,650 |
Escrow service income | - | 74,671 |
Commission fee income | 59,649 | 84,833 |
Total loan income | 19,154,210 | 7,405,235 |
Costs of loan origination and sale of | ||
mortgages | ||
Appraisals | 310,312 | 159,298 |
Commissions | 4,898,396 | 2,063,451 |
Credit reports | 43,462 | 29,186 |
Other costs | 61,166 | 76,369 |
Provision for impairment of EFL, REO, and | ||
loans to be repurchased | 524,822 | 100,000 |
Warehouse fees | 92,379 | 46,620 |
Warehouse interest expense | 2,766,444 | 707,436 |
Total costs of loan origination | ||
and sale of mortgages | 8,696,981 | 3,182,360 |
Gross profit | 10,457,229 | 4,222,875 |
Operating expenses | 5,531,900 | 2,488,101 |
Income from operations | 4,925,329 | 1,734,774 |
Other income | ||
Interest income | 18,659 | 1,673 |
Other income | - | 15,000 |
Income (loss) on disposal of property | ||
& equipment | - | 78,280 |
Total other income | 18,659 | 94,953 |
Income before provision | ||
for income taxes | 4,943,988 | 1,829,727 |
Provision for income taxes | 1,973,226 | 781,600 |
Net income | $2,970,762 | $1,048,127 |
Basic earnings per share | $ 0.20 | $ 0.07 |
Diluted earnings per share | $ 0.19 | $ 0.07 |
Basic weighted-average common shares outstanding | 15,000,000 | 15,000,000 |
Diluted weighted-average | ||
common shares outstanding | 16,057,691 | 15,750,000 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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For the Three Months Ended March 31, | ||
2005 | 2004 | |
(unaudited) | (unaudited) | |
Cash flows from operating activities | ||
Net income | $ 2,970,762 | $ 1,048,126 |
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash | ||
provided by (used in) operating activities | ||
Depreciation and amortization | 76,565 | 30,091 |
Provision for losses from EFL and loans | ||
to be repurchased | 434,172 | 100,000 |
(Increase) decrease in | ||
Mortgage loans held for sale (net) | 29,969,824 | (30,788,876) |
Mortgage loans to be repurchased | (2,993,315) | (856,500) |
Prepaid Expenses | (171,590) | 7,456 |
Other receivables & employee advances | 46,598 | (213,505) |
Warehouse receivables | (1,452,731) | - |
Deposits and other assets | (1,816) | 128,066 |
Increase (decrease) in | ||
Accounts and other payables | (2,816,331) | 29,742 |
Obligation to repurchase mortgage loans | 2,993,315 | 856,500 |
Escrow funds payable | - | (5,776) |
Accrued Expenses | 249,936 | (80) |
Income tax payable | 1,435,247 | (1,089,000) |
Deferred tax liability - current | - | 154,000 |
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | 30,740,636 | (30,599,756) |
Cash flows from investing activities | ||
(Increase) decrease in restricted cash | (194,917) | (270,896) |
Proceeds from sale of real estate owned | (704,821) | 110,554 |
Purchase of property and equipment | (348,842) | (23,108) |
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | (1,248,580) | (183,450) |
Cash flows from financing activities | ||
Warehouse lines of credit | (31,031,631) | 30,582,076 |
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | (31,031,631) | 30,582,076 |
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | (1,539,575) | (201,130) |
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period | 8,565,215 | 2,843,172 |
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period | $ 7,025,640 | $ 2,642,042 |
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information | ||
Interest paid | $ 11,301 | $ 531,402 |
Income taxes paid | $510,000 | $1,716,600 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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NOTE 1 ORGANIZATION AND LINE OF BUSINESS
General
The Mortgage Store Financial, Inc. was incorporated on August 25, 1992. The Company (as defined in Note 2) is licensed by the California Department of Corporations and respective agencies in 31 other states. It is principally engaged in the origination and purchase of residential mortgage loans. Generally, such loans are subsequently sold to financial institutions or to other entities that sell such loans to investors as a part of secured investment packages. The Company has obtained approval from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to act as a supervised mortgagee. |
In August 2003, the Company formed a new subsidiary, CPV Limited, Inc. The sole purpose of this subsidiary is to hold real estate properties repossessed by the Company. |
Share Exchange, Redemption of Stock, and Consulting Agreement
On November 4, 2002, the Company and its sole shareholder entered into a share exchange agreement with Little Creek, Inc. (Little Creek), a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ Bulletin Board, in which the sole shareholder received 9,500,000 shares, or approximately 97% of the stock of Little Creek, in exchange for 100% of the stock of the Company. Under the terms of the exchange agreement, 1,295,118 shares of Little Creek were canceled prior to the transaction, and 336,365 shares remained issued and outstanding. Subsequently, Little Creeks name was changed to TMSF Holdings, Inc., and its incorporated domicile was changed from the state of Utah to the state of Delaware. The transaction was accounted as a reverse acquisition. The accompanying financial statements reflect the consolidated statements of TMSF Holdings, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, The Mortgage Store Financial, Inc. Pro forma information of the combined businesses is not furnished as Little Creek had insignificant assets, liabilities, and operations. |
In addition, on the closing, TMSF Holdings, Inc. entered into a one-year consulting agreement under which it was required to pay the consultant $265,000 and issued a five-year warrant to purchase 163,635 shares of common stock of TMSF Holdings, Inc. at a per share exercise price of $0.05. The fair value of the warrants was insignificant. All warrants were exercised in February 2003. The consulting fee was amortized over one year. |
NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements of TMSF Holdings, Inc. (the Company) are unaudited, other than the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2004, and reflect all material adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, which management considers necessary for a fair statement of the Companys financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the interim periods. The results of operations for the current interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire fiscal year. |
These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Certain information and footnotes normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to these rules and regulations. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Companys Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC for the year ended December 31, 2004. |
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NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of TMSF Holdings, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, The Mortgage Store Financial, Inc. and CPV Limited, Inc. (collectively, the Company). All significant inter-company accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. |
Revenue Recognition
Loan origination fees and other lender fees earned on loans that are funded by the Company are recorded as income when the related loan is sold. Origination fees for loans which are brokered to other lenders are recognized at the time such fees are received. The Company recognizes mortgage interest income on all loans from the date they are funded to the date they are sold or to the end of reporting period for loans which are held for sale. |
Mortgage Loans Held for Sale
Mortgage loans held for sale are recorded at the aggregate lower of cost or market, less an estimated allowance for losses on repurchased loans. All mortgage loans are collateralized by residential property. |
Revenues associated with closing fees received by the Company and costs associated with obtaining mortgage loans are deferred and recognized upon sale of the related mortgage loans. Mortgage loans held for sale are reported net of such deferred revenues and costs in the accompanying balance sheet. |
Real Estate Owned
Real estate owned by the Company is recorded at the repurchase price less fees and commissions paid to the broker on the purchase. Real estate owned is recorded at the aggregate lower of cost or market. |
Advertising Costs
The Company expenses advertising costs as incurred. Advertising costs for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004 were $1,289 and $32,512 , respectively. |
Earnings Per Share
The Company follows Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 128, Earnings per Share (SFAS 128), and related interpretations for reporting Earnings per Share. SFAS 128 requires dual presentation of Basic Earnings per Share (Basic EPS) and Diluted Earnings per Share (Diluted EPS). Basic EPS excludes dilution and is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the reported period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if stock options were exercised using the treasury stock method. |
In accordance with SFAS 128, basic earnings per share is calculated based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the reporting period. Diluted earnings per share is calculated giving effect to all potentially dilutive common shares, assuming such shares were outstanding during the reporting period. |
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NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)
As of the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004 the Company had potential common stock as follows:
2005 (unaudited) |
2004 (unaudited) | |
---|---|---|
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding used in computation of basic EPS |
15,000,000 | 15,000,000 |
Dilutive effect of outstanding stock options | 1,057,691 | 750,000 |
Weighted average number of common and potential shares outstanding used in computation of diluted EPS |
16,057,691 | 15,750,000 |
Stock-Based Compensation
SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, as amended by SFAS No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation-Transition and Disclosure, defines a fair value based method of accounting for stock-based compensation. However, SFAS No. 123 allows an entity to continue to measure compensation cost related to stock and stock options issued to employees using the intrinsic method of accounting prescribed by Accounting Principles Board (APB) Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees. Entities electing to remain with the accounting method of APB Opinion No. 25 must make pro forma disclosures of net income and earnings per share as if the fair value method of accounting defined in SFAS No. 123 had been applied. The Company has elected to account for its stock-based compensation to employees under APB Opinion No. 25 using the intrinsic value method. |
If the Company had elected to recognize compensation expense based upon the fair value at the grant date for awards under its plan consistent with the methodology prescribed by SFAS No. 123, the Companys net income and earning per share would be reduced to the pro forma amounts indicated below for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004: |
2005 (unaudited) |
2004 (unaudited) | |
Net income as reported | $2,970,762 | $1,048,126 |
Add stock based employee compensation | ||
expense included in net income, net of tax | 0 | 0 |
Deduct total stock based employee | ||
compensation expense detemined under | ||
fair value method for all awards, net of tax | ($4,275) | ($4,275) |
Pro forma | $2,966,487 | $1,043,851 |
Earnings per common share | ||
Basic - as reported | $ 0.20 | $ 0.07 |
Basic - pro forma | $ 0.20 | $ 0.07 |
Diluted - as reported | $ 0.19 | $ 0.07 |
Diluted - pro forma | $ 0.19 | $ 0.07 |
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NOTE 2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)
Reclassifications
Certain amounts included in the prior period financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. Such reclassifications did not have any effect on reported net income. |
Concentration of Credit Risk
At March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004, the Company maintained cash balances with banks totaling $10,842,941 and $ 11,141,680 respectively, in excess of federally insured amounts of $100,000 per bank. |
Major Customers
During the three months ended March 31, 2005 the Company sold 75%, 11%, 8% of its mortgage loans to three institutional investors . |
Market Risk
The Company is involved in the real estate loans market. Changes in interest rates or other market conditions within the real estate loans market may have a significant effect on the volume and profitability of the business of the Company. |
Impact of Recently Issued Accounting Statements
In March 2005, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation (FIN) No. 47, Accounting for Conditional Asset Retirement Obligations. FIN No. 47 clarifies that the term conditional asset retirement obligation as used in FASB Statement No. 143, Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations, refers to a legal obligation to perform an asset retirement activity in which the timing and (or) method of settlement are conditional on a future event that may or may not be within the control of the entity. The obligation to perform the asset retirement activity is unconditional even though uncertainty exists about the timing and (or) method of settlement. Uncertainty about the timing and/or method of settlement of a conditional asset retirement obligation should be factored into the measurement of the liability when sufficient information exists. This interpretation also clarifies when an entity would have sufficient information to reasonably estimate the fair value of an asset retirement obligation. FIN No. 47 is effective no later than the end of fiscal years ending after December 15, 2005 (December 31, 2005 for calendar-year companies). Retrospective application of interim financial information is permitted but is not required. Management does not expect adoption of FIN No. 47 to have a material impact on the Companys financial statements. |
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NOTE 3 RESTRICTED CASH
The Company maintains restricted cash deposits in financial institutions. These restrictions relate to the warehouse lines of credit, whereby the Company must maintain a reserve for funding in excess of warehouses advance limit. The Company does not have direct access to these funds. Such cash balances at March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004 aggregated $ 1,551,087 and $ 1,356,170, respectively. |
NOTE 4 PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT
Property and equipment as of March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004 consisted of the following:
March 31, 2005 (unaudited) |
December 31, 2004 | |
Furniture and fixtures | $ 171,300 | $ 130,323 |
Office equipment | 336,805 | 154,674 |
Computer equipment | 794,234 | 668,500 |
Leasehold improvements | 56,476 | 56,476 |
1,358,815 | 1,009,973 | |
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization | 419,269 | 342,704 |
Total | $939,546 | $667,269 |
Depreciation and amortization expense was $ 76,565 and $ 30,091 for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively. |
NOTE 5 WAREHOUSE LINES OF CREDIT
The Company maintains a warehouse line of credit with a financial institution, which is subject to renewal on an annual basis. Advances are received by the Company up to a maximum of $80,000,000 based upon a specified percentage of mortgage loans, which are pledged as collateral, and interest accrues at 1 month LIBOR (2.87% at March 31, 2005), plus 2.4% per annum. This facility expires on December 31, 2005 and is renewed automatically |
Advances are due upon the earlier of the sale of the mortgage loans that are pledged as collateral or a specified period of time from the date on which the advance was received. The warehouse line of credit is guaranteed by the shareholder and contains a financial covenant concerning a minimum net worth of $8,744,904. At March 31, 2005, Management believes the Company was in compliance with such covenant. |
In addition, the Company must maintain a balance in a separate restricted cash account as a pledge for amounts funded by the warehouse lender in excess of a specified percentage of the loan amount agreed upon by the warehouse lenders. At March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004, the pledged amounts aggregated to $ 1,070,570 and $ 877,388, respectively. |
