M.D.C. HOLDINGS, INC. - Annual Report: 2011 (Form 10-K)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011

OR

For the Transition period from             to             

Commission file number 1-08951

M.D.C. HOLDINGS, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

(303) 773-1100

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.    Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  x    No  ¨

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

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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

As of June 30, 2011, the aggregate market value of the Registrants’ common stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrants was $928.7 million based on the closing sales price of $24.64 per share as reported on the New York Stock Exchange.

As of December 31, 2011, the number of shares outstanding of Registrant’s common stock was 47,957,196.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of part III of this Form 10-K are incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s 2012 definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than 120 days after the end of the Registrant’s fiscal year.

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M.D.C. HOLDINGS, INC.

FORM 10-K

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2011

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(i)

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M.D.C. HOLDINGS, INC.

FORM 10-K

PART I

Forward-Looking Statements.

Certain statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as statements made by us in periodic press releases, oral statements made by our officials in the course of presentations about the Company and conference calls in connection with quarterly earnings releases, constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding our business, financial condition, results of operation, cash flows, strategies and prospects. These forward-looking statements may be identified by terminology such as “likely,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue,” or the negative of such terms and other comparable terminology. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this Report are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. However, any further disclosures made on related subjects in subsequent reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K should be consulted.

M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. is a Delaware corporation. We refer to M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. as the “Company,” “MDC,” “we” or “our” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and these designations include our subsidiaries unless we state otherwise. We have two primary operations, homebuilding and financial services. Our homebuilding operations consist of wholly-owned subsidiary companies that generally purchase finished lots for the construction and sale of single-family detached homes to first-time and first-time move-up homebuyers under the name “Richmond American Homes.” Our homebuilding operations are comprised of many homebuilding subdivisions that we consider to be our operating segments. Homebuilding subdivisions in a given market are aggregated into reportable segments as follows: (1) West (Arizona, California, Nevada and Washington); (2) Mountain (Colorado and Utah); (3) East (Virginia and Maryland, which includes Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey); and (4) Other Homebuilding (Florida and Illinois).

Our Financial Services and Other segment consists of HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation (“HomeAmerican”), which originates mortgage loans, primarily for our homebuyers, American Home Insurance Agency, Inc. (“American Home Insurance”), which offers third-party insurance products to our homebuyers, and American Home Title and Escrow Company (“American Home Title”), which provides title agency services to the Company and our homebuyers in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada and Virginia. This segment also includes Allegiant Insurance Company, Inc., A Risk Retention Group (“Allegiant”), which provides insurance coverage primarily to our homebuilding subsidiaries and certain subcontractors for homes sold by our homebuilding subsidiaries and for work performed in completed subdivisions, and StarAmerican Insurance Ltd. (“StarAmerican”), a Hawaii corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of MDC which is a re-insurer of Allegiant claims.

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Anyone seeking information about our business can receive copies of our 2011

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Annual Report on Form 10-K, Annual Report to Shareholders, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, all amendments to those reports and other documents filed with the SEC at the public reference section of the SEC at 100 F Street, NE, Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. These documents also may be obtained, free of charge, by: contacting our Investor Relations office at (303) 773-1100; writing to M.D.C. Holdings, Inc., Investor Relations, 4350 South Monaco Street, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado 80237; or accessing our website at http://ir.richmondamerican.com. We make our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, available on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we file or furnish the materials electronically with the SEC. To obtain any of this information, go to http://ir.richmondamerican.com and select “SEC Filings.” Our website also includes our: (1) Corporate Governance Guidelines; (2) Corporate Code of Conduct; (3) Rules for Senior Financial Officers; (4) Audit Committee Procedures for Handling Confidential Complaints; and (5) charters for the Audit, Compensation and Corporate Governance/Nominating Committees. These materials may be obtained, free of charge, at our website, http://ir.richmondamerican.com (select “Corporate Governance”).

Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements contains information regarding our reportable segments for each of the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009.

Our business consists of two primary operations, homebuilding and financial services. We build and sell primarily single-family detached homes that are designed and built to meet local customer preferences. We are the general contractor for our projects and retain subcontractors for land development and home construction. We build a variety of home styles in each of our markets, targeting generally first-time and first-time move-up homebuyers.

