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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

Commission File Number: 1-14100

IMPAC MORTGAGE HOLDINGS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

1401 Dove Street, Newport Beach, California 92660

(Address of principal executive offices)

(949) 475-3600

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

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    ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of the Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2)

Yes    x No    ¨

As of June 30, 2003 the aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $837.2 million, based on the closing sales price of common stock on the American Stock Exchange on that date. For purposes of the calculation only, all directors and executive officers of the registrant have been deemed affiliates. There were 62,186,866 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 10, 2004.

No documents are incorporated by reference.

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IMPAC MORTGAGE HOLDINGS, INC.

2003 FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT

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IMPAC MORTGAGE HOLDINGS, INC.

2003 FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT

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PART I

Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Impac Mortgage Holdings, Inc. (“IMH”), a Maryland corporation incorporated in August 1995, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, IMH Assets Corp., or “IMH Assets,” Impac Warehouse Lending Group, Inc., or “IWLG,” Impac Multifamily Capital Corporation, or “IMCC,” and Impac Funding Corporation, or “IFC,” together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries Impac Secured Assets Corp., or “ISAC,” and Novelle Financial Services, Inc., or “Novelle.”

Forward-Looking Statements

This annual report on Form 10-K contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements, some of which are based on various assumptions and events that are beyond our control may be identified by reference to a future period or periods or by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as “may,” “will,” “believe,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “continue,” or similar terms or variations on those terms or the negative of those terms. Actual results could differ materially from those set forth in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to, failure to achieve projected earnings levels, the ability to generate sufficient liquidity, the ability to access the capital markets, the size and frequency of our securitizations, the ability to generate taxable income and pay dividends,, interest rate fluctuations on our assets that differ from those on our liabilities, increase in prepayment rates on our mortgage assets, changes in assumptions regarding estimated loan losses or fair value amounts, changes in expectations of future interest rates, the availability of financing and, if available, the terms of any financing, changes in origination and resale pricing of mortgages, changes in markets which we serve and changes in general market and economic conditions. For a discussion of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see “Risk Factors” and Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this annual report. We do not undertake, and specifically disclaim any obligation, to publicly release the results of any revisions that may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

Available Information

Our Internet website address is www.impaccompanies.com. We make our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and proxy statement for our annual stockholders’ meetings, as well as any amendments to those reports, available free of charge through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or “SEC.” You can learn more about us by reviewing our SEC filings on our website by clicking on “Investor Relations” located on our home page and proceeding to “Financial Reports.” The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy statements and other information regarding SEC registrants, including the Company.

General Overview

We are a mortgage real estate investment trust, or “REIT,” that is a nationwide acquirer, originator, seller and investor of non-conforming Alt-A mortgages, or “Alt-A mortgages,” and to a lesser extent, small-balance, multi-family mortgages, or “multi-family mortgages” and sub-prime, or “B/C mortgages.” We also provide warehouse and repurchase financing to originators of mortgages.

We operate three core businesses:

The long-term investment operations primarily invest in adjustable rate and fixed rate Alt-A mortgages that are acquired and originated by our mortgage operations. Alt-A mortgages are primarily first lien mortgages made to

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borrowers whose credit is generally within typical Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines, but have loan characteristics that make them non-conforming under those guidelines. Some of the principal differences between mortgages purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and Alt-A mortgages are as follows:

For instance, Alt-A mortgages may not have certain documentation or verifications that are required by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and, therefore, in making our credit decisions, we are more reliant upon the borrower’s credit score and the adequacy of the underlying collateral. We believe that Alt-A mortgages provide an attractive net earnings profile by producing higher yields without commensurately higher credit losses than other types of mortgages.

The long-term investment operations also originate and invest in multi-family mortgages that are primarily hybrid adjustable rate mortgages, or “hybrid ARMs,” with initial fixed interest rate periods of three, five and seven years that subsequently adjust to adjustable rate mortgages. Mortgage balances generally range from $250,000 to $3.0 million. Multi-family mortgages have interest rate floors, which is the initial start rate, and prepayment penalty periods of 3, 5 and 7 years. Multi-family mortgages provide greater asset diversification on our balance sheet as borrowers of multi-family mortgages typically have higher credit scores and multi-family mortgages typically have lower loan-to-value ratios, or “LTV ratios,” and longer lives than Alt-A mortgages.

The long-term investment operations generate earnings primarily from net interest income earned on mortgages held for long-term investment, or “long-term mortgage portfolio.” The long-term mortgage portfolio consists of mortgages held as CMO collateral and mortgages held for investment on our balance sheet. Investments in Alt-A mortgages and multi-family mortgages are initially financed with short-term borrowings under reverse repurchase agreements which are subsequently converted to long-term financing in the form of collateralized mortgage obligations, or “CMO,” financing. Cash flow from the long-term mortgage portfolio and proceeds from the sale of capital stock also finance new Alt-A and multi-family mortgages.

The mortgage operations acquire, originate, sell and securitize primarily adjustable rate and fixed rate Alt-A mortgages and, to a lesser extent, B/C mortgages. The mortgage operations generate income by securitizing and selling mortgages to permanent investors, including the long-term investment operations. This business also earns revenue from fees associated with mortgage servicing rights, master servicing agreements and interest income earned on mortgages held for sale. The mortgage operations use warehouse facilities provided by the warehouse lending operations to finance the acquisition and origination of mortgages.

The warehouse lending operations provide short-term financing to mortgage loan originators, including the mortgage operations, by funding mortgages from their closing date until sale to pre-approved investors. This business earns fees from warehouse transactions as well as net interest income from the difference between its cost of borrowings and the interest earned on warehouse advances.

Our goal is to generate consistent reliable income for distribution to our stockholders primarily from earnings generated by our core operating businesses.

Long-Term Investment Operations

The long-term investment operations invest primarily in Alt-A mortgages and multi-family mortgages and generate revenue primarily from net interest income on its long-term mortgage portfolio. Net interest income represents the difference between income received on mortgages and the corresponding cost of financing, including costs associated with interest rate hedging activities. The mortgage operations supports the investment objectives of the long-term investment operations by supplying mortgages at prices that are comparable to those available through mortgage bankers and brokers and other third parties. We believe that retaining mortgages acquired and originated by our mortgage operations gives us a competitive advantage because of our historical understanding of the underlying credit of these mortgages and the extensive information on the performance and prepayment patterns of these types of mortgages. We also believe that Alt-A mortgages provide an attractive net earnings profile by producing higher yields without commensurately higher credit risks than other types of mortgages.

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The long-term investment operations also invest in Alt-A mortgages that are acquired on a bulk basis by the mortgages operations and are underwritten to guidelines substantially similar, but not specific, to those of the mortgage operations, or “non-Impac Alt-A mortgages.” Historically, borrowers of non-Impac Alt-A mortgages have higher credit scores than Alt-A mortgages acquired from the mortgage operations’ network of correspondent sellers that are underwritten to the mortgage operations specific underwriting guidelines, or “Impac Alt-A mortgages.”

Long-Term Mortgage Portfolio

Alt-A mortgages that we retain for long-term investment are primarily adjustable rate mortgages, or “ARMs,” hybrid ARMs and, to a lesser extent, fixed rate mortgages, or “FRMs.” The interest rate on ARMs are typically tied to an index, such as the six-month London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” plus a spread and adjust periodically, subject to lifetime interest rate caps and periodic interest rate and payment caps. The initial interest rates on ARMs are typically lower than average comparable FRMs but may be higher than average comparable FRMs over the life of the mortgage. Hybrid ARMs are mortgages with maturity periods ranging from 15 to 30 years with initial fixed interest rate periods generally ranging from two to seven years, which subsequently adjust to ARMs. The majority of mortgages retained by the long-term investment operations have prepayment penalty features with prepayment penalty periods ranging from two to seven years.

During 2003, the long-term investment operations retained $5.8 billion in principal balance of primarily adjustable rate Alt-A mortgages for long-term investment which were initially acquired and originated by the mortgage operations. In addition, the long-term investment operations originated $290.5 million of multi-family mortgages. The retention and origination of Alt-A and multi-family mortgages increased the long-term mortgage portfolio to $9.4 billion at year-end 2003.

The following table presents selected information on mortgages held as CMO collateral, which comprise a substantial portion of the long-term mortgage portfolio, for the periods indicated:

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The following table presents mortgages retained and originated by the long-term investment operations by loan characteristic for the periods indicated (dollars in thousands):

For additional information regarding the long-term mortgage portfolio refer to Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Note C—CMO Collateral,” and “Note D—Mortgages Held-for-Investment” in the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Financing

We primarily finance our long-term mortgage portfolio as follows:

As we accumulate mortgages we may issue CMOs secured by such mortgages as a means of financing. The decision to issue CMOs is based on our current and future investment needs, market conditions and other factors. Each issue of CMOs is fully payable from the principal and interest payments on the underlying mortgages securing such debt and any cash or other collateral pledged as a condition of receiving the desired rating on the debt. We earn a net interest spread on interest income on mortgages held as CMO collateral less interest and other expenses associated with CMO financing. Net interest spreads may be directly impacted by levels of early prepayment of underlying mortgages and, to the extent each CMO class has variable rates of interest, may be affected by changes in short-term interest rates. Our CMOs typically are structured as adjustable rate securities that are indexed to one-month LIBOR and fixed rate securities with interest payable monthly.