In February 2004, the Company secured a second warehouse line of credit with a financial institution. The credit facility is structured as a repurchase agreement where the financial institution may, at its sole discretion, purchase mortgage loans from the Company. The maximum purchase amount on this credit line is $30,000,000 and interest accrues at LIBOR plus a pricing spread between 2.25% and 2.75% per annum, which is dependent on the specific investor type and the mortgage loan category. This facility has a one year term and is renewable with the consent of both parties. |
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NOTE 5 - WAREHOUSE LINES OF CREDIT (Continued)
In addition, the Company must maintain a balance in a separate restricted cash account as a pledge for amounts funded by the warehouse lender. The Company shall ensure that at all times the balance in the cash account is no less than greater of (a) $175,000 and (b) the aggregate of all cash account allocated amounts for all purchased mortgage loans. At March 31, 2005, the pledged amounts aggregated to $ 479,803 . |
In March 2004, the Company secured a third warehouse line of credit with a financial institution. The maximum purchase amount on this credit line is $10,000,000. The unpaid amount of each advance outstanding bears interest from the date of such advance until paid in full at a rate of interest equal to the lesser of the maximum rate allowed by law and a floating rate of interest equal to 1 month LIBOR plus a margin between 2.25% and 3.25% per annum, dependent on the type of loan funded. The warehouse line of credit contains financial and non-financial covenants of which management believes the Company was in compliance with as of March 31, 2005. |
In July 2004 The Company entered into an Early Purchase Agreement with the same financial institution where certain qualifying loans are acquired by the institution immediately upon origination. Under terms of this purchase agreement the Company retains the right to service the notes. As a condition of acquisition of loans by the financial institution, the Company assigns to the financial institution any commitment by a Takeout investor who would purchase the notes with servicing rights released at later dates. The price that loans under this agreement are acquired by the financial institution will be 98% of a Takeout Investors price, but not to exceed the original note amount. Loan originations under provisions of this facility are recognized as sales of loan and are not reflected on the Companys balance sheet. Upon receipt of funds from a Takeout investor the financial institution shall release its interest in the loan and transfer excess funds pertaining to the servicing right to the Company. Loans for which a commitment from Takeout investor is not obtained within 90 days by the Company are placed in the regular warehouse credit facility. |
As of the year ended December 31, 2004, this Early Purchase facility had a maximum purchase concentration of $100 million at any time. However, during March 2005, this Early Purchase Facility was increased to a maximum purchase concentration of $150 million at any time. Upon purchase of loans by a Takeout investor the unused facility up to maximum concentration may be re-used by the Company to originate new loans. This Early Purchase agreement meets all criteria listed under FAS140 for the purpose of defining transfer of financial assets. As of March 31, 2005, $135,655,023 of the concentration limit was utilized. The management believes that for loans originated through this facility, the value of servicing right for the short period prior to their sale to Takeout investors were not material to the financial statements as of March 31, 2005 and no corresponding asset has been recorded. In addition, this Early Purchase Facility has certain financial and nonfinancial covenants, of which the Company must maintain a minimum tangible net-worth of $12 million. At March 31, 2005, Management believes the Company was in compliance with such covenants. |
The aggregate outstanding balance of the warehouse lines of credit as of March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004 was $84,522,516 and $ 115,554,147 , respectively. |
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NOTE 6 COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Mortgage Loan Purchase Agreements
The Company maintains mortgage loan purchase agreements with various mortgage bankers. The Company is obligated to perform certain procedures in accordance with these agreements. The agreements provide for conditions, whereby the Company may be required to repurchase mortgage loans for various reasons, among which are either: (a) a mortgage loan is originated in violation of the mortgage bankers requirements, (b) the Company breaches any term of the agreements, and (c) an early payment default occurs from a mortgage originated by the Company. |
During the three months ended March 31, 2005, the Company repurchased two loans that were collateralized by two properties with an aggregate balance of $ 704,821. This amount was recorded as real estate owned at March 31, 2005. The Company also recorded a reserve of $50,000 on one of these properties for the estimated impairment of the market value of the property as of March 31, 2005. |
As of March 31, 2005, the Company was obligated to repurchase loans with an aggregate balance of $7,311,598. The Company recorded a reserve of $775,600 on the loans to be repurchased for the estimated impairment in market value. |
LA Business Tax
The Company was informed in January 2004 that the City of Los Angeles had assessed an additional $136,550 in business tax for the years 2001 through 2003. The Company is contesting this assessment on the grounds that the City of Los Angeles assessment is 1) based on the Companys entire revenue including fees collected by the Company on behalf of third parties, such as commissions and escrow impounds; and 2) based on the Companys nationwide revenue and not only revenue generated from transactions that occurred from transactions within the City of Los Angeles. |
The Company has retained legal counsel as consultants and an administrative hearing was held on May 11, 2004. Subsequently in August 2004 the Company provided additional information to examiners with regards to items in dispute. At this time management is unable to determine the outcome of the administrative review and no provision has been made in the consolidated balance sheet. In addition, the Company anticipates to appeal any unfavorable outcome, should one be concluded by the City's initial review. |
NOTE 7 INCOME TAXES
The following table presents the current tax provision for federal and state income taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004, the effective tax rate is 39.91%: |
2005 | 2004 | |
(unaudited) | (unaudited) | |
Current | ||
Federal | $ 1,535,330 | $ 482,000 |
State | 437,896 | 145,601 |
1,973,226 | 627,601 | |
Deferred | ||
Federal | - | 125,000 |
State | - | 29,000 |
- | 154,000 | |
Total provision for income taxes | $ 1,973,226 | $ 781,601 |
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NOTE 7 INCOME TAXES (Continued)
Income tax expense differs from the amounts computed by applying the United States federal income tax rate of 34% to income taxes as a result of the following for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004: |
2005 (unaudited) |
2004 (unaudited) | |
---|---|---|
Federal tax on pretax income at statutory rates | $ 1,680,956 | $ 664,000 |
State tax, net of federal benefit | 289,011 | 115,601 |
Other | 3,259 | 2,000 |
Total | $ 1,973,226 | $ 781,601 |
NOTE 8 STOCK OPTIONS
In June 2003, the Company approved the issuance of stock options to a director. The agreement grants the director options to purchase 750,000 shares of Company common stock at an exercise price of $1 per share. The options vest in 24 equal monthly installments, commencing in December 2003, and expire in 5 years from the date of grant. The fair value of the options was estimated at $60,000 using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, and the following assumptions: a risk-free interest rate of 2.12%, expected volatility of 50%, and a dividend yield of 0%. The expense, net of tax effects of 43%, for the three months ended March 31, 2005 was $4,275. |
On April 15, 2005, the Board of Directors of the Company resolved to grant to certain employees of The Mortgage Store Financial, Inc., a total of 345,500 options to purchase the Companys stock at an exercise price range of $2.00 - $2.35 per share that vest over a period of five years, and expire in 2015 .The options are granted pursuant to the Company's 2003 Employee Stock Option Plan. |
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NOTE 9 RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Consulting Expenses
During the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004, the Company paid $194,500 and $55,000 respectively, for consulting expenses to companies owned by shareholders. The Company also paid $90,000 and $54,500 respectively, for consulting expenses to a relative of a shareholder during the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004. Furthermore, during the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004, the Company paid consulting expenses of $10,058 and $10,000 respectively, to a director. |
Rent and Lease Expenses
The Company leases its office facilities from a shareholder, which lease expires in November 2005. Rent paid to the shareholder for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004 amounted to $212,551 and $76,647 respectively . In addition, the Company pays for certain vehicle operating expenses on behalf of certain officers. Lease payments made for these officers for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004 were $46,835 and $15,922, respectively. |
Commercial Loan
In the regular course of business, the Company sometimes provides mortgage loan financing to its officers and related parties at prevailing market terms. For the current reporting period, a commercial loan for a real estate purchase was provided by the Company to a 5% shareholder, in the amount of $500,000, this loan was secured by real property and a personal guarantee. This note was subsequently sold to an investor. |
NOTE 10 SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
In April 2005, the Company renegotiated its second warehouse line of credit with a financial institution. The credit facility is structured as a repurchase agreement whereby the financial institution may, at its sole discretion, purchase mortgage loans from the Company. The maximum purchase amount on this credit line was increased from $30 million to $75,000,000 and interest accrues at LIBOR plus a pricing spread between 1.5% and 2.25% per annum, which is dependent on the specific investor type and the mortgage loan category. This facility has a one year term and is renewable with the consent of both parties. |
In May 2005 through mutual agreement, the Companys Early Purchase warehousing facility was expanded from $150 million to a maximum concentration amount of $250,000,000. The term of this and the fixed credit facility of $10,000,000 with the same financial institution was extended to May 1, 2006. |
In April 2005, the Company provided a loan for the purchase of a multi-unit residential property to its primary shareholder. Upon review by the Companys counsel, it was advised that this loan may potentially constitute a control deficiency as defined by Auditing Standard No. 2 under SOX, and administered by the Public Accounting Oversight Board. As such, the loan was immediately repaid, and funds were returned to the company two days after initial funding of the loan. |
On April 15, 2005, the Board of Directors of the Company resolved to grant to certain employees of The Mortgage Store Financial, Inc., a total of 345,500 options to purchase the Companys stock at an exercise price range of $2.00 - $2.35 per share that vest over a period of five years and expire in 2015 .The options are granted pursuant to the Companys 2003 Employee Stock Option Plan. |
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ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
The following discussion should be
read in conjunction with our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto
appearing elsewhere in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
This quarterly report may contain
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995, including statements with regard to descriptions of our plans or objectives
for future operations, products or services, and forecasts of our revenues, earnings or
other measures of economic performance. Forward-looking statements can be identified by
the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often
include the words believe, expect, anticipate,
intend, plan, estimate, or words of similar meaning,
or future or conditional verbs such as will, would,
should, could, or may.
Forward-looking statements, by
their nature, are subject to risks and uncertainties. A number of factors many of
which are beyond our control could cause actual conditions, events or results to
differ significantly from those described in the forward-looking statements and reported
results should not be considered an indication of our future performance. Some of these
risk factors, include, among others certain credit, market, operational, liquidity and
interest rate risks associated with our business and operations, changes in business and
economic conditions, accounting estimates and judgments and legislation including the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. These risk factors are not exhaustive, and additional factors
that could have an adverse effect on our business and financial performance are set forth
under Risk Factors and elsewhere in this quarterly report.
Forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date they are made. We do not undertake to update
forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date
forward-looking statements are made.
General
We are a financial holding company
that through our wholly owned subsidiary, The Mortgage Store Financial, Inc. is engaged in
nationwide mortgage banking to originate, finance, and sell conforming and non-conforming
mortgage loans secured by single-family residences.
We originate our loans primarily
through independent mortgage brokers across the United States and, to a lesser extent,
through our direct sales force in our retail offices. We primarily sell our loans in whole
loan transactions and currently do not retain any interest in the servicing of the loans.
Revenue Model
Our operations generate revenues in three ways:
Financial Highlights
Our operations consist primarily of
originating loans that we pool and sell in the secondary markets. We analyze and group our
loans together to maximize our profit from the sale of each class of mortgages. To date
all of our loan sales are structured as whole loan sales where we dispose of our entire
interest in the loans and produce immediate cash revenues. However, in the future we may
determine that other strategies such as securitization or retaining servicing rights may
be more profitable and we may begin to engage in those activities.
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Net Income. For the three months ended March 31, 2005 we had operating income of $4,925,329 and income before provision for income tax of $4,943,988. The net income available to common shareholders after provision for income tax was $2,970,762 or $0.20 per share and $0.19 per share diluted.
Loan originations. For the three months ended March 31, 2005 we funded $348.6 million of mortgage loans compared to $145.5 million for 2004. Purchase money mortgages accounted for 69.6% of our originations during the three months ended March 31, 2005 compared to 55.9% for the same period in 2004. Our wholesale channel, which originates loans through independent mortgage brokers, originated $308.9 million in loans during the quarter-ended March 31, 2005 and $113.6 million for the comparable period in 2004.
We continued to expand our geographical reach and increased our originations throughout the country. During the three months ended March 31, 2005 we had loan originations in 32 states with California accounting for 62.6% of our total origination volume, compared to 91.4% in 2004. During the three months ended March 31, 2004 originations from 31 states outside of California accounted for 37.4% of total funding.
