10-K
Table of Contents
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
10-K
(Mark One)
For the annual period ended December 31, 2021
OR
For the transition period from
to
Commission file number
001-40308
FINANCE OF AMERICA COMPANIES INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(877)
202-2666
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchangeon which registered
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
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 ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation
S-T
(§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a
non-accelerated
filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in
Rule 12b-2
of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☒
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2
of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The aggregate market value of the voting and
non-voting
common equity held by
non-affiliates
of the registrant, based on the closing price of the shares of the registrant’s Class A Common Stock on The New York Stock Exchange on June 30, 2021, was approximately $254.8 million.
As of March
1
1
, 2022, there were 60,815,569
shares of the registrant’s Class A Common Stock and
15
shares of the registrant’s Class B Common Stock issued and outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Part III, Items 10-14 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K will be filed in our definitive proxy statement or in an amendment to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, to be filed not later than 120 days after December 31, 2021. Such information is incorporated herein by reference.
Table of Contents
Finance of America Companies Inc. and Subsidiaries
Annual Report on Form
10-K
Table of Contents
Page
PART I
Item 1. Business 1
Item 1A. Risk Factors 11
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 60
Item 2. Properties 60
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 60
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 60
PART II
Item 6. Reserved 61
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk 117
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 121
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 245
Item 9B. Other Information 247
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 247
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 247
Item 11. Executive Compensation 247
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 248
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 249
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Part I
Item 1. Business
Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this section to “we,” “us,” “our,” “Finance of America,” “FoA,” or the “Company” refer to Finance of America Companies Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
The disclosures set forth in this item are qualified by Item 1A. Risk Factors and the section within Item 1, captioned “Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of this report and other cautionary statements are set forth elsewhere in this report.
Finance of America Companies
Finance of America is a vertically integrated, diversified lending platform that connects borrowers with investors. We operate the Company with the goal of minimizing risk; we offer a diverse set of high-quality consumer loan products and distribute that risk to investors for an
up-front
cash profit and typically some future performance-based participation. We believe we have a differentiated, less volatile strategy than monoline mortgage lenders who focus on originating interest rate sensitive traditional mortgages and retain significant portfolios of mortgage servicing rights with large potential future advancing obligations. In addition to our profitable lending operations, we provide a variety of services to lenders through our Lender Services segment, which augments our lending profits with an attractive
fee-oriented
revenue stream.
Our differentiated strategy is built upon a few key fundamental factors:
Today, we are principally focused on residential mortgage loan products throughout the U.S., offering (1) traditional mortgage loans and reverse mortgage loans to consumers, and (2) business purpose loans to residential real estate investors. We have built a distribution network that allows our customers to interact with us through their preferred method: in person, via a broker, telephonically or digitally. Our product offering diversity makes us resilient in varying rate and origination environments, and differentiates us from traditional mortgage lenders. Our Lender Services segment supports a range of financial institutions, including our lending companies, with services such as title insurance and settlement services, appraisal management, valuation and brokerage services, fulfillment services, and technology platforms for student loans, consumer loans and home sharing
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services. In addition to creating recurring third-party revenue streams, these service business lines allow us to better serve our lending customers and maximize our revenue per lending transaction. Furthermore, our Portfolio Management segment provides structuring and product development expertise, allowing innovation and improved visibility of execution for our originations, as well as broker/dealer and institutional asset management capabilities. These capabilities allowed us to complete profitable sales of our loan products via 11 securitizations in 2021, demonstrating the high quality and liquidity of the loan products we originate, the deep relationships we have with our investors and the resilience of our business model in many economic environments.
Our lending model is supported by a robust funding structure financed by an established and diversified mix of capital partners, which enables us to sell our loan production through various channels, including whole loan and correspondent loan sales through agency, GSEs, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and private channels, as well as through securitizations. We maintain and monitor our liquidity in order to fund our loan origination businesses, manage
day-to-day
operations and protect against unforeseeable market events. As of December 31, 2021, we had $6.5 billion of committed or uncommitted loan funding capacity comprised of 38 facilities with 23 different counterparties. We had approximately $3.3 billion of liquidity sources as of December 31, 2021, comprised of (i) $141.2 million of cash and cash equivalents and (ii) $3.2 billion of undrawn warehouse lines of credit.
We believe that our culture, which seeks to promote the highest ethical standards, plays a significant role in producing superior outcomes not only for our customers but also for our business. We place a high value on honesty, transparency and integrity, which we believe has engendered trust from our customers, clients, lenders and investors. Our core values center around the mantra “customers first, last and always.” We aim to do the right thing for both our borrowers and investors every time.
Business Combination
On October 12, 2020, FoA, a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Replay, Replay Acquisition Corp. (“Replay”), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, and FoA Equity agreed to a business combination that would result in FoA becoming a publicly traded company. FoA Equity, Replay, FoA; RPLY Merger Sub LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of FoA (“Replay Merger Sub”); RPLY BLKR Merger Sub LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of FoA (“Blocker Merger Sub”); Blackstone Tactical Opportunities Fund (Urban Feeder) – NQ L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“Blocker”); Blackstone Tactical Opportunities Associates – NQ L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company (“Blocker GP”); BTO Urban Holdings L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company (“BTO Urban”), Blackstone Family Tactical Opportunities Investment Partnership – NQ – ESC L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“ESC”), Libman Family Holdings LLC, a Connecticut limited liability company (“Family Holdings”), The Mortgage Opportunity Group LLC, a Connecticut limited liability company (“TMO”), L and TF, LLC, a North Carolina limited liability company (“L&TF”), UFG Management Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Management Holdings”), and Joe Cayre (each of BTO Urban, ESC, Family Holdings, TMO, L&TF, Management Holdings and Joe Cayre, a “Seller” and, collectively, the “Sellers” or the “Continuing Unitholders”); and BTO Urban and Family Holdings, solely in their joint capacity as the representative of the Sellers pursuant to Section 12.18 of the Transaction Agreement (as defined below) (the “Seller Representative”), entered into a Transaction Agreement (the “Transaction Agreement”) pursuant to which Replay agreed to combine with FoA Equity in a series of transactions (collectively, the “Business Combination”) that resulted in FoA becoming a publicly-traded company on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) as of April 1, 2021, with trading beginning on April 5, 2021 under the ticker symbol ‘FOA’ and controlling FoA in an “UP-C” structure.
Our Segments
We conduct our business through five distinct segments: Mortgage Originations, Reverse Originations, Commercial Originations, Lender Services and Portfolio Management. Our operating subsidiaries, including Finance of America Mortgage LLC (“FAM”) and Finance of America Reverse LLC (“FAR”), are indirect subsidiaries of FoA, which means that FoA holds its equity interests in each of these entities through one or more holding companies (as opposed to a subsidiary in which FoA directly holds such entity’s equity interests).
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Mortgage Originations
Our Mortgage Originations segment originates residential mortgage loans through our FAM subsidiary. This segment generates revenue through fee-based mortgage loan origination services and the origination and sale of agency and non-agency mortgage loans into the secondary market. We generally sell originated mortgage loans into the secondary market within 30 days of origination and elect whether to sell or retain the rights to service the underlying mortgage loans based on the economics in the market and Company portfolio investment strategies. Whether the Company elects to sell or retain the rights to service the underlying loans, the Mortgage Originations segment realizes the fair value of the mortgage servicing rights in gain on sale and other income from loans held for sale, net until the date of loan sale. Subsequent fair value changes of the retained mortgage servicing rights are accounted for within fee income in the Portfolio Management segment results.
The Mortgage Originations segment includes four channels: distributed retail (consisting primarily of our retail branch locations), direct-to-consumer (consisting primarily of our call centers, website and mobile applications), third-party originator or TPO (consisting primarily of a network of mortgage brokers) and home improvement (consisting primarily of a network of partner contractors).
Reverse Originations
Our Reverse Originations segment originates or acquires reverse mortgage loans through our FAR subsidiary. This segment originates home equity conversion mortgages (“HECM”) and non-agency reverse mortgages. We securitize HECMs into Home Equity Conversion Mortgage-Backed Securities (“HMBS”), which Ginnie Mae guarantees, and sell them in the secondary market while retaining the rights to service. Non-agency reverse mortgages, which complement the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) HECM for higher value homes, may be sold as whole loans to investors or held for investment and pledged as collateral to securitized nonrecourse debt obligations. Non-agency reverse mortgage loans are not insured by the FHA. We originate reverse mortgage loans through a retail channel (consisting primarily of field offices and a centralized retail platform) and third-party originator or TPO channel (consisting primarily of a network of mortgage brokers).
Commercial Originations
Our Commercial Originations segment originates or acquires commercial mortgage loans through our FACo business line. The segment provides business purpose lending solutions for residential real estate investors in two principal ways: short-term loans to provide rehab and construction of investment properties meant to be sold upon completion, and investor rental loans collateralized by either a single property or portfolio of properties. The segment also provides government-insured agricultural lending solutions to farmers to fund their inputs and operating expenses for the upcoming growing season. The segment does not provide financing for consumer purpose, owner occupied loans or non-residential purpose commercial lending. The Commercial Originations segment generates revenue and earnings in the form of fair value gains at the time of origination (“Net origination gains”) and origination fees earned on the successful origination of commercial mortgage loans. We originate commercial mortgage loans through our retail (consisting primarily of sales teams) and third-party originator or TPO channel (consisting primarily of a network of mortgage brokers).
Lender Services
Our Lender Services segment provides complementary business services around the residential mortgage, student lending, and commercial lending industries. These complementary services include; title agency and title insurance services, mortgage servicing rights (“MSR”) valuation and trade brokerage, transactional fulfillment services, mortgage loan third party review or due diligence services and appraisal management services to our retail customers. The team operates in various offices in the U.S. as well as through a foreign branch in the Philippines for transactional fulfillment and administrative support. Our Lender Services segment generates revenue and earnings in the form of fee-for-service revenue and commissions on successful MSR trades.
Portfolio Management
Our Portfolio Management segment provides product development, loan securitization, loan sales, risk management, servicing oversight, and asset management services to the enterprise and third-party funds. As part
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of the vertical integration of our business, our Portfolio Management team acts as the connector between borrowers and investors. The direct connections to investors, provided by our FINRA registered broker-dealer, complete the lending lifecycle in a way that allows us to innovate and manage risk through better price and product discovery. Given our scale, we are able to work directly with investors and where appropriate, retain assets on balance sheet for attractive return opportunities. These retained investments are a source of growing and recurring earnings. The Portfolio Management segment generates revenue and earnings in the form of gains on sale of loans, fair value gains on portfolio assets, interest income, and fee income related to mortgage servicing rights, underwriting, advisory, valuation, and other ancillary services.
See Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and Note 33, Segment Information of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8, for additional financial information about our segments.
Competition
We compete with third-party businesses in originating traditional, reverse and commercial mortgages, including other bank and
non-bank
financial services companies focused on one or more of these business lines. Our competitive position varies by product. Traditional mortgages, for example, are widely available, and the market is highly fragmented. Our retail distribution model makes us very competitive in some local markets for purchase money loans, and it is anticipated that growth in our TPO business will also fuel growth in the purchase money market. In Reverse Originations, we are and have been a market leader since banks exited the space over 10 years ago. The number of Ginnie Mae issuers in the reverse space is quite limited, and the number of lenders of
non-agency
reverse mortgage is even smaller. Commercial Originations is also less competitive than traditional mortgages, although there are other lenders in this space. There is also significant competition in all facets of our Lender Services businesses.
Competition in our industry can take many forms, including the variety of loan programs being made available, interest rates and fees charged for a loan, convenience in obtaining a loan, client service levels, the amount and term of a loan, and marketing and distribution channels. Many of our competitors for traditional mortgage originations are commercial banks or savings institutions. These financial institutions typically have access to greater financial resources, have more diverse funding sources with lower funding costs, are less reliant on loan sales or securitizations of mortgage loans into the secondary markets to maintain their liquidity, and may be able to participate in government programs in which we are unable to participate because we are not a state or federally chartered depository institution, all of which places us at a competitive disadvantage. Fluctuations in interest rates and general economic conditions may also affect our competitive position. During periods of rising rates, competitors that have locked in low borrowing costs may have a competitive advantage. Furthermore, a cyclical decline in the industry’s overall level of originations, or decreased demand for loans due to a higher interest rate environment, may lead to increased competition for the remaining loans. Any increase in these competitive pressures could be detrimental to our business.