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When we issue CMOs for financing purposes, we seek an investment grade rating for our CMOs by nationally recognized rating agencies. To secure such ratings, it is often necessary to pledge collateral in excess of the principal amount of the CMOs to be issued, or to obtain other forms of credit enhancements, such as additional mortgage insurance. The need for additional collateral or other credit enhancements depends upon factors such as the type of collateral provided, the interest rates paid, the geographic concentration of the mortgaged property securing the collateral and other criteria established by the rating agencies. The pledge of additional collateral reduces our capacity to raise additional funds through short-term secured borrowings or additional CMOs, and diminishes the potential expansion of our long-term mortgage portfolio. As a result, our objective is to pledge additional collateral for CMOs only in the amount required to obtain an investment grade rating by nationally recognized rating agencies. Our total loss exposure is limited to total capital invested in the CMOs at any point in time.

For additional information regarding CMOs refer to Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity” and “Note H—CMO Borrowings” in the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Prior to the issuance of CMOs, we use reverse repurchase agreements as short-term financing at interest rates that are consistent with our investment objectives. A reverse repurchase agreement acts as a financing vehicle under which we effectively pledge our mortgages as collateral to secure a short-term loan. Generally, the other party to the agreement makes the loan in an amount equal to a percentage of the market value of the pledged collateral. At maturity of the reverse repurchase agreement, we are required to repay the loan and correspondingly we receive our collateral. Our borrowing agreements require us to pledge cash, additional mortgages or additional investment securities backed by mortgages in the event the market value of existing collateral declines. We may be required to sell assets to reduce our borrowings to the extent that cash reserves are insufficient to cover such deficiencies in collateral.

For additional information regarding reverse repurchase agreements refer to Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity” and “Note G—Reverse Repurchase Agreements” in the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Interest Rate Hedging

Our primary objective is to hedge our exposure to the variability in future cash flows attributable to the variability of one-month LIBOR, which is the underlying index of our adjustable rate CMO borrowings. We also monitor on an ongoing basis the prepayment risks that arise in fluctuating interest rate environments. Our interest rate hedge program is formulated with the intent to offset the potential adverse effects of changing interest rates on cash flows on adjustable rate CMO borrowings resulting from the following:

To mitigate our exposure to the effect of changing interest rates on cash flows on our adjustable rate CMO borrowings, we acquire derivative instruments in the form of interest rate cap agreements, or “caps,” interest rate floor agreements, or “floors” and interest rate swap agreements, or “swaps,” collectively, “derivative instruments.”

For additional information regarding interest rate hedging activities refer to Item 7A. “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” and “Note O—Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities” in the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Mortgage Operations

The mortgage operations acquire, originate, sell and securitize primarily adjustable rate and fixed rate Alt-A mortgages and, to a lesser extent B/C mortgages, from correspondents, mortgage bankers and brokers and retail customers.

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Correspondent Acquisition Channel. The mortgage operations acquire primarily adjustable rate and fixed rate Alt-A mortgages from its network of third party correspondents on a flow (loan-by-loan) basis or on a bulk basis from correspondent mortgage companies. Correspondents originate and close mortgages under the mortgage operations’ mortgage programs. Correspondents include savings and loan associations, commercial banks and mortgage bankers. The mortgage operations acts as an intermediary between the originators of mortgages that do not meet the guidelines for purchase by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and permanent investors in mortgage-backed securities secured by or representing an ownership interest in such mortgages.

Bulk Acquisition Channel. The mortgage operations also invest in non-Impac Alt-A mortgages that are underwritten to guidelines substantially similar, but not specific, to those of the mortgage operations. These mortgages are purchased on a bulk basis and borrowers have historically had higher credit scores than Alt-A mortgages acquired from the mortgage operations’ network of correspondent sellers.

Wholesale and Retail Origination Channel. The mortgage operations market, underwrite, process and fund mortgages for wholesale and, to a lesser extent, retail customers. The wholesale origination channel works directly with mortgage bankers and brokers to originate, underwrite and fund their mortgages. Many wholesale customers cannot conduct business with the mortgage operations as correspondents because they do not have the necessary financing to close mortgages in their name. Through its retail channel, the mortgage operations markets mortgages directly to the public.

B/C Origination Channel. Novelle originates B/C mortgages through a network of wholesale mortgage bankers and brokers and subsequently sells its mortgages to third party investors for cash gains.

Marketing Strategy

We believe that we can compete effectively with other Alt-A mortgage conduits through our efficient loan purchasing process, flexible purchase commitment options, competitive pricing and by designing Alt-A mortgages that suit the needs of our correspondents and mortgage bankers and brokers and their borrowers. Our principle strategy is to expand our market position as a low-cost nationwide acquirer and originator of Alt-A mortgages, while continuing to emphasize an efficient centralized operating structure. To help accomplish this, we have developed a second-generation web-based automated underwriting system called Impac Direct Access System for Lending, or “iDASLg2.” iDASLg2 substantially increases efficiencies for our customers and our mortgage operations by significantly decreasing the processing time for a mortgage while improving employee productivity and maintaining superior customer service.

iDASLg2 is an interactive Internet-based system that allows our customers to automatically underwrite mortgages, enabling our customers to pre-qualify borrowers for various mortgage programs and receive automated approval decisions. iDASLg2 is intended to increase efficiencies not only for our customers but also for the mortgage operations by significantly decreasing the processing time for a mortgage. iDASLg2 improves employee production and maintains superior customer service, which together leads to higher closing ratios, improved profit margins and increased profitability at all levels of our business operations. Most importantly, iDASLg2 allows us to move closer to our correspondents and mortgage bankers and brokers with minimal future capital investment while maintaining centralization, a key factor in the success of our operating strategy. All of our correspondents submit mortgages via iDASLg2 and all wholesale mortgages delivered by mortgage bankers and brokers are directly underwritten through iDASLg2. Non-Impac mortgages purchased on a bulk basis are not underwritten through iDASLg2.

We also focus on expansion opportunities to attract correspondent originators and mortgage bankers and brokers to our nationwide network in order to increase mortgage acquisitions and originations in a controlled manner. This allows us to shift the high fixed costs of interfacing with the homeowner to our correspondents and mortgage bankers and brokers. This marketing strategy is designed to accomplish the following three objectives:

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In order to accomplish our production objectives, we design and offer mortgage products that we believe are attractive to potential Alt-A borrowers and to end-investors in Alt-A mortgages and mortgage-backed securities. We have historically emphasized and continue to emphasize flexibility in our mortgage product mix as part of our strategy to attract and establish long-term relationships with our correspondents and mortgage bankers and brokers. We also maintain relationships with numerous investors so that we may develop mortgage products that may be of interest to them as market conditions change. In response to the needs of our correspondents, and as part of our strategy to facilitate the sale of our mortgages through the mortgage operations, our marketing strategy offers efficient response time in the purchase process, direct and frequent contact with our correspondents and mortgage bankers and brokers through a trained sales force and flexible commitment programs. Finally, due to the price sensitivity of most homebuyers, we are competitive in pricing our products in order to attract sufficient numbers of mortgages.

Mortgage Acquisitions and Originations

Mortgages acquired and originated by the mortgage operations are adjustable rate and fixed rate Alt-A mortgages. A portion of Alt-A mortgages that are acquired and originated by the mortgage operations exceed the maximum principal balance for a conforming loan purchased by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which is currently $333,700. Mortgages that exceed such maximum principal balance are referred to as “jumbo loans.” We generally do not acquire or originate Alt-A mortgages with principal balances above $1.0 million. Alt-A mortgages generally consist of jumbo loans or other mortgages that are acquired and originated in accordance with underwriting or product guidelines that differ from those applied by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Alt-A mortgages may involve greater risk as a result of different underwriting and product guidelines. Additionally, a portion of mortgages acquired and originated through the mortgage operations are B/C mortgages, which may entail greater credit risks than Alt-A mortgages. B/C mortgage acquisitions and originations represented 5% and 7% of total acquisitions and originations during 2003 and 2002, respectively.

We generally do not originate B/C mortgages with principal balances above $650,000. In general, B/C mortgages are residential mortgages made to borrowers with lower credit ratings than borrowers of Alt-A mortgages. B/C mortgages are normally subject to higher rates of loss and delinquency than Alt-A mortgages acquired and originated by the mortgage operations. As a result, B/C mortgages normally bear a higher rate of interest and are typically subject to higher fees than Alt-A mortgages. In general, greater emphasis is placed upon the value of the mortgaged property and, consequently, the quality of appraisals, and less upon the credit history of the borrower in underwriting B/C mortgages than in underwriting Alt-A mortgages. In addition, B/C mortgages are generally subject to lower LTV ratios than Alt-A mortgages.

Mortgages acquired or originated by the mortgage operations are generally secured by first liens and, to a lesser extent, second liens on single-family residential properties with either adjustable rate or fixed interest rates. FRMs have a constant interest rate over the life of the loan, which is generally 15 or 30 years. The interest rates on ARMs are typically tied to an index, such as six-month LIBOR, plus a spread and adjust periodically, subject to lifetime interest rate caps and periodic interest rate and payment caps. The initial interest rates on ARMs are typically lower than the average comparable FRM but may be higher than average comparable FRMs over the life of the loan.

We acquire and originate mortgages with the following most common loan characteristics, although we may purchase mortgages with other interest rate, prepayment and maturity characteristics:

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The following table presents mortgage acquisitions and originations by loan characteristic for the periods indicated (in thousands):

Our mortgage acquisition and origination activities focus on those regions of the country where higher volumes of Alt-A mortgages are originated including California, Florida, New York, Colorado, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Arizona and Nevada. During the years ended December 31, 2003 and 2002, mortgages secured by California and Florida properties accounted for an aggregate of approximately 76% and 56%, respectively, of mortgage acquisitions and originations during both years.