Our financial services include subsidiary businesses which primarily provide mortgage financing and place title insurance and homeowner insurance for our homebuyers.

Homebuilding Operations.

Our homebuilding subsidiaries sell and close homes in geographically diverse markets. Our home sales revenue for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 is set forth in the table below for each market within our homebuilding segments (dollars in thousands).

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Operating Divisions.  In our homebuilding segments, our primary functions include land acquisition and development, home construction, purchasing, sales and marketing, and customer service. Operating decisions are made on a subdivision-by-subdivision basis under the oversight of our Chief Operating Decision Makers (“CODMs”), defined as our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Generally, each operating division consists of a division president, land procurement, sales, construction, customer service, finance, purchasing, and office staff. The Company’s organizational structure (i.e. the grouping and reporting of subdivisions and divisions) changes based upon the current needs of the Company. At December 31, 2011 and 2010, we had 10 and 9 active homebuilding operating divisions, respectively.

Corporate Management.  We manage our homebuilding business primarily through members of senior management in our Corporate segment and our Asset Management Committees (“AMCs”). Each AMC is comprised of the COO and two of the Company’s corporate officers or employees. Two of the AMCs review and approve all subdivision acquisition transactions in accordance with land resource allocation decisions made by the CODMs. Land acquisition transactions may not proceed without approval by the AMC. Generally, the role of our senior management team and/or AMC includes:

Additionally, our corporate executives and corporate and national departments generally are responsible for establishing and monitoring compliance with our policies and procedures. Among other things, the corporate office has primary responsibility for:

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Commencing in the latter half of 2010 and into 2011, we reorganized our finance and accounting operations, focusing on the centralization of certain back office functions. In addition, we reorganized our sales and marketing activities to (1) better communicate the value of our homes to our prospective homebuyers, thereby giving us the opportunity to reduce incentives and increase sales absorptions, (2) better align the compensation structure for our sales organization with Company goals, and (3) simplify our processes to reduce overhead expenses.

Furthermore, during the 2011 third quarter, we changed our approach to how we manage unsold started homes, which historically yielded Home Gross Margins (as defined below) significantly below those on homes that are started with a buyer under contract. Going forward, we plan to limit the number of unsold started homes that we build in most of our markets. See “Forward-Looking Statements” above.

In addition, we have instituted a new sales training program for our sales associates and managers that is focused on reducing our dependence on the use of large incentives to sell homes.

Housing.  Generally, we build single-family detached homes in a number of standardized series, designed to provide variety in the size and style of homes for our potential homebuyers. Within each series, we build several different floor plans offering standard and optional features (such as upgraded appliances, cabinetry, flooring, etc.). Differences in sales prices of similar models from market-to-market depend primarily upon different costs (e.g. land acquisition costs), homebuyer demand, home prices offered by our competitors, market conditions impacting our sub-markets (such as home foreclosure levels), location, optional features and design specifications. The series of homes offered at a particular location is based on perceived customer preferences, lot size, area demographics and, in certain cases, the requirements of major land sellers and local municipalities.

We seek to maintain limited levels of inventories of unsold started homes in our markets. Unsold started homes in various stages of completion allow us to meet the immediate and near-term demands of prospective homebuyers. In our efforts to mitigate the risk of carrying excess inventory, we have developed procedures through which we attempt to control the number of our unsold started homes. In reviewing these procedures, during the 2011 third quarter, we changed our strategy associated with building unsold started homes by further limiting the number of unsold started homes in our subdivisions. The table below shows the stage of construction for our unsold started homes completed or under construction, number of sold homes under construction and model homes (in units).

Land Acquisition and Development.  We acquire our lots with the intention of constructing and selling homes on the acquired land. Generally, we purchase finished lots using option contracts, in phases or in bulk for cash. However, under certain circumstances, we may acquire entitled land for development into finished lots when we believe that the risk is justified. In making land purchases, we consider a number of factors, including projected rates of return, estimated Home Gross Margins (defined as home sales revenue less home cost of sales as a percent of home sales revenue), sales prices of the homes to be built, population and employment growth patterns, proximity to developed areas, estimated costs of development, estimated levels of competition and demographic trends. Generally, we acquire

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finished lots and land for development only in areas that will have, among other things, available building permits, utilities and suitable zoning. We attempt to maintain a supply of finished lots sufficient to enable us to start homes promptly after a contract for a home sale is executed. See “Forward-Looking Statements” above.

