BIMINI CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC. - Quarter Report: 2007 September (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
þ QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the quarterly period ended September 30, 2007
¨ TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the transition period from __________ to ___________
Commission
File Number: 001-32171
Bimini
Capital Management, Inc.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Maryland
|
72-1571637
|
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
|
3305
Flamingo Drive, Vero Beach, Florida 32963
(Address
of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(772)
231-1400
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to
be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required
to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements
for
the past 90 days. YES þ NO
¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of
“accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange
Act.
Large
accelerated filer ¨
|
Accelerated
filer þ
|
Non-accelerated
filer ¨
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). YES ¨ NO
þ
As
of
November 7, 2007, the number of shares outstanding of the
registrant’s Class A Common Stock, $0.001 par value, was
24,814,673; the number of shares outstanding of the
registrant’s Class B Common Stock, $0.001 par value, was
319,388; and the number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s Class C Common
Stock, $0.001 par value, was 319,388.
BIMINI
CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
INDEX
PART
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
|
3
|
ITEM
1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
|
3
|
Consolidated
Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2007 (unaudited) and December
31,
2006
|
3
|
Consolidated
Statements of Operations for the nine and three months ended September
30,
2007 and 2006
(unaudited)
|
4
|
Consolidated
Statement of Stockholders’ Equity for the nine months ended September 30,
2007 (unaudited)
|
6
|
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended September 30,
2007 and
2006
(unaudited)
|
7
|
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)
|
9
|
ITEM
2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS.
|
37
|
ITEM
3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT
MARKET RISK.
|
52
|
ITEM
4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.
|
52
|
PART
II. OTHER INFORMATION
|
|
ITEM
1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
|
53
|
ITEM
1A. RISK FACTORS.
|
53
|
ITEM
6. EXHIBITS.
|
67
|
PART
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM
1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
BIMINI
CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
|
||||||||
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
|
||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||
ASSETS
|
September 30, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
||||||
MORTGAGE-BACKED
SECURITIES:
|
||||||||
Available-for-Sale,
pledged to counterparties, at fair value
|
$ |
706,142,008
|
$ |
2,803,019,180
|
||||
Held
for Trading, pledged to counterparties, at fair value
|
545,857,683
|
-
|
||||||
Unpledged,
at fair value
|
1,894,116
|
5,714,860
|
||||||
TOTAL
MORTGAGE BACKED SECURITIES
|
1,253,893,807
|
2,808,734,040
|
||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
24,873,520
|
82,751,795
|
||||||
Restricted
cash
|
35,300,000
|
-
|
||||||
Principal
payments receivable
|
141,963
|
12,209,825
|
||||||
Accrued
interest receivable
|
7,417,094
|
14,072,078
|
||||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
4,220,905
|
4,372,997
|
||||||
Prepaids
and other assets
|
6,540,105
|
6,168,736
|
||||||
Assets
held for sale
|
100,480,950
|
1,009,324,465
|
||||||
TOTAL
ASSETS
|
$ |
1,432,868,344
|
$ |
3,937,633,936
|
||||
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
||||||||
LIABILITIES:
|
||||||||
Repurchase
agreements
|
$ |
1,211,487,000
|
$ |
2,741,679,650
|
||||
Junior
subordinated notes due to Bimini Capital Trust I & II
|
103,097,000
|
103,097,000
|
||||||
Accrued
interest payable
|
7,782,597
|
17,776,464
|
||||||
Unsettled
security transactions
|
34,284,695
|
-
|
||||||
Dividends
payable
|
-
|
1,266,937
|
||||||
Accounts
payable, accrued expenses and other
|
569,508
|
692,469
|
||||||
Minority
interest in consolidated subsidiary
|
-
|
770,563
|
||||||
Liabilities
related to assets held for sale
|
50,891,355
|
879,916,024
|
||||||
TOTAL
LIABILITIES
|
1,408,112,155
|
3,745,199,107
|
||||||
STOCKHOLDERS'
EQUITY:
|
||||||||
Preferred
Stock, $0.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized;
designated 1,800,000 Class A Redeemable and 2,000,000 Class B Redeemable;
no shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2007 and December
31,
2006
|
-
|
-
|
||||||
Class
A Common Stock, $0.001 par value; 98,000,000 shares designated:
24,764,545 shares issued and outstanding as of
September 30, 2007 and 24,515,717 shares issued and outstanding as
of
December 31, 2006
|
24,765
|
24,516
|
||||||
Class
B Common Stock, $0.001 par value; 1,000,000 shares designated, 319,388
shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2007 and December
31,
2006
|
319
|
319
|
||||||
Class
C Common Stock, $0.001 par value; 1,000,000 shares designated, 319,388
shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2007 and December
31,
2006
|
319
|
319
|
||||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
337,722,247
|
335,646,460
|
||||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive loss
|
-
|
(76,773,610 | ) | |||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(312,991,461 | ) | (66,463,175 | ) | ||||
TOTAL
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
24,756,189
|
192,434,829
|
||||||
TOTAL
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
$ |
1,432,868,344
|
$ |
3,937,633,936
|
||||
See
notes to consolidated financial statements.
|
BIMINI
CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
|
||||||||||||||||
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
|
||||||||||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||||||||||
Nine
Months Ended
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
|||||||||||||
Interest
income, net of amortization of premium and discount
|
$ |
90,793,422
|
$ |
137,871,403
|
$ |
24,634,854
|
$ |
43,050,539
|
||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(98,557,333 | ) | (127,619,461 | ) | (23,233,893 | ) | (44,917,360 | ) | ||||||||
NET
INTEREST INCOME (EXPENSE)
|
(7,763,911 | ) |
10,251,942
|
1,400,961
|
(1,866,821 | ) | ||||||||||
FAIR
VALUE ADJUSTMENT-AVAILABLE-FOR-SALE SECURITIES
|
(1,707,840 | ) |
-
|
(1,707,840 | ) |
-
|
||||||||||
FAIR
VALUE ADJUSTMENT-HELD FOR TRADING SECURITIES
|
282,089
|
-
|
282,089
|
-
|
||||||||||||
REALIZED
LOSS ON SALE OF MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES
|
(20,492,779 | ) |
-
|
(1,104,402 | ) |
-
|
||||||||||
OTHER
EXPENSE, NET
|
-
|
(95,155 | ) |
-
|
(165,721 | ) | ||||||||||
OTHER-THAN-TEMPORARY
LOSS ON MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES
|
(55,250,278 | ) |
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
TOTAL
NET REVENUES (DEFICIENCY OF REVENUES)
|
(84,932,719 | ) |
10,156,787
|
(1,129,192 | ) | (2,032,542 | ) | |||||||||
DIRECT
REIT OPERATING EXPENSES
|
632,709
|
742,376
|
181,007
|
196,552
|
||||||||||||
GENERAL
AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES:
|
||||||||||||||||
Compensation
and related benefits
|
3,562,711
|
4,867,274
|
1,218,881
|
1,296,758
|
||||||||||||
Directors’
fees and liability insurance
|
581,608
|
630,069
|
197,634
|
210,035
|
||||||||||||
Audit,
legal and other professional fees
|
1,004,987
|
890,202
|
323,761
|
213,901
|
||||||||||||
Other
administrative expenses
|
507,811
|
646,706
|
174,634
|
156,204
|
||||||||||||
TOTAL
GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES
|
5,657,117
|
7,034,251
|
1,914,910
|
1,876,898
|
||||||||||||
TOTAL
EXPENSES
|
6,289,826
|
7,776,627
|
2,095,917
|
2,073,450
|
||||||||||||
INCOME
(LOSS) FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS BEFORE MINORITY INTEREST
|
(91,222,545 | ) |
2,380,160
|
(3,225,109 | ) | (4,105,992 | ) | |||||||||
MINORITY
INTEREST IN CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARY
|
770,563
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||
INCOME
(LOSS) FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS
|
(90,451,982 | ) |
2,380,160
|
(3,225,109 | ) | (4,105,992 | ) | |||||||||
DISCONTINUED
OPERATIONS (see Note 11):
|
||||||||||||||||
Loss
from discontinued operations, net of tax
|
(148,451,063 | ) | (18,003,022 | ) | (5,609,698 | ) | (2,149,703 | ) | ||||||||
Gain(loss)
on sale and disposal of assets of discontinued operations, net of
tax
|
(6,357,596 | ) |
-
|
4,111,607
|
-
|
|||||||||||
TOTAL
LOSS FROM DISCONTINUTED OPERATIONS, NET OF TAX
|
(154,808,659 | ) | (18,003,022 | ) | (1,498,091 | ) | (2,149,703 | ) | ||||||||
NET
LOSS
|
$ | (245,260,641 | ) | $ | (15,622,862 | ) | $ | (4,723,200 | ) | $ | (6,255,695 | ) |
BIMINI
CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (continued)
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||||||||||
Nine
Months Ended
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
|||||||||||||
BASIC
AND DILUTED NET INCOME (LOSS) PER SHARE OF:
|
||||||||||||||||
CLASS
A COMMON STOCK
|
||||||||||||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$ | (3.63 | ) | $ |
0.10
|
$ | (0.13 | ) | $ | (0.16 | ) | |||||
Discontinued
operations
|
(6.21 | ) | (0.73 | ) | (0.06 | ) | (0.09 | ) | ||||||||
Total
basic and diluted net (loss) per Class A share
|
$ | (9.84 | ) | $ | (0.63 | ) | $ | (0.19 | ) | $ | (0.25 | ) | ||||
CLASS
B COMMON STOCK
|
||||||||||||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$ | (3.61 | ) | $ |
0.10
|
$ | (0.13 | ) | $ | (0.16 | ) | |||||
Discontinued
operations
|
(6.18 | ) | (0.73 | ) | (0.06 | ) | (0.09 | ) | ||||||||
Total
basic and diluted net (loss) per Class B share
|
$ | (9.79 | ) | $ | (0.63 | ) | $ | (0.19 | ) | $ | (0.25 | ) | ||||
WEIGHTED
AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING USED IN COMPUTING BASIC AND DILUTED PER
SHARE
AMOUNTS:
|
||||||||||||||||
Class
A Common Stock
|
24,600,795
|
24,644,020
|
24,690,089
|
24,376,375
|
||||||||||||
Class
B Common Stock
|
319,388
|
319,388
|
319,388
|
319,388
|
||||||||||||
CASH
DIVIDENDS DECLARED PER SHARE OF:
|
||||||||||||||||
CLASS
A COMMON STOCK
|
$ |
0.05
|
$ |
0.41
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
0.05
|
||||||||
CLASS
B COMMON STOCK
|
$ |
0.05
|
$ |
0.41
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
0.05
|
||||||||
See
notes to consolidated financial statements.
|
BIMINI
CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (Unaudited)
Nine
Months Ended
September
30, 2007
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common
Stock,
Amounts
at par value
|
Additional
Paid-in
|
Accumulated
Other Comprehensive
|
Accumulated
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class
A
|
Class
B
|
Class
C
|
Capital
|
Loss
|
Deficit
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Balances,
December 31, 2006
|
$ |
24,516
|
$ |
319
|
$ |
319
|
$ |
335,646,460
|
$ | (76,773,610 | ) | $ | (66,463,175 | ) | $ |
192,434,829
|
||||||||||||
Issuance
of Class A Common Stock for board compensation and equity plan share
exercises, net
|
249
|
-
|
-
|
129,934
|
-
|
-
|
130,183
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Cash
dividends declared, March 2007
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(1,267,645 | ) | (1,267,645 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Amortization
of equity plan compensation
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2,196,682
|
-
|
-
|
2,196,682
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Equity
plan shares withheld for statutory minimum withholding
taxes
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(250,829 | ) |
-
|
-
|
(250,829 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Reclassify
net realized loss on mortgage-backed security sales
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
19,388,377
|
-
|
19,388,377
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(245,260,641 | ) | (245,260,641 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Unrealized
gain on available-for-sale securities, net
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2,134,955
|
-
|
2,134,955
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Other-than-temporary
loss on mortgage-backed securities
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
55,250,278
|
-
|
55,250,278
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
loss
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(168,487,031 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Balances,
September 30, 2007
|
$ |
24,765
|
$ |
319
|
$ |
319
|
$ |
337,722,247
|
$ |
-
|
$ | (312,991,461 | ) | $ |
24,756,189
|
|||||||||||||
See
notes to consolidated financial statements.
|
BIMINI
CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
|
||||||||
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||
Nine
Months Ended
|
||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
|||||||
CASH
FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
|
||||||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
|
$ | (90,451,982 | ) | $ |
2,380,160
|
|||
Adjustments
to reconcile income (loss) from continuing operations
to
net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
|
||||||||
Other-than-temporary
loss on mortgage backed securities
|
55,250,278
|
-
|
||||||
Amortization
of premium and discount on mortgage backed securities
|
8,759,452
|
(8,939,798 | ) | |||||
Stock
compensation
|
2,076,036
|
2,655,358
|
||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
627,044
|
562,817
|
||||||
Loss
on sales of mortgage-backed securities
|
20,492,779
|
-
|
||||||
Fair
value adjustments, net on mortgage-backed securities
|
1,425,751
|
-
|
||||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities:
|
||||||||
Decrease
in accrued interest receivable
|
6,654,984
|
713,042
|
||||||
Decrease
in prepaids and other assets
|
371,367
|
2,292,900
|
||||||
(Decrease)
in accrued interest payable
|
(9,993,867 | ) | (10,156,981 | ) | ||||
(Decrease)
increase in accounts payable, accrued expenses and other
|
(122,961 | ) |
651,095
|
|||||
NET
CASH USED IN OPERATING ACTIVITIES
|
(4,911,119 | ) | (9,841,407 | ) | ||||
CASH
FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
|
||||||||
From
available-for-sale securities:
|
||||||||
Purchases
|
(1,140,585,456 | ) | (706,141,129 | ) | ||||
Sales
|
1,896,831,041
|
-
|
||||||
Principal
repayments
|
835,792,555
|
1,054,217,682
|
||||||
Purchases
of property and equipment, and other
|
(3,937 | ) | (754,294 | ) | ||||
NET
CASH PROVIDED BY INVESTING ACTIVITIES
|
1,592,034,203
|
347,322,259
|
||||||
CASH
FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
|
||||||||
(Increase)/decrease
in restricted cash
|
(35,300,000 | ) |
1,480,000
|
|||||
Proceeds
from repurchase agreements
|
13,167,044,670
|
18,264,624,674
|
||||||
Principal
payments on repurchase agreements
|
(14,697,237,320 | ) | (18,605,483,307 | ) | ||||
Stock
issuance and other costs
|
-
|
(128,384 | ) | |||||
Purchase
of treasury stock
|
-
|
(4,500,327 | ) | |||||
Cash
dividends paid
|
(2,534,582 | ) | (8,967,293 | ) | ||||
NET
CASH USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES
|
(1,568,027,232 | ) | (352,974,637 | ) | ||||
CASH
FLOWS FROM DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS:
|
||||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) operating activities
|
734,846,245
|
(23,073,187 | ) | |||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) investing activities
|
1,195,582
|
(2,521,423 | ) | |||||
Net
cash (used in) financing activities
|
(813,015,954 | ) | (21,164,599 | ) | ||||
NET
CASH USED IN DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
|
(76,974,127 | ) | (46,759,209 | ) | ||||
NET
CHANGE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
|
(57,878,275 | ) | (62,252,994 | ) | ||||
CASH
AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, Beginning of the period
|
82,751,795
|
122,072,166
|
||||||
CASH
AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, End of the period
|
$ |
24,873,520
|
$ |
59,819,172
|
||||
BIMINI
CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
|
||||||||
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (continued)
|
||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||
Nine
Months Ended
|
||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
|||||||
SUPPLEMENTAL
DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:
|
||||||||
Cash
paid during the period for interest
|
$ |
108,551,200
|
$ |
199,590,000
|
||||
SUPPLEMENTAL
SCHEDULE OF NONCASH INVESTING AND
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
|
||||||||
Cash
dividends declared and payable, not yet paid
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
1,267,736
|
||||
See
notes to consolidated financial statements.
|
BIMINI
CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, INC.
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(UNAUDITED)
September
30, 2007
NOTE
1. ORGANIZATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING
POLICIES
Organization
and Business Description
Bimini
Capital Management, Inc., a Maryland corporation (“Bimini Capital”), was
originally formed in September 2003 as Bimini Mortgage Management, Inc. (“Bimini
Mortgage”) for the purpose of creating and managing a leveraged investment
portfolio consisting of residential mortgage backed securities (“MBS”). Bimini
Capital’s website is located at http://www.biminicapital.com.
On
November 3, 2005, Bimini Capital, then known as Bimini Mortgage, acquired Opteum
Financial Services, LLC. This entity, which was previously referred
to as “OFS,” was renamed Orchid Island TRS, LLC effective July 3,
2007. Hereinafter, any historical mention, discussion or references
to Opteum Financial Services, LLC or to OFS (such as in previously filed
documents or Exhibits) now means Orchid Island TRS, LLC or
“OITRS.” Upon closing of the transaction, OITRS became a wholly-owned
taxable REIT subsidiary of Bimini Mortgage. Under the terms of the
transaction, Bimini Mortgage issued 3.7 million shares of Class A Common Stock
and 1.2 million shares of Class A Redeemable Preferred Stock to the former
members of OITRS.
On
February 10, 2006, Bimini Mortgage changed its name to Opteum Inc.
(“Opteum”). At Opteum’s 2006 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the
shares of Class A Redeemable Preferred Stock issued to the former members of
OITRS were converted into shares of Opteum’s Class A Common Stock on a
one-for-one basis following the approval of such conversion by Opteum’s
stockholders.
On
December 21, 2006, Opteum sold to Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp.
(“Citigroup Realty”) a Class B non-voting limited liability company membership
interest in OITRS, representing 7.5% of all of OITRS’s outstanding limited
liability company membership interests, for $4.1 million. Immediately
following the transaction, Opteum held Class A voting Limited Liability Company
membership interests in OITRS representing 92.5% of all of OITRS’s outstanding
limited liability company membership interests. In connection with
the transaction, Opteum also granted Citigroup Realty the option, exercisable
on
or before December 20, 2007, to acquire additional Class B non-voting limited
liability company membership interests in OITRS representing 7.49% of all of
OITRS’s outstanding limited liability company membership interests.
On
April 18, 2007, the Board of
Managers of OITRS, at the recommendation of the Board of Directors of
Opteum,
approved the closure of OITRS’
wholesale and conduit mortgage loan origination channels in the second quarter
of 2007. Also, during the second quarter of 2007, substantially all
of the other operating assets of OITRS were sold. Therefore,
OITRS is accounted for as a discontinued operation, all OITRS’s assets are considered
as
held for sale, and OITRS is reported as a discontinued operation for all periods
presented following applicable accounting standards. For financial
statement presentation purposes, and for the quarter ended September 30, 2007,
Bimini Capital is now operating in a single business segment, as a
REIT.
On
September 28, 2007, Opteum changed its name to Bimini Capital Management,
Inc.
Bimini
Capital has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) under
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). As a
REIT, Bimini Capital is generally not subject to federal income tax on its
REIT
taxable income provided that it distributes to its stockholders at least 90%
of
its REIT taxable income on an annual basis. OITRS has elected to be
treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary and, as such, is subject to federal, state
and local income taxation. In addition, the ability of OITRS to
deduct interest paid or accrued to Bimini Capital for federal, state and local
tax purposes is subject to certain limitations.
As
used
in this document, discussions related to “Bimini Capital,” the parent company,
the registrant, and to real estate investment trust (“REIT”) qualifying
activities or the general management of Bimini Capital’s portfolio of mortgage
backed securities (“MBS”) refer to “Bimini Capital Management,
Inc.” Further, discussions related to Bimini Capital’s taxable REIT
subsidiary or non-REIT eligible assets refer to OITRS and its consolidated
subsidiaries. Discussions relating to the “Company” refer to the consolidated
entity (the combination of Bimini Capital and OITRS). The assets and activities
that are not REIT eligible, such as mortgage origination, acquisition and
servicing activities, were formerly conducted by OITRS and are now reported
as
discontinued operations.
Liquidity
The
Company has obtained committed funding arrangements that provide specified
advance rates and funding levels and are available to finance the Company’s MBS
portfolio. Should the Company’s financing be withdrawn and the Company’s
committed funding agreements not be sufficient to finance all of the Company’s
MBS investments, the Company may be forced to sell such assets, which may result
in losses upon such sales. While the financing in place for the Company’s
retained interests, trading held by OITRS is committed through December 19,
2007, the lender on the financing facility has and may continue to request
additional margin be posted in connection with the facility. If the Company
is
unable to meet such requests in the future, the Company may be forced to sell
the assets or seek alternative financing. At present, such alternative
financing arrangements for the residual interests may not be available or only
available at substantially higher cost to OITRS. If cash resources are, at
any time, insufficient to satisfy the Company’s liquidity requirements, such as
when cash flow from operations were materially negative, the Company may be
required to pledge additional assets to meet margin calls, liquidate assets,
sell additional debt or equity securities or pursue other financing
alternatives. Any sale of mortgage-related securities or other assets held
for
sale at prices lower than the carrying value of such assets would reduce the
Company’s income. The Company presently believes that its equity and
junior subordinated debt capital, combined with the cash flow from operations
and the utilization of borrowings, will be sufficient to enable the Company
to
meet its anticipated liquidity requirements. Continued disruptions in market
conditions could, however, adversely affect the Company’s liquidity, including
the lack of available financing for the Company’s MBS assets beyond the capacity
of the Company’s committed facilities ($0.3 billion as of September 30, 2007),
increases in interest rates, increases in prepayment rates substantially above
expectations and decreases in value of assets held for sale. Therefore, no
assurances can be made regarding the Company's ability to satisfy its liquidity
and working capital requirements.
Management
is currently pursuing all cost saving opportunities to maximize future earnings,
including strategic options designed to increase the efficiency with which
the
Company manages its operations.
Interim
Financial Statements
The
accompanying interim financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting
of
normal recurring items that, in the opinion of management, are necessary for
a
fair presentation of the Company’s financial position, results of operations,
statement of stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the periods presented.
These interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with
disclosure requirements for interim financial information and accordingly,
they
may not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for annual financial statements. The
operating results for the interim period ended September 30, 2007 are not
necessarily indicative of results that can be expected for the year ended
December 31, 2007. The consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2006 was
derived from audited financial statements included in the Company’s 2006 Annual
Report on Form 10-K but does not include all disclosures required by accounting
principals generally accepted in the United States. The financial
statements included as part of this Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction
with
the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006.
Basis
of Presentation and Use of Estimates
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements are prepared on the accrual
basis
of accounting in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of financial statements
in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions
that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and
the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.
Significant estimates affecting the accompanying financial statements include
the fair values of MBS, the prepayment speeds used to calculate amortization
and
accretion of premiums and discounts on MBS, the recording of certain balances
related to the discontinued operation, including the realizability of the
deferred tax assets and related valuation allowance, the valuation of mortgage
loans held for sale, the amount of the impairment charges recorded on certain
assets, the valuation of retained interests, trading and the fair value of
mortgage servicing rights and estimated lease termination
costs.
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Bimini
Capital and its majority-owned subsidiary, OITRS, as well the wholly-owned
and
majority-owned subsidiaries of OITRS. OITRS is reported as a
discontinued operation for all periods presented. All inter-company
accounts and transactions have been eliminated from the consolidated financial
statements.
Bimini
Capital owned 100% of OITRS until December 21, 2006, when a Class B non-voting
interest representing 7.5% of OITRS’s then outstanding limited liability company
membership interest was sold to Citigroup Realty. Citigroup Realty’s
proportionate share in the after-tax results of OITRS’s operations, are included
in the accompanying statements of operation. During the nine months ended
September 30, 2007, the proportionate share of OITRS’s loss exceeded the net
investment attributable to Citigroup Realty. Therefore, the portion of the
net
loss of OITRS that is attributable to Citigroup Realty’s interest that is in
excess of their investment is charged against the Company. Citigroup
Realty’s net investment balance on December 31, 2006 was $0.8
million. During the quarter ended March 31, 2007,
Citigroup Realty’s interest in the net loss of OITRS was limited to their $0.8
million net investment, and the remainder was charged against the Company.
The
entire loss for the second quarter and the quarter ended September 30, 2007
was
charged against the Company. The losses absorbed by the Company which are in
excess of Citigroup Realty’s investment totaled approximately $10.8 million and
$0.1 million for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007,
respectively. In future periods, the Company will be credited first
for these absorbed losses before Citigroup Realty’s investment is
reinstated.
As
further described in Note 5, Bimini Capital has a common
share investment in two trusts used in connection with the issuance of Bimini
Capital’s junior subordinated notes. Pursuant to the accounting
guidance provided in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”)
Interpretation (“FIN”) No. 46, Consolidation of Variable Interest
Entities, Bimini Capital’s common share investments in the trusts are not
consolidated in the financial statements of Bimini Capital, and accordingly,
these investments are accounted for on the equity method.
Cash
and Cash Equivalents
Cash
and
cash equivalents include cash on hand and highly liquid investments with
original maturities of three months or less. The carrying amount of cash
equivalents approximates its fair value as of September 30, 2007 and
December 31, 2006.
Restricted
cash represents cash held on deposit as collateral with certain repurchase
agreement counterparties (i.e. lenders). Such amounts may be used to make
principal and interest payments on the related repurchase
agreements.
Valuation
of Mortgage Backed Securities
The
valuation of the Company's investments in MBS is governed by Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 107, Disclosures about Fair
Value of Financial Instruments. SFAS No. 107 defines the fair value of a
financial instrument as the amount at which the instrument could be exchanged
in
a current transaction between willing parties. All REIT securities are reflected
in the Company's financial statements at their estimated fair value as of
September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006. Estimated fair values for MBS are
based on the average of third-party broker quotes received and/or independent
pricing sources when available.
In
accordance with SFAS No. 115, Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and
Equity Securities, the Company classifies its investments in MBS as either
trading investments, available-for-sale investments or held-to-maturity
investments. Management determines the appropriate classification of the
securities at the time they are acquired and evaluates the appropriateness
of
such classifications at each balance sheet date. Although the Company generally
intends to hold its MBS until maturity, it may, from time to time, sell any
of
its MBS as part of the overall management of the business and/or to meet
liquidity needs. The Company classifies all of its securities acquired prior
to
June 30, 2007 as available-for-sale. All securities acquired after
June 30, 2007 are classified as held for trading.
When
the
fair value of an available-for-sale security is less than amortized cost,
management considers whether there is an other-than-temporary impairment in
the
value of the security. The decision is based on the credit quality of the
issue (agency versus non-agency and for non-agency, the credit performance
of
the underlying collateral), the security prepayment speeds, the length of time
the security has been in an unrealized loss position and the Company's ability
and intent to hold securities. As of September 30, 2007, the Company did not
hold any non-agency securities in its portfolio. If, in management's judgment,
an other-than-temporary impairment exists, the cost basis of the security is
written down in the period to fair value and the unrealized loss is recognized
in current period earnings. During the six month period ended June
30, 2007, due to liquidity and working capital needs, the Company determined,
at
June 30, 2007, that it no longer had the ability to hold such assets until
their
amortized cost could be fully recovered. Accordingly, the cost
basis of all MBS classified as available-for-sale were written down to fair
value as of June 30, 2007 and the previously unrealized loss was recognized
in
current period earnings. The measurement basis for other-than-temporarily
impaired (OTTI) MBS is the lower of cost or market (LOCOM) method. An
impairment loss is recognized in earnings equal to the difference between the
MBS’ cost and its fair value at the balance sheet date of the reporting period
for which the assessment is made. The LOCOM method generally
recognizes the net decrease in value but not the net appreciation in the value
of those securities. The fair value of impaired MBS then becomes the
new cost basis of the MBS and is not adjusted for subsequent recoveries in
fair
value.
Property
and Equipment, net
Property
and equipment, net, consisting primarily of computer equipment with a
depreciable life of 3 years, office furniture with a depreciable life of 12
years, leasehold improvements with a depreciable life of 15 years, land which
has no depreciable life and building with a depreciable life of 30 years, is
recorded at acquisition cost and depreciated using the straight-line method
over
the estimated useful lives of the assets.
Bimini
Capital’s property and equipment as of September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006,
is net of accumulated depreciation of $0.4 million and
$0.2 million, respectively. Depreciation expense for the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2007 was $0.2 million
and $0.04 million, respectively, and was $0.09 million and
$0.03 million for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2006,
respectively.
Repurchase
Agreements
The
Company finances the acquisition of its MBS through the use of repurchase
agreements. Under these repurchase agreements, the Company sells securities
to a
repurchase counterparty and agrees to repurchase the same securities in the
future for a price that is higher than the original sales price. The difference
between the sales price that the Company receives and the repurchase price
that
the Company pays represents interest paid to the repurchase counterparty.