Of the $9.5 billion in principal balance of mortgages acquired and originated in 2003, $3.7 billion, or 39%, were acquired from our top ten correspondents. Express Lending Group accounted for $925.9 million, or 10%, of mortgages

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acquired and originated by the mortgage operations in 2003. No other correspondents or bankers and brokers accounted for more than 10% of the total mortgages acquired and originated by the mortgage operations in 2003.

Underwriting

We have developed comprehensive purchase guidelines for the acquisition and origination of mortgages. Each mortgage underwritten assesses the borrower’s credit score, ability and willingness to repay the mortgage obligation and the adequacy of the mortgaged property as collateral for the mortgage. Subject to certain exceptions and the type of mortgage product, each purchased mortgage generally conforms to the loan parameters and eligibility requirements specified in our seller/servicer guide with respect to, among other things, loan amount, type of property, compliance, LTV ratio, mortgage insurance, credit history, debt service-to-income ratio, appraisal and loan documentation.

All mortgages acquired or originated under our loan programs are underwritten either by our employees or by contracted mortgage insurance companies or delegated sellers. Under all of our underwriting methods, loan documentation requirements for verifying the borrower’s income and assets vary according to LTV ratios and other factors. Generally, as the standards for required documentation are lowered, the borrowers’ down payment requirements are increased and the required LTV ratios are decreased. The borrower is also required to have a stronger credit history, larger cash reserves and an appraisal of the property that may be validated by an enhanced desk or field review, depending on the loan program. Lending decisions are based on a risk analysis assessment after the review of the entire mortgage file. Each mortgage is individually underwritten with emphasis placed on the overall quality of the mortgage.

Seller Eligibility Requirements

Mortgages acquired by the mortgage operations are originated by various sellers, including mortgage bankers, savings and loan associations and commercial banks. Sellers are required to meet certain regulatory, financial, insurance and performance requirements established by us before they are eligible to participate in our mortgage purchase programs. Sellers must also submit to periodic reviews to ensure continued compliance with these requirements. Our current criteria for seller participation generally includes a minimum tangible net worth requirement of $500,000, approval as a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac seller/servicer in good standing, a Housing and Urban Development, or “HUD,” approved mortgagee in good standing or a financial institution that is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or “FDIC,” or comparable federal or state agency, and that the seller is examined by a federal or state authority.

In addition, sellers are required to have comprehensive mortgage origination quality control procedures. In connection with its qualification, each seller enters into an agreement that generally provides for recourse by us against the seller in the event of a breach of representations or warranties made by the seller with respect to mortgages sold to us, which includes but is not limited to any fraud or misrepresentation during the mortgage loan origination process or upon early payment default on mortgages.

Securitization and Sale

After acquiring mortgages from correspondents on a flow or bulk basis and originating mortgages through wholesale and retail channels, the mortgage operations sell and securitize mortgages to permanent investors. The mortgage operations sell substantially all of its ARM acquisitions to the long-term investment operations at prices comparable to prices available from third party investors at the date of sale. When a sufficient volume of FRMs with similar characteristics has been accumulated, generally $100 million to $350 million, the mortgage operations may sell bulk packages, referred to as whole loan sales, to third party investors, securitize them through the issuance of mortgage-backed securities in the form of real estate mortgage investment conduits, or “REMICs,” or sell them to the long-term investment operations.

During 2003, the mortgage operations transferred $5.8 billion in principal balance of mortgages to the long-term investment operations, sold $2.7 billion in principal balance of mortgages as whole loan sales and sold $887.5 million in principal balance of mortgages as REMICs. Generally, the mortgage operations sells all of its mortgage acquisitions and originations to third party investors as servicing released, which means that it does not retain primary mortgage servicing rights.

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The period of time between when we commit to purchase mortgages and the time we sell or securitize mortgages generally ranges from 15 to 45 days, depending on certain factors, including the length of the purchase commitment period, volume by product type and the securitization process. REMICs are accounted for as sales transactions and eliminate any long-term residual investment in such mortgages. REMIC securities consist of one or more classes of “regular interests” and a single class of “residual interest.” The regular interests are tailored to the needs of investors and may be issued in multiple classes with varying maturities, average lives and interest rates. REMICs created by us are structured so that one or more of the classes of securities are rated investment grade by at least one nationally recognized rating agency. The ratings for our REMICs are based upon the perceived credit risk by the applicable rating agency of the underlying mortgages, the structure of the securities and the associated level of credit enhancement. Credit enhancement is designed to provide protection to the security holders in the event of borrower defaults and other losses including those associated with fraud or reductions in the principal balances or interest rates on mortgages as required by law or a bankruptcy court.

Interest Rate Hedging

The mortgage operations hedges interest rate risk and price volatility on its pipeline of rate-locked mortgage purchase commitments, or “mortgage pipeline,” during the time it commits to acquire or originate mortgages at a pre-determined rate and the time it sells or securitizes mortgages. To mitigate interest rate and price volatility risks, the mortgage operations may enter into derivative instruments. The nature and quantity of derivative instruments are determined based on various factors, including market conditions and the expected volume of mortgage acquisitions and originations. On March 9, 2004, the SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 105, “Application of Accounting Principles to Loan Commitments,” or “SAB 105,” which clarifies the SEC’s position on the accounting for loan commitments. Consistent with SFAS 149, the SAB states that loan commitments are treated as derivative instruments. The SAB also addresses the issues of not recognizing cashflows associated with servicing prior to the sale or securitization of funded loans and certain other disclosure issues pertaining to loan commitments. We have not determined the effect of this SAB on our accounting for loan commitments.

For additional information regarding interest rate hedging activities refer to Item 7A. “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” and “Note O—Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities” in the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Master Servicing

We retain master servicing rights on substantially all of our Alt-A and multi-family mortgage acquisitions and originations. Our function as master servicer includes collecting loan payments from other loan servicers and remitting loan payments, less master servicing fees receivable and other fees, to a trustee or other purchaser for each series of mortgage-backed securities or loans master serviced. In addition, as master servicer, we monitor compliance with our servicing guidelines and are required to perform, or to contract with a third party to perform, all obligations not adequately performed by any loan servicer. We may also be required to advance funds to cover interest payments not received from borrower’s depending on the status of their mortgages. We also earn income or incur expense on principal and interest payments we receive from our borrowers until those payments are remitted to the investors in those mortgages. Master servicing fees are generally 0.03% per annum on the declining principal balances of the loans serviced. At year-end 2003, we master serviced 65,255 mortgages with a principal balance of $13.9 billion.

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The following table presents the amount of delinquent mortgages in our master servicing portfolio for the periods indicated (dollars in thousands):

Servicing

We sell or subcontract all of our servicing obligations to independent third parties pursuant to sub-servicing agreements. We believe that the sale of servicing rights or the selection of third-party sub-servicers is more effective than establishing a servicing department within our mortgage operations. However, part of our responsibility is to continually monitor the performance of servicers or sub-servicers through performance reviews and regular site visits. Depending on our reviews, we may in the future rely on our internal default management group to take an ever more active role to assist servicers or sub-servicers in the servicing of our mortgages. Servicing includes collecting and remitting loan payments, making required advances, accounting for principal and interest, holding escrow or impound funds for payment of taxes and insurance, if applicable, making required inspections of the mortgaged property, contacting delinquent borrowers, and supervising foreclosures and property dispositions in the event of un-remedied defaults in accordance with our guidelines. Servicing fees range from 0.25% per annum for FRMs to 0.50% per annum for B/C mortgages and 0.375% for ARMs on the declining principal balances of loans serviced. We generally acquire all of our mortgages on a servicing released basis. To the extent the mortgage operations finances the acquisition of mortgages with warehouse facilities provided by the warehouse lending operations, the mortgage operations pledges mortgages and the related servicing rights to the warehouse lending operations as collateral. As a result, the warehouse lending operations has an absolute right to control the servicing of such mortgages, including the right to collect payments on the underlying mortgages, and to foreclose upon the underlying real property in the case of default. Typically, the warehouse lending operations delegates its right to service the mortgages securing the warehouse line to the mortgage operations.

The following table presents information regarding our mortgage servicing portfolio, including mortgages held-for-sale and mortgages held for long-term investment, for the periods shown (dollars in millions, except average loan size):

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Warehouse Lending Operations

The warehouse lending operations provide warehouse financing to affiliated companies and reverse repurchase financing to approved non-affiliated mortgage bankers, or “non-affiliated clients,” some of which are correspondents of the mortgage operations, to finance mortgages during the time from the closing of the mortgages to sale or other settlement with pre-approved investors. The warehouse lending operations relies mainly on the sale or liquidation of the mortgages as a source of repayment. Any claim of the warehouse lending operations as a secured lender in a bankruptcy proceeding may be subject to adjustment and delay. Borrowings under warehouse facilities are presented on our balance sheet as finance receivables. Terms of non-affiliated clients’ warehouse lines, including the commitment amount, are determined based upon the financial strength, historical performance and other qualifications of the borrower. As of December 31, 2003, the warehouse lending operations had approved warehouse lines to non-affiliated clients of $1.0 billion, of which $630.0 million was outstanding, as compared to $665.0 million and $664.0 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2002.