Intellectual Property
We use a combination of proprietary and third-party intellectual property, all of which we believe maintain and enhance our competitive position and protect our products. Such intellectual property includes owned or licensed trademarks, trademark applications, and domain names. While technology and intellectual property enhance our competitive position, given the nature of our lending business, patents, trademarks and licenses are not material to our operations as a whole or to any of our segments.
We enter into confidentiality, intellectual property invention assignment and/or non-competition and non-solicitation agreements or restrictions with our employees, independent contractors and business partners, and we strictly control access to and distribution of our intellectual property.
Cyclicality and Seasonality
The demand for loan originations is affected by consumer demand for home loans and the market for buying, selling, financing and/or re-financing residential and commercial real estate, which in turn, is affected by
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the national economy, regional trends, property valuations, interest rates, socio-economic trends and by state and federal regulations and programs which may encourage/accelerate or discourage/slow-down certain real estate trends. Our business is generally subject to seasonal trends with activity generally decreasing during the winter months, especially home purchase loans and related services. Our lowest revenue and net income levels during the year have historically been in the first quarter, but this is not indicative of future results.
Employees and Human Capital Resources
Our People:
As of December 31, 2021, we had 6,716 employees. Of these, there were 5,458 full-time and 84 part-time employees based in the U.S. We had an additional 1,174 based in the Philippines. As of December 31, 2021, we also employed 114 full-time contractors. None of our employees are represented by a labor union and we consider our employee relations to be good. Our long-term success as an organization depends upon our ability to maintain and develop our human capital.
We strive to foster an environment that is safe and healthy. We also strive to promote a strong culture across our business that recognizes the importance of respecting one another and our customers. These objectives are accomplished through a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), an emphasis on training and development, and the provision of a comprehensive benefits package with a focus on physical and mental wellness.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
In 2021, we formalized our commitment to DEI and took steps to make that commitment clear to our employees, investors, stakeholders and future talent. Diversity is simply a fact in our large, geographically dispersed workforce. It is important to acknowledge our differences, and the value that our varied experiences and perspectives can bring to our Company, which can lead to innovation and revenue growth. We believe that we can increase employee engagement and retention and improve recruitment of the best talent by creating an inclusive culture, paying employees fairly and providing opportunities to grow and thrive.
Employee Training and Development:
Finance of America utilizes a modern learning management platform that houses our centralized training and organizational development content, including Compliance training. Our Compliance training program covers an array of legal and regulatory topics. All consumer-facing employees are assigned required courses educating them on compliance with consumer protection laws for the industries in which we operate. Required Compliance training is reviewed not less than annually by representatives of the Compliance and Legal departments to ensure that necessary topics are included and that courses are assigned to all employees who are required to, or would benefit from, the training.
All new employees
are assigned a series of trainings during onboarding, spanning topics such as Ethics and Insider Trading, as well as an attestation to our core Company policies such as Information Security.
We also require our entire workforce to periodically complete a Discrimination and Harassment Prevention training course to ensure they understand what constitutes unlawful sexual harassment and discrimination, employees’ rights and available forums for adjudicating complaints.
Compliance with consumer protection regulations is supported by robust technology and monitored by our Compliance department.
Employee Benefits and Wellness:
At Finance of America, we are always on the lookout for new benefits that meet employees’ evolving needs. As we navigate the
COVID-19
era, we understand that employees may be under increased stress due to a variety of factors. Therefore, we maintain a strong focus on supporting the mental health of our employees and partner closely with mental healthcare providers. We take a holistic approach to supporting employees in need by carefully coordinating available resources and ensuring employees know what resources are available and where to turn for support. The benefits and wellness resources we offer employees include:
Our Response to the
COVID-19
Pandemic:
Our commitment to always putting employees’ health and safety first is the guiding principle behind our response to the
COVID-19
pandemic. Ongoing communications from Human Resources and business leaders have helped to remove uncertainty for employees by clarifying our policies. We also provide ongoing support, tools and flexibility for employees to manage their personal and professional lives. Flexibility has been especially important for our employees, who are juggling many responsibilities and challenges during the pandemic.
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Most of our employees have been working remotely since March 2020. Employees appreciate the flexibility and reduced commute time afforded by working from home. Remote work is also good for the environment. We’ve seen our FedEx mailings and printer use decline dramatically, and we now require far less office square footage per employee. Remote work has not adversely impacted our bottom line.
Our workforce of 1,000+ employees in Manila, Philippines focuses primarily on business processing services and operations. We took significant measures to ensure employee safety and business continuity for our offshore workforce, given that most were not accustomed to working remotely or equipped to do so. We provided these employees with home office equipment, as well as internet services and allowances to ensure they had the resources needed to work virtually, given home internet access is not common in the Philippines. In addition, water filtration systems were also provided to our Manila team to help ease the burden caused by the pandemic and other natural disasters, such as typhoons, which are common in the region.
Leaders and teams across the Company have taken many creative approaches to boosting morale and supporting teamwork, connection and engagement throughout the pandemic. In addition to various virtual team events and activities, care packages and tokens of appreciation have been frequently sent to employees.
Regulation
Our consumer-facing lending and ancillary businesses market and provide services through a number of different channels across the United States. We are subject to extensive regulation by federal, state and local authorities and a variety of statutes, rules, regulations, policies and procedures in various jurisdictions in the United States. If any of our loans to consumers are found to have been originated in violation of such laws, we could incur losses, which could adversely impact our results of operations, financial condition and business. Our Philippines branch does not conduct any consumer-facing activities.
We are required to comply with numerous federal and state consumer protection and other laws, including, but not limited to:
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• federal and state laws relating to the retention of records;
• federal and state laws relating to identity theft;
• the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (“SCRA”);
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The CFPB directly impacts the regulation of residential mortgage loan originations and servicing in a number of ways. First, the CFPB has rulemaking authority with respect to many of the federal consumer protection laws applicable to mortgage servicers, including TILA and RESPA. Second, the CFPB has supervision, examination and enforcement authority over consumer financial products and services offered by certain
non-depository
institutions and large insured depository institutions. The CFPB also has authority, under the Dodd-Frank Act, to prevent unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices in connection with the offering of consumer financial products. The Dodd-Frank Act authorizes the CFPB to establish certain minimum standards for the origination of residential mortgages including a determination of the borrower’s ability to repay. The CFPB’s jurisdiction includes those persons originating, brokering or servicing residential mortgage loans and those persons performing loan modification or foreclosure relief services in connection with such loans.
Investment Company Act Considerations
We conduct our operations so that we are not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of the issuer’s total assets (exclusive of U.S. federal government securities and cash items on an unconsolidated basis, which we refer to as the “40% test”). Excluded from the term “investment securities,” among other things, are U.S. federal government securities and securities issued by majority owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exceptions from the definition of investment company set forth in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act.
The securities issued by any wholly owned or majority owned subsidiaries that we may form in the future that are excepted from the definition of “investment company” based on Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act, together with any other investment securities (exclusive of U.S. government securities
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and cash items) we may own, may not have a value in excess of 40% of the value of our total assets on an unconsolidated basis. We will monitor our holdings to ensure continuing and ongoing compliance with the 40% test. In addition, we believe that we will not be considered an investment company under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act because we will not engage primarily or hold ourselves out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Rather, we will be primarily engaged in the non-investment company businesses of our subsidiaries.
There can be no assurance that the laws and regulations governing our Investment Company Act status will not change in a manner that adversely affects our operations. We cannot assure you that the SEC or its staff will not take action that results in our or one or more of our subsidiary’s failure to maintain an exclusion or exemption from the Investment Company Act. See “Risk Factors —Risks Related to Laws and Regulations—Conducting our business in a manner so that we are exempt from registration under, and in compliance with, the Investment Company Act, may reduce our flexibility and could limit our ability to pursue certain opportunities. At the same time, failure to continue to qualify for exemption from the Investment Company Act could adversely affect us.”
Ongoing regulatory oversight
We expect to continue to incur ongoing operational and system costs in order to maintain compliance with these laws and regulations. Furthermore, there may be additional federal or state laws that place additional obligations on servicers of residential loans.
Because we are not a depository institution, we generally do not benefit from federal preemption of state mortgage lending, loan servicing or debt collection licensing and regulatory requirements. Accordingly, we must comply with state licensing requirements in all of the states in which we conduct business. We are licensed as a loan originator in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and also are licensed as a loan servicer and loan broker in a number of states and jurisdictions in which such licenses are required. We are also subject to an extensive framework of state laws in the jurisdictions in which we do business, and to periodic audits and examinations conducted by the state regulators to ensure compliance with those laws. From time to time, we receive requests from state and other agencies for records, documents and information regarding our policies, procedures and practices regarding our mortgage origination, commercial lending, lender servicing and long-term investing business activities. We incur significant ongoing costs to comply with these governmental regulations. State attorneys general, state licensing regulators, and state and local consumer protection offices have authority to investigate consumer complaints and to commence investigations and other formal and informal proceedings regarding our operations and activities. Failure to comply with state regulations can result in monetary penalties and license revocation. In the past we have been subject to inquiries from, and in certain instances have entered into settlement agreements with, state regulators that had the power to revoke our license or make our continued licensure subject to compliance with a consent order. Some states have special rules that govern mortgage loan servicing practices, such as California’s Homeowner’s Bill of Rights. Failure to comply with these rules can result in delays or rescission of foreclosure, and subject the servicer to penalties and damages.
Additional Information
To learn more about Finance of America Companies Inc., please visit our website at www.financeofamerica.com. From time to time, we use our website as a channel of distribution of material Company information. We make our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”) available free of charge under the Investor Information section of our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file the reports with, or furnish them to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Our reports, proxy and information statements and other information filed electronically with the SEC can also be accessed at www.sec.gov.
Our website also provides access to reports filed by our directors, executive officers and certain significant stockholders pursuant to Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and charters for the standing committees of our Board of Directors are available on our website. Any information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factor Summary
This Annual Report on Form
10-K
includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts or statements of current conditions, but instead represent only management’s beliefs regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company’s control. It is possible that our actual results, financial condition and liquidity may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results, financial condition and liquidity in these forward-looking statements. The Company’s actual results may differ from its expectations, estimates, and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which are current only as of the date of this report. Results for any specified period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any future period. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to:
• our ability to finance and recover costs of our reverse servicing operations;
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All of these factors as well as other risks and uncertainties set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” are included in Item 1A, as such factors may be further updated from time to time in the Company’s periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this report and in the Company’s other filings with the SEC.
Website Disclosure
The Company may use its website as a distribution channel of material company information. Financial and other important information regarding the Company is routinely posted on and accessible through the Company’s
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investor relations website at https://www.financeofamerica.com/investors. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about the Company when you enroll your email address by visiting “Email Alerts” under the “News & Events” tab of our investor relations website. Information on the Company’s website is not incorporated by reference herein and is not a part of this
Form 10-K.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
You should carefully consider the following risk factors together with all of the other information included in this report, including the financial statements and related notes, when deciding to invest in us. The risks and uncertainties described below could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations in future periods and are not the only risks facing our Company. Additional risks not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations in future periods.
Risks Related to the Business of the Company
Risks Related to
COVID-19
The ongoing
COVID-19
pandemic has caused severe disruptions in the U.S. and global economy and to our business, and could adversely impact our ability to originate and service mortgages, manage our portfolio of assets and provide lender services and could also adversely impact our counterparties, liquidity and employees.
The ongoing
COVID-19
pandemic continues to adversely impact global commercial activity and has contributed to significant volatility in financial markets. Since 2020, the
COVID-19
pandemic has, from time to time, created disruption in global supply chains, contributed to increased inflation, increased rates of unemployment and adversely impacted many industries. The impact of the pandemic has been rapidly evolving around the globe, with several countries, at various times, taking drastic measures to limit the spread of the virus by instituting quarantines or lockdowns, imposing travel restrictions and limiting operations of
non-essential
businesses.
In 2021, the global economy, with certain setbacks, began reopening, and wider distribution of vaccines will likely encourage greater economic activity. However, wide disparities in vaccination rates and continued vaccine hesitancy, combined with the emergence of
COVID-19
variants and surges in
COVID-19
cases, could trigger the reinstatement of restrictions, including mandatory business shut-downs, travel restrictions, reduced business operations and social distancing requirements, which could dampen or delay any economic recovery and could materially and adversely affect our results and financial condition. In addition, the
COVID-19
pandemic continues to disrupt global supply chains, has caused labor shortages and has added broad inflationary pressures. Although we have observed signs of economic recovery, we cannot predict the time required for a widespread sustainable economic recovery to take hold, particularly as some newer strains of the virus appear to have had increased transmissibility and may complicate treatment and vaccination programs.