Although structured as a sale and repurchase obligation, a repurchase agreement
operates as a financing under which the Company pledges its securities as
collateral to secure a loan which is equal in value to a specified percentage
of
the estimated fair value of the pledged collateral. The Company retains
beneficial ownership of the pledged collateral. At the maturity of a repurchase
agreement, the Company is required to repurchase the underlying MBS and
concurrently receives back its pledged collateral from the repurchase
counterparty or, with the consent of the repurchase counterparty, the Company
may renew such agreement at the then prevailing rate. These repurchase
agreements may require the Company to pledge additional assets to the repurchase
counterparty in the event the estimated fair value of the existing pledged
collateral declines. As of September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006, the Company
did not have any margin calls on its repurchase agreements that it was not
able
to satisfy with either cash or additional pledged collateral.
Original
terms to maturity of the Company's repurchase agreements generally, but not
always, range from one month to twelve months; however, the Company is not
precluded from entering into repurchase agreements with shorter or longer
maturities. Repurchase agreement transactions are reflected in the financial
statements at their cost, which approximates their fair value because of the
short-term nature of these instruments. Should a counterparty decide not to
renew a repurchase agreement at maturity, the Company must either refinance
elsewhere or be in a position to satisfy this obligation. If, during the term
of
a repurchase agreement, a counterparty files for bankruptcy, the Company could
experience difficulty recovering its pledged assets and may have an unsecured
claim against the counterparty's assets for the difference between the amount
received by the Company and the estimated fair value of the collateral pledged
to such counterparty.
Interest
Income Recognition on MBS
All
securities acquired during the three month period ended September 30, 2007
are
being classified as held for trading. Income on held for trading securities
is
based on the stated interest rate of the security. Changes in fair value during
the period are recorded in earnings and reported as fair value adjustment-held
for trading securities in the accompanying consolidated statement of
operations. Premium or discount present at the date of purchase
is not amortized.
MBS
are
recorded at cost on the date the MBS are purchased or sold, which is generally
the trade date. Realized gains or losses from MBS transactions are determined
based on the specific identified cost of the MBS. Interest income is accrued
based on the outstanding principal amount of the MBS and their stated
contractual terms. With respect to securities classified as available-for-sale,
premiums and discounts associated with the purchase of the MBS are amortized
or
accreted into interest income over the estimated lives of the MBS adjusted
for
estimated prepayments using the effective interest method. Adjustments are
made
using the retrospective method to the effective interest computation each
reporting period. The adjustment is based on the actual prepayment experiences
to date and the present expectation of future prepayments of the underlying
mortgages and/or the current value of the indices underlying adjustable rate
mortgage securities versus index values in effect at the time of purchase or
the
last adjustment period. For securities classified as held-for-trading
interest income is based on the stated interest rate and the outstanding
principal balance, premium or discount associated with the purchase of the
MBS
are not amortized.
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)
In
accordance with SFAS No. 130, Reporting Comprehensive Income, the
Company is required to separately report its comprehensive income (loss) each
reporting period. Other comprehensive income refers to revenue, expenses, gains
and losses that, under GAAP, are included in comprehensive income but are
excluded from net income, as these amounts are recorded directly as an
adjustment to stockholders' equity. Other comprehensive income (loss) arises
from unrealized gains or losses generated from changes in market values of
securities classified as available-for-sale, provided however that such
securities are not other than temporarily impaired.
Comprehensive
(loss) is as follows:
(in
thousands)
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||||||||||
Nine
Months Ended
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
|||||||||||||
Net
(loss)
|
$ | (245,261 | ) | $ | (15,623 | ) | $ | (4,723 | ) | $ | (6,256 | ) | ||||
Realized
loss on MBS
|
19,389
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Other-than-temporary
loss on MBS
|
55,250
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Unrealized
gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities, net
|
2,135
|
(21,536 | ) |
-
|
12,360
|
|||||||||||
Comprehensive
(loss)
|
$ | (168,487 | ) | $ | (37,159 | ) | $ | (4,723 | ) | $ |
6,104
|
Stock-Based
Compensation
The
Company adopted SFAS No. 123(R), Share-Based Payment, on January 1,
2006, and this adoption did not have an impact on the Company, as the Company
had previously accounted for stock-based compensation using the fair value
based
method prescribed by SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation. For stock and stock-based awards issued to employees, a
compensation charge is recorded against earnings based on the fair value of
the
award. For transactions with non-employees in which services are performed
in
exchange for the Company's common stock or other equity instruments, the
transactions are recorded on the basis of the fair value of the service received
or the fair value of the equity instruments issued, whichever is more readily
measurable at the date of issuance. Bimini Capital's stock-based compensation
transactions resulted in an aggregate of $2.3 million and $0.8 million of
compensation expense for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007,
respectively, and $3.1 million and $1.5 million of compensation expense for
the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2006, respectively.
Earnings
Per Share
The
Company follows the provisions of SFAS No. 128, Earnings per
Share, and the guidance provided in the FASB's Emerging Issues Task Force
(“EITF”) Issue No. 03-6, Participating Securities and the
Two-Class Method under FASB Statement No. 128, Earnings Per Share,
which requires companies with complex capital structures, common stock
equivalents or two (or more) classes of securities that participate in the
declared dividends to present both basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”)
on the face of the consolidated statement of operations. Basic EPS is calculated
as income available to common stockholders divided by the weighted average
number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS is calculated
using the “if converted” method for common stock equivalents. However, the
common stock equivalents are not included in computing diluted EPS if the result
is anti-dilutive.
Outstanding
shares of Class B Common Stock, participating and convertible into Class A
Common Stock, are entitled to receive dividends in an amount equal to the
dividends declared on each share of Class A Common Stock if, as and when
authorized and declared by the Board of Directors. Following the provisions
of
EITF 03-6, shares of the Class B Common Stock are included in the computation
of
basic EPS using the two-class method and, consequently, are presented separately
from Class A Common Stock.
The
shares of Class C Common Stock are not included in the basic EPS
computation as these shares do not have participation rights. The outstanding
shares of Class C Common Stock, totaling 319,388 shares, are not included
in the computation of diluted EPS for the Class A Common Stock as the conditions
for conversion into shares of Class A Common Stock were not
met.
Income
Taxes
Bimini
Capital has elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Code. As further described
in Note 11, Discontinued Operations, OITRS is a taxpaying entity for income
tax
purposes and is taxed separately from Bimini Capital. Bimini Capital will
generally not be subject to federal income tax on its REIT taxable income to
the
extent that Bimini Capital distributes its REIT taxable income to its
stockholders and satisfies the ongoing REIT requirements, including meeting
certain asset, income and stock ownership tests. A REIT must generally
distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders, of
which
85% generally must be distributed within the taxable year, in order to avoid
the
imposition of an excise tax. The remaining balance may be distributed up to
the
end of the following taxable year, provided the REIT elects to treat such amount
as a prior year distribution and meets certain other requirements.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
On
February 15, 2007, the FASB issued statement No. 159, The Fair
Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities — Including an
Amendment of FASB Statement No. 115 (“SFAS 159”). This standard
permits an entity to measure financial instruments and certain other items
at
estimated fair value. Most of the provisions of SFAS No. 159 are elective;
however, the amendment to SFAS No. 115, Accounting for Certain Investments
in Debt and Equity Securities, applies to all entities that own trading and
available-for-sale securities. The fair value option created by SFAS 159
permits an entity to measure eligible items at fair value as of specified
election dates. The fair value option is generally applied instrument by
instrument, is irrevocable unless a new election date occurs, and must be
applied to the entire instrument and not to only a portion of the instrument.
SFAS 159 is effective as of the beginning of the first fiscal year that
begins after November 15, 2007. The Company is currently
evaluating the impact of SFAS 159, if any, on the consolidated financial
statements.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 157, Fair Value Measurements,
to eliminate the diversity in practice that exists due to the different
definitions of fair value that are dispersed among the many accounting
pronouncements that require fair value measurements and the limited guidance
for
applying those definitions. SFAS 157 is effective for financial
statements issued for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007, and
interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently
evaluating the impact, if any, of adopting SFAS 157 on the financial
statements.
In
June
2006, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for
Uncertainty in Income Taxes — an interpretation of FASB Statement
No. 109 (“FIN 48”), which clarifies the accounting for
uncertainty in tax positions. This Interpretation requires that the Company
recognize in its financial statements, the impact of a tax position, if that
position is more likely than not of being sustained on audit, based on the
technical merits of the position. The provisions of FIN 48 are effective as
of the beginning of the 2007 fiscal year, with the cumulative effect, if
any, of the change in accounting principle recorded as an adjustment to opening
retained earnings. The Company adopted FIN 48 on January 1, 2007, and such
adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial
position and results of operations.
In
February 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 155, Accounting for
Certain Hybrid Financial Instruments — an amendment of FASB Statements
No. 133 and 140. SFAS 155 (i) permits an entity to measure at fair
value any financial instrument that contains an embedded derivative that
otherwise would require bifurcation; (ii) establishes a requirement to evaluate
interests in securitized financial assets to identify interests that are
freestanding derivatives or that are hybrid financial instruments that contain
an embedded derivative requiring bifurcation; and (iii) contains other
provisions that are not germane to the Company. SFAS 155 is effective
for all financial instruments acquired or issued after the beginning of an
entity’s first fiscal year beginning after September 15, 2006. A
scope exception under SFAS 155 where by securitized interests that only contain
an embedded derivative that is tied to the prepayment risk of the underlying
prepayable financial asset, and for which the investor does not control the
right to accelerate the settlement was adopted by the FASB. The MBS
securities owned in the REIT portfolio fall under this scope
exception. However, in the future, the Company may own securities
that may not fall under the exception or the FASB may repeal the exception,
in
which case the Company would be subject to the provisions of SFAS
155. Should securities owned by the Company fall under the provisions
of SFAS 155 in the future, the Company’s results of operations may exhibit
volatility as certain of its future investments may be marked to market through
the income statement.
NOTE
2. MORTGAGE BACKED SECURITIES
As
of
September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006, all of Bimini Capital's MBS were
classified as either held for trading or available-for-sale. The measurement
basis for other-than-temporarily impaired available-for-sale MBS is the LOCOM
method. An impairment loss is recognized in earnings equal to the
difference between the MBS’ cost and its fair value at the balance sheet date of
the reporting period for which the assessment is made. The LOCOM
method recognizes the net decrease in value but not the net appreciation in
the
value of those securities. The fair value of impaired MBS would then
become the new cost basis of the MBS and should not be adjusted for subsequent
recoveries in fair value. Estimated fair value was determined based
on the average of third-party broker quotes received and/or independent pricing
sources when available.
The
following are the carrying values of Bimini Capital's MBS portfolio as of
September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006:
(in
thousands)
September
30, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||||
Adjustable
Rate Mortgages
|
$ |
640,670
|
$ |
2,105,818
|
||||
Fixed
Rate Mortgages
|
252,695
|
626,428
|
||||||
Hybrid
Arms
|
360,529
|
76,488
|
||||||
Total
|
$ |
1,253,894
|
$ |
2,808,734
|
The
following table presents the components of the carrying value of Bimini
Capital's MBS portfolio of securities as of September 30, 2007 and December
31,
2006:
(in
thousands)
September
30, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||||
Available-for-Sale
Securities
|
||||||||
Principal
balance
|
$ |
696,892
|
$ |
2,779,867
|
||||
Unamortized
premium
|
11,448
|
116,114
|
||||||
Unaccreted
discount
|
(304 | ) | (502 | ) | ||||
Gross
unrealized gains
|
-
|
422
|
||||||
Other-than-temporary
losses
|
-
|
(9,971 | ) | |||||
Gross
unrealized losses
|
-
|
(77,196 | ) | |||||
Held
for Trading Securities
|
545,858
|
-
|
||||||
Carrying
value/estimated fair value
|
$ |
1,253,894
|
$ |
2,808,734
|
As
a
result of the other-than-temporary impairment of MBS as of September 30, 2007,
Bimini Capital’s available-for-sale MBS investments are carried on a LOCOM basis
and therefore there are no unrealized losses.
The following table presents for Bimini Capital's MBS investments with gross
unrealized losses, the estimated fair value and gross unrealized losses
aggregated by investment category, as of December 31, 2006:
(in
thousands)
Loss
Position More than 12 Months
|
Loss
Position Less than 12 Months
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Estimated
Fair
Value
|
Unrealized
Losses
|
Estimated
Fair
Value
|
Unrealized
Losses
|
Estimated
Fair
Value
|
Unrealized
Losses
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Hybrid
Arms and Balloons
|
$ |
67,437
|
$ | (1,858 | ) | $ |
-
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
67,437
|
$ | (1,858 | ) | ||||||||||
Adjustable
Rate Mortgages
|
1,232,644
|
(46,715 | ) |
348,901
|
(2,591 | ) |
1,581,545
|
(49,306 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Fixed
Rate Mortgages
|
515,067
|
(25,662 | ) |
48,604
|
(370 | ) |
563,671
|
(26,032 | ) | |||||||||||||||
$ |
1,815,148
|
$ | (74,235 | ) | $ |
397,505
|
$ | (2,961 | ) | $ |
2,212,653
|
$ | (77,196 | ) |
As
of
September 30, 2007, all of Bimini Capital's MBS investments have contractual
maturities greater than 24 months. Actual maturities of
MBS investments are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Actual
maturities of Bimini Capital's MBS investments are affected by the contractual
lives of the underlying mortgages, periodic payments of principal, and
prepayments of principal.
As
stated
in Note 1, the overall decline in fair value of MBS was other-than-temporary
as
of June 30, 2007. Accordingly, the adjustment to reduce MBS to fair value
was recorded in earnings. Generally, the factors considered in making this
determination include: the expected cash flow from the MBS investment, the
general quality of the MBS owned, any credit protection available, current
market conditions, and the magnitude and duration of the historical decline
in
market prices as well as Bimini Capital's ability and intention to hold the
MBS
owned. As of June 30, 2007, the Company no longer had the ability and
intent to hold such securities until their value could be recovered due to
the
Company’s liquidity and working capital requirements caused by the turmoil in
the mortgage market.
NOTE
3. EARNINGS PER SHARE
The
Company has dividend eligible stock incentive plan shares that were outstanding
during the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006,
respectively. These stock incentive plan shares have dividend participation
rights, but no contractual obligation to share in losses. Since there is no
such
obligation, these incentive plan shares are not included, pursuant to EITF
03-6,
in the basic EPS computation for the Class A Common Stock in any period there
is
a loss from continuing operations, even though they are participating
securities. Therefore, the computation of basic and diluted EPS for the Class
A
Common Stock for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007 excludes
259,016 incentive plan shares.
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2006, 76,375 of Restricted Shares (See
Note
7) and 562,018 of incentive plan shares are included in the basic and diluted
EPS computations because they are participating securities and there is income
from continuing operations during this nine month period. The
computation of basic and diluted EPS for the three months ended September 30,
2006 does not include these shares as there is a loss from continuing operations
in this period.
The
table
below reconciles the numerators and denominators of the EPS. See the
consolidated statements of operations for the breakdown between continuing
operations and discontinued operations.
(in
thousands, except per share)
Nine
Months Ended
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
September
30, 2007
|
September 30,
2006
|
|||||||||||||
Basic
and diluted EPS per Class A common share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Numerator:
net loss allocated to the Class A common shares
|
$ | (242,138 | ) | $ | (15,421 | ) | $ | (4,663 | ) | $ | (6,176 | ) | ||||
Denominator:
basic and diluted:
|
||||||||||||||||
Class
A common shares outstanding at the balance sheet date
|
24,765
|
24,473
|
24,765
|
24,397
|
||||||||||||
Dividend
eligible equity plan shares issued as of the balance sheet
date
|
-
|
638
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Effect
of weighting
|
(164 | ) | (467 | ) | (75 | ) | (21 | ) | ||||||||
Weighted
average shares-basic and diluted
|
24,601
|
24,644
|
24,690
|
24,376
|
||||||||||||
Basic
and diluted net (loss) per Class A common share
|
$ | (9.84 | ) | $ | (0.63 | ) | $ | (0.19 | ) | $ | (0.25 | ) | ||||
Basic
and diluted EPS per Class B common share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Numerator:
net loss allocated to Class B common shares
|
$ | (3,123 | ) | $ | (202 | ) | $ | (60 | ) | $ | (80 | ) | ||||
Denominator:
basic and diluted:
|
||||||||||||||||
Class
B common shares outstanding at the balance sheet date
|
319
|
319
|
319
|
319
|
||||||||||||
Effect
of weighting
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Weighted
average shares-basic and diluted
|
319
|
319
|
319
|
319
|
||||||||||||
Basic
and diluted net (loss) per Class B common share
|
$ | (9.79 | ) | $ | (0.63 | ) | $ | (0.19 | ) | $ | (0.25 | ) |
NOTE
4. REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
Bimini
Capital has entered into
repurchase agreements to finance most of its MBS security purchases. The
repurchase agreements are short-term borrowings that bear interest at rates
that
have historically moved in close relationship to the forward London
Interbank Offered
Rate (“LIBOR”) interest rate curve. As of September 30, 2007, Bimini
Capital had an outstanding amount of $1.2 billion
with a net weighted average
borrowing rate of 5.23%
and these agreements were
collateralized by MBS with a fair value of $1.3 billion. As
of
December 31, 2006, Bimini Capital had an outstanding amount of $2.7 billion
with a net weighted average borrowing rate of 5.31%, and these agreements
were
collateralized by MBS with a fair value of $2.8
billion.
As
of
September 30, 2007, Bimini Capital's repurchase agreements had remaining
maturities as summarized below:
(in
thousands)
OVERNIGHT
(1
DAY OR LESS)
|
BETWEEN
2 AND
30
DAYS
|
BETWEEN
31 AND
90
DAYS
|
GREATER
THAN
90
DAYS
|
TOTAL
|
||||||||||||||||
Agency-Backed
Mortgage Backed Securities:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Amortized
cost of securities sold, including accrued interest
receivable
|
$ |
45,003
|
$ |
409,417
|
$ |
135,716
|
$ |
397,313
|
$ |
987,449
|
||||||||||
Fair
market value of securities sold, including accrued interest
receivable
|
$ |
45,003
|
$ |
409,417
|
$ |
135,716
|
$ |
397,313
|
$ |
987,449
|
||||||||||
Repurchase
agreement liabilities associated with these securities
|
$ |
43,501
|
$ |
553,955
|
$ |
138,875
|
$ |
475,156
|
$ |
1,211,487
|
||||||||||
Net
weighted average borrowing rate
|
5.15 | % | 5.42 | % | 5.25 | % | 5.02 | % | 5.23 | % |
As
of December 31,
2006, Bimini Capital's repurchase agreements had remaining maturities as
summarized below:
(in
thousands)
OVERNIGHT
(1
DAY OR LESS)
|
BETWEEN
2 AND
30
DAYS
|
BETWEEN
31 AND
90
DAYS
|
GREATER
THAN
90
DAYS
|
TOTAL
|
||||||||||||||||
Agency-Backed
Mortgage Backed Securities:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Amortized
cost of securities sold, including accrued interest
receivable
|
$ |
—
|
$ |
859,344
|
$ |
807,488
|
$ |
1,149,309
|
$ |
2,816,141
|
||||||||||
Fair
market value of securities sold, including accrued interest
receivable
|
$ |
—
|
$ |
833,436
|
$ |
793,702
|
$ |
1,106,228
|
$ |
2,733,366
|
||||||||||
Repurchase
agreement liabilities associated with these securities
|
$ |
—
|
$ |
842,094
|
$ |
805,595
|
$ |
1,093,991
|
$ |
2,741,680
|
||||||||||
Net
weighted average borrowing rate
|
—
|
5.31 | % | 5.33 | % | 5.29 | % | 5.31 | % |
As
of
September 30, 2007, Bimini Capital's repurchase agreements had the following
counterparties, amounts at risk and weighted average remaining
maturities:
(in
thousands)
Repurchase
Agreement Counterparties
|
Amount
Outstanding
|
Amount
at
Risk(1)
|
Weighted
Average
Maturity
of
Repurchase
Agreements
in
Days
|
Percent
of
Total
Amount
Outstanding
|
||||||||||||
JP
Morgan Securities Inc.
|
$ |
432,173
|
$ | (45,594 | ) |
169
|
35.67 | % | ||||||||
Deutsche
Bank Securities, Inc.
|
357,227
|
(130,272 | ) |
204
|
29.49
|
|||||||||||
UBS
Securities LLC
|
151,797
|
(4,339 | ) |
23
|
12.53
|
|||||||||||
Morgan
Stanley
|
94,221
|
1,488
|
34
|
7.78
|
||||||||||||
BNP
Paribas Securities Corp.
|
55,959
|
(22,424 | ) |
10
|
4.62
|
|||||||||||
Lehman
Brothers Inc
|
36,703
|
801
|
174
|
3.03
|
||||||||||||
ING
Financial Markets,LLC
|
34,440
|
715
|
75
|
2.84
|
||||||||||||
Cantor
Fitzgerald
|
31,942
|
189
|
78
|
2.64
|
||||||||||||
Countrywide
Securities Corporation
|
9,004
|
569
|
3
|
0.74
|
||||||||||||
Goldman
Sachs & Co.
|
8,021
|
262
|
28
|
0.66
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
$ |
1,211,487
|
$ | (198,605 | ) | 100.00 | % |
(1)
|
Equal
to the fair value of securities sold, plus accrued interest income,
minus
the sum of repurchase agreement liabilities, plus accrued interest
expense.
|
The
amount at risk as of September 30, 2007 would be $19.4 million versus ($198.6)
million had the Company not executed the sale late in the period of certain
MBS
pledged to counterparties. The sale of such securities settled on October
2, 2007 and the fulfillment of the associated repurchase obligation was
accelerated. However, as of September 30, 2007 such repurchase obligation
still existed and is reflected in the table above.
As
of
December 31, 2006, Bimini Capital's repurchase agreements had the following
counterparties, amounts at risk and weighted average remaining
maturities:
(in
thousands)
Repurchase
Agreement Counterparties
|
Amount
Outstanding
|
Amount
at
Risk(1)
|
Weighted
Average
Maturity
of
Repurchase
Agreements
in
Days
|
Percent
of
Total
Amount
Outstanding
|
||||||||||||
Deutsche
Bank Securities, Inc.
|
$ |
834,940
|
$ |
10,189
|
28
|
30.45 | % | |||||||||
JP
Morgan Securities Inc.
|
652,936
|
13,195
|
98
|
23.82
|
||||||||||||
Nomura
Securities International, Inc.
|
463,410
|
13,405
|
94
|
16.90
|
||||||||||||
WAMU
Capital Corp.
|
333,587
|
12,476
|
24
|
12.17
|
||||||||||||
Countrywide
Securities Corporation
|
206,220
|
4,401
|
79
|
7.52
|
||||||||||||
BNP
Paribas Securities Corp.
|
92,155
|
2,666
|
18
|
3.36
|
||||||||||||
Goldman
Sachs & Co.
|
70,068
|
1,278
|
122
|
2.56
|
||||||||||||
Bank
of America Securities, LLC
|
54,120
|
1,742
|
136
|
1.97
|
||||||||||||
UBS
Securities LLC
|
21,515
|
231
|
17
|
0.78
|
||||||||||||
Greenwich
Capital Markets, Inc.
|
12,729
|
44
|
7
|
0.47
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
$ |
2,741,680
|
$ |
59,627
|
100.00 | % |
(1)
|
Equal
to the fair value of securities sold, plus accrued interest income,
minus
the sum of repurchase agreement liabilities, plus accrued interest
expense.
|
NOTE
5. TRUST PREFERRED SECURITIES
On
May 17, 2005, Bimini Capital completed a private offering of $50.0 million
of trust preferred securities of Bimini Capital Trust I (“BCTI”), a Delaware
statutory business trust sponsored by Bimini Capital. BCTI used the proceeds
of
the private offering, together with Bimini Capital's investment of $1.6 million
in BCTI common equity securities, to purchase $51.6 million aggregate principal
amount of Bimini Capital's BCTI Junior Subordinated Notes with terms that
parallel the terms of the BCTI trust preferred securities.
The
BCTI
trust preferred securities and Bimini Capital's BCTI Junior Subordinated Notes
have a fixed rate of interest until March 30, 2010, of 7.61% and
thereafter, through maturity in 2035, the rate will float at a spread of 3.30%
over the prevailing three-month LIBOR rate. The BCTI trust preferred
securities and Bimini Capital's BCTI Junior Subordinated Notes require quarterly
interest distributions and are redeemable at Bimini Capital's option, in whole
or in part and without penalty, beginning March 30, 2010 and at any date
thereafter. Bimini Capital's BCTI Junior Subordinated Notes are
subordinate and junior in right of payment of all present and future senior
indebtedness. The proceeds from the private offering net of costs were
approximately $48.5 million.
On
October 5, 2005, Bimini Capital completed a private offering of $50.0 million
of
trust preferred securities of Bimini Capital Trust II (“BCTII”), a Delaware
statutory business trust sponsored by Bimini Capital. BCTII used the proceeds
of
the private offering, together with Bimini Capital's investment of $1.5 million
in BCTII common equity securities, to purchase $51.5 million aggregate principal
amount of Bimini Capital's BCTII Junior Subordinated Notes with terms that
parallel the terms of the BCTII trust preferred securities.
The
BCTII
trust preferred securities and Bimini Capital's BCTII Junior Subordinated Notes
have a fixed rate of interest until December 15, 2010, of 7.8575% and
thereafter, through maturity in 2035, the rate will float at a spread of 3.50%
over the prevailing three-month LIBOR rate. The BCTII trust preferred securities
and Bimini Capital's BCTII Junior Subordinated Notes require quarterly interest
distributions and are redeemable at Bimini Capital's option, in whole or in
part
and without penalty, beginning December 15, 2010, and at any date thereafter.
Bimini Capital's BCTII Junior Subordinated Notes are subordinate and junior
in
right of payment of all present and future senior indebtedness. The proceeds
from the private offering net of costs were approximately $48.5
million.
Each
trust is a variable interest entity pursuant to FIN No. 46 because the
holders of the equity investment at risk do not have adequate decision making
ability over the trust's activities. Since Bimini Capital's investment in each
trust's common equity securities was financed directly by the applicable trust
as a result of its loan of the proceeds to Bimini Capital, that investment
is
not considered to be an equity investment at risk pursuant to FIN No. 46. Since
Bimini Capital's common share investments in BCTI and BCTII are not a variable
interest, Bimini Capital is not the primary beneficiary of the trusts.
Therefore, Bimini Capital has not consolidated the financial statements of
BCTI
and BCTII into its financial statements. Based on the aforementioned
accounting guidance, the accompanying consolidated financial statements present
Bimini Capital's BCTI and BCTII Junior Subordinated Notes issued to the trusts
as liabilities and Bimini Capital's investments in the common equity securities
of BCTI and BCTII as assets. For financial statement purposes, Bimini Capital
records payments of interest on the Junior Subordinated Notes issued to BCTI
and
BCTII as interest expense.
NOTE
6. CAPITAL STOCK
Issuances
of Class A Common Stock
During
the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007, the Company issued a total
of 74,960 and 63,918 shares, respectively, of Class A Common Stock to its
independent directors for the payment of director fees for services
rendered.
During
the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007, the Company issued 173,868
and 97,067 shares, respectively, of its Class A Common
Stock to employees pursuant to the terms of the stock incentive plan phantom
share grants (see Note 7).
Dividends
Declared and Paid in 2007
On
March
9, 2007, the Company's Board of Directors declared a $0.05 per share cash
dividend to the holders of its dividend eligible securities on the record date
of March 26, 2007. The distribution totaling $1.3 million was paid on April
13,
2007.
Other
Classes of Common and Preferred Stock
There
was
no change in the issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s Class B and
Class C Common Stock or its Class A and Class B Redeemable Preferred Stock
during the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007.
NOTE
7. STOCK INCENTIVE PLANS
On
December 1, 2003, Bimini Capital adopted the 2003 Long Term Incentive
Compensation Plan (the “2003 Plan”) to provide Bimini Capital with the
flexibility to use stock options and other awards as part of an overall
compensation package to provide a means of performance-based compensation to
attract and retain qualified personnel. The 2003 Plan was amended and restated
in March 2004. Key employees, directors and consultants are eligible to be
granted stock options, restricted stock, phantom shares, dividend equivalent
rights and other stock-based awards under the 2003 Plan. Subject to adjustment
upon certain corporate transactions or events, a maximum of 4,000,000 shares
of
the Class A Common Stock (but not more than 10% of the Class A Common Stock
outstanding on the date of grant) may be subject to stock options, shares of
restricted stock, phantom shares and dividend equivalent rights under the 2003
Plan.
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2007, Bimini Capital granted 25,607 phantom
shares to employees with an aggregate fair value of $0.2 million. For
the three months ended September 30, 2007, Bimini Capital granted no phantom
shares to employees. Each phantom share represents a right to receive a share
of
Bimini Capital's Class A Common Stock. Dividend equivalent rights were also
granted on these phantom shares.
Phantom
share awards are valued at the fair value of Bimini Capital’s Class A
Common Stock at the date of the grant. The total grant date value of all awards
since the inception of the 2003 Plan is $10.0 million. The phantom
share awards do not have an exercise price. The grant date value is being
amortized to compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the vesting
period of the respective award. The phantom shares vest, based on the
employees’ continuing employment, following a schedule as provided in the
grant agreements, for periods through December 15, 2009.