Regulation

We establish underwriting guidelines that include provisions for inspections and appraisals, require credit reports on prospective borrowers and determine maximum loan amounts. Our mortgage acquisition and origination activities are subject to, among other laws, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Federal Truth-in-Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and Home Mortgage Disclosure Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder. These laws and regulations prohibit discrimination and require the disclosure of certain basic information to mortgagors concerning credit terms and settlement costs, limit payment for settlement services to the reasonable value of the services rendered and require the maintenance and disclosure of information regarding the disposition of mortgage applications based on race, gender, geographical distribution and income level. Our mortgage acquisition and origination activities are also subject to state and local laws and regulations, including predatory lending laws, and may also be subject to applicable state usury statutes. IFC is an approved Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac seller and/or servicer. In addition, IFC is required annually to submit to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac audited financial statements, or the equivalent, and each regulatory entity has its own financial requirements for sellers/servicers. IFC’s affairs are also subject to examination by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac at any time to assure compliance with applicable regulations, policies and procedures.

Competition

In acquiring and originating Alt-A mortgages and issuing securities backed by such loans, we compete with established mortgage conduit programs, investment banking firms, savings and loan associations, banks, thrift and loan associations, finance companies, mortgage bankers and brokers, insurance companies, other lenders and other entities purchasing mortgage assets. Consolidation in the mortgage banking industry may also reduce the number of current correspondents and independent mortgage bankers and brokers available to the mortgage operations, reducing our potential customer base and resulting in the mortgage operations acquiring and originating a larger percentage of mortgages from a smaller number of customers. Changes of this nature could negatively impact our businesses.

Mortgage-backed securities issued by the mortgage operations and the long-term investment operations face competition from other investment opportunities available to prospective investors. We face competition in our mortgage operations and warehouse lending operations from other financial institutions, including but not limited to banks and investment banks. Our main competitors include IndyMac Bancorp, Inc., Greenpoint Financial Corporation, Residential Funding Corporation, Aurora Loan Services, Inc. and Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation.

Competition can take place on various levels, including convenience in obtaining a mortgage, service, marketing, origination channels and pricing. We depend primarily on correspondents and independent mortgage bankers and brokers for the acquisition and origination of mortgages. These independent mortgage bankers and brokers deal with multiple lenders for each prospective borrower. We compete with these lenders for the independent bankers and brokers’ business on the basis of price, service, loan fees, costs and other factors. Our competitors also seek to establish relationships with such bankers and brokers, who are not obligated by contract or otherwise to do business with us. Many of the institutions with which we compete in our mortgage operations and warehouse lending operations have significantly greater financial resources than we have. However, we can compete effectively with other Alt-A mortgage conduits through our efficient loan purchasing process, flexible purchase commitment options and competitive pricing

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and by designing Alt-A mortgages that suit the needs of our correspondents and their borrowers, which is intended to provide sufficient credit quality to our investors.

Risk factors, as outlined below, provide additional information related to risks associated with competition in the mortgage banking industry.

Employees

As of December 31, 2003, we had a total of 529 full- and part-time employees and temporary and contract employees. The mortgage operations employed 480 full- and part-time employees and temporary and contract employees, of which 87 were employed by Novelle. The warehouse lending operations employed 31 full- and part-time employees and temporary and contract employees. The long-term investment operations employed 18 full- and part-time employees and temporary and contract employees. Management believes that relations with its employees are good. We are not a party to any collective bargaining agreements.

Revisions in Policies and Strategies

Our board of directors has approved our investment and operating policies and strategies. Our core operations involve the acquisition and origination of mortgages and their subsequent securitization and sale. We also act as a warehouse lender providing financing facilities to mortgage originators. These operations and their associated policies and strategies, are further described herein. Our board of directors has delegated asset/liability management to the Asset/Liability Committee, or “ALCO,” which reports to the board of directors at least quarterly. See a further discussion of ALCO in Item 7. “Management’s Discussion of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Item 7A. “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.” Any of our policies, strategies and activities may be modified or waived by our board of directors without stockholder consent. Developments in the market, which affect the policies and strategies mentioned herein or which change our assessment of the market, may cause our board of directors to revise our policies and financing strategies.

We have elected to qualify as a REIT for tax purposes. We have adopted certain compliance guidelines, which include restrictions on the acquisition, holding and sale of assets. Prior to the acquisition of any asset, we determine whether the asset meets REIT requirements. Substantially all of the assets that we have acquired and will acquire for investment are expected to qualify as REIT assets. This requirement limits our investment strategies.

The long-term investment operations primarily invest in Alt-A and multi-family mortgages and, to a lesser extent, B/C mortgages that are acquired from our mortgage operations. The long-term investment operation does not limit the proportion of its assets that may be invested in each type of mortgage.

We closely monitor our acquisition and investment in mortgage assets and the sources of our income, including income or expense from hedging strategies, to ensure at all times that we maintain our qualifications as a REIT. We have developed certain accounting systems and testing procedures to facilitate our ongoing compliance with the REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. No changes in our investment policies and operating strategies, including credit criteria for mortgage asset investments, may be made without the approval of our board of directors.

We may at times and on terms that our board of directors deems appropriate:

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We may also invest in securities of other issuers for the purpose of exercising control and underwrite the securities of other issuers, although we have not done so in the past and have no present intention to do so. Historically, we have and intend to continue to distribute annual reports to our stockholders, including financial statements audited by independent auditors, describing our current business and strategy.

Risk Factors

Some of the following risk factors relate to a discussion of our assets. For additional information on our asset categories refer to Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Note B—Mortgages Held-for-Sale,” “Note C—CMO collateral,” “Note D—Mortgages Held-for-Investment Collateral,” and “Note E—Finance Receivables” and in the accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Risks Related To Our Businesses

A prolonged economic downturn or recession would likely result in a reduction of our mortgage origination activity which would adversely affect our financial results.

The United States economy has undergone and may in the future, undergo, a period of slowdown, which some observers view as a recession. An economic downturn or a recession may have a significant adverse impact on our operations and our financial condition. For example, a reduction in new mortgages will adversely affect our ability to expand our long-term mortgage portfolio, our principal means of increasing our earnings. In addition, a decline in new mortgage activity will likely result in reduced activity for our warehouse lending operations and our long-term investment operations. In the case of our mortgage operations, a decline in mortgage activity may result in fewer loans that meet its criteria for purchase and securitization or sale, thus resulting in a reduction in interest income and fees and gain on sale of loans. We may also experience larger than previously reported losses on our long-term mortgage portfolio due to a higher level of defaults or foreclosures on our mortgages.

If we are unable to generate sufficient liquidity we will be unable to conduct our operations as planned.

If we cannot generate sufficient liquidity, we will be unable to continue to grow our operations, grow our asset base, maintain our current hedging policy and pay dividends. We have traditionally derived our liquidity from the following primary sources:

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We cannot assure you that any of these alternatives will be available to us, or if available, that we will be able to negotiate favorable terms. Our ability to meet our long-term liquidity requirements is subject to the renewal of our credit and repurchase facilities and/or obtaining other sources of financing, including additional debt or equity from time to time. Any decision by our lenders and/or investors to make additional funds available to us in the future will depend upon a number of factors, such as our compliance with the terms of our existing credit arrangements, our financial performance, industry and market trends in our various businesses, the lenders’ and/or investors’ own resources and policies concerning loans and investments, and the relative attractiveness of alternative investment or lending opportunities. If we cannot raise cash by selling debt or equity securities, we may be forced to sell our assets at unfavorable prices or discontinue various business activities. Our inability to access the capital markets could have a negative impact on our earnings growth and also our ability to pay dividends.

Any significant margin calls under our financing facilities would adversely affect our liquidity and may adversely affect our financial results.

Prior to the fourth quarter of 1998, we generally had no difficulty in obtaining favorable financing facilities or in selling acquired mortgages. However, during the fourth quarter of 1998, the mortgage industry experienced substantial turmoil as a result of a lack of liquidity in the secondary markets. At that time, investors expressed unwillingness to purchase interests in securitizations due, in part, to:

As a result, many mortgage originators, including us, were unable to access the securitization market on favorable terms. This resulted in some companies declaring bankruptcy. Originators, like us, were required to sell loans on a whole loan basis and liquidate holdings of mortgage-backed securities to repay short-term borrowings. However, the large amount of mortgages available for sale on a whole loan basis affected the pricing offered for these mortgages, which in turn reduced the value of the collateral underlying the financing facilities. Therefore, many providers of financing facilities initiated margin calls. Margin calls resulted when our lenders evaluated the market value of the collateral securing our financing facilities and required us to provide them with additional equity or collateral to secure our borrowings.

Our financing facilities were short-term borrowings and due to the turmoil in the mortgage industry during the latter part of 1998 many traditional providers of financing facilities were unwilling to provide facilities on favorable terms, or at all. Our current financing facilities continue to be short-term borrowings and we expect this to continue. If we cannot renew or replace maturing borrowings, we may have to sell, on a whole loan basis, the loans securing these facilities, which, depending upon market conditions, may result in substantial losses.

We incurred losses for fiscal years 1997, 1998 and 2000 and may incur losses in the future.

During the year ended December 31, 2000, we experienced a net loss of $54.2 million. The net loss incurred during 2000 included accounting charges of $68.9 million. The accounting charges were the result of write-downs of non-performing investment securities secured by mortgages and additional increases in the provision for loan losses to provide for the deterioration of the performance of collateral supporting specific investment securities. During the year

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ended December 31, 1998, we experienced a net loss of $5.9 million primarily as the mortgage industry experienced substantial turmoil as a result of a lack of liquidity in the secondary markets, which caused us to sell mortgages at losses to meet margin calls on our financing facilities. During the year ended December 31, 1997, we experienced a net loss of $16.0 million. The net loss incurred during 1997 included an accounting charge of $44.4 million that was the result of expenses related to the termination and buyout of our management agreement with Imperial Credit Advisors, Inc. We cannot be certain that revenues will remain at current levels or improve or that we will be profitable in the future, which could prevent us from effectuating our business strategy.