In our option contracts, we generally obtain the right to purchase lots in consideration for an option deposit in the form of cash or letters of credit. In the event we elect not to purchase the lots within a specified period of time, we may be required to forfeit the option deposit. Our option contracts generally do not contain provisions requiring our specific performance. During the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, we wrote-off lot option deposits and pre-acquisition costs of $7.0 million, $3.1 million and $2.9 million, respectively, which have been included in other operating expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. At December 31, 2011, we had the right to acquire 1,721 lots under option contracts, with $7.0 million of cash and $4.3 million of letters of credit option deposits at risk.

From time to time, we may own or have the right under option contracts to acquire undeveloped parcels of real estate that we intend to develop into finished lots. We generally develop our land in phases in order to limit our risk in a particular subdivision and to efficiently employ available resources. Building permits and utilities are available and zoning is suitable for the current intended use of substantially all of our undeveloped land. When developed, these lots generally will be used in our homebuilding activities. See “Forward-Looking Statements” above.

The table below shows the carrying value of land and land under development, by homebuilding segment, at December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 (in thousands).

The table below shows the number of lots owned and controlled under option (excluding lots in housing completed or under construction), by homebuilding segment, at December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 (in units).

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The table below shows the amount of at risk option deposits (in thousands).

Labor and Raw Materials.  For the most part, materials used in our homebuilding operations are standard items carried by major suppliers. We generally contract for our materials and labor at a fixed price for the anticipated construction period of our homes. This allows us to mitigate the risks associated with increases in building materials and labor costs between the time construction begins on a home and the time it is closed. Increases in the cost of building materials and subcontracted labor may reduce Home Gross Margins to the extent that market conditions prevent the recovery of increased costs through higher home sales prices. From time to time and to varying degrees, we may experience shortages in the availability of building materials and/or labor in each of our markets. These shortages and delays may result in delays in the delivery of homes under construction, reduced Home Gross Margins, or both. See “Forward-Looking Statements” above.

Warranty.  Our homes are sold with limited third-party warranties that generally provide for ten years of structural coverage, two years of coverage for plumbing, electrical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and one year of coverage for workmanship and materials. Under our agreement with the issuer of the third-party warranties, we are responsible for performing all of the work for the first two years of the warranty coverage, and paying for substantially all of the work required to be performed during years three through ten of the warranties.

Seasonal Nature of Business.  The homebuilding industry can experience noticeable seasonality and quarter-to-quarter variability in homebuilding activity levels. The seasonal nature of our business is described in more detail in our description of Risk Factors under the heading “Because of the seasonal nature of our business, our quarterly operating results can fluctuate.”

Backlog.  At December 31, 2011 and 2010, homes under contract but not yet delivered (“Backlog”) totaled 1,043 and 842, respectively, with an estimated sales value of $330 million and $269 million, respectively. Our Cancellation Rates (as defined below) were 37% and 30% for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. We define our home order “Cancellation Rate” as the approximate number of cancelled home order contracts during a reporting period as a percent of total home order contracts received during such reporting period. We anticipate that homes in Backlog at December 31, 2011 will close during 2012 under their existing home order contracts or through the replacement of an existing contract with a new home order contract. The estimated Backlog sales value at

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December 31, 2011 may be impacted by, among other things, subsequent home order cancellations and incentives provided, and options and upgrades selected after contract but prior to closing. See “Forward-Looking Statements” above.

The table below discloses our Backlog for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 for each market within our homebuilding segments (dollars in thousands).

Our Backlog at a point in time is impacted by net orders for homes and closed homes during a reporting period, as well as any Backlog acquired during the reporting period. The increase in our Backlog at December 31, 2011 compared with December 31, 2010 can be attributed to our net orders for homes exceeding closed homes by 125 units for the year ended December 31, 2011, combined with our acquisition of 76 homes that were already sold but not closed associated with our acquisition of substantially all of the assets of a homebuilding company in the Seattle area in April 2011.