Whole loan sales cash income from sale. For the three months ended March 31, 2005, we sold $339.4 million of loans (excluding loans funded under our Early Purchase facility) compared to $113.8 million during comparable period in 2004. Our revenue from sales of loans was $15.7 million during three months ended March 31, 2005 compared to $6.2 million for the same period in 2004. In spite of rising interest rates and flattening yield curve we continued to benefit from the higher premiums which we received from sales of Alt-A type mortgage loans during the three months ended March 31, 2005. The weighted average premium collected from sales of loans in this period was 3.22% compared to 3.50% in 2004. During the three months ended March 31, 2005 the rebate or yield spread premium paid to the loan originators was 0.75% compared to 0.63% for the same period in 2004.
As of March 31, 2005, we had loan origination financing facilities with three financial institutions for a total funding capacity of $270 million. This included an Early Purchase facility with a maximum concentration amount of $150 million. This facility was subsequently increased to $250 million in May 2005. The cost of borrowing on these lines are a variable rate equal to 1 month LIBOR plus a margin between 1.50% and 3.25%. The cost of borrowing on loans that are aged over 90 days would increase to 4.00%.
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Accounting for Our Loan Sales
When we sell our mortgage loans in
whole loan sale transactions, we dispose of our entire interest in the loans. We recognize
revenue at the time of the sale of loans. The revenue consists of pricing premiums from
sales less cost of financing origination of loans. The lender and retail origination fees
are also recognized at the time we sell the loans. Lender fees and origination fees that
are payable to third party brokers and which are paid by borrowers on mortgage loans held
for sale are deferred as a balance sheet item and are recaptured as revenue in the
statements of operations when the related loans are sold.
In July 2004, we entered into an early purchase agreement with one of our warehouse lenders where certain qualifying loans are
purchased by the same institution immediately upon funding, with the Company retaining the right to service and resell the
loans to a take-out investor for a period of 90 days. Loan originations under provisions of this facility are recognized as
sales of loans and are not reflected on our balance sheet. For loans that we originate through this facility, we recognize
the origination fee and other lender fees at the time of funding and all corresponding commissions and fees are recognized
immediately.
We separately record mortgage
interest income on loans we hold from the date of origination to the date of sale.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of our financial statements requires
us to make estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported
amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported
amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Although we base our
estimates and assumptions on historical experience and on various other factors that we
believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, our management exercises significant
judgment in the final determination of our estimates. Actual results may differ from these
estimates.
Pursuant to our critical accounting policies the following reflect significant judgments by management:
Accounting for income
taxes.
As part of the process of preparing
our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our income taxes in
each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves us estimating our
actual current tax exposure together with assessing temporary differences resulting from
differing treatment of items, such as deferred revenue, for tax and accounting purposes.
These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included within
our consolidated balance sheet. We must then assess the likelihood that our deferred tax
assets will be recovered from future taxable income and to the extent we believe that
recovery is not likely, we must establish a valuation allowance. To the extent we
establish a valuation allowance or increase this allowance in a period, we must include an
expense within the tax provision in the statement of operations.
Significant management
judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax
assets and liabilities and any valuation allowance recorded against our net deferred tax
assets. The net deferred tax liability and asset as of March 31, 2004 was $102,709
and $439,701, respectively.
Income from Sales of
Loans
To date our income from sales of
mortgage loans has consisted primarily of cash gain that resulted from whole loan sales.
To date, we have sold all of our loans on a servicing released basis. Currently, we do not
retain servicing rights. However, in the future we may decide to retain the right to
service any of the loans that we have sold, in which case we may also record non-cash
sales related to the value of those servicing rights.
Gain on Sale
Gains or losses resulting from our
loan sales are recorded at the time of sale. At the closing of a sale we remove the
mortgage loans held for sale and related warehouse debt from our books and record the net
gain or loss to our income statement.
Accordingly, our financial results are significantly
impacted by the timing of our loan sales. If we hold a significant pool of loans at the
end of a reporting period, those loans will remain on our balance sheet, along with the
related debt used to fund the loans. The revenue that we generate from those loans will
not be recorded until the subsequent reporting period when we sell the loans.
A number of
factors influence the timing of our loan sales and our targeted disposition strategy,
including the current market demand for our loans, liquidity needs, and our strategic
objectives. We have, from time to time, delayed the sale of loans to a later period, and
may do so again in the future.
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Under term of an Early Purchase agreement with a financial institution, we sell certain qualifying loans to the financial institution immediately upon origination. We retain the right to service the loans, which will be sold to a Takeout investor within 90 days . We recognize revenue from this transaction to the extent of difference between the price at which loans are acquired by the institution and the funding amount. We recognize additional revenue (loss) equal to the difference between Take-out investors price and the acquisition price by the institution at the time that the institution releases its interest to the Take-out investor . Although this transaction is treated as a sale and loans are not held on our balance sheet, we may face losses due to changes in the value of servicing rights for such notes.
Provisions for Losses
We may make market valuation
adjustments on certain non-performing loans, other loans we hold for sale and real estate
owned. These adjustments are based upon our estimate of expected losses and are based upon
the value that we could reasonably expect to obtain from a sale. An allowance for losses on loans held for sale, loans sold which we are obligated to repurchase, and real estate owned is recorded in
an amount sufficient to maintain adequate coverage for probable losses on such loans. As of March 31, 2005, the reserve for losses on
loans held for sale, loans sold which we are obligated to repurchase, and real estate owned was $127,500, $775,600, and $50,000,
respectively. Our estimate of expected losses
could increase or decrease if our actual loss experience or repurchase activity is
different than originally estimated, or if economic factors change the value we could
reasonably expect to obtain from a sale. In particular, if actual losses increase or if
values reasonably expected to be obtained from a sale decrease, the provision for losses
would increase. Any increase in the provision for losses could adversely affect our
results of operations.
Interest Rate Risk,
Derivatives and Hedging
We face two primary types of interest
rate risk: during the period from approval of a loan application through loan funding, and
on our loans held for sale from the time of funding to the date of sale. Interest rate
risk exists during the period from approval of a loan application through loan funding and
from the time of funding to the date of sale because the premium earned on the sale of
these loans is partially contingent upon the then-current market rate of interest for
loans as compared to the contractual interest rate of the loans. In the past we have
attempted to minimize such risk through forward commitments and other such strategies.
As
part of our interest rate management process, we may use derivative financial instruments
such as options and futures. The use of derivatives is intended to mitigate volatility of
earnings associated with fluctuations in the gain on sale of loans due to changes in the
current market rate of interest. We do not intend to use derivatives to speculate on
interest rates. For derivative financial instruments designated as hedge instruments, we
will evaluate the effectiveness of these hedges against the mortgage loans being hedged to
ensure that there remains a highly effective correlation in the hedge relationship. To
hedge the adverse effect of interest rate changes on the fair value of mortgage loans held
for sale we will use derivatives as fair value hedges under SFAS No. 133. Once the hedge
relationship is established, the realized and unrealized changes in fair value of both the
hedge instrument and mortgage loans will be recognized in the period in which the changes
occur. The net amount recorded in our consolidated statements of operations will be
referred to as hedge ineffectiveness. Any change in the fair value of mortgage loans
recognized as a result of hedge accounting will be reversed at the time we sell the
mortgage loans. This will result in a correspondingly higher or lower gain on sale revenue
at such time. For derivative financial instruments not designated as hedge instruments,
realized and unrealized changes in fair value will be recognized in the period in which
the changes occur or when such instruments are settled.
Since the composition of our loan originations has shifted from fixed term loans to short term adjustable
rate mortgages which are less sensitive to interest rate risk, a hedging position with
securities that match the characteristics of short term ARMs was determined to be less
cost effective.
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Results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2005 compared to the same period in 2004
The following table sets forth our results of operations for the three months ended March 31, for the years indicated
2005 | 2004 | |
(unaudited) | (unaudited) | |
Revenue | ||
Income from sales of loans | $15,673,881 | $6,196,081 |
Mortgage interest income | 3,420,680 | 1,049,650 |
Commission fee income | 59,649 | 84,833 |
Escrow service income | - | 74,671 |
Total revenue | 19,154,210 | 7,405,235 |
Cost of sales | ||
Commission expense | 4,898,396 | 2,063,451 |
Warehouse interest expense | 2,766,444 | 707,436 |
Other closing expenses | 507,319 | 311,473 |
Reserve for loans to be repurchased | 524,822 | 100,000 |
Total cost of sales | 8,696,981 | 3,182,360 |
Gross profit | 10,457,229 | 4,222,875 |
Operating expenses | ||
Salaries and wages | 3,529,421 | 1,425,335 |
Occupancy | 244,910 | 81,286 |
General and administrative | 1,757,568 | 981,480 |
Total expenses | 5,531,900 | 2,488,101 |
Income from operations | 4,925,329 | 1,734,774 |
Other income | ||
Other income | 18,659 | 16,673 |
Income from REO | - | 78,280 |
Total other income | 18,659 | 94,953 |
Income before tax | 4,943,988 | 1,829,727 |
Provision for income tax | 1,973,226 | 781,600 |
Net income | $2,970,762 | $1,048,127 |
Loan income
Total revenue. Total revenue increased 158.7% to $19.2 million
for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $7.4 million for the three months ended
March 31, 2004. This increase was due to increases in income from sales of loans to
$15.7 million and mortgage interest income of $3.4 million for the three
months ended March 31, 2005 compared to $6.2 million and $1.0 million,
respectively, for the same period in 2004.
Income from sales of mortgage loans. Income from sales of loans for the three months ended March 31, 2005 increased 153.0% to $15.7 million from $6.2 million for the same period in 2004 due to higher volume of whole loan sales. Total whole loan sales increased 198.2% to $339.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 compared to $113.8 million for the same period in 2004. This increase was due to increased loan originations during the three months ended March 31, 2005 compared to the same period in 2004. However, the weighted average premium for whole loan sales for the three months ended March 31, 2005 was 3.22% compared to 3.50% for comparable period in 2004.
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The slightly lower weighted average premium we received from sales of loans in the three months ended March 31, 2005 reflects the rise of short term interest rates and the narrowing of the spread between short and long term rates.
Interest income on loans held for sale. Mortgage interest income increased 225.9% to $3.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $1.0 million for the comparable period in 2004. The increase in interest income was due to an increase in the volume of loans originated in 2005 compared to 2004 as well as higher coupon rates.
Commission fee income. To a lesser extent, we earn commission fees on loans that we broker out to other lenders. The mortgage origination fees earned by us for retail loans are recognized at the time of sale of those mortgage loans and are included in the income from sale of loans. Commission fee income for three months ended March 31, 2005 was $60,000 compared to 85,000 in 2004.
Escrow fee income. We discontinued our escrow division in 2004. Income from escrow and other fees for the three months ended March 31, 2004 was $75,000. There was no comparable income for the same period in 2005
Cost of loan origination and sale of mortgage
Commission Expense. Commission expense for mortgage loans sold during three months ended March 31, 2005 increased 137.4% to $4.9 million from $2.1 million in the three months ended March 31, 2004. This increase was due to an increased volume of loan originations. Commission expense, which is primarily a pricing rebate paid by the company and origination fee deducted from borrowers fund at origination, are recognized at the time of sale to correspond with the recognition of income for the same loan. The commissions paid for loans which are held for sale are included in the value of loans held for sale on our balance sheet. As of March 31, 2005, we paid $1.1 million in commissions for loans held for sale.
Warehouse interest expense. Warehouse interest expense represents the interest incurred on all financing associated with use of our warehouse credit facilities during the time our loans are on the line prior to their sale. Interest expense increased 291.1% to $2.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $707,400 for the same period in 2004. The increase in interest expense was due to the increase in our volume of borrowing and higher interest rates. Our daily average warehouse borrowing increased 146.0% from $48.0 million in 2004 to $118.1 million in 2005. The weighted average number of days we held loans before sale was 61 and 39 days respectively for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004. The interest rate for our warehouse financing as of March 31, 2005 was a variable rate equal to 1 month LIBOR plus a margin ranging between 1.50% and 4.00%.
Reserve for impairment of mortgage loans. As of March 31, 2005, we had requests to repurchase loans due to early payment defaults in an aggregate amount of $7,311,598 compared to $856,500 for March 31, 2004. At March 31, 2005 we had a $775,600 reserve for impairment of mortgage loans to be repurchased in addition to $127,500 for impairment of mortgage loans held for sale compared to a total of $100,000 in the comparable period in 2004. The increase in the reserve is the result of higher repurchase demands, which resulted from the significant increase in overall loan origination since March 31, 2004
Other closing expenses. Other closing expenses related to closing of loans, including credit check expenses, appraisal and appraisal review fees and closing expenses, increased 62.9% to $507,300 for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $311,500 for the comparable period in 2004. This increase reflects the additional cost related to increased volume of loan origination offset by improved pricing for services used in loan origination.