In response to the pandemic, our Company and many of our counterparties have transitioned all or a substantial portion of their operations to remote working environments, and our work-from-home environment is anticipated to continue, with certain exceptions. While the Company has not seen reduced productivity from this transition to work from home, there can be no assurance that such transition of material business operations will not have an adverse effect on our Company in the long term. Specifically, recruiting, vetting and training employees is more difficult in a work-from-home environment. The ongoing nature of the
COVID-19
outbreak could also adversely impact the continued service and availability of skilled personnel, including our executive officers and other members of our management team, employees at our origination and servicing businesses and the servicers and subservicers that we engage and other third-party vendors. To the extent our service partners and vendors, management or other personnel are impacted in significant numbers by the outbreak and are not available to conduct work, our business and operating results could be negatively impacted.
We are subject to guidelines issued by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (the “FHFA”), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) and/or the Government-Sponsored Enterprises (“GSEs”) in
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connection with management and servicing of mortgage loans insured by such agency or sold through a GSE sponsored securitization or on a whole loan basis to the related GSE. HUD and the GSEs, along with many states and other local jurisdictions took, and may take in the future, several actions in response to the
COVID-19
pandemic to provide temporary relief and protections for homeowners facing financial hardship due to the
COVID-19
pandemic including, without limitation, by announcing foreclosure and eviction moratoriums and forbearance on borrower payment of mortgage loans, and by providing mortgage servicers with an expanded set of loss mitigation tools to help homeowners, although many such moratoriums and forbearance programs have since expired. Further, HUD and the GSEs also enacted servicing and origination related waivers and provided for alternative methods to conduct certain origination and servicing practices (for example, such as those relating to notaries, inspections, and appraisals) to address concerns relating to the
COVID-19
pandemic; however, no assurance can be given as to how long they will continue to make such allowances.
We believe that we have effective systems in place for identifying and implementing changes in agency policies and procedures as well as other applicable federal, state and local law. However, any changes to the rules applying to origination and servicing of both traditional and reverse mortgages insured by HUD and the origination and servicing of loans sold to or backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may increase the risk to our Company of originating and servicing these loans, which make up a majority of our Company’s loan production. As foreclosure and eviction moratoriums continue to expire, there will likely be a backlog of cases in certain jurisdictions which may delay foreclosure and recovery timelines of our Company, potentially increasing expense and reducing income to our Company. Further, no assurance can be given as to how any moratoria that were previously in effect or that may be implemented in the future would affect the Company’s (and its various subservicers’ and subcontractors’) ability to service the mortgage loans as such moratoria are lifted, in particular, with respect to reverse mortgage loans where HUD timelines are applicable for liquidating
non-performing
assets. See “—Risks Related to our Lending Businesses—FAR status as an approved
non-supervised
FHA mortgagee and an approved Ginnie Mae issuer, and FAM status as an approved seller-servicer for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, an approved Ginnie Mae issuer and an approved
non-supervised
FHA and VA mortgagee, are subject to compliance with each of their respective guidelines and other conditions they may impose, and the failure to meet such guidelines and conditions could have a material adverse effect on our overall business and our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
It is unclear how many borrowers have been adversely affected by the
COVID-19
pandemic. It is expected that many borrowers have been or will continue to be adversely affected by the
COVID-19
pandemic. As a result, borrowers may not and/or may be unable to meet their payment obligations under their mortgage loans, which may result in shortfalls in collections of interest and/or losses on the loans. Shortfalls and losses will be particularly pronounced to the extent that the related mortgaged properties are located in geographic areas with significant numbers of
COVID-19
cases or relatively restrictive
COVID-19
countermeasures. In connection with having financial difficulties and being unable pay their mortgage payments on a timely basis, some borrowers have sought or may seek forbearance arrangements in the future. In response, we have implemented and may continue in the future to implement a range of actions with respect to affected borrowers and the related mortgage loans to forbear or extend or otherwise modify the loan terms consistent with our customary servicing practices. With respect to FAM, approximately 0.25% of our serviced mortgage loans by units 0.26% of our serviced mortgage loans by unpaid principal balance (“UPB”) are in forbearance as of December 31, 2021.
Given the ongoing nature of the outbreak, at this time we cannot reasonably estimate the magnitude of the ultimate impact that
COVID-19
will have on our business, financial performance and operating results. We believe
COVID-19’s
adverse impact on our business, financial performance and operating results will in part be significantly driven by a number of factors that we are unable to predict or control, including, for example: the severity and duration of the pandemic; the distribution and acceptance of vaccines and their impact on the timing and speed of economic recovery; the spread of new variants of the virus; the pandemic’s impact on the U.S. and global economies, including concerns regarding additional surges of the pandemic or the expansion of the economic impact thereof as a result of certain jurisdictions
“re-opening”
or otherwise lifting certain restrictions prematurely; the availability of U.S. federal, state, local or
non-U.S.
funding programs aimed at supporting the
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economy during the
COVID-19
pandemic, including uncertainties regarding the potential implementation of new or extended programs; the timing, scope and effectiveness of additional governmental responses to the pandemic; and the negative impact on our borrowers, financing sources and other business partners that may indirectly adversely affect us. The prolonged duration and impact of the
COVID-19
pandemic could materially disrupt our business operations and negatively impact our business, financial performance and operating results and may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described herein.
Escalating global trade tensions, and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the adoption or expansion of economic sanctions or trade restrictions could negatively impact us.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine could lead to disruption, instability and volatility in global markets and industries that could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition. The conflict has resulted in significant volatility in certain equity, debt and currency markets, material increases in certain commodity prices, and economic uncertainty. The conflict may also escalate and its resolution is unclear. The U.S. government and other governments have imposed severe sanctions against Russia and Russian interests and threatened additional sanctions and controls. Sanctions and export control laws and regulations are complex, frequently changing, and increasing in number, and they may impose additional legal compliance costs or business risks associated with our operations. Although the Company does not conduct business directly with companies based in Ukraine, Russia or Belarus, the impact of these measures, as well as potential responses to them by Russia, is currently unknown and they could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. See “—Risks Related to the Business of the Company—Our business is subject to the risks of earthquakes, fires, floods and other natural catastrophic events, which may increase in frequency or severity as a result of global climate change, and to interruption by man-made issues such as strikes, war and civil unrest” and “—Our hedging strategies may not be successful in mitigating our risks associated with changes in interest rates; . our Company is exposed to other credit risk.”
Our business is significantly impacted by interest rates. Changes in prevailing interest rates or U.S. monetary policies that affect interest rates may have a detrimental effect on our business.
Our financial performance is directly affected by changes in prevailing interest rates. Our financial performance may decrease or be subject to substantial volatility because of changes in prevailing interest rates. Interest rates have remained at relatively low levels on a historical basis and the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve System, or the Federal Reserve, maintained the federal funds target range at 0.0% to 0.25% for much of 2021. However, in early 2022, in light of increasing signs of inflation, the Federal Reserve indicated that it foresees up a to a three quarter-percentage point increase in interest rates in 2022, beginning as early as March 2022.
With regard to the portion of our business that focuses on refinancing existing mortgages, the refinance market generally experiences more significant fluctuations than the purchase market as a result of interest rate changes. Long-term residential mortgage interest rates have been at or near record lows for an extended period, and have increased in the near-term. From December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2021, the yield on the U.S. 10 Year Treasury Bond has increased from 0.916% to 1.512%, respectively. As interest rates rise, refinancing generally becomes a smaller portion of the market as fewer consumers are interested in refinancing their mortgages. With regard to our purchase mortgage loan business, higher interest rates may also reduce demand for purchase mortgages as home ownership becomes more expensive, which has adversely affected our revenues and required us to increase marketing expenditures in an attempt to increase or maintain our volume of mortgages and diversify product offerings. A reversal of the sustained low interest rate environment over the last several years has resulted in a decline in refinancing transactions over time, as many clients and potential clients have already taken advantage of the low interest rates. Additionally, the recent increase in interest rates may over time cause a decrease in the price that the primary issuance market would pay for a given HMBS or other securitization and could result in a decrease in gain on the securitization earned.
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Changes in interest rates are also a key driver of the performance of our servicing business, particularly because the value of our MSR portfolio is highly sensitive to changes in interest rates. Historically, the value of MSRs has increased when interest rates rise as higher interest rates lead to decreased prepayment rates, and has decreased when interest rates decline as lower interest rates lead to increased prepayment rates. As a result, decreases in interest rates could have a detrimental effect on the valuation of our MSRs.
Borrowings under our warehouse facilities and other financing lines of credit are generally at variable rates of interest, which also expose us to interest rate risk. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on certain of our variable-rate indebtedness will increase even though the amount borrowed remains the same, and our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, will correspondingly decrease. We generally use interest rate swaps or other derivative instruments that involve the exchange of floating for fixed-rate interest payments to reduce interest rate volatility. However, we may not maintain interest rate swaps with respect to all of our variable-rate indebtedness, and any such swaps may not fully mitigate our interest rate risk, may prove disadvantageous or may create additional risks. See “—Risks Related to Our Lending Businesses—Our hedging strategies may not be successful in mitigating our risks associated with changes in interest rates; our Company is exposed to other credit risk.”
In addition, our business is materially affected by the monetary policies of the U.S. government and its agencies. We are also particularly affected by the policies of the Federal Reserve, which influence interest rates and impact the size of the loan origination market. For example, in light of inflationary pressures, in March 2022, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that the Federal Reserve was on track to start hikes to the federal funds rate, taking into account other macroeconomic conditions. Further, in January 2022, the Federal Reserve also moved to taper its purchase of treasury securities and mortgage-backed securities. Such events may result in a disruption or period of illiquidity in the general MBS market and would directly affect our liquidity due to increase in our cost of financing combined with a reduction in our gain on sale or securitization proceeds in connection with any secondary market transactions.
Our geographic concentration could materially and adversely affect us if the economic conditions in our current markets should decline or we could face losses in concentrated areas due to natural disasters.
Based on data from CoreLogic, the California mortgage market represents approximately 20% of the entire market in the United States. For the year ended December 31, 2021, 43% of our originations in mortgage, reverse, and commercial loans (by UPB) were secured by properties in the state of California. As a result of this geographic concentration, our results of operations are largely dependent on economic conditions in this area. Decreases in real estate values could adversely affect the value of property used as collateral for loans to our borrowers and adverse changes in the economy caused by inflation, recession, unemployment, state or local real estate laws and regulations or other factors beyond our control may also continue to have a negative side effect on the ability of borrowers to make timely mortgage or other loan payments, which would have an adverse impact on earnings. Consequently, deterioration in economic conditions in California could have a material adverse impact on the quality of our loan portfolio, which could result in increased delinquencies, decreased interest income results as well as an adverse impact on loan loss experience with probable increased allowance for loan losses. Such deterioration also could disproportionately impact the demand for our products and services as compared to other lenders with more geographically diversified operations, and, accordingly, further negatively affect results of operations.
In addition, properties located in California may be more susceptible to certain natural disasters, such as wildfires and mudslides, and certain natural disasters not covered by standard hazard insurance, such as earthquakes. Even for properties located in an earthquake prone area, we and other lenders in the market area may not require earthquake insurance as a condition of making a loan. If there is a major earthquake, fire, mudslide, or other natural disaster, we face the risk that many of our borrowers may experience uninsured property losses, or sustained job interruption and/or loss which may materially impair their ability to meet the terms of their loan obligations. Further, with respect to mortgaged properties in California, if the related insurer determines there is a
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heightened risk of property damage due to wildfires, such insurer may elect not to renew the related hazard policies or may charge higher premiums. This may result in an increase in lapsed policies or insufficient coverage and an increase in expense for our Company as servicer, if we elect to force-place hazard insurance. Any such occurrences could materially increase our costs of servicing and also disrupt our ability to make loans in such region. See “—Our business is subject to the risks of earthquakes, fires, floods and other natural catastrophic events and to interruption by
man-made
issues such as strikes, war and civil unrest.”