If we are unable to complete securitizations or if we experience delayed mortgage loan sales or securitization closings, we could face a liquidity shortage which would adversely affect our operating results.

We rely significantly upon securitizations to generate cash proceeds to repay borrowings and replenish our borrowing capacity. If there is a delay in a securitization closing or any reduction in our ability to complete securitizations we may be required to utilize other sources of financing, which, if available at all, may be on unfavorable terms. In addition, delays in closing mortgage sales or securitizations of our mortgages increase our risk by exposing us to credit and interest rate risks for this extended period of time. Furthermore, gains on sales from certain of our securitizations represent a significant portion of our earnings. Several factors could affect our ability to complete securitizations of our mortgages, including:

If we are unable to sell a sufficient number of mortgages at a premium or profitably securitize a significant number of our mortgages in a particular financial reporting period, then we could experience lower income or a loss for that period, which could have a material adverse affect on our operations. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to profitably securitize or sell our loans on a whole loan basis, or at all.

The market for first loss risk securities, which are securities that take the first loss when mortgages are not paid by the borrowers, is generally limited. In connection with our REMIC securitizations, we endeavor to sell all securities subjecting us to a first loss risk. If we cannot sell these securities, we may be required to hold them for an extended period, subjecting us to a first loss risk.

Our borrowings and use of substantial leverage may cause losses.

Our use of CMOs may expose our operations to credit losses.

To grow our long-term mortgage portfolio, we borrow a substantial portion of the market value of substantially all of our investments in mortgages in the form of CMOs. There are no limitations on the amount we may borrow, other than the aggregate value of the underlying mortgages. We currently use CMOs as financing vehicles to increase our leverage, since mortgages held for CMO collateral are retained for investment rather than sold in a secondary market transaction.

Retaining mortgages as collateral for CMOs exposes our operations to greater credit losses than does the use of other securitization techniques that are treated as sales because as the equity holder in the security, we are allocated losses from the liquidation of defaulted loans first prior to any other security holder. Although our liability under a collateralized mortgage obligation is limited to the collateral used to create the collateralized mortgage obligation, we generally are required to make a cash equity investment to fund collateral in excess of the amount of the securities issued in order to obtain the appropriate credit ratings for the securities being sold, and therefore obtain the lowest interest rate available, on the CMOs. If we experience greater credit losses than expected on the pool of loans subject to

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the CMO, the value of our equity investment will decrease and we may have to increase the allowance for loan losses on our financial statements.

If we default under our financing facilities or if the value of collateral is less than the amount borrowed, we may be forced to liquidate the collateral at prices less than the amount borrowed.

If we default under our financing facilities, our lenders could force us to liquidate the collateral. If the value of the collateral is less than the amount borrowed, we could be required to pay the difference in cash. Furthermore, if we default under one facility, it would generally cause a default under our other facilities. If we were to declare bankruptcy, some of our reverse repurchase agreements may obtain special treatment and our creditors would then be allowed to liquidate the collateral without any delay. On the other hand, if a lender with whom we have a reverse repurchase agreement declares bankruptcy, we might experience difficulty repurchasing our collateral, or enforcing our claim for damages, and it is possible that our claim could be repudiated and we could be treated as an unsecured creditor. If this occurs, our claims would be subject to significant delay and we may receive substantially less than our actual damages or nothing at all.

If we are forced to liquidate, we may have few unpledged assets for distribution to unsecured creditors.

We have pledged a substantial portion of our assets to secure the repayment of CMOs issued in securitizations and our financing facilities. We will also pledge substantially all of our current and future mortgages to secure borrowings pending their securitization or sale. The cash flows we receive from our investments that have not yet been distributed or pledged or used to acquire mortgages or other investments may be the only unpledged assets available to our unsecured creditors if we were liquidated.

Interest rate fluctuations may adversely affect our operating results.

Our operations, as a mortgage loan acquirer and originator or a warehouse lender, may be adversely affected by rising and falling interest rates. Interest rates have been low over the past few years; however any increase in interest rates may discourage potential borrowers from refinancing mortgages, borrowing to purchase homes or seeking second mortgages. This may decrease the amount of mortgages available to be acquired or originated by our mortgage operations and decrease the demand for warehouse financing provided by our warehouse lending operations, which could adversely affect our operating results. If short-term interest rates exceed long-term interest rates, there is a higher risk of increased loan prepayments, as borrowers may seek to refinance their fixed and adjustable rate mortgages at lower long-term fixed interest rates. Increased loan prepayments could lead to a reduction in the number of loans in our long-term mortgage portfolio and reduce our net interest income. Rising interest rates may also increase delinquencies, foreclosures and losses on our adjustable rate mortgages.

We are subject to the risk of rising mortgage interest rates between the time we commit to purchase mortgages at a fixed price through the issuance of individual, bulk or other rate-locks and the time we sell or securitize those mortgages. An increase in interest rates will generally result in a decrease in the market value of mortgages that we have committed to purchase at a fixed price, but have not been sold or securitized or have not been properly hedged. As a result, we may record a smaller gain, or even a loss, upon the sale or securitization of those mortgages.

We may experience losses if our liabilities re-price at different rates than our assets.

Our principal source of revenue is net interest income or net interest spread from our long-term mortgage portfolio, which is the difference between the interest we earn on our interest earning assets and the interest we pay on our interest bearing liabilities. The rates we pay on our borrowings are independent of the rates we earn on our assets and may be subject to more frequent periodic rate adjustments. Therefore, we could experience a decrease in net interest income or a net interest loss because the interest rates on our borrowings could increase faster than the interest rates on our assets. If our net interest spread becomes negative, we will be paying more interest on our borrowings than we will be earning on our assets and we will be exposed to a risk of loss.

Additionally, the rates paid on our borrowings and the rates received on our assets may be based upon different indices. If the index used to determine the rate on our borrowings, typically one-month LIBOR, increases faster than the indices used to determine the rates on our assets, such as six-month LIBOR or the prime rate, we will experience a declining net interest spread, which will have a negative effect on our profitability, and may result in losses.

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An increase in our adjustable interest rate borrowings may decrease the net interest margin on our adjustable rate mortgages.

Our long-term mortgage portfolio includes mortgages that are six-month LIBOR hybrid ARMs. These are mortgages with fixed interest rates for an initial period of time, after which they begin bearing interest based upon short-term interest rate indices and adjust periodically. We generally fund mortgages with adjustable interest rate borrowings having interest rates that are indexed to short-term interest rates and adjust periodically at various intervals. To the extent that there is an increase in the interest rate index used to determine our adjustable interest rate borrowings and that increase is not offset by a corresponding increase in the rates at which interest accrues on our assets or by various interest rate hedges that we have in place at any given time, our net interest margin will decrease or become negative. We may suffer a net interest loss on our ARMs that have interest rate caps if the interest rates on our related borrowings increase.

ARMs typically have interest rate caps, which limit interest rates charged to the borrower during any given period. Our borrowings are not subject to similar restrictions. As a result, in a period of rapidly increasing interest rates, the interest rates we pay on our borrowings could increase without limitation, while the interest rates we earn on our ARMs would be capped. If this occurs, our net interest spread could be significantly reduced or we could suffer a net interest loss.

Increased levels of early prepayments of mortgages may accelerate our expenses and decrease our net income.

Mortgage prepayments generally increase on our ARMs when fixed mortgage interest rates fall below the then-current interest rates on outstanding ARMs. Prepayments on mortgages are also affected by the terms and credit grades of the mortgages, conditions in the housing and financial markets and general economic conditions. If we acquire mortgages at a premium and they are subsequently repaid, we must expense the unamortized premium at the time of the prepayment. We could possibly lose the opportunity to earn interest at a higher rate over the expected life of the mortgage. Also, if prepayments on mortgages increase when interest rates are declining, our net interest income may decrease if we cannot reinvest the prepayments in mortgage assets bearing comparable rates.

We generally acquire mortgages on a servicing released basis, meaning we acquire both the mortgages and the rights to service them. This strategy requires us to pay a higher purchase price or premium for the mortgages. If the mortgages that we acquire at a premium prepay faster than originally projected, generally accepted accounting principles, or “GAAP,” require us to write down the remaining capitalized premium amounts at a faster speed than was originally projected, which would decrease our current net interest income.

We may be subject to losses on mortgages for which we do not obtain credit enhancements.

We do not obtain credit enhancements such as mortgage pool or special hazard insurance for all of our mortgages and investments. Generally, we require mortgage insurance on any mortgage with an LTV ratio greater than 80%. During the time we hold mortgages for investment, we are subject to risks of borrower defaults and bankruptcies and special hazard losses that are not covered by standard hazard insurance. If a borrower defaults on a mortgage that we hold, we bear the risk of loss of principal to the extent there is any deficiency between the value of the related mortgaged property and the amount owing on the mortgage loan and any insurance proceeds available to us through the mortgage insurer. In addition, since defaulted mortgages, which under our financing arrangements are mortgages that are generally 60 to 90 days delinquent in payments, may be considered negligible collateral under our borrowing arrangements, we could bear the risk of being required to own these loans without the use of borrowed funds until they are ultimately liquidated or possibly sold at a loss.

Our mortgage products expose us to greater credit risks.

We are an acquirer and originator of Alt-A mortgages, and to a lesser extent, multi-family and B/C mortgages. These are mortgages that generally may not qualify for purchase by government-sponsored agencies such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Our operations may be negatively affected due to our investments in these mortgages. Credit risks associated with these mortgages may be greater than those associated with conforming mortgages. The interest rates we charge on these mortgages are often higher than those charged for conforming loans in order to compensate for the higher risk and lower liquidity. Lower levels of liquidity may cause us to hold loans or other mortgage-related assets

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supported by these loans that we otherwise would not hold. By doing this, we assume the potential risk of increased delinquency rates and/or credit losses as well as interest rate risk. Additionally, the combination of different underwriting criteria and higher rates of interest leads to greater risk, including higher prepayment rates and higher delinquency rates and/or credit losses.

