PMT US Equity☆

pmt-10k_20201231.htm

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

Form 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

Or

For the transition period from to

Commission file number: 001-34416

PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

3043 Townsgate Road, Westlake Village, California 91361

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(818) 224-7442

(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 Exchange on 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 Section 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, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth 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:

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. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

As of June 30, 2020 the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common shares of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value (“common shares”), held by nonaffiliates was $1,708,609,552 based on the closing price as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on that date.

As of February 24, 2021, there were 97,902,783 common shares of the registrant outstanding.

Documents Incorporated By Reference

Document Parts Into Which Incorporated

Definitive Proxy Statement for 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders Part III

PENNYMAC MORTGAGE INVESTMENT TRUST

FORM 10-K

December 31, 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements 3

PART I 6

Item 1 Business 6

Item 1A Risk Factors 17

Item 1B Unresolved Staff Comments 49

Item 2 Properties 49

Item 3 Legal Proceedings 49

Item 4 Mine Safety Disclosures 49

Item 7A Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 89

Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 92

Item 9A Controls and Procedures 92

Item 9B Other Information 94

PART III 95

Item 10 Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 95

Item 11 Executive Compensation 95

Item 14 Principal Accounting Fees and Services 96

Item 15 Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 97

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Report”) contains certain forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “potential,” “intend,” “expect,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “approximately,” “believe,” “could,” “project,” “predict,” “continue,” “plan” or other similar words or expressions.

Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions, discuss future expectations, describe future plans and strategies, contain financial and operating projections or state other forward-looking information. Examples of forward-looking statements include the following:

Our ability to predict results or the actual effect of future events, actions, plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, our actual results and performance could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There are a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control that could cause actual results to differ significantly from management’s expectations. Some of these factors are discussed below

You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement and should consider the following uncertainties and risks, as well as the risks and uncertainties discussed elsewhere in this Report and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated include, but are not limited to:

• the concentration of credit risks to which we are exposed;

• the degree and nature of our competition;

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• the availability, terms and deployment of short-term and long-term capital;

• the adequacy of our cash reserves and working capital;

• our substantial amount of debt;

• the timing and amount of cash flows, if any, from our investments;

• the performance, financial condition and liquidity of borrowers;

• our ability to foreclose on our investments in a timely manner or at all;

• our ability to maintain appropriate internal control over financial reporting;

• our ability to detect misconduct and fraud;

• developments in the secondary markets for our loan products;

• changes in government support of homeownership;

• changes in government or government-sponsored home affordability programs;

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• our ability to make distributions to our shareholders in the future;

Other factors that could also cause results to differ from our expectations may not be described in this Report or any other document. Each of these factors could by itself, or together with one or more other factors, adversely affect our business, results of operations and/or financial condition.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the date the forward-looking statement was made.

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PART I

Item 1. Business

The following description of our business should be read in conjunction with the information included elsewhere in this Report. This description contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ significantly from the projections and results discussed in the forward-looking statements due to the factors described under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Report. References in this Report to “we,” “our,” “us,” “PMT,” or the “Company” refer to PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated.

Our Company

We are a specialty finance company that invests primarily in mortgage-related assets. We were organized in Maryland and began operations in 2009. We conduct substantially all of our operations, and make substantially all of our investments, through PennyMac Operating Partnership, L.P. (our “Operating Partnership”) and its subsidiaries. A wholly-owned subsidiary of ours is the sole general partner, and we are the sole limited partner, of our Operating Partnership. Certain of the activities conducted or investments made by us that are described below are conducted or made through a wholly-owned subsidiary that is a taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”) of our Operating Partnership.

The management of our business and execution of our operations is performed on our behalf by subsidiaries of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. (“PFSI” or “PennyMac”). PFSI is a specialty financial services firm focused on the production and servicing of loans and the management of investments related to the U.S. mortgage market. Specifically:

Our investment focus is on residential mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) and mortgage-related assets that we create through our correspondent production activities, including credit risk transfer (“CRT”) investments in CRT agreements (“CRT Agreements”) and CRT securities (together, “CRT arrangements”) and mortgage servicing rights (“MSRs”). We have acquired these investments largely by purchasing, pooling and selling newly originated prime credit quality residential loans (“correspondent production”), retaining the MSRs relating to such loans and investing in CRT arrangements associated with certain of such loans.

Our business includes four segments: credit sensitive strategies, interest rate sensitive strategies, correspondent production, and corporate.

The Company primarily sells the loans it acquires through its correspondent production activities to government-sponsored entities such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) or to PLS for sale into securitizations guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”). Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae are each referred to as an “Agency” and, collectively, as the “Agencies.”

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Following is a summary of our segment results for the years presented:

Year ended December 31,

(in thousands)

Net investment income:

Pretax income:

Total assets at year end:

In our correspondent production segment, we purchase Agency-eligible loans, jumbo loans and home equity lines of credit. A jumbo loan is a loan in an amount that exceeds the maximum loan amount for eligible loans under Agency guidelines. We then sell Agency-eligible loans meeting the guidelines of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on a servicing-retained basis whereby we retain the related MSRs; government loans (insured by the Federal Housing Administration or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration or U.S. Department of Agriculture), which we sell on a servicing-released basis to PLS, a Ginnie Mae approved issuer and servicer, for which we earn sourcing fees as described in Note 4 – Transactions with Related Parties to the financial statements included in this Report; and jumbo loans, which we generally sell on a servicing-retained basis.

Our correspondent production segment involves purchases of loans from approved mortgage originators that meet specific criteria related to management experience, financial strength, risk management controls and loan quality. During 2020, we were the largest correspondent aggregator in the United States as ranked by Inside Mortgage Finance. As of December 31, 2020, we had 714 approved sellers with delegated underwriting authority, primarily independent mortgage originators and small banks located across the United States. PLS also serves as a source of correspondent production to us. During 2020, we purchased $2.3 billion in total unpaid principal balance (“UPB”) of mortgage loans and $2.6 million of home equity lines of credit from PLS.

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Following is a summary of our correspondent production activities:

Year ended December 31,

(in thousands)

Correspondent loan purchases at fair value:

Home equity lines of credit 2,569 5,182 —

Fair value of loans at year end pending sale to:

Number of approved sellers at year-end (1) 714 676 630

(1) Includes only sellers with delegated underwriting authority

The sale of loans to nonaffiliates from our correspondent production activities serves as the source of our investments in MSRs and CRT arrangements, which are summarized below:

Year ended December 31,

(in thousands)

Sales of loans acquired for sale:

Investment activities resulting from correspondent production:

Investments in CRT arrangements:

(1) Initial recognition of firm commitment upon sale of loans.

We also invest in MBS and ESS on MSRs acquired by PLS. We historically invested in distressed mortgage assets (loans and real estate acquired in settlement of loans (“REO”)). We have substantially liquidated our investment in distressed loans and continue the liquidation of our investment in REO.

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Following is a summary of our acquisitions of other mortgage-related investments:

Year ended December 31,

(in thousands)

Our portfolio of mortgage investments was comprised of the following:

December 31,

(in thousands)

Credit sensitive assets:

Firm commitment to purchase credit risk transfer securities — 109,513 37,994

Interest rate sensitive assets:

(2) Comprised of small balance commercial loans and home equity lines of credit.

Over time, our targeted asset classes may change as a result of changes in the opportunities that are available in the market, among other factors. We may not continue to invest in certain of the investments described above if we believe those types of investments will not provide us with suitable returns or if we believe other types of our targeted assets provide us with better returns.

Investment Policies

Our board of trustees has adopted the policies set forth below for our investments and borrowings. PCM reviews its compliance with our investment policies regularly and reports periodically to our board of trustees regarding such compliance.

These investment policies may be changed by a majority of our board of trustees without the approval of, or prior notice to, our shareholders.

We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our trustees, officers, shareholders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business

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activities of the types conducted by us. However, our code of business conduct and ethics contains a conflicts of interest policy that prohibits our trustees and officers, as well as employees of PennyMac and its subsidiaries who provide services to us, from engaging in any transaction that involves an actual or apparent conflict of interest with us without the appropriate approval. We also have written policies and procedures for the review and approval of related party transactions, including oversight by designated committees of our board of trustees and PFSI’s board of directors.

Our Financing Activities

We have pursued growth of our investment portfolio by using a combination of equity and borrowings, primarily in the form of borrowings under agreements to repurchase. We use borrowings to finance our investments and not to speculate on changes in interest rates.

Equity financing

Preferred Shares of Beneficial Interest

Preferred shares of beneficial interest are summarized below:

Preferred Dividends per share, year ended December 31,

(1) Par value is $0.01 per share for both series.

The Company’s Series A Fixed-to-Floating Rate Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares of Beneficial Interest (the “Series A Preferred Shares”) pay cumulative dividends at a fixed rate of 8.125% per annum based on the $25.00 per share liquidation preference to, but not including, March 15, 2024. From, and including, March 15, 2024 and thereafter, the Company will pay cumulative dividends on the Series A Preferred Shares at a floating rate equal to three-month LIBOR as calculated on each applicable dividend determination date plus a spread of 5.831% per annum based on the $25.00 per share liquidation preference.

The Company’s Series B Fixed-to-Floating Rate Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares of Beneficial Interest (the “Series B Preferred Shares”) (together with the Series A Preferred Shares, the “Preferred Shares”) pay cumulative dividends at a fixed rate of 8.00% per annum based on the $25.00 per share liquidation preference to, but not including, June 15, 2024. From, and including, June 15, 2024 and thereafter, the Company will pay cumulative dividends on the Series B Preferred Shares at a floating rate equal to three-month LIBOR as calculated on each applicable dividend determination date plus a spread of 5.99% per annum based on the $25.00 per share liquidation preference.

We pay quarterly cumulative dividends on the Preferred Shares on the 15th day of each March, June, September and December, provided that if any dividend payment date is not a business day, then the dividend that would otherwise be payable on that dividend payment date may be paid on the following business day.

The Series A and Series B Preferred Shares will not be redeemable before March 15, 2024 and June 15, 2024, respectively, except in connection with the Company’s qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes or upon the occurrence of a change of control. On or after the date the Preferred Shares become redeemable, or 120 days after the first date on which such change of control occurs, the Company may, at its option, redeem any or all of the Preferred Shares at $25.00 per share plus any accumulated and unpaid dividends thereon to, but not including, the redemption date.

The Preferred Shares have no stated maturity, are not subject to any sinking fund or mandatory redemption and will remain outstanding indefinitely unless redeemed or repurchased by the Company or converted into common shares in connection with a change of control by the holders of the Preferred Shares.

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Common Shares of Beneficial Interest

Underwritten Equity Offerings

During 2019, we completed the following underwritten offerings of common shares:

(in thousands)

Number of common shares issued 33,527

“At-The-Market” (ATM) Equity Offering Program

On March 14, 2019, we entered into separate equity distribution agreements to sell from time to time, through an ATM equity offering program under which the counterparties will act as sales agent and/or principal, our common shares having an aggregate offering price of up to $200 million. Following is a summary of the activities under the ATM equity offering program:

Year ended December 31,

(in thousands)

Number of common shares issued 241 5,463

At December 31, 2020, the Company had approximately $74.4 million of common shares of beneficial interest available for issuance under its ATM equity offering program.

Common Share Repurchases

During August 2015, our board of trustees authorized a common share repurchase program. Under the program, as amended, the Company may repurchase up to $300 million of its outstanding common shares of beneficial interest.

The following table summarizes our share repurchase activity:

Year ended December 31, Cumulative

(in thousands, except per-share amounts)

The repurchased common shares were canceled upon settlement of the repurchase transactions and returned to the authorized but unissued common share pool.

Debt financing

During 2013, our wholly-owned subsidiary, PennyMac Corp. (“PMC”), issued in a private offering $250 million principal amount of 5.375% Exchangeable Senior Notes due May 1, 2020 (the “2020 Notes”). The net proceeds were used to fund our business and investment activities, including the acquisition of distressed loans or other investments; the funding of the continued growth of our correspondent production business, including the purchase of jumbo loans; the repayment of other indebtedness; and general business purposes. The 2020 Notes were repaid during the year ended December 31, 2020.