Customer Service and Quality Control.  Our homebuilding divisions are responsible for pre-closing quality control inspections and responding to customers’ post-closing needs. We have a product service and quality control program, focused on improving and/or maintaining the quality of our customers’ complete home buying and homeownership experience.

Marketing and Sales.  Our sales and marketing programs are designed to attract homebuyers in a cost effective manner. Our home sales strategy is directed at communicating the inherent value of our homes to our prospective

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homebuyers and distinguishing our product from our competitors or other home buying opportunities. To communicate our Richmond American Homes brand and sales promotions, we have a centralized in-house advertising and marketing department that oversees these efforts. The main objective of this team is to generate homebuyer leads, which are actively pursued by our community sales associates. Additionally, internal and external Company communications are managed by our marketing department in conjunction with our human resources department internally and our investor relations department externally. Our in-house merchandising team furnishes our model homes and sales offices.

Another important part of our marketing presentation takes place in our design centers (also known as Home Galleries). Here, homebuyers are able to personalize their homes with a variety of options and upgrades. These locations also serve as an information center for prospective home buyers and real estate agents who may opt to receive personalized attention from one of our new home specialists, resulting in a more focused and efficient home search across all of our Richmond American communities in a given market place. We believe that the services provided by our Home Galleries represent a key competitive advantage in attracting prospective homebuyers.

Competition.  The homebuilding industry is fragmented and highly competitive. The competitive nature of our business is described in more detail in our description of Risk Factors.

Regulation.  Our homebuilding operations are subject to compliance with applicable laws and regulations, which are described in more detail in our description of Risk Factors.

Bonds and Letters of Credit.  We are often required to obtain performance bonds and/or letters of credit in support of our obligations, primarily for land development and subdivision improvements, homeowner association dues and start-up expenses, land maintenance work required by local municipalities and/or homeowner associations, contractor license fees and earnest money deposits. At December 31, 2011 and 2010, we had outstanding performance bonds totaling $63.2 million and $74.2 million, respectively, and letters of credit totaling $20.6 million and $15.7 million, respectively. In the event performance bonds or letters of credit issued by third-parties are called, our indemnity obligations could require us to reimburse the issuer of the performance bond or letter of credit. See “Forward-Looking Statements” above.

Financial Services and Other Segment.

Mortgage Lending Operations.

General.  HomeAmerican is a full-service mortgage lender and the principal originator of mortgage loans for our homebuyers. HomeAmerican has a centralized loan processing center where it originates mortgage loans, primarily for our homebuyers.

HomeAmerican is authorized to originate Federal Housing Administration-insured (“FHA”), Veterans Administration-guaranteed (“VA”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) (together “the government sponsored entities”) and private investor mortgage loans. HomeAmerican also is an authorized loan servicer for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and, as such, is subject to the rules and regulations of these entities.

HomeAmerican uses a mortgage repurchase facility, in addition to Company generated funds, to finance the origination of mortgage loans until they are sold. HomeAmerican sells originated mortgage loans to third-party purchasers on either a bulk or flow basis. Mortgage loans sold on a bulk basis include the sale of a package of substantially similar originated mortgage loans, while sales of mortgage loans on a flow basis are completed as HomeAmerican originates each loan. Mortgage loans sold to third-party purchasers include HomeAmerican’s

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representations and warranties with respect to certain borrower payment defaults, credit quality issues and/or misrepresentations made by us or our homebuyers. Substantially all of the mortgage loans originated by HomeAmerican are sold to third-party purchasers within 60 days of origination.

The following table sets forth the percent of mortgage loans sold by HomeAmerican to its primary third party purchasers during 2011, 2010 and 2009.

On August 31, 2011, Bank of America announced its intention to sell its third-party mortgage operation and exit its correspondent mortgage lending business. Subsequently, Bank of America amended its prior announcement and indicated that no sale of the third-party mortgage operation was forthcoming, but that it would proceed with its original plan to exit its correspondent mortgage lending business, with the last date that they would purchase a mortgage being December 15, 2011.

