MFA Financial, Inc. Announces Third Quarter 2012 Financial Results

NEW YORK, Nov. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MFA Financial, Inc. (NYSE: MFA) today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012. 

Third Quarter 2012 and other recent highlights:

• Third quarter net income per common share of $0.21 and Core Earnings (as defined below) per common share of $0.19. 
• Book value per common share grew to $8.80 as of September 30, 2012, compared to $7.45 as of June 30, 2012, and $6.74 at December 31, 2011. This 18% increase in book value per share in the third quarter and the 30% increase in book value per share in the first nine months of 2012 are the result of MFA's total return strategy of investing in both Agency and discounted Non-Agency MBS.
• On October 31, 2012, MFA paid its third quarter 2012 dividend of $0.21 per share of common stock to stockholders of record as of October 12, 2012. 

For the third quarter ended September 30, 2012, MFA generated net income allocable to common stockholders of $75.7 million, or $0.21 per share of common stock.  Core Earnings for the third quarter were $68.9 million, or $0.19 per share of common stock.  "Core Earnings" is a Non-GAAP financial measure, which reflects net income excluding $4.3 million of gains on sale of MBS and a $2.5 million increase in the fair value of the securities underlying our Linked Transactions.

Stewart Zimmerman, MFA's Chairman of the Board and CEO, said, "MFA continues to provide stockholders with attractive returns through what we believe to be appropriately leveraged investments in both Agency and Non-Agency residential MBS.  At quarter-end our debt to equity ratio (including the liabilities underlying our Linked Transactions) was 3.2:1.  In this low interest rate environment, core earnings per share was $0.19 versus $0.20 in the second quarter.  Our Agency portfolio had an average amortized cost basis of 103.2% of par as of September 30, 2012, and generated a 2.66% yield in the third quarter.  Our Non-Agency portfolio had an average amortized cost of 72.6% of par as of September 30, 2012, and generated a loss-adjusted yield of 6.65% in the third quarter (Non-Agency average cost and loss-adjusted yield are adjusted for the impact of MBS Linked Transactions)."

"We believe MFA, an internally managed REIT, continues to be a very efficient vehicle for delivering the benefits of residential MBS investment to stockholders.  For the three months ended September 30, 2012, MFA's cost for compensation and benefits and other general and administrative expenses were $8.7 million or an annualized 1.06% of stockholders' equity as of September 30, 2012."

William Gorin, MFA's President, added, "The Fed continues to combat deflationary pressures through its monetary policy. Given rising multifamily rents, limited housing construction, capital flows into rent-to-own (REO) foreclosure purchases and demographic-driven U.S. household formation, there have been increasing signs of home price stabilization. However, we continue to appropriately factor in the uncertainty regarding housing fundamentals into our cash flow projection and credit reserve analysis.  Our Non-Agency MBS loss adjusted yield of 6.65% is based on projected defaults that are approximately twice the amount of underlying mortgage loans that are presently 60+ days delinquent. MFA's Non-Agency MBS prices increased, on average, approximately 6.5 points in the third quarter. We believe this reflects the impact of a shrinking universe of seasoned Non-Agency MBS and improvement in fundamental assumptions as investors assign lower probabilities to the more pessimistic housing scenarios."

MFA's $5.246 billion fair market value of Non-Agency MBS had a face amount of $6.512 billion, an amortized cost of $4.736 billion and a net purchase discount of $1.776 billion (all amounts adjusted for the impact of MBS Linked Transactions) at September 30, 2012.  This discount consists of a $1.466 billion credit reserve and other-than-temporary impairments and a $309.6 million net accretable discount. In the third quarter, the net transfer to accretable discount from credit reserve was $54.1 million. This amount will be realized in income over the life of the underlying assets. At September 30, 2012, MFA's Non-Agency MBS had 3.5% average structured credit enhancement in the form of subordination (subordinated bonds which absorb losses before MFA's Non-Agency MBS are impacted). 

In the third quarter, the Fed announced that it intends to keep the target range for the Federal Funds rate at 0 to ¼ percent and anticipates that exceptionally low levels are likely to be warranted at least through mid-2015. The Fed also announced that it will increase its holdings of Agency MBS by $40 billion per month until the labor market improves. It is also continuing its policy of reinvesting principal payments from existing Agency MBS holdings, bringing total monthly purchases near $85 billion. These actions have put downward pressure on Agency MBS yields.

Prepayments for MFA's MBS portfolio did trend up in the third quarter. Unlike MFA's Agency MBS, due to their discounted purchase prices, the return on Non-Agency MBS is generally positively impacted if prepayment rates increase.  The following table presents the weighted average prepayment speed on MFA's MBS portfolio (including MBS underlying Linked Transactions).

As of September 30, 2012, under its swap agreements, MFA has a weighted average fixed pay rate of interest of 2.64% and a floating receive rate of 0.25% on notional balances totaling $2.761 billion, with an average maturity of 16 months.  In the fourth quarter, $341.2 million notional amount of existing swaps with a weighted average fixed pay rate of 4.43% is scheduled to expire.