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In December 2016, our wholly-owned subsidiary, PennyMac Holdings, LLC (“PMH”), entered into a master repurchase agreement with PLS, pursuant to which PMH sells to PLS participation certificates representing a beneficial interest in Ginnie Mae ESS under an agreement to repurchase. The purchase price is based upon a percentage of the market value of the ESS. Pursuant to the master repurchase agreement, PMH grants to PLS a security interest in all of its right, title and interest in, to and under the ESS and PLS, in turn, re-pledges such ESS along with its interest in all of its Ginnie Mae MSRs under a repurchase agreement to a special purpose entity, which issues variable funding notes and term notes that are secured by such Ginnie Mae assets. The notes are repaid through the cash flows received by the special purpose entity as the lender under its repurchase agreement with PLS, which, in turn, receives cash flows from us under our repurchase agreement secured by the Ginnie Mae ESS. The total unpaid principal balance (“UPB”) outstanding under this facility as of December 31, 2020 was $80.9 million.

During 2018, the Company, through the PMT ISSUER TRUST (“FMSR Issuer Trust”), issued an aggregate principal amount of $450 million in secured term notes (the “2018-FT1 Notes”) to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The 2018-FT1 Notes bear interest at a rate equal to one-month LIBOR plus 2.35% per annum, payable each month beginning in May 2018, on the 25th day of such month or, if such 25th day is not a business day, the next business day. The 2018-FT1 Notes mature on April 25, 2023 or, if extended pursuant to the terms of the related term note indenture supplement, April 25, 2025 (unless earlier redeemed in accordance with their terms).

The 2018-FT1 Notes rank pari passu with the Series 2017-VF1 Note dated December 20, 2017 (the “FMSR VFN”) pledged to Credit Suisse under an agreement to repurchase. The 2018-FT1 Notes and the FMSR VFN are secured by certain participation certificates relating to Fannie Mae MSRs and ESS relating to such MSRs. The total UPB outstanding under such agreement to repurchase as of December 31, 2020 was $450.0 million.

During 2018, the Company, through PMC and PMH, entered into a Loan and Security Agreement with Credit Suisse First Boston Mortgage Capital LLC, pursuant to which PMC and PMH may finance certain mortgage servicing rights (inclusive of any related excess servicing spread arising therefrom and that may be transferred from PMC to PMH from time to time) relating to mortgage loans pooled into Freddie Mac securities (collectively, the “Freddie MSRs”), in an aggregate loan amount not to exceed $175 million, all of which is committed. The loan amount matured on February 1, 2020.

On March 29, 2019, we, through our indirect subsidiary, PMT CREDIT RISK TRANSFER TRUST 2019-1R, issued an aggregate principal amount of $295.7 million in secured term notes (the “2019-1R Notes”) to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the Securities Act. The 2019-1R Notes bear interest at a rate equal to one-month LIBOR plus 2.00% per annum, with an initial payment date that occurred on April 29, 2019 and, with respect to each calendar month thereafter, a payment date that shall occur on the second business day following the latest underlying payment date of all of the underlying series in that calendar month. The 2019-1R Notes mature on March 29, 2022 or, if extended pursuant to the terms of the related indenture, March 27, 2024 (unless earlier redeemed in accordance with their terms). The total UPB outstanding under these notes as of December 31, 2020 was $167.1 million.

On June 11, 2019, we, through our indirect subsidiary, PMT CREDIT RISK TRANSFER TRUST 2019-2R, issued an aggregate principal amount of $638.0 million in secured term notes (the “2019-2R Notes”) to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the Securities Act. The 2019-2R Notes bear interest at a rate equal to one-month LIBOR plus 2.75% per annum, with an initial payment date of June 27, 2019 and, with respect to each calendar month thereafter, a payment date that shall occur on the second business day following the latest underlying payment date of all of the underlying series in that calendar month. The 2019-2R Notes mature on May 29, 2023 or, if extended pursuant to the terms of the related indenture, June 28, 2025 (unless earlier redeemed in accordance with their terms). The total UPB outstanding under these notes as of December 31, 2020 was $436.5 million.

On October 16, 2019, we, through our indirect subsidiary, PMT CREDIT RISK TRANSFER TRUST 2019-3R, issued an aggregate principal amount of $375.0 million in secured term notes (the “2019-3R Notes”) to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the Securities Act. The 2019-3R Notes bear interest at a rate equal to one-month LIBOR plus 2.70% per annum, with an initial payment date of November 27, 2019 and, with respect to each calendar month thereafter, a payment date that shall occur on the second business day following the latest underlying payment date of all of the underlying series in that calendar month. The 2019-3R Notes mature on October 27, 2022 or, if extended pursuant to the terms of the related indenture, October 29, 2024 (unless earlier redeemed in accordance with their terms). The total UPB outstanding under these notes as of December 31, 2020 was $185.6 million.

On November 4, 2019, our wholly-owned subsidiary, PMC, issued in a private offering $210 million principal amount of Exchangeable Senior Notes due 2024 (the “2024 Notes”), bearing interest at a rate equal to 5.50% per year, payable semiannually in arrears on May 1 and November 1 of each year, beginning on May 1, 2020. The 2024 Notes will mature on November 1, 2024. The 2024 Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Company and are exchangeable into cash or common shares, or a combination of cash and common shares. The common shares are exchangeable at a rate of 40.1010 common shares per $1,000 principal amount of the 2024 Notes as of December 31, 2019, subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events, but will not be adjusted for any accrued and unpaid interest. The proceeds are used for general corporate purposes, including funding investment

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activity, which may include investments in CRT arrangements, MSRs, MBS and new products such as, home equity lines of credit, non-qualified mortgage loans, as well as working capital.

On February 14, 2020, through our indirect subsidiary, PMT CREDIT RISK TRANSFER TRUST 2020-1R, we issued an aggregate principal amount of $350 million in secured term notes (the “2020-1R Notes”) to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the Securities Act. The 2020-1R Notes bear interest at a rate equal to one-month LIBOR plus 2.35% per annum, with an initial payment date of March 27, 2020 and, with respect to each calendar month thereafter, a payment date that shall occur on the second business day following the latest underlying payment date of all of the underlying series in that calendar month. The 2020-1R Notes mature on March 1, 2023 or, if extended pursuant to the terms of the related indenture, February 27, 2025 (unless earlier redeemed in accordance with their terms).

On December 22, 2020, through our indirect subsidiary, PMT CREDIT RISK TRANSFER TRUST 2020-2R, we issued an aggregate principal amount of $500 million in secured term notes (the “2020-2R Notes”) to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the Securities Act. The 2020-2R Notes bear interest at a rate equal to one-month LIBOR plus 3.81% per annum, with an initial payment date of January 27, 2021 and, with respect to each calendar month thereafter, a payment date that shall occur on the second business day following the latest underlying payment date of all of the underlying series in that calendar month. The 2020-2R Notes mature in December 28, 2022 unless earlier redeemed in accordance with their terms.

We maintain multiple master repurchase agreements and mortgage loan participation and sale agreements with money center banks to fund newly originated prime loans purchased from correspondent sellers. The total UPB outstanding under the facilities in existence as of December 31, 2020 was $6.3 billion.

Our borrowings are made under agreements that include various covenants, including the maintenance of profitability and specified levels of cash, adjusted tangible net worth and overall leverage limits. Our ability to borrow under these facilities is limited by the amount of qualifying assets that we hold and that are eligible to be pledged to secure such borrowings and our ability to fund any applicable margin requirements. We are not otherwise required to maintain any specific debt-to-equity ratio, and we believe the appropriate leverage for the particular assets we finance depends on, among other things, the credit quality and risk of such assets. Our declaration of trust and bylaws do not limit the amount of indebtedness we can incur, and our board of trustees has discretion to deviate from or change our financing strategy at any time.

Subject to maintaining our qualification as a REIT and exclusion from registration under the Investment Company Act, we may hedge the interest rate risk associated with the financing of our portfolio.

Our Manager and Our Servicer

We are externally managed and advised by PCM pursuant to a management agreement. PCM specializes in and focuses on investments in U.S. mortgage assets. PCM has also served as the investment manager to two private investment funds, which were liquidated during 2018.

PCM is responsible for administering our business activities and day-to-day operations, including developing our investment strategies, and sourcing and acquiring mortgage-related assets for our investment portfolio. Pursuant to the terms of the management agreement, PCM provides us with our senior management team, including our officers and support personnel. PCM is subject to the supervision and oversight of our board of trustees and has the functions and authority specified in the management agreement.

We also have a loan servicing agreement with PLS, pursuant to which PLS provides primary and special servicing for our portfolio of residential loans and MSRs. PLS’ loan servicing activities include collecting principal, interest and escrow account payments, accounting for and remitting collections to investors in the loans, responding to customer inquiries, and default management activities, including managing loss mitigation, which may include, among other things, collection activities, loan workouts, modifications and refinancings, foreclosures, short sales and sales of REO. Servicing fee rates are based on the delinquency status, activities performed, and other characteristics of the loans serviced and total servicing compensation is established at levels that our Manager believes are competitive with those charged by other primary servicers and specialty servicers. PLS also provided special servicing to the private investment funds and the entities in which those funds invested. PLS acted as the servicer for loans with UPB totaling approximately $426.8 billion, of which $174.4 billion was subserviced for us as of December 31, 2020.

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Operating and Regulatory Structure

Taxation – REIT Qualification

We have elected to be treated as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Internal Revenue Code”) beginning with our taxable year ended December 31, 2009. Our qualification as a REIT depends upon our ability to meet on a continuing basis, through actual investment and operating results, various complex requirements under the Internal Revenue Code relating to, among other things, the sources of our gross income, the composition and values of our assets, our distribution levels and the diversity of ownership of our common shares. We believe that we are organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code, and that our manner of operation enables us to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT.

As a REIT, we generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax on the REIT taxable income we distribute to our shareholders. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year and do not qualify for certain statutory relief provisions, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates and may be precluded from qualifying as a REIT for the subsequent four taxable years following the year during which we lost our REIT qualification. Accordingly, our failure to qualify as a REIT could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and amounts available for distribution to our shareholders.

Even though we have elected to be taxed as a REIT, we are subject to some U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income or property. A portion of our business is conducted through, and a portion of our income is earned in, our TRS that is subject to corporate income taxation. In general, a TRS of ours may hold assets and engage in activities that we cannot hold or engage in directly and may engage in any real estate or non-real estate related business. A TRS is subject to U.S. federal, state and local corporate income taxes. To maintain our REIT election, at the end of each quarter no more than 20% of the value of a REIT’s assets may consist of stock or securities of one or more TRSs.

If our TRS generates net income, our TRS can declare dividends to us, which will be included in our taxable income and necessitate a distribution to our shareholders. Conversely, if we retain earnings at the TRS level, no distribution is required and we can increase shareholders’ equity of the consolidated entity. As discussed in Section 1A of this Report entitled Risk Factors, the combination of the requirement to maintain no more than 20% of our assets in the TRS coupled with the effect of TRS dividends on our income tests creates compliance complexities for us in the maintenance of our qualified REIT status.

The dividends paid deduction of a REIT for qualifying dividends to its shareholders is computed using our taxable income as opposed to net income reported on our financial statements. Taxable income generally differs from net income reported on our financial statements because the determination of taxable income is based on tax laws and regulations and not financial accounting principles.

Licensing

We and PLS are required to be licensed to conduct business in certain jurisdictions. PLS is, or is taking steps to become, licensed in those jurisdictions and for those activities where it believes it is cost effective and appropriate to become licensed. Through our wholly owned subsidiaries, we are also licensed, or are taking steps to become licensed, in those jurisdictions and for those activities where we believe it is cost effective and appropriate to become licensed. In jurisdictions in which neither we nor PLS is licensed, we do not conduct activity for which a license is required. Our failure or the failure by PLS to obtain any necessary licenses promptly, comply with applicable licensing laws or satisfy the various requirements or to maintain them over time could materially and adversely impact our business.

Competition

In our correspondent production activities, we compete with large financial institutions and with other independent residential loan producers and servicers such as Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, AmeriHome Mortgage and Mr. Cooper. We compete on the basis of product offerings, technical knowledge, and loan quality, speed of execution, rate and fees.

In acquiring mortgage assets, we compete with specialty finance companies, private funds, other mortgage REITs, thrifts, banks, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, mutual funds, institutional investors, investment banking firms, governmental bodies and other entities, which may also be focused on acquiring mortgage-related assets, and therefore may increase competition for the available supply of mortgage assets suitable for purchase.

Many of our competitors are significantly larger than we are and have stronger financial positions and greater access to capital and other resources than we have and may have other advantages over us. Such advantages include the ability to obtain lower-cost financing, such as deposits, and operational efficiencies arising from their larger size.