As
of
September 30, 2007, a total of 759,457 phantom share awards have been granted
since the inception of the 2003 Plan, however 21,421 phantom shares have been
forfeited due to the termination of the grantee’s employment. The future
compensation charge that was eliminated by the forfeitures totaled $195,587.
Of
the phantom shares not forfeited, 553,846 phantom shares have fully vested
since
inception of the 2003 Plan and 184,190 phantom shares remain unvested as of
September 30, 2007. Of the 553,846 phantom shares that have fully vested,
478,520 phantom shares have been settled as of September 30, 2007 and an
equivalent number of shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock have been
issued to grantees or surrendered by grantees to pay income taxes. As of
September 30, 2007, there were 75,326 phantom shares that, although fully vested
as of such date, had not been settled. No phantom share awards have
expired.
For
the nine and three months ended
September 30, 2007, 254,185 and 141,000
phantom shares, respectively,
were settled and an equivalent number of shares of the Company’s Class A Common
Stock were issued to grantees or surrendered by grantees to pay income taxes.
For the nine and three months ended September 30, 2006, 153,657
and 50,250
phantom shares were settled and
an equivalent number of shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock were issued
to grantees or surrendered by grantees to pay income taxes. As of
September 30, 2007, there were 259,516 phantom
shares outstanding that had not
been settled as of such date, 184,190
of which were unvested and
75,326 of which were vested. Total compensation cost recognized for the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2007 was $2.2 million
and $0.8 million,
respectively. Total
compensation cost recognized for the nine and three months ended September
30,
2006 was $2.2 million and $0.7 million, respectively. Dividends paid on
unsettled phantom shares are charged to retained earnings when
declared.
Bimini
Capital also has adopted the 2004 Performance Bonus Plan (the “Performance Bonus
Plan”). The Performance Bonus Plan is an annual bonus plan that
permits the issuance of the Company’s Class A Common Stock in payment of
stock-based awards made under the plan. No stock-based awards have been
made under and no shares of the Company’s stock have been issued under the
Performance Bonus Plan.
On
July
17, 2006, the Company granted 79,725 restricted shares of its Class A Common
Stock to certain key employees of the Company's subsidiary pursuant to the
terms
of the 2003 Plan. Such share grants were initially recorded by OITRS prior
to
the merger with the Company. However, during the three month period ended June
30, 2006, these awards were cancelled when the Company and the subject employees
agreed to forego the award in contemplation of a new grant under the Company's
2003 Plan. The restricted shares are valued at the fair
value of Opteum's Class A Common Stock at the date of grant, which totaled
$693,608 for the July 2006 awards, and this amount was amortized to compensation
over the vesting period of the award, net of any forfeitures. The restricted
shares do not have an exercise price. Dividends that were paid on the restricted
shares are charged to retained earnings when declared. The shares were subject
to forfeiture prior to the November 3, 2006, vesting date. During the
three months ended September 30, 2006, 3,350 shares were forfeited and for
the
period from October 1, 2006 through November 2, 2006, an additional 1,300 shares
were forfeited. A total of 75,075 restricted shares remained on the November
3,
2006 vesting date.
NOTE
8. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Outstanding
Litigation.The Company is involved in various lawsuits and claims, both
actual and potential, including some that it has asserted against others, in
which monetary and other damages are sought. Except as described below, these
lawsuits and claims relate primarily to contractual disputes arising out of
the
ordinary course of the Company’s business. The outcome of such lawsuits and
claims is inherently unpredictable. However, management believes that, in the
aggregate, the outcome of all lawsuits and claims involving the Company will
not
have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position or
liquidity; however, any such outcome may be material to the results of
operations of any particular period in which costs, if any, are recognized.
(see
Note 11(n))
On
September 17, 2007, a complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of Florida by William Kornfeld against the Company, certain
of
the Company’s current and former officers and directors, Flagstone Securities,
LLC and BB&T Capital Markets alleging various violations of the federal
securities laws and seeking class action certification. On October 9,
2007, a complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District
of Florida by Richard and Linda Coy against the Company, certain of the
Company’s current and former officers and directors, Flagstone Securities, LLC
and BB&T Capital Markets alleging various violations of the federal
securities laws and seeking class action certification. The Company
believes the plaintiffs’ claims in these actions are without merit, has filed a
motion to consolidate these actions and intends to vigorously defend the
cases.
No
accrual for any losses that may result from the Company’s outstanding litigation
have been recorded on the Company’s financial statements.
Guarantees. Bimini
Capital has guaranteed the obligations of OITRS and OITRS’s wholly-owned
subsidiary, HS Special Purpose, LLC, under their respective financing facilities
with Citigroup described in Note 11(o). These guarantees
will remain in effect so long as the applicable financing facilities remain
in
effect. If an Event of Default occurs under these financing
facilities that are not cured or waived, Bimini Capital may be required to
perform under its guarantees. There is no specific limitation on the
maximum potential future payments under these guarantees. However,
Bimini Capital’s liability under these guarantees would be reduced in an amount
equal to the amount by which the collateral securing such obligations exceeds
the amounts outstanding under the applicable facilities.
NOTE
9. INCOME TAXES
Taxable
income, as generated by Bimini Capital’s qualifying REIT activities, is computed
differently from Bimini Capital’s financial statement net income as computed in
accordance with GAAP. Depending on the number and size of the various items
or
transactions being accounted for differently, the differences between Bimini
Capital’s REIT taxable income (loss) and Bimini Capital’s financial statement
net income (loss) can be substantial and each item can affect several years.
Since inception through September 30, 2007, Bimini Capital's REIT taxable income
is approximately $92.9 million greater than Bimini Capital's financial statement
net income as reported in its financial statements.
For
the
nine months ended September 30, 2007, Bimini Capital's REIT taxable loss was
approximately $78.0 million less than Bimini Capital's financial statement
net
loss from REIT activities. During 2007, Bimini Capital's most significant book
to tax differences include the $55.3 million other-than-temporary loss on MBS
recorded at June 30, 2007, interest on inter-company loans with OITRS, equity
plan stock awards, depreciation of property and equipment, the accounting for
debt issuance costs and $20.5 million of losses realized on certain MBS sales.
The debt issuance costs are being amortized, and property and equipment are
being depreciated, over different useful lives for tax purposes. The
future deduction of equity plan stock compensation against REIT taxable income
is uncertain as to the amount, because the tax impact is measured at the fair
value of the shares as of a future date, and this amount may be greater than
or
less than the financial statement expense already recognized by Bimini
Capital.
The
$55.3
million other-than-temporary loss on MBS is not recognized for tax purposes,
as
it does not represent an actual sale of any MBS securities by Bimini
Capital. For tax purposes, the gain or loss on MBS sales
are recognized only when the actual sale transaction is
completed. During the nine months ended September 30, 2007, book
losses of approximately $20.5 million on MBS sales were realized; the tax
capital losses for these MBS sales are only available to the REIT to offset
future capital gains, and therefore they do not reduce REIT taxable
income.
NOTE
10. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On
October 29, 2007, NYSE Regulation, Inc. notified the Company that the Company’s
average global market capitalization over a consecutive thirty trading day
period has fallen below the NYSE’s minimum quantitative continued listing
criteria for REITs of $25.0 million. As a result, trading in
the Company’s Class A common stock on the NYSE was suspended prior to the market
opening on November 5, 2007. The Company has applied to list its
Class A common stock on another national securities market, however, no
assurance can be given that the Company’s Class A common stock will be approved
for listing on such national securities market. Until such time
that the Company’s Class A common stock is approved for listing on another
national securities market, the Company’s Class A common stock will trade over
the counter.
NOTE
11. DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS-OITRS
(a)
- Background and activities as of March 31, 2007
Beginning
in April 2007, the Board of Managers of OITRS, at the recommendation of and
with
the approval of the Board of Directors of Bimini Capital, began a process that
would eventually result in the sale or closure of all business operations within
OITRS. The decision to sell and/or close OITRS was made after
evaluation of, among other things, short and long-term business prospects for
OITRS, and its ability to recover from recent large operating losses. Due to
this decision, all OITRS assets are considered as held for sale, and have been
accounted for as discontinued operations under applicable accounting standards
for all periods presented.
The
impact of these decisions included OITRS recording impairment charges on
goodwill and other intangible assets and on certain fixed assets. In
accordance with SFAS No. 144, the closure and/or sale of mortgage loan
origination channels resulted in an impairment charge of $6.0 million during
the
three months ended March 31, 2007. In addition, accordance with SFAS No.
142, OITRS recorded impairment charges for both goodwill and other
intangible assets not subject to amortization of approximately $2.8 million
as
of March 31, 2007.
(b)
- Activities during the three months ended June 30, 2007
On
April
18, 2007, the Board of Managers of OITRS approved the closure of OITRS’s
wholesale and conduit mortgage origination channels. On April 20, 2007, the
wholesale and conduit mortgage loan origination channels ceased accepting
applications for new mortgages from borrowers.
On
April
26, 2007, OITRS entered into a binding agreement to sell a majority of its
private-label and agency mortgage servicing portfolio, which had an aggregate
unpaid principal balance of approximately $5.9 billion as of March 31, 2007.
The
aggregate sales proceeds were used to repay debt that was secured by OITRS’s
mortgage servicing portfolio. All servicing was transferred to the buyer on
or
before July 2, 2007. The transaction resulted in a loss of $2.8
million.
On
May 7,
2007, OITRS signed a binding agreement to sell its retail mortgage loan
origination channel to a third party. On June 30, 2007, OITRS entered
into an amendment to this agreement. The sales price was $1.5 million plus
the
assumption of certain liabilities, including the assumption of certain future
operating lease obligations of OITRS.
The
closure of the wholesale and conduit mortgage loan origination channels, coupled
with sale of the retail channel, resulted in charges totaling $7.6 million
associated with severance payments to employees and operating lease termination
costs, among other less significant costs.
(c)
– Activities during the three months ended September 30,
2007
On
July
25, 2007, OITRS entered into a binding agreement to sell a majority of its
remaining private-label and agency mortgage servicing portfolio, which had
an
aggregate unpaid principal balance of approximately $3.0 billion as of June
30,
2007. The aggregate sales proceeds were used to repay the debt
that secured OITRS’s mortgage servicing portfolio. The
transaction, which was subject to various closing conditions, was completed
on
September 4, 2007. The transaction resulted in a loss of $0.1
million.
The
following table summarizes the OITRS assets held for sale and liabilities
related to the assets held for sale, as of September 30, 2007 and December
31,
2006:
September
30, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ |
1,466
|
$ |
9,754
|
||||
Mortgage
loans held for sale
|
1,907
|
749,834
|
||||||
Retained
interests, trading
|
71,593
|
104,199
|
||||||
Securities
held for sale
|
318
|
858
|
||||||
Originated
mortgage servicing rights
|
2,640
|
98,859
|
||||||
Receivables
|
11,972
|
5,958
|
||||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
342
|
11,415
|
||||||
Prepaids
and other assets
|
10,243
|
28,447
|
||||||
Assets
held for sale
|
$ |
100,481
|
$ |
1,009,324
|
||||
Warehouse
lines of credit and drafts payable
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
734,879
|
||||
Other
secured borrowings
|
37,298
|
121,977
|
||||||
Accounts
payable, accrued expenses and other
|
13,593
|
23,060
|
||||||
Liabilities
related to assets held for sale
|
$ |
50,891
|
$ |
879,916
|
The
following table summarizes the results of operations of OITRS for the nine
month
periods ended September 30, 2007 and 2006:
(in
thousands)
Nine
Months Ended
|
||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
|||||||
Interest
income, net
|
$ |
22,543
|
$ |
66,379
|
||||
Interest
expense
|
(17,521 | ) | (56,189 | ) | ||||
Net
interest income
|
5,022
|
10,190
|
||||||
Gain
(Loss) on mortgage banking activities
|
(68,920 | ) |
17,430
|
|||||
Other
income and expenses, net and non-recurring items
|
(15,412 | ) |
5,237
|
|||||
Net
servicing income (loss)
|
(13,868 | ) | (8,133 | ) | ||||
Other
interest expense and loss reserves
|
(23,617 | ) | (5,624 | ) | ||||
Total
net revenues (deficiency of revenues)
|
(116,795 | ) |
19,100
|
|||||
General
and administrative expenses
|
(30,833 | ) | (52,816 | ) | ||||
Loss
before benefit (provision) for income taxes
|
(147,628 | ) | (33,716 | ) | ||||
Benefit
(provision) for income taxes and valuation allowance
|
(7,181 | ) |
15,713
|
|||||
Total
loss from discontinued operations, net of taxes
|
$ | (154,809 | ) | $ | (18,003 | ) |
Intercompany
interest expense of $8.1 million and $6.8 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2007 and 2006, respectively, has been eliminated in
consolidation.
The
following table summarizes the results of operations of OITRS for the three
month periods ended September 30, 2007 and 2006:
(in
thousands)
Three
Months Ended
|
||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
|||||||
Interest
income, net
|
$ |
515
|
$ |
25,330
|
||||
Interest
expense
|
(472 | ) | (22,184 | ) | ||||
Net
interest income
|
43
|
3,146
|
||||||
Gain
(Loss) on mortgage banking activities
|
(7,105 | ) |
20,136
|
|||||
Other
income and expenses, net and non-recurring items
|
4,364
|
2,206
|
||||||
Net
servicing income (loss)
|
(1,241 | ) | (8,112 | ) | ||||
Other
interest expense and loss reserves
|
1,077
|
(5,129 | ) | |||||
Total
net revenues (deficiency of revenues)
|
(2,862 | ) |
12,247
|
|||||
General
and administrative expenses
|
(2,918 | ) | (17,459 | ) | ||||
Loss
before benefit (provision) for income taxes
|
(5,780 | ) | (5,212 | ) | ||||
Benefit
(provision) for income taxes and valuation allowance
|
4,282
|
3,063
|
||||||
Total
loss from discontinued operations, net of taxes
|
$ | (1,498 | ) | $ | (2,149 | ) |
Intercompany
interest expense of $2.8 million for the three months ended September 30,
2007 and 2006 has been eliminated in consolidation.
For
the
three month period ended September 30, 2007, OITRS accrued $0.2 million in
expected retention bonus payments for employees related to the wind down
of the
mortgage origination operations. For the period $0.1 million of such
payments were disbursed to employees. Liabilities recorded at
June 30, 2007 associated with the wind down of the mortgage origination business
were $6.6 million. The liability was comprised of the
following:
(in
thousands)
Severance
payments
|
$ |
91
|
||
Retention
bonuses
|
103
|
|||
Property
lease rents
|
6,054
|
|||
Equipment
lease rents
|
400
|
|||
Total
|
$ |
6,648
|
Changes
in the liability for the three months ended September 30, 2007 were as
follows:
(in
thousands)
|
||||
Liability
recorded June 30, 2007
|
$ |
6,648
|
||
Less
severance payments made
|
(91 | ) | ||
Plus
additional retention bonuses accrued
|
130
|
|||
Less
property lease rents made
|
(670 | ) | ||
Less
adjustments to anticipated property lease settlements
|
(3,989 | ) | ||
Less
adjustments to anticipated equipment lease settlements
|
(350 | ) | ||
Liability
balance at September 30, 2007
|
$ |
1,678
|
Adjustments
to anticipated lease and equipment lease rents to be paid were based on actual
settlements obtained and revised estimates of the settlement of the remaining
obligations.
(d) - Significant accounting policies of OITRS
The
following accounting policies were applicable prior to the discontinuation
of
the residential mortgage origination operations. Going forward such
policies generally will not be applicable to OITRS as it no longer originates
residential mortgage loans. OITRS will continue to actively market for sale
originated mortgage servicing rights and retained interests in securitizations,
but will not generate any such assets in the future.
Mortgage
Loans Held for Sale. Mortgage loans held for sale represent
mortgage loans originated and held by the Company pending sale to investors.
The
mortgages are carried at the lower of cost or market as determined by
outstanding commitments from investors or current investor yield requirements
calculated on the aggregate loan basis. Deferred net fees or costs are not
amortized during the period the loans are held for sale, but are recorded when
the loan is sold. These transfers of financial assets are accounted for as
sales
for financial reporting purposes when control over the assets has been
surrendered. Control over transferred assets is surrendered when (i) the assets
have been isolated from the Company; (ii) the purchaser obtains the right,
free
of conditions that constrain such purchaser from taking advantage of that right,
to pledge or exchange the transferred assets and (iii) the Company does not
maintain effective control over the transferred assets through an agreement
to
repurchase them before their maturity. These transactions are treated as sales
in accordance with SFAS No. 140, Accounting for Transfers and Servicing of
Financial Assets and Extinguishment of Liabilities. Gains or losses on such
sales are recognized at the time legal title transfers to the purchaser and
are
based upon the difference between the sales proceeds from the purchaser and
the
allocated basis of the loan sold, adjusted for net deferred loan fees and
certain direct costs and selling costs. A valuation allowance is recorded to
adjust mortgage loans held for sale to the lower of cost or market.
Retained
Interest, Trading. The Company uses warehouse loan
arrangements to finance the origination and purchase of pools of fixed and
adjustable-rate residential mortgage loans (the “Mortgage Loans”). Subsequent to
their origination or purchase, OITRS either sells these Mortgage Loans to
third-party institutional investors through bulk sale arrangements or through
securitization transactions. The Company generally makes several representations
and warranties regarding the performance of the Mortgage Loans in connection
with each sale or securitization.
In
a
securitization, the Company accumulates the desired amount of Mortgage Loans
and
securitizes them in order to create marketable securities. First, pursuant
to a
Mortgage Loan Purchase Agreement (“MLPA”), the Company sells Mortgage Loans to
Opteum Mortgage Acceptance Corporation (“OMAC”), the Company's wholly-owned
special purpose entity created for the execution of these securitizations.
Under
this MLPA, the Company makes general representations and warranties for the
Mortgage Loans sold by the Company to OMAC.
OMAC
then
deposits the Mortgage Loans purchased from the Company into a Real Estate
Mortgage Investment Conduit (“REMIC”) trust where, pursuant to a Pooling and
Servicing Agreement (“P&S Agreement”), the rights to the cash flows
associated with such Mortgage Loans are sold to investors in the form of
marketable debt securities. These securities, issued by the REMIC trust, are
divided into different classes of certificates (the “Certificates”) with varying
claims to payments received on the Mortgage Loans.
Certain
of these Certificates are offered to the public (the “Public Certificates”)
pursuant to a prospectus. These Public Certificates are sold to underwriters
on
the closing date pursuant to an underwriting agreement. The proceeds from the
sale of the Public Certificates to the underwriters (less an underwriting
discount) are ultimately transferred to the Company as partial consideration
for
the Mortgage Loans sold to OMAC pursuant to the MLPA.
Finally,
subsequent to a securitization transaction as described above, the Company
typically executes an additional net interest margin (“NIM”) securitization, or
“resecuritization” of the non-publicly offered Certificates, representing
prepayment penalties and over-collateralization fundings (the “Underlying
Certificates”). This NIM securitization is typically transacted as
follows:
OMAC
first deposits the Underlying Certificates into a trust (the “NIM Trust”)
pursuant to a deposit trust agreement. The NIM Trust, pursuant to an indenture,
then issues (i) notes (the “NIM Notes”) representing interests in the Underlying
Certificates and (ii) an owner trust certificate (the “Owner Trust Certificate”)
representing the residual interest in the NIM Trust. The NIM Notes are sold
to
third parties via private placement transactions. The net proceeds from the
sale
of the NIM Notes and the Owner Trust Certificate are then transferred from
OMAC
to the Company. The Owner Trust Certificates from the Company's various
securitizations represent retained interests, trading which are included in
discontinued operations on the accompanying consolidated balance
sheet.
Mortgage
Servicing Rights. The estimated fair value of MSRs is
determined by obtaining a market valuation from a specialist who brokers
MSRs. The broker, Interactive Mortgage Advisors, LLC, is 50% owned by
OITRS. To determine the market valuation, the broker uses a valuation
model that incorporates assumptions relating to the estimate of the cost of
servicing the loan, a discount rate, a float value, an inflation rate, ancillary
income of the loan, prepayment speeds and default rates that market
participant’s use for acquiring similar servicing rights. Gains or losses on the
sale of MSRs are recognized when title and all risks and rewards have
irrevocably passed to the purchaser of such MSRs and there are no significant
unresolved contingencies.
In
March
2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 156, Accounting for Servicing of Financial
Assets. SFAS 156 amends SFAS 140 with respect to the accounting for
separately-recognized servicing assets and liabilities. SFAS 156 requires all
separately-recognized servicing assets and liabilities to be initially measured
at fair value and permits companies to elect, on a class-by-class basis, to
account for servicing assets and liabilities on either a lower of cost or market
value basis or a fair value measurement basis. OITRS elected to early adopt
SFAS
156 as of January 1, 2006, and to measure all mortgage servicing assets at
fair
value (and as one class). As a result of adopting SFAS 156, OITRS
recognized a $2.6 million after-tax ($4.3 million pre-tax) increase in retained
earnings as of January 1, 2006, representing the cumulative effect adjustment
of
re-measuring all servicing assets and liabilities that existed as of December
31, 2005, from a lower of amortized cost or market basis to a fair value
basis.
Gain
(Loss) on Sale of Loans. Gains or losses on the sale of
mortgage loans are recognized at the time legal title transfers to the purchaser
of such loans based upon the difference between the sales proceeds from the
purchaser and the allocated basis of the loan sold, adjusted for net deferred
loan fees and certain direct costs and selling costs. The Company defers net
loan origination costs and fees as a component of the loan balance on the
balance sheet. Such costs are not amortized and are recognized into income
as a
component of the gain or loss upon sale. Accordingly, salaries, commissions,
benefits and other operating expenses of $22.2 million and $0.0 million, for
the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2007 and $45.1 million and $14.9
million, respectively, for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2006
were capitalized as direct loan origination costs and reflected in the basis
of
loans sold for gain on sale recognition purposes. The net gain/(loss)
on mortgage loans for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007 was
($65.3) million and ($12.8) million and for the nine and three months ended
September 30, 2006 was ($18.7) million and ($20.7) million,
respectively.
Servicing
Fee Income. Servicing fee income is generally a fee based on
a percentage of the outstanding principal balances of the mortgage loans
serviced by the Company (or by a subservicer where the Company is the master
servicer) and is recorded as income as the installment payments on the mortgages
are received by the Company or the subservicer.
Income
taxes. OITRS and its activities are subject to corporate
income taxes and the applicable provisions of SFAS No. 109, Accounting for
Income Taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the
future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial
statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their
respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using
enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which
those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect
on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized
in
income in the period that includes the enactment date. In assessing
the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is
more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will
not be realized. To the extent management believes deferred tax
assets will not be fully realized in future periods, a provision is recorded
so
as to reflect the net portion, if any, of the deferred tax asset management
expects to realize.
(e)
- Mortgage Loans Held for Sale
Prior
to
ceasing operations, upon the closing of a residential mortgage loan or shortly
thereafter, OITRS would sell or securitize the majority of its mortgage loan
originations. OITRS also sold mortgage loans insured or guaranteed by various
government-sponsored entities and private insurance agencies. The insurance
or
guaranty is provided primarily on a nonrecourse basis to OITRS, except where
limited by the Federal Housing Administration and Veterans Administration and
their respective loan programs. Mortgage loans held for sale consist
of the following as of September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006:
(in
thousands)
September
30, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||||
Mortgage
loans held for sale, and other, net
|
$ |
6,203
|
$ |
741,545
|
||||
Deferred
loan origination costs and other-net
|
-
|
9,188
|
||||||
Lower
of cost or market and valuation allowance
|
(4,296 | ) | (899 | ) | ||||
$ |
1,907
|
$ |
749,834
|
Included
in mortgage loans held for sale (as of December 31, 2006 only) above are
IRLCs. Fluctuations in the fair market value of IRLCs and other
derivatives employed for hedging are reflected in the consolidated statement
of
operations under discontinued operations.
(f)
- Retained Interest, Trading
Retained
interest, trading is the subordinated interests retained by OITRS resulting
from
securitizations and includes the over-collateralization and residual net
interest spread remaining after payments to the Public Certificates and NIM
Notes. Retained interest, trading represents the present value of estimated
cash
flows to be received from these subordinated interests in the future. The
subordinated interests retained are classified as “trading securities” and are
reported at fair value with unrealized gains or losses reported in
earnings.
All
of
OITRS’s securitizations were structured and are accounted for as sales in
accordance with SFAS No. 140, Accounting for Transfers and Servicing of
Financial Assets and Extinguishments of Liabilities. Generally, to meet the
sale treatment requirements of SFAS No. 140, the REMIC trust is structured
as a
“qualifying special purpose entity” or QSPE, which specifically limits the REMIC
trust's activities, and OITRS surrenders control over the mortgage loans upon
their transfer to the REMIC trust.
Valuation
of Investments. OITRS classifies its retained interests as trading
securities and therefore records these securities at their estimated fair value.
In order to value the unrated, unquoted, investments, OITRS will record these
assets at their estimated fair value utilizing pricing information available
directly from dealers and the present value calculated by projecting the future
cash flows of an investment on a publicly available analytical system. When
a
publicly available analytical system is utilized, OITRS will input the following
variable factors which will have an impact on determining the market
value:
Interest
Rate Forecast. LIBOR interest rate curve.
Discount
Rate. The present value of all future cash flows utilizing a discount rate
assumption established at the discretion of OITRS to represent market conditions
and value of similar instruments with similar risks. Discount rates
used will vary over time. Management observes discount rates used for
assets with similar risk profiles. In selecting which assets to
monitor for variations in discount rates, management seeks to identify assets
that share most, if not all of the risk attributes of the Company’s retained
interests, trading. Such assets are typically traded between market
participants whereby the discount rate is the primary variable.
Prepayment
Forecast. The prepayment forecast may be expressed by OITRS in accordance
with one of the following standard market conventions: 1) Constant Prepayment
Rate (CPR) or 2) Percentage of a Prepayment Vector (PPV). Prepayment forecasts
may be changed as OITRS observes trends in the underlying collateral as
delineated in the Statement to Certificate Holders generated by the REMIC
trust’s Trustee for each underlying security. Prepayment forecast
will also vary over time as the level of interest rates change, the difference
between rates available to borrowers on adjustable rate versus fixed rate
mortgages change and non-interest rate related variables fluctuate such as
home
price appreciation, among others.
Credit
Performance Forecast. A forecast of future credit performance of the
underlying collateral pool will include an assumption of default frequency,
loss
severity, and a recovery lag. In general, OITRS will utilize the combination
of
default frequency and loss severity in conjunction with a collateral prepayment
assumption to arrive at a target cumulative loss to the collateral pool over
the
life of the pool based on historical performance of similar collateral by the
originator. The target cumulative loss forecast will be developed and noted
at
the pricing date of the individual security but may be updated by OITRS
consistent with observations of the actual collateral pool
performance. The Company utilizes a third party source to forecast
credit performance.
Default
Frequency may be expressed by OITRS in accordance with any of three standard
market conventions: 1) Constant Default Rate (CDR) 2) Percentage of a Standard
Default Assumption (SDA) curve, or 3) a vector or curve established to meet
forecasted performance for specific collateral pools.
Loss
Severity will be expressed by OITRS in accordance with historical performance
of
similar collateral and the standard market conventions of a percentage of the
unpaid principal balance of the forecasted defaults lost during the foreclosure
and liquidation process.
During
the first year of a new issue OITRS may balance positive or adverse effects
of
the prepayment forecast and the credit performance forecast allowing for
deviation between actual and forecasted performance of the collateral pool.
After the first year OITRS will generally adjust the Prepayment and Credit
Performance Forecasts to replicate actual performance trends without balancing
adverse and positive effects.