Lending to our type of borrowers may expose us to a higher risk of delinquencies, foreclosures and losses.

Our market includes borrowers who may be unable to obtain mortgage financing from conventional mortgage sources. Mortgages made to such borrowers generally entail a higher risk of delinquency and higher losses than mortgages made to borrowers who utilize conventional mortgage sources. Delinquency, foreclosures and losses generally increase during economic slowdowns or recessions. The actual risk of delinquencies, foreclosures and losses on mortgages made to our borrowers could be higher under adverse economic conditions than those currently experienced in the mortgage lending industry in general.

Further, any material decline in real estate values increases the LTV ratios of mortgages previously made by us, thereby weakening collateral coverage and increasing the possibility of a loss in the event of a borrower default. Any sustained period of increased delinquencies, foreclosures or losses after the mortgages are sold could adversely affect the pricing of our future loan sales and our ability to sell or securitize our mortgages in the future. In the past, certain of these factors have caused revenues and net income of many participants in the mortgage industry, including us, to fluctuate from quarter to quarter.

Our multi-family mortgages expose us to increased lending risks.

Generally, we consider multi-family mortgages to involve a higher degree of risk compared to first mortgages on one- to four-family, owner occupied residential properties. These mortgages have higher risks than mortgages secured by residential real estate because repayment of the mortgages often depends on the successful operations and the income stream of the borrowers. Furthermore, multi-family mortgages typically involve larger mortgage balances to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers compared to one- to four-family residential mortgages.

Our use of second mortgages exposes us to greater credit risks.

Our security interest in the property securing second mortgages is subordinated to the interest of the first mortgage holder and the second mortgages have a higher combined LTV ratio than does the first mortgage. If the value of the property is equal to or less than the amount needed to repay the borrower’s obligation to the first mortgage holder upon foreclosure, our second mortgage loan will not be repaid.

The geographic concentration of our mortgages increases our exposure to risks in those areas.

We do not set limitations on the percentage of our long-term mortgage portfolio composed of properties located in any one area (whether by state, zip code or other geographic measure). Concentration in any one area increases our exposure to the economic and natural hazard risks associated with that area. Historically, a majority of our mortgage acquisitions and originations, long-term mortgage portfolio and finance receivables were secured by properties in California and, to a lesser extent, Florida. For instance, certain parts of California have experienced an economic downturn in past years and California and Florida have suffered the effects of certain natural hazards. Declines in those residential real estate markets may reduce the values of the properties collateralizing the mortgages, increase foreclosures and losses and have material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

Furthermore, if borrowers are not insured for natural disasters, which are typically not covered by standard hazard insurance policies, then they may not be able to repair the property or may stop paying their mortgages if the property is damaged. This would cause increased foreclosures and decrease our ability to recover losses on properties affected by such disasters. This would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

Representations and warranties made by us in our loan sales and securitizations may subject us to liability.

In connection with our securitizations, we transfer mortgages acquired and originated by us into a trust in exchange for cash and, in the case of a CMO, residual certificates issued by the trust. The trustee will have recourse to us with respect to the breach of the standard representations and warranties made by us at the time such mortgages are

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transferred. While we generally have recourse to our customers for any such breaches, there can be no assurance of our customers’ abilities to honor their respective obligations. Also, we engage in bulk whole loan sales pursuant to agreements that generally provide for recourse by the purchaser against us in the event of a breach of one of our representations or warranties, any fraud or misrepresentation during the mortgage origination process, or upon early default on such mortgage. We generally limit the potential remedies of such purchasers to the potential remedies we receive from the customers from whom we acquired or originated the mortgages. However, in some cases, the remedies available to a purchaser of mortgages from us may be broader than those available to us against the sellers of the mortgages and should a purchaser enforce its remedies against us, we may not always be able to enforce whatever remedies we have against our customers. Furthermore, if we discover, prior to the sale or transfer of a loan, that there is any fraud or misrepresentation with respect to the mortgage and the originator fails to repurchase the mortgage, then we may not be able to sell the mortgage or we may have to sell the mortgage at a discount.

In the ordinary course of our business, we are subject to claims made against us by borrowers and trustees in our securitizations arising from, among other things, losses that are claimed to have been incurred as a result of alleged breaches of fiduciary obligations, misrepresentations, errors and omissions of our employees, officers and agents (including our appraisers), incomplete documentation and our failure to comply with various laws and regulations applicable to our business. Any claims asserted against us may result in legal expenses or liabilities that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

A substantial interruption in our use of iDASLg2 may adversely affect our level of mortgage acquisitions and originations.

We utilize the Internet in our business principally for the implementation of our automated mortgage origination program, iDASLg2. iDASLg2 allows our customers to pre-qualify borrowers for various mortgage programs based on criteria requested from the borrower and renders an automated underwriting decision by issuing an approval of the mortgage loan or a referral for further review or additional information. Substantially, all of our correspondents submit mortgages through iDASLg2 and all wholesale mortgages delivered by mortgage bankers and brokers are directly underwritten through the use of iDASLg2. iDASLg2 may be interrupted if the Internet experiences periods of poor performance, if our computer systems or the systems of our third-party service providers contain defects, or if customers are reluctant to use or have inadequate connectivity to the Internet. Increased government regulation of the Internet could also adversely affect our use of the Internet in unanticipated ways and discourage our customers from using our services. If our ability to use the Internet in providing our services is impaired, our ability to originate or acquire mortgages on an automated basis could be delayed or reduced. Furthermore, we rely on a third party hosting company in connection with the use of iDASLg2. If the third party hosting company fails for any reason, and adequate back-up is not implemented in a timely manner, it may delay and reduce those mortgage acquisitions and originations done through iDASLg2. Any substantial delay and reduction in our mortgage acquisitions and originations will reduce our net earnings for the applicable period.

We are subject to risks of operational failure that are beyond our control.

Substantially all of our operations are located in Newport Beach, California and San Diego, California. Our systems and operations are vulnerable to damage and interruption from fire, flood, telecommunications failure, break-ins, earthquake and similar events. Our operations may also be interrupted by power disruptions, including rolling black-outs implemented in California due to power shortages. We do not maintain alternative power sources. Furthermore, our security mechanisms may be inadequate to prevent security breaches to our computer systems, including from computer viruses, electronic break-ins and similar disruptions. Such security breaches or operational failures could expose us to liability, impair our operations, result in losses, and harm our reputation.

Competition for mortgages is intense and may adversely affect our operations.

We compete in acquiring and originating Alt-A, B/C and multi-family mortgages and issuing mortgage-backed securities with other mortgage conduit programs, investment banking firms, savings and loan associations, banks, thrift and loan associations, finance companies, mortgage bankers and brokers, insurance companies, other lenders, and other entities purchasing mortgage assets.

We also face intense competition from Internet-based lending companies where entry barriers are relatively low. Some of our competitors are much larger than we are, have better name recognition than we do, and have far greater

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financial and other resources. Government-sponsored entities, in particular Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are also expanding their participation in the Alt-A mortgage industry. These government-sponsored entities have a size and cost-of-funds advantage over us that allows them to price mortgages at lower rates than we are able to offer. This phenomenon may seriously destabilize the Alt-A mortgage industry. In addition, if as a result of what may be less-conservative, risk-adjusted pricing, these government-sponsored entities experience significantly higher-than-expected losses, it would likely adversely affect overall investor perception of the Alt-A and B/C mortgage industry because the losses would be made public due to the reporting obligations of these entities.

The intense competition in the Alt-A, B/C and multi-family mortgage industry 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 have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

The need to maintain mortgage loan volume in this competitive environment creates a risk of price competition in the Alt-A, B/C and multi-family mortgage industry. Competition in the industry can take many forms, including interest rates and costs of a loan, less stringent underwriting standards, convenience in obtaining a loan, customer service, amount and term of a loan and marketing and distribution channels. Price competition would lower the interest rates that we are able to charge borrowers, which would lower our interest income. Price-cutting or discounting reduces profits and will depress earnings if sustained for any length of time. If our competition uses less stringent underwriting standards we will be pressured to do so as well, resulting in greater loan risk without being able to price for that greater risk. Our competitors may lower their underwriting standards to increase their market share. If we do not relax underwriting standards in the face of competition, we may lose market share. Increased competition may also reduce the volume of our loan originations and acquisitions. Any increase in these pricing and credit pressures could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

We are exposed to potential credit losses in providing warehouse financing.

As a warehouse lender, we lend money to mortgage bankers on a secured basis and we are subject to the risks associated with lending to mortgage bankers, including the risks of fraud, borrower default and bankruptcy, any of which could result in credit losses for us. The fraud risk includes financing of nonexistent loans that could result in the loss of all sums we have advanced to the borrower. Also, our claims as a secured lender in a bankruptcy proceeding may be subject to adjustment and delay.

Our operating results may be adversely affected by the results of our hedging activities.