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Some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments and may not be subject to the operating constraints associated with REIT tax compliance or maintenance of an exclusion from the Investment Company Act, any of which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and funding strategies and to establish more relationships with sellers of mortgage assets than we can.

Because the availability of mortgage assets may fluctuate, the competition for assets and sources of financing may increase. Increased competition for assets may result in our accepting lower returns for acquisitions of residential loans and other assets or adversely influence our ability to bid for such assets at levels that allow us to acquire the assets. An increase in the competition for sources of funding could adversely affect the availability and terms of financing, and thereby adversely affect the market price of our common shares.

To address this competition, we have access to PCM’s professionals and their industry expertise, which we believe provides us with a competitive advantage and helps us assess investment risks and determine appropriate pricing for certain potential investments. We expect this relationship to enable us to compete more effectively for attractive investment opportunities. Furthermore, we believe that our access to PLS’s servicing expertise provides us with a competitive advantage over other companies with a similar focus. However, we can provide no assurance that we will be able to achieve our business goals or expectations due to the competitive and other risks that we face.

Human Capital Resources

We have one employee. All of our officers are employees of PennyMac or its affiliates. Our long-term growth and success is highly dependent upon PennyMac’s employees and PennyMac’s ability to create a diverse and inclusive workplace that represents a broad spectrum of backgrounds, ideas and perspectives. As part of these efforts, PennyMac strives to offer competitive compensation and benefits, foster a community where everyone feels a greater sense of belonging and purpose, and provide employees with the opportunity to give back and make an impact in the communities where its employees live and serve.

During 2020, PennyMac’s workforce grew from over 4,000 domestic employees as of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 to over 6,000 domestic employees as of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. At the end of fiscal year 2020, PennyMac’s workforce was 46.7% male and 53.3% female, and the ethnicity of PennyMac’s workforce was 43.7% White, 16.8% Black, 23.4% Hispanic, 10.3% Asian and 5.8% other.

Recruiting and Employee Retention

We and PennyMac believe in attracting, developing and engaging the best talent, while providing a supportive work environment that prioritizes the health and safety of PennyMac’s and our employees. PennyMac’s and our compensation programs are designed to motivate and reward those who possess the necessary skills to support business strategy and create long-term stockholder value. PennyMac employee compensation may include base salary, annual cash incentives, long-term equity incentives as well as life and health insurance and 401(k) plan matching contributions. Our compensation program consists of long-term equity incentives to further align certain of PennyMac’s key employees who influence our business with our shareholders and our long-term business objectives.

Employees receive regular training to help further enhance their career development objectives and PennyMac also actively manages an enterprise-wide mentoring program. PennyMac has partnered with an external vendor to establish a comprehensive, fully integrated wellness program designed to enhance the productivity of PennyMac’s employees. PennyMac supports the U.S. military through its continued focus on recruiting and creating opportunities for veterans. For example, PennyMac established the Veterans Engaging Mentorships, Relationships, and Growth program to further its efforts to hire, support, and create a community of veterans and veteran families.

Diversity and Inclusion

We and PennyMac believe that building a diverse and inclusive, high-performing workforce where PennyMac’s employees bring varied perspectives and experiences to work every day creates a positive influence in PennyMac’s workplace, community and business operations. Our Board of Trustees, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Risk Committee provide regular oversight on PennyMac’s sustainability, diversity and inclusion programs and initiatives. During 2020, PennyMac established leadership goals and created customized initiatives that focused on PennyMac’s continued effort to increase women and underrepresented minorities in management positions throughout the company and its business divisions. As it relates to gender diversity, PennyMac established the Women Empowering Mentorships, Relationships, and Growth program to emphasize career growth, networking, and learning opportunities for women at the management level. PennyMac also fosters a more inclusive culture

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through a variety of other diversity and inclusion initiatives, including corporate training, special events, community outreach and corporate philanthropy.

Community Involvement

PennyMac’s corporate philanthropy program is governed by a philosophy of giving that prioritizes the support of causes and issues that are important in our local communities, and drives a culture of employee engagement and collaboration throughout our and PennyMac’s organization. PennyMac is committed to empowering its employees to be a positive influence in the communities where its employees live and serve, and believes that this commitment supports its efforts to attract and engage employees and improve retention. During the 2020 fiscal year, PennyMac established a separate donor advisor fund to make donations to various local and national charitable organizations.

Available Information

Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and amendments to those reports filed with or furnished to the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are available free of charge at www.pennymacmortgageinvestmenttrust.com through the investor relations section of our website as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such material with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding our filings at www.sec.gov. The above references to our website and the SEC’s website do not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on those websites and should not be considered part of this document.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors

Summary Risk Factors

We are subject to a number of risks that, if realized, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders. Some of our more significant challenges and risks include, but are not limited to, the following, which are described in greater detail below:

• Our acquisition of mortgage servicing rights exposes us to significant risks.

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• Termination of our management agreement is difficult and costly.

• The risk management efforts of our Manager may not be effective.

The above list is not exhaustive, and we face additional challenges and risks. Please carefully consider all of the information in this Report, including the matters set forth below in this Item 1A.

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Risk Factors

In addition to the other information set forth in this Report, you should carefully consider the following factors, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations in future periods. The risks described below are not the only risks that we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations in future periods.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented economic, financial and public health disruptions that have adversely affected, and are likely to continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition and results of operations. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic continues to negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including the scope and duration of the pandemic and actions taken by governmental authorities and other third parties in response to COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal government enacted the CARES Act, which allows borrowers with federally-backed loans to request temporary payment forbearance in response to the increased borrower hardships resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial forbearance period is up to 180 days, subject to a further extension of up to 180 days. In addition, in February 2021 the federal government announced an additional extension of three to six months depending on loan type. As a result of the CARES Act forbearance requirements, we have experienced continued elevated delinquencies in our servicing portfolio that may require us to finance substantial amounts of advances of principal and interest payments to the holders of the securities holding those loans, as well as advances of property taxes, insurance premiums and other expenses to protect investors’ interests in the properties securing the loans. In fiscal year 2020, elevated prepayment activity was sufficient to cover principal and interest payment advances required under the CARES Act, however, in the future elevated prepayment activity may be insufficient to cover required principal and interest advances. We also expect the effects of the CARES Act forbearance requirements to reduce our servicing fee income and increase our servicing expenses due to the increased number of delinquent loans and significant levels of forbearance that we have granted and continue to grant, as well as the resolution of loans that we expect to ultimately default as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of December 31, 2020, 2.1% of the loans in our MSR portfolio were in COVID-19 related forbearance plans and delinquent resulting in an increase in the level of servicing advances we have been required to make due to borrower delinquencies.

Financial markets have experienced substantial volatility and reduced liquidity, resulting in unprecedented federal government intervention to lower the federal funds rate to near zero and support market liquidity by purchasing assets in many financial markets, including the mortgage-backed securities market. The CARES Act forbearance requirements and the decline in interest rates and financial markets in early 2020 have negatively impacted the fair value of our servicing assets and CRT arrangements. In addition, the CARES Act forbearance requirements and the decline in the value of financial assets linked to consumer credit performance in early 2020 caused us to report material losses.

Further market volatility or economic weakness may result in additional declines in the value of our credit assets and make it increasingly difficult to optimize our hedging activities. Also, our liquidity and/or regulatory capital could be adversely impacted by volatility and disruptions in the capital and credit markets. In addition, if we fail to meet or satisfy any of the covenants in our repurchase agreements or other financing arrangements as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we would be in default under these agreements, which could result in a cross-default or cross-acceleration under other financing arrangements, and our lenders could elect to declare outstanding amounts due and payable (or such amounts may automatically become due and payable), terminate their commitments, require the posting of additional collateral and enforce their respective interests against existing collateral.

We may also have difficulty accessing debt and equity capital on attractive terms, or at all, as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may adversely affect our access to capital necessary to fund our operations or address maturing liabilities on a timely basis. This includes renewals of our existing financing arrangements with our lenders who may be adversely impacted by the volatility and dislocations in the financial markets and may not be willing or able to continue to extend us credit on the same terms, or on favorable terms, or at all.

In addition, our business could be disrupted if our Manager is unable to operate due to changing governmental restrictions such as travel bans and quarantines placed or reinstituted on its employees or operations, including successfully operating its and our business from remote locations, ensuring the protection of its employees’ health, and maintaining its information technology infrastructure.

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Federal, state, and local executive, legislative and regulatory responses to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are rapidly evolving,may be inconsistent and conflict in scope or application, and may be subject to change without advance notice. These regulatory responses may impose additional compliance obligations, may extend existing CARES Act forbearance requirements and delay our licensing efforts, which may negatively impact our business. In addition, the CARES Act and other federal, state and local regulations are subject to interpretation given the existing ambiguities in the rules and regulations, which may result in future class action and other litigation risk.

Governmental authorities have taken additional measures to stabilize the financial markets and support the economy including providing monetary relief and extending foreclosure and eviction moratoria. The outcome of these measures are unknown and they may not be sufficient to address the current market dislocations or avert severe and prolonged reductions in economic activity. We may also face increased risks of disputes with our business partners, litigation and governmental and regulatory scrutiny as a result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The scope and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the efficacy of the extraordinary measures put in place to address it are currently unknown. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, the economy may not fully recover for some time and we may be materially and adversely affected by a prolonged recession or economic downturn.

To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business, financial condition and results of operations, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this Item 1A.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the CARES Act have significantly increased the number of borrowers who are in forbearance whose loans are in our CRT arrangements which may lead to significant future credit or fair value losses.

On March 27, 2020, the federal government enacted the CARES Act, which allows borrowers with federally-backed loans to request temporary payment forbearance if they attest that they are directly or indirectly experiencing any financial hardship resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial forbearance period is up to 180 days, subject to further extension of up to 180 days. In addition, in February 2021 the federal government announced an additional extension of three to six months depending on loan type.

The CARES Act also precludes loan servicers like us from reporting borrowers subject to forbearance plans as delinquent to the credit reporting agencies even though the federally-backed loans may still be characterized as delinquent for the purposes of our CRT arrangements with Fannie Mae. Our CRT arrangements are structured such that we retain a portion of the credit risk and an interest-only ownership interest in the reference loans and, under certain of our CRT Agreements, may be required to realize losses in the event of a loan delinquency of 180 days or more even where there is ultimately no loss realized with respect to such loan (e.g., as a result of a borrower’s re-performance).

Although these CRT Agreements were amended in 2018 to ensure that forbearances resulting from Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma were not considered to be delinquent for the purposes of the 180 day delinquency fixed loss severity schedule, Fannie Mae and its regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Authority, announced that they will not provide similar treatment for forbearances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic for certain of our CRT Agreements.

Given the federal government mandate to approve requested forbearances upon the request of a borrower and subject only to his or her attestation of the COVID-19 pandemic impact, we expect the number of forbearances requested and approved under our CRT arrangements will result in credit losses and fair value losses that may be material and that may require us to write down the value of the assets significantly. In the event of a foreclosure, the proceeds upon the sale of such underlying real estate may not be sufficient to repay the borrower’s mortgage loan obligation, which could result in losses to our CRT arrangements and to us. Any such losses we incur may reduce distributions to our shareholders and may materially and adversely affect our results of operations, our financial condition, and the market value of our common shares.

We operate in a highly regulated industry and the continually changing federal, state and local laws and regulations could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are required to comply with a wide array of federal, state and local laws and regulations that regulate, among other things, the manner in which we conduct our loan production and servicing businesses. These regulations directly impact our business and require constant compliance, monitoring and internal and external audits. PLS and the service providers it uses, including outside counsel retained to process foreclosures and bankruptcies, must also comply with some of these legal requirements.

Our failure or the failure of PLS to operate effectively and in compliance with these laws, regulations and rules could subject us to lawsuits or governmental actions and damage our reputation, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our failure or the failure of PLS to comply with these laws, regulations and rules may result in increased costs of doing business, reduced payments by borrowers, modification of the original terms of loans, permanent

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forgiveness of debt, delays in the foreclosure process, increased servicing advances, litigation, reputational damage, enforcement actions, and repurchase and indemnification obligations.