The
following table summarizes OITRS’s residual interests in securitizations as of
September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006:
(in
thousands)
Series
|
Issue
Date
|
September
30, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||
HMAC
2004-1
|
March
4, 2004
|
$
|
2,248
|
$
|
2,948
|
|
HMAC
2004-2
|
May
10, 2004
|
707
|
1,939
|
|||
HMAC
2004-3
|
June
30, 2004
|
175
|
362
|
|||
HMAC
2004-4
|
August
16, 2004
|
1,033
|
1,544
|
|||
HMAC
2004-5
|
September
28, 2004
|
3,261
|
4,545
|
|||
HMAC
2004-6
|
November
17, 2004
|
4,179
|
9,723
|
|||
OMAC
2005-1
|
January
31, 2005
|
6,704
|
13,331
|
|||
OMAC
2005-2
|
April
5, 2005
|
8,399
|
14,259
|
|||
OMAC
2005-3
|
June
17, 2005
|
10,070
|
16,091
|
|||
OMAC
2005-4
|
August
25, 2005
|
10,611
|
12,491
|
|||
OMAC
2005-5
|
November
23, 2005
|
9,217
|
8,916
|
|||
OMAC
2006-1
|
March
23, 2006
|
11,057
|
13,219
|
|||
OMAC
2006-2
|
June
26, 2006
|
3,932
|
4,831
|
|||
Total
|
$
|
71,593
|
$
|
104,199
|
Key economic assumptions used in measuring the fair value of retained interests
at the date of securitization resulting from securitizations completed in 2006
were as follows:
December
31, 2006
|
||||
Prepayment
speeds (CPR)
|
36.25 | % | ||
Weighted-average-life
(in years)
|
4.18
|
|||
Expected
credit losses
|
0.74 | % | ||
Discount
rates
|
16.81 | % | ||
Interest
rates
|
Forward
LIBOR Yield curve
|
As
of
September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006, key economic assumptions and the
sensitivity of the current fair value of residual cash flows to the immediate
10% and 20% adverse change in those assumptions are as follows:
(in
thousands)
September
30, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||||
Carrying
value of retained interests – fair value
|
$ |
71,593
|
$ |
104,199
|
||||
Weighted
average life (in years)
|
4.57
|
4.26
|
||||||
Prepayment
assumption (annual rate)
|
30.46 | % | 37.88 | % | ||||
Impact
on fair value of 10% adverse change
|
$ | (5,394 | ) | $ | (8,235 | ) | ||
Impact
on fair value of 20% adverse change
|
$ | (10,095 | ) | $ | (14,939 | ) | ||
Expected
credit losses (% of original unpaid principal balance)
|
0.83 | % | 0.56 | % | ||||
Impact
on fair value of 10% adverse change
|
$ | (4,474 | ) | $ | (3,052 | ) | ||
Impact
on fair value of 20% adverse change
|
$ | (8,899 | ) | $ | (6,098 | ) | ||
Residual
cash-flow discount rate
|
20.00 | % | 16.03 | % | ||||
Impact
on fair value of 10% adverse change
|
$ | (4,090 | ) | $ | (4,575 | ) | ||
Impact
on fair value of 20% adverse change
|
$ | (7,808 | ) | $ | (8,771 | ) | ||
Interest
rates on variable and adjustable loans and bonds
|
Forward
LIBOR Yield Curve
|
Forward
LIBOR Yield Curve
|
||||||
Impact
on fair value of 10% adverse change
|
$ | (20,473 | ) | $ | (18,554 | ) | ||
Impact
on fair value of 20% adverse change
|
$ | (38,997 | ) | $ | (39,292 | ) |
These
sensitivities are hypothetical and should be used with caution. As the figures
indicate, changes in fair value based upon a 10% variation in assumptions
generally cannot be extrapolated because the relationship of the change in
assumption to the change in fair value may not be linear. Also, in this table,
the effect of the variation in a particular assumption on the fair value of
the
retained interest is calculated without changing any other assumption, in
reality, changes in one factor may result in changes in another which may
magnify or counteract the sensitivities. To estimate the impact of a 10% and
20%
adverse change of the Forward LIBOR curve, a parallel shift in the forward
LIBOR
curve was assumed based on the Forward LIBOR curve as of September 30, 2007
and
December 31, 2006.
Static
pool loss percentages are calculated by using the original unpaid principal
balance of each pool of assets as the denominator. The following static pool
loss percentages are calculated based upon all OITRS securitizations that have
been completed to date:
(in
thousands)
Series
|
Issue
Date
|
Original
Unpaid Principal Balance
|
Actual
Losses Through September 30, 2007
|
Projected
Future Credit Losses as of September 30, 2007
|
Projected
Total Credit Losses as of September 30, 2007
|
||||||||||||
HMAC
2004-1
|
March
4, 2004
|
$ |
309,710
|
0.25 | % | 0.16 | % | 0.41 | % | ||||||||
HMAC
2004-2
|
May
10, 2004
|
388,737
|
0.59 | % | 0.17 | % | 0.76 | % | |||||||||
HMAC
2004-3
|
June
30, 2004
|
417,055
|
0.29 | % | 0.22 | % | 0.51 | % | |||||||||
HMAC
2004-4
|
August
16, 2004
|
410,123
|
0.24 | % | 0.22 | % | 0.46 | % | |||||||||
HMAC
2004-5
|
September
28, 2004
|
413,875
|
0.25 | % | 0.29 | % | 0.54 | % | |||||||||
HMAC
2004-6
|
November
17, 2004
|
761,027
|
0.57 | % | 0.42 | % | 0.99 | % | |||||||||
OMAC
2005-1
|
January
31, 2005
|
802,625
|
0.22 | % | 0.50 | % | 0.72 | % | |||||||||
OMAC
2005-2
|
April
5, 2005
|
883,987
|
0.17 | % | 0.48 | % | 0.65 | % | |||||||||
OMAC
2005-3
|
June
17, 2005
|
937,117
|
0.18 | % | 0.50 | % | 0.68 | % | |||||||||
OMAC
2005-4
|
August
25, 2005
|
1,321,739
|
0.10 | % | 0.78 | % | 0.88 | % | |||||||||
OMAC
2005-5
|
November
23, 2005
|
986,277
|
0.05 | % | 0.94 | % | 0.99 | % | |||||||||
OMAC
2006-1
|
March
23, 2006
|
934,441
|
0.05 | % | 0.96 | % | 1.01 | % | |||||||||
OMAC
2006-2
|
June
26, 2006
|
491,572
|
0.03 | % | 1.77 | % | 1.80 | % | |||||||||
Total
|
$ |
9,058,285
|
The
table
below summarizes certain cash flows received from and paid to securitization
trusts:
(in
thousands)
Nine
Months Ended
|
||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
|||||||
Proceeds
from securitizations
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
1,436,838
|
||||
Servicing
fees received
|
11,375
|
13,720
|
||||||
Servicing
advances
|
5,110
|
547
|
||||||
Cash
flows received on retained interests
|
4,479
|
3,642
|
The
following information presents quantitative information about delinquencies
and
credit losses on securitized financial assets as of September 30, 2007 and
December 31, 2006:
(in
thousands)
As
of Date
|
Total
Principal Amount of Loans
|
Principal
Amount of Loans 60 Days or more past due
|
Net
Credit Losses
|
|||
September
30, 2007
|
$
|
4,735,080
|
$
|
337,087
|
$
|
17,884
|
December
31, 2006
|
5,849,013
|
138,205
|
5,210
|
|
(g)
– Mortgage Servicing Rights,
Net
|
Activities
for MSRs are summarized as follows for the nine months ended September 30,
2007
and for the year ended December 31, 2006:
(in
thousands)
September
30, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||||
Balance
at beginning of period
|
$ |
98,859
|
$ |
86,082
|
||||
Adjustment
to fair value upon adoption of SFAS 156 as of January 1,
2006
|
-
|
4,298
|
||||||
Additions
|
7,727
|
43,175
|
||||||
Changes
in fair value:
|
||||||||
Changes
in fair value due to changes in market conditions and
run-off
|
(13,785 | ) | (33,551 | ) | ||||
Changes
in fair value due to change in valuation assumptions
|
(2,558 | ) | (1,145 | ) | ||||
Less
servicing sold
|
(87,603 | ) |
-
|
|||||
Balance
at end of period
|
$ |
2,640
|
$ |
98,859
|
The
Company has elected to account for all originated MSRs as one class and,
therefore, all MSRs are carried at fair value. As a result of the early adoption
of SFAS 156, the carrying value of the MSRs were increased by approximately
$4.3
million (pre-tax) as of January 1, 2006. As required by the provisions of SFAS
156, the net of tax effect was recorded as a cumulative effect adjustment to
retained earnings of OITRS as of January 1, 2006. In addition, changes in value
due to run-offs of the portfolio are recorded as valuation adjustments instead
of amortization.
The
fair
value of MSRs is determined using discounted cash flow techniques based on
market assumptions. Changes in fair value are the result of changes in market
conditions, changes in valuation assumptions and run-off of the underlying
mortgage loans. Changes in fair value due to run-off of the underlying mortgage
loans and changes in value due to changes in market conditions are grouped
together above. When the underlying assumptions used for valuation purposes
are
changed, the effect on fair value is presented separately. For the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2007, such changes to the underlying
assumptions resulted in changes in fair value of $2.6 million and $0.0 million.
For the nine and three months ended September 30, 2006, such changes to the
underlying assumptions resulted in changes in fair value of $1.1 million and
$0.0 million, respectively. During the nine and three months ended
September 30, 2007, the MSR value increased/(decreased) by $96.2 million and
$29.5 million. During the nine and three months ended September 30, 2006, the
MSR value increased/(decreased) by and $15.2 million and
$4.6 million, respectively. The decreases for the nine and
three months ended September 30, 2007 include the sale of
$87.6 and $29.1 million,
respectively, of MSR. Excluding the MSR sale, the decreases for the nine and
three months ended September 30, 2007, were ($8.6) million and
($0.4) million,
respectively. Additions/reductions to the servicing portfolio, net of
run-off, for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007, were
($1.3) million and ($0.5) million.
Additions to the servicing portfolio, net of run-off, for the nine and three
months ended September 30, 2006, were $20.3 million and $13.7 million,
respectively. The balance of the changes in fair value for the nine and three
months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006 were the result of changes market
conditions. Estimates of fair value involve several assumptions, including
the
key valuation assumptions about market expectations of future prepayment rates,
interest rates and discount rates. Prepayment rates are projected using a
prepayment model. The model considers key factors, such as refinance incentive,
housing turnover, seasonality and aging of the pool of loans. Prepayment speeds
incorporate expectations of future rates implied by the forward LIBOR/swap
curve, as well as collateral specific information.
As
of
September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006, key economic assumptions and the
sensitivity of the current fair value of MSR rights cash flows to the immediate
10% and 20% adverse change in those assumptions are as
follows: (Note: base case prepayment and discount rate
assumptions are a weighted average of the values applied to the various mortgage
loans).
(in
thousands)
September
30, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||||
Prepayment
assumption (annual rate) (PSA)
|
450.9
|
424.6
|
||||||
Impact
on fair value of 10% adverse change
|
$ | (74 | ) | $ | (3,923 | ) | ||
Impact
on fair value of 20% adverse change
|
$ | (144 | ) | $ | (7,557 | ) | ||
MSR
Cash-Flow Discount Rate
|
14.16 | % | 14.50 | % | ||||
Impact
on fair value of 10% adverse change
|
$ | (124 | ) | $ | (3,505 | ) | ||
Impact
on fair value of 20% adverse change
|
$ | (236 | ) | $ | (6,727 | ) |
These
sensitivities are entirely hypothetical and should be used with caution. As
the
figures indicate, changes in fair value based upon 10% and 20% variations in
assumptions generally cannot be extrapolated to greater or lesser percentage
variation because the relationship of the change in assumption to the change
in
fair value may not be linear. Also, in this table, the effect of the variation
in a particular assumption on the fair value of the MSR is calculated without
changing any other assumption. In reality, changes in one factor may result
in
changes in another which may magnify or counteract the
sensitivities.
(h)
- Warehouse lines of credit and drafts payable
OITRS
issues drafts or wires at loan settlement in order to facilitate the closing
of
mortgage loans held for sale. Drafts payable represent mortgage loans on which
a
closing has occurred prior to quarter end but the related drafts have not
cleared the respective bank. Upon clearing the bank, the drafts are funded
by
the appropriate warehouse line of credit. Warehouse and aggregate lines of
credit and loan sale agreements accounted for as financing consisted of the
following as of September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006:
(in
thousands)
Warehouse
and aggregation lines of credit:
|
September
30, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
||||||
A
committed warehouse line of credit for $100.0 million between OITRS
and
Residential Funding Corporation ("RFC"). The agreement expired on
February
28, 2007 and was not renewed. RFC is now a party to the
JPM syndicated facility below.
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
6,172
|
||||
A
syndicated committed warehouse line of credit for $850.0 million
as of
December 31, 2006, between OITRS and JP Morgan Chase (“JPM”). The
agreement was scheduled to expire on May 30, 2007. The
agreement was extended until July 31, 2007 and the limit reduced
in
stages, initially to $155 million through June 30, 2007 and $50.0
million
through July 31, 2007. The agreement provides for interest
rates based upon one month LIBOR plus a margin of 0.60% to 1.50%
depending
on the product originated or acquired. During the extension
period the applicable margin was increased to 1.5% on all
borrowings.
|
-
|
409,609
|
||||||
An
aggregation facility for $1.5 billion as of December 31, 2006 for
the
whole loan and servicing rights facility, collectively, (of which
no more
than $100.0 million as of December 31, 2006 may be allocated to the
servicing rights facility) between HS Special Purpose, LLC, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of OITRS, and Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp.
(“Citigroup”) to aggregate loans pending securitization. The agreement was
scheduled to expire on December 19, 2007. The agreement provides
for
interest rates based upon one month LIBOR plus a margin of
0.30%. The facility was amended on May 25, 2007 and the limit
was reduced to $300 million maturity date changed to September 30,
2007. On August 9, 2007, the facility was further amended and
the limit was reduced to $40 million.
|
-
|
5,358
|
||||||
A
$750.0 million purchase and security agreement between OITRS and
UBS
Warburg Real Estate Securities, Inc. (“UBS Warburg”). The
agreement expired on February 28, 2007 and was not
renewed.
|
-
|
3,283
|
||||||
Drafts
payable
|
-
|
6,542
|
||||||
Loan
sale agreements accounted for as financings:
|
||||||||
An
uncommitted $700.0 million purchase agreement between OITRS and Colonial
Bank. The facility is due upon demand and can be cancelled by
either party upon notification to the counterparty. OITRS
incurs a charge for the facility based on one month LIBOR plus 0.50%
for
the first $300.0 million purchased and one month LIBOR plus 0.75%
for the
amount used above and beyond $300.0 million. The facility is
secured by loans held for sale and cash generated from sales to
investors. The borrowing capacity of the facilities was reduced
to $30 million effective July 1, 2007 and both parties agreed to
cancel
the facility effective July 31, 2007.
|
-
|
303,915
|
||||||
Total
warehouse lines and drafts payable
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
734,879
|
The
facilities were secured by mortgage loans and other assets of
OITRS. The facilities contained various covenants pertaining to
tangible net worth, net income, available cash and liquidity, leverage ratio,
and servicing delinquency. As of September 30, 2007, all such
facilities have matured.
(i)
– Other Secured Borrowings
|
Other
secured borrowings consisted of the following as of September 30,
2007 and
December 31, 2006:
|
|
(in
thousands)
|
September
30, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||||
A
committed warehouse line of credit between OITRS and JP Morgan Chase,
that
allows for a sublimit for Originated Mortgage Servicing Rights. The
agreement was extended until July 31, 2007 and the limit reduced
in
stages, initially to $75.0 million through June 30, 2007 and $20.0
million
through July 31, 2007. The agreement was further extended until
September 28, 2007. The agreement provides for interest rate based
on
LIBOR plus 1.50% to 1.85% depending on collateral type.
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
71,657
|
||||
Citigroup
Global Realty Inc., line of credit for $80.0 million secured by the
retained interests in securitizations through OMAC 2006-2. The facility
expires on December 19, 2007. The agreement provides for interest
rate
based on LIBOR plus 1.00%.
|
37,298
|
50,320
|
||||||
$ |
37,298
|
$ |
121,977
|
The
Citigroup Global Reality Inc. facility is secured by the retained interests
in
securitizations of OITRS. The facility contains covenants pertaining
to tangible net worth, available cash and liquidity and a leverage
ratio. As of September 30, 2007, OITRS is in compliance with all such
covenants.
(j) -
Income taxes
As
previously described, Bimini Capital acquired OITRS on November 3, 2005, and
OITRS is a taxpaying entity for income tax purposes and is taxed separately
from
Bimini Capital. Therefore, OITRS separately reports an income tax
provision or benefit based on its own taxable activities. The income tax
provision for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007 differs from
the amount determined by applying the statutory Federal rate of 35% to the
pre-tax loss due primarily to the recording of and adjustment to the deferred
tax asset valuation allowances. The net deferred tax assets generated by
the net loss incurred during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 are offset
in their entirety by a deferred tax asset valuation allowance. The amount
of the gross tax benefit generated by this loss is reduced by an offsetting
valuation allowance of the same amount.
OITRS
recorded a deferred tax asset valuation allowance of approximately $37.4 million
during the three month period ended March 31, 2007; there was no allowance
recorded previously. At December 31, 2006, OITRS had recorded net deferred
tax assets of approximately $7.1 million. The recording of the valuation
allowance (among other items) during the three months ended March 31, 2007
resulted in OITRS recording an income tax provision of $11.5 million, and
reduced the December 31, 2006 net deferred tax asset to a net deferred tax
liability at March 31, 2007 of approximately $4.3 million. As part
of the recording of this allowance, State tax NOLs were fully allowanced, as
their availability to fully offset recorded deferred tax liabilities was not
assured. The losses incurred by OITRS post-March 31, 2007 are sufficient
to ensure that the State NOLs will be available to offset recorded deferred
tax
liabilities and realized gains on sales of OITRS assets; therefore the net
deferred tax liability of $4.3 million is now offset by the deferred tax assets
related to the State NOLs expected to be realized, and this is achieved by
a
$4.3 million reduction in the deferred tax asset valuation allowance previously
recorded against the State NOLs. Consequently, the benefit for income
taxes for the three months ended September 30, 2007 is $4.3 million, and the
provision for income taxes for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 is
$7.2
million.
The
ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation
of
future taxable income within OITRS. Management considers the
scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable
income, and tax planning strategies in making this assessment, including the
impacts of the closing of the OITRS wholesale and conduit mortgage loan
origination channels, the sale of the retail mortgage loan origination channel,
and other actions related to the operations of OITRS. At this time,
management believes it is more likely than not that the Company will not realize
the full benefits of all of the federal and state tax loss carryforwards, and
that the Company will not realize any benefit of the other deferred tax
assets. Therefore, the Company has recorded a valuation allowance against
the net deferred tax assets of OITRS. As of September 30, 2007, OITRS has
an estimated federal tax net operating loss carryforward of approximately $187
million, which begins to expire in 2025, and is fully available to offset future
taxable income.
The
effective income tax benefit for the nine and three months ended September
30,
2006 differs from the amount determined by applying the statutory Federal rate
of 35% to the pre-tax loss due primarily to permanent differences, the state
tax
benefit (net of the Federal tax effect) and valuation allowance.
(k)
- Transactions With a Related Party
During
the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007, OITRS received aggregate
payments of $0.4 million and $0.0 million, respectively, from Southstar Funding,
LLC (“Southstar Funding”) primarily in exchange for the performance of certain
interim loan servicing functions. Southstar Funding is fifty percent
owned by Southstar Partners, LLC (“Southstar Partners”). Certain former officers
of OITRS, one of whom is also a former director of the Company, own membership
interests in Southstar Partners. In addition, a former officer of
OITRS as well as a former director of the Company serves on the Board of
Managers of Southstar Funding. As of September 30, 2007, there were
no amounts due from or owed to Southstar Partners or Southstar
Funding. Amounts paid for interim loan servicing were
determined on an arms-length basis and are comparable to amounts charged to
other, non-related parties. On
April 11, 2007, Southstar Funding filed a voluntary petition under Chapter
7 of
the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
(l)
- Loans Sold to Investors. Generally, OITRS is not exposed to
significant credit risk on its loans sold to investors. In the normal course
of
business, OITRS provides certain representations and warranties during the
sale
of mortgage loans which obligate it to repurchase loans which are subsequently
unable to be sold through the normal investor channels. The repurchased loans
are secured by the related real estate properties, and can usually be sold
directly to other permanent investors. There can be no assurance, however,
that
OITRS will be able to recover the repurchased loan value either through other
investor channels or through the assumption of the secured real
estate.
OITRS
recognizes a liability for the estimated fair value of this obligation at the
inception of each mortgage loan sale based on the anticipated repurchase levels
and historical experience. The liability is recorded as a reduction of the
gain
on sale of mortgage loans and included as part of other liabilities in the
accompanying financial statements.
Changes
in the liability during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 and
2006:
(in
thousands)
Nine
Months Ended
|
||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
|||||||
Balance—Beginning
of period
|
$ |
7,136
|
$ |
2,038
|
||||
Provision
|
16,159
|
3,803
|
||||||
Charge-Offs
|
(14,013 | ) | (2,456 | ) | ||||
Balance—End
of period
|
$ |
9,282
|
$ |
3,385
|
(m)
- Net Worth Requirements. OITRS is required to maintain certain
specified levels of minimum net worth to maintain its approved status with
Fannie Mae, HUD, and other investors. As of September 30, 2007, the highest
minimum net worth requirement applicable to OITRS was approximately $0.3
million. OITRS had negative net worth of approximately ($65.2) million as of
September 30, 2007. Subject to the approval of Bimini Capital’s Board of
Directors, Bimini Capital may forgive inter-company debt in order to restore
the
net worth of OITRS to an amount in excess of the required
minimum.
As
part
of the November 3, 2005 merger pursuant to which OITRS became a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Bimini Capital, the parties to the Agreement and Plan of Merger
and Reorganization (the “Merger Agreement”) agreed to special resolution
procedures concerning certain litigation matters in which OITRS was a party
and
that was pending at the time of the merger. Certain provisions of the
Merger Agreement specified the manner in which four separate litigation matters
would be treated for purposes of determining the rights and obligations of
the
parties to the Merger Agreement. In two of these matters, OITRS was
the plaintiff and was seeking money damages from third parties. In
the other two matters, OITRS was a defendant and was defending itself against
claims for money damages. The two matters in which OITRS was the
plaintiff and one of the two matters in which OITRS was a defendant have been
concluded. The net proceeds received by OITRS as a result of the
conclusion of these matters are being held in escrow and will be used to satisfy
amounts, if any, paid in connection with the resolution of the other matter
in
which OITRS is a defendant.
Pursuant
to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the former owners of OITRS must indemnify
the Company for any liabilities arising from the two matters in which OITRS
was
a defendant. In addition, the former owners of OITRS are entitled to
receive any amounts paid to the Company upon the settlement or final resolution
of the two matters in which OITRS was the plaintiff.
(o)
Guarantees. OITRS has guaranteed the obligations of OITRS’s
wholly-owned subsidiary, HS Special Purpose, LLC, under its financing facility
with Citigroup described in Note 11(i). This guaranty will
remain in effect so long as the applicable financing facility remains in
effect. If an Event of Default occurs under this financing facility
that is not cured or waived, OITRS may be required to perform under its
guaranty. There is no specific limitation on the maximum potential
future payments under this guaranty. However, OITRS’s liability under
this guaranty would be reduced in an amount equal to the amount by which the
collateral securing such obligations exceeds the amounts outstanding under
the
applicable facility. See also Note 8.
ITEM
2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS.
Forward-Looking
Statements
When
used
in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, in future filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) or in press releases or
other written or oral communications, statements which are not historical in
nature, including those containing words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,”
“should,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend” and similar expressions, are intended to
identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“Exchange Act”).
These
forward-looking statements are
subject to various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to,
those
described or incorporated by reference in Part II – Item 1A – Risk Factors of
this Form 10-Q. These and other risks, uncertainties and factors, including
those described in reports that the Company files from time to time with the
Commission, could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from
those reflected in such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date they are made and the Company does not
undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after
the date of such statements.
The
following discussion of the
Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in
conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes
included elsewhere in this report.
Introduction
As
used
in this document, discussions related to “Bimini Capital,” the parent company,
the registrant, and to real estate investment trust (“REIT”) qualifying
activities or the general management of Bimini Capital’s portfolio of mortgage
backed securities (“MBS”) refer to “Bimini Capital Management,
Inc.” Further, discussions related to Bimini Capital’s taxable REIT
subsidiary or non-REIT eligible assets refer to Opteum Financial Services,
LLC
and its consolidated subsidiaries. This entity, which was previously referred
to
as “OFS,” was renamed Orchid Island TRS, LLC effective July 3, 2007.
Hereinafter, any historical mention, discussion or references to Opteum
Financial Services, LLC or to OFS (such as in previously filed documents or
Exhibits) now means Orchid Island TRS, LLC or “OITRS.” Discussions
relating to the “Company” refer to the consolidated entity (the combination of
Bimini Capital and OITRS). Any assets and activities that are not REIT eligible,
such as mortgage origination, acquisition and servicing activities, are
conducted by OITRS.
Bimini
Capital Management, Inc., formerly Opteum Inc. and Bimini Mortgage Management,
Inc., was formed in September 2003 to invest primarily in but not limited to,
residential mortgage related securities issued by the Federal National Mortgage
Association (more commonly known as Fannie Mae), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage
Corporation (more commonly known as Freddie Mac) and the Government National
Mortgage Association (more commonly known as Ginnie Mae). Bimini Capital
attempts to earn a return on the spread between the yield on its assets and
its
costs, including the interest expense on the funds it borrows. It generally
intends to borrow between eight and twelve times the amount of its equity
capital in an attempt to enhance its returns to stockholders. This leverage
may
be adjusted above or below this range to the extent management or the Company’s
Board of Directors deems necessary or appropriate. For purposes of
this calculation, Bimini Capital treats its junior subordinated notes as an
equity capital equivalent. Bimini Capital is self-managed and self-advised
and
has elected to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax
purposes.
On
April
18, 2007, the Board of Managers of OITRS, at the recommendation of the Board
of
Directors of the Company, approved the closure of the wholesale and conduit
mortgage loan origination channels. Both channels ceased accepting
new applications for mortgage loans on April 20, 2007. On May 7,
2007, OITRS signed a binding agreement to sell its retail mortgage loan
origination channel to a third party as well. On June 30, 2007, OITRS
entered into an amendment to this agreement. The proceeds of the
transactions were
approximately $1.5 million plus the
assumption of certain liabilities of OITRS. The transaction, coupled
with the disposal of the conduit and wholesale origination channels, resulted
in
a loss of approximately $10.5 million. Going forward, OITRS will not
operate a mortgage loan origination business and the results of the mortgage
origination business are reported as discontinued operations for the nine and
three months ended September 30, 2007.
OITRS
was
acquired by the Company in November 2005. As a result of the merger, OITRS
became a wholly-owned taxable REIT subsidiary of Bimini Capital. On
December 21, 2006, Bimini Capital sold to Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp.
(“Citigroup Realty”) a Class B non-voting limited liability company membership
interest in OITRS, representing 7.5% of all of OITRS’s outstanding limited
liability company membership interests, for $4.1 million. OITRS is
subject to corporate income taxes and files separate federal and state income
tax returns.
Dividends
to Stockholders
In
order
to maintain its qualification as a REIT, Bimini Capital is required (among
other
provisions) to annually distribute dividends to its stockholders in an amount
at
least equal to, generally, 90% of Bimini Capital’s REIT taxable income. REIT
taxable income is a term that describes Bimini Capital’s operating results
calculated in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to
the
Internal Revenue Code.
Bimini
Capital’s REIT taxable income is computed differently from net income as
computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP
net
income"), as reported in the Company’s accompanying consolidated financial
statements. Depending on the number and size of the various items or
transactions being accounted for differently, the differences between REIT
taxable income and GAAP net income can be substantial and each item can affect
several reporting periods. Generally, these items are timing or temporary
differences between years; for example, an item that may be a deduction for
GAAP
net income in the current year may not be a deduction for REIT taxable income
until a later year.
As
a
REIT, Bimini Capital may be subject to a federal excise tax if Bimini Capital
distributes less than 85% of its taxable income by the end of the calendar
year. Accordingly, Bimini Capital’s dividends are based on its
taxable income, as determined for federal income tax purposes, as opposed to
its
net income computed in accordance with GAAP (as reported in the accompanying
consolidated financial statements).
Results
of Operations
PERFORMANCE
OVERVIEW
Described
below are the Company’s results of operations for the nine and three months
ended September 30, 2007, as compared to the Company’s results of operations for
the nine and three months ended September 30, 2006. During the
nine month period ended September 30, 2007, the Company ceased all mortgage
origination business at OITRS. As stated above, results of those operations
are
reported in the financial statements as discontinued operations. As a
result of these actions, the Company’s financial statements are not comparable
to prior reports filed since the acquisition of OITRS.
Consolidated
net loss for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007, was $245.3
million and $4.7 million,
respectively, compared to a consolidated net loss
of $15.6 million and $6.3 million, respectively, for the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2006. Consolidated net loss per basic
and diluted share of Class A Common Stock was $9.84 and $0.19,
respectively, for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007, compared
to a consolidated net loss per basic and diluted share of Class A Common Stock
of $0.63 and $0.25, respectively, for the comparable prior
period. The decline in consolidated net loss was driven primarily by
a permanent impairment taken on MBS securities in the Company’s MBS portfolio,
continued poor operating results of OITRS and declines in the value of the
retained interest in securitization, also at OITRS.