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Operating expenses
Total operating expenses. Total operating expenses increased 121.9% to $5.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 compared to $2.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. The increase was the result of higher salaries, wages, and benefits expense, and increases in other variable operating expenses associated with growth in mortgage loan volume and in the number of employees.
Salaries and wages. Salaries and wages increased 147.6% to $3.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $1.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. The increase was due to growth in the number of our employees, as well as higher commission and bonus expenses related to loan production. The total number of employees at March 31, 2005 was 352 including 103 commission based employees in our retail and wholesale divisions compared to 124 total employees at March 31, 2004.
Occupancy. Occupancy expense increased 201.3% to $244,900 for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $81,300 for the three months ended March 31, 2004. The increase resulted from increase in office space due to expansion and a larger number of employees.
General and administrative. General and administrative expenses increased 77.9% to $1.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $981,500 for the three months ended March 31, 2004. This increase was due to an increase in mortgage loan origination volume, increased marketing expenses, and an increase in the number of employees.
Loss from real estate owned. While we sell
all of our loans for a cash price with servicing rights released, under terms of our
agreements with various purchasers, we make certain representations and warranties to the
purchaser, which we are obligated to satisfy or correct even after completion of the sale
transaction. For example we agree to repurchase loans where borrowers default on their
payments within 90 days from date of transfer of servicing.
At March 31, 2005 we had two properties that were classified as REO with an aggregate balance of $704,821 compared to $448,444 at
March 31, 2004. A provision for loss in the amount of $50,000 was made for one of the properties held as REO at March 31, 2005. No
provision was made at March 31, 2004.
At March 31, 2005, there were 42 loans with an aggregate value of $7.3 million, which we have been requested to repurchase as a
result of early payment defaults, breaches in the term of agreements, or violation of mortgage bankers requirements. We
have made a provision for losses on these amounts of $775,600 at March 31, 2005.
Provision for income tax. Provision for income tax increased to $2.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $781,600 for three months ended March 31, 2004. This increase was a result of the increase in our income before taxes to $4.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 from $1.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004.
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Liquidity and capital resources
As a mortgage banking company, our
primary cash requirements include the funding of (1) mortgage loan originations, including
principal, as well as origination costs such as commissions and broker premiums, (2)
interest expense on and repayment of principal on warehouse credit facilities, (3)
operational expenses, and (4) tax payments. We fund these cash requirements with cash
received from (1) borrowings under warehouse credit facilities, (2) loan sales, (3)
mortgage interest collections on loans held for sale, (4) points and fees collected from
the origination of loans, and (5) private sales of equity and debt securities.
We use
warehouse credit facilities to finance a significant portion of our loan originations. It
is our intention to utilize the maximum allowable leverage ratio, defined as our total
liabilities divided by our stockholders equity, for our warehouse financing.
Our
liquidity strategy is to maintain sufficient and diversified warehouse credit facilities
to finance our mortgage loan originations, to maintain strong relationships with a diverse
group of whole loan purchasers, and to establish the ability to execute our own
securitizations. This provides us with the ability to finance our growing origination
operations and to maximize our realization of the value of loans we originate.
In the past, we have financed our operations through increased warehouse borrowing, additional capitalization, and cash income generated from our operations. In the future, realization of our expansion plans will depend on our ability to secure sufficient credit facilities to fund larger volumes of loans. The extent of this borrowing in turn depends on our net worth and requires certain restricted cash deposits to be maintained with the lender. In addition to cash earnings generated from our operations, we intend to increase our cash and net worth through offerings of our equity or debt securities.
As of March 31, 2005, we had three warehouse credit facilities to finance our loan originations. After funding the loans, we sell our mortgage loans within one to three months of origination and pay off the warehouse credit facilities with the proceeds. All of these warehouse facilities were structured as repurchase agreements, where the warehouse will provide the funds for origination of loans and will hold the collateral until we repurchase the loans to sell them to the investors. Under terms of such agreements, the investor would send the purchase proceeds directly to the warehouse lender, where the principal borrowing plus accrued interest and fees are deducted before the balance is forwarded to us.
One warehouse credit facility with a financial institution in the amount of $80 million is structured as a repurchase agreement and accrues interest at a rate based upon 1 month LIBOR (2.87% as of March 31, 2005) plus 2.25%. This facility extends 100% credit for loans that are committed for sale to an affiliate of the financial institution up to an additional $50 million. As of March 31, 2005 we had an outstanding balance of $67.9 million on this facility, which included loans we had committed to sell to the lenders affiliated entity.
Our second warehouse facility is structured as a repurchase agreement and allows funding up to $30 million. This facility contains a sub-limit for various categories of loans such as wet funding (loans for which the collateral custodian has not yet received the related loan documents) or Alt-A loans and it has a one year term. This facility has a cost of borrowing equal to the 1 month LIBOR rate plus a spread equal to 2.25% for all loans except 2nd TD and sub-prime loans which have a spread of 2.75%. As of March 31, 2005 we had an outstanding balance of $13.3 million on this line. On April 7, 2005 the agreement with this institution was amended to increase the facility to $75 million and improve the cost of borrowing to 1 month LIBOR plus 1.5% and up to 2.25% for certain category of loans funded through this facility.
Our third warehouse credit facility is structured as a secured credit agreement and will expire on May 1, 2005. This facility is in the amount $10 million. The cost of borrowing under this agreement is equal to 1 month LIBOR plus a spread between 2.25% and 3.75% based on type of loan and period of time for which the loan is held on the line. This facility has sub-limits for various type of loans and contains certain financial covenants. As of March 31, 2005 we had an outstanding balance of $3.3 on this facility.
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In July 2004 we entered into an Early Purchase Agreement with the same financial institution where certain qualifying loans are acquired by the institution immediately upon origination. Under terms of this purchase agreement we retain the right to service the notes. As a condition of acquisition of loans by the financial institution, we shall assign to the financial institution any commitment by a Takeout investor who would purchase the notes with servicing rights released at later dates. The price that loans under this agreement are acquired by the financial institution will be 98% of a Takeout Investors price, but not to exceed the original note amount. Loans origination under provisions of this facility are recognized as sales of loan and are not reflected on our balance sheet. Upon receipt of funds from a Takeout investor, the financial institution shall release its interest in the loan and transfer excess funds pertaining to the servicing right to us. Loans for which a commitment from a Takeout investor is not obtained within 90 days by us are placed in the regular warehouse credit facility. This Early Purchase facility has a maximum purchase concentration of $150 million at any time. Upon purchase of loans by a Takeout investor the unused facility up to maximum concentration may be re-used by us to originate new loans. This Early Purchase agreement meets all criteria listed under FAS140 for the purpose of defining transfer of financial assets. As of March 31, 2005 we had utilized $135,655,023 of the concentration limit. Management believes that the value of the servicing right for loans originated through this facility prior to their sale to Takeout investors were not material to the financial statements as of March 31, 2005 and no asset has been recognized. The maximum concentration allowed under this facility has subsequently been increased to $250.0 million in May 2005.
Our warehouse and other credit
facilities contain customary covenants including minimum liquidity, profitability and net
worth requirements, and limitations on other indebtedness. If we fail to comply with any
of these covenants or otherwise default under a facility, the lender has the right to
terminate the facility and require immediate repayment that may require sale of the
collateral at less than optimal terms. As of March 31, 2005 we have been in compliance
with covenants of our warehouse agreements.
Subject to the various uncertainties described
above, and assuming that we will be able to successfully execute our liquidity strategy,
we anticipate that our liquidity, credit facilities and capital resources will be
sufficient to fund our operations for the next six months.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenue or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
Inflation
Inflation affects us most
significantly in the area of loan originations by affecting interest rates. Interest rates
normally increase during periods of high inflation (or in periods when the Federal Reserve
Bank attempts to prevent inflation) and decrease during periods of low inflation.
Newly Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In March 2005, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation (FIN) No. 47, Accounting for Conditional Asset Retirement Obligations. FIN No.
47 clarifies that the term conditional asset retirement obligation as used in FASB Statement No. 143, Accounting for Asset
Retirement Obligations, refers to a legal obligation to perform an asset retirement activity in which the timing and (or)
method of settlement are conditional on a future event that may or may not be within the control of the entity. The
obligation to perform the asset retirement activity is unconditional even though uncertainty exists about the timing and
(or) method of settlement. Uncertainty about the timing and/or method of settlement of a conditional asset retirement
obligation should be factored into the measurement of the liability when sufficient information exists. This interpretation
also clarifies when an entity would have sufficient information to reasonably estimate the fair value of an asset retirement
obligation. FIN No. 47 is effective no later than the end of fiscal years ending after December 15, 2005 (December 31, 2005
for calendar-year companies). Retrospective application of interim financial information is permitted but is not required.
Management does not expect adoption of FIN No. 47 to have a material impact on the Companys financial statements.
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Risk Factors
In addition to the other information in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, the following factors should be considered in evaluating us and our business.
Risks Related to our Business
We finance borrowers with lower
credit ratings. The sub-prime loans we originate generally have higher delinquency and
default rates than prime mortgage loans, which could result in losses on loans that we are
required to repurchase
We are in the business of originating and selling conforming
and non-conforming mortgage loans, which include sub-prime mortgage loans. Non-conforming
mortgage loans generally have higher delinquency and default rates than prime mortgage
loans. Delinquency interrupts the flow of projected interest income from a mortgage loan,
and default can ultimately lead to a loss if the net realizable value of the real property
securing the mortgage loan is insufficient to cover the principal and interest due on the
mortgage loan.
Also, our cost of financing a
delinquent or defaulted mortgage loan is generally higher than for a performing mortgage
loan. We bear the risk of delinquency and default on mortgage loans beginning when we
originate them and continuing even after we sell loans. We also reacquire the risks of
delinquency and default for mortgage loans that we are obligated to repurchase. Repurchase
obligations are typically triggered in loan sale transactions if a loan becomes more than
30 days delinquent on the loan for the first 90 days after transfer date, or in any sale
(or securitization if we engage in securitizations in the future) if the loan materially
violates our representations or warranties. At March 31, 2005, there was certain loans
with an aggregate amount of $7,311,598 to be repurchased, and a $775,600
provision for losses has been taken by management in this regard. The management believes
there is sufficient equity and mortgage insurance coverage for offsetting most of the
shortcomings from any forced sales of these properties.
We attempt to manage these risks
with risk-based mortgage loan pricing and appropriate underwriting policies and loan
collection methods. However, if such policies and methods are insufficient to control our
delinquency and default risks and do not result in appropriate loan pricing, our business,
financial condition, liquidity and results of operations could be significantly harmed.
Any substantial economic slowdown could increase delinquencies, defaults and
foreclosures and reduce our ability to originate loans
Periods of economic slowdown or
recession may be accompanied by decreased demand for consumer credit, decreased real
estate values, and an increased rate of delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures. Any
material decline in real estate values would increase the loan-to-value ratios
(LTVs) on mortgage loans that we hold pending sale, weaken our collateral
coverage and increase the possibility of a loss if a borrower defaults. Many of the
mortgage loans that we originate are to borrowers who make little or no down payment,
resulting in higher LTVs.
A lack of equity in the home may reduce the incentive a borrower has to meet his payment obligations during periods of financial hardship, which might result in higher delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures. These factors would reduce our ability to originate mortgage loans. In addition, mortgage loans that we originate during an economic slowdown may not be as valuable to us because potential purchasers of our mortgage loans might reduce the premiums they pay for the loans to compensate for any increased risks arising during such periods. Any sustained increase in delinquencies, defaults or foreclosures are likely to significantly harm the pricing of our future mortgage loan sales and also our ability to finance our mortgage loan originations.
An increase in interest rates could result in a reduction in our
mortgage loan origination volumes, an increase in delinquency, default and foreclosure
rates and a reduction in the value of and income from our loans
A substantial and
sustained increase in interest rates could harm our ability to originate mortgage loans
because refinancing an existing mortgage loan would be less attractive and qualifying for
a purchase mortgage loan may be more difficult. Existing borrowers with adjustable-rate
mortgages may incur higher monthly payments as the interest rate increases, which may lead
to higher delinquency and default rates.
If prevailing interest rates increase after we fund a mortgage loan, the value that we receive upon the sale or any securitization of the mortgage loan decreases. Additionally, the cost of financing our mortgage loans prior to sale is based primarily upon the prime rate of interest. The interest rates we charge on our mortgage loans are based, in part, upon prevailing interest rates at the time of origination, and the interest rates on all of our mortgage loans are fixed for at least the first two or three years. If the prime rate of interest increases after the time of loan origination, our net interest income which represents the difference between the interest rates we receive on our mortgage loans pending sale and our prime rate-based cost of financing such loans will be reduced. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may be significantly harmed as a result of increased interest rates.