The failure of our correspondent sellers to comply with any applicable laws, regulations and rules may also result in these adverse consequences. PLS has in place a due diligence program designed to assess areas of risk with respect to loans we acquire from such correspondent sellers. However, we may not detect every violation of law and, to the extent any correspondent sellers, third party originators, servicers or brokers with whom we do business fail to comply with applicable laws or regulations and any of their loans or MSRs become part of our assets, it could subject us, as an assignee or purchaser of the related loans or MSRs, to monetary penalties or other losses. While we may have contractual rights to seek indemnity or repurchase from certain of these lenders, third party originators, servicers or brokers, if any of them are unable to fulfill their indemnity or repurchase obligations to us to a material extent, our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Our service providers and other vendors are also required to operate in compliance with applicable laws, regulations and rules. Our failure to adequately manage service providers and other vendors to mitigate risks of noncompliance with applicable laws may also have these negative results.

The recent outcome of the 2020 U.S. Presidential and Congressional elections could result in significant policy changes or regulatory uncertainty in our industry and may result in increased regulatory scrutiny and enforcement actions. While it is not possible to predict when and whether significant policy or regulatory changes would occur, any such changes on the federal, state or local level could significantly impact, among other things, our operating expenses, the availability of mortgage financing, interest rates, consumer spending, the economy and the geopolitical landscape. To the extent that the new government administration takes action by proposing and/or passing regulatory policies that could have a negative impact on our industry, such actions may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders. To the extent any such state regulators impose new minimum net worth, capital ratio and liquidity standards that are overly burdensome, such actions may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Financial Stability Oversight Council (“FSOC”) and Conference of State Bank Supervisors (“CSBS”) have been reviewing whether state chartered nonbank mortgage servicers should be subject to "safety and soundness" standards similar to those imposed by federal law on insured depository institutions, even though nonbank mortgage servicers do not hold any funds in federally insured deposit accounts. For example, on September 29, 2020, the CSBS, released proposed prudential standards for state oversight of nonbank mortgage servicers. The proposed CSBS prudential standards would include revised minimum net worth, capital ratio and liquidity standards similar to existing FHFA requirements and would require servicers to maintain sufficient allowable assets to cover normal operating expenses in addition to the amounts required for servicing expenses. In addition, the FSOC has encouraged state regulators to work to develop prudential and corporate governance standards for nonbank mortgage servicers and has issued guidance describing the process FSOC would follow if it were to consider making a determination to subject a nonbank financial company to supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and prudential standards.

New CFPB and state rules and regulations or more stringent enforcement of existing rules and regulations by the CFPB or state regulators could result in enforcement actions, fines, penalties and the inherent reputational harm that results from such actions.

The CFPB has regulatory authority over certain aspects of our business as a result of our residential mortgage banking activities, including, without limitation, the authority to conduct investigations, bring enforcement actions, impose monetary penalties, require remediation of practices, pursue administrative proceedings or litigation, and obtain cease and desist orders for violations of applicable federal consumer financial laws. Although there was a decline in enforcement actions by the CFPB under the prior federal administration, examinations by state regulators and enforcement actions in the residential mortgage and servicing sectors by state attorneys general have increased and may continue to increase under the new federal administration. Failure to comply with the CFPB and state laws, rules or regulations to which we are subject, whether actual or alleged, could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

Our or PLS’ failure to comply with the laws, rules or regulations to which we are subject, whether actual or alleged, would expose us or PLS to fines, penalties or potential litigation liabilities, including costs, settlements and judgments, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our or PLS’ business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

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We are highly dependent on U.S. government-sponsored entities and government agencies, and any changes in these entities, their current roles or the leadership at such entities or their regulators could materially and adversely affect our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to generate revenues through loan sales depends on programs administered by the Agencies and others that facilitate the issuance of MBS in the secondary market. Presently, almost all of the newly originated loans that we acquire from mortgage lenders through our correspondent production activities qualify under existing standards for inclusion in mortgage securities backed by the Agencies. We also derive other material financial benefits from these relationships, including the ability to avoid certain loan inventory finance costs through streamlined loan funding and sale procedures.

A number of legislative proposals have been introduced in recent years that would wind down or phase out the GSEs, including a proposal by the prior federal administration to end the conservatorship and privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. On November 18, 2020, the FHFA finalized new regulatory capital rules for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that requires them to increase their capital to $280 billion. The FHFA did not specify how the new regulatory capital requirements will be achieved or a timeframe for meeting the capital target, however, any increase in guaranty fees or other costs imposed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to raise additional capital may have a negative impact on the mortgage market and could reduce Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s future role in the mortgage industry. It is not possible to predict the scope and nature of the actions that the U.S. government, including the new federal administration, will ultimately take with respect to the GSEs. Any changes in laws and regulations affecting the relationship between Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and their regulators or the U.S. federal government, and any changes in leadership at any of these entities could adversely affect our business and prospects. Any discontinuation of, or significant reduction in, the operation of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or any significant adverse change in their capital structure, financial condition, activity levels in the primary or secondary mortgage markets or underwriting criteria could materially and adversely affect our business, liquidity, financial condition, results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Elimination of the traditional roles of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, or any changes to the nature or extent of the guarantees provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac or the fees, terms and guidelines that govern our selling and servicing relationships with them could also materially and adversely affect our business, including our ability to sell and securitize loans that we acquire through our correspondent production activities, and the performance, liquidity and market value of our investments. Moreover, any changes to the nature of the GSEs or their guarantee obligations could redefine what constitutes an Agency MBS and could have broad adverse implications for the market and our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Our ability to generate revenues from newly originated loans that we acquire through our correspondent production activities is also highly dependent on the fact that the Agencies have not historically acquired such loans directly from mortgage lenders, but have instead relied on banks and non-bank aggregators such as us to acquire, aggregate and securitize or otherwise sell such loans to investors in the secondary market. Certain of the Agencies have approved new and smaller lenders that traditionally may not have qualified for such approvals. To the extent that mortgage lenders choose to sell directly to the Agencies rather than through loan aggregators like us, this reduces the number of loans available for purchase, and it could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders. Similarly, to the extent the Agencies increase the number of purchases and sales for their own accounts, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Our business prospects, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations could be adversely impacted by the CFPB’s final General Qualified Mortgage (“QM”) loan rule for certain GSE eligible loans and its impact on the ability to repay rules.

The Dodd-Frank Act provides that a lender must make “a reasonable, good faith determination” of each borrower’s ability to repay a loan, but may presume that a borrower will be able to repay a loan if such loan has certain characteristics that meet the QM definition. The CFPB adopted its QM definition that establishes rigorous underwriting and product feature requirements for a loan to be deemed a QM. Within those regulations, the CFPB created a special exemption for the GSEs that is generally referred to as the “QM patch,” which allows any GSE-eligible loan to be deemed a QM. The QM patch effectively provides QM designation for GSE eligible loans that have a debt-to-income ratio in excess of 43%, which represents a meaningful portion of the loans currently purchased by the GSEs. Without the QM patch or an alternative, loans with debt-to-income ratios above 43% would not be designated as QMs unless they were insured by a federal agency such as the FHA or VA, which have each adopted their own QM definition that does not currently have a debt-to-income ratio limitation. In October 2020, the CFPB issued a rule providing that the QM patch will expire on the earlier of the implementation of a final amendment revising the “General QM loan” definition or upon the date that the GSEs exit conservatorship. On December 11, 2020, the CFPB issued final General QM loan rules replacing the debt-to-income ratio limitations with a price-based approach, which may have significant implications for the U.S. housing and mortgage market since we do not know how the credit markets and borrowers will respond to the new regulations. Failure to establish effective operational

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procedures to comply with the final General QM loan rules could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

We and/or PLS are required to have various Agency approvals and state licenses in order to conduct our business and there is no assurance we and/or PLS will be able to obtain or maintain those Agency approvals or state licenses.

Because we and PLS are not federally chartered depository institutions, neither we nor PLS benefits from exemptions to state mortgage lending, loan servicing or debt collection licensing and regulatory requirements. Accordingly, PLS is licensed, or is taking steps to become licensed, in those jurisdictions, and for those activities, where it is required to be licensed and believes it is cost effective and appropriate to become licensed.

Our failure or the failure by PLS to obtain any necessary licenses, comply with applicable licensing laws or satisfy the various requirements to maintain them over time could restrict our direct business activities, result in litigation or civil and other monetary penalties, or cause us to default under certain of our lending arrangements, any of which could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

We and PLS are also required to hold the Agency approvals in order to sell loans to the Agencies and service such loans on their behalf. Our failure, or the failure of PLS, to satisfy the various requirements necessary to maintain such Agency approvals over time would also restrict our direct business activities and could adversely impact our business.

In addition, we and PLS are subject to periodic examinations by federal and state regulators, which can result in increases in our administrative costs, and we or PLS may be required to pay substantial penalties imposed by these regulators due to compliance errors, or we or PLS may lose our licenses. Negative publicity or fines and penalties incurred in one jurisdiction may cause investigations or other actions by regulators in other jurisdictions and could adversely impact our business.

Our or PLS’ inability to meet certain net worth and liquidity requirements imposed by the Agencies could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

We and our servicers are subject to minimum financial eligibility requirements for Agency mortgage sellers/servicers and MBS issuers, as applicable. These eligibility requirements align the minimum financial requirements for mortgage sellers/servicers and MBS issuers to do business with the Agencies. These minimum financial requirements, which are described in Liquidity and Capital Resources, include net worth, capital ratio and/or liquidity criteria in order to set a minimum level of capital needed to adequately absorb potential losses and a minimum amount of liquidity needed to service Agency loans and MBS and cover the associated financial obligations and risks.

In order to meet these minimum financial requirements, we and PLS are required to maintain rather than spend or invest, cash and cash equivalents in amounts that may adversely affect our or its business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders, and this could significantly impede us and PLS, as non-bank mortgage lenders, from growing our respective businesses and place us at a competitive disadvantage in relation to federally chartered banks and certain other financial institutions. To the extent that such minimum financial requirements are not met, the Agencies may suspend or terminate Agency approval or certain agreements with us or PLS, which could cause us or PLS to cross default under financing arrangements and/or have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Market and Financial Risks

A prolonged economic slowdown, recession or declining real estate values could materially and adversely affect us.

The risks associated with our investments are more acute during periods of economic slowdown or recession, especially if these periods are accompanied by high unemployment and declining real estate values. The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a weakening economy, high unemployment and declining real estate values significantly increase the likelihood that borrowers will default on their debt service obligations and that we will incur losses on our investments in the event of a default on a particular investment because the fair value of any collateral we foreclose upon may be insufficient to cover the full amount of such investment or may require a significant amount of time to realize. These factors may also increase the likelihood of re-default rates even after we have completed loan modifications. Any period of increased payment delinquencies, foreclosures or losses could adversely affect the net interest income generated from our portfolio and our ability to make and finance future investments, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

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Difficult conditions in the mortgage, real estate and financial markets and the economy generally may adversely affect the performance and fair value of our investments.

The success of our business strategies and our results of operations are materially affected by current conditions in the mortgage markets, the financial markets and the economy generally. Continuing concerns over factors including the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, deflation, unemployment, personal and business income taxes, healthcare, energy costs, domestic political issues, climate change, the availability and cost of credit, the mortgage markets and the real estate markets have contributed to increased volatility and unclear expectations for the economy and markets going forward. The mortgage markets have been and continue to be affected by changes in the lending landscape, defaults, credit losses and significant liquidity concerns. A destabilization of the real estate and mortgage markets or deterioration in these markets may adversely affect the performance and fair value of our investments, reduce our loan production volume, lower our margins, reduce the profitability of servicing mortgages or adversely affect our ability to sell loans that we acquire, either at a profit or at all. Any of the foregoing could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

A disruption in the MBS market could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In our correspondent production activities, we deliver newly originated Agency-eligible loans that we acquire to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to be pooled into Agency MBS securities or transfer government loans that we acquire to PLS, which pools them into Ginnie Mae MBS securities. In addition, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve has enacted monetary policies to purchase MBS on the open market that has and may continue to impact the liquidity of the MBS market. Any significant disruption or period of illiquidity in the general MBS market would 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 acquire and 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 acquire into the secondary market in a timely manner or at favorable prices or we may be required to repay a portion of the debt securing these assets, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

We have a substantial amount of indebtedness, which may limit our financial and operating activities, expose us to substantial increases in costs due to interest rate fluctuations, expose us to the risk of default under our debt obligations and may adversely affect our ability to incur additional debt to fund future needs.