At
June
30, 2007, the Company no longer had the ability and intent to hold until
recovery MBS securities whose values are impaired as of June 30,
2007. Accordingly, due to liquidity and working capital needs brought
about by the turmoil in the mortgage market, the Company no longer had the
ability to hold such assets until their amortized cost could be fully
recovered. During the three months ended June 30, 2007, the Company
sold securities with a market value at the time of sale of approximately $782.0
million that were impaired at the time of sale, realizing losses on sale of
$18.6 million. The Company recorded $55.3 million of permanent impairments
on
the remaining $1.3 billion of MBS securities held as available-for-sale in
the
second quarter of 2007. During the three months ended September 30,
2007, the Company sold $910.0 million of the remaining $1.3 billion securities,
that previously been classified as impaired assets, realizing losses on sale
of
$1.0 million. Commencing on June 30, 2007, and for all periods thereafter,
such
available securities permanently impaired are valued on a lower of cost or
market (LOCOM) basis. When such securities are valued on a LOCOM
basis the yield at which the Company recognized interest income is adjusted
to
reflect the new carrying value. As a result of these actions the
Company’s net interest margin (or NIM) on it’s portfolio of MBS securities
increased to 88 basis points as of September 30, 2007. The NIM measures the
spread, in basis points, between the weighted average yield on the MBS portfolio
and the weighted average borrowing costs on the repo
liabilities. This figure does not incorporate the effect of other
sources of interest income or expense nor overhead expenses.
For
the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2007, comprehensive (loss)
was ($168.5) million and ($4.7) million, respectively,
including the net unrealized gain/(loss) on available-for-sale securities of
$2.1 million and $0.0 million and the reclassification
during the nine months ended September 30, 2007 of the other-than-temporary
loss
on MBS of $55.3 million. For the nine and three months ended September 30,
2007,
realized loss on mortgage-backed securities sales of $19.4 million and $0.0
million were made to reflect the realized loss on sales of assets previously
reflected in comprehensive loss as unrealized losses on available-for-sale
securities. For the nine and three months ended September 30, 2006,
comprehensive income/(loss) was ($37.2) million and $6.1 million, respectively,
including the net unrealized gain/(loss) on available-for-sale securities of
($21.5) million and $12.4 million, respectively. The
factors resulting in the unrealized loss on available-for-sale securities are
described below.
Comprehensive
(loss) is as follows:
(in
thousands)
Nine
Months Ended
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
|||||||||||||
Net
(loss)
|
$ | (245,261 | ) | $ | (15,623 | ) | $ | (4,723 | ) | $ | (6,256 | ) | ||||
Realized
loss on MBS
|
19,389
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Other-than-temporary
loss on MBS
|
55,250
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||||
Unrealized
gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities, net
|
2,135
|
(21,536 | ) |
-
|
12,360
|
|||||||||||
Comprehensive
(loss)
|
$ | (168,487 | ) | $ | (37,159 | ) | $ | (4,723 | ) | $ |
6,104
|
Unrealized
gains/(losses) on available-for-sale securities is a component of accumulated
other comprehensive loss, which is included in stockholders’ equity on the
consolidated balance sheet. Accumulated other comprehensive loss is
the difference between the fair market value of the portfolio of MBS securities
and their cost basis. The unrealized gain on available-for-sale
securities for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 was driven by a
combination of a decrease in short term rates for the period, which tends to
increase the fair market value of the Company’s portfolio of MBS securities, and
increased amortization of net premium for the period, which lowers the cost
basis in the portfolio of MBS securities. The increased amortization
for the period was the result of the continued upward resetting of ARM
securities in the portfolio, which results in higher coupons on the securities
relative to their booked yields, and therefore greater
amortization.
The
Company has negative retained earnings (titled “Accumulated deficit” in the
stockholders’ equity section of the accompanying consolidated financial
statements) as of September 30, 2007, partially because of the consequences
of
Bimini Capital’s tax qualification as a REIT. As is more fully described
in the “Dividends to Stockholders” section above, Bimini Capital’s
dividends are based on its REIT taxable income, as determined for federal income
tax purposes, and not on its net income computed in accordance with GAAP (as
reported in the accompanying consolidated financial
statements).
For
the
nine months ended September 30, 2007, Bimini Capital's REIT taxable loss was
approximately $78.0 million less than Bimini Capital's net loss from REIT
activities computed in accordance with GAAP. The most significant difference
was
the impairment taken on available-for-sale securities which is reflected in
GAAP
earnings but is not a deduction to arrive at REIT taxable
income. Another contributor is attributable to interest on
inter-company loans with OITRS as well as timing differences in the recognition
of compensation expense attributable to phantom stock awards. In
April of 2007, the Board of Directors of the Company approved the forgiveness
of
up to $108.3 million of inter-company debt with OITRS. Such action
will reduce future interest income associated with the inter-company debt.
With
respect to the phantom stock awards, the future deduction of this temporary
difference is uncertain as to the amount (the amount of the tax impact is
measured at the fair value of the shares as of a future date and this amount
may
be greater than or less than the financial statement deduction already taken
by
Bimini Capital). Since inception through September 30, 2007, Bimini
Capital's REIT taxable income is approximately $92.9
million greater than Bimini Capital's financial statement net income as computed
in accordance with GAAP. During the nine months ended September 30,
2007, tax capital losses from the sale of MBS assets were realized; these
capital losses are only available to the REIT to offset future capital gains
and
therefore they do not reduce REIT taxable income.
PERFORMANCE
OF BIMINI CAPITAL’S MBS PORTFOLIO
For
the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2007, the REIT generated ($7.8)
million and $1.4 million of net interest income (loss). Included in
these results were $90.8 million and $24.6 million of interest income,
respectively, offset by $98.6 million and $23.2 million of interest
expense, respectively. Inclusive in these results is the quarterly
retrospective adjustment of ($4.8) million and ($0.4) million for the nine
and
three month periods ended September 30, 2007. The retrospective adjustment
is
described below under Critical Accounting Policies/Income Recognition. Net
interest income is (down)/up approximately ($18.1) million and $3.3 million,
respectively, compared to the nine and three months ended September 30,
2006. The decline is mostly the result of the approximately 59.3%
reduction in the MBS investment portfolio.
For
the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2007, the REIT’s general and
administrative costs were $5.7 million and $1.9 million, respectively. For
the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2006, the REIT’s general and
administrative costs were $7.0 million and $1.9 million, respectively. The
decrease in general and administrative expenses was primarily the result of
a
reduction in employee bonus accruals. Operating expenses, which
incorporate trading costs, fees and other direct costs, were $0.6 million and
$0.2 million, for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007 and $0.7
million and $0.2 million for the nine and three months ended September 30,
2006,
respectively.
As
stated
above, the REIT recorded permanent impairment charges to various MBS securities
during the nine months ended September 30, 2007. In addition, certain
securities were sold that were impaired at the time of sale. As a
result, the REIT had $20.5 million and $1.1 million, respectively, in losses
from the sale of securities in the MBS portfolio during the nine and three
months ended September 30, 2007. For the nine and three months ended
September 30, 2006, Bimini Capital reported no gains/loss from the sale of
MBS.
As
of
September 30, 2007, Bimini Capital’s MBS portfolio consisted of $1.3
billion of agency or government MBS at fair value and had a weighted average
yield on assets of 6.11% and a net weighted average borrowing cost of
5.23%. The following tables summarize Bimini Capital’s agency and
government mortgage related securities as of September 30, 2007:
Asset
Category
|
Market
Value
(in
thousands)
|
Percentage
of Entire Portfolio
|
Weighted
Average Coupon
|
Weighted
Average Maturity in Months
|
Longest
Maturity
|
Weighted
Average Coupon Reset in Months
|
Weighted
Average Lifetime Cap
|
Weighted
Average Periodic Cap
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Adjustable-Rate
MBS
|
$ |
640,670
|
51.09 | % | 5.90 | % |
342
|
1-July-46
|
2.97
|
9.63 | % | 2.14 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Fixed-Rate
MBS
|
$ |
252,695
|
20.15 | % | 7.17 | % |
295
|
1-Sept-37
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
||||||||||||||||||
Hybrid
Adjustable-Rate MBS
|
$ |
360,529
|
28.76 | % | 6.06 | % |
346
|
1-Sept-37
|
41.55
|
11.85 | % | 3.57 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Total
Portfolio
|
$ |
1,253,894
|
100.00 | % | 6.20 | % |
334
|
1-July-46
|
16.86
|
10.43 | % | 2.94 | % |
Agency
|
Market
Value
(in
thousands)
|
Percentage
of
Entire
Portfolio
|
||||||
Fannie
Mae
|
$ |
1,126,744
|
89.86 | % | ||||
Freddie
Mac
|
98,649
|
7.87 | % | |||||
Ginnie
Mae
|
28,501
|
2.27 | % | |||||
Total
Portfolio
|
$ |
1,253,894
|
100.00 | % |
Entire
Portfolio
|
||||
Effective
Duration (1)
|
1.33
|
|||
Weighted
Average Purchase Price
|
$ |
102.65
|
||
Weighted
Average Current Price
|
$ |
101.40
|
(1)
|
Effective
duration of 1.33 indicates
that an interest rate increase of 1% would be expected to cause a
1.33% decline in the value of the MBS in the
Company’s investment portfolio.
|
In
evaluating Bimini Capital’s MBS portfolio assets and their performance, Bimini
Capital’s management team primarily evaluates these critical factors: asset
performance in differing interest rate environments, duration of the security,
yield to maturity, potential for prepayment of principal and the market price
of
the investment.
Bimini
Capital’s portfolio of MBS will typically be comprised of adjustable-rate MBS,
fixed-rate MBS, hybrid adjustable-rate MBS and balloon maturity MBS. Bimini
Capital seeks to acquire low duration assets that offer high levels of
protection from mortgage prepayments. Although the duration of an individual
asset can change as a result of changes in interest rates, Bimini Capital
strives to maintain a portfolio with an effective duration of less than 2.0.
The
stated contractual final maturity of the mortgage loans underlying Bimini
Capital’s portfolio of MBS generally ranges up to 30 years. However, the
effect of prepayments of the underlying mortgage loans tends to shorten the
resulting cash flows from Bimini Capital’s investments substantially.
Prepayments occur for various reasons, including refinancing of underlying
mortgages and loan payoffs in connection with home sales.
Prepayments
on the loans underlying Bimini Capital’s MBS can alter the timing of the cash
flows from the underlying loans to the Company. As a result, Bimini Capital
gauges the interest rate sensitivity of its assets by measuring their effective
duration. While modified duration measures the price sensitivity of a bond
to
movements in interest rates, effective duration captures both the movement
in
interest rates and the fact that cash flows to a mortgage related security
are
altered when interest rates move. Accordingly, when the contract interest rate
on a mortgage loan is substantially above prevailing interest rates in the
market, the effective duration of securities collateralized by such loans can
be
quite low because of expected prepayments. Although some of the fixed-rate
MBS
in Bimini Capital’s portfolio are collateralized by loans with a lower
propensity to prepay when the contract rate is above prevailing rates, their
price movements track securities with like contract rates and therefore exhibit
similar effective duration.
As
of
September 30, 2007, approximately 51.09% of the REIT
portfolio is comprised of short duration ARM securities. The
REIT favors such securities since they offer attractive yields relative to
alternative securities in an inverted yield curve environment such as the one
the Company has been operating in recently. Going forward, to the
extent the shape of the yield curve is less or not inverted, the composition
of
the portfolio may be changed to better take advantage of opportunities in the
market at that time.
The
value
of the REIT’s MBS portfolio changes as interest rates rise or
fall. Bimini Capital faces the risk that the market value of its
assets will increase or decrease at different rates than that of its
liabilities, including its hedging instruments. Bimini Capital
primarily assesses its interest rate risk by estimating the duration of its
assets and the duration of its liabilities. Duration essentially measures the
market price volatility of financial instruments as interest rates change.
Bimini Capital generally calculates duration using various financial models
and
empirical data and different models and methodologies can produce different
duration numbers for the same securities.
The
following sensitivity analysis shows the estimated impact on the fair value
of
Bimini Capital's interest rate-sensitive investments as of September 30, 2007,
assuming rates instantaneously fall 100 basis points, rise 100 basis points
and
rise 200 basis points:
(in
thousands)
Interest
Rates Fall
100
Basis Points
|
Interest
Rates Rise
100
Basis Points
|
Interest
Rates Rise
200
Basis Points
|
||||||||||
Adjustable-Rate
MBS
|
||||||||||||
(Fair
Value $640,670)
|
||||||||||||
Change
in fair value
|
$ |
4,120
|
$ | (4,120 | ) | $ | (8,240 | ) | ||||
Change
as a percent of fair value
|
0.64 | % | (0.64 | %) | (1.29 | %) | ||||||
Fixed-Rate
MBS
|
||||||||||||
(Fair
Value $252,695)
|
||||||||||||
Change
in fair value
|
$ |
7,479
|
$ | (7,479 | ) | $ | (14,958 | ) | ||||
Change
as a percent of fair value
|
2.96 | % | (2.96 | %) | (5.92 | %) | ||||||
Hybrid
Adjustable-Rate MBS
|
||||||||||||
(Fair
Value $360,529)
|
||||||||||||
Change
in fair value
|
$ |
5,132
|
$ | (5,132 | ) | $ | (10,264 | ) | ||||
Change
as a percent of fair value
|
1.42 | % | (1.42 | %) | (2.85 | %) | ||||||
Cash
|
||||||||||||
(Fair
Value $ 24,873,520)
|
||||||||||||
Portfolio
Total
|
||||||||||||
(Fair
Value $1,253,894)
|
||||||||||||
Change
in fair value
|
$ |
16,731
|
$ | (16,731 | ) | $ | (33,462 | ) | ||||
Change
as a percent of fair value
|
1.33 | % | (1.33 | %) | (2.67 | %) |
The
table
below reflects the same analysis presented above but with the figures in the
columns that indicate the estimated impact of a 100 basis point fall or rise
adjusted to reflect the impact of convexity.
(in
thousands)
Interest
Rates Fall
100
Basis Points
|
Interest
Rates Rise
100
Basis Points
|
Interest
Rates Rise
200
Basis Points
|
||||||||||
Adjustable-Rate
MBS
|
||||||||||||
(Fair
Value $640,670)
|
||||||||||||
Change
in fair value
|
$ |
3,120
|
$ | (5,217 | ) | $ | (13,121 | ) | ||||
Change
as a percent of fair value
|
0.49 | % | (0.81 | %) | (2.05 | %) | ||||||
Fixed-Rate
MBS
|
||||||||||||
(Fair
Value $252,695)
|
||||||||||||
Change
in fair value
|
$ |
5,629
|
$ | (8,907 | ) | $ | (19,495 | ) | ||||
Change
as a percent of fair value
|
2.23 | % | (3.52 | %) | (7.71 | %) | ||||||
Hybrid
Adjustable-Rate MBS
|
||||||||||||
(Fair
Value $360,529)
|
||||||||||||
Change
in fair value
|
$ |
2,991
|
$ | (6,982 | ) | $ | (16,240 | ) | ||||
Change
as a percent of fair value
|
0.83 | % | (1.94 | %) | (4.50 | %) | ||||||
Cash
|
||||||||||||
(Fair
Value $24,873,520)
|
||||||||||||
Portfolio
Total
|
||||||||||||
(Fair
Value $1,253,894)
|
||||||||||||
Change
in fair value
|
$ |
11,740
|
$ | (21,105 | ) | $ | (48,855 | ) | ||||
Change
as a percent of fair value
|
0.94 | % | (1.68 | %) | (3.90 | %) |
In
addition to changes in interest rates, other factors impact the fair value
of
Bimini Capital's interest rate-sensitive investments and hedging instruments,
such as the shape of the yield curve, market expectations as to future interest
rate changes and other market conditions. Accordingly, in the event of changes
in actual interest rates, the change in the fair value of Bimini Capital's
assets would likely differ from that shown above and such difference might
be
material and adverse to Bimini Capital's stockholders.
For
reference, the table below shows the principal balance of Bimini Capital’s
investment securities, the net unamortized premium, amortized cost of securities
held, average cost expressed as a price, the fair market value of investments
and the fair market value expressed as a price for the current quarter and
each
of the previous nine quarters for the portfolio of MBS securities only.
Premium or discount associated with MBS securities classified as held for
trading is not amortized. Approximately $0.5 billion of the
$1.3 billion fair market value of MBS securities are classified as
held-for-trading as of September 31, 2007. The data in the table
below does not include information pertaining to discontinued operations at
OITRS.
(in
thousands)
Quarter
Ended
|
Principal
Balance
of
Investment
Securities
Held
|
Unamortized
Premium
(Net)
|
Amortized
Cost of
Securities
Held
|
Amortized
Cost/Principal
Balance
Held
|
Fair
Market
Value
of
Investment
Securities
Held
|
Fair
Market
Value/Principal
Balance
Held
|
||||||||||||||||||
September,
30 2007
|
$ |
1,236,629
|
$ |
11,144
|
$ |
1,253,894
|
101.40
|
$ |
1,253,894
|
101.40
|
||||||||||||||
June
30, 2007
|
1,801,492
|
17,144
|
1,818,636
|
100.95
|
1,818,636
|
100.95
|
||||||||||||||||||
March
31, 2007
|
2,893,761
|
109,445
|
3,003,206
|
103.78
|
2,931,796
|
101.31
|
||||||||||||||||||
December
31, 2006
|
2,779,867
|
115,612
|
2,895,479
|
104.16
|
2,808,734
|
101.04
|
||||||||||||||||||
September
30, 2006
|
3,055,791
|
122,300
|
3,178,091
|
104.00
|
3,080,060
|
100.79
|
||||||||||||||||||
June
30, 2006
|
3,396,910
|
120,769
|
3,517,679
|
103.56
|
3,407,288
|
100.31
|
||||||||||||||||||
March
31,2006
|
3,515,113
|
111,361
|
3,626,473
|
103.17
|
3,538,554
|
100.67
|
||||||||||||||||||
December
31, 2005
|
3,457,891
|
112,636
|
3,570,527
|
103.26
|
3,494,029
|
101.05
|
||||||||||||||||||
September
30, 2005
|
3,797,401
|
113,393
|
3,910,793
|
102.99
|
3,858,320
|
101.60
|
||||||||||||||||||
June 30,
2005
|
3,784,668
|
114,673
|
3,899,341
|
103.03
|
3,876,206
|
102.42
|
The
table
below shows Bimini Capital’s average investments held, total interest income,
yield on average earning assets, average repurchase obligations outstanding,
interest expense, average cost of funds, net interest income and net interest
spread for the quarter ended September 30, 2007, and the nine previous
quarters for Bimini Capital’s portfolio of MBS securities only. The data in the
table below does not include information pertaining to discontinued operations
at OITRS. Indicated in the table below, net interest spread (based on
average investment securities held and the average balance of repurchase
obligations outstanding for the period) increased during the third quarter
of
2007 to 0.55% from (1.04%) in the second quarter of 2007. The total interest
income figures below include the retrospective adjustment recorded for the
respective quarters. Excluding the quarterly retrospective
adjustment, the net interest margin increased from 0.00% in the second quarter
of 2007 to 0.66% in the third quarter of 2007.
RATIOS
FOR THE QUARTERS HAVE BEEN ANNUALIZED
(in
thousands)
Quarter
Ended
|
Average
Investment
Securities
Held
|
Total
Interest Income
|
Yield
on
Average
Interest
Earning
Assets
|
Average
Balance
of
Repurchase
Obligations
Outstanding
|
Interest
Expense
|
Average
Cost
of
Funds
|
Net
Interest
Income
|
Net
Interest
Spread
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
$ |
1,536,265
|
$ |
24,634
|
6.41 | % | $ |
1,497,409
|
$ |
21,949
|
5.86 | % | $ |
2,685
|
0.55 | % | ||||||||||||||||
June
30, 2007
|
2,375,216
|
29,009
|
4.89 | % |
2,322,727
|
34,396
|
5.92 | % | (5,387 | ) | (1.04 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||
March
31, 2007
|
2,870,265
|
41,856
|
5.83 | % |
2,801,901
|
38,357
|
5.48 | % |
3,500
|
0.36 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||
December
31, 2006
|
2,944,397
|
35,162
|
4.78 | % |
2,869,210
|
40,400
|
5.63 | % | (5,238 | ) | (0.86 | %) | ||||||||||||||||||||
September
30, 2006
|
3,243,674
|
45,850
|
5.65 | % |
3,151,813
|
42,710
|
5.42 | % |
3,140
|
0.23 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||
June
30, 2006
|
3,472,921
|
57,027
|
6.57 | % |
3,360,421
|
42,829
|
5.10 | % |
14,198
|
1.47 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||
March
31, 2006
|
3,516,292
|
42,345
|
4.82 | % |
3,375,777
|
37,661
|
4.46 | % |
4,684
|
0.35 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||
December
31, 2005
|
3,676,175
|
43,140
|
4.69 | % |
3,533,486
|
35,913
|
4.07 | % |
7,227
|
0.63 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||
September
30, 2005
|
3,867,263
|
43,574
|
4.51 | % |
3,723,603
|
33,102
|
3.56 | % |
10,472
|
0.95 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||
June 30,
2005
|
3,587,629
|
36,749
|
4.10 | % |
3,449,744
|
26,703
|
3.10 | % |
10,045
|
1.00 | % |
For
the
three months ended September 30, 2007, ($0.4) million of the $24.6 million
of
interest income was attributable to the quarterly retrospective
adjustment. As a result of the retrospective adjustment, the yield on
average interest earning assets for the period was reduced by 10.5 basis points
to 641.4 basis points. For the three months ended September 30, 2006,
$3.5 million of the $45.8 million of interest income was derived from the
quarterly retrospective adjustment. The adjustment represented 45.0
basis points of the 450.7 basis points of the yield on average interest earning
assets.
PERFORMANCE
OF DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS OF OITRS
As
stated
above, the Company has sold or discontinued all residential mortgage origination
activities at OITRS. Going forward, all reported financial results
will reflect this decision. The principal business activities of
OITRS were the origination and sale of mortgage loans. In addition,
as part of the securitization of loans sold, OITRS retained an interest in
the
resulting residual interest cash flows more fully described
below. Finally, OITRS serviced the loans securitized as well as some
loans sold on a whole loan basis.
As
of
September 30, 2007, OITRS owned $1.9 million of mortgage loans net of deferred
origination costs, mark to market and other adjustments which were classified
as
mortgage loans held for sale. Gains/(losses) realized on the mortgage
banking activities for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007,
were
($68.9) million and ($7.1) million, respectively, and for the nine and three
months ended September 30, 2006, were $17.4 million and $20.1 million,
respectively. These gains/(losses) reflect the effects of the mark to
market of IRLCs and loans held for sale prior to the sale date of ($3.6) million
and $5.7 million, respectively, for the nine
and three months ended September 30, 2007, and were ($1.2) million and ($0.4)
million, respectively, for the nine and three months ended September 30,
2006. OITRS’s gains/ (losses) from mortgage
banking activities were the result of a sharp deterioration in the secondary
market for the loans OITRS originates and sells. Owing to fears
related to the credit performance of certain types of loans OITRS originated,
namely high combined loan to value (“CLTV”) and second lien mortgages, prices
obtained upon sale were depressed and OITRS also experienced elevated levels
of
early payment defaults (EPDs), resulting in OITRS recording high loan loss
reserves.
Gains/(losses)
from mortgage banking activities include changes in the fair value of retained
interests in securitizations and the associated hedge gains or losses.
Excluding changes in fair value of retained interests in securitizations net
of
hedge gains and losses, OITRS had gains/(losses) from sales of mortgages held
for sale of ($36.3) million and ($6.7) million,
respectively, for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007, and $26.1
million and $6.9 million, respectively, for the nine and three months ended
September 30, 2006.
The
retained interests in securitizations represent residual interests in loans
originated or purchased by OITRS prior to securitization. The total
fair market value of these retained interests was approximately $71.6 million
as
of September 30, 2007. Fluctuations in value of retained interests are primarily
driven by projections of future interest rates (the forward LIBOR curve), the
discount rate used to determine the present value of the residual cash flows
and
prepayment and loss estimates on the underlying mortgage loans. Due to higher
forward LIBOR rates and increased loss assumptions on the underlying mortgage
loans, the market value of the retained interests (decreased) by ($28.1) million
and ($0.6) million, respectively, for the nine and three
months ended September 30, 2007 and (decreased)/increased by ($1.4) million
and
$23.1 million, respectively, for the nine and three months
ended September 30, 2006.
The
table
below provides details of OITRS’s (loss) on mortgage banking activities for the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006. OITRS
recognizes a gain or loss on sale of mortgages held for sale only when the
loans
are actually sold.
(LOSSES)
ON MORTGAGE BANKING ACTIVITIES
(in
thousands)
Nine Months
Ended
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
September
30, 2007
|
September
30, 2006
|
|||||||||||||
Fair
Value adjustment of retained interests, trading
|
$ | (28,126 | ) | $ | (1,406 | ) | $ | (634 | ) | $ |
23,071
|
|||||
Gain/
(loss) on sales of mortgage loans
|
(6,064 | ) |
65,775
|
(11,006 | ) |
20,288
|
||||||||||
Fees
on brokered loans
|
1,749
|
4,485
|
-
|
1,350
|
||||||||||||
Gain/(loss)
on derivatives
|
(4,473 | ) | (7,329 | ) |
246
|
(9,851 | ) | |||||||||
Direct
loan origination expenses, deferred
|
(7,122 | ) |
686
|
(1,627 | ) | (3 | ) | |||||||||
Fees
earned, brokering
|
887
|
2,054
|
182
|
748
|
||||||||||||
Write
off purchased pipeline (Purchase Accounting Adjustment)
|
-
|
(534 | ) |
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
$ | (43,149 | ) | $ |
63,731
|
$ | (12,839 | ) | $ |
35,603
|
|||||||
Direct
loan origination expenses, reclassified
|
(22,181 | ) | (45,065 | ) |
-
|
(14,861 | ) | |||||||||
Net gain/(loss)
on sale of mortgage loans
|
$ | (65,330 | ) | $ |
18,666
|
$ | (12,839 | ) | $ |
20,742
|
||||||
Change
in market value of IRLCs
|
$ |
14
|
$ | (34 | ) | $ |
-
|
$ |
775
|
|||||||
Change
in market value mortgage loans for held for sale
|
$ | (3,604 | ) | $ | (1,202 | ) | $ |
5,734
|
$ | (1,201 | ) | |||||
Gain/(loss)
on mortgage banking activities
|
$ | (68,920 | ) |
17,430
|
$ | (7,105 | ) | $ |
20,136
|
For
the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, OITRS originated
mortgage loans of $1.5 billion and $0.0 billion, and $4.7 billion
and $1.9 billion, respectively. For the nine
and three months ended September 30, 2007, OITRS sold $2.1 billion
and $0.1 billion of originated mortgage loans. For the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2006, OITRS sold $4.5 billion and
$1.8
billion of originated mortgage loans. Of the originated mortgage loans sold
during the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007, $0.8 billion of
the
$2.1 billion and $0.0 billion of the $0.1 billion,
respectively, were sold on a servicing retained basis. Of the originated
mortgage loans sold during the nine and three months ended September 30, 2006,
$2.9 billion of the $4.5 billion and $1.3 billion of the $1.8 billion,
respectively, were sold on a servicing retained basis.
For
the
nine and three months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, OITRS had net servicing
income/ (loss) of ($13.9) million and ($1.2) million, and
($8.1) million and ($8.1) million,
respectively. The results for the nine and three month periods were
driven primarily by negative fair value adjustments to the
MSRs (inclusive of run-off of the servicing portfolio) for the nine and three
months ended September 30, 2007 and the Company’s early adoption of SFAS 156 on
January 1, 2006 (for the nine and three months ended September 30,
2006).
As
of
September 30, 2007, OITRS held originated MSRs on approximately $0.7 billion
in
mortgages with a fair market value of approximately $2.6 million. For
the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, additions to the
MSRs were $7.7 million and $0.03 million, and $35.0 million
and $17.9 million, respectively. In turn, the
net fair value adjustments for the nine and three months ended September 30,
2007, reflect declines in fair value due to run-off of
($9.0) million and ($0.6) million and adjustments due to
(decreases)/increases in fair value of ($4.8) million and $0.1 million,
respectively. The net fair value adjustments for the nine and three
months ended September 30, 2006 reflect declines in fair value due to run-off
of
$14.7 million and $4.2 million,
respectively, and adjustments due to (decreases) in fair value of ($8.3)
million and ($9.1) million, respectively. Changes in valuation assumptions
for
the nine and three months ended September 30, 2007 reduced the fair market
value
by $2.6 million and $0.0 million, respectively. Changes in valuation
assumptions and early adoption of SFAS 156 in January of 2006 increased fair
market value for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2006, by
$7.3 million and $4.1 million, respectively.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
As
of
September 30, 2007, Bimini Capital had master repurchase agreements in
place with 19 counterparties and had outstanding balances under 10 of these
agreements. None of the counterparties to these agreements are
affiliates of Bimini Capital. These agreements are secured by Bimini Capital’s
MBS and bear interest rates that are based on a spread to LIBOR.