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We face intense competition that
could adversely impact our market share and our revenues
We face intense competition
from finance and mortgage banking companies, Internet-based lending companies where entry
barriers are relatively low, and, to a growing extent, from traditional bank and thrift
lenders that have entered the non-conforming and subprime mortgage industry. As we seek to
expand our business further, we will face a significant number of additional competitors,
many of whom will be well established in the markets we seek to penetrate. Some of our
competitors are much larger than we are, have better name recognition than we do, and have
far greater financial and other resources.
The government-sponsored entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are also expanding their participation in the mortgage industry. These government-sponsored entities have a size and cost-of-funds advantage that allows them to purchase mortgage loans with lower rates or fees than we are willing to offer. While the government-sponsored entities presently do not have the legal authority to originate mortgage loans, including subprime mortgage loans, they do have the authority to buy mortgage loans. A material expansion of their involvement in the market to purchase non-conforming and subprime mortgage loans could change the dynamics of the industry by virtue of their sheer size, pricing power and the inherent advantages of a government charter. In addition, if as a result of their purchasing practices, these government-sponsored entities experience significantly higher-than-expected losses, such experience could adversely affect the overall investor perception of the subprime mortgage industry.
The intense competition in the non-conforming and subprime mortgage industries has also led to rapid technological developments, evolving industry standards and frequent releases of new products and enhancements. As mortgage products are offered more widely through alternative distribution channels, such as the Internet, we may be required to make significant changes to our current retail and wholesale structure and information systems to compete effectively. Our inability to continue enhancing our current Internet capabilities, or to adapt to other technological changes in the industry, could significantly harm our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
Competition in the industry can take many forms, including interest rates and costs of a mortgage loan, less stringent underwriting standards, convenience in obtaining a mortgage loan, customer service, amount and term of a mortgage loan and marketing and distribution channels. The need to maintain mortgage loan volume in this competitive environment creates a risk of price competition in the non-conforming and subprime mortgage industries. Price competition could cause us to lower the interest rates that we charge borrowers, which could lower the value of our mortgage loans. If our competitors adopt less stringent underwriting standards we will be pressured to do so as well, which would result in greater loan risk without compensating pricing. If we do not relax underwriting standards in response to our competitors, we may lose market share. Any increase in these pricing and underwriting pressures could reduce the volume of our mortgage loan originations and sales and significantly harm our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
Our business may be significantly
harmed by a slowdown in the economy of California, where we conduct a significant amount
of business
Since inception, a significant portion of the mortgage loans we have
originated have been secured by property in California. For the quarter ended March 31,
2005, and 2004, approximately 62.5%, and 91.4% respectively, of the
loans we originated were collaterized by property located in California. An overall
decline in the economy or the residential real estate market, or the occurrence of a
natural disaster that is not covered by standard homeowners insurance policies, such
as an earthquake, in California could decrease the value of mortgaged properties in
California. This, in turn, would increase the risk of delinquency, default or foreclosure
on mortgage loans in our portfolio or that we have sold to others. This could restrict our
ability to originate or sell mortgage loans, and significantly harm our business,
financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
Our business requires a
significant amount of cash and if it is not available our business will be significantly
harmed
Our primary source of cash is our existing warehouse credit facilities and the
proceeds from the sales of our mortgage loans. We require substantial cash to fund our
mortgage loan originations, to pay our mortgage loan origination expenses and to hold our
mortgage loans pending sale. Our warehouse credit facilities also require us to observe
certain financial covenants, including the maintenance of certain levels of cash and
general liquidity.
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As of March 31, 2005, we financed substantially all of our existing loans through three separate warehouse credit facilities. One of our existing facilities is cancelable by the lender for cause at anytime and has a renewable one-year term. Our two other warehouse lines have expiration dates of April 7, 2006 and May 1, 2006, respectively. Because these are short-term commitments of capital, the lenders may respond to market conditions, which may favor an alternative investment strategy for them, making it more difficult for us to secure continued financing. If we are not able to renew our existing warehouse credit facilities or arrange for new financing on terms acceptable to us, or if we default on our covenants or are otherwise unable to access funds under any of these facilities, we will have to curtail our mortgage loan origination activities. This would result in decreased revenues and profits from mortgage loan sales.
For the three months ended March 31, 2005, we had a positive operating cash flow of $30.7 million. This was primarily due to an increase of $31.4 million in net mortgage loans held for sale, which resulted from the use of $173.0 million (after adjusting for origination under Early Purchase facility) of cash for new loan originations offset by cash proceeds from the sale of loans of $206.4 million (after allowance for transactions under Early Purchase facility). For the three months ended March 31, 2004 we had a negative cash flow of $30.6 million. This was primarily due to a decrease of $30.8 million in net mortgage loans held for sale which resulted from the use of $145.5 million cash for new loan orgination offset by cash proceeds from the sales of loans of $113.6 million. The timing of our mortgage loan dispositions, which are periodic, is not always matched to the timing of our expenses, which are continuous. This requires us to maintain significant levels of cash to maintain acceptable levels of liquidity. Any decrease in demand in the whole mortgage loan market such that we are unable to timely and profitably sell our mortgage loans would inhibit our ability to meet our liquidity demands.
Our existing warehouse credit facilities contain covenants that
restrict our operations and may inhibit our ability to grow our business and increase
revenues
Our existing warehouse credit facilities contain extensive restrictions and
covenants that, among other things, require us to satisfy specified financial, asset
quality and loan performance tests. If we fail to meet or satisfy any of these covenants,
we would be in default under these agreements and our lenders could elect to declare all
amounts outstanding under the agreements to be immediately due and payable, enforce their
interests against collateral pledged under such agreements and restrict our ability to
make additional borrowings. Our existing agreements also contain cross-default provisions,
so that if a default occurs under any one agreement, the lenders under our other
agreements could also declare a default.
The covenants and restrictions in our warehouse credit facilities may restrict our ability to, among other things: incur additional debt; make certain investments or acquisitions; repurchase or redeem capital stock; engage in mergers or consolidations; finance mortgage loans with certain attributes; reduce liquidity below certain levels; and hold mortgage loans for longer than established time periods.
These restrictions may interfere with our ability to obtain financing or to engage in other business activities, which may significantly harm our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
If we do not manage our growth effectively, our financial performance could be harmed
In recent years, we have experienced rapid growth that has placed, and will continue
to place, certain pressures on our management, administrative, operational and financial
infrastructure. As of March 31, 2005, we had 249 full time employees in addition
to 103 commission-based employees. Many of our current employees have very limited
experience with us and a limited understanding of our systems and controls. The increase
in the size of our operations may make it more difficult for us to ensure that we
originate quality mortgage loans and that we service them effectively. We will need to
attract and hire additional sales and management personnel in an intensely competitive
hiring environment in order to preserve and increase our market share. At the same time,
we will need to continue to upgrade and expand our financial, operational and managerial
systems and controls. We also intend to continue to grow our business in the future, which
could require capital, systems development and human resources beyond what we currently
have. We cannot assure you that we will be able to:
The failure to manage growth effectively would significantly harm our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
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The inability to attract and retain qualified employees could significantly harm our business
We depend upon our wholesale account executives and retail mortgage loan officers to attract borrowers by, among other things, developing relationships with financial institutions, other mortgage companies and brokers, real estate agents, borrowers and others. We believe that these relationships lead to repeat and referral business. The market for skilled executive officers, account executives and loan officers is highly competitive and historically has experienced a high rate of turnover. In addition, if a manager leaves our company there is an increased likelihood that other members of his or her team will follow. Competition for qualified account executives and loan officers may lead to increased hiring and retention costs. If we are unable to attract or retain a sufficient number of skilled account executives at manageable costs, we will be unable to continue to originate quality mortgage loans that we are able to sell for a profit, which will reduce our revenues.
An interruption in or breach of
our information systems may result in lost business
We rely heavily upon
communications and information systems to conduct our business. As we implement our growth
strategy and increase our volume of mortgage loan production, that reliance will increase.
Any failure or interruption or breach in security of our information systems or the
third-party information systems on which we rely could cause underwriting or other delays
and could result in fewer mortgage loan applications being received and slower processing
of applications. We cannot assure you that such failures or interruptions will not occur
or if they do occur that they will be adequately addressed by us or the third parties on
which we rely. The occurrence of any failures or interruptions could significantly harm
our business.
Terrorist attacks or military actions may adversely affect our financial results
The effects that terrorist attacks in
the United States or other incidents and related military action, or the result of the
military actions by the U.S. and Coalition forces in Iraq or other regions, may have on
our ability to originate mortgages on the values of the mortgaged properties can not be
determined at this time. As a result of terrorist activity and military action, there may
be a reduction in the new mortgages, which will adversely affect our ability to expand our
mortgage originations. These potential consequences of terrorist attacks or military
action will have an adverse affect on our financial results. Federal agencies and
non-governmental lenders have, and may continue to, defer, reduce or forgive payments and
delay foreclosure proceedings in respect of loans to borrowers affected in some way be
recent and possible future events. In addition, activation of a substantial number of U.S.
military reservists or members of the National Guard may significantly increase the
proposition of mortgage loans whose mortgage rates are reduced by the application of the
Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act of 1940 or similar state laws, and
neither the master service nor the services will be required to advance for any interest
shortfall caused by any such reduction.
The success and growth of our business will
depend upon our ability to adapt to and implement technological changes
Our mortgage
loan origination business is currently dependent upon our ability to effectively interface
with our brokers, borrowers and other third parties and to efficiently process loan
applications and closings. The origination process is becoming more dependent upon
technological advancement, such as the ability to process applications over the Internet,
accept electronic signatures, provide process status updates instantly and other
customer-expected conveniences that are cost-efficient to our process. Implementing this
new technology and becoming proficient with it may also require significant capital
expenditures. As these requirements increase in the future, we will have to fully develop
these technological capabilities to remain competitive or our business will be
significantly harmed.
If we are unable to maintain and
expand our network of independent brokers, our loan origination business will decrease
A significant majority of our originations of mortgage loans comes from independent
brokers. For the quarter ended March 31, 2005, 457 brokers from a list of 2,200
approved brokers submitted loans to us; no broker represented more than 5% of our loan
originations. Our brokers are not contractually obligated to do business with us.
Further, our competitors also have relationships with our brokers and actively compete
with us in our efforts to expand our broker networks. Accordingly, we cannot assure you
that we will be successful in maintaining our existing relationships or expanding our
broker networks, the failure of which could significantly harm our business, financial
condition, liquidity and results of operations.
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Our financial results fluctuate as
a result of seasonality and other timing factors, which makes it difficult to predict our
future performance and may affect the price of our common stock
Our business is
generally subject to seasonal trends. These trends reflect the general pattern of housing
sales, which typically peak during the spring and summer seasons. Our quarterly operating
results have fluctuated in the past and are expected to fluctuate in the future,
reflecting the seasonality of the industry. Further, if the closing of a sale of mortgage
loans is postponed, the recognition of gain from the sale is also postponed. If such a
delay causes us to recognize income in the next quarter, our results of operations for the
previous quarter could be significantly depressed. If our results of operations do not
meet the expectations of our stockholders and securities analysts, then the price of our
common stock may decrease.
We are subject to losses due to
fraudulent and negligent acts on the part of loan applicants, mortgage brokers, other
vendors and our employees
When we originate mortgage loans, we rely heavily upon
information supplied by third parties including the information contained in the mortgage
loan application, property appraisal, title information and employment and income
documentation. If any of this information is intentionally or negligently misrepresented
and such misrepresentation is not detected prior to mortgage loan funding, the value of
the mortgage loan may be significantly lower than expected. Whether a misrepresentation is
made by the loan applicant, the mortgage broker, another third party or one of our own
employees, we generally bear the risk of loss associated with the misrepresentation. A
mortgage loan subject to a material misrepresentation is typically unsaleable or subject
to repurchase if it is sold prior to detection of the misrepresentation. Even though we
may have rights against persons and entities who made or knew about the misrepresentation,
such persons and entities are often difficult to locate and it is often difficult to
collect any monetary losses that we have suffered from them.
We have controls and processes
designed to help us identify misrepresented information in our loan origination
operations. We cannot assure you, however, that we have detected or will detect all
misrepresented information in our loan originations. We are subject to losses due to
fraudulent and negligent acts in other parts of our operations. If we experience a
significant number of such fraudulent or negligent acts, our business, financial
condition, liquidity and results of operations would be significantly harmed.