As of December 31, 2020, we had $8.7 billion of total indebtedness outstanding (approximately $8.5 billion of which was secured) and up to $4.6 billion of additional capacity under our secured borrowings and other secured debt financing arrangements. This substantial indebtedness and any future indebtedness we incur could have adverse consequences and, for example, could:

• subject us to increased sensitivity to interest rate increases;

• limit our ability to withstand competitive pressures;

In addition, our substantial level of indebtedness could limit our ability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, or at all, for working capital and general corporate purposes. Our liquidity needs vary significantly from time to time and may be affected by general economic conditions, industry trends, performance and many other factors outside our control.

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We finance our investments with borrowings, which may materially and adversely affect our return on our investments and may reduce cash available for distribution to our shareholders.

We currently leverage and, to the extent available, intend to continue to leverage our investments through borrowings, the level of which may vary based on our investment portfolio characteristics and market conditions. We generally finance our investments with relatively short-term facilities until a sufficient portfolio is accumulated or longer-term financing becomes available. As a result, we are subject to the risks that we would not be able to obtain suitable non-recourse long-term financing or otherwise acquire, during the period that any short-term facilities are available, sufficient eligible assets or securities to maximize the efficiency of a securitization. We also bear the risk that we would not be able to obtain new short-term facilities or to renew any short-term facilities after they expire should we need more time to obtain long-term financing or seek and acquire sufficient eligible assets or securities for a securitization. If we are unable to obtain and renew short-term facilities or to consummate securitizations to finance our investments on a long-term basis, we may be required to seek other forms of potentially less attractive financing or to liquidate assets at an inopportune time or unfavorable price.

Specifically, we have financed certain of our investments through repurchase agreements, pursuant to which we sell securities (including securities we retain through our CRT investments) or loans to lenders (i.e., repurchase agreement counterparties) and receive cash from the lenders. We currently finance our CRT investments through a combination of term notes and repurchase agreements. Unlike MBS and other securities we finance under repurchase agreements, our CRT investment is illiquid in nature and may be subject to greater fluctuations in fair value. Further, the size of our CRT investment makes it a greater likelihood that any margin call could be material in nature, and our inability to satisfy any such margin call or liquidate the underlying collateral may result in significant losses to us.

We also currently finance certain of our MSRs and ESS under secured financing arrangements. Our Freddie Mac MSRs are pledged to secure borrowings under a loan and security agreement, while our Fannie Mae MSRs are pledged to a special purpose entity, which issues variable funding notes and term notes that are secured by such Fannie Mae MSRs and repaid through the cash flows received by the special purpose entity as the lender under a repurchase agreement with PMC. Our Ginnie Mae ESS is sold under a repurchase agreement to PLS as part of a structured finance transaction. PLS, in turn, pledges such ESS along with all of its Ginnie Mae MSRs under a repurchase agreement to a special purpose entity, which issues variable funding notes and term notes that are secured by such Ginnie Mae assets. The notes are repaid through the cash flows received by the special purpose entity as the lender under its repurchase agreement with PLS, which, in turn, receives cash flows from us under our repurchase agreement secured by the Ginnie Mae ESS. In each case, a decrease in the value of the pledged collateral can result in a margin call. Any such margin call may require that we liquidate assets at a disadvantageous time or provide that the secured parties may sell the collateral, either of which could result in significant losses to us. Each of the secured financing arrangements pursuant to which we finance MSRs and ESS is further subject to the terms of an acknowledgement agreement with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae, as applicable, pursuant to which our and the secured parties’ rights are subordinate in all respects to the rights of the applicable Agency. Any extinguishment of our and the secured parties’ rights in the related collateral could result in significant losses to us.

We may in the future utilize other sources of borrowings, including term loans, bank credit facilities and structured financing arrangements, among others. The amount of leverage we employ varies depending on the asset class being financed, our available capital, our ability to obtain and access financing arrangements with lenders and the lenders’ and rating agencies’ estimate of, among other things, the stability of our investment portfolio’s cash flow.

Our return on our investments and cash available for distribution to our shareholders may be reduced to the extent that changes in market conditions increase the cost of our financing relative to the income that can be derived from the investments acquired. Our debt service payments also reduce cash flow available for distribution to shareholders. In the event we are unable to meet our debt service obligations, we risk the loss of some or all of our assets to foreclosure or sale to satisfy the obligations.

Our financing agreements contain financial and restrictive covenants that could adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to operate our businesses.

The lenders under our repurchase agreements require us and/or our subsidiaries to comply with various financial covenants, including those relating to tangible net worth, profitability and our ratio of total liabilities to tangible net worth. Our lenders also require us to maintain minimum amounts of cash or cash equivalents sufficient to maintain a specified liquidity position. If we are unable to maintain these liquidity levels, we could be forced to sell additional investments at a loss and our financial condition could deteriorate rapidly.

Our existing financing agreements also contain certain events of default and other financial and non‐financial covenants and restrictions that impact our flexibility to determine our operating policies and investment strategies. If we default on our obligations under a credit or financing agreement, fail to comply with certain covenants and restrictions or breach our representations and are unable to cure, the lender may be able to terminate the transaction or its commitments, accelerate any amounts outstanding, require us to post additional collateral or repurchase the assets, and/or cease entering into any other credit transactions with us.

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Because our financing agreements typically contain cross‐default provisions, a default that occurs under any one agreement could allow the lenders under our other agreements to also declare a default, thereby exposing us to a variety of lender remedies, such as those described above, and potential losses arising therefrom. Any losses that we incur on our credit and financing agreements could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

As the servicer of the assets subject to our repurchase agreements, PLS is also subject to various financial covenants, including those relating to tangible net worth, liquidity, profitability and its ratio of total liabilities to tangible net worth. PLS’ failure to comply with any of these covenants would generally result in a servicer termination event or event of default under one or more of our repurchase agreements. Thus, in addition to relying upon PCM to manage our financial covenants, we rely upon PLS to manage its own financial covenants in order to ensure our compliance with our repurchase agreements and our continued access to liquidity and capital. A servicer termination event or event of default resulting from PLS’ breach of its financial or other covenants could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and our ability to make distributions to shareholders.

We may not be able to raise the debt or equity capital required to finance our assets and grow our businesses.

The growth of our businesses requires continued access to debt and equity capital that may or may not be available on favorable terms or at the desired times, or at all. In addition, we invest in certain assets, including MSRs and ESS, for which financing has historically been difficult to obtain. Our inability to continue to maintain debt financing for MSRs and ESS could require us to seek equity capital that may be more costly or unavailable to us.

We are also dependent on a limited number of banking institutions that extend us credit on terms that we have determined to be commercially reasonable. These banking institutions are subject to their own regulatory supervision, liquidity and capital requirements, risk management frameworks and risk thresholds and tolerances, any of which may change materially and negatively impact their willingness to extend credit to us specifically or mortgage lenders and servicers generally. Such actions may increase our cost of capital and limit or otherwise eliminate our access to capital, in which case our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders would be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, our ability to finance ESS relating to Ginnie Mae MSRs is currently dependent on pass through financing we obtain through PLS, which retains the MSRs associated with the ESS we acquire. After our initial acquisition of ESS, we then finance the acquired ESS with PLS under a repurchase agreement, and PLS, in turn, re-pledges the ESS (along with the related MSRs it retains) under a master repurchase agreement with a special purpose entity, which issues variable funding notes and term notes that are secured by such Ginnie Mae MSRs and ESS and repaid through the cash received by the special purpose entity as the lender under a repurchase agreement with PLS. There can be no assurance this pass through financing will continue to be available to us.

This financing arrangement also subjects us to the credit risk of PLS. To the extent PLS does not apply our payments of principal and interest under the repurchase agreement to the allocable portion of its borrowings under the master repurchase agreement, or to the extent PLS otherwise defaults under the master repurchase agreement, our ESS would be at a risk of total loss. In addition, we provide a guarantee for the amount of borrowings under the master repurchase agreement that are allocable to the pass through financing of our ESS. In the event we are unable to satisfy our obligations under the guaranty following a default by PLS, this could cause us to default under other financing arrangements and/or have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

We can provide no assurance that we will have access to any debt or equity capital on favorable terms or at the desired times, or at all. Our inability to raise such capital or obtain financing on favorable terms could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and our ability to make distributions to shareholders.

In addition, we have been authorized to repurchase up to $300 million of our common shares pursuant to a share repurchase program approved by our board of trustees. As of December 31, 2020, we had $46.1 million remaining under the current board of trustees authorization, and we may continue to repurchase shares to the extent we believe it is in the Company’s best interest to do so. Increased activity in our share repurchase program will have the effect of reducing our common shares outstanding, market value and shareholders’ equity, any or all of which could adversely affect the assessment by our lenders, credit providers or other counterparties regarding our net worth and, therefore, negatively impact our ability to raise new capital.

Interest rate fluctuations could significantly decrease our results of operations and cash flows and the fair value of our investments.

Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political considerations and other factors beyond our control. Interest rate fluctuations present a variety of risks to our

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operations. Our primary interest rate exposures relate to the yield on our investments, their fair values and the financing cost of our debt, as well as any derivative financial instruments that we utilize for hedging purposes.

Changes in interest rates affect our net interest income, which is the difference between the interest income we earn on our interest earning investments and the interest expense we incur in financing these investments. Interest rate fluctuations resulting in our interest expense exceeding interest income may result in operating losses for us. An increase in prevailing interest rates could adversely affect the volume of newly originated mortgages available for purchase in our correspondent production activities.

Changes in the level of interest rates also may affect our ability to make investments, the fair value of our investments (including our pipeline of loan commitments) and any related hedging instruments, the value of newly originated loans acquired through our correspondent production segment, and our ability to realize gains from the disposition of assets. Changes in interest rates may also affect borrower default rates and may impact our ability to refinance or modify loans and/or to sell REO. Decreasing interest rates may cause a large number of borrowers to refinance, which may result in the loss of mortgage servicing business and write-downs of the associated MSRs and ESS. Any such scenario could materially and adversely affect us.

We are subject to risks associated with the expected discontinuation of LIBOR.

In July 2017, the head of the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates the LIBOR administrator, announced the phase out of the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. However, for U.S. dollar LIBOR, it now appears that the relevant date may be deferred to June 30, 2023 for the most common rates (overnight and one, three, six and 12 months). The LIBOR administrator has published a consultation regarding its intention to cease publication of U.S. dollar LIBOR as of June 30, 2023 (instead of December 31, 2021, as previously expected) based on continued rate submissions from banks. The FCA and other regulators have stated that they welcome the LIBOR administrator’s action. An extension to 2023 would mean that many legacy U.S. dollar LIBOR contracts would terminate before related LIBOR rates cease to be published. However, the same regulators emphasized that, despite any continued publication of U.S. dollar LIBOR through June 30, 2023, no new contracts using U.S. dollar LIBOR should be entered into after December 31, 2021. Moreover, the LIBOR administrator’s consultation also relates to the LIBOR administrator’s intention to cease publication of non-U.S. dollar LIBOR after December 31, 2021. There is no assurance that LIBOR will continue to be published until any particular date.

To identify a set of alternative interest reference rates to LIBOR, the U.S. Federal Reserve established the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”), a U.S. based working group composed of large U.S. financial institutions. ARRC has identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate as its preferred replacement for LIBOR, but it is unclear how their preference may impact the risks we maintain to the cessation of LIBOR, or if other benchmarks may emerge as a replacement for LIBOR.

The expected and actual discontinuation of LIBOR could have a significant impact on the financial markets and our business activities. We rely on financing arrangements and liabilities under which our cost of borrowing is based on LIBOR. We also hold assets and instruments used to hedge the value of certain assets that depend for their value on LIBOR. We anticipate significant challenges as it relates to the transition away from LIBOR for all of our LIBOR-based assets, financing arrangements, and liabilities, regardless whether their maturity dates fall before or after the anticipated discontinuation date after December 31, 2021 or June 30, 2023, as applicable. These challenges will include, but will not be limited to, amending agreements underlying our existing and/or new LIBOR-based assets, financing arrangements, and liabilities with appropriate fallback language prior to the discontinuation of LIBOR, and the possibility that LIBOR may deteriorate as a viable benchmark to ensure a fair cost of funds for our LIBOR-linked liabilities, interest income for our LIBOR-linked assets, and/or the determination of fair value for certain of our assets and hedges using LIBOR as a benchmark rate or used to develop a market discount rate. In addition, the transition to using any new benchmark rate or other financial metric may require changes to existing transaction data, products, systems, models, operations and pricing processes.