We use estimates in measuring or determining the fair value of the majority of our assets and liabilities. If our estimates prove to be incorrect, we may be required to write down the value of these assets or write up the value of these liabilities, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We use financial models that utilize, wherever possible, market participant data to value certain of our assets and liabilities, including warrants arising out of the merger with Replay Acquisition Corp., our mortgage loans held for investment, MSRs and HMBS related obligations for purposes of financial reporting. We also use models to estimate the change in value of loans held for investments due to market or model input assumptions as an add back to calculate Adjusted EBITDA. These models are complex and use asset-specific collateral data and market inputs for interest and discount rates. In addition, the models are complex because of the high number of variables that drive cash flows in each of the respective assets and related liabilities.
Our ability to measure and report our financial position and operating results is influenced by the need to estimate the impact or outcome of future events based on information available at the time of our financial statements. Further, some of our loans and financial assets held for investment do not trade in an active market with readily observable prices and therefore, their fair value is determined using valuation models that calculate the present value of estimated net future cash flows, using estimates of draws or advances, prepayment speeds, home price appreciation, forward interest rates, loss rates, discount rates, cost to service, float earnings, contractual servicing fee income and ancillary income and late fees.
Fair value determinations require many assumptions and complex analyses, especially to the extent there are not active markets for identical assets. Even if the general accuracy of our valuation models is validated, valuations are highly dependent upon the reasonableness of our assumptions and the predictability of the relationships that drive the results of the models. In particular, models are less dependable when the economic environment is outside of historical experience, as was the case from 2008-2010 or during the present
COVID-19
pandemic.
If the assumptions we use in our models prove to be inaccurate, if market conditions change or if errors are found in our models or weaknesses in our model governance, we may be required to write down the value of such assets or the value of certain of our assets may decrease, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The fair value of the assets and liabilities related to our securitizations rely on forward rates of interest. Further, the durations of assets and liabilities may not match, resulting in sensitivities to specific portions of the forward curve for interest rates. If these assumptions prove to be wrong or the market for interest rates changes, we may be required to write down the net value of our securitizations.
We continue to monitor the markets and make necessary adjustments to our models and apply appropriate management judgment in the interpretation and adjustment of the results produced by our models. This process takes into account updated information while maintaining controlled processes for model updates, including model development, testing, independent validation and implementation. As a result of the time and resources, including technical and staffing resources, that are required to perform these processes effectively, it may not be possible to replace existing models quickly enough to ensure that they will always properly account for the impacts of recent information and actions.
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Our business could suffer if we fail to attract, or retain, highly skilled employees, and changes in our executive management team may be disruptive to our business.\
Our future success will depend on our ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate and retain highly qualified and skilled personnel for all areas of our organization. Trained and experienced personnel in the mortgage industry are in high demand and may be in short supply. Companies with which we compete may be able to offer more attractive terms of employment. In addition, we invest significant time and expense in training our employees, which increases their value to competitors who may seek to recruit them. We may not be able to attract, develop and maintain the skilled workforce necessary to operate our businesses, and labor expenses may increase as a result of a shortage in the supply of qualified personnel.
Additionally, the experience of our executive management team is a valuable asset to us. Our executive management team has significant experience in the financial services industry and would be difficult to replace. Disruptions in management continuity could result in operational or administrative inefficiencies and added costs, which could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations, and may make recruiting for future management positions more difficult or costly. We cannot assure you that we will be able to attract and retain key personnel or members of our executive management team, which may impede our ability to implement our current strategy or take advantage of strategic acquisitions or other growth opportunities that may be presented to us, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, to the extent our personnel and members of our executive management team are impacted in significant numbers by the outbreak of pandemic or epidemic disease, such as the
COVID-19
pandemic, our business and operating results may be negatively impacted.
Our failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could require us to restate financial statements and cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information.
As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, Sarbanes-Oxley, and the rules and regulations of the applicable listing standards of the NYSE. We expect that the requirements of these rules and regulations will continue to increase our legal, accounting and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming and costly, and place significant strain on our personnel, systems and resources. Sarbanes-Oxley requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting.
We are continuing to improve our internal control over financial reporting. In order to develop, maintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, we have expended, and anticipate that we will continue to expend, significant resources, including accounting-related and audit-related costs and significant management oversight. Our internal controls, including any new controls that we develop, may become inadequate because of changes in conditions in our business. Further, weaknesses in our disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting may be discovered in the future. Any failure to maintain effective disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and could cause a decline in the trading price of our securities.
We may fail to identify or adequately assess the magnitude of certain liabilities, shortcomings or other circumstances prior to acquiring or investing in a company or business, including potential exposure to regulatory sanctions or liabilities resulting from an acquisition target’s previous activities, internal controls and security environment.
The risks associated with acquisitions include, among others:
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• failing to retain key employees or clients;
Before making acquisitions, we conduct due diligence that we deem reasonable and appropriate based on the known facts and circumstances applicable to each acquisition, and we negotiate purchase agreements which we believe adequately protect us from undisclosed—and frequently, disclosed—existing liabilities. Nevertheless, we cannot be certain that the due diligence investigation that we carry out with respect to any acquisition opportunity will reveal or highlight all relevant facts that may be necessary or helpful in evaluating the target. As a result, we may fail to identify or adequately assess the magnitude of certain liabilities, shortcomings or other circumstances prior to acquiring, investing in or partnering with a company, including potential exposure to regulatory sanctions or liabilities resulting from an acquisition target’s previous activities, internal controls and security environment.
The success of our acquisitions are dependent, in part, on our ability to integrate, grow and scale the newly acquired business into our Company efficiently, which poses substantial challenges for management, including challenges related to the management and monitoring of new operations and associated increased costs and complexity. For example, a loss in our home improvement business, a new business line acquired by our company in 2021, contributed to a portion of our net income (loss) before income taxes reported in our Mortgage Originations segment. While our Company intends to grow the home improvement business and make it profitable, no assurance can be given as whether or not we will succeed in our plan.
Our capital investments in technology may not achieve anticipated returns.
Our business is becoming increasingly reliant on technology investments, and the returns on these investments are not always predictable. We are currently making, and will continue to make, significant technology investments to support our service offerings and to implement improvements to our customer-facing technology and information processes in order to more efficiently operate our business and remain competitive and relevant to our customers. These technology initiatives might not provide the anticipated benefits or may provide them on a delayed schedule or at a higher cost. Selecting the wrong technology, failing to adequately support development and implementation, or failing to adequately oversee third party service providers, could result in damage to our competitive position and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
A security breach or a cyber-attack could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
We collect and store certain personal and financial information from customers, employees, and other third parties. Security breaches or cyber-attacks involving our systems or facilities, or the systems or facilities of our service providers, could expose us to a risk of loss of personally identifiable information of customers, employees and third parties or other confidential, proprietary or competitively sensitive information, which could potentially have an adverse impact on our future business with current and potential customers, results of operations and financial condition.
We rely on encryption and other information security technologies licensed from third parties to provide security controls necessary to help in securing online transmission of confidential information pertaining to customers,
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employees and other aspects of our business. A failure in our information security technologies may result in a compromise or breach of the technology that we use to protect sensitive data. A party who is able to circumvent our security measures by methods such as hacking, fraud, trickery or other forms of deception could access sensitive personal and financial information or cause interruption in our operations. We are required to expend capital and other resources to protect against such security breaches or cyber-attacks or to remediate problems caused by such breaches or attacks. Our security measures are reasonably designed to protect against security breaches and cyber-attacks, but our failure to prevent such security breaches and cyber-attacks could subject us to liability, regulatory action decrease our profitability and damage our reputation. Even if a failure of, or interruption in, our systems or facilities is resolved timely or an attempted cyber incident or other security breach is successfully avoided or thwarted, it may require us to expend substantial resources or to take actions that could adversely affect customer satisfaction or behavior and expose us to reputational harm.
We could also be subjected to cyber-attacks, such as ransomware, that could result in slow performance and loss or temporary unavailability of our information systems. Information security risks have increased because of the increasing industry-wide reliance on technologies, including mobile devices, that are connected over the internet and used to process data and, conduct financial and other business transactions, and the increased sophistication and activities of organized crime, perpetrators of fraud, hackers, terrorists, and others. We may not be able to anticipate or implement effective preventative measures against all security breaches of these types, especially because new vulnerabilities emerge daily, used change frequently and because attacks can originate from a wide variety of sources.
The occurrence of any of these events could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Technology disruptions or failures, including a failure in our operational or security systems or infrastructure, or those of third parties with whom we do business, could disrupt our business, cause legal or reputational harm and adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
We are dependent on the secure, efficient, and uninterrupted operation of our technology infrastructure, including computer systems, related software applications and data centers, as well as those of certain third parties and affiliates. Our websites and computer/telecommunication networks must accommodate a high volume of traffic and deliver frequently updated information, the accuracy and timeliness of which is critical to our business. Our technology must be able to facilitate a loan application experience that equals or exceeds the experience provided by our competitors. We have or may in the future experience service disruptions and failures caused by system or software failure, fire, power loss, telecommunications failures, team member misconduct, human error, computer hackers, computer viruses and disabling devices, malicious or destructive code, denial of service or information, as well as natural disasters, terrorism, war, health pandemics and other similar events, and our disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient for all situations. This is especially applicable in the current response to the
COVID-19
pandemic and the shift we have experienced in having most of our employees work from their homes for the time being, as our employees access our secure networks through their home networks. The implementation of technology changes and upgrades to maintain current and integrate new technology systems may also cause service interruptions. Any such disruption could interrupt or delay our ability to provide services to our clients and loan applicants, and could also impair the ability of third parties to provide critical services to us.
Climate change, climate change-related regulation and the increased focus on environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) issues, may adversely affect our business and financial results and damage our reputation.
Recently, there has been growing concern from advocacy groups, government agencies and the general public over the effects of climate change on the environment. Transition risks, such as government restrictions, standards or regulations intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and potential climate change impacts, are
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emerging and may increase in the future. Such restrictions and requirements could increase our costs or require additional technology and capital investment, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
Additionally, ESG and other sustainability matters and our response and disclosures relating to these matters could harm our business, including in areas such as diversity, equity and inclusion, human rights, climate change and environmental stewardship, support for local communities, corporate governance and transparency. Increasing governmental, investor and societal attention to ESG matters, including expanding mandatory and voluntary reporting, diligence, and disclosure on topics such as climate change, human capital, labor and risk oversight, could expand the nature, scope, and complexity of matters that we are required to control, assess and report. Further, various third-party organizations have developed ratings processes or second party opinions (SPOs) for evaluating companies on their approach to ESG matters. These third party ESG ratings may be used by some investors to assist with their investment and voting decisions. Any unfavorable ESG ratings or SPOs may lead to reputational damage and negative sentiment among our investors and other stakeholders. These factors may alter the environment in which we do business and may increase the ongoing costs of compliance and adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows. If we are unable to adequately address such ESG matters or we fail or are perceived to fail to comply with all laws, regulations, policies and related interpretations, it could negatively impact our reputation and our business results.
Further, significant physical effects of climate change including extreme weather events such as hurricanes or floods, can also have an adverse impact on certain of our borrowers’ properties. As the effects of climate change increase, we expect the frequency and impact of weather and climate related events and conditions to increase as well. While the geographic distribution of our borrowers somewhat limits our physical climate risk, some physical risk is inherent in the properties of our borrowers, particularly in certain borrowers’ locations and in the unknown potential for extreme weather or other events that could occur related to climate change.
Our business is subject to the risks of earthquakes, fires, floods and other natural catastrophic events, which may increase in frequency or severity as a result of global climate change, and to interruption by
man-made
issues such as strikes, war and civil unrest.
Our systems and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, fires, floods, power losses, telecommunications failures, strikes, war, health pandemics and similar events. Disease outbreaks have occurred in the past, and any prolonged occurrence of infectious disease or other adverse public health developments could have a material adverse effect on the macro economy and/or our business operations. We believe that our risks in this area are somewhat mitigated due to the lack of concentration of our employees or business in one building or metro area; however, this geographic diversity may make us more vulnerable to disruptions in technology. See “—Technology disruptions or failures, including a failure in our operational or security systems or infrastructure, or those of third parties with whom we do business, could disrupt our business, cause legal or reputational harm and adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.”