To offset the risks associated with our mortgage operations, we enter into transactions designed to hedge our interest rate risks. To offset the risks associated with adjustable rate borrowings, we attempt to match the interest rate sensitivities of our ARMs with the associated financing liabilities. Our management determines the nature and quantity of the hedging transactions based on various factors, including market conditions and the expected volume of mortgage acquisitions. While we believe that we properly hedge our interest rate risk, we may not, and in some cases will not, be permitted to use hedge accounting as established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB,” under the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 133, or “SFAS 133,” to account for our hedging activities. The effect of our hedging strategy may result in some volatility in our quarterly earnings as interest rates go up or down. It is possible that there will be periods during which we will incur losses on hedging activities. In addition, if the counter parties to our hedging transactions are unable to perform according to the terms of the contracts, we may incur losses. While we believe we prudently hedge our interest rate risk, our hedging transactions may not offset the risk of adverse changes in net interest margins.

A reduction in the demand for our loan products may adversely affect our operations.

The availability of sufficient mortgages meeting our criteria is dependent in part upon the size and level of activity in the residential real estate lending market and, in particular, the demand for residential mortgages, which is affected by:

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If our mortgage acquisitions and originations decline, we may have:

Our delinquency ratios and our performance may be adversely affected by the performance of parties who service or sub-service our mortgages.

We sell or contract with third-parties for the servicing of all mortgages, including those in our securitizations. Our operations are subject to risks associated with inadequate or untimely servicing. Poor performance by a servicer may result in greater than expected delinquencies and losses on our mortgages. A substantial increase in our delinquency or foreclosure rate could adversely affect our ability to access the capital and secondary markets for our financing needs. Also, with respect to mortgages subject to a securitization, greater delinquencies would adversely impact the value of our equity interest, if any, we hold in connection with that securitization.

In a securitization, relevant agreements permit us to be terminated as servicer or master servicer under specific conditions described in these agreements. If, as a result of a servicer or sub-servicer’s failure to perform adequately, we were terminated as master servicer of a securitization, the value of any master servicing rights held by us would be adversely affected.

We are a defendant in purported class actions and may not prevail in these matters.

Class action lawsuits and regulatory actions alleging improper marketing practices, abusive loan terms and fees, disclosure violations, improper yield spread premiums and other matters are risks faced by all mortgage originators, particularly those in the Alt-A and B/C market. We are a defendant in purported class actions pending in different states. The class actions allege generally that the loan originator improperly charged fees in violation of various state lending or consumer protection laws in connection with mortgages that we acquired. Although the suits are not identical, they generally seek unspecified compensatory damages, punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, costs and expenses and rescission of the mortgages, as well as a return of any improperly collected fees. The other purported class action claims damages for sending out unsolicited faxes and seeks statutory and treble damages. These actions are in the early stages of litigation and, accordingly, it is difficult to predict the outcome of these matters. We believe we have meritorious defenses to the actions and intend to defend against them vigorously; however, an adverse judgment in any of these matters could have a material adverse effect on us.

Regulatory Risks

We may be subject to fines or other penalties based upon the conduct of our independent brokers or correspondents.

The mortgage brokers and correspondents from which we obtain mortgages 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 bankers and brokers, increasingly federal and state agencies have sought to impose such

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liability. Previously, for example, the United States Federal Trade Commission, or “FTC,” entered into a settlement agreement with a mortgage lender where the FTC characterized a broker that had placed all of its 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 broker’s unfair and deceptive acts and practices. The United States Justice Department in the past has sought to hold a sub-prime mortgage lender responsible for the pricing practices of its mortgage bankers and 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 banker 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 bankers and brokers or correspondents.

We are no longer able to rely on the Alternative Mortgage Transactions Parity Act to preempt certain state law restrictions on prepayment penalties, which may cause us to be unable to compete effectively with financial institutions that are exempt from such restrictions on ARMs.

The value of a mortgage depends, in part, upon the expected period of time that the mortgage will be outstanding. If a borrower pays off a mortgage in advance of this expected period, the holder of the mortgage does not realize the full value expected to be received from the mortgage. A prepayment penalty payable by a borrower who repays a mortgage earlier than expected helps discourage such a prepayment or helps offset the reduction in value resulting from the early payoff. Prepayment penalties are an important feature on the mortgages we acquire or originate.

Certain state laws restrict or prohibit prepayment penalties on mortgages. Until July 1, 2003, we had historically relied on the federal Alternative Mortgage Transactions Parity Act, or the “Parity Act,” and related regulations issued by the Office of Thrift Supervision, or “OTS,” to preempt state limitations on prepayment penalties on ARMs. 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. However, on September 25, 2002, the OTS issued final regulations that reduce the scope of the Parity Act preemption. The permanent elimination of this federal preemption could have a material adverse affect on our ability to compete effectively with financial institutions that will continue to enjoy federal preemption of state restrictions on prepayment penalties on ARMs.

Violation of various federal, state and local laws may result in losses on our loans.

Applicable state and local laws generally regulate interest rates and other charges, require certain disclosure, and require licensing of the lender. In addition, other state and local laws, public policy and general principles of equity relating to the protection of consumers, unfair and deceptive practices and debt collection practices may apply to the origination, servicing and collection of our loans. Mortgage loans are also subject to federal laws, including:

Violations of certain provisions of these federal and state laws may limit our ability to collect all or part of the principal of or interest on the loans and in addition could subject us trust to damages and administrative enforcement and could result in the mortgagors rescinding the loans whether held by us or subsequent holders of the loans.

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Our operations may be adversely affected if we are subject to the Investment Company Act.

We intend to conduct our business at all times so as not to become regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. The Investment Company Act exempts entities that are primarily engaged in the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate.

In order to qualify for this exemption we must maintain at least 55% of our assets directly in mortgages, qualifying pass-through certificates and certain other qualifying interests in real estate. Our ownership of certain mortgage assets may be limited by the provisions of the Investment Company Act. If the SEC adopts a contrary interpretation with respect to these securities or otherwise believes we do not satisfy the above exception, we could be required to restructure our activities or sell certain of our assets. To insure that we continue to qualify for the exemption we may be required at times to adopt less efficient methods of financing certain of our mortgage assets and we may be precluded from acquiring certain types of higher-yielding mortgage assets. The net effect of these factors will be to lower our net interest income. If we fail to qualify for exemption from registration as an investment company, our ability to use leverage would be substantially reduced, and we would not be able to conduct our business as described. Our business will be materially and adversely affected if we fail to qualify for this exemption.

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 legislation targeted at predatory lending could have the unintended consequence of raising the cost or otherwise reducing the availability of mortgage credit for those potential borrowers with less than prime-quality credit histories, thereby resulting in a reduction of otherwise legitimate Alt-A or B/C lending opportunities. Similarly, 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. For example, 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. 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.

Some states and local governments have enacted, or may enact, laws or regulations that prohibit inclusion of some provisions in mortgage loans that have mortgage rates or origination costs in excess of prescribed levels, and require that borrowers be given certain disclosures prior to the consummation of such mortgage loans. Our failure to comply with these laws could subject us to monetary penalties and could result in the borrowers rescinding the mortgage loans, whether held by us or subsequent holders. Lawsuits have been brought in various states making claims against assignees of these loans for violations of state law.

Risks Related To Our Status As A REIT

We may not pay dividends to stockholders.

REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code generally require that we annually distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of all of our taxable income. These provisions restrict our ability to retain earnings and thereby generate capital from our operating activities. We may decide at a future date to terminate our REIT status, which would cause us to be taxed at the corporate levels and cease paying regular dividends. In addition, for any year that we do not generate taxable income, we are not required to declare and pay dividends to maintain our REIT status. For instance, due to losses incurred in 2000, we did not declare any dividends from September 2000 until September 2001.

To date, a portion of our taxable income and cash flow has been attributable to our receipt of dividend distributions from the mortgage operations. The mortgage operations is not a REIT and is not, therefore, subject to the above-described REIT distribution requirements. Because the mortgage operations is seeking to retain earnings to fund the future growth of our mortgage operations business, its board of directors may decide that the mortgage operations

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should cease making dividend distributions in the future. This would materially reduce the amount of our taxable income and in turn, would reduce the amount we would be required to distribute as dividends.

If we fail to maintain our REIT status, we may be subject to taxation as a regular corporation.

We believe that we have operated and intend to continue to operate in a manner that enables us to meet the requirements for qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. We have not requested, and do not plan to request, a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that we qualify as a REIT.

Moreover, no assurance can be given that legislation, new regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions will not significantly change the tax laws with respect to qualification as a REIT or the federal income tax consequences of such qualification. Our continued qualification as a REIT will depend on our satisfaction of certain asset, income, organizational and stockholder ownership requirements on a continuing basis.

If we fail to qualify as a REIT, we would not be allowed a deduction for distributions to stockholders in computing our taxable income and would be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates. We also may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. Unless we are entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions, we could not elect to be taxed as a REIT for four taxable years following the year during which we were disqualified. Therefore, if we lose our REIT status, the funds available for distribution to stockholders would be reduced substantially for each of the years involved. Failure to qualify as a REIT could adversely affect the value of our common stock.

Potential characterization of distributions or gain on sale as unrelated business taxable income to tax-exempt investors.

If (1) all or a portion of our assets are subject to the rules relating to taxable mortgage pools, (2) we are a “pension-held REIT,” (3) a tax-exempt stockholder has incurred debt to purchase or hold our common stock, or (4) the residual REMIC interests we buy generate “excess inclusion income,” then a portion of the distributions to and, in the case of a stockholder described in (3), gains realized on the sale of common stock by such tax-exempt stockholder may be subject to Federal income tax as unrelated business taxable income under the Internal Revenue Code.

Classification as a taxable mortgage pool could subject us or certain of our stockholders to increased taxation.