We also anticipate additional risks to our current business activities as they relate to the discontinuation of LIBOR. We service LIBOR-based adjustable rate mortgages (“ARMs”) for which the underlying mortgage notes incorporate fallback provisions, but we cannot anticipate the response of our borrowers or note holders to such risks. We also rely on financial models that incorporate LIBOR into their methodologies for financial planning and reporting.

Due to these risks, we expect both the impending and actual discontinuation of LIBOR could materially affect our interest expense and earnings, our cost of capital, and the fair value of certain of our assets and the instruments we use to hedge their value. For the same reason, we also can provide no assurance that changes in the value of our hedge instruments will effectively offset changes in the value of the assets they are expected to hedge. Furthermore, the transition away from widely used benchmark rates like LIBOR could result in customers or other market participants challenging the determination of their interest payments, disputing the interpretations or implementation of contract “fallback” provisions and other transition related changes. Our inability to manage these risks effectively may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

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We are subject to market risk and declines in credit quality and changes in credit spreads, which may adversely affect investment income and cause realized and unrealized losses.

We are exposed to the credit markets and subject to the risk that we will incur losses due to adverse changes in credit spreads. Adverse changes to these spreads may occur due to changes in fiscal policy, the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic climate, the liquidity of a market or market segment, insolvency or financial distress of key market makers or participants, or changes in market perceptions of credit worthiness and/or risk tolerance.

We are subject to risks associated with potential declines in our credit quality, credit quality related to specific issuers or specific industries, and a general weakening in the economy, all of which are typically reflected through credit spreads. Credit spread is the additional yield on fixed income securities above the risk-free rate (typically referenced as the yield on U.S. Treasury securities) that market participants require to compensate them for assuming credit, liquidity and/or prepayment risks. Credit spreads vary (i.e., increase or decrease) in response to the market’s perception of risk and liquidity in a specific issuer or specific sector and are influenced by the credit ratings, and the reliability of those ratings, published by external rating agencies. A decline in the quality of our investment portfolio as a result of adverse economic conditions or otherwise could cause additional realized and unrealized losses on our investments.

A decline in credit spreads could have an adverse effect on our investment income as we invest cash in new investments that may earn less than the portfolio’s average yield. An increase in credit spreads could have an adverse effect on the value of our investment portfolio by decreasing the fair values of the credit sensitive investments in our investment portfolio. Any such scenario could materially and adversely affect us.

Hedging against interest rate exposure may materially and adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.

We pursue hedging strategies in a manner that is consistent with the REIT qualification requirements to reduce our exposure to interest rates. The strategies are intended to mitigate the effect of interest rate fluctuations on the fair value of the assets at our TRS as well as debt used to acquire or carry real estate assets at entities other than our TRS. To manage this price risk, we use derivative financial instruments acquired with the intention of moderating the risk that changes in market interest rates will result in unfavorable changes in the fair value of our assets, primarily prepayment exposure on our MSR investments as well as IRLCs and our inventory of loans held for sale as well as MBS and CRTs. For example, with respect to our IRLCs and inventory of loans held for sale, we may use MBS forward sale contracts to lock in the price at which we will sell the mortgage loans or resulting MBS, and MBS put options to mitigate the risk of our IRLCs not closing at the rate we expect. In addition, with respect to our MSRs, we may use MBS forward purchase and sale contracts to address exposures to smaller interest rate shifts with Treasury and interest rate swap futures, and use options and swaptions to achieve target coverage levels for larger interest rate shocks.

Our hedging activity will vary in scope based on the risks being mitigated, the level of interest rates, the type of investments held, and other changing market conditions such as those resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Hedging instruments involve risk because they often are not traded on regulated exchanges, guaranteed by an exchange or its clearing house, or regulated by any U.S. or foreign governmental authorities, and our interest rate hedging may fail to protect or could adversely affect us because, among other things:

In addition, we may fail to recalculate, re‐adjust and execute hedges in an efficient manner. Any hedging activity, which is intended to limit losses, may materially and adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows. Therefore, while we may enter into such transactions seeking to reduce interest rate risk, unanticipated changes in interest rates may result in worse overall investment performance than if we had not engaged in any such hedging transactions. A liquid secondary market may not exist for a hedging instrument purchased or sold, and we may be required to maintain a position until exercise or expiration, which could result in significant losses. In addition, the degree of correlation between price movements of the instruments used in hedging strategies and price movements in the portfolio positions or liabilities being hedged may vary materially. Moreover, for a variety of reasons, we may not establish an effective correlation between such hedging instruments and the portfolio positions or liabilities being hedged. Any

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such ineffective correlation may prevent us from achieving the intended hedge and expose us to risk of loss. Numerous regulations currently apply to hedging and any new regulations or changes in existing regulations may significantly increase our administrative or compliance costs. Our derivative agreements generally provide for the daily mark to market of our hedge exposures. If a hedge counterparty determines that its exposure to us exceeds its exposure threshold, it may initiate a margin call and require us to post collateral. If we are unable to satisfy a margin call, we would be in default of our agreement, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

We utilize derivative financial instruments, which could subject us to risk of loss.

We utilize derivative financial instruments for hedging purposes, which may include swaps, options and futures. However, the prices of derivative financial instruments, including futures and options, are highly volatile, as are payments made pursuant to swap agreements. As a result, the cost of utilizing derivatives may reduce our income that would otherwise be available for distribution to shareholders or for other purposes, and the derivative instruments that we utilize may fail to effectively hedge our positions. We are also subject to credit risk with regard to the counterparties involved in the derivative transactions.

The use of derivative instruments is also subject to an increasing number of laws and regulations, including the Dodd-Frank Act and other federal regulations. These laws and regulations are complex, compliance with them may be costly and time consuming, and our failure to comply with any of these laws and regulations could subject us to lawsuits or government actions and damage our reputation, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

We may change our investment strategies and policies without shareholder consent, and this may materially and adversely affect the market value of our common shares and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

PCM is authorized by our board of trustees to follow very broad investment policies and, therefore, it has great latitude in determining the types of assets that are proper investments for us, as well as the individual investment decisions. In the future, PCM may make investments with lower rates of return than those anticipated under current market conditions and/or may make investments with greater risks to achieve those anticipated returns. Our board of trustees will periodically review our investment policies and our investment portfolio but will not review or approve each proposed investment by PCM unless it falls outside our investment policies or constitutes a related party transaction.

In addition, in conducting periodic reviews, our board of trustees will rely primarily on information provided to it by PCM. Furthermore, PCM may use complex strategies, and transactions entered into by PCM may be costly, difficult or impossible to unwind by the time they are reviewed by our board of trustees. We also may change our investment strategies and policies and targeted asset classes at any time without the consent of our shareholders, and this could result in our making investments that are different in type from, and possibly riskier than our current investments or the investments currently contemplated. Changes in our investment strategies and policies and targeted asset classes may expose us to new risks or increase our exposure to interest rate risk, counterparty risk, default risk and real estate market fluctuations, and this could materially and adversely affect the market value of our common shares and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Our correspondent production activities could subject us to increased risk of loss.

In our correspondent production activities, we acquire newly originated loans from mortgage lenders and sell or securitize those loans to or through the Agencies or other third party investors. We also sell the resulting securities into the MBS markets. However, there can be no assurance that PLS will continue to be successful in operating this business on our behalf or that we will continue to be able to capitalize on these opportunities on favorable terms or at all. In particular, we have committed, and expect to continue to commit, capital and other resources to this operation; however, PLS may not be able to continue to source sufficient asset acquisition opportunities to justify the expenditure of such capital and other resources. In the event that PLS is unable to continue to source sufficient opportunities for this operation, there can be no assurance that we would be able to acquire such assets on favorable terms or at all, or that such assets, if acquired, would be profitable to us. In addition, we may be unable to finance the acquisition of these assets and/or may be unable to sell the resulting MBS in the secondary mortgage market on favorable terms or at all. We are also subject to the risk that the fair value of the acquired loans may decrease prior to their disposition. The occurrence of any of these risks could adversely impact our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

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The success and growth of our correspondent production activities will depend, in part, upon PLS’ ability to adapt to and implement technological changes and to successfully develop, implement and protect its proprietary technology.

Our success in the mortgage industry is highly dependent upon the ability of our servicer, PLS, to adapt to constant technological changes, successfully enhance its current information technology solutions through the use of third-party and proprietary technologies, and introduce new solutions and services that more efficiently address our needs.

Our correspondent production activities are currently dependent, in part, upon the ability of PLS to effectively interface with our mortgage lenders and other third parties and to efficiently process loan fundings and closings. The correspondent production process is becoming more dependent upon technological advancement, and our correspondent sellers expect and require certain conveniences and service levels. In this regard, PLS has transitioned to a workflow-driven, cloud-based loan acquisition platform. While we anticipate that PLS’ cloud-based system will increase scalability and produce other efficiencies, there can be no assurance that PLS’ cloud-based system will prove to be effective or that such correspondent sellers will easily adapt to PLS’ cloud-based system. Any failure to effectively or timely transition to the new system and meet our expectations and the expectations of our correspondent sellers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The development, implementation and protection of these technologies and becoming more proficient with it may also require significant capital expenditures by PLS. As these technological advancements increase in the future, PLS will need to further develop and invest in these technological capabilities to remain competitive. Moreover, litigation has become required for PLS to protect its technologies and such litigation is expected to be time consuming and result in substantial costs and diversion of PLS resources. Any failure of PLS to develop, implement, execute or maintain its technological capabilities and any litigation costs associated with protection of its technologies could adversely affect PLS and its ability to effectively perform its loan production and servicing activities on our behalf, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

We are not an approved Ginnie Mae issuer and an increase in the percentage or amount of government loans we acquire could be detrimental to our results of operations.

Government-insured or guaranteed loans that are typically securitized through the Ginnie Mae program accounted for 37% of our purchases in 2020. We are not approved as a Ginnie Mae issuer and rely heavily on PLS to acquire such loans from us. As a result, we are unable to produce or own Ginnie Mae MSRs and we earn significantly less income in connection with our acquisition of government loans as opposed to conventional loans. Further, market demand for government loans over conventional loans may increase or PLS may offer pricing to our approved correspondent sellers for government loans that is more competitive in the market than pricing for conventional loans, the result of which may be our acquisition of a greater proportion or amount of government loans. Any significant increase in the percentage or amount of government loans we acquire could adversely impact our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Risks Related to Our Investments

Our retention of credit risk underlying loans we sell to the GSEs is inherently uncertain and exposes us to significant risk of loss.

In conjunction with our correspondent business, we have entered into CRT arrangements with Fannie Mae, whereby we sell pools of loans into Fannie Mae-guaranteed securitizations while retaining a portion of the credit risk and an interest-only (“IO”) ownership interest in such loans or purchasing Agency securities that absorb losses incurred by such loans. Our retention of credit risk subjects us to risks associated with delinquency and foreclosure similar to the risks associated with owning the underlying loans, and exposes us to risk of loss greater than the risks associated with selling the loans to Fannie Mae without the retention of such credit risk. Delinquency can result from many factors including unemployment, weak economic conditions or real estate values, or catastrophic events such as man-made or natural disaster, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, war or terrorist attack. Further, the risks associated with delinquency and foreclosure may in some instances be greater than the risks associated with owning the underlying loans because the structure of certain of the CRT Agreements provides that we may be required to realize losses in the event of delinquency or foreclosure even where there is ultimately no loss realized with respect to the underlying loan (e.g., as a result of a borrower’s re-performance). We are also exposed to market risk and, as a result of prevailing market conditions or the economy generally, may be required to recognize losses associated with adverse changes to the fair value of the CRT Agreements. Any loss we incur may be significant and may reduce distributions to our shareholders and materially and adversely affect the market value of our common shares.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) has instructed government-sponsored entities to gradually wind down new lender risk share transactions such as CRT investments as of the end of 2020. If we are unable to find a suitable alternative

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investment to investing in CRTs with similar returns, our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) has instructed government-sponsored entities to gradually wind down new lender risk share transactions such as CRT investments as of the end of 2020 and accordingly we do not expect to make any new CRT investments. As of December 31, 2020, we continued to hold net CRT-related investments (comprised of deposits securing CRT arrangements, CRT derivatives, CRT strips, interest-only security payable) totaling $2.6 billion. If we are unable to find suitable alternative investments comparable to CRTs, our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

A portion of our investments is in the form of loans, and the loans in which we invest subject us to costs and losses arising from delinquency and foreclosure, as well as the risks associated with residential real estate and residential real estate-related investments, any of which could result in losses to us.