In addition, strikes, war and other geopolitical unrest could cause disruptions in our business and lead to interruptions, delays or loss of critical data. We may not have sufficient protection or recovery plans in certain circumstances, and our business interruption insurance may be insufficient to compensate us for losses that may occur.
These types of catastrophic events may also affect loan origination which have been locked and loans which we are holding for sale or investment. For example, our gains in connection with securitizations and loans sales, the cost of capital to our Company and the value of our assets may be adversely affected due to economic or industry sector downturns as well as geopolitical tensions arising out of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Such events could also affect our loan servicing costs, increase our recoverable and our
non-recoverable
servicing advances, increase servicing defaults and negatively affect the value of our MSRs.
We may also incur losses when a borrower passes away prior to completing repairs following a natural disaster, because we are required to reduce our claim to FHA by the unrepaired damage amount. Mortgagee properties securing loans which we make are required to be covered by hazard insurance customary to the area in which the property is located. In certain areas, such as California, earthquake insurance is not required by HUD or other
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lenders generally. There could also be circumstances where insurance premiums have not been timely paid, or the insurance coverage otherwise fails. In these events, we could suffer losses. For loans which have been sold, we would be exposed to such losses generally only if we have breached a representation or warranty under the related purchase and sale agreement. However, in cases where we have retained some credit risk, we could suffer losses. In addition, catastrophic events often lead to increased delinquencies, which create additional risk for us. For example, FAR has suffered losses and faced increased costs following a series of natural disasters in Puerto Rico, including Hurricane Maria in 2017. See “—A significant increase in delinquencies on the mortgage loans we originate could have a material impact on our revenues, expenses and liquidity and on the valuation of our MSR portfolio.” Climate change increases the risk/severity of weather-related natural disasters which can lead to more frequent and higher losses, lack of affordable insurance for borrowers, uninsured flood losses (the National Flood Insurance Program caps at $250,000), and longer timelines to liquidate or assign loans to HUD.
Our risk management efforts may not be effective.
We could incur substantial losses and our business operations could be disrupted if we are unable to effectively identify, manage, monitor, and mitigate financial risks, such as credit risk, interest rate risk, prepayment risk, liquidity risk, and other market-related risks, as well as operational and legal risks related to our business, assets, and liabilities. We are also subject to various laws, regulations and rules that are not industry specific, including employment laws related to employee hiring, termination, and pay practices, health and safety laws, environmental laws and other federal, state and local laws, regulations and rules in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Our risk management policies, procedures, and techniques may not be sufficient to identify all of the risks to which we are exposed, mitigate the risks we have identified, or identify additional risks to which we may become subject in the future. Expansion of our business activities may also result in our being exposed to risks to which we have not previously been exposed or may increase our exposure to certain types of risks, and we may not effectively identify, manage, monitor, and mitigate these risks as our business activities change or increase.
As a result of the application of the acquisition method of accounting in connection with the Business Combination, the historical consolidated financial statements of the Company are not necessarily indicative of the Company’s future results of operations, financial position and cash flows, and the Company has recognized, and may recognize in the future, impairment charges related to goodwill, identified intangible assets and fixed assets that are adjusted to fair value.
In accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other, the Company is required to test goodwill and any other intangible assets with an indefinite life for possible impairment on an annual basis and on an interim basis if there are indicators of a possible impairment. The Company will also be required to evaluate amortizable intangible assets and fixed assets for impairment if there are indicators of a possible impairment. There is significant judgment required in the analysis of a potential impairment of goodwill, identified intangible assets and fixed assets. If, as a result of a general economic slowdown, deterioration in one or more of the markets in which the Company operates or impairment in the Company’s financial performance and/or future outlook, the estimated fair value of the Company’s long- lived assets decreases, the Company may determine that one or more of its long-lived assets is impaired. An impairment charge would be determined based on the estimated fair value of the assets and any such impairment charge could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
The stock trading price and resulting market capitalization of our publicly traded shares has decreased in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2021 compared to the share price at the time of the Business Combination. In connection with the preparation of the Company’s audited financial statements included in this report, the Company performed an annual goodwill impairment test as of October 1, 2021. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Company considered its market capitalization and implied control premium as part of the goodwill impairment analysis. As a result of a sustained decline in market capitalization, the Company performed a quantitative impairment assessment and compared the fair value of its reporting units to their carrying value. A significant factor in determining the fair value of the reporting units was the market capitalization during the
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fourth quarter. As a result of the quantitative impairment assessment, the Company impaired all of the outstanding goodwill and recorded a $1.4 billion
non-cash
impairment charge during the fourth quarter. The recognition of any potential future impairments could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Lending Businesses
If we are unable to obtain sufficient capital to meet the financing requirements of our business, or if we fail to comply with our debt agreements, our business, financing activities, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.
We require significant leverage in order to fund mortgage originations, make servicing advances and finance our investments. Accordingly, our ability to fund our mortgage originations, to make servicing advances and to continue investments depends on our ability to secure financing on acceptable terms and to renew and/or replace existing financings as they expire. These financings may not be available on acceptable terms or at all. If we are unable to obtain these financings, we may need to raise the funds we require in the capital markets or through other means, any of which may increase our cost of funds.
As of December 31, 2021, we have entered into 38 warehouse lines of credit, MSR lines of credit, and other secured lines of credit, with an aggregate of $6.5 billion in borrowing capacity. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Summary of Certain Indebtedness.” These financing facilities typically contain, and we expect that other financing facilities that we may enter into in the future will typically contain, covenants that, among other things, require us to satisfy minimum tangible or adjusted tangible net worth, maximum leverage ratio of total liabilities (which may include
off-balance
sheet liabilities) or indebtedness to tangible or adjusted tangible net worth, minimum liquidity or minimum liquid assets and minimum net income or
pre-tax
net income. As a result of impacts from the Business Combination, FAM was not in compliance with the lender adjusted tangible net worth quarterly requirements of FNMA during the second quarter 2021 and the ‘two-consecutive quarter’ lender adjusted tangible net worth quarterly requirements of FNMA during the second and third quarters of 2021. The Company received a waiver from FNMA with respect to the lender adjusted tangible net worth quarterly requirement with respect to the second quarter of 2021 and the ‘two-consecutive quarter’ lender adjusted tangible net worth quarterly requirements with respect to both the second and third quarter of 2021, in each case, effective as of June 30, 2021. In addition, during, the fourth quarter of 2021, as a result of the goodwill and intangible assets impairment as well as certain fair value adjustments and the related impact of each to net income, Finance of America Commercial LLC (“FACo”) and FAM were not in compliance with profitability covenants with certain of their lenders as of December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, the Company obtained waivers or amendments to terms of the affected covenants and in a few instances, our Company elected to terminate the related financing transactions in accordance with their terms in lieu of seeking waivers or amendments. The Company was in compliance with all other financial covenants as of December 31, 2021. If we fail to meet or satisfy any of these covenants, we would be in default under these agreements and our lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding under the agreements to be immediately due and payable, enforce their respective security interests under such agreements and restrict our ability to make additional borrowings. In addition, our financing agreements may contain other events of default and cross-default provisions, so that if a default occurs under any one agreement, the lenders under certain other agreements could also declare a default. Our financings also have fair value risk pursuant to which our lending counterparties have the right to value the related collateral. In the event the market value of the collateral decreases (typically as determined by the related lender) and a borrowing base deficiency exists, the related lender can require us to prepay the debt or require us to post additional margin as collateral at any time during the term of the related agreement. There can be no assurance that we will be in compliance with our covenants or other requirements under our financing facilities in the future.
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We are generally required to renew a significant portion of our debt financing arrangements each year and in cases of certain securities repurchase agreements, the terms are shorter such as biweekly or monthly rolling periods, which exposes us to refinancing and interest rate risks. Furthermore, our counterparties are not required to renew or extend our repurchase agreements or other financing agreements upon the expiration of their stated terms (which term may be as short as two weeks in the case of certain securities repurchase agreements). Our ability to refinance existing debt (including refinancing existing securitization debt) and borrow additional funds is affected by a variety of factors:
• prevailing interest rates;
In the event that any of our loan funding facilities is terminated or is not renewed, or if the principal amount that may be drawn under our funding agreements that provide for immediate funding at closing were to significantly decrease, we may be unable to find replacement financing on commercially favorable terms, or at all. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. Further, if we are unable to refinance or obtain additional funds for borrowing (including through the securitization markets), our ability to maintain or grow our business could be limited.
A disruption in the secondary home loan market, including the MBS market, could have a detrimental effect on our business.
Demand in the secondary market and our ability to complete the sale or securitization of our home loans or other asset-backed assets such as crop loans or home improvement loans or receivables depends on a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including general economic conditions, general conditions in the banking system, the willingness of lenders to provide financing for home loans, the willingness of investors to purchase home loans and MBS, and changes in regulatory requirements. Disruptions in the general MBS market may occur, including, but not limited to in response to the
COVID-19
pandemic. Any significant disruption or period of illiquidity in the general MBS market could directly affect our liquidity because no existing alternative secondary market would likely be able to accommodate on a timely basis the volume of loans that we typically sell in any given period. Accordingly, if the MBS market experiences a period of illiquidity, we might be prevented from selling the loans that we produce into the secondary market in a timely manner or at favorable prices, which could be detrimental to our business, including, but not limited to, increasing our cost of funds due to extended dwell time on our warehouse lines, and a negative impact on our liquidity due to write-downs on the value of the loans held on our balance sheet, and the application of large haircuts due to longer dwell times.
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FAM’s status as an approved seller-servicer for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, an approved Ginnie Mae issuer and an approved
non-supervised
FHA and VA mortgagee, and FAR’s status as an approved
non-supervised
FHA mortgagee and an approved Ginnie Mae issuer, are subject to compliance with each of their respective guidelines and other conditions they may impose, and the failure to meet such guidelines and conditions could have a material adverse effect on our overall business and our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
FAM’s status as an approved seller-servicer for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, an approved Ginnie Mae issuer and an approved
non-supervised
FHA and VA mortgagee, and FAR’s status as an approved
non-supervised
FHA mortgagee and an approved Ginnie Mae issuer, are subject to compliance with each agency’s respective regulations, guides, handbooks, mortgagee letters and all participants’ memoranda. For example, as a Ginnie Mae issuer, FAR must meet certain minimum capital requirements, including, but not limited to: (i) Ginnie Mae’s requirement that
non-depository
institutions hold equity capital in the amount of at least 6% of total assets, which technical
non-compliance
was the result of a change in accounting for HMBS transactions, and (ii) Fannie Mae’s minimum acceptable capital requirement of a 6% minimum tangible capital ratio. Any loss of FAM’s status as an approved seller-servicer for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, an approved Ginnie Mae issuer or an approved non-supervised FHA and VA mortgagee, or of FAR’s status as an approved
non-supervised
FHA mortgagee or an approved Ginnie Mae issuer, could have a material adverse effect on our overall business and our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
We are required to follow specific guidelines and eligibility standards that impact the way we service and originate GSE and U.S. government agency loans, including guidelines and standards with respect to:
• credit standards for mortgage loans;
• our staffing levels and other servicing practices;
• the servicing and ancillary fees that we may charge;
• our modification standards and procedures;
• the amount of reimbursable and non-reimbursable advances that we may make; and
• the types of loan products that are eligible for sale or securitization.
These guidelines provide the GSEs and other government agencies with the ability to provide monetary incentives for loan servicers that perform according to their standards for origination and servicing, and to assess penalties for those that do not. At the direction of the FHFA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have aligned their guidelines for servicing delinquent mortgages, which could result in monetary incentives for servicers that perform well and to assess compensatory penalties against servicers in connection with the failure to meet specified timelines relating to delinquent loans and foreclosure proceedings, and other breaches of servicing obligations. We generally cannot negotiate these terms with the agencies, and they are subject to change at any time without our specific consent. A significant change in these guidelines that decreases the fees we charge or requires us to expend additional resources to provide mortgage services could decrease our revenues or increase our costs.
In addition, changes in the nature or extent of the guarantees provided by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) or the VA, or the insurance provided by the FHA, or coverage provided by private mortgage insurers, could also have broad adverse market implications. Any future increases in guarantee fees by the agencies, the VA or USDA, or increases in the premiums we are required to pay to the FHA or private mortgage insurers for mortgage insurance, could increase mortgage origination costs and insurance premiums for our clients. These industry changes could negatively affect demand for our mortgage services and consequently our origination volume, which could be detrimental to our business. We cannot predict whether the impact of any proposals to move Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of conservatorship would require them to increase their fees.