Pipeline.  HomeAmerican’s mortgage loans in process for which a rate and price commitment had been made to a borrower that had not closed (the “Locked Pipeline”) at December 31, 2011 and 2010 had an aggregate principal balance of approximately $22.9 million and $32.7 million, respectively, and were under interest rate lock commitments (“IRLC”) at an average interest rate of 3.93% and 4.17%, respectively. In addition, HomeAmerican had $78.3 million and $65.1 million of mortgage loans held-for-sale at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Forward Sales Commitments.  HomeAmerican is exposed to market risks related to fluctuations in interest rates. HomeAmerican creates certain derivative instruments in the normal course of business, which primarily include commitments to originate mortgage loans (IRLC or Locked Pipeline). HomeAmerican uses forward sales of mortgage-backed securities and commitments to sell whole loans to hedge the interest rate risk inherent in the IRLC and its loan inventory held-for-sale. Forward sales securities commitments and flow loan sales commitments are used to hedge changes in fair value of mortgage loan inventory and commitments to originate mortgage loans. At December 31, 2011, HomeAmerican had $12.5 million in forward sales commitments.

HomeAmerican records its mortgage loans held-for-sale at fair value to achieve matching of the changes in the fair value of its derivative instruments with the changes in fair values of the loans it is hedging, without having to designate its derivatives as hedging instruments. For forward sales commitments, as well as commitments to originate mortgage loans that are still outstanding at the end of a reporting period, HomeAmerican records the changes in fair value of the derivatives in other revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations with an offset to either prepaid and other assets or accrued liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, depending on the nature of the change. The changes in fair value of HomeAmerican’s derivatives were not material during the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 or 2009.

Competition.  The mortgage industry is consolidating with a handful of entities responsible for an increasing proportion of loans originated and serviced. Increasingly, HomeAmerican finds itself directly competing with the end purchasers of the loans it originates who are aggressively pursuing the Richmond American homebuyer at the time of sale. This trend has become more pronounced as the number of third party loan purchasers has decreased over time. These competitors may offer product or pricing benefits that are unavailable to HomeAmerican or may have the ability to offer mortgages with borrower credit characteristics that are less stringent than those offered by HomeAmerican. The competitive nature of our business is described in more detail in our description of Risk Factors.

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Regulation.  Our mortgage lending operations are subject to compliance with applicable laws and regulations, which are described in more detail in our description of Risk Factors.

Insurance Operations.

General.  Our insurance operations consist of three business divisions: (1) Allegiant; (2) StarAmerican; and (3) American Home Insurance.

Allegiant and StarAmerican were formed to provide insurance coverage of homebuilding risks for the Company, its homebuilding subsidiaries and certain of its homebuilding subcontractors. Allegiant was organized as a risk retention group under the Federal Liability Risk Retention Act of 1981. Allegiant, which began operations in June of 2004, is licensed as a Class 3 Stock Insurance Company by the Division of Insurance of the State of Hawaii and is subject primarily to the regulations of its state of incorporation. StarAmerican is a single parent captive insurance company licensed by the Division of Insurance of the State of Hawaii and is a wholly owned subsidiary of MDC. Pursuant to agreements beginning in June 2004, StarAmerican re-insures Allegiant for all claims in excess of $50,000 per occurrence up to $3.0 million per occurrence, subject to various aggregate limits.

Allegiant generates premium revenue by providing to its customers, comprised primarily of the Company and certain of its subcontractors, products and completed operations coverage on homes sold by our homebuilding subsidiaries and for work performed in completed subdivisions. Allegiant seeks to provide to its customers coverage and insurance rates that are competitive with other insurers. StarAmerican generates premium revenue by providing re-insurance coverage to Allegiant. Allegiant and StarAmerican incur expenses for actual losses and loss adjustment expenses and for reserves established based on actuarial studies that include known facts, including the Company’s experience with similar insurance cases and historical trends involving insurance claim payment patterns, pending levels of unpaid insurance claims, claim severity, claim frequency patterns and interpretations of circumstances including changing regulatory and legal environments.

Regulation.  Allegiant and StarAmerican are licensed in the State of Hawaii and, therefore, are subject to regulation by the Hawaii Insurance Division. This regulation includes restrictions and oversight regarding: types of insurance provided; investment options; required capital and surplus; financial and information reporting; use of auditors, actuaries and other service providers; periodic examinations; and other operational items. Additionally, as a risk retention group, Allegiant also is registered in other states where certain MDC homebuilding subsidiaries do business.