We have invested in performing and nonperforming residential loans and, through our correspondent production business, newly originated prime credit quality residential loans. Residential loans are typically secured by single-family residential property and are subject to risks and costs associated with delinquency and foreclosure and the resulting risks of loss.

Our investments in loans also subject us to the risks of residential real estate and residential real estate-related investments, including, among others: (i) declines in the value of residential real estate; (ii) risks related to general and local economic conditions, including those resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; (iii) lack of available mortgage funding for borrowers to refinance or sell their homes; (iv) overbuilding; (v) increases in property taxes and operating expenses; (vi) changes in zoning laws; (vii) costs resulting from the clean-up of, and liability to third parties for damages resulting from, environmental problems, such as indoor mold; (viii) casualty or condemnation losses; (ix) uninsured damages from floods, earthquakes or other natural disasters; (x) limitations on and variations in rents; (xi) fluctuations in interest rates; (xii) fraud by borrowers, originators and/or sellers of loans; (xiii) undetected deficiencies and/or inaccuracies in underlying loan documentation and calculations; and (xiv) failure of the borrower to adequately maintain the property. To the extent that assets underlying our investments are concentrated geographically, by property type or in certain other respects, we may be subject to certain of the foregoing risks to a greater extent.

Additionally, we may be required to foreclose on a loan and such actions may subject us to greater concentration of the risks of the residential real estate markets and risks related to the ownership and management of real property. In the event of a foreclosure, we may assume direct ownership of the underlying real estate. The liquidation proceeds upon sale of such real estate may not be sufficient to recover our investment in the loan, resulting in a loss to us. In addition, the foreclosure process may be lengthy and expensive, and any delays or costs involved in the effectuation of a foreclosure of the loan or a liquidation of the underlying property may further reduce the proceeds and thus increase the loss.

In the event of the bankruptcy of a loan borrower, the loan to such borrower will be deemed to be secured only to the extent of the value of the underlying collateral at the time of bankruptcy (as determined by the bankruptcy court), and the lien securing the loan will be subject to the avoidance powers of the bankruptcy trustee or debtor-in-possession to the extent the lien is unenforceable under state law.

Our acquisition of mortgage servicing rights exposes us to significant risks.

MSRs arise from contractual agreements between us and the investors (or their agents) in mortgage securities and loans that we service on their behalf. We generally acquire MSRs in connection with our sale of loans to the Agencies where we assume the obligation to service such loans on their behalf. Any MSRs we acquire are initially recorded at fair value on our balance sheet. The determination of the fair value of MSRs requires our management to make numerous estimates and assumptions. Such estimates and assumptions include, without limitation, estimates of future cash flows associated with MSRs based upon assumptions involving interest rates as well as the prepayment rates, delinquencies and foreclosure rates of the underlying serviced loans as well as the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ultimate realization of the MSRs may be materially different than the values of such MSRs as may be reflected in our consolidated balance sheet as of any particular date. The use of different estimates or assumptions in connection with the valuation of these assets could produce materially different fair values for such assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Accordingly, there may be material uncertainty about the fair value of any MSRs we acquire.

Prepayment speeds significantly affect MSRs. Prepayment speed is the measurement of how quickly borrowers pay down the unpaid principal balance of their loans or how quickly loans are otherwise brought current, modified, liquidated or charged off. We base the price we pay for MSRs on, among other things, our projection of the cash flows from the related pool of loans. Our expectation of prepayment speeds is a significant assumption underlying those cash flow projections. If prepayment speed expectations increase significantly, the fair value of the MSRs could decline and we may be required to record a non-cash charge,

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which would have a negative impact on our financial results. Furthermore, a significant increase in prepayment speeds could materially reduce the ultimate cash flows we receive from MSRs, and we could ultimately receive substantially less than what we paid for such assets. Moreover, delinquency rates have a significant impact on the valuation of any MSRs. An increase in delinquencies generally results in lower revenue because typically we only collect servicing fees from Agencies or mortgage owners for performing loans. Our expectation of delinquencies is also a significant assumption underlying our cash flow projections. If delinquencies are significantly greater than we expect, the estimated fair value of the MSRs could be diminished. When the estimated fair value of MSRs is reduced, we could suffer a loss, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Changes in interest rates are a key driver of the performance of MSRs. Historically, the fair value of MSRs has increased when interest rates rise and decreased when interest rates decline due to the effect those changes in interest rates have on prepayment estimates. We may pursue, in a manner that is consistent with our qualification as a REIT, various hedging strategies to seek to reduce our exposure to adverse changes in fair value resulting from changes in interest rates. Our hedging activity will vary in scope based on the level and volatility of interest rates, the type of assets held and other changing market conditions. Interest rate hedging may fail to protect or could adversely affect us. To the extent we do not utilize derivative financial instruments to hedge against changes in fair value of MSRs or the derivatives we use in our hedging activities do not perform as expected, our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders would be more susceptible to volatility due to changes in the fair value of, or cash flows from, MSRs as interest rates change. Furthermore, MSRs and the related servicing activities are subject to numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations and may be subject to various judicial and administrative decisions imposing various requirements and restrictions on our business. The federal government enacted the CARES Act, which allows borrowers with federally-backed loans to request temporary payment forbearance in response to the increased borrower hardships resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our failure to comply, or the failure of the servicer to comply, with the laws, rules or regulations to which we or they are subject by virtue of ownership of MSRs, whether actual or alleged, could expose us to fines, penalties or potential litigation liabilities, including costs, settlements and judgments, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Our acquisition of excess servicing spread (“ESS”) has exposed us to significant risks.

We have previously acquired from PLS the right to receive certain ESS arising from MSRs owned or acquired by PLS. The ESS represents the difference between PLS’ contractual servicing fee with the applicable Agency and a base servicing fee that PLS retains as compensation for servicing or subservicing the related loans pursuant to the applicable servicing contract.

Because the ESS is a component of the related MSR, the risks of owning the ESS are similar to the risks of owning an MSR. We also record our ESS assets at fair value, which is based on many of the same estimates and assumptions used to value our MSR assets, thereby creating the same potential for material differences between the recorded fair value of the ESS and the actual value that is ultimately realized. Also, the performance of our ESS assets are impacted by the same drivers as our MSR assets, namely interest rates, prepayment speeds, delinquency rates and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the inherent uncertainty in the estimates and assumptions and the potential for significant change in the impact of the drivers, there may be material uncertainty about the fair value of any ESS we acquire, and this could ultimately have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Further, as a condition to our purchase of the ESS, we were required to subordinate our interests to those of the applicable Agency. To the extent PLS fails to maintain its Agency approvals, such failure could result in PLS’ loss of the applicable MSR in its entirety, thereby extinguishing our interest in the related ESS. With respect to our ESS relating to PLS’ Ginnie Mae MSRs, we sold our interest in such ESS to PLS under a repurchase agreement and PLS, in turn, pledged such ESS along with its interest in all of its Ginnie Mae MSRs to a special purpose entity, which issues variable funding notes and term notes that are secured by such Ginnie Mae assets and repaid through the cash flows received by the special purpose entity as the lender under a repurchase agreement with PLS. Accordingly, our interest in the Ginnie Mae ESS is also subordinated to the rights of an indenture trustee on behalf of the note holders to which the special purpose entity issues its variable funding notes and term notes under an indenture, pursuant to which the indenture trustee has a blanket lien on all of PLS’ Ginnie Mae MSRs (including the ESS we acquired). The indenture trustee, on behalf of the note holders, may liquidate our Ginnie Mae ESS along with the related MSRs to the extent there exists an event of default under the indenture. In the event our ESS is liquidated as a result of certain actions or inactions of PLS, we may be entitled to seek indemnity under the applicable spread acquisition agreement; however, this would be an unsecured claim. In either situation, our loss of the ESS could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

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We cannot independently protect our MSR or ESS assets from borrower refinancing and are dependent upon PLS to do so for our benefit.

While PLS has agreed pursuant to the terms of an MSR recapture agreement to transfer cash to us in an amount equal to a tiered recapture fee ranging from 30% to 40% of the fair value of the MSRs relating to loans it refinances, we are not independently capable of protecting our MSR assets from borrower refinancing through targeted solicitations to, and origination of, refinance loans for borrowers in our servicing portfolio. Accordingly, unlike traditional mortgage originators and many servicers, we must rely upon PLS to refinance loans in our servicing portfolio that would otherwise be targeted by other lenders. There can be no assurance that PLS will either have or allocate the time and resources required to effectively and efficiently protect our MSR assets. Its failure to do so, or the termination of our MSR recapture agreement, could result in accelerated runoff of our MSR assets, decreasing its fair value and adversely impacting our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Similarly, while PLS has agreed pursuant to the terms of our spread acquisition agreements to transfer to us a portion of the ESS relating to loans it refinances, we are not independently capable of protecting our ESS assets from borrower refinancing by other lenders through targeted solicitations to, and origination of, refinance loans for borrowers in our portfolio of ESS. Accordingly, we must also rely upon PLS to refinance these loans that would otherwise be targeted by other lenders. There can be no assurance that PLS will either have or allocate the required time and resources or otherwise be capable of effectively and efficiently soliciting these loans. Its failure to do so, or the termination of our spread acquisition agreements, could result in accelerated repayment of the loans underlying our ESS assets, decreasing their value and adversely impacting our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Investments in subordinated loans and subordinated MBS could subject us to increased risk of losses.

Our investments in subordinated loans or subordinated MBS could subject us to increased risk of losses. In the event a borrower defaults on a subordinated loan and lacks sufficient assets to satisfy such loan, we may lose all or a significant part of our investment. In the event a borrower becomes subject to bankruptcy proceedings, we will not have any recourse to the assets, if any, of the borrower that are not pledged to secure our loan. If a borrower defaults on our subordinated loan or on its senior debt (i.e., a first-lien loan), or in the event of a borrower bankruptcy, our subordinated loan will be satisfied only after all senior debt is paid in full. As a result, we may not recover all or even a significant part of our investment, which could result in losses.

In general, losses on an asset securing a loan included in a securitization will be borne first by the equity holder of the property, then by a cash reserve fund or letter of credit provided by the borrower, if any, and then by the “first loss” subordinated security holder and then by the “second loss” subordinated security holder. In the event of default and the exhaustion of any equity support, reserve fund, letter of credit and any classes of securities junior to those in which we invest, we may not recover all or even a significant part of our investment, which could result in losses.

In addition, if the underlying mortgage portfolio has been serviced ineffectively by the loan servicer or overvalued by the originator, or if the fair values of the assets subsequently decline and, as a result, less collateral is available to satisfy interest and principal payments due on the related MBS, the securities in which we invest may suffer significant losses. The prices of these types of lower credit quality investments are generally more sensitive to adverse actual or perceived economic downturns or individual issuer developments than more highly rated investments. An economic downturn or a projection of an economic downturn, for example, could cause a decline in the price of lower credit quality investments because the ability of obligors to make principal and interest payments or to refinance may be impaired.

The failure of PLS or any other servicer to effectively service our portfolio of MSRs and loans would materially and adversely affect us.

Pursuant to our loan servicing agreement, PLS provides us with primary and special servicing. PLS’ loan servicing activities include collecting principal, interest and escrow account payments, if any, with respect to loans, as well as managing loss mitigation, which may include, among other things, collection activities, loan workouts, modifications, foreclosures, short sales and sales of REO. The ability of PLS or any other servicer or subservicer to effectively service our portfolio of loans is critical to our success, particularly given our large investment in MSRs and our strategy of maximizing the fair value of the distressed loans that we acquire through proprietary loan modification programs, special servicing and other initiatives focused on keeping borrowers in their homes; or in the case of nonperforming loans, effecting property resolutions in a timely, orderly and economically efficient manner. The failure of PLS or any other servicer or subservicer to effectively service our portfolio of MSRs and loans would adversely impact our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

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In addition, our ability, through PLS, to promptly foreclose upon defaulted loans and liquidate the underlying real property plays a critical role in our valuation of the assets in which we invest and our expected return on those investments. There are a variety of factors that may inhibit our ability, through PLS, to foreclose upon a loan and liquidate the real property within the time frames we model as part of our valuation process or within the statutes of limitation under applicable state law, and this could increase our cost of doing business and/or diminish the expected return on investment.