As
of
September 30, 2007, Bimini Capital had obligations outstanding under its
repurchase agreements totaling $1.2 billion with a net weighted average
borrowing cost of 5.23%. All of Bimini Capital’s outstanding
repurchase agreement obligations are due in less than 15 months with $0.04
billion maturing overnight, $0.6 billion maturing between two and 30 days,
$0.1 billion maturing between 31 and 90 days and $0.5 billion maturing in
more than 90 days. Securing these repurchase agreement
obligations as of September 30, 2007, were MBS with an estimated fair value
of
$1.3 billion and a weighted average maturity of 334 months.
As
of
September 30, 2007, Bimini Capital’s repurchase agreements had the following
counterparties, amounts outstanding, amounts-at-risk and weighted average
remaining maturities:
(in
thousands)
Repurchase
Agreement Counterparties
|
Amount
Outstanding
|
Amount
at
Risk(1)
|
Weighted
Average
Maturity
of
Repurchase
Agreements
in
Days
|
Percent
of
Total
Amount
Outstanding
|
||||||||||||
JP
Morgan Securities Inc.
|
$ |
432,173
|
$ | (45,594 | ) |
169
|
35.67 | % | ||||||||
Deutsche
Bank Securities, Inc.
|
357,227
|
(130,272 | ) |
204
|
29.49
|
|||||||||||
UBS
Securities LLC
|
151,797
|
(4,339 | ) |
23
|
12.53
|
|||||||||||
Morgan
Stanley
|
94,221
|
1,488
|
34
|
7.78
|
||||||||||||
BNP
Paribas Securities Corp.
|
55,959
|
(22,424 | ) |
10
|
4.62
|
|||||||||||
Lehman
Brothers Inc
|
36,703
|
801
|
174
|
3.03
|
||||||||||||
ING
Financial Markets LLC
|
34,440
|
715
|
75
|
2.84
|
||||||||||||
Cantor
Fitzgerald
|
31,942
|
189
|
78
|
2.64
|
||||||||||||
Countrywide
Securities Corporation
|
9,004
|
569
|
3
|
0.74
|
||||||||||||
Goldman
Sachs & Co.
|
8,021
|
262
|
28
|
0.66
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
$ |
1,211,487
|
$ | (198,605 | ) | 100.00 | % |
(1)
|
Equal
to the fair value of securities sold, plus accrued interest income,
minus
the sum of repurchase agreement liabilities, plus accrued interest
expense.
|
The
amount at risk as of September 30, 2007 would be $19.4 million versus ($198.6)
million had the Company not executed the sale late in the period of certain
MBS
pledged to counterparties. The sale of such securities settled on October
2, 2007 and the fulfillment of the associated repurchase obligation was
accelerated. However, as of September 30, 2007 such repurchase obligation
still existed and is reflected in the table above.
Bimini
Capital’s master repurchase agreements have no stated expiration, but can be
terminated at any time at Bimini Capital’s option or at the option of the
counterparty. However, once a definitive repurchase agreement under a master
repurchase agreement has been entered into, it generally may not be terminated
by either party. A negotiated termination can occur, but may involve
a fee to be paid by the party seeking to terminate the repurchase agreement
transaction.
Bimini
Capital has entered into contracts and paid commitment fees to one counterparty
providing for $0.3 billion in committed repurchase
agreement facilities at pre-determined borrowing rates and haircuts for a 364
day period following the commencement date of each contract. The
facility’s capacity expiration date is April 23, 2008. Bimini Capital
has no obligation to utilize these repurchase agreement facilities.
In
addition, two of the agreements described above are available to provide
financing for up to $150 million to cover margin
requirements associated with monthly principal payments on the MBS
portfolio.
It
is the
Company’s present intention to seek to renew its various committed and
uncommitted repurchase agreements as they become due or
expire. However, market conditions could change making the renewal of
these contractual arrangements more expensive or
unattainable. Further, as discussed above, increases in short-term
interest rates could negatively impact the valuation of Bimini Capital’s MBS
portfolio. Should this occur, Bimini Capital’s ability to enter into
new repurchase agreements or extend its existing repurchase agreements could
be
limited and may cause Bimini Capital’s repurchase agreement counterparties to
initiate margin calls. Under this scenario, Bimini Capital would
likely seek alternative sources of financing which could include additional
debt
or equity financing or sales of assets.
Given
the
current turmoil in the mortgage market, such alternative sources of financing
are not readily available to the Company. Further, as a result of the
turmoil in the mortgage market, cash needs of OITRS were
increased. The increased needs stemmed from margin calls on the
financing line for the retained interest, trading. The Company, as
guarantor, is potentially exposed to cash needs connected to the same financing
line and to the extent OITRS has insufficient funds to meet margin calls or
repay borrowings. Accordingly, during the three month period ended September
30,
2007, the Company undertook a series of assets sales intended to raise funds
necessary to support the operations of OITRS and maintain adequate liquidity
during the disruptions in the mortgage market that occurred and are
continuing.
The
Company has obtained a committed funding arrangement that provides specified
advance rates and funding levels and is available to finance the Company’s MBS
portfolio. Should the Company’s financing be withdrawn and the
Company’s committed funding agreements not be sufficient to finance all of the
Company’s MBS investments, the Company may be forced to sell such assets, which
may result in losses upon such sales. While the financing in place for the
Company’s retained interests, trading held by OITRS is committed through
December 19, 2007, the lender on the financing facility has and may continue
to
request additional margin be posted in connection with the facility. If the
Company is unable to meet such requests in the future, the Company may be forced
to sell the assets or seek alternative financing. At present, such
alternative financing arrangements for the residual interests, trading may
not
be available or only available at substantially higher cost to OITRS. If
cash resources are, at any time, insufficient to satisfy the Company’s liquidity
requirements, such as when cash flow from operations were materially negative,
the Company may be required to pledge additional assets to meet margin calls,
liquidate assets, sell additional debt or equity securities or pursue other
financing alternatives. Any sale of mortgage-related securities or other assets
held for sale at prices lower than the carrying value of such assets would
reduce the Company’s income. The Company presently believes that its
equity and junior subordinated debt capital, combined with the cash flow from
operations and the utilization of borrowings, will be sufficient to enable
the
Company to meet its anticipated liquidity requirements. Continued disruptions
in
market conditions could, however, adversely affect the Company’s liquidity,
including the lack of available financing for the Company’s MBS assets beyond
the capacity of the Company’s committed facility (currently $0.3 billion),
increases in interest rates, increases in prepayment rates substantially above
expectations and decreases in value of assets held for sale. Therefore, no
assurances can be made regarding the Company's ability to satisfy its liquidity
and working capital requirements.
In
May 2005, Bimini Capital completed a private offering of $51.6 million of
trust preferred securities of Bimini Capital Trust I (“BCTI”) resulting in the
issuance by Bimini Capital of $51.6 million of junior subordinated notes. The
interest rate payable by Bimini Capital on the BCTI junior subordinated notes
is
fixed for the first five years at 7.61% and then floats at a spread of 3.30%
over three-month LIBOR for the remaining 25 years. However, the BCTI junior
subordinated notes and the corresponding BCTI trust preferred securities are
redeemable at Bimini Capital’s option at the end of the first five year period
and at any subsequent date that Bimini Capital chooses.
In
addition, in October 2005, Bimini Capital completed a private offering of an
additional $51.5 million of trust preferred securities of Bimini Capital Trust
II (“BCTII”) resulting in the issuance by Bimini Capital of an additional $51.5
million of junior subordinated notes. The interest rate on the BCTII junior
subordinated notes and the corresponding BCTII trust preferred securities is
fixed for the first five years at 7.8575% and then floats at a spread of 3.50%
over three-month LIBOR for the remaining 25 years. However, the BCTII junior
subordinated notes and the corresponding BCTII trust preferred securities are
redeemable at Bimini Capital’s option at the end of the first five year period
and at any subsequent date that Bimini Capital chooses.
Bimini
Capital attempts to ensure that the income generated from available investment
opportunities, when the use of leverage is employed for the purchase of assets,
exceeds the cost of its borrowings. However, the issuance of debt at a fixed
rate for any long-term period, considering the use of leverage, could create
an
interest rate mismatch if Bimini Capital is not able to invest at yields that
exceed the interest rates of the Company’s junior subordinated notes and other
borrowings.
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES OF THE DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS OF
OITRS
OITRS
has
a $80.0 million committed line of credit secured by OITRS’s retained interests
in securitizations. The facility matures December 19,
2007. The facility contains various covenants pertaining to tangible
net worth, available cash and liquidity and a leverage ratio. As of
September 30, 2007, OITRS was in compliance with respect
to all such covenants. In the event OITRS
defaulted under the terms of the agreement, the lenders could force OITRS to
liquidate the retained interest, trading, seek payment from the Company as
guarantor, or force OITRS into an involuntary bankruptcy. In the
event the Company was required to perform under its duties as guarantor, the
Company’s liquidity would be constrained or it may not be able to satisfy such
obligations. In such event, this would also constitute an event of
default under the terms of the agreement and the lenders would have the same
remedies available to them as above. As of September 30, 2007, OITRS
had an outstanding balance of approximately $37.3 million outstanding on the
line of credit with the rate based on a spread to LIBOR.
Outlook
As
discussed above, the Company's results of operations for the nine and three
months ended September 30, 2007 continue to be impacted by disruptions in the
residential mortgage market, the mortgage backed securities market and a general
tightening of credit conditions brought about by adverse actions taken by
ratings agencies, liquidations of various investment funds and substantial
losses incurred by various market participants. As a result of these
events, the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee has adjusted their target
for
overnight lending rates which has positively impacted the Company’s borrowing
rates.
The
funding costs of the MBS portfolio have stabilized and the yield on the MBS
assets now exceeds the funding costs through the combination of Federal Reserve
actions mentioned above and as a result of the impairment charge taken. The
need
to fund negative cash flow operations at OITRS precluded the Company from
reinvesting monthly pay-downs and also required the Company to sell MBS assets
to generate funds throughout much of 2006 and 2007. Further, OITRS
has exposure to early payment default claims that have been received from buyers
of mortgage loans sold in the past. The settlement of such claims
will also need to be funded. The Company believes that adequate
reserves have been recorded for such exposure.
Going
forward, the reduced cash flow needs for OITRS and resulting halt to asset
sales
should allow the NIM of the MBS portfolio to remain
positive. However, the reduced size of the portfolio in relation to
the Company’s operating expenses will constrain the earnings potential of the
Company in the near term.
Critical
Accounting Policies
The
Company’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The Company’s significant
accounting policies are described in Note 1 to the
Company’s accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.
GAAP
requires the Company’s management to make some complex and subjective decisions
and assessments. The Company’s most critical accounting policies involve
decisions and assessments which could significantly affect reported assets
and
liabilities, as well as reported revenues and expenses. The Company believes
that all of the decisions and assessments upon which its financial statements
are based were reasonable at the time made based upon information available
to
it at that time. Management has identified its most critical accounting policies
to be the following:
LONG-LIVED
ASSETS
The
Company makes judgments and estimates about the carrying value
of long-lived assets, comprising of property and equipment, including
amounts to be capitalized, depreciation methods and useful lives. The Company
also reviews these assets for impairment on a periodic basis or whenever events
or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts may not be
recoverable. The impairment test consists of a comparison of an asset’s fair
value with its carrying value; if the carrying value of the asset exceeds its
fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in the Consolidated Statement
of
Operations in an amount equal to that excess. When an asset’s fair value is not
readily apparent from other sources, management’s determination of an asset’s
fair value requires it to make long-term forecasts of future net cash flows
related to the asset. These forecasts require assumptions about future demand,
future market conditions and regulatory developments. Significant and
unanticipated changes to these assumptions could require a provision for
impairment in a future period.
In
accordance with SFAS No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of
Long Lived Assets (“SFAS 144”), the closure and/or sale of mortgage loan
origination channels (discussed in Note 11) required management to test the
associated long lived assets for recoverability. In connection with
the testing of recoverability of the long lived assets, OITRS recorded an
impairment charge of $8.9 million and $0.0 million, respectively, for the nine
and three months ended September 30, 2007. Further, in accordance
with SFAS 144, such long lived assets were reported by OITRS as held for use
as
of March 31, 2007, and have been included in discontinued operations for the
remainder of 2007.
GOODWILL
AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS
In
accordance with SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets,
goodwill of a reporting unit (OITRS) and other intangible assets (the
“Opteum” trade name) not subject to amortization shall be tested for
impairment on an annual basis and between annual tests if an event occurs or
circumstances change that indicate the intangible asset might be impaired,
which, in the case of goodwill of a reporting unit, is when such event or
circumstances would more likely than not reduce the fair value of that reporting
unit below its carrying amount. The closure and or sale of the
mortgage loan origination channels constituted such an event that would require
impairment analyses on the goodwill and other intangibles not subject to
amortization. Accordingly, OITRS recorded impairment charges of both
goodwill and other intangible assets not subject to amortization of
approximately $3.4 million and
$0.0 million, respectively, for the nine and three months
ended September 30, 2007.
MORTGAGE
BACKED SECURITIES
The
Company’s investments in MBS are classified as available-for-sale securities or
held for trading. Changes in fair value of securities held for trading are
recorded through the statement of operations. The Company’s MBS have fair values
determined by management based on the average of third-party broker quotes
received and/or by independent pricing sources when available. Because the
price
estimates may vary to some degree between sources, management must make certain
judgments and assumptions about the appropriate price to use to calculate the
fair values for financial reporting purposes. Alternatively, management could
opt to have the value of all of its positions in MBS determined by either an
independent third-party pricing source or do so internally based on managements
own estimates. Management believes pricing on the basis of third-party broker
quotes is the most consistent with the definition of fair value described in
SFAS No. 107, Disclosures about the Fair Value of Financial
Instruments.
When
the
fair value of an available-for-sale security is less than amortized cost,
management considers whether there is an other-than-temporary impairment in
the
value of the security. The decision is based on the credit quality
of the issue (agency versus non-agency and for non-agency, the credit
performance of the underlying collateral), the security prepayment speeds,
the
length of time the security has been in an unrealized loss position and the
Company's ability and intent to hold securities. As of September 30, 2007,
the
Company did not hold any non-agency securities in its portfolio. If, in
management's judgment, an other-than-temporary impairment exists, the cost
basis
of the security is written down in the period to fair value and the unrealized
loss is recognized in current period earnings. Such an
event occurred in the period ended June 30, 2007 and as a consequence the cost
basis of all MBS securities was written down to fair value and the previously
unrealized loss recognized in earnings. As of June 30, 2007,
all available-for-sale securities would then be valued as a lower of cost or
market basis.
RETAINED
INTEREST, TRADING
Retained
interest, trading is the subordinated interests retained by the Company from
the
Company’s various securitizations and includes the over-collateralization and
residual net interest spread remaining after payments to the Public Certificates
and NIM Notes (see Note 11). Retained interest, trading represents the present
value of estimated cash flows to be received from these subordinated interests
in the future. The subordinated interests retained are classified as
“trading securities” and are reported at fair value with unrealized gains or
losses reported in earnings. In order to value these unrated and
unquoted retained interests, the Company utilizes either pricing available
directly from dealers or calculates their present value by projecting their
future cash flows on a publicly-available analytical system. When a
publicly-available analytical system is employed, the Company uses the following
variable factors in estimating the fair value of these assets:
Interest
Rate Forecast. LIBOR
interest rate curve.
Discount
Rate. The present
value of all future cash flows utilizing a discount rate assumption established
at the discretion of the Company to represent market conditions and
value.
Prepayment
Forecast. The
prepayment forecast may be expressed by the Company in accordance with one
of
the following standard market conventions: Constant Prepayment Rate (“CPR”) or
Percentage of a Prepayment Vector. Prepayment forecasts are made utilizing
Citigroup Global Markets Yield Book and/or management estimates based on
historical experience. Conversely, prepayment speed forecasts could have been
based on other market conventions or third-party analytical systems. Prepayment
forecasts may be changed as OITRS observes trends in the underlying collateral
as delineated in the Statement to Certificate Holders generated by the
securitization trust’s Trustee for each underlying security.
Credit
Performance Forecast. A
forecast of future credit performance of the underlying collateral pool will
include an assumption of default frequency, loss severity and a recovery lag.
In
general, the Company will utilize the combination of default frequency and
loss
severity in conjunction with a collateral prepayment assumption to arrive at
a
target cumulative loss to the collateral pool over the life of the pool based
on
historical performance of similar collateral by the originator. The target
cumulative loss forecast will be developed and noted at the pricing date of
the
individual security but may be updated by the Company consistent with
observations of the actual collateral pool performance.
As
of
September 30, 2007, and December 31, 2006, key economic assumptions and the
sensitivity of the current fair value of retained interests to the immediate
10%
and 20% adverse change in those assumptions are as follows:
(in
thousands)
September
30, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||||
Carrying
value of retained interests – fair value
|
$ |
71,593
|
$ |
104,199
|
||||
Weighted
average life (in years)
|
4.57
|
4.26
|
||||||
Prepayment
assumption (annual rate)
|
30.46 | % | 37.88 | % | ||||
Impact
on fair value of 10% adverse change
|
$ | (5,394 | ) | $ | (8,235 | ) | ||
Impact
on fair value of 20% adverse change
|
$ | (10,095 | ) | $ | (14,939 | ) | ||
Expected
Credit losses (annual rate)
|
0.83 | % | 0.56 | % | ||||
Impact
on fair value of 10% adverse change
|
$ | (4,474 | ) | $ | (3,052 | ) | ||
Impact
on fair value of 20% adverse change
|
$ | (8,899 | ) | $ | (6,098 | ) | ||
Residual
Cash-Flow Discount Rate
|
20.00 | % | 16.03 | % | ||||
Impact
on fair value of 10% adverse change
|
$ | (4,090 | ) | $ | (4,575 | ) | ||
Impact
on fair value of 20% adverse change
|
$ | (7,808 | ) | $ | (8,771 | ) | ||
Interest
rates on variable and adjustable loans and bonds
|
Forward
LIBOR Yield Curve
|
Forward
LIBOR Yield Curve
|
||||||
Impact
on fair value of 10% adverse change
|
$ | (20,473 | ) | $ | (18,554 | ) | ||
Impact
on fair value of 20% adverse change
|
$ | (38,997 | ) | $ | (39,292 | ) |
These
sensitivities are entirely hypothetical and should be used with caution. As
the
figures indicate, changes in fair value based upon 10% and 20% variations in
assumptions generally cannot be extrapolated to greater or lesser percentage
variations because the relationship of the change in assumption to the change
in
fair value may not be linear. Also, in this table, the effect of the variation
in a particular assumption on the fair value of the subordinated interest is
calculated without changing any other assumption. In reality, changes
in one factor may result in changes in another that may magnify or counteract
the sensitivities. To estimate the impact of a 10% and 20% adverse change of
the
forward LIBOR curve, a parallel shift in the forward LIBOR curve was assumed
based on the forward LIBOR curve as of September 30, 2007 and December 31,
2006.
MORTGAGE
SERVICING RIGHTS
The
Company recognizes mortgage servicing rights (“MSRs”) as assets when separated
from the underlying mortgage loans in connection with the sale of such loans.
Upon sale of a loan, the Company measures the retained MSRs by allocating the
total cost of originating a mortgage loan between the loan and the servicing
right based on their relative fair values. Gains or losses on the sale of MSRs
are recognized when title and all risks and rewards have irrevocably passed
to
the purchaser of such MSRs and there are no significant unresolved
contingencies.
In
March
2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 156, Accounting for Servicing of Financial
Assets. The Company elected to early adopt SFAS 156 as of
January 1, 2006, and to measure all mortgage servicing assets at fair value
(and
as one class).
To
facilitate hedging of the MSRs, management has elected to utilize an internal
model for valuation purposes. Accordingly, fair value is estimated
based on internally generated expected cash flows considering market prepayment
estimates, historical prepayment rates, portfolio characteristics, interest
rates and other economic factors.
As
of
September 30, 2007, and December 31, 2006, key economic assumptions and the
sensitivity of the current fair value of MSR cash flows to the immediate 10%
and
20% adverse change in those assumptions are as follows:
(in
thousands)
September
30, 2007
|
December
31, 2006
|
|||||||
Prepayment
assumption (annual rate) (PSA)
|
450.9
|
424.6
|
||||||
Impact
on fair value of 10% adverse change
|
$ | (74 | ) | $ | (3,923 | ) | ||
Impact
on fair value of 20% adverse change
|
$ | (144 | ) | $ | (7,557 | ) | ||
MSR
Cash-Flow Discount Rate
|
14.16 | % | 14.50 | % | ||||
Impact
on fair value of 10% adverse change
|
$ | (124 | ) | $ | (3,505 | ) | ||
Impact
on fair value of 20% adverse change
|
$ | (236 | ) | $ | (6,727 | ) | ||
These
sensitivities are entirely hypothetical and should be used with caution. As
the
figures indicate, changes in fair value based upon 10% and 20% variations in
assumptions generally cannot be extrapolated to greater or lesser percentage
variations because the relationship of the change in assumption to the change
in
fair value may not be linear. Also, in this table, the effect of the variation
in a particular assumption on the fair value of the MSRs is calculated without
changing any other assumption. In reality, changes in one factor may
result in changes in another which may magnify or counteract the
sensitivities.
INCOME
RECOGNITION
Interest
income on available-for-sale MBS is accrued based on the actual coupon rate
and
the outstanding principal amount of the underlying mortgages. Premiums and
discounts are amortized or accreted into interest income over the estimated
lives of the MBS using the effective yield method adjusted for the effects
of
estimated prepayments based on SFAS No. 91, Accounting for
Nonrefundable Fees and Costs Associated with Originating or Acquiring Loans
and
Initial Direct Costs of Leases - an amendment of FASB Statements No. 13, 60
and 65 and a rescission of FASB Statement No. 17. Adjustments are made
using the retrospective method to the effective interest computation each
reporting period based on the actual prepayment experiences to date and the
present expectation of future prepayments of the underlying mortgages. To make
assumptions as to future estimated rates of prepayments, the Company currently
uses actual market prepayment history for the securities it owns and for similar
securities that the Company does not own and current market conditions. If
the
estimate of prepayments is incorrect, the Company is required to make an
adjustment to the amortization or accretion of premiums and discounts that
would
have an impact on future income.
For
securities classified as held for trading interest income is based on the stated
interest rate and the outstanding principal balance, premium or discount
associated with the purchase of the MBS are not amortized.
With
respect to mortgage loans held for sale, interest income and interest expense
are recognized as earned or incurred. Loans are placed on a non-accrual status
when concern exists as to the ultimate collectability of principal or interest.
Loans return to accrual status when principal and interest become current and
are anticipated to be fully collectible. The Company recognizes gain (or loss)
on the sale of these loans. Gains or losses on such sales are recognized
at the time legal title transfers to the purchaser of such loans based upon
the
difference between the sales proceeds from the purchaser and the allocated
basis
of the loan sold, adjusted for net deferred loan fees and certain direct costs
and selling costs. The Company defers net loan origination costs and fees as
a
component of the loan balance on the balance sheet. Such costs are not amortized
and are recognized into income as a component of the gain or loss upon sale.
Accordingly, salaries, commissions, benefits and other operating expenses of
$22.2 million and $0.0 million, respectively, during the nine and three months
ended September 30, 2007 were capitalized as direct loan origination costs
included in loss from discontinued operations.
Servicing
fee income is generally a fee based on a percentage of the outstanding principal
balances of the mortgage loans serviced by the Company (or by a sub-servicer
where the Company is the master servicer) and is recorded as income as the
installment payments on the mortgages are received by the Company or the
sub-servicer.
INCOME
TAXES
Bimini
Capital has elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Code. As further described
below, Bimini Capital’s subsidiary, OITRS a taxpaying entity for income tax
purposes and is taxed separately from Bimini Capital. Bimini Capital will
generally not be subject to federal income tax on its REIT taxable income to
the
extent that Bimini Capital distributes its REIT taxable income to its
stockholders and satisfies the ongoing REIT requirements, including meeting
certain asset, income and stock ownership tests. A REIT must generally
distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its stockholders, of
which
85% generally must be distributed within the taxable year, in order to avoid
the
imposition of an excise tax. The remaining balance may be distributed up to
the
end of the following taxable year, provided the REIT elects to treat such amount
as a prior year distribution and meets certain other requirements.
OITRS
and
its activities are subject to corporate income taxes and the applicable
provisions of SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes. Deferred tax
assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences
attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts
of
existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax
assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply
to
taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected
to
be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities
of a
change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the
enactment date. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax
assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some
portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. To
the extent management believes deferred tax assets will not be fully realized
in
future periods, a provision is recorded so as to reflect the net portion, if
any, of the deferred tax asset management expects to realize.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
As
previously discussed OITRS pools loans originated or purchased and then sells
them or securitizes them to obtain long-term financing for its assets.
Securitized loans are transferred to a trust where they serve as collateral
for
asset-backed bonds, which the trust primarily issues to the public. During
the
third quarter of 2007, OITRS did not execute a securitization, and is not
expected to do so in the future. However, OITRS held approximately $71.6 million
of retained interests from securitizations as of September 30,
2007.
The
cash
flows associated with OITRS’s securitization activities over the nine and three
months ended September 30, 2007, were as follows:
(in
thousands)
Nine
Months Ended September 30, 2007
|
Three
Months Ended September 30, 2007
|
|||||||
Proceeds
from securitizations
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
-
|
||||
Servicing
fees received
|
11,375
|
1,684
|
||||||
Servicing
advances net of repayments
|
5,110
|
3,678
|
||||||
Cash
flows received on retained interests
|
4,479
|
1,570
|
ITEM
3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET
RISK.
There
have been no material changes to the Company’s exposure to market risk since
December 31, 2006. The information set forth under Item 7A – Quantitative and
Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk in the Company’s Annual Report on Form
10-K for the period ended December 31, 2006, is incorporated herein by
reference.
ITEM
4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The
Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure
that information required to be disclosed in the Company’s reports under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is recorded, processed, summarized
and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange
Commission’s rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and
communicated to the Company’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer
and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding
required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls
and procedures, management recognized that any controls and procedures, no
matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance
of
achieving the desired control objectives and management necessarily was required
to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible
controls and procedures.
As
of the
end of the period covered by this report, the Company’s management carried out
an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of
the
design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures.
Based on such evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and
procedures were effective.
Changes
in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
There
was
no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that
occurred during the Company’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materially
affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal
control over financial reporting.
PART
II. OTHER INFORMATION.
ITEM
1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
The
Company is involved in various lawsuits and claims, both actual and potential,
including some that it has asserted against others, in which monetary and other
damages are sought. Except as described below, these lawsuits and claims relate
primarily to contractual disputes arising out of the ordinary course of the
Company’s business. The outcome of such lawsuits and claims is inherently
unpredictable. However, management believes that, in the aggregate, the outcome
of all lawsuits and claims involving the Company will not have a material effect
on the Company’s consolidated financial position or liquidity; however, any such
outcome may be material to the results of operations of any particular period
in
which costs, if any, are recognized. See also Notes 8 and
11 to the Company’s accompanying consolidated financial statements.
On
September 17, 2007, a complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of Florida by William Kornfeld against the Company, certain
of
the Company’s current and former officers and directors, Flagstone Securities,
LLC and BB&T Capital Markets alleging various violations of the federal
securities laws and seeking class action certification. On October 9,
2007, a complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District
of Florida by Richard and Linda Coy against the Company, certain of the
Company’s current and former officers and directors, Flagstone Securities, LLC
and BB&T Capital Markets alleging various violations of the federal
securities laws and seeking class action certification. The Company
believes the plaintiffs’ claims in these actions are without merit, has filed a
motion to consolidate these actions and intends to vigorously defend the
cases.
ITEM
1A. RISK FACTORS.
RISKS
RELATED TO BIMINI CAPITAL’S MBS
PORTFOLIO
Interest
rate mismatches between Bimini Capital’s adjustable-rate securities and its
borrowings used to fund purchases of the mortgage-related securities may reduce
net income or result in a loss during periods of changing interest
rates.
Bimini
Capital’s portfolio of MBS includes adjustable rate MBS and hybrid adjustable
rate MBS, and the mix of these securities in the portfolio may be increased
or
decreased over time. Additionally, the interest rates of these securities may
vary over time based on changes in a short-term interest rate index, of which
there are many. Bimini Capital finances its acquisitions of adjustable-rate
securities in part with borrowings that have interest rates based on indices
and
repricing terms similar to, but perhaps with shorter maturities than, the
interest rate indices and repricing terms of the adjustable-rate securities.
Short-term interest rates are ordinarily lower than longer-term interest rates.
During periods of changing interest rates, this interest rate mismatch between
Bimini Capital’s assets and liabilities could reduce or eliminate net income and
dividend yield and could cause Bimini Capital to suffer a loss. In particular,
in a period of rising interest rates, Bimini Capital could experience a decrease
in, or elimination of, net income or a net loss because the interest rates
on
Bimini Capital’s borrowings adjust faster than the interest rates on the
adjustable-rate securities.