If we have borrowings with two or more maturities and, (1) those borrowings are secured by mortgages or mortgage-backed securities and, (2) the payments made on the borrowings are related to the payments received on the underlying assets, then the borrowings and the pool of mortgages or mortgage-backed securities to which such borrowings relate may be classified as a taxable mortgage pool under the Internal Revenue Code. If any part of our Company were to be treated as a taxable mortgage pool, then our REIT status would not be impaired, but a portion of the taxable income we recognize may, under regulations to be issued by the Treasury Department, be characterized as “excess inclusion” income and allocated among our stockholders to the extent of and generally in proportion to the distributions we make to each stockholder. Any excess inclusion income would:

Based on advice of our tax counsel, we take the position that our existing financing arrangements do not create a taxable mortgage pool.

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We may be subject to possible adverse consequences as a result of limits on ownership of our shares.

Our charter limits ownership of our capital stock by any single stockholder to 9.5% of our outstanding shares unless waived by the board of directors. Our board of directors may increase the 9.5% ownership limit. In addition, to the extent consistent with the REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, our board of directors may, pursuant to our articles of incorporation, waive the 9.5% ownership limit for a stockholder or purchaser of our stock. In order to waive the 9.5% ownership limit our board of directors must require the stockholder requesting the waiver to provide certain representations to the Company to ensure compliance with the REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Our charter also prohibits anyone from buying shares if the purchase would result in us losing our REIT status. This could happen if a share transaction results in fewer than 100 persons owning all of our shares or in five or fewer persons, applying certain broad attribution rules of the Internal Revenue Code, owning more than 50% (by value) of our shares. If you or anyone else acquires shares in excess of the ownership limit or in violation of the ownership requirements of the Internal Revenue Code for REITs, we:

The trustee shall sell the shares held in trust and the owner of the excess shares will be entitled to the lesser of:

Limitations on acquisition and change in control ownership limit.

The 9.5% ownership limit discussed above may have the effect of precluding acquisition of control of our Company by a third party without consent of our board of directors.

Risks Related To Ownership of Our Common Stock

Our share prices have been and may continue to be volatile.

Historically, the market price of our common stock has been volatile. The market price of our common stock is likely to continue to be highly volatile and could be significantly affected by factors including:

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In addition, significant price and volume fluctuations in the stock market have particularly affected the market prices for the common stock of mortgage REIT companies such as ours. These broad market fluctuations have adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect the market price of our common stock. If our results of operations fail to meet the expectations of securities analysts or investors in a future quarter, the market price of our common stock could also be materially adversely affected and we may experience difficulty in raising capital.

Sales of additional common stock may adversely affect its market price.

To sustain our growth strategy we intend to raise capital through the sale of equity. 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. We do not know the actual or perceived effect of these offerings, the timing of these offerings, the potential dilution of the book value or earnings per share of our securities then outstanding; and the effect on the market price of our securities then outstanding. In December 2001, we filed a shelf registration statement with the SEC, which allows us to sell up to $300.0 million of securities, including common stock, preferred stock, debt securities and warrants. We may currently sell additional securities worth approximately $21.9 million (gross proceeds) from this shelf registration statement in the future. In December 2003, we filed a shelf registration statement for a total of $500.0 million, which may be used in connection with offerings of debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, warrants, and/or units for general corporate purposes. In February 2004, we issued 5,750,000 shares of common stock from this shelf. We also have shares reserved for future issuance under our Stock Plans. The sale of a large amount of shares or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the market price for our common stock or other outstanding securities.

Our primary executive and administrative offices are located at 1401 Dove Street, Newport Beach, California where we have a premises lease expiring in May of 2008 to use approximately 74,000 square feet of office space. During October of 2003, we executed a premises lease located at 1500 Quail Street, Newport Beach, California expiring in November of 2006 to use approximately 15,000 square feet of office space to accommodate expansion. The mortgage operations has six mortgage production offices located in various states with premises lease terms ranging from month to month or one to two years. Novelle has offices located in San Diego, California with lease terms expiring in March 2005 for approximately 21,000 square feet of office space. We believe that these facilities will adequately provide for the near-term growth needs of our core operating businesses.

On September 1, 2000, a complaint captioned Michael P. and Shellie Gilmor v. Preferred Credit Corporation and Impac Funding Corporation, et al. was filed in the Circuit Court for Clay County, Missouri, Case No. CV100-4263-CC, as a purported class action lawsuit alleging that the defendants violated Missouri’s Second Loans Act and Merchandising Practices Act. In July 2001, the Missouri complaint was amended to include IMH and other Impac-related entities. A plaintiffs class was certified on January 2, 2003.

On October 2, 2001, a complaint captioned Deborah Searcy, Shirley Walker, et al. v. Impac Funding Corporation, Impac Mortgage Holdings, Inc. et. al. was filed in the Wayne County Circuit Court, State of Michigan, as a purported class action lawsuit alleging that the defendants violated Michigan’s Secondary Mortgage Loan Act, Credit Reform Act and Consumer Protection Act. A motion to dismiss the complaint has been filed.

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On October 10, 2001, a complaint captioned Hayes v. Impac Funding Corporation, et al. was filed in the Circuit Court of Vanderburgh County, Indiana as Case No. 82C01-0110-CP580. This was stated as a purported class action lawsuit alleging a violation of the Indiana Uniform Consumer Credit Code when the loans were originated. This matter was dismissed as to the Impac defendants and the dismissal was affirmed by the Court of Appeals.

On November 30, 2001, a complaint captioned Garry Lee Skinner and Judy Cooper Skinner, et al. v. Preferred Credit, et al. was filed in the Superior Court of Durham County, North Carolina as Case No. 1CV-05596. This is stated as a purported class action alleging a violation of the North Carolina Interest Statutes and Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act when the secondary mortgage loans were originated by the defendants. A motion to dismiss the complaint has been filed. This motion remains pending.

On July 31, 2003, a purported class action complaint captioned Frazier, et al v. Impac Funding Corp., et al, Case No. 03-2565 was filed in federal court in Tennessee. The causes of action in the action allege violations of Tennessee’s usury statute and Consumer Protection Act. A motion to dismiss the complaint has been filed.

On November 25, 2003, a complaint captioned Michael and Amber Stallings v. Empire Funding Home Loan Owner Trust 1997-3; U.S. Bank, National Association; and Wilmington Trust Company was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, Case No. 03-2548, as a purported class action lawsuit alleging that the defendants violated Tennessee predatory lending laws governing second mortgage loans. The complaint further alleges that certain assignees of mortgage loans, including two Impac-related trusts, should be included as defendants in the lawsuit.

On February 3, 2004, a complaint captioned James and Jill Baker v. Century Financial Group, Inc, et al was filed in the Circuit Court of Clay County, Missouri, Case No. CV100-4294-CC as a purported class action lawsuit alleging that the defendants violated Missouri’s Second Loan Act and Merchandising Practices Act.

All of the above purported class action lawsuits are similar in nature in that they allege that the mortgage loan originators violated the respective state’s statutes by charging excessive fees and costs when making second mortgage loans on residential real estate. The complaints allege that IFC was a purchaser, and is a holder, along with other affiliated entities, of second mortgage loans originated by other lenders. The plaintiffs in the lawsuits are seeking damages that include disgorgement, restitution, rescission, actual damages, statutory damages, exemplary damages, pre-judgement interest and punitive damages. No material dollar amount of damages are specified in the complaints.

On October 14, 2003, an action was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois as Case No. 03 CH17085 entitled Fast Forward Solutions, LLC v. Novelle Financial Services, Inc. The complaint contains allegation of a class action and alleges that the defendant sent out unsolicited faxes in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act, and Illinois common law. The plaintiff is seeking statutory and treble damages.

We believe that we have meritorious defenses to the above claims and intend to defend these claims vigorously. Nevertheless, litigation is uncertain and we may not prevail in the lawsuits and can express no opinion as to its ultimate outcome. We are a party to other litigation and claims which are normal in the course of our operations. While the results of such other litigation and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, we believe the final outcome of such other matters will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

No matters were submitted to the security holders to be voted on during the fourth quarter of 2003.

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PART II

On June 11, 2003, our common stock was listed and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange, or “NYSE,” under the symbol “IMH.” Prior to June 11, 2003, our common stock was listed on the American Stock Exchange under the same symbol. The following table summarizes the high, low and closing sales prices for our common stock for the periods indicated:

On March 10, 2004, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the NYSE was $22.68 per share. As of March 10, 2004, there were 566 holders of record, including holders who are nominees for an undetermined number of beneficial owners, of our common stock.

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans. Refer to Item 12. “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management.”

Dividend Distributions. To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we intend to make annual distributions to stockholders at an amount that maintains our REIT status in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code, which may not necessarily equal net earnings as calculated in accordance with GAAP. Our dividend policy is subject to revision at the discretion of the board of directors. All distributions in excess of those required to maintain our REIT status will be made at the discretion of the board of directors and will depend on our taxable income, financial condition and other factors as the board of directors deems relevant.

The board of directors has not established a minimum distribution level. Distributions to stockholders will generally be taxable as ordinary income or qualified income, although a portion of such distributions may be designated by us as capital gain or may constitute a tax-free return of capital. We annually furnish to each of our stockholders a statement setting forth distributions paid during the preceding year and their characterization as ordinary income, qualified income, capital gain or return of capital. The following table presents our dividends paid or declared for the periods indicated:

The following selected consolidated statements of operations data for each of the years in the five-year period ended December 31, 2003 and the consolidated balance sheet data for the five-year period ended December 31, 2003 were derived from the consolidated financial statements. Such selected financial data should be read in conjunction

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with the consolidated financial statements and the notes to the consolidated financial statements starting on page F-1 and with Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

IMPAC MORTGAGE HOLDINGS, INC.

(dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data and operating data)