The following table presents MFA's asset allocation as of September 30, 2012 and the third quarter 2012 yield on average interest earning assets, average MBS cost of funds, cost of Senior Notes and net interest rate spread for the various asset types.

At September 30, 2012, MFA's $12.723 billion of Agency and Non-Agency MBS, which includes MBS underlying Linked Transactions, were backed by Hybrid, adjustable and fixed-rate mortgages.  Additional information about these MBS, including months to reset and three-month average CPR, is presented below:

MFA plans to hold a conference call on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) to discuss its third quarter 2012 financial results.  The number to dial in order to listen to the conference call is (866) 269-9608 in the U.S. and Canada.  International callers must dial is (612) 332-0718. A replay of the call will be available through Wednesday, February 6, 2013, and can be accessed by dialing (800) 475-6701 in the U.S. and Canada or (320) 365-3844 internationally and entering access code 270066.  Live audio of the conference call will also be accessible over the internet at http://www.mfafinancial.com through the appropriate link on MFA's Investor Information page. To listen to the call over the internet, go to the website at least 15 minutes before the call to register and to download and install any needed audio software.  An audio replay of the call will also be available on MFA's website following the call.

When used in this press release or other written or oral communications, statements which are not historical in nature, including those containing words such as "will," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "may" or similar expressions, are intended to identify "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and, as such, may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Statements regarding the following subjects, among others, may be forward-looking: changes in interest rates and the market value of MFA's MBS; changes in the prepayment rates on the mortgage loans securing MFA's MBS; changes in the default rates and management's assumptions regarding default rates on the mortgage loans securing MFA's Non-Agency MBS; MFA's ability to borrow to finance its assets and the terms, including the cost, maturity and other terms, of any such borrowing; implementation of or changes in government regulations or programs affecting MFA's business; MFA's ability to maintain its qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes; MFA's ability to maintain its exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (or the Investment Company Act), including statements regarding the Concept Release issued by the SEC relating to interpretive issues under the Investment Company Act with respect to the status under the Investment Company Act of certain companies that are in engaged in the business of acquiring mortgages and mortgage-related interests; and risks associated with investing in real estate assets, including changes in business conditions and the general economy. These and other risks, uncertainties and factors, including those described in the annual, quarterly and current reports that MFA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, could cause MFA's actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements it makes. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. New risks and uncertainties arise over time and it is not possible to predict those events or how they may affect MFA. Except as required by law, MFA is not obligated to, and does not intend to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains disclosures related to MFA's Core Earnings, Core Earnings per common share, investments in Non-Agency MBS, and returns on such assets for the three months ended September 30, 2012, which constitute non-GAAP financial measures within the meaning of Regulation G promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission.  MFA's management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures presented in this press release, when considered together with GAAP financial measures, provide information that is useful to investors in understanding period-over-period operating results and balance sheet composition.  An analysis of any non-GAAP financial measures should be made in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP.

Core Earnings and Core Earnings per common share for the three months ended September 30, 2012, are not measures of performance in accordance with GAAP, as they exclude gains on the sale of MBS and changes in fair value of MBS underlying our Linked Transactions.

MFA believes that Core Earnings and Core Earnings per share provides investors with a useful measure to assess the performance of the Company's ongoing business and useful supplemental information to both management and investors in evaluating our financial results.  A reconciliation of the GAAP items discussed above to their non-GAAP measures for the three months ended September 30, 2012, are as follows:

As noted above, certain Non-Agency MBS purchases are presented as a component of Linked Transactions in MFA's GAAP financial statements for the three months ended September 30, 2012.  In assessing the performance of the Non-Agency MBS portfolio, MFA's management does not view these transactions as linked, but rather views the performance of the linked Non-Agency MBS and the related repurchase agreement borrowings as it would any other Non-Agency MBS that is not part of a linked transaction.  Consequently, MFA considers that these non-GAAP financial measures assist investors in analyzing the performance of MFA's Non-Agency MBS in the same way that MFA's management assesses such assets.  However, as noted above, these non-GAAP financial measures do not take into account the effect of the changes in fair value of MBS underlying Linked Transactions, and gains on sales of MBS, which are reflected in GAAP earnings.

Information pertaining to MFA's Non-Agency MBS that are a component of Linked Transactions are reconciled below as of and for the three months ended September 30, 2012, with the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, as follows:

The table below reconciles MFA's Non-Agency MBS and related repurchase agreement borrowings and securitized debt on a GAAP basis to reflect on a combined basis its Non-Agency MBS and related repurchase agreements underlying its Linked Transactions, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. Based on this non-GAAP presentation, MFA has also presented certain resulting performance measures (reflected in the table below) on a Non-GAAP basis.   

SOURCE MFA Financial, Inc.