Interest
rate fluctuations will also cause variances in the yield curve, which may reduce
Bimini Capital’s net income. The relationship between short-term and longer-term
interest rates is often referred to as the "yield curve." If short-term interest
rates rise disproportionately relative to longer-term interest rates (a
flattening of the yield curve), Bimini Capital’s borrowing costs may increase
more rapidly than the interest income earned on assets. Because Bimini Capital’s
assets may bear interest based on longer-term rates than its borrowings, a
flattening of the yield curve would tend to decrease net income and the market
value of mortgage loan assets. Additionally, to the extent cash flows from
investments that return scheduled and unscheduled principal are reinvested
in
mortgage loans, the spread between the yields of the new investments and
available borrowing rates may decline, which would likely decrease Bimini
Capital’s net income. It is also possible that short-term interest rates may
exceed longer-term interest rates (a yield curve inversion), in which event
Bimini Capital’s borrowing costs may exceed its interest income and it could
incur operating losses.
A
significant portion of Bimini Capital’s portfolio consists of fixed-rate MBS,
which may cause Bimini Capital to experience reduced net income or a loss during
periods of rising interest rates.
Bimini
Capital’s portfolio includes or may include fixed-rate and balloon maturity MBS.
Because the interest rate on a fixed-rate mortgage never changes, over time
there can be a divergence between the interest rate on the loan and the current
market interest rates. Bimini Capital funds its acquisition of fixed-rate MBS
with short-term repurchase agreements and term loans. During periods of rising
interest rates, Bimini Capital’s costs associated with borrowings used to fund
the acquisition of fixed-rate assets are subject to increases while the income
it earns from these assets remains substantially fixed. This would reduce and
could eliminate the net interest spread between the fixed-rate MBS that Bimini
Capital purchases and the borrowings used to purchase them, which would reduce
net interest income and could cause Bimini Capital to suffer a
loss.
Increased
levels of prepayments on the mortgages underlying Bimini Capital’s
mortgage-related securities might decrease net interest income or result in
a
net loss.
Pools
of
mortgage loans underlie the mortgage-related securities that Bimini Capital
acquires. Bimini Capital generally receives payments that are made on these
underlying mortgage loans. When Bimini Capital acquires mortgage-related
securities, it anticipates that the underlying mortgages will prepay at a
projected rate generating an expected yield. When borrowers prepay their
mortgage loans faster than expected it results in corresponding prepayments
on
the mortgage-related securities that are faster than expected.
Faster-than-expected prepayments could potentially harm the results of Bimini
Capital’s operations in various ways, including the following:
|
•
|
Bimini
Capital seeks to purchase some mortgage-related securities that have
a
higher interest rate than the market interest rate at the time. In
exchange for this higher interest rate, Bimini Capital will be required
to
pay a premium over the market value to acquire the security. In accordance
with applicable accounting rules, Bimini Capital will be required
to
amortize this premium over the term of the mortgage-related security.
If
the mortgage-related security is prepaid in whole or in part prior
to its
maturity date, however, Bimini Capital must expense any unamortized
premium that remained at the time of the
prepayment.
|
|
•
|
A
portion of Bimini Capital’s adjustable-rate MBS may bear interest at rates
that are lower than their fully indexed rates, which are equivalent
to the
applicable index rate plus a margin. If an adjustable-rate mortgage-backed
security is prepaid prior to or soon after the time of adjustment
to a
fully-indexed rate, Bimini Capital will have held that mortgage-related
security while it was less profitable and lost the opportunity to
receive
interest at the fully indexed rate over the remainder of its expected
life.
|
|
•
|
If
Bimini Capital is unable to acquire new mortgage-related securities
to
replace the prepaid mortgage-related securities, Bimini Capital’s
financial condition, results of operations and cash flow may suffer
and it
could incur losses.
|
Prepayment
rates generally increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest
rates rise, but changes in prepayment rates are difficult to predict. Prepayment
rates also may be affected by other factors, including, without limitation,
conditions in the housing and financial markets, general economic conditions
and
the relative interest rates on adjustable-rate and fixed-rate mortgage loans.
While Bimini Capital seeks to minimize prepayment risk, it must balance
prepayment risk against other risks and the potential returns of each investment
when selecting investments. No strategy can completely insulate the Company
from
prepayment or other such risks.
Bimini
Capital may incur increased borrowing costs related to repurchase agreements
that would harm Bimini Capital’s results of operations.
Bimini
Capital’s borrowing costs under repurchase agreements are generally adjustable
and correspond to short-term interest rates, such as LIBOR or a short-term
Treasury index, plus or minus a margin. The margins on these borrowings over
or
under short-term interest rates may vary depending upon a number of factors,
including, without limitation:
|
•
|
the
movement of interest rates;
|
|
•
|
the
availability of financing in the market;
and
|
|
•
|
the
value and liquidity of Bimini Capital’s mortgage-related
securities.
|
Most
of
the Bimini Capital’s borrowings are collateralized borrowings in the form of
repurchase agreements. If the interest rates on these repurchase agreements
increase, Bimini Capital’s results of operations will be harmed and it may incur
losses.
Interest
rate caps on Bimini Capital’s adjustable-rate MBS may reduce its income or cause
it to suffer a loss during periods of rising interest
rates.
Adjustable-rate
MBS are typically subject to periodic and lifetime interest rate caps. Periodic
interest rate caps limit the amount an interest rate can increase during any
given period. Lifetime interest rate caps limit the amount an interest rate
can
increase through the maturity of a mortgage-backed security. Bimini Capital’s
borrowings typically are not subject to similar restrictions. Accordingly,
in a
period of rapidly increasing interest rates, the interest rates paid on Bimini
Capital’s borrowings could increase without limitation while caps could limit
the interest rates on its adjustable-rate MBS. This problem is magnified for
adjustable-rate MBS that are not fully indexed. Further, some adjustable-rate
MBS may be subject to periodic payment caps that result in a portion of the
interest being deferred and added to the principal outstanding. As a result,
the
Company may receive less cash income on adjustable-rate MBS than it needs to
pay
interest on its related borrowings. Interest rate caps on Bimini
Capital’s MBS could reduce its net interest income or cause it to suffer a net
loss if interest rates were to increase beyond the level of the
caps.
Bimini
Capital may not be able to purchase interest rate caps at favorable prices,
which could cause the Company to suffer a loss in the event of significant
changes in interest rates.
Bimini
Capital’s policies permit it to purchase interest rate caps to help it reduce
Bimini Capital’s interest rate and prepayment risks associated with investments
in mortgage-related securities. This strategy potentially helps the Company
reduce Bimini Capital’s exposure to significant changes in interest rates. A cap
contract is ultimately no benefit to Bimini Capital unless interest rates exceed
the target rate. If Bimini Capital purchases interest rate caps but does not
experience a corresponding increase in interest rates, the costs of buying
the
caps would reduce Bimini Capital’s earnings. Alternatively, Bimini Capital may
decide not to enter into a cap transaction due to its expense, and it would
suffer losses if interest rates later rise substantially. Bimini Capital’s
ability to engage in interest rate hedging transactions is limited by the REIT
gross income requirements. See "Legal and Tax Risks" below.
Bimini
Capital’s leverage strategy increases the risks of Bimini Capital’s operations,
which could reduce net income and the amount available for distributions to
stockholders or cause Bimini Capital to suffer a loss.
Bimini
Capital generally seeks to borrow between eight and twelve times the amount
of
Bimini Capital’s equity, although at times its borrowings may be above or below
this amount. For purposes of this calculation, Bimini Capital treats trust
preferred securities as an equity capital equivalent. The Company incurs this
indebtedness by borrowing against a substantial portion of the market value
of
its mortgage-related securities. The Company’s total indebtedness, however, is
not expressly limited by its policies and will depend on its and its prospective
lender's estimate of the stability of its portfolio's cash flow. As a result,
there is no limit on the amount of leverage that Bimini Capital may incur.
Bimini Capital faces the risk that it might not be able to meet its debt service
obligations or a lender's margin requirements from its income and, to the extent
Bimini Capital cannot, it might be forced to liquidate some of its assets at
unfavorable prices. Bimini Capital’s use of leverage amplifies the risks
associated with other risk factors, which could reduce its net income and the
amount available for distributions to stockholders or cause it to suffer a
loss.
For example:
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A
majority of Bimini Capital’s borrowings are secured by its
mortgage-related securities, generally under repurchase agreements.
A
decline in the market value of the mortgage-related securities used
to
secure these debt obligations could limit Bimini Capital’s ability to
borrow or result in lenders requiring it to pledge additional collateral
to secure its borrowings. In that situation, Bimini Capital could
be
required to sell mortgage-related securities under adverse market
conditions in order to obtain the additional collateral required
by the
lender. If these sales are made at prices lower than the carrying
value of
the mortgage-related securities, Bimini Capital would experience
losses.
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A
default under a mortgage-related security that constitutes collateral
for
a loan could also result in an involuntary liquidation of the
mortgage-related security, including any cross-collateralized
mortgage-related securities. This would result in a loss to Bimini
Capital
of the difference between the value of the mortgage-related security
upon
liquidation and the amount borrowed against the mortgage-related
security.
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To
the extent Bimini Capital is compelled to liquidate qualified REIT
assets
to repay debts, Bimini Capital’s compliance with the REIT rules regarding
its assets and its sources of income could be negatively affected,
which
would jeopardize its qualification as a REIT. Losing Bimini Capital’s REIT
qualification would cause it to lose tax advantages applicable to
REITs
and would decrease profitability and distributions to
stockholders.
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If
Bimini Capital experiences losses as a result of its leverage policy,
such
losses would reduce the amounts available for distribution to
stockholders.
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An
increase in interest rates may adversely affect the Company’s stockholder’s
equity, which may harm the value of its Class A Common
Stock.
Increases
in interest rates may negatively affect the fair market value of the Company’s
mortgage-related securities. The Company’s fixed-rate MBS will generally be more
negatively affected by such increases. In accordance with GAAP, the Company
will
be required to reduce the carrying value of the Company’s mortgage-related
securities by the amount of any decrease in the fair value of mortgage-related
securities compared to amortized cost. If unrealized losses in fair value occur,
the Company will have to either reduce current earnings or reduce stockholders'
equity without immediately affecting current earnings, depending on how it
classifies the mortgage-related securities under GAAP. In either case, the
Company’s stockholder’s equity will decrease to the extent of any realized or
unrealized losses in fair value.
Bimini
Capital depends on borrowings to purchase mortgage-related securities and reach
Bimini Capital’s desired amount of leverage. If Bimini Capital fails to obtain
or renew sufficient funding on favorable terms or at all, it will be limited
in
its ability to acquire mortgage-related securities, which will harm its results
of operations.
Bimini
Capital depends on borrowings to fund acquisitions of mortgage-related
securities and reach Bimini Capital’s desired amount of leverage. Accordingly,
Bimini Capital’s ability to achieve its investment and leverage objectives
depends on its ability to borrow money in sufficient amounts and on favorable
terms. In addition, Bimini Capital must be able to renew or replace Bimini
Capital’s maturing borrowings on a continuous basis. Bimini Capital depends on
many lenders to provide the primary credit facilities for Bimini Capital’s
purchases of mortgage-related securities. If Bimini Capital cannot renew or
replace maturing borrowings on favorable terms or at all, it may have to sell
its mortgage-related securities under adverse market conditions, which would
harm its results of operations and may result in permanent losses.
Possible
market developments could cause Bimini Capital’s lenders to require it to pledge
additional assets as collateral. If Bimini Capital’s assets were insufficient to
meet the collateral requirements, it might be compelled to liquidate particular
assets at inopportune times and at unfavorable prices.
Possible
market developments, including a sharp or prolonged rise in interest rates,
a
change in prepayment rates or increasing market concern about the value or
liquidity of one or more types of mortgage-related securities in which Bimini
Capital’s portfolio is concentrated, might reduce the market value of its
portfolio, which might cause its lenders to require additional collateral.
Any
requirement for additional collateral might compel Bimini Capital to liquidate
its assets at inopportune times and at unfavorable prices, thereby harming
its
operating results. If Bimini Capital sells mortgage-related securities at prices
lower than the carrying value of the mortgage-related securities, it would
experience losses.
Bimini
Capital’s use of repurchase agreements to borrow funds may give Bimini Capital’s
lenders greater rights in the event that either Bimini Capital or any of its
lenders file for bankruptcy, which may make it difficult for it to recover
its
collateral in the event of a bankruptcy filing.
Bimini
Capital’s borrowings under repurchase agreements may qualify for special
treatment under the bankruptcy code, giving its lenders the ability to avoid
the
automatic stay provisions of the bankruptcy code and to take possession of
and
liquidate its collateral under the repurchase agreements without delay if Bimini
Capital files for bankruptcy. Furthermore, the special treatment of repurchase
agreements under the bankruptcy code may make it difficult for Bimini Capital
to
recover its pledged assets in the event that its lender files for bankruptcy.
Thus, the use of repurchase agreements exposes Bimini Capital’s pledged assets
to risk in the event of a bankruptcy filing by either Bimini Capital’s lenders
or Bimini Capital.
Because
the assets that Bimini Capital acquires might experience periods of illiquidity,
Bimini Capital might be prevented from selling its mortgage-related securities
at favorable times and prices, which could cause it to suffer a loss and/or
reduce distributions to stockholders.
Although
Bimini Capital plans to hold its mortgage-related securities until maturity,
there may be circumstances in which Bimini Capital sells certain of these
securities. Mortgage-related securities generally experience periods of
illiquidity. As a result, Bimini Capital may be unable to dispose of its
mortgage-related securities at advantageous times and prices or in a timely
manner. The lack of liquidity might result from the absence of a willing buyer
or an established market for these assets, as well as legal or contractual
restrictions on resale. The illiquidity of mortgage-related securities may
harm
Bimini Capital’s results of operations and could cause it to suffer a loss
and/or reduce distributions to stockholders.
Competition
might prevent Bimini Capital from acquiring mortgage-related securities at
favorable yields, which could harm its results of
operations.
Bimini
Capital’s net income largely depends on its ability to acquire mortgage-related
securities at favorable spreads over its borrowing costs. In acquiring
mortgage-related securities, Bimini Capital competes with other REITs,
investment banking firms, savings and loan associations, banks, insurance
companies, mutual funds, other lenders and other entities that purchase
mortgage-related securities, many of which have greater financial resources
than
Bimini Capital does. Additionally, many of Bimini Capital’s competitors are not
subject to REIT tax compliance or required to maintain an exemption from the
Investment Company Act. As a result, Bimini Capital may not be able to acquire
sufficient mortgage-related securities at favorable spreads over its borrowing
costs, which would harm its results of operations.
Bimini
Capital’s investment strategy involves risk of default and delays in payments,
which could harm its results of operations.
Bimini
Capital may incur losses if there are payment defaults under its
mortgage-related securities. Bimini Capital’s mortgage-related securities will
be government or agency certificates. Agency certificates are mortgage-related
securities issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. Payment of
principal and interest underlying securities issued by Ginnie Mae are guaranteed
by the U.S. Government. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-related securities
are guaranteed as to payment of principal and interest by the respective agency
issuing the security. It is possible that guarantees made by Freddie Mac or
Fannie Mae would not be honored in the event of default on the underlying
securities. Legislation may be proposed to change the relationship between
certain agencies, such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, and the federal government.
This may have the effect of reducing the actual or perceived credit quality
of
mortgage-related securities issued by these agencies. As a result, such
legislation could increase the risk of loss on investments in Fannie Mae and/or
Freddie Mac mortgage-related securities. Bimini Capital currently intends to
continue to invest in such securities, even if such agencies' relationships
with
the federal government changes.
If
Bimini Capital fails to maintain relationships with AVM, L.P. and its affiliate
III Associates, or if it does not establish relationships with other repurchase
agreement trading, clearing and administrative service providers, it may have
to
reduce or delay its operations and/or increase its
expenditures.
Bimini
Capital has engaged AVM, L.P. and its affiliate III Associates, to provide
it
with certain repurchase agreement trading, clearing and administrative services.
If Bimini Capital is unable to maintain relationships with AVM and III
Associates or is unable to establish successful relationships with other
repurchase agreement trading, clearing and administrative service providers,
it
may have to reduce or delay Bimini Capital’s operations and/or increase its
expenditures and undertake the repurchase agreement trading, clearing and
administrative services on its own.
LEGAL
AND TAX RISKS
If
Bimini Capital fails to qualify as a REIT, it will be subject to federal income
tax as a regular corporation and may face a substantial tax
liability.
Bimini
Capital intends to operate in a manner that allows it to qualify as a REIT
for
federal income tax purposes. However, REIT qualification involves the
satisfaction of numerous requirements (some on an annual or quarterly basis)
established under technical and complex provisions of the Code, as amended,
or
the Code, for which only a limited number of judicial or administrative
interpretations exist. The determination that Bimini Capital qualifies as a
REIT
requires an analysis of various factual matters and circumstances that may
not
be totally within its control. Accordingly, it is not certain Bimini Capital
will be able to qualify and remain qualified as a REIT for federal income tax
purposes. Even a technical or inadvertent violation of the REIT requirements
could jeopardize Bimini Capital’s REIT qualification. Furthermore, Congress or
the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, might change the tax laws or regulations
and the courts might issue new rulings, in each case potentially having a
retroactive effect that could make it more difficult or impossible for Bimini
Capital to qualify as a REIT. If Bimini Capital fails to qualify as a REIT
in
any tax year, then:
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it
would be taxed as a regular domestic corporation, which, among other
things, means that it would be unable to deduct distributions to
stockholders in computing taxable income and would be subject to
federal
income tax on its taxable income at regular corporate
rates;
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any
resulting tax liability could be substantial and would reduce the
amount
of cash available for distribution to stockholders, and could force
Bimini
Capital to liquidate assets at inopportune times, causing lower income
or
higher losses than would result if these assets were not liquidated;
and
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unless
Bimini Capital was entitled to relief under applicable statutory
provisions, it would be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for
the
subsequent four taxable years following the year during which it
lost its
qualification, and its cash available for distribution to its stockholders
therefore would be reduced for each of the years in which it does
not
qualify as a REIT.
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Even
if
Bimini Capital remains qualified as a REIT, it may face other tax liabilities
that reduce its cash flow. Bimini Capital may also be subject to certain
federal, state and local taxes on its income and property, and its OITRS
subsidiary is treated as a "taxable REIT subsidiary," which is a fully taxable
corporation for federal income tax purposes. Any of these taxes would decrease
cash available for distribution to the Company’s stockholders.
Complying
with REIT requirements may cause Bimini Capital to forego otherwise attractive
opportunities.
To
qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, Bimini Capital must
continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, its sources of income,
the nature and diversification of its assets, the amounts it distributes to
its
stockholders and the ownership of its stock. Bimini Capital may also be required
to make distributions to its stockholders at unfavorable times or when it does
not have funds readily available for distribution. Thus, compliance with REIT
requirements may hinder Bimini Capital’s ability to operate solely with the goal
of maximizing profits.
In
addition, the REIT provisions of the Code impose a 100% tax on income from
"prohibited transactions." Prohibited transactions generally include sales
of
assets that constitute inventory or other property held for sale to customers
in
the ordinary course of business, other than foreclosure property. This 100%
tax
could impact Bimini Capital’s ability to sell mortgage-related securities at
otherwise opportune times if it believes such sales could result in Bimini
Capital being treated as engaging in prohibited transactions. However, Bimini
Capital would not be subject to this tax if it were to sell assets through
a
taxable REIT subsidiary. Bimini Capital will also be subject to a 100% tax
on
certain amounts if the economic arrangements between it and its taxable REIT
subsidiary are not comparable to similar arrangements among unrelated
parties.
Complying
with REIT requirements may limit Bimini Capital’s ability to hedge effectively,
which could in turn leave it more exposed to the effects of adverse changes
in
interest rates.
The
REIT
provisions of the Code may substantially limit Bimini Capital’s ability to hedge
mortgage-related securities and related borrowings by generally requiring it
to
limit its income in each year from qualified hedges, together with any other
income not generated from qualified REIT real estate assets, to less than 25%
of
its gross income. In addition, Bimini Capital must limit its aggregate gross
income from non-qualified hedges, fees, and certain other non-qualifying
sources, to less than 5% of its annual gross income. As a result, Bimini Capital
may in the future have to limit the use of hedges or implement hedges through
a
taxable REIT subsidiary. This could result in greater risks associated with
changes in interest rates than Bimini Capital would otherwise want to incur.
If
Bimini Capital fails to satisfy the 25% or 5% limitations, unless its failure
was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and it meets certain
other technical requirements, it could lose its REIT qualification. Even if
Bimini Capital’s failure was due to reasonable cause, it may have to pay a
penalty tax equal to the amount of income in excess of certain thresholds,
multiplied by a fraction intended to reflect its profitability.
Dividends
paid by REITs generally do not qualify for reduced tax
rates.
In
general, the maximum federal income tax rate for dividends paid to individual
U.S. stockholders is 15% (through 2008). Dividends paid by REITs, however,
are
generally not eligible for the reduced rates. The more favorable rates
applicable to regular corporate dividends could cause stockholders who are
individuals to perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive
than investments in the stock of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends,
which
could adversely affect the value of the stock of REITs, including the Company’s
Class A Common Stock.
To
maintain Bimini Capital’s REIT qualification, Bimini Capital may be forced to
borrow funds on unfavorable terms or sell its securities at unfavorable prices
to make distributions to stockholders.
As
a
REIT, Bimini Capital must distribute at least 90% of its annual net taxable
income (excluding net capital gains) to stockholders. To the extent that Bimini
Capital satisfies this distribution requirement, but distributes less than
100%
of its net taxable income, it will be subject to federal corporate income tax.
In addition, Bimini Capital will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax
if
the actual amount that it pays to its stockholders in a calendar year is less
than a minimum amount specified under the Code. From time to time, Bimini
Capital may generate taxable income greater than its income for financial
reporting purposes from, among other things, amortization of capitalized
purchase premiums, or its net taxable income may be greater than its cash flow
available for distribution to its stockholders. If Bimini Capital does not
have
other funds available in these situations, it could be required to borrow funds,
sell a portion of its mortgage-related securities at unfavorable prices or
find
other sources of funds in order to meet the REIT distribution requirements
and
to avoid corporate income tax and the 4% excise tax. These other sources could
increase Bimini Capital’s costs or reduce equity and reduce amounts available to
invest in mortgage-related securities.
Reliance
on legal opinions or statements by issuers of mortgage-related securities could
result in a failure to comply with REIT gross income or asset
tests.
When
purchasing mortgage-related securities, Bimini Capital may rely on opinions
of
counsel for the issuer or sponsor of such securities, or statements made in
related offering documents, for purposes of determining whether and to what
extent those securities constitute REIT real estate assets for purposes of
the
REIT asset tests and produce income which qualifies under the REIT gross income
tests. The inaccuracy of any such opinions or statements may adversely affect
Bimini Capital’s REIT qualification and result in significant corporate-level
tax.
Possible
legislative or other actions affecting REITs could adversely affect the Company
and its stockholders.
The
rules
dealing with federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons
involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury
Department. The Company’s business may be harmed by changes to the laws and
regulations affecting it, including changes to securities laws and changes
to
the Code provisions applicable to the taxation of REITs. New legislation may
be
enacted into law, or new interpretations, rulings or regulations could be
adopted, any of which could adversely affect the Company and the Company’s
stockholders, potentially with retroactive effect.
Bimini
Capital may recognize excess inclusion income that would increase the tax
liability of our stockholders.
If
Bimini
Capital recognizes excess inclusion income and allocates it to stockholders,
this income cannot be offset by net operating losses of the stockholders. If
the
stockholder is a tax-exempt entity, then this income would be fully taxable
as
unrelated business taxable income under Section 512 of the Code. If the
stockholder is a foreign person, such income would be subject to federal income
tax withholding without reduction or exemption pursuant to any otherwise
applicable income tax treaty. In addition, to the extent the Company’s stock is
owned by tax-exempt "disqualified organizations," such as government-related
entities that are not subject to tax on unrelated business taxable income,
although Treasury regulations have not yet been drafted to clarify the law,
it
may incur a corporate level tax at the highest applicable corporate tax rate
on
the portion of Bimini Capital’s excess inclusion income that is allocable to
such disqualified organizations.
Excess
inclusion income could result if Bimini Capital holds a residual interest in
a
real estate mortgage investment conduit, or REMIC. Excess inclusion income
also
could be generated if Bimini Capital were to issue debt obligations with two
or
more maturities and the terms of the payments on these obligations bore a
relationship to the payments received on the Company’s mortgage-related
securities securing those debt obligations (i.e., if Bimini Capital was to
own
an interest in a taxable mortgage pool). However, Treasury regulations have
not
been issued regarding the allocation of excess inclusion income to stockholders
of a REIT that owns an interest in a taxable mortgage pool. Bimini Capital
does
not expect to acquire significant amounts of residual interests in REMICs,
other
than interests owned by OITRS, which is treated as a separate taxable entity
for
these purposes. Bimini Capital intends to structure borrowing arrangements
in a
manner designed to avoid generating significant amounts of excess inclusion
income. Bimini Capital does, however, expect to enter into various repurchase
agreements that have differing maturity dates and afford the lender the right
to
sell any pledged mortgaged securities if Bimini Capital should default on its
obligations.
A
portion of the Company’s distributions may be deemed a return of capital for
U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The
amount of the Company’s distributions to the holders of Class A Common Stock in
a given quarter may not correspond to the taxable income for such quarter.
To
the extent the Company’s distributions exceed the Company’s net taxable income,
the distribution will be treated as a return of capital for federal income
tax
purposes. A return of capital distribution will not be taxable to the extent
of
a stockholder's tax basis in its shares but will reduce a stockholder's basis
in
its shares of Class A Common Stock.
The
Company’s reported GAAP financial results differ from the taxable income results
that drive its dividend distributions, and its consolidated balance sheet,
income statement, and statement of cash flows as reported for GAAP purposes
may
be difficult to interpret.
The
Company’s dividend distributions are driven by its dividend distribution
requirements under the REIT tax laws and its profits as calculated for tax
purposes pursuant to the Code. The Company’s reported results for GAAP purposes
differ materially, however, from both its cash flows and its taxable income.
OITRS previously transferred mortgage loans or mortgage securities held as
available-for-sale into securitization trusts to obtain long-term non-recourse
funding for these assets. When OITRS surrendered control over the transferred
mortgage loans or mortgage securities held as available-for-sale, the
transaction was accounted for as a sale. If OITRS retained control over the
transferred mortgage loans or mortgage securities available-for-sale, the
transaction would have been accounted for as a secured borrowing. These
securitization transactions do not differ materially in their structure or
cash
flow generation characteristics, yet under GAAP accounting such transactions
are
recorded differently. In securitization transactions that OITRS accounted for
as
sales, OITRS typically recorded a gain or loss on the assets transferred in
its
income statement and recorded the retained interests at fair value on its
balance sheet. In securitization transactions accounted for as secured
borrowings, all the assets and liabilities of the securitization trust would
be
consolidated on the financial statements of the sponsor. As a result of this
and
other accounting issues, stockholders and analysts must undertake a complex
analysis to understand the Company’s economic cash flows, actual financial
leverage, and dividend distribution requirements. This complexity may hinder
the
trading of the Company’s stock or may lead observers to misinterpret its
results.
Recent
legislation related to corporate governance may increase the Company’s costs of
compliance and its liability.
Recently
enacted and proposed laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate
governance and disclosure requirements applicable to public companies, including
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, have increased the costs of corporate
governance, reporting and disclosure practices. These costs may increase in
the
future due to the Company’s continuing implementation of compliance programs
mandated by these requirements. In addition, these new laws, rules and
regulations create new legal bases for administrative enforcement, civil and
criminal proceedings against the Company in case of non-compliance, thereby
increasing the Company’s risks of liability and potential
sanctions.
Failure
to maintain an exemption from the Investment Company Act would harm the
Company’s results of operations.
The
Company intends to conduct its business so as not to become regulated as an
investment company under the Investment Company Act. If the Company fails to
qualify for this exemption, its ability to use leverage would be substantially
reduced and it would be unable to conduct its business. The Investment Company
Act exempts entities that are primarily engaged in the business of purchasing
or
otherwise acquiring mortgages and other liens on, and interests in, real estate.
Under the current interpretation of the SEC staff, in order to qualify for
this
exemption, the Company must maintain at least 55% of its assets directly in
these qualifying real estate interests, with at least 25% of remaining assets
invested in real estate-related securities. Mortgage-related securities that
do
not represent all of the certificates issued with respect to an underlying
pool
of mortgages may be treated as separate from the underlying mortgage loans
and,
thus, may not qualify for purposes of the 55% requirement. Therefore, the
Company’s ownership of these mortgage-related securities is limited by the
provisions of the Investment Company Act.
In
satisfying the 55% requirement under the Investment Company Act, the Company
treats as qualifying interests mortgage-related securities issued with respect
to an underlying pool as to which it holds all issued certificates. If the
SEC
or its staff adopts a contrary interpretation of such treatment, the Company
could be required to sell a substantial amount of its mortgage-related
securities under potentially adverse market conditions. Further, in order to
ensure that the Company at all times qualify for the exemption under the
Investment Company Act, it may be precluded from acquiring mortgage-related
securities whose yield is higher than the yield on mortgage-related securities
that could be purchased in a manner consistent with the exemption. These factors
may lower or eliminate the Company’s net income.