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Our loan origination and servicing revenues are highly dependent on macroeconomic and U.S. residential real estate market conditions.
Our success depends largely on the health of the U.S. residential real estate industry, which is seasonal, cyclical, and affected by changes in general economic conditions beyond our control. Economic factors such as increased interest rates, slow economic growth or recessionary conditions, the pace of home price appreciation or the lack of it, changes in household debt levels, inflationary pressures which limit surplus cash and increased unemployment or stagnant or declining wages affect our clients’ ability to purchase homes or to refinance. National or global events affect macroeconomic conditions. Weak or significant deterioration in economic conditions reduce the amount of disposable income consumers have, which in turn reduces consumer spending and the willingness of qualified potential clients to take out loans. Such economic factors affect loan origination volume. Excessive home building or historically high foreclosure rates resulting in an oversupply of housing in a particular area may depress to value of homes, potentially increasing the risk of loss on defaulted mortgage loans.
Recently, financial markets have experienced significant volatility as a result of the effects of the
COVID-19
pandemic. To combat the COVID-19 pandemic, many state and local jurisdictions enacted measures requiring closure of businesses and other economically restrictive efforts. The federal government initially responded by adopting a series of measures designed to protect the economy; however, many of the earlier benefits have been exhausted. The full impact of the
COVID-19
pandemic on the economy may not be realized for months, or even years. There may be a significant increase in the rate and number of mortgage payment delinquencies, and house sales, home prices, and multifamily fundamentals may be adversely affected, leading to an overall material adverse decrease on our mortgage origination activities. See “—Risks related to
COVID-19.”
Any uncertainty or deterioration in mortgage market conditions, including due to geopolitical tensions arising out of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could lead to a decrease in loan originations which will result in lower revenue on loans sold into the secondary market. Lower loan origination volumes generally place downward pressure on margins, thus compounding the effect of the deteriorating market conditions. Such events could be detrimental to our business. Moreover, any deterioration in market conditions that leads to an increase in loan delinquencies will result in lower revenue for loans we service for the GSEs and Ginnie Mae because we collect servicing fees from them only for performing loans, and may delay collection of servicing fees from some securitizations.
Additionally, origination of purchase money loans is seasonal. Historically, our purchase money loan origination activity is larger in the second and third quarters of the year, as home buyers tend to purchase their homes during the spring and summer in order to move to a new home before the start of the school year. As a result, our loan origination revenues vary from quarter to quarter.
Increased delinquencies will also increase the cost of servicing the loans and may result in a negative MSR if the cost of servicing the loans exceeds the servicing fees. The decreased cash flow from lower servicing fees could decrease the estimated value of our MSRs, resulting in recognition of losses when we write down those values. In addition, an increase in delinquencies lowers the interest income we receive on cash held in collection and other accounts and increases our obligation to advance certain principal, interest, tax and insurance obligations owed by the delinquent mortgage loan borrower.
Any of the circumstances described above, alone or in combination, may lead to volatility in or disruption of the credit markets at any time and may have a detrimental effect on our business.
We face competition that could adversely affect us and we may not be able to maintain or grow the volumes in our loan origination businesses.
We compete with many third-party businesses in originating traditional, reverse and commercial mortgages and providing certain lender services. Some of our competitors may have more name recognition and greater financial and other resources than we have, including better access to capital. Competitors who originate mortgage loans to retain for investment may have greater flexibility in approving loans.
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In our traditional mortgage business, we operate at a competitive disadvantage to federally chartered depository institutions because they enjoy federal preemption. As a result, they conduct their business under relatively uniform U.S. federal rules and standards and are not subject to licensing and certain consumer protection laws of the states in which they do business. Unlike our federally chartered competitors, we are generally subject to all state and local laws applicable to lenders in each jurisdiction in which we originate and service loans. Depository institutions also enjoy regular access to very inexpensive capital. To compete effectively, we must maintain a high level of operational, technological and managerial expertise, as well as access to capital at a competitive cost.
We cannot assure you that we will remain competitive with other originators in the future, a number of whom also compete with us in obtaining financing. In addition, other competitors with similar objectives to our own may be organized in the future and may compete with us in one or more of our business lines. These competitors may be significantly larger than us, may have access to greater capital and other resources or may have other advantages. Furthermore, some competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and establish more relationships than us. We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our hedging strategies may not be successful in mitigating our risks associated with changes in interest rates; our Company is exposed to other credit risk.
Our profitability is directly affected by changes in interest rates. The market value of closed loans held for sale and interest rate locks generally change along with interest rates. The value of such assets moves opposite of interest rate changes. For example, as interest rates rise, the value of existing mortgage assets falls.
We employ various economic hedging strategies to mitigate the interest rate and the anticipated loan financing probability or “pull-through risk” inherent in such mortgage assets. Our use of these hedge instruments may expose us to counterparty risk as they are not traded on regulated exchanges or guaranteed by an exchange or its clearinghouse and, consequently, there may not be the same level of protections with respect to margin requirements and positions and other requirements designed to protect both us and our counterparties. Furthermore, the enforceability of agreements underlying hedging transactions may depend on compliance with applicable statutory, commodity and other regulatory requirements and, depending on the domicile of the counterparty, applicable international requirements. Consequently, if a counterparty fails to perform under a derivative agreement we could incur a significant loss.
Our hedge instruments are accounted for as free-standing derivatives and are included on our consolidated balance sheet at fair market value. Our operating results could be negatively affected because the losses on the hedge instruments we enter into may not be offset by a change in the fair value of the related hedged transaction.
Our hedging strategies also require us to provide cash margin to our hedging counterparties from time to time. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. requires us to provide daily cash margin to (or receive daily cash margin from, depending on the daily value of related MBS) our hedging counterparties from time to time. The collection of daily margin between us and our hedging counterparties could, under certain MBS market conditions, adversely affect our short-term liquidity and
cash-on-hand.
Additionally, our hedge instruments may expose us to counterparty risk—the possibility that a loss may occur from the failure of another party to perform in accordance with the terms of the contract, which loss exceeds the value of existing collateral, if any.
A portion of our assets consist of MSRs, which may fluctuate in value. Although we do not currently, we may in the future hedge a portion of the risks associated with such fluctuations. There can be no assurance such hedges would adequately protect us from a decline in the value of the MSRs we own, or that a hedging strategy utilized by us with respect to our MSRs would be well-designed or properly executed to adequately address such fluctuations. A decline in the value of MSRs may have a detrimental effect on our business.
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A portion of our assets consist of MSRs, which may fluctuate in value. While we hedge our residential mortgage MSRs through an intercompany swap with our reverse business line to take advantage of the natural hedge between residential mortgage MSRs and proprietary reverse loans, there can be no assurance such hedges would adequately protect us from a decline in the value of the MSRs we own, or that a hedging strategy utilized by us with respect to such assets would be well-designed or properly executed to adequately address such fluctuations. A decline in the value of MSRs may have a detrimental effect on our business.
Further, although our Company hedges in order to mitigate interest rate risks, our Company’s assets are still exposed to market risks due to variations in prepayment speeds and credit spreads. Prepayment speed is the measurement of how quickly loans are repaid above the amortization schedule. Increasing prepayment speed may adversely affect the value of our MSRs and our retained securities. While we attempt to hedge the prepayment activity correlated with interest rates, there may be other drivers of prepayment speeds, such as excess home price appreciation, that we do not hedge. Credit spreads measure the yield demanded on securities by the market based on their credit relative to a specific benchmark. Volatility in market conditions, resulting from events such as COVID-19 or unstable geopolitical conditions such as the military action by Russia against Ukraine, cause credit spreads to widen, which reduces, among other things, availability of credit to our Company on favorable terms, liquidity in the market and price transparency of real estate related or asset-backed assets. Such market conditions can be volatile from time to time and can further deteriorate as a result of a variety of factors beyond our control with adverse effects to our financial condition.
These events may impede, delay or complicate our ability to securitize or sell our assets held for sale, increase financing costs for our Company and our ability to borrow capital generally. We generally do not hedge credit spreads.
We have third-party secondary marketing risks and counterparty risks (including mortgage loan brokers) which could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operation.
Secondary Marketing Risks
: We provide representations and warranties to purchasers and insurers of the loans and in connection with our securitization transactions, as well as indemnification for losses resulting from breaches of representations and warranties. In the event of a breach, we may be required to repurchase a mortgage loan or indemnify the purchaser, and any subsequent loss on the mortgage loan may be borne by us. While our contracts vary, they generally contain broad representations and warranties, including but not limited to representations regarding loan quality and underwriting (including compliant appraisals, calculations of income and indebtedness, and occupancy of the mortgaged property); securing of adequate mortgage and title insurance within a certain period after closing; and compliance with regulatory requirements. We may also be required to repurchase loans if the borrower fails to make certain loan payments due to the purchaser, typically for the first
1-3
payments due to purchaser. These obligations are affected by factors both internal and external in nature, including, the volume of loan sales and securitizations, to whom the loans are sold and the terms of our purchase and sale agreements, the parties to whom our purchasers sell the loans subsequently and the terms of those agreements, actual losses on loans which have breached representations and warranties, our success rate at curing deficiencies or appealing repurchase demands, our ability to recover any losses from third parties, the overall economic condition in the housing market, the economic condition of borrowers, the political environment at investor agencies and the overall U.S. and world economies. Many of the factors are beyond our control and may lead to judgments that are susceptible to change. See “—A significant increase in delinquencies on the mortgage loans we originate could have a material impact on our revenues, expenses and liquidity and on the valuation of our MSR portfolio.”
When engaging in securitization transactions, we also prepare marketing and disclosure documentation, including term sheets, offering documents, and prospectuses, that include disclosures regarding the securitization transactions and the assets being securitized. If our marketing and disclosure documentation is alleged or found to contain material inaccuracies or omissions, we may be liable under federal and state securities laws (or under
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other laws) for damages to third parties that invest in these securitization transactions, including in circumstances where we relied on a third party in preparing accurate disclosures, or we may incur other expenses and costs in connection with disputing these allegations or settling claims. We have also engaged in selling or contributing loans to third parties who, in turn, have securitized those loans. In these circumstances, we have in the past and may in the future also prepare marketing and disclosure documentation, including documentation that is included in term sheets, offering documents, and prospectuses relating to those securitization transactions. We could be liable under federal and state securities laws (or under other laws) or contractually for damages to third parties that invest in these securitization transactions, including liability for disclosures prepared by third parties or with respect to loans that we did not sell or contribute to the securitization.
Additionally, we typically retain various third-party service providers when we engage in securitization transactions, including underwriters or initial purchasers, trustees, administrative and paying agents, and custodians, among others. We frequently contractually agree to indemnify these service providers against various claims and losses they may suffer in connection with the provision of services to us and/or the securitization trust. To the extent any of these service providers are liable for damages to third parties that have invested in these securitization transactions, we may incur costs and expenses as a result of these indemnities.
Third Party Loan Broker Risk
: The brokers through whom we originate 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 such brokers, U.S. federal and state agencies could impose such liability. The DOJ, through its use of a disparate impact theory under the FHA, is actively holding home loan lenders responsible for the pricing practices of independent third-party brokers, alleging that the lender is directly responsible for the total fees and charges paid by the borrower even if the lender neither dictated what the broker could charge nor kept the money for its own account. In addition, under TILA (as defined below), and the TILA-RESPA (as defined below) Integrated Disclosure rule, we may be held responsible for improper disclosures made to clients by brokers. We may be subject to claims for fines or other penalties based upon the conduct of the independent home loan brokers with which we do business.
Counterparty Credit Risks:
We are exposed to counterparty credit risk in the event of
non-performance
by counterparties to various agreements, including our lenders, servicers and hedge counterparties. Although certain warehouse and other financing facilities lines are committed, we may experience a disruption in operations due to a lender withholding funding of a borrowing requested on the respective financing facility.
Any of the above could adversely affect our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.
We have risks related to our Subservicers which could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operation.