Defective
mortgage loans may harm our business
In connection with the sale of our mortgage
loans, we are required to make a variety of customary representations and warranties
regarding our company and the mortgage loans. We are subject to these representations and
warranties for the life of the mortgage loan and they relate to, among other things:
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A mortgage loan that does not comply
with these representations and warranties may be unsaleable or saleable only at a
discount, and, if such a mortgage loan is sold before we detect a non-compliance, we may
be obligated to repurchase the mortgage loan and bear any associated loss directly, or we
may be obligated to indemnify the purchaser against any such losses. We believe that we
have qualified personnel at all levels and have established controls to ensure that all
mortgage loans are originated to the markets requirements, but we cannot assure you
that we will not make mistakes, or that certain employees will not deliberately violate
our lending policies. We seek to minimize losses from defective mortgage loans by
correcting flaws if possible and selling or re-selling such mortgage loans. We also create
allowances to provide for defective mortgage loans in our financial statements. We cannot
assure you, however, that losses associated with defective mortgage loans will not harm
our results of operations or financial condition.
If the prepayment rates for our mortgage
loans are higher than expected, our results of operations may be significantly harmed.
When a borrower pays off a mortgage loan prior to the loans scheduled maturity, the
impact on us depends upon when such payoff or prepayment occurs. Our
prepayment losses generally occur after we sell (or securitize in the future) our mortgage
loans and the extent of our losses depends on when the prepayment occurs. If the
prepayment occurs within 12 to 18 months following a whole mortgage loan sale, we may have
to reimburse the purchaser for all or a portion of the premium paid by the purchaser for
the mortgage loan, again resulting in a loss of our profit on the mortgage loan.
Prepayment rates on mortgage loans vary from time to time and tend to increase during periods of declining interest rates. We seek to minimize our prepayment risk through a variety of means, including originating a significant portion of mortgage loans with prepayment penalties with terms of two to five years. No strategy, however, can completely insulate us from prepayment risks, whether arising from the effects of interest rate changes or otherwise. See Statutory and Regulatory Risks below for a discussion of statutes related to prepayment penalties.
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We are exposed to environmental
liabilities, with respect to properties that we take title to upon foreclosure, that could
increase our costs of doing business and harm our results of operations
In the course
of our activities, we may foreclose and take title to residential properties and become
subject to environmental liabilities with respect to those properties. We may be held
liable to a governmental entity or to third parties for property damage, personal injury,
investigation and clean-up costs incurred by these parties in connection with
environmental contamination, or may be required to investigate or clean up hazardous or
toxic substances, or chemical releases at a property. The costs associated with
investigation or remediation activities could be substantial. Moreover, as the owner or
former owner of a contaminated site, we may be subject to common law claims by third
parties based upon damages and costs resulting from environmental contamination emanating
from the property. If we ever become subject to significant environmental liabilities, our
business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations would be significantly
harmed.
If financial institutions face
exposure stemming from legal violations committed by the companies to which they provide
financing or underwriting services, this could potentially expose us to liability in our
warehouse lending operations; it could also increase our borrowing costs and negatively
affect the market for whole-loans and mortgage-backed securities
In June 2003, a
California jury found a warehouse lender and securitization underwriter liable in part for
fraud on consumers committed by a lender to whom it provided financing and underwriting
services. The jury found that the investment bank was aware of the fraud and substantially
assisted the lender in perpetrating the fraud by providing financing and underwriting
services that allowed the lender to continue to operate, and held it liable for 10% of the
plaintiffs damages. This is the first case we know of in which an investment bank
was held partly responsible for violations committed by a mortgage lender customer.
Shortly after the announcement of the jury verdict in the California case, the Florida
Attorney General filed suit against the same financial institution, seeking an injunction
to prevent it from financing mortgage loans within Florida, as well as damages and civil
penalties, based on theories of unfair and deceptive trade practices and fraud. The suit
claims that this financial institution aided and abetted the same lender involved in the
California case in its commission of fraudulent representations in Florida. As of the date
of this report, there has been no ruling in this case. If other courts or regulators adopt
this aiding and abetting theory, investment banks may face increased
litigation as they are named as defendants in lawsuits and regulatory actions against the
mortgage companies with which they do business. Some investment banks may exit the
business, charge more for warehouse lending and reduce the prices they pay for whole-loans
in order to build in the costs of this potential litigation. This could, in turn, have a
material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and business
prospects. In addition, similar theories could be asserted against us in connection with
our warehouse lending operations, which again could have a material adverse effect on our
results of operations, financial condition and business prospects.
We are still exposed to potential
risks from recent legislation requiring companies to evaluate controls under Section 404
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
While we believe that we currently have adequate
internal control procedures in place, we are evaluating our internal control systems in
order to allow management to report on, and our independent auditors to attest to, our
internal controls, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. During
this process, we will identify what might be deemed to be potential control deficiencies
and will establish a process to investigate and, as appropriate, remediate such matters
before the required deadline. While we do not believe that any of these issues constitute
a material weakness, this is the first year of implementation of Section 404 and the
compliance standards are not fully known. We like all other public companies are incurring
additional expenses and managements time in an effort to comply with Section 404.
Although we have made this project a top priority for our company we cannot provide any
assurances that all potential control deficiencies will be remediated before the mandated
deadline or that we will receive an unqualified opinion from our external auditors
regarding our internal controls over financial reporting.
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Statutory and Regulatory Risks
The nationwide scope of our
operations exposes us to risks of noncompliance with an increasing and inconsistent body
of complex laws and regulations at the federal, state and local levels
Because we
originate mortgage loans on a national basis, we must comply with a multitude of extensive
federal and state laws and regulations, as well as judicial and administrative decisions
of all jurisdictions. The volume of new or modified laws and regulations has increased in
recent years, and, in addition, individual cities and counties have begun to enact laws
that restrict sub-prime mortgage loan origination activities in those cities and counties.
The laws and regulations of each of these jurisdictions are different, complex and, in
some cases, in direct conflict with each other. As our operations continue to grow, it may
be more difficult to comprehensively identify, to accurately interpret and to properly
program our technology systems and effectively train our personnel with respect to all of
these laws and regulations, thereby potentially increasing our exposure to the risks of
noncompliance with these laws and regulations. At the federal level, these laws and
regulations include:
These laws and regulations among other things:
Our failure to comply with these laws can lead to:
Although we have systems and procedures directed to compliance with these legal requirements and believe that we are in material compliance with all applicable federal, state and local statutes, rules and regulations, we cannot assure you that more restrictive laws and regulations will not be adopted in the future, or that governmental bodies will not interpret existing laws or regulations in a more restrictive manner, which could make compliance more difficult or expensive. These applicable laws and regulations are subject to administrative or judicial interpretation, but some of these laws and regulations have been enacted only recently or may be interpreted infrequently. As a result of infrequent or sparse interpretations, ambiguities in these laws and regulations may leave uncertainty with respect to permitted or restricted conduct under them. Any ambiguity under a law to which we are subject may lead to regulatory investigations, governmental enforcement actions or private causes of action, such as class action lawsuits, with respect to our compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
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We are subject to significant
legal and reputational risks and expenses under federal and state laws concerning privacy,
use and security of customer information
The federal Gramm-Leach Bliley financial
reform legislation imposes significant privacy obligations on us in connection with the
collection, use and security of financial and other nonpublic information provided to us
by applicants and borrowers. In addition, California and Vermont have enacted, and several
other states are considering enacting, even more stringent privacy or
customer-information-security legislation, as permitted under federal law. Because laws
and rules concerning the use and protection of customer information are continuing to
develop at the federal and state levels, we expect to incur increased costs in our effort
to be and remain in full compliance with these requirements. Nevertheless, despite our
efforts we will be subject to legal and reputational risks in connection with our
collection and use of customer information, and we cannot assure you that we will not be
subject to lawsuits or compliance actions under such state or federal privacy
requirements. To the extent that a variety of inconsistent state privacy rules or
requirements are enacted, our compliance costs could substantially increase.
The
increasing number of federal, state and local anti-predatory lending laws may
restrict our ability to originate or increase our risk of liability with respect to
certain mortgage loans and could increase our cost of doing business
Several federal,
state and local laws, rules and regulations have been adopted, or are under consideration,
that are intended to eliminate so-called predatory lending practices. The
federal Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (HOEPA) identifies a category
of mortgage loans and subjects such loans to restrictions not applicable to other mortgage
loans. Loans subject to HOEPA consist of loans on which certain points and fees or the
annual percentage rate (APR) exceed specified levels. Liability for violations
of applicable law with regard to loans subject to HOEPA would extend not only to us, but
to the purchasers of our loans as well. We generally do not make loans that are subject to
HOEPA because the purchasers of our loans and/or the lenders that provide financing for
our loan origination operations do not want to purchase or finance such loans. On October
1, 2002, the APR and points and feesthresholds for determining loans subject
to HOEPA were lowered, thereby expanding the scope of loans subject to HOEPA. We
anticipate that we will continue to avoid making loans subject to HOEPA, and the lowering
of the thresholds beyond which loans become subject to HOEPA may prevent us from making
certain loans and may cause us to reduce the APR or the points and fees on loans that we
do make. If we decide to relax our restrictions on loans subject to HOEPA because the
purchasers of our loans and/or the lenders that provide financing for our loan origination
operations relax their restrictions, we will be subject to greater risks for actual or
perceived non-compliance with HOEPA and other applicable laws, including demands for
indemnification or loan repurchases from our lenders and loan purchasers, class action
lawsuits and administrative enforcement actions.
Laws, rules and regulations have been
adopted, or are under consideration, at the state and local levels that are similar to
HOEPA in that they impose certain restrictions on loans on which certain points and fees
or the APR exceeds specified thresholds. The restrictions include prohibitions on
steeringborrowers into loans with high interest rates and away from more
affordable products, selling unnecessary insurance to borrowers, flipping or
repeatedly refinancing loans and making loans without a reasonable expectation that the
borrowers will be able to repay the loans. Compliance with some of these restrictions
requires lenders to make subjective judgments, such as whether a loan will provide a
net tangible benefit to the borrower. These restrictions expose a lender to
risks of litigation and regulatory sanction no matter how carefully a loan is
underwritten. The remedies for violations of these laws are not based on actual harm to
the consumer and can result in damages that exceed the loan balance. Liability for
violations of HOEPA, as well as violations of many of the state and local equivalents,
could extend not only to us, but to our secured warehouse lenders, institutional loan
purchasers and securitization trusts that hold our loans, regardless of whether a lender
or purchaser knew of or participated in the violation.
We have generally avoided originating loans that exceed the APR or points and fees thresholds of these laws, rules and regulations, because the companies that buy our loans and/or provide financing for our loan origination operations generally do not want to buy or finance such loans. To the extent we do have financing and purchasers for such loans, we have, on a limited basis, begun to make loans which exceed the APR or points and fees thresholds of these laws, rules and regulations. The continued enactment of these laws, rules and regulations may prevent us from making certain loans and may cause us to reduce the APR or the points and fees on loans that we do make. In addition, the difficulty of managing the risks presented by these laws, rules and regulations may decrease the availability of warehouse financing and the overall demand for subprime loans, making it difficult to fund, sell or securitize any of our loans. If we decide to further relax our restrictions on loans subject to these laws, rules and regulations, we will be subject to greater risks for actual or perceived non-compliance with such laws, rules and regulations, including demands for indemnification or loan repurchases from our lenders and loan purchasers, class action lawsuits, increased defenses to foreclosure of individual loans in default, individual claims for significant monetary damages and administrative enforcement actions. If nothing else, the growing number of these laws, rules and regulations will increase our cost of doing business as we are required to develop systems and procedures to ensure that we do not violate any aspect of these new requirements.
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On July 1, 2002, predatory lending legislation of the type described above became effective in California. As with other predatory lending laws, the California legislation imposes restrictions on loans which exceed points and fees or APR thresholds defined in the law. As of the date of this report, this law had not had, and in the future we do not expect it to have, a significant impact on the value or volume of our loan production in California.
Local anti-predatory lending ordinances were passed in the cities of Oakland and Los Angeles California in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Each of these ordinances imposes additional and limitations and requirements that go significantly beyond those imposed under HOEPA and Californias anti-predatory lending statutes. The American Financial Services Association (AFSA) brought an action against the City of Oakland, alleging that the Oakland ordinance is preempted by Californias law. Both the trial court and the appellate court held in favor of the City of Oakland. The matter was appealed to the California Supreme Court, which heard arguments on November 4, 2004 and reversed the lower courts decision. To our knowledge and belief the City of Los Angeles has not yet issued regulations implementing its ordinance, which regulations are necessary before the ordinance becomes effective. However, many other jurisdictions have indicated their intent to enact similar ordinances. It is possible that these ordinances might impair our ability or willingness to make loans in those jurisdictions, which in turn might result in a significant reduction in the value or volume of loans we make in those jurisdictions.