OTHER
RISKS
Hedging
transactions may adversely affect the Company’s earnings, which could adversely
affect cash available for distribution to its
stockholders.
The
Company may enter into interest rate cap or swap agreements or pursue other
hedging strategies, including the purchase of puts, calls or other options
and
futures contracts. The Company’s hedging activity will vary in scope based on
the level and volatility of interest rates and principal prepayments, the type
of MBS it holds, and other changing market conditions. Hedging may fail to
protect or could adversely affect the Company because, among other
things:
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hedging
can be expensive, particularly during periods of rising and volatile
interest rates;
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available
interest rate hedging may not correspond directly with the interest
rate
risk for which protection is
sought;
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the
duration of the hedge may not match the duration of the related
liability;
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certain
types of hedges may expose the Company to risk of loss beyond the
fee paid
to initiate the hedge;
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the
amount of income that a REIT may earn from hedging transactions is
limited
by federal income tax provisions governing
REITs;
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the
credit quality of the party owing money on the hedge may be downgraded
to
such an extent that it impairs the Company’s ability to sell or assign its
side of the hedging transaction;
and
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the
party owing money in the hedging transaction may default on its obligation
to pay.
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The
Company’s hedging activity may adversely affect the Company’s earnings, which
could adversely affect cash available for distribution to
stockholders.
Terrorist
attacks and other acts of violence or war may affect any market for the
Company’s Class A Common Stock, the industry in which the Company conducts its
operations, and its profitability.
Terrorist
attacks may harm the Company’s results of operations and the investments of
stockholders. The Company cannot assure you that there will not be further
terrorist attacks against the United States or U.S. businesses. These attacks
or
armed conflicts may directly impact the property underlying the Company’s
mortgage-related securities or the securities markets in general. Losses
resulting from these types of events are uninsurable. More generally, any of
these events could cause consumer confidence and spending to decrease or result
in increased volatility in the United States and worldwide financial markets
and
economies. They also could result in economic uncertainty in the United States
or abroad. Adverse economic conditions could harm the value of the property
underlying the Company’s mortgage-related securities or the securities markets
in general, which could harm its operating results and revenues and may result
in the volatility of the market value of its Class A Common Stock.
Current
loan performance data may not be indicative of future
results.
When
making capital budgeting and other decisions, the Company uses projections,
estimates and assumptions based on the Company’s experience with mortgage loans.
Actual results and the timing of certain events could differ materially in
adverse ways from those projected, due to factors including changes in general
economic conditions, fluctuations in interest rates, fluctuations in mortgage
loan prepayment rates and fluctuations in losses due to defaults on mortgage
loans. These differences and fluctuations could rise to levels that may
adversely affect the Company’s profitability.
Changes
in interest rates may reduce the Company’s liquidity, financial condition and
results of operations resulting in a decline in the value of the Company’s Class
A Common Stock.
The
Company’s results of operations will be derived in part from the spread between
the yield on Bimini Capital’s MBS assets and the cost of Bimini Capital’s
borrowings. There is no assurance that there will be a positive spread in either
high interest rate environments or low interest rate environments, or that
the
spread will not be negative as has recently been in the case. Changes in
interest rates may reduce the Company’s liquidity, financial condition and
results of operations and may cause the Company’s funding costs, both at Bimini
Capital and OITRS, to exceed income. In addition, during periods of
high interest rates, the Company’s dividend yield on its Class A Common Stock
may be less attractive compared to alternative investments of equal or lower
risk. Each of these factors could negatively affect the market value of the
Company’s Class A Common Stock.
The
Company’s financial position has deteriorated during 2007. Continued
deterioration may negatively affect the Company’s liquidity, results of
operations and the value of the Company’s Class A Common
Stock.
The
Company’s financial position deteriorated during 2007 due in part to competitive
conditions in the mortgage origination market. Although the Company
has taken actions and is evaluating other actions intended to improve the
Company’s financial position and liquidity, there can be no assurance that the
Company’s efforts will be successful. Continued deterioration may
negatively affect liquidity, results of operations and the value of the
Company’s Class A Common Stock.
Bimini
Capital has guaranteed certain obligations of OITRS. If OITRS fails
to meet its financial obligations, Bimini Capital may be forced to liquidate
certain of Bimini Capital’s MBS assets to satisfy these guarantees which could
negatively affect the Bimini Capital’s liquidity, results of operations and the
value of the Company’s Class A Common Stock and may result in margin calls from
Bimini Capital’s lenders.
Bimini
Capital has guaranteed certain obligations of OITRS, including obligations
under
OITRS’s funding facilities. Although certain of OITRS’s funding
facilities are secured by collateral, if OITRS is unable to fulfill its
obligations under such facilities and the value of the collateral is
insufficient to repay OITRS’s obligations, Bimini Capital may be required to pay
such deficiency under its guarantees of OITRS’s obligations. To pay
such deficiency, Bimini Capital may be required to sell MBS portfolio assets
to
generate the cash necessary to pay OITRS’s creditors and such sales may
negatively affect the Company’s liquidity, results of operations and the value
of the Company’s Class A Common Stock. These sales may also result in
margin calls from Bimini Capital’s lenders and transaction
counterparties.
Bimini
Capital is currently a defendant in securities class action lawsuits and may
incur expenses that are not covered by insurance in the defense of these
lawsuits. Any expenses incurred that are not reimbursed by insurance
could negatively and materially impact the Company’s financial position,
liquidity and results of operations.
As
described in Part II - Item 1. Legal Proceedings above, Bimini Capital has
been
named as a defendant in two lawsuits alleging various violations of the federal
securities laws and seeking class action certification. These cases involve
complex legal proceedings, the outcome of which are difficult to predict.
An unfavorable outcome or settlement of these lawsuits that is not covered
by
insurance could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial
position, liquidity or results of operations.
There
may be a limited market for Bimini Capital’s Class A common stock in the
future.
On
October 29, 2007, NYSE Regulation, Inc. notified the Company that the Company's
average global market capitalization over a consecutive thirty trading day
period has fallen below the NYSE's minimum quantitative continued listing
criteria for REITs of $25 million. As a result, trading in the
Company’s Class A common stock on the NYSE was suspended prior to the market
opening on November 5, 2007. The Company has applied to list its Class A
common stock on another national securities market, however, no assurance can
be
given that the Company's Class A common stock will be approved for listing
on
such national securities market. Until such time that the Company's Class
A common stock is approved for listing on another national securities market,
the ability to buy and sell the Company's Class A common stock may be limited
and this could result in a decline in the market price of the Company’s Class A
common stock. Additionally, until such time that the Company's Class
A common stock is approved for listing on another national securities market,
the Company’s ability to raise capital through the sale of additional securities
may be limited.
RISKS
RELATED TO DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS OF OITRS
OITRS’s
failure to comply with federal, state or local regulation of, or licensing
requirements with respect to, mortgage lending, loan servicing, broker
compensation programs, local branch operations or other aspects of OITRS’s
business could harm OITRS’s operations and profitability.
As
a
former mortgage lender and broker and as a loan servicer, OITRS is subject
to an
extensive body of both state and federal law. The volume of new or modified
laws
and regulations has increased in recent years and, in addition, some individual
municipalities have begun to enact laws that restrict loan origination and
servicing activities. As a result, it may be more difficult to comprehensively
identify and accurately interpret all of these laws and regulations, thereby
potentially increasing OITRS’s exposure to the risks of noncompliance with these
laws and regulations. OITRS’s failure to comply with these laws can lead
to:
|
•
|
civil
and criminal liability;
|
|
•
|
loss
of licensure;
|
|
•
|
damage
to OITRS’s reputation in the
industry;
|
|
•
|
inability
to sell or securitize OITRS’s
loans;
|
|
•
|
demands
for indemnification or loan repurchases from purchasers of OITRS’s
loans;
|
|
•
|
fines
and penalties and litigation, including class action lawsuits;
or
|
|
•
|
administrative
enforcement actions.
|
Any
of
these results could harm OITRS’s retained residual interests in securitizations
and thus OITRS’s results of operations, financial condition and business
prospects.
OITRS
is subject to the risk that provisions of its loan agreements may be
unenforceable.
OITRS’s
rights and obligations with respect to its loans are governed by written loan
agreements and related documentation. It is possible that a court could
determine that one or more provisions of a loan agreement are unenforceable,
such as a loan prepayment provision or the provisions governing OITRS’s security
interest in the underlying collateral. If this were to happen with respect
to a
material asset or group of assets, OITRS could be required to repurchase these
loans and may not be able to sell or liquidate the loans.
An
increase in interest rates could reduce the value of OITRS’s remaining loan
inventory and may lead to losses.
The
value
of OITRS’s loan inventory is based, in part, on market interest rates.
Accordingly, OITRS may experience losses on loan sales if interest rates change
rapidly or unexpectedly. If interest rates rise before OITRS sells its loans,
the value of the loans will decrease. If the amount OITRS receives from selling
the loans is less than its cost of originating the loans, OITRS may incur net
losses, and its business and operating results could be harmed.
A
disruption in market conditions could reduce the prices at which OITRS is able
to sell its remaining loan inventory and therefore negatively impact its results
of operations.
The
profitability of OITRS is based, in part, on its ability to sell its remaining
inventory of mortgage loans at a profit either through the securitization market
or whole loan market. Disruptions in the whole loan or securitization market
brought about by deteriorating credit performance of recent mortgage
originations and liquidity concerns with respect to originators or other market
participants, among other factors, may affect prices buyers are willing to
pay
to acquire mortgage loans. To the extent such prices do not exceed
OITRS’s cost to originate or acquire such loans, OITRS may incur losses upon
sales of such loans.
OITRS
may have to repurchase loans it has sold to the whole loan market due to early
payment defaults.
When
OITRS sells loans to the whole loan market it may be required to repurchase
loans upon which the underlying borrowers default in the payment of principal
or
interest. When such borrowers fail to make their initial payments (referred
to
as Early Payment Defaults or EPDs) the contractual arrangements under which
the
sale was executed may require OITRS to repurchase the loan from the
buyer. In these cases, OITRS may be obligated to repurchase such
loans at prices greater than their then fair market value, which could have
a
material and adverse affect on OITRS’s results of operations. When OITRS
purchases loans from a third-party seller that it then sells into the whole
loan
market, OITRS obtains representations and warranties from the third-party seller
that sold the loans to it that generally parallel the representations and
warranties it provided to its purchasers of such loans. As a result, the Company
believes that OITRS has the potential for recourse against the third-party
seller of the loans. However, if OITRS does not have recourse against the
third-party seller, or if the original third-party seller is not in a financial
position to be able to repurchase the loan, OITRS may not be able to recoup
the
cash resources used to repurchase such loans and therefore may be required
to
sell such loans at prices less than their repurchase price, thus incurring
a
loss upon resale. Further, if OITRS is unable to obtain recourse from
such third-party sellers, such inability could materially negatively affect
OITRS’s liquidity, financial position and results of operations, which in turn
could negatively affect the Company’s liquidity, financial position and results
of operations.
Retaining
subordinated interests in securitizations exposes OITRS to increased credit
risk.
OITRS
has
maintained and may continue to maintain an interest in loans that it originates
and securitizes by retaining subordinated interests in MBS that evidence
interests in such loans. Subordinated interests are classes of MBS that may
incur losses experienced on the related loans prior to the more senior MBS
issued in the related transaction. If the actual rate and severity of losses
on
the related loans are higher than those assumed by OITRS, the actual return
on
OITRS’s investment in those subordinated interests may be lower than
anticipated.
OITRS
may be subject to losses due to misrepresented or falsified information or
if
OITRS obtains less than full documentation with respect to its mortgage
loans.
When
OITRS originates mortgage loans, it relies upon information supplied by
borrowers and other third parties, including information contained in the
applicant's loan application, property appraisal reports, title information
and
employment and income documentation. If any of this information is
misrepresented or falsified and if OITRS does not discover it before funding
a
loan, the actual value of the loan may be significantly lower than anticipated.
As a practical matter, OITRS generally would bear the risk of loss associated
with a misrepresentation, whether made by the loan applicant, the mortgage
broker, another third party or one of OITRS’s employees. A loan subject to a
material misrepresentation typically cannot be sold or is subject to repurchase
or substitution if it is sold or securitized prior to detection of the
misrepresentation. Although OITRS may have rights against persons and entities
who made or knew about the misrepresentation, those persons and entities may
be
difficult to locate, and it is often difficult to collect from them any monetary
losses that OITRS may have suffered.
In
the
case of certain loan products, OITRS does not receive full documentation of
the
borrower's income and/or assets. Instead, OITRS bases its credit decision on
the
borrower's credit score and credit history, the value of the property securing
the loan and the effect of the loan on the borrower's debt service
requirements. The Company believes that there is a higher risk of
default on loans where there is less than full documentation of the borrower's
income and/or assets.
Some
of the loans that OITRS originated were subprime, rather than prime, and
generally have delinquency and default rates higher than prime loans, which
could result in higher loan losses.
OITRS
previously originated subprime loans. Subprime mortgage loans generally have
higher delinquency and default rates than prime mortgage loans. Delinquency
interrupts the flow of projected interest income from a mortgage loan, and
default can ultimately lead to a loss if the net realizable value of the real
property securing the mortgage loan is insufficient to cover the principal
and
interest due on the loan. In whole loan sales, OITRS’s risk of delinquency
typically only extends to the first payment. OITRS also assumes the risks of
delinquency and default for loans that it is obligated to repurchase. OITRS
previously attempted to manage these risks with risk-based loan pricing and
appropriate underwriting policies. However, the Company cannot assure that
such
management policies will prevent delinquencies or defaults and, if such policies
and methods are insufficient to control OITRS’s delinquency and default risks
and do not result in appropriate loan pricing, its business, financial
condition, liquidity and results of operations could be harmed.
Geographic
concentration of mortgage loans that OITRS previously originated or purchased
increases OITRS’s exposure to risks in those areas.
Concentration
of mortgage loans that OITRS previously originated or purchased in any one
geographic area increases OITRS’s exposure to the economic and natural hazard
risks associated with that area. Declines in the residential real estate markets
in which OITRS’s loans were concentrated may reduce the values of the properties
collateralizing mortgages which in turn may increase the risk of delinquency,
foreclosure, bankruptcy, or losses from those loans. To the extent that a large
number of loans are impaired, OITRS’s financial condition and results of
operations may be adversely affected, which in turn may adversely affect the
Company’s financial condition and results of operations.
To
the extent that OITRS has a large number of loans in an area affected by a
natural disaster, OITRS may suffer losses.
Standard
homeowner insurance policies generally do not provide coverage for natural
disasters, such as hurricane Katrina and the ensuing flooding. Furthermore,
nonconforming borrowers are not likely to have special hazard insurance. To
the
extent that borrowers do not have insurance coverage for natural disasters,
they
may not be able to repair the property or may stop paying their mortgages if
the
property is damaged. A natural disaster that results in a significant number
of
delinquencies could cause increased foreclosures and decrease OITRS’s ability to
recover losses on properties affected by such disasters and could harm OITRS’s
retained residual interests in securitizations and thus OITRS’s financial
condition and results of operations, which could in turn harm the Company’s
financial condition and results of operations.
Differences
in OITRS’s actual experience compared to the assumptions that OITRS uses to
determine the value of its mortgage securities held as available-for-sale could
adversely affect OITRS’s financial position.
Currently,
OITRS’s securitization of mortgage loans are structured to be treated as sales
for financial reporting purposes and, therefore, result in gain recognition
at
closing. Delinquency, loss, prepayment and discount rate assumptions have a
material impact on the amount of gain recognized and on the carrying value
of
the retained mortgage securities held as available-for-sale (where applicable).
The gain on sale method of accounting may create volatile earnings in certain
environments. If OITRS’s actual experience differs materially from the
assumptions that it uses to determine the value of its mortgage securities
held
as available-for-sale, future cash flows, and results of operations could be
negatively affected.
OITRS’s
results of operations and liquidity would suffer if it was unable to sell the
mortgage loans that it previously originated.
OITRS
attempts to sell all of the mortgage loans that it previously originated and
that are not securitized in the secondary market. OITRS’s ability to sell
mortgage loans depends on the availability of an active secondary market for
residential mortgage loans. Additionally, OITRS attempts to sell substantially
all of the mortgages to institutional buyers. If these financial institutions
cease to buy its loans and equivalent purchasers cannot be found on a timely
basis, then OITRS’s results of operations and liquidity could be harmed. OITRS’s
results of operations and liquidity could also be harmed if these financial
institutions or other purchasers lower the price they pay to OITRS or adversely
change the material terms of their loan purchases from OITRS. The prices at
which OITRS sells its loans vary over time. A number of factors determine the
price OITRS receives for its loans. These factors include:
• the
number of institutions that are willing to buy OITRS’s loans;
• the
amount of comparable loans available-for-sale;
• the
levels of prepayments of, or defaults on, loans;
• the
types and volume of loans OITRS sells;
• the
level and volatility of interest rates; and
• the
quality of OITRS’s loans.
Changes
in laws in the states where OITRS operates could also adversely affect its
ability to sell its remaining inventory of mortgage loans.
OITRS
may have to repurchase loans it has sold to the whole loan market and loans
it
has sold via securitizations.
OITRS
may
be required to repurchase loans that are the subject of fraud, irregularities
in
its loan files or process, or that result in OITRS breaching the representations
and warranties in the contract of sale. In addition, when OITRS sells loans
to
the whole loan market it may be required to repurchase loans upon which the
underlying borrowers default in the payment of principal or interest. In these
cases, OITRS may be obligated to repurchase loans at prices greater than their
then fair market value, which could have a material and adverse affect on
OITRS’s liquidity, financial position and results of operations. When OITRS
purchases loans from a third-party seller that it then sells into the whole
loan
market or to a securitization trust, OITRS obtains representations and
warranties from the third-party seller that sold the loans to it that generally
parallel the representations and warranties it provided to its purchasers of
such loans. As a result, the Company believes that OITRS has the potential
for
recourse against the third-party seller of the loans. However, if OITRS does
not
have recourse against the third-party seller, or if the original third-party
seller is not in a financial position to be able to repurchase the loan, OITRS
may have to use cash resources to repurchase such loans at prices greater than
their then fair market value, which could materially and adversely affect
OITRS’s liquidity, financial position and results of operations.
Failure
to timely renew or obtain adequate financing under OITRS’s funding facilities
may harm OITRS’s liquidity, financial condition and results of
operations.
OITRS
is
substantially dependent upon funding facilities entered into in the ordinary
course of OITRS’s business. One of these funding facilities is
scheduled to expire on December 19, 2007. Any failure to timely renew or obtain
adequate financing under a new funding facility for any reason, could harm
OITRS’s liquidity, financial condition and results of operations, which in turn
could harm the Company’s liquidity, financial condition and results of
operations and the Company’s ability to make distributions to its stockholders.
Further, any increase in the cost of OITRS’s financing in excess of any increase
in the income derived from OITRS’s assets could harm OITRS’s results of
operations, which in turn could harm the Company’s results of operations and the
Company’s ability to make distributions to its stockholders.
The
terms of OITRS’s financing facilities contain restrictive financial and other
covenants. The failure to satisfy any of these covenants may restrict
OITRS’s ability to pay dividends to the Company and could result in the
termination of OITRS’s funding facilities.
The
terms
of OITRS’s funding facilities contain restrictive financial and other covenants
that, among other things, will require the Company to maintain a minimum level
of tangible net worth. If the Company is not in compliance with these
financial and other covenants in the funding facilities, OITRS’s ability to pay
dividends to Bimini Capital may be restricted, which could reduce the earnings
available for distribution to the Company’s stockholders. In
addition, the failure to satisfy any of these covenants is generally deemed
a
default that gives OITRS’s lenders the right to terminate OITRS’s funding
facilities absent the ability of OITRS to cure such default or the waiver of
such default by OITRS’s lenders. If OITRS is unable to cure a default
or obtain a waiver of a default from its lenders, OITRS’s existing funding
facilities could be terminated and OITRS would then need to obtain alternative
financing.
Possible
market developments could cause OITRS’s lenders to require OITRS to pledge
additional assets as collateral; if OITRS’s assets are insufficient to meet such
collateral requirements, then OITRS may be compelled to liquidate particular
assets at an inopportune time, which may cause OITRS to incur
losses.
Possible
market developments, including a sharp rise in interest rates, a change in
prepayment rates or increasing market concern about the value or liquidity
of
the types of mortgage assets in OITRS’s portfolio, may reduce the market value
of OITRS’s portfolio, which may cause OITRS’s lenders to require additional
collateral or otherwise limit its ability to borrow. This requirement for
additional collateral may compel OITRS to liquidate its assets at a
disadvantageous time. If the sales are made at prices lower than the amortized
cost of such investments, OITRS would incur losses.
ITEM
6. EXHIBITS.
Exhibit
No.
2.1
|
Agreement
and Plan of Merger, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated September 29, 2005, filed with
the SEC on September 30, 2005
|
3.1
|
Articles
of Amendment and Restatement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit
3.1 to
the Company’s Form S-11/A, filed with the SEC on April 29,
2004
|
3.2
|
Articles
Supplementary, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K, dated November 3, 2005, filed with the
SEC on
November 8, 2005
|
3.3
|
Articles
of Amendment, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K, dated February 10, 2006, filed with the
SEC on
February 15, 2006
|
3.4
|
Articles
of Amendment, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K, dated September 24, 2007, filed with
the SEC
on September 24, 2007
|
3.5
|
Amended
and Restated Bylaws, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to
the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated September 24, 2007, filed with
the SEC on September 24, 2007
|
†10.1
|
Employment
Agreement between Bimini Mortgage Management, Inc. and Jeffrey J.
Zimmer, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Form
S-11/A, dated April 12, 2004, filed with the SEC on April 29,
2004
|
†10.2
|
Employment
Agreement between Bimini Mortgage Management, Inc. and Robert E.
Cauley, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Form
S-11/A, dated April 12, 2004, filed with the SEC on April 29,
2004
|
*†10.3
|
Bimini
Capital Management, Inc. 2003 Long Term Incentive Compensation Plan,
as
amended September 28, 2007
|
*†10.4
|
Bimini
Capital Management, Inc. 2004 Performance Bonus Plan, as amended
September
28, 2007
|
*†10.5
|
Form
of Phantom Share Award Agreement
|
*†10.6
|
Form
of Restricted Stock Award Agreement
|
†10.7
|
Separation
Agreement and General Release, dated as of June 29, 2007, by and
among
Opteum Inc., Opteum Financial Services, LLC and Peter R. Norden,
incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report
on Form 8-K, dated June 30, 2007, filed with the SEC on July 5,
2007
|
10.8
|
Voting
Agreement, among certain stockholders of Bimini Mortgage Management,
Inc.,
Jeffrey J. Zimmer, Robert E. Cauley, Amber K. Luedke, George H. Haas,
IV,
Kevin L. Bespolka, Maureen A. Hendricks, W. Christopher Mortenson,
Buford
H. Ortale, Peter Norden, certain of Mr. Norden’s affiliates, Jason Kaplan,
certain of Mr. Kaplan’s affiliates and other former owners of Opteum
Financial Services, LLC, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99(D)
to the
Schedule 13D, dated November 3, 2005, filed with the SEC on November
14,
2005
|
10.9
|
Membership
Interest Purchase, Option and Investor Rights Agreement among Opteum
Inc.,
Opteum Financial Services, LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Realty
Corp.
dated as of December 21, 2006, incorporated by reference to Exhibit
10.1
to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated December 21, 2006,
filed with the SEC on December 21, 2006
|
10.10
|
Seventh
Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Orchid
Island
TRS, LLC, dated as of July 20, 2007, made and entered into by Opteum
Inc.
and Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp., incorporated by reference
to
Exhibit 10.12 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
period ended June 30, 2007, filed with the SEC on August 14,
2007
|
10.11
|
Asset
Purchase Agreement, dated May 7, 2007, by and among Opteum Financial
Services, LLC, Opteum Inc. and Prospect Mortgage Company, LLC,
incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report
on Form 8-K, dated May 7, 2007, filed with the SEC on May 7,
2007
|
10.12
|
First
Amendment to Purchase Agreement, dated June 30, 2007, by and among
Metrocities Mortgage, LLC – Opteum Division, Opteum Financial Services,
LLC and Opteum Inc., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to
the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated June 30, 2007, filed with the
SEC on July 5, 2007
|
*31.1
|
Certification
of the Principal Executive Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or
15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant
to
Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
*31.2
|
Certification
of the Principal Financial Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or
15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant
to
Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
*32.1
|
Certification
of the Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002
|
*32.2
|
Certification
of the Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002
|
*
Filed herewith.
†
Management compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed
by Item
601 of Regulation S-K.
|
Signatures
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section
13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant
has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized.
BIMINI
CAPITAL MANAGEMENT,
INC.
Date: November
8,
2007 By: /s/
Robert E.
Cauley
Robert
E. Cauley
Vice
Chairman, Senior Executive Vice
President,
Chief
Financial Officer, Chief
Investment Officer and
Treasurer
EXHIBIT
INDEX
Exhibit
No.
2.1
|
Agreement
and Plan of Merger, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated September 29, 2005, filed with
the SEC on September 30, 2005
|
3.1
|
Articles
of Amendment and Restatement, incorporated by reference to Exhibit
3.1 to
the Company’s Form S-11/A, filed with the SEC on April 29,
2004
|
3.2
|
Articles
Supplementary, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K, dated November 3, 2005, filed with the
SEC on
November 8, 2005
|
3.3
|
Articles
of Amendment, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K, dated February 10, 2006, filed with the
SEC on
February 15, 2006
|
3.4
|
Articles
of Amendment, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K, dated September 24, 2007, filed with
the SEC
on September 24, 2007
|
3.5
|
Amended
and Restated Bylaws, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to
the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated September 24, 2007, filed with
the SEC on September 24, 2007
|
†10.1
|
Employment
Agreement between Bimini Mortgage Management, Inc. and Jeffrey J.
Zimmer, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Form
S-11/A, dated April 12, 2004, filed with the SEC on April 29,
2004
|
†10.2
|
Employment
Agreement between Bimini Mortgage Management, Inc. and Robert E.
Cauley, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Form
S-11/A, dated April 12, 2004, filed with the SEC on April 29,
2004
|
*†10.3
|
Bimini
Capital Management, Inc. 2003 Long Term Incentive Compensation Plan,
as
amended September 28, 2007
|
*†10.4
|
Bimini
Capital Management, Inc. 2004 Performance Bonus Plan, as amended
September
28, 2007
|
*†10.5
|
Form
of Phantom Share Award Agreement
|
*†10.6
|
Form
of Restricted Stock Award Agreement
|
†10.7
|
Separation
Agreement and General Release, dated as of June 29, 2007, by and
among
Opteum Inc., Opteum Financial Services, LLC and Peter R. Norden,
incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report
on Form 8-K, dated June 30, 2007, filed with the SEC on July 5,
2007
|
10.8
|
Voting
Agreement, among certain stockholders of Bimini Mortgage Management,
Inc.,
Jeffrey J. Zimmer, Robert E. Cauley, Amber K. Luedke, George H. Haas,
IV,
Kevin L. Bespolka, Maureen A. Hendricks, W. Christopher Mortenson,
Buford
H. Ortale, Peter Norden, certain of Mr. Norden’s affiliates, Jason Kaplan,
certain of Mr. Kaplan’s affiliates and other former owners of Opteum
Financial Services, LLC, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99(D)
to the
Schedule 13D, dated November 3, 2005, filed with the SEC on November
14,
2005
|
10.9
|
Membership
Interest Purchase, Option and Investor Rights Agreement among Opteum
Inc.,
Opteum Financial Services, LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Realty
Corp.
dated as of December 21, 2006, incorporated by reference to Exhibit
10.1
to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated December 21, 2006,
filed with the SEC on December 21, 2006
|
10.10
|
Seventh
Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Orchid
Island
TRS, LLC, dated as of July 20, 2007, made and entered into by Opteum
Inc.
and Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp., incorporated by reference
to
Exhibit 10.12 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
period ended June 30, 2007, filed with the SEC on August 14,
2007
|
10.11
|
Asset
Purchase Agreement, dated May 7, 2007, by and among Opteum Financial
Services, LLC, Opteum Inc. and Prospect Mortgage Company, LLC,
incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report
on Form 8-K, dated May 7, 2007, filed with the SEC on May 7,
2007
|
10.12
|
First
Amendment to Purchase Agreement, dated June 30, 2007, by and among
Metrocities Mortgage, LLC – Opteum Division, Opteum Financial Services,
LLC and Opteum Inc., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to
the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated June 30, 2007, filed with the
SEC on July 5, 2007
|
*31.1
|
Certification
of the Principal Executive Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or
15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant
to
Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
*31.2
|
Certification
of the Principal Financial Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or
15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant
to
Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
|
*32.1
|
Certification
of the Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002
|
*32.2
|
Certification
of the Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002
|
*
Filed herewith.
†
Management compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed
by Item
601 of Regulation S-K.
|