Each of our lending businesses acts as named servicer with respect to MSRs that we retain or acquire or otherwise for loans that we are required to service (including as an issuer of Ginnie Mae securities) and in each such case, the related business contracts with various third parties (collectively, the “Subservicers”) for the subservicing of the loans. In addition, we engage Subservicers to service loans which we hold on our balance sheet. FAM has contracted with LoanCare, LLC, a Virginia limited liability company (“LoanCare”), and ServiceMac, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ServiceMac”), as subservicers to perform traditional mortgage servicing functions on our behalf (LoanCare and ServiceMac, in such capacity, each referred to herein as a “Traditional Servicer” and collectively as the “Traditional Servicers”). LoanCare currently services the majority of our traditional servicing book, but we anticipate using both LoanCare and ServiceMac in the future. FAM has contracted with Servis One, Inc. d/b/a BSI Financial Services, a Delaware corporation, Specialized Loan Servicing LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and Fay Servicing, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Commercial Servicers”), as subservicers to perform commercial mortgage servicing functions. FAR has contracted with Compu-Link Corporation (d/b/a Celink), a Michigan corporation (“Celink”), as a subservicer to perform reverse mortgage servicing functions on our behalf, and with ServiceMac, LLC, a
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Delaware limited liability company (“ServiceMac”), as a subservicer of its proprietary hybrid mortgage loan product. These subservicing relationships present a number of risks to us.
Failure by the Traditional Servicers to comply with the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac servicing guidelines, when applicable, including forbearance requirements issued as a result of COVID-19 or any other macroeconomic event, can result in the assessment of fines and loss of reimbursement of loan related advances, expenses, interest and servicing fees. The Traditional Servicers have obligations to promptly apply payments received from borrowers, to properly manage and reconcile tax and insurance escrow accounts, and to comply with obligations to pay taxes and insurance in a timely manner for escrowed accounts. If the Traditional Servicers are not vigilant in encouraging borrowers to make their monthly payments or to keep their hazard insurance premiums or property taxes current, the borrowers may be less likely to make these payments, which could result in a higher frequency of default. If the Traditional Servicers take longer to mitigate losses or liquidate
non-performing
assets, loss severities may be higher than originally anticipated. If fines or any amounts lost are not recovered from Traditional Servicers, such events frequently lead to the eventual realization of a loss by us.
Failure by the Commercial Servicers to meet stipulations of the servicing and securitization agreements can result in the loss of reimbursement of loan related advances, expenses, interest and servicing fees.
We rely on Celink to subservice all of our reverse mortgage portfolio (other than FAR’s proprietary hybrid mortgage loan product), including the HECM portfolio. Failure by Celink to meet the requirements of the HUD servicing guidelines can result in the assessment of fines and loss of reimbursement of loan related advances, expenses, interest and servicing fees. Moreover, if Celink is not vigilant in encouraging borrowers to make their real estate tax and property insurance premium payments, the borrowers may be less likely to make these payments, which could result in a higher frequency of default for failure to make these payments. If Celink misses HUD and Ginnie Mae timelines for liquidating
non-performing
assets, loss severities may be higher than originally anticipated, and we may be subject to penalties by HUD and Ginnie Mae, including curtailment of interest. If fines or any amounts lost are not recovered from Celink, such events frequently lead to the eventual realization of a loss by us.
We rely on ServiceMac to subservice our proprietary hybrid mortgage loan product, which combines features of both traditional residential mortgages and reverse mortgages. Many of the risks specific to the subservicing of either traditional residential mortgages or reverse mortgages both apply to this product. Also, due to the unique nature of this product, issues or questions of first impression may arise from time to time, resulting in subservicing-related challenges and uncertainties.
In our reverse mortgage business, we believe the number of viable subservicers is limited, either due to the requisite Ginnie Mae authority and experience needed or, in the case of our proprietary hybrid mortgage loan product, due to the unique nature of the product and the need to combine both forward and reverse mortgage servicing functions when subservicing the product. Unless more subservicers enter this space, the quality of subservicing practices may deteriorate, and we could have limited options in the event of subservicer failure. The failure of a subservicer to effectively service the HECM, proprietary jumbo reverse and proprietary hybrid mortgage loans we own or the loans underlying the Agency HMBS and
non-Agency
HMBS we issue and hold in our portfolio or sell to third parties could have a material and adverse effect on our business and our financial condition.
Our Subservicers may be required to be licensed under applicable state law, and they are subject to various federal and state laws and regulations, including regulation by the CFPB. (See “Risks Related to Laws and Regulations—We operate in heavily regulated industries, and our mortgage loan origination and servicing activities (including lender services) expose us to risks of noncompliance with an increasing and inconsistent body of complex laws and regulations at the U.S. federal, state and local levels.”) Failure of the Subservicers to comply with applicable laws and regulations may expose them to fines, responsibility for refunds to borrowers, loss of licenses needed to conduct their business, and third-party litigation, all of which may adversely impact the
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Subservicers’ financial condition and ability to perform their responsibilities under the related subservicing agreement. In addition, regulators or third parties may take the position that we were responsible for the Subservicers’ actions or failures to act; in that event, we might be exposed to the same risks as the Subservicers.
Our Subservicers may experience financial difficulties from time to time arising out of legal and regulatory issues as described in the prior paragraph or arising from other events. If any of our Subservicers experiences financial difficulties, including as a result of a bankruptcy, it may not be able to perform its subservicing and indemnification duties under the related subservicing agreement. There can be no assurance that each of our Subservicers will remain solvent or that such Subservicer will not file for bankruptcy at any time.
If any of our Subservicers or any of their respective vendors fails to perform its duties pursuant to its related subservicing agreement, whether due to legal and regulatory issues or financial difficulties as described in the two preceding paragraphs or for any other reason, our business acting as the named servicer (or for balance sheet loans, the owner of the loan) will be required to perform the servicing functions previously performed by such subservicer or cause another subservicer to perform such duties, to the extent required pursuant to the related servicing agreement. The process of identifying and engaging a suitable successor subservicer and transitioning the functions performed by our Subservicer to such successor subservicer could result in delays in collections and other functions performed by our Subservicer and expose our business to breach of contract and indemnity claims relating to its servicing obligations. Such delays may also adversely affect the value of the residual interests that we own in our securitizations and loans.
If we do suffer a loss due to a Subservicer’s failure to perform, the recovery process against a Subservicer can be prolonged and may be subject to our meeting minimum loss deductibles under the indemnification provisions in our agreements with the Subservicer. The time may be extended as the Subservicer has the right to review underlying loss events and our request for indemnification. The amounts ultimately recovered from the Subservicers may differ from our estimated recoveries recorded based on the Subservicers’ interpretation of responsibility for loss, which could lead to our realization of additional losses. We are also subject to counterparty risk for collection of amounts which may be owed to us by a Subservicer. For example, Reverse Mortgage Solutions (“RMS”), who previously serviced a significant amount of loans for FAR, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on February 11, 2019. RMS subsequently rejected its subservicing agreement with FAR. FAR has filed a claim in the RMS bankruptcy for losses and potential future losses resulting from RMS’ failure to service loans in accordance with the terms of the subservicing agreement, and while some recovery is anticipated, it will be far less than the estimated current and future losses.
We also may suffer losses as a result of our agreement to indemnify our Subservicers for any losses resulting from their subservicing of the mortgage loans in accordance with the related subservicing agreement (so long as such loss does not result from the applicable Subservicer’s failure to act in accordance with standards specified under the related subservicing agreement). To the extent that we do not have a right to reimburse ourselves for the same amounts under our servicing agreements or if there are insufficient collections in respect of the mortgage loans for such reimbursements, we may face losses in our servicing business.
Reputational harm, including as a result of our actual or alleged conduct or public opinion, could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Reputational risk is inherent in our business. Negative public opinion can result from our actual or alleged conduct in any number of activities, including loan origination, loan servicing, debt collection practices, corporate governance and other activities. Negative public opinion can also result from actions taken by government regulators and community organizations in response to our activities, from consumer complaints, including in the CFPB complaints database, from litigation filed against us, and from media coverage, whether accurate or not.
The reverse mortgage origination business as a whole had reputational issues arising after 2007, when home values were decreasing nationwide, and the only products available to consumers were HECM products. Prior to
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2015, HECM products were not underwritten to confirm the ability of borrowers to pay taxes and insurance; while the proceeds provided initial cash benefits to the borrowers, if they ultimately were unable or unwilling to pay property taxes and insurance, foreclosures for default would result, and eventually the reverse mortgage borrowers would be evicted. In addition, for various reasons, borrowers would sometimes not have their spouses on the reverse mortgage, with the result that when the borrower died, the
non-borrowing
spouse would be facing a
due-and-payable
balance which they often were not able to refinance. Because absent an event of default, reverse mortgages only become due and payable upon the death of the borrower, and the estate or heirs may not be engaged in the post-termination resolution of the reverse mortgage, reverse mortgages end with foreclosure more often than traditional mortgages. Those public filings are aggregated and come under scrutiny by agenda-driven groups who may not understand that the borrower is not being evicted and simply believe they have spotted a pattern of foreclosure for this type of loan. These issues led to adverse publicity in the reverse mortgage industry. The issuance of specific regulations and guidance requiring that borrowers be clearly informed regarding their obligations to pay taxes and insurance during the application process and the requirement of “financial assessment” by HUD starting in 2015 have greatly decreased the risks of default due to failure to pay taxes and insurance. HUD also provided clear guidance regarding both underwriting and servicing of loans involving
non-borrower
spouses, significantly decreasing the risks of those situations. FAR’s policy is to follow all applicable marketing guidance and regulations. FAR requires
pre-application
HUD counseling for
non-agency
reverse mortgages, and also underwrites these loans for the borrower’s willingness and ability to pay property taxes and hazard insurance premiums. In addition, for
non-agency
reverse mortgages, FAR has more latitude to employ a variety of loss mitigation solutions to avoid foreclosure when the borrower is still living in the home. Nevertheless, there may be situations where foreclosure is the only resolution to the loan. Foreclosures where the reverse mortgage borrower is still living in the home—or even when the borrower is no longer occupying the home—may lead to increased reputational risk. In addition, negative publicity due to actions by other reverse mortgage lenders could cause regulatory focus on our business as well.
Large-scale natural or
man-made
disasters may lead to further reputational risk in the servicing area. Mortgage properties are generally required to be covered by hazard insurance in an amount sufficient to cover repairs to or replacement of the residence. However, when a large scale disaster occurs, such as Hurricanes Harvey and Maria in 2017, the demand for inspectors, appraisers, contractors and building supplies may exceed availability, insurers and mortgage servicers may be overwhelmed with inquiries, mail service and other communications channels may be disrupted, borrowers may suffer loss of employment and unexpected expenses which cause them to default on payments and/or renders them unable to pay deductibles required under the insurance policies, and widespread casualties may also affect the ability of borrowers or others who are needed to effect the process of repair or reconstruction or to execute documents. Loan originations may also be disrupted, as lenders are required to reinspect properties which may have been affected by the disaster prior to funding. In these situations, borrowers and others in the community may believe that servicers and originators are penalizing them for being the victims of the initial disaster and making it harder for them to recover, potentially causing reputational damage to us. Further, if there are significant delinquencies in the mortgage portfolio which we service, there are likely to be increased numbers of loans upon which we will be required to foreclose. Larger numbers of foreclosures will increase reputational risk in the mortgage area.
Moreover, the proliferation of social media websites as well as the personal use of social media by our employees and others, including personal blogs and social network profiles, also may increase the risk that negative, inappropriate or unauthorized information may be posted or released publicly that could harm our reputation or have other negative consequences, including as a result of our employees interacting with our customers in an unauthorized manner in various social media outlets.
In addition, our ability to attract and retain clients is highly dependent upon the external perceptions of our level of service, trustworthiness, business practices, financial condition and other subjective qualities. Negative perceptions or publicity regarding these matters—even if related to seemingly isolated incidents, or even if related to practices not specific to the origination or servicing of loans, such as debt collection—could erode trust and confidence and damage our reputation among existing and potential clients. In turn, this could decrease the
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demand for our products, increase regulatory scrutiny and detrimentally effect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our decentralized traditional mortgage origination branches operate under multiple brand names, which may put us at a competitive disadvantage compared with nationally branded competitors.
Our decentralized traditional mortgage origination branches operate under multiple brand names. Many of these branches have been operating locally under their branch name for many years, and they have built brand recognition on a local basis. However, a number of our mortgage origination competitors have invested considerable resources to build nationally recognized brands. Our competitors that operate under a national brand may have a competitive advantage due to name recognition. If we are unable to maintain and/or increase our name recognition under our multiple brand names in the mortgage origination market, we may experience adverse effects to our customer retention and market share.