Some of our competitors that are national banks or federally chartered thrifts and their operating subsidiaries may not be subject to these laws by virtue of federal preemptions. As a mortgage lender that is generally subject to the laws of each state in which we do business, except as may specifically be provided in federal rules applicable to all lenders, we may be subject to state legal requirements and legal risks under state laws to which these federally regulated competitors are not subject, and this disparity may have the effect of giving those federal entities legal and competitive advantages. Passage of additional laws in other jurisdictions could increase compliance costs, lower fee income and lower origination volume, all of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The United States Congress is also considering legislation, such as the Ney-Lucas Responsible Lending Act introduced in 2003, which would limit fees that a lender is permitted to charge, including prepayment fees, restrict the terms lenders are permitted to include in their loan agreements and increase the amount of disclosure required to be given to potential borrowers. We cannot predict whether or in what form Congress or the various state and local legislatures may enact legislation affecting our business. We are evaluating the potential impact of these initiatives, if enacted, on our lending practices and results of operations. As a result of these and other initiatives, we are unable to predict whether federal, state or local authorities will require changes in our lending practices in the future, including reimbursement of fees charged to borrowers, or will impose fines. These changes, if required, could adversely affect our profitability, particularly if we make such changes in response to new or amended laws, regulations or ordinances in California or any other state where we originate a significant portion of our mortgage loans.
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New regulatory
laws affecting the mortgage industry may increase our costs and decrease our mortgage
origination and acquisition
The regulatory environments in which we operate have an
impact on the activities in which we may engage, how the activities may be carried out,
and the profitability of those activities. Therefore, changes to laws, regulations or
regulatory policies can affect whether and to what extent we are able to operate
profitably. For example, recently enacted and proposed local, state and federal privacy
laws and laws prohibiting or limiting marketing by telephone, facsimile, email and the
Internet may limit our ability to market and our ability to access potential loan
applicants. The recently enacted Can Spam Act of 2003 establishes the first national
standards for the sending of commercial email allowing, among other things, unsolicited
commercial email provided it contains certain information and an opt-out mechanism.
Similarly, the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act and Telemarketing Consumer Fraud
and Abuse Prevention Act statutes, designed to restrict unsolicited advertising using the
telephone and facsimile machine, regulate unwanted telephone solicitations and the use of
automated telephone dialing systems, prerecorded or artificial voice messages, and
telephone facsimile machines. In 2003, The Federal Communications Commission and the
United States Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, have responsibility adopted
do-not-call registry requirements, which, in part, mandate that companies such
as us maintain and regularly update lists of consumers who have chosen not to be called.
These requirements also mandate that we do not call consumers who have chosen to be on the
list. These federal laws and regulations also prohibit, under certain circumstances, a
business from sending unsolicited facsimiles to other businesses, including mortgage
brokers and real estate professionals. Many states have adopted similar laws, with which
we may also be required to comply. We cannot provide any assurance that the proposed laws,
rules and regulations, or other similar laws, rules or regulations, will not be adopted in
the future. Adoption of these laws and regulations could have a material adverse impact on
our business by substantially increasing the costs of compliance with a variety of
inconsistent federal, state and local rules, or by restricting our ability to charge rates
and fees adequate to compensate us for the risk associated with certain loans.
We make yield spread premium payments to mortgage brokers on many of our loans, and the uncertainty of the federal judicial interpretation of the legality of these payments may increase our exposure to litigation, related defense expenses and adverse judgments.
A substantial portion of our mortgage loans are originated through independent mortgage brokers. Mortgage brokers provide valuable services in the loan origination process and are compensated for their services by receiving fees on loans. Brokers may be paid by the borrower, the lender or both. If a borrower cannot or does not want to pay the mortgage brokers fees directly, the loan can be structured so that the mortgage brokers fees are paid from the proceeds of the loan, or the loan can provide for a higher interest rate or higher fees to the lender. The increased value of a loan with a higher interest rate enables the lender to pay all or a portion of the brokers compensation. This form of compensation is often referred to as a yield spread premium. Regardless of its label or method of calculation, the payment is intended to compensate the broker for the services actually performed and the facilities actually provided.
Competitive forces currently demand
that we pay mortgage brokers yield spread premiums on many of the loans we originate. The
federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) prohibits the payment of
fees for the mere referral of real estate settlement service business. This law does
permit the payment of reasonable value for services actually performed and facilities
actually provided unrelated to the referral. On September 18, 2002, the Eleventh Circuit
Court of Appeals issued a decision in Heimmermann v. First Union Mortgage Corp.
which reversed the courts earlier decision in Culpepper v. Irwin Mortgage
Corp. in which the court found the yield spread premium payments received by a
mortgage broker to be unlawful per se under RESPA. Subsequent appellate court decisions
have held similarly. The Department of Housing and Urban development (HUD) had
responded to the Culpepper decision by issuing a policy statement (2001-1) taking
the position that lender payments to mortgage brokers, including yield spread premiums,
are not per se illegal. The Heimmermann decision eliminated a conflict that had
arisen between the Eleventh Circuit and the Eighth and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals,
with the result that all federal circuit courts which have considered the issue have
aligned with the HUD policy statement and found that yield spread premiums are not
prohibited per se. If other circuit courts that have not yet reviewed this issue disagree
with the Heimmermann decision, there could be a substantial increase in litigation
regarding lender payments to brokers and in the potential costs of defending these types
of claims and in paying any judgments that might result.
Stockholder refusal to comply
with regulatory requirements may interfere with our ability to do business in certain
states
Some states in which we operate may impose regulatory requirements on our
officers and directors and persons holding certain amounts, usually 10% or more, of our
common stock. If any person holding such an amount of our stock fails to meet or refuses
to comply with a states applicable regulatory requirements for mortgage lending, we
could lose our authority to conduct business in that state.
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We may be subject to fines
or other penalties based upon the conduct of our independent brokers
The mortgage
brokers from which we obtain loans have parallel and separate legal obligations to which
they are subject. While these laws may not explicitly hold the originating lenders
responsible for the legal violations of mortgage brokers, increasingly federal and state
agencies have sought to impose such assignee liability. Recently, for example, the United
States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) entered into a settlement agreement with
a mortgage lender where the FTC characterized a broker that had placed all of its mortgage
loan production with a single lender as the agent of the lender; the FTC
imposed a fine on the lender in part because, as principal, the lender was
legally responsible for the mortgage brokers unfair and deceptive acts and
practices. The United States Justice Department in the past has sought to hold a subprime
mortgage lender responsible for the pricing practices of its mortgage brokers, alleging
that the mortgage lender was directly responsible for the total fees and charges paid by
the borrower under the Fair Housing Act even if the lender neither dictated what the
mortgage broker could charge nor kept the money for its own account. Accordingly, we may
be subject to fines or other penalties based upon the conduct of our independent mortgage
brokers. Effective July 1, 2003, we are no longer able to rely on the Alternative Mortgage
Transactions Parity Act to preempt certain state law restrictions on prepayment penalties.
This may result in our inability to compete effectively with financial institutions that
are exempt from such restrictions.
We are no longer able to rely on
the Alternative Mortgage Transactions Parity Act to preempt certain state law restrictions
on prepayment penalties, and we may be unable to compete effectively with financial
institutions that are exempt from such restrictions
The value of a mortgage loan
depends, in part, upon the expected period of time that the mortgage loan will be
outstanding. If a borrower pays off a mortgage loan in advance of this expected period,
the holder of the mortgage loan does not realize the full value expected to be received
from the loan. A prepayment penalty payable by a borrower who repays a loan earlier than
expected helps offset the reduction in value resulting from the early payoff.
Consequently, the value of a mortgage loan is enhanced to the extent the loan includes a
prepayment penalty, and a mortgage lender can offer a lower interest rate and/or lower
loan fees on a loan which has a prepayment penalty. Prepayment penalties are an important
feature to obtain value on the loans we originate.
Certain state laws restrict or prohibit
prepayment penalties on mortgage loans, and we have relied on the federal Alternative
Mortgage Transactions Parity Act (the Parity Act) and related rules issued in
the past by the Office of Thrift Supervision (the OTS) to preempt state
limitations on prepayment penalties. The Parity Act was enacted to extend to financial
institutions, other than federally chartered depository institutions, the federal
preemption which federally chartered depository institutions enjoy with respect to
alternative mortgage transactions, such as adjustable-rate mortgage loans. However, on
July 1, 2003, a new OTS rule took effect that reduced the scope of the Parity Act
preemption and, as a result, we are no longer able to rely on the Parity Act to preempt
state restrictions on prepayment penalties. The elimination of this federal preemption
requires us to comply with state restrictions on prepayment penalties. These restrictions
prohibit us from charging any prepayment penalty on first mortgages or second mortgages in
several states, and restrict the amount or duration of prepayment penalties that we may
impose in several states, as well. State laws regulating prepayment fees vary widely from
state to state. Generally speaking, these laws fall into the following four categories:
(a) prohibiting prepayment fees for all mortgage loans or certain mortgage loans; (b)
authorizing prepayment fees subject to certain conditions, such as the creditor being
licensed for certain loans, or pursuant to a certain formula for a certain period of time;
(c) prohibiting or restricting prepayment fees for mortgage loans covered under the
states anti-predatory lending law, but not for other mortgage loans; and (d)
including prepayment fees in the calculation of points and fees for purposes of
determining whether a loan is covered by an anti-predatory lending law.
Prohibited Prepayment Fees
Blanket prohibitions on imposing prepayment fees may arise under one of two types of laws. First, some state licensing laws prohibit licensees from charging prepayment fees on loans that they originate. Alabamas Consumer Finance Act is one such licensing law. Second, in the limited number of states that have enacted a version of the Uniform Consumer Credit Code, prepayment fees for mortgage loans covered by such laws are often prohibited, but prepayment fees for mortgage loans that are not covered by such laws may not be prohibited. Colorado is one such example.
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Authorized Prepayment Fees Subject to Certain Restrictions
Californias Civil Code is an example of a law of general applicability that authorizes fees subject to certain conditions. The Civil Code permits most lenders to contract for a prepayment fee within the first five years of the loans repayment. A prepayment fee may be imposed on any amount prepaid in any twelve-month period in excess of 20% of the original principal loan amount, which prepayment fee cannot exceed an amount equal to the payment of six months advance interest on the amount prepaid in excess of such 20%. Licensed real estate brokers in California, however, are authorized under the Civil Code to contract for such a prepayment fee within the first seven years of the loans repayment.
Prepayment Fee Provisions Under State Anti-Predatory Lending Laws (i) Prohibiting or Restricting such Fees or (ii) Including such Fees in the Points and Fees Test
Over the past few years, states have begun to adopt anti-predatory lending laws. These anti-predatory lending laws typically address prepayment fees in one of two ways: (i) in definitions of loans covered by the law; or (ii) in the prohibited terms and practices for such loans. With respect to defining the loans covered by the law, several laws include prepayment fees in the calculation of points and fees for purposes of determining whether a loan is covered by the anti-predatory loan provisions. For example, in New Jersey, lenders must include in the calculation: (i) the maximum amount of prepayment fees and penalties that may be charged or collected under the terms of the loan documents; and (ii) all prepayment fees or penalties that are incurred by the borrower if the loan refinances a previous loan made or currently held by the same creditor or an affiliate of the creditor. With respect to regulated practices, some predatory lending laws prohibit or severely restrict a lenders ability to contract for a prepayment fee on loans covered by the law. For example, in Georgia, for any loan that constitutes a high cost home loan, a lender may not include a prepayment fee after two years or that exceed in the aggregate: (i) in the first 12 months of the loan, more than 2% of the loan amount prepaid; or (ii) in the second 12 months of the loan, more than 1% of the loan amount prepaid.
This may place us at a competitive disadvantage relative to financial institutions such as national banks and federally-chartered thrifts that will continue to enjoy federal preemption of such state restrictions. Such institutions generally will be able to charge prepayment penalties without regard to state restrictions and, as a result, may be able to offer loans with interest rate and loan fee structures that are more attractive than the interest rate and loan fee structures that we are able to offer.