Wearesubjecttocertainrisksassociatedwithinvestinginrealestateandrealestaterelatedassets,includingrisksoflossfrom adverseweatherconditions, man-madeornaturaldisasters, pandemics, such as COVID-19 pandemic, terrorist attacks, and the effects of climate change,whichmay causedisruptionsinouroperationsandcould materiallyandadverselyaffecttherealestateindustrygenerallyandourbusiness,financialcondition,liquidityandresultsof operations.

Weatherconditionsand man-madeor naturaldisasterssuchashurricanes,tornadoes,earthquakes,pandemics, such as COVID-19 pandemic, floods,droughts,firesand otherenvironmentalconditionscanadverselyimpactpropertiesthat weownorthatcollateralizeloans weownor serviceoron which webearcreditrisk,as wellas propertieswhere weconductbusiness.Futureadverseweatherconditionsand man-madeor natural disasterscouldalsoadverselyimpactthedemand for,andvalueof,ourassets,as wellasthecostto serviceormanagesuchassets, directlyimpactthe valueofourassetsthroughdamage,destructionorloss,andthereaftermateriallyimpacttheavailabilityorcostof insurancetoprotectagainsttheseevents.Terrorist attacks and other acts of violence may cause disruptions in U.S. financial markets and negatively impact the U.S. economy in general.

Potentially adverse consequences of global warming and climate change, including rising sea levels and increased intensity of extreme weather events, could similarly have an impact on our properties and the local economies of certain areas in which we operate. Althoughwebelieveourowned real estateandthepropertiescollateralizingourloanassets or underlyingourMSRandCRTassetsareappropriatelycoveredbyinsurance,wecannot predictatthistime if weorourborrowers will beable toobtainsuchcoverageata reasonablecost in thefuture.Therealsoisa riskthat oneormore of ourpropertyinsurers maynot beable tofulfilltheir obligationswithrespectto claimspaymentsduetoa deteriorationin its financialconditionormayevencancelpoliciesduetotheincreasingcostsofproviding insurancecoveragein certaingeographicareas.

Certain types of losses, generally of a catastrophic nature, that result from events described above such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornados, terrorism, acts of war and pandemics, such as COVID-19 pandemic, may also be uninsurable or not economically insurable. Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations and other factors, including terrorism or acts of war, also might make the insurance proceeds insufficient to repair or replace a property if it is damaged or destroyed. Under these circumstances, the insurance proceeds received might not be adequate to restore our economic position with respect to the affected real property. Any uninsured loss could result in the loss of cash flow from, and the asset value of, the affected property, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

Catastrophic events may disrupt our business.

Our corporate headquarters are located in Westlake Village, California and we have additional locations around the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area and elsewhere in the State of California. Many areas of California, including the immediate area around our corporate headquarters, have experienced extensive damage and property loss due to a series of large wildfires in the past several years. California and the other states in which we operate are also prone to other types of natural disasters. In the event of a major earthquake, hurricane, or catastrophic event such as fire, flood, power loss, telecommunications failure, cyber attack, pandemic, war, or terrorist attack, we may be unable to continue our operations and may endure significant business interruptions, reputational harm, delays in servicing our customers and working with our partners, interruptions in the availability of our technology and systems, breaches of data security, and loss of critical data, all of which could have an adverse effect on our future operating results.

Many of our investments are unrated or, where any credit ratings are assigned to our investments, they will be subject to ongoing evaluations and revisions and we can provide no assurance that those ratings will not be downgraded.

Many of our current investments are not, and many of our future investments will not be, rated by any rating agency. Therefore, PCM’s assessment of the fair value and pricing of our investments may be difficult and the accuracy of such assessment is inherently uncertain. However, certain of our investments may be rated. If rating agencies assign a lower-than expected rating or reduce or withdraw, or indicate that they may reduce or withdraw, their ratings of our investments in the future, the fair value of these investments could significantly decline, which would materially and adversely affect the fair value of our investment portfolio and could result in losses upon disposition or the failure of borrowers to satisfy their debt service obligations to us.

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We may be materially and adversely affected by risks affecting borrowers or the asset or property types in which our investments may be concentrated at any given time, as well as from unfavorable changes in the related geographic regions.

Our assets are not subject to any geographic, diversification or concentration limitations except that we will be concentrated in mortgage-related investments. Accordingly, our investment portfolio may be concentrated by geography, asset, property type and/or borrower, increasing the risk of loss to us if the particular concentration in our portfolio is subject to greater risks or is undergoing adverse developments. In addition, adverse conditions in the areas where the properties securing or otherwise underlying our investments are located (including business layoffs or downsizing, industry slowdowns, changing demographics and other factors) and local real estate conditions (such as oversupply or reduced demand) may have an adverse effect on the value of our investments. A material decline in the demand for real estate in these areas may materially and adversely affect us. Concentration or a lack of diversification can increase the correlation of non-performance and foreclosure risks among our investments.

Many of our investments are illiquid and we may not be able to adjust our portfolio in response to changes in economic and other conditions.

Our investments in distressed loans, MSRs, ESS, CRT arrangements, securities and loans held in a consolidated variable interest entity may be illiquid. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible to obtain or validate third-party pricing on the investments we purchase. Illiquid investments typically experience greater price volatility, as a ready market does not exist, and can be more difficult to value. The contractual restrictions on transfer or the illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if the need or desire arises, which could impair our ability to satisfy margin calls or certain REIT tests. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the recorded value, or may not be able to obtain any liquidation proceeds at all, thus exposing us to a material or total loss.

Fair values of many of our investments are estimates and the realization of reduced values from our recorded estimates may materially and adversely affect periodic reported results and credit availability, which may reduce earnings and, in turn, cash available for distribution to our shareholders.

The fair values of some of our investments are not readily determinable. We measure the fair value of these investments monthly, but the fair value at which our assets are recorded may differ from the values we ultimately realize. Ultimate realization of the fair value of an asset depends to a great extent on economic and other conditions that change during the time period over which the investment is held and are beyond the control of PCM, us or our board of trustees. Further, fair value is only an estimate based on good faith judgment of the price at which an investment can be sold since transacted prices of investments can only be determined by negotiation between a willing buyer and seller.

In certain cases, PCM’s estimation of the fair value of our investments includes inputs provided by third-party dealers and pricing services, and valuations of certain securities or other assets in which we invest are often difficult to obtain and are subject to judgments that may vary among market participants. Changes in the estimated fair values of those assets are directly charged or credited to earnings for the period. If we were to liquidate a particular asset, the realized value may be more than or less than the amount at which such asset was recorded. Accordingly, in either event, the fair value of our common shares could be materially and adversely affected by our determinations regarding the fair value of our investments, and such valuations may fluctuate over short periods of time.

PCM utilizes analytical models and data in connection with the valuation of our investments, and any incorrect, misleading or incomplete information used in connection therewith would subject us to potential risks.

Given the illiquidity and complexity of our investments and strategies, PCM must rely heavily on models and data, including analytical models (both proprietary models developed by PCM and those supplied by third parties) and information and data supplied by third parties. If any third party information is intentionally or negligently misrepresented and not detected, then our model and data results could be materially impacted. Models and data are used to value investments or potential investments and also in connection with hedging our investments. In the event models and data prove to be incorrect, misleading or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon expose us to potential risks. For example, by relying on incorrect models and data, especially valuation models, PCM may be induced to buy certain investments at prices that are too high, to sell certain other investments at prices that are too low or to miss favorable opportunities altogether. Similarly, any hedging based on faulty models and data may prove to be unsuccessful.

Liability relating to environmental matters may impact the fair value of properties that we own or that underlie our investments.

Under various U.S. federal, state and local laws, an owner or operator of real property may become liable for the costs of removal of certain hazardous substances released on its property. These laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator was responsible for, or aware of, the release of such hazardous substances. The presence of hazardous substances

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may also adversely affect an owner’s ability to sell real estate, borrow using the real estate as collateral or make debt payments to us. In addition, if we take title to a property, the presence of hazardous substances may adversely affect our ability to sell the property, and we may become liable to a governmental entity or to third parties for various fines, damages or remediation costs. Any of these liabilities or events may materially and adversely affect the fair value of the relevant asset and/or our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

We depend on the accuracy and completeness of information about borrowers and counterparties and any misrepresented information could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In connection with our correspondent production activities, we may rely on information furnished by or on behalf of borrowers and counterparties, including financial statements and other financial information. We also may rely on representations of borrowers and counterparties as to the accuracy and completeness of that information and, with respect to audited financial statements, on reports of independent auditors. If any of this information is intentionally or negligently misrepresented and such misrepresentation is not detected prior to loan funding, the fair value of the loan may be significantly lower than expected. Our controls and processes may not have detected or may not detect all misrepresented information in our loan acquisitions or from our business clients. Any such misrepresented information could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

We are subject to counterparty risk and may be unable to seek indemnity or require our counterparties to repurchase loans if they breach representations and warranties, which could cause us to suffer losses.

When we purchase mortgage assets, our counterparty typically makes customary representations and warranties to us about such assets. Our residential loan purchase agreements may entitle us to seek indemnity or demand repurchase or substitution of the loans in the event our counterparty breaches a representation or warranty given to us. However, there can be no assurance that our loan purchase agreements will contain appropriate representations and warranties, that we will be able to enforce our contractual right to demand repurchase or substitution, or that our counterparty will remain solvent or otherwise be willing and able to honor its obligations under our loan purchase agreements. Our inability to obtain indemnity or require repurchase of a significant number of loans could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

We may be required to repurchase loans or indemnify investors if we breach representations and warranties, which could materially and adversely affect our earnings.

When we sell loans, we are required to make customary representations and warranties about such loans to the loan purchaser. As part of our correspondent production activities, PLS re-underwrites a percentage of the loans that we acquire, and we rely upon PLS to ensure quality underwriting by our correspondent sellers, accurate third-party appraisals, and strict compliance with the representations and warranties that we require from our correspondent sellers and that are required from us by our investors.

Our residential loan sale agreements may require us to repurchase or substitute loans or indemnify the purchaser against future losses in the event we breach a representation or warranty given to the loan purchaser or in the event of an early payment default on a loan. The remedies available to the Agencies, other purchasers and insurers of loans may be broader than those available to us against the originator or correspondent lender, and if a purchaser or insurer enforces its remedies against us, we may not be able to enforce the remedies we have against the sellers. The repurchased loans typically can only be financed at a steep discount to their repurchase price, if at all. Repurchased loans are also typically sold at a discount to the unpaid principal balance, which in some cases can be significant. Significant repurchase activity could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

We are required to make servicing advances that can be subject to delays in recovery or may not be recoverable in certain circumstances, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

During any period in which a borrower is not making payments, we may be required under our servicing agreements in respect of our MSRs to advance our own funds to pass through scheduled principal and interest payments to security holders of the MBS into which the loans are sold, pay property taxes and insurance premiums, legal expenses and other protective advances. We also advance funds under these agreements to maintain, repair and market real estate properties on behalf of investors. 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 advances for which we may not be reimbursed. In addition, if a loan serviced by us is in default or becomes delinquent, the repayment to us of the advance may be delayed until the loan is repaid or refinanced or a liquidation occurs.

Federal, state or local regulatory actions may increase the amount of servicing advances that we are required to make, lengthen the time it takes for us to be reimbursed for such advances and increase the costs incurred while the loan is delinquent. The federal

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government enacted the CARES Act, which allows borrowers with federally-backed loans to request temporary payment forbearance in response to the increased borrower hardships resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

A delay in our ability to collect advances may adversely affect our liquidity, and our inability to be reimbursed for advances could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Risks Related to Our Management and Relationship with Our Manager and Its Affiliates

We are dependent upon PCM and PLS and their resources and may not find suitable replacements if any of our service agreements with PCM or PLS are terminated.

We are externally advised and managed by PCM, which, pursuant to our management agreement, makes all or substantially all of our investment, financing and risk management decisions, and has significant discretion as to the implementation of our operating policies and strategies. Under our loan servicing agreement with PLS, PLS provides primary servicing and special servicing for our portfolios of loans and MSRs, and under our mortgage banking services agreement with PLS, PLS provides fulfillment and disposition-related services in connection with our correspondent production business. The costs of these services increase our operating costs and may reduce our net income, but we rely on PCM and PLS to provide these services under these agreements because we have few employees and limited in-house capability to perform the activities independently.