A significant increase in delinquencies on the mortgage loans we originate could have a material impact on our revenues, expenses and liquidity and on the valuation of our MSR portfolio.
An increase in delinquency rates could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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In addition to whole loans which are on our balance sheet, we also hold residual strips from our securitizations. In effect, we are absorbing the first losses from these portfolios. Increased delinquencies will reduce the value and ultimately the cash flow from these residual interests.
We are required to make servicing advances that can be subject to delays in recovery or may not be recoverable in certain circumstances.
During any period in which a borrower is not making payments on a loan we service for a third party, we are required under most of our servicing agreements to advance our own funds to meet contractual principal and interest remittance requirements, and pay property taxes and insurance premiums, legal expenses and other protective advances. We also advance funds to maintain, repair and market real estate properties. For our mortgage loans, as home values change, we may have to reconsider certain of the assumptions underlying our decisions to make advances, and in certain situations our contractual obligations may require us to make certain advances for which we may not be reimbursed. In addition, in the event a loan serviced by us defaults or becomes delinquent, or to the extent a mortgagee under such loan is allowed to enter into a forbearance by applicable law or regulation, the repayment to us of any advance related to such events may be delayed until the loan is repaid or refinanced or liquidation occurs. A delay in our ability to collect an advance may adversely affect our liquidity, and our inability to be reimbursed for an advance could be detrimental to our business. As our servicing portfolio continues to age, defaults could increase, which may increase our costs of servicing and could be detrimental to our business. Market disruptions such as the
COVID-19
pandemic, relief such as the CARES Act and similar state laws including foreclosure and eviction moratoria, and the GSEs temporary period of forbearance for clients unable to pay on certain mortgage loans, may also increase the number of defaults, delinquencies or forbearances related to the loans we service, increasing the advances we make for such loans. With specific regard to the
COVID-19
pandemic, any regulatory or
GSE-specific
relief on servicing advance obligations provided to mortgage loan servicers has so far been limited to
GSE-eligible
mortgage loans and does not extend to any
non-GSE
mortgage loan products such as jumbo mortgage loans. With respect to FAM,
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approximately 0.25% of our serviced mortgage loans by units (0.26% of our serviced mortgage loans by UPB) are in forbearance as of December 31, 2021.
The VA guarantee on delinquent VA guaranteed loans may not make us whole on losses or advances we may have made on the loan. If the VA determines the amount of the guarantee payment will be less than the cost of acquiring the property, it may elect to pay the VA guarantee and leave the property securing the loan with us (a “VA
no-bid”).
If we cannot sell the property for a sufficient amount to cover amounts outstanding on the loan we will suffer a loss which could, on an aggregate basis and if the percentage of VA
no-bids
increases, have a detrimental impact on our business and financial condition.
In addition, for certain traditional loans sold to Ginnie Mae, we, as the servicer, have the unilateral right to repurchase any individual loan in a Ginnie Mae securitization pool if that loan meets defined criteria, including being delinquent greater than 90 days. Once we have the unilateral right to repurchase the delinquent loan, we have effectively regained control over the loan and we must recognize the loan on our balance sheet and recognize a corresponding financial liability. For HECMs
(HUD-insured
reverse mortgage loans), we also have an obligation to buy loans out of the Ginnie Mae pools when the unpaid principal balance reaches 98% of the maximum claim amount. Any significant increase in required servicing advances or delinquent loan repurchases could have a significant adverse impact on our cash flows, even if they are reimbursable, and could also have a detrimental effect on our business and financial condition.
The replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate may have a detrimental effect on our business.
On March 5, 2021, the Financial Conduct Authority of the U.K. (the “FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced (the “FCA Announcement”) that all LIBOR tenors relevant to us will cease to be published or will no longer be representative after June 30, 2023. The FCA Announcement coincides with the March 5, 2021, announcement of LIBOR’s administrator, the ICE Benchmark Administration Limited (the “IBA”), indicating that, as a result of not having access to input data necessary to calculate LIBOR tenors relevant to us on a representative basis after June 30, 2023, the IBA would have to cease publication of such LIBOR tenors immediately after the last publication on June 30, 2023. Further, Ginnie Mae stopped accepting deliveries of new LIBOR-based adjustable rate HECMs for its HMBS securitizations issued on or after March 1, 2021. The United States Federal Reserve has also advised banks to cease entering into new contracts that use LIBOR as a reference rate. The Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rate Committee, a committee convened by the Federal Reserve that includes major market participants, has identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or SOFR, a new index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities, as its preferred alternative rate for LIBOR. There are significant differences between LIBOR and SOFR, such as LIBOR being an unsecured lending rate while SOFR is a secured lending rate, and SOFR is an overnight rate while LIBOR reflects term rates at different maturities. If our LIBOR-based borrowings are converted to SOFR, the differences between LIBOR and SOFR, and potential margin adjustments in connection with the transition, could result in higher interest costs for us, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results. Although SOFR is the ARRC’s recommended replacement rate, it is also possible that lenders may instead choose alternative replacement rates that may differ from LIBOR in ways similar to SOFR or in other ways that would result in higher interest costs for us. We cannot predict the effect of the decision not to sustain LIBOR, or the potential transition to SOFR or another alternative reference rate as LIBOR’s replacement.
As of December 31, 2021, 93% of our outstanding financing arrangements bear interest indexed to LIBOR. All of these arrangements provide procedures for determining an alternative base rate in the event that LIBOR is discontinued. Regardless, there can be no assurances as to what alternative base rates may be and whether such base rate will be more or less favorable than LIBOR and any other unforeseen impacts of the potential discontinuation of LIBOR. Any changes, reforms or replacements relating to LIBOR could increase our interest expense and could have an adverse impact on the market for or value of any LIBOR-linked securities, loans, derivatives and other financial obligations or extensions of credit held by or due to us or on our overall financial condition or results of operations. In addition, there could be a mismatch between the timing of adjusting the
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floating base rate from LIBOR to an alternative base rate upon the discontinuation of LIBOR, between our financing arrangements and our loans, which may have an immediate and significant adverse impact on our results of operations and cash flows and the market value of our investments. We are monitoring the developments with respect to the phasing out of LIBOR and are working to minimize the impact of any LIBOR transition on our financial condition and results of operations, but can provide no assurances regarding the impact of the discontinuation of LIBOR.
Our counterparties may terminate subservicing contracts under which we conduct servicing activities.
The majority of the mortgage loans we service are serviced on behalf of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. These entities establish the base service fee to compensate us for servicing loans as well as the assessment of fines and penalties that may be imposed upon us for failing to meet servicing standards.
As is standard in the industry, under the terms of our master servicing agreements with the GSEs, the GSEs have the right to terminate us as servicer of the loans we service on their behalf at any time and also have the right to cause us to transfer the MSRs to a third party. In addition, failure to comply with servicing standards could result in termination of our agreements with the GSEs with little or no notice and without any compensation. If Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae were to terminate us as a servicer, or increase our costs related to such servicing by way of additional fees, fines or penalties, such changes could have a material adverse effect on the revenue we derive from servicing activity, as well as the value of the related MSRs. These agreements, and other servicing agreements under which we service mortgage loans for
non-GSE
loan purchasers, also require that we service in accordance with GSE servicing guidelines and contain financial covenants. Under our subservicing contracts, the primary servicers for which we conduct subservicing activities have the right to terminate our subservicing rights with or without cause, with little notice and little to no compensation. If we were to have our servicing or subservicing rights terminated on a material portion of our servicing portfolio, this could adversely affect our business.
Risks Related to Our Lender Services Businesses
The engagement of our Lender Services business by our loan originator businesses may give appearance of a conflict of interest.
Our Lender Services segment provides services to our lender business lines which could create, appear to create or be alleged to create conflicts of interest. By obtaining services from an affiliate, there is risk of possible claims of collusion, that such services are not provided by our Lender Services segment upon market terms, or that the service provider is being “controlled” by the lender. We have adopted policies, procedures and practices that are designed to identify and mitigate any such perceived conflicts of interest. For example, our Lender Services businesses are led by an experienced executive who does not report to any of the heads of the lending businesses; and the lending businesses are not required to use Lender Services (and often do not). However, there can be no assurance that such measures will be effective in eliminating all conflicts of interest or that third parties will refrain from making such inferences. Appropriately identifying and dealing with conflicts of interest is complex and difficult, and our reputation, which is one of our most important assets, could be damaged and the willingness of counterparties to enter into transactions with us may be affected if we fail, or appear to fail, to identify, disclose and deal appropriately with conflicts of interest. In addition, potential or perceived conflicts could give rise to litigation or regulatory enforcement actions.
Third party customers of our Lender Services Businesses may be concerned about conflicts of interest within our Lender Services Businesses, due to their affiliation with the Company.
Our third-party customers for the Lender Services Businesses are generally banks, savings and loans, credit unions, and independent mortgage or
non-mortgage
lenders. They may be concerned that information obtained by Lender Services in providing services to them is being shared with our lending businesses and used to
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compete with them. We are careful to preserve the confidentiality and integrity of information which our Lender Services businesses obtain in the process of providing services to our clients, and do not share this information with anyone, including our lending businesses, and we often include this representation in our contracts with lending institutions we serve. However, the perception that such sharing could occur may limit the ability of Lender Services to obtain new business.
Our Lender Services business has operations in the Philippines that could be adversely affected by changes in political or economic stability or by government policies.
Our Lender Services business operates a foreign branch in the Philippines, which is subject to relatively higher degrees of political and social instability than the United States and may lack the infrastructure to withstand political unrest or natural disasters. The political or regulatory climate in the United States, or elsewhere, also could change so that it would not be lawful or practical for us to use international operations in the manner in which we currently use them. If we had to curtail or cease operations in the Philippines and transfer some or all of these operations to another geographic area, we would incur significant transition costs as well as higher future overhead costs that could materially and adversely affect our results of operations. In many foreign countries, particularly in those with developing economies, it may be common to engage in business practices that are prohibited by laws and regulations applicable to us, such as The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (“FCPA”). Any violations of the FCPA or local anti-corruption laws by us, our subsidiaries or our local agents could have an adverse effect on our business and reputation and result in substantial financial penalties or other sanctions.
There is no guarantee that demand for the services offered by our Lender Services business will grow.
There is no guarantee that demand for the services offered by our Lender Services business will grow. The historical growth rate of our Lender Services business may not be an indication of future growth rates for such business generally. Although our lending businesses originate a large volume of loans, we may be unable to capture the related lending services business for these loans. For example, we may not be able to offer our title services for some of our originated loans because we may not be licensed as required in the state where the property is located. Additionally, borrowers are able to select their title company and may choose a third-party provider over us. We also face competition for our Lender Services business from third parties. If we cannot expand our services to meet the demands of this market, our revenue may decline, we may fail to grow our Lender Services business, and we may incur operating losses as a result.
Risks Related to Laws and Regulations
We operate in heavily regulated industries, and our mortgage loan origination and servicing activities (including lender services) expose us to risks of noncompliance with an increasing and inconsistent body of complex laws and regulations at the U.S. federal, state and local levels.
Due to the heavily regulated nature of the financial services industry, we are required to comply with a wide array of U.S. federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations that regulate, among other things, the manner in which we conduct our loan origination, servicing and ancillary businesses and the fees that we may charge, how we compensate our loan officers, and the collection, use, retention, protection, disclosure, transfer and other processing of personal information. Governmental authorities and various U.S. federal and state agencies have broad oversight and supervisory and enforcement authority over our businesses. From time to time, we may also receive requests (including requests in the form of subpoenas and civil investigative demands) from federal, state and local agencies for records, documents and information relating to our servicing and lending activities. The GSEs (and their conservator, the FHFA), Ginnie Mae, the United States Treasury Department, various investors,
non-Agency
securitization trustees and others also subject us to periodic reviews and audits. These laws, regulations and oversight can significantly affect the way that we do business, can restrict the scope of our existing businesses, limit our ability to expand our product offerings or to pursue acquisitions, or can make our
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costs to service or originate loans higher, which could impact our financial results. Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements may result in, among other things, revocation of or inability to renew required licenses or registrations, loss of approval status, termination of contracts without compensation, administrative enforcement actions and fines, private lawsuits, including those styled as class actions, cease and desist orders and civil and criminal liability.