Our business could be harmed if
courts rule that the OTS exceeded its statutory authority in adopting regulations in 1996
that allowed lenders such as us to rely on the Parity Act to preempt state restrictions on
prepayment penalties for adjustable-rate mortgages
A New Jersey state appellate court
departed from prior decisions in other jurisdictions to hold that the OTS did not have the
authority to adopt regulations in 1996 that allowed lenders like us to rely on the Parity
Act to preempt state limitations on prepayment penalties with respect to adjustable-rate
mortgages. Although the New Jersey Supreme Court reversed the appellate court decision in
May 2004, that reversal could be appealed, and if it were appealed successfully or if
courts in other jurisdictions reach similar conclusions to those reached by the New Jersey
state appellate court, we could face litigation regarding the enforceability of prepayment
penalties on our outstanding adjustable-rate loans originated prior to July 1, 2003. We
could also be subject to similar litigation relating to charges that were imposed on our
customers who paid prepayment penalties in connection with prepayments of loans prior to
July 1, 2003. We could also face contractual claims from our institutional loan purchasers
stemming from representations we made regarding the enforceability of our prepayment
penalties. Such litigation and claims could have a material adverse effect on our
business, results of operations and financial condition.
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Risks Related to our Capital Structure
Because there historically has
been a limited amount of trading in our common stock, there can be no assurance that our
stock price will not decline
Although our common stock trades on the OTC Bulletin
Board, the public market for our common stock historically has not been very liquid and a
regular trading market for the securities may not be sustained in the future. NASDAQ has
enacted recent changes that limit quotations on the OTC Bulletin Board to securities of
issuers that are current in their reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. The effect on the OTC Bulletin Board of these rule changes and other proposed
changes can not be determined at this time. The OTC Bulletin Board is an inter-dealer,
over-the-counter market that provides significantly less liquidity than the NASDAQs
automated quotation system (the NASDAQ Stock Market). Quotes for stocks
included on the OTC Bulletin Board are not listed in the financial sections of newspapers,
as are those for the NASDAQ Stock Market. Therefore, prices for securities traded solely
on the OTC Bulletin Board may be difficult to obtain and holders of common stock may be
unable to resell their securities at or near their original offering price or at any
price.
Our quarterly revenues and
operating results fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors that may result in
volatility of our stock price
Our quarterly revenues and operating results have varied
in the past and can be expected to fluctuate in the future due to a number of factors,
many of which are beyond our control, including:
As a result of these specific and
other general factors, our operating results will likely vary from quarter to quarter and
the results for any particular quarter may not be necessarily indicative of results for
the full year. Any shortfall in revenues or net income from levels expected by securities
analyst and investors could cause a decrease in the share price of our common stock.
Sales of additional common stock may adversely affect our market price
The sale or
the proposed sale of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market could
materially adversely affect the market price of our common stock or other outstanding
securities. As of March 31, 2005, Raymond Eshaghian, our Chief Executive Officer,
beneficially owned 9,268,350 shares of our common stock and two other stockholders,
including M. Aaron Yashouafar, one of our directors, beneficially owned 3,765,750 shares
of our common stock, and these three stockholders have the right to require us to register
their respective shares. The sale of a large amount of shares by one or more of the three
stockholders, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the
market price for our common stock. In addition, we expect that the legal, accounting, and
other costs associated with the registration of those shares will be substantial.
Our common stock is considered a penny stock
Our common stock is considered to be a penny stock because it meets one or more of the definitions in Rules 15g-2 through 15g-6 promulgated under Section 15(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These include but are not limited to the following: (i) the stock trades at a price less than five dollars ($5.00) per share; (ii) it is NOT traded on a recognized national exchange; (iii) it is NOT quoted on the NASDAQ Stock Market, or even if so, has a price less than five dollars (5.00) per share; or (iv) is issued by a company with net tangible assets less than $2,000,000, if in business more than a continuous three years, or with average revenues of less than $6,000,000 for the past three years. The principal result or effect of being designated a penny stock is that securities broker-dealers cannot recommend the stock but must trade it on an unsolicited basis.
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Broker-dealer requirements may affect trading and liquidity
Section 15(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Rule 15g-2
promulgated thereunder by the SEC require broker-dealers dealing in penny stocks to
provide potential investors with a document disclosing the risks of penny stocks and to
obtain a manually signed and dated written receipt of the document before effecting any
transaction in a penny stock for the investors account.
Potential investors in our common stock are urged to obtain and read such disclosure carefully before purchasing any shares that are deemed to be penny stock. Moreover, Rule 15g-9 requires broker-dealers in penny stocks to approve the account of any investor for transactions in such stocks before selling any penny stock to that investor. This procedure requires the broker-dealer to (i) obtain from the investor information concerning his or her financial situation, investment experience and investment objectives; (ii) reasonably determine, based on that information, that transactions in penny stocks are suitable for the investor and that the investor has sufficient knowledge and experience as to be reasonably capable of evaluating the risks of penny stock transactions; (iii) provide the investor with a written statement setting forth the basis on which the broker-dealer made the determination in (ii) above; and (iv) receive a signed and dated copy of such statement from the investor, confirming that it accurately reflects the investors financial situation, investment experience and investment objectives. Compliance with these requirements may make it more difficult for investors in our common stock to resell their shares to third parties or to otherwise dispose of them in the market or otherwise.
The shares of our common stock
will be subordinate to the rights of our wholly owned operating subsidiarys existing
and future creditors
We are a holding company and our only assets are the shares of
capital stock of our wholly owned operating subsidiary, The Mortgage Store. As a holding
company without independent means of generating operating revenues, we depend upon
dividends and other payments from The Mortgage Store to fund our obligations and meet our
cash needs. Our expenses may include the salaries of our executive officers, insurance and
professional fees. Financial covenants under the existing or future loan agreements of The
Mortgage Store, or provisions of the California Corporations Code, may limit The Mortgage
Stores ability to make sufficient dividend or other payments to us to permit us to
fund our obligations or meet our cash needs, in whole or in part. By virtue of this
holding-company structure, the shares of our common stock purchased in this offering will
be structurally junior in right of payment to all existing and future liabilities of The
Mortgage Store.
We may be subject to unknown liabilities as a result of reverse merger
We became a publicly traded company
through a reverse merger with an unrelated company, which had prior operations in an
unrelated business. There may be potential liabilities incurred by the prior business,
which are unknown to us for which we may be held liable. We have no insurance for
liabilities incurred as a result of business conducted prior to the reverse merger.
Control by officer, director and majority stockholder
We are controlled by Raymond
Eshaghian, who beneficially owns 62.0% of our outstanding common stock as of March 31,
2005. Mr. Eshaghian serves as our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board of
Directors. As a result, Mr. Eshaghian is able to (i) elect a majority of our Board of
Directors, (ii) approve the sale of our assets, mergers and other business combination
transactions and (iii) direct and control our operations, policies, and business
decisions.
Some provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws may deter takeover attempts, which may limit the opportunity of our stockholders to sell their shares at a favorable price. Some of the provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so might be beneficial to our stockholders by providing them with the opportunity to sell their shares possibly at a premium over the then market price.
For example, our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes our Board of Directors to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock. The preferred stock may be issued in one or more series, the terms of which may be determined at the time of issuance by our Board of Directors without further action by the stockholders. These terms may include voting rights including the right to vote as a series on particular matters, preferences as to dividends and liquidation, conversion rights, redemption rights and sinking fund provisions. No shares of preferred stock will be outstanding upon the closing of this offering and we have no present plans for the issuance of any preferred stock. The issuance of any preferred stock, however, could diminish the rights of holders of our common stock, and therefore could reduce the value of our common stock. In addition, specific rights granted to future holders of preferred stock could be used to restrict our ability to merge with, or sell assets to, a third party. The ability of our Board of Directors to issue preferred stock could make it more difficult, delay, discourage, prevent or make it more costly to acquire or effect a change in control, thereby preserving the current stockholders control.
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In addition, we are also subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law that, subject to certain exceptions, prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder. The preceding provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, as well as Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, could discourage potential acquisition proposals, delay or prevent a change of control and prevent changes in our management, even if such things would be in the best interests of our stockholders.
ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSERS ABOUT MARKET RISK
Quantitative and
Qualitative Market Risk Disclosure
Market risks generally represent the
risk of loss that may result from the potential change in the value of a financial
instrument due to fluctuations in interest and foreign exchange rates and in equity and
commodity prices. Our market risk relates primarily to interest rate fluctuations. We may
be directly affected by the level of and fluctuations in interest rates, which affects the
spread between the rates of interest received on our mortgage loans and the related
financing rate. Our profitability could be adversely affected during any period of
unexpected or rapid changes in interest rates, by impacting the value of loans held for
sale and loans sold with retained interests.
The objective of interest rate risk management is to control the effects that interest rate fluctuations have on the value of our assets and liabilities. Our management of interest rate risk is intended to mitigate the volatility of earnings associated with fluctuations in the unrealized gain (loss) on the mortgage-related securities and the market value of loans held for sale due to changes in the current market rate of interest.
We use several tools and risk
management strategies to monitor and address interest rate risk. Such tools allow us to
monitor and evaluate our exposure to these risks and to manage the risk profile to our
loan portfolio in response to changes in the market. We cannot assure you, however, that
we will adequately offset all risks associated with our loans held for sale or committed.
As part of our interest rate management process, we may in the future use derivative
financial instruments such as financial futures and options, interest rate swaps and
financial forwards. We will designate certain derivative financial instruments used to
hedge our mortgage loans held for sale as hedge instruments under SFAS No. 133. At trade
date these instruments and their hedge relationship will be identified, designated and
documented. For derivative financial instruments designated as hedge instruments, we will
evaluate the effectiveness of these hedges against the mortgage loans being hedged to
ensure that there remains a highly effective correlation in the hedge relationship. Since
our concern with interest rates is the potential change in fair market value of the loans,
we will treat these as fair value hedges under SFAS No. 133. Once the hedge relationship
is established, the realized and unrealized changes in fair value of both the hedge
instruments and mortgage loans will be recognized in the consolidated statements of
operations in the period in which the changes occur. Any net amount recorded in the
consolidated statements of operations will be referred to as hedge ineffectiveness.
For derivative financial instruments not designated as hedge instruments, realized and unrealized changes in fair value are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations in the period in which the changes occur or when such instruments are settled.
Interest Rate Simulation
Sensitivity Analysis
Changes in market interest rates
affect our gain (loss) from sales of mortgage loans held for sale and the fair value of
our mortgage-related securities and related derivatives when we engage in such
securitization strategy. As of March 31, 2005 we held $87.8 million in loans which
had not been committed for sale at the time. Increases in interest rate would adversely
affect revenue we will realize from uncommitted loans. Likewise, any decrease in interest
rates would have a positive impact on our gain from sales of the same amount of
uncommitted loans.
The following table summarizes impact of 100 basis points (bps), -50 bps, 50 bps and 100 bps change in the prevailing market rates on the pricing premiums we would collect from sales of these loans, compared to no change in prevailing rates. Since we do not recognize the revenue until loans are sold, the impact of interest rate change will be on our future income from uncommitted loans.
Change in Interest Rate (bps) | -100 | -50 | 0 | 50 | 100 |
Change in Revenue from sale of Uncommitted Loans ($ 000s) |
2,195 | 1,097.5 | 0 | 1,097.5 | 2,195 |
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ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
(a) Evaluation of disclosure controls and
procedures
The term disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a - 15(e)
or 15d - 15 (c) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended (the "Exchange Act"))
refers to the controls
and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be
disclosed by a company in the reports that it files under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed,
summarized and reported within required time periods. As of the end of the period covered
by this quarterly report on Form 10-Q (the Evaluation Date), we carried out an
evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer
and Chief Financial Officer of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and
procedures. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer have concluded that, as of the Evaluation Date, the Company's disclosure controls
and procedures were effective in ensuring that required information will be disclosed on a
timely basis in our periodic reports filed under the Exchange Act.
(b) Changes in internal
controls
During the quarter ended March 31, 2005, there were no changes to the Companys internal
control or financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to affect
the Companys internal control over financial reporting.
However, as a subsequent event in April 2005, the Company provided a loan for
purchase of a multi-unit residential property
to its primary shareholder. Upon review and advice of
the Companys outside counsel, it was determined that this loan
potentially constituted a control deficiency as defined by Auditing Standard No.
2 of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board as defined under SOX, the loan was
immediately recalled, and funds were returned to the Company.
As a result, the Company shall not engage in lending to insiders or major shareholders (holding 3% and over) in scenarios that do not fall within the Companys normal course of business. The Companys normal course of business is defined as lending activities on 1-4 unit residential properties. Thus, it will be the Companys policy to refrain from extending any funds or loans of any type to insiders and 3% over shareholders, which loans include but are not limited to any types of personal loans, loans on residential units with more than 4 units, and loans on commercial properties which fall outside of the Companys product offerings.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
ITEM 2: UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
None.
ITEM 3: DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
None.
ITEM 4: SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS
None.
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None.
(a) Exhibits
31.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-- 14(a).
31.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-- 14(a).
32.1 Certification pursuant to U.S.C. 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
TMSF HOLDINGS, INC.
/s/ Masoud Najand
Masoud Najand
Chief Financial Officer
Date: May 23, 2005
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