American Home Insurance is an insurance agency that sells primarily personal property and casualty insurance products in the same markets as our homebuilding subsidiaries and primarily to our homebuyers.

Employees.

The table below summarizes the approximate number of employees for our Homebuilding, Financial Services and Other and Corporate segments at December 31, 2011 and 2010.

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The homebuilding industry has experienced a significant downturn, and its duration and ultimate severity are uncertain. A continuation or further deterioration in industry conditions or in the broader economic conditions could have additional adverse effects on our business and financial results.

The homebuilding industry has been in a sustained downturn since 2006, and it has become one of the most severe housing downturns in U.S. history. The significant declines in the demand for new homes, oversupply of homes on the market and reductions in the availability of financing for homebuyers that have marked the downturn are continuing. We have experienced uncertainty and continued low demand for new homes, which negatively impacted our financial and operating results during the year ending December 31, 2011.

Our ability to recover from the downturn in the housing market has been negatively impacted by adverse industry and economic conditions. Home mortgage foreclosures have driven down home selling prices, making the purchase of a foreclosed home an attractive alternative to purchasing a new home. Homebuilders have responded with significant concessions, further adding to price declines. With the decline in the values of homes and in the inability of some homeowners to make their mortgage payments, the credit markets have been significantly disrupted, putting strains on many households and businesses. In the face of these conditions, weak economic conditions have continued, with high unemployment levels and overall low consumer confidence, particularly regarding the housing market. As a result, demand for new homes has remained at historically low levels.

If the downturn in the homebuilding and mortgage lending industries were to continue, or if the national economy weakens, we could continue to experience declines in the market value of our inventory and demand for our homes, which could have a significant negative impact on our Home Gross Margins and financial and operating results. If energy costs should increase, demand for our homes could be adversely impacted (because we are primarily a suburban residential builder), and the cost of building homes may increase, both of which could have a significant negative impact on our Home Gross Margins and financial and operating results.

Additionally, as a result of the difficult economic environment, we may be subject to increased counterparty risks, which may include, among others, banks under our letter of credit facilities and mortgage purchasers who may not be willing or able to perform on obligations to us. To the extent a third-party is unable to meet its obligations to us, our financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows could be negatively impacted.

These challenging conditions are complex and interrelated. We cannot predict their duration or ultimate severity nor can we provide assurance that our responses to the homebuilding downturn will be successful.

Our strategies in responding to the adverse conditions in the homebuilding industry and in the U.S. economy have had limited success, and the continued implementation of these and other strategies may not be successful.

Our recent strategies for responding to the current economic environment have been focused primarily on our sales and marketing efforts and significant personnel changes. To the extent these changes in our personnel or shifts in our sales and marketing strategies do not result in increased closings or increased Home Gross Margins, we may continue to experience depressed levels of orders for homes and closed homes and may continue to incur losses from operations.

Increased competition levels in the homebuilding and mortgage lending industries could result in lower net home orders, closings and decreases in the average selling prices of sold and closed homes, which would have a negative impact on our home sales revenue and results of operations.

The homebuilding industry is fragmented and highly competitive. Our homebuilding subsidiaries compete with numerous public and private homebuilders, including a number that are substantially larger and have greater financial

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resources than we do. Our homebuilding subsidiaries also compete with subdivision developers and land development companies, some of which are themselves homebuilders or affiliates of homebuilders. Homebuilders compete for customers, land, building materials, subcontractor labor and desirable financing. Competition for home orders primarily is based upon home sales price, home style, financing available to prospective homebuyers, location of property, quality of homes built, customer service and general reputation in the community, and may vary market-by-market and/or submarket-by-submarket. Additionally, competition within the homebuilding industry can be impacted through an excess supply of new and existing homes available for sale resulting from a number of factors including, among other things, increases in unsold started homes available for sale and increases in home foreclosures. Increased competition, including lower home sales prices offered by our competitors as experienced during 2011, can cause us to decrease our home sales prices and/or increase home sales incentives in an effort to generate new home sales and maintain homes in Backlog until they close. These competitive pressures are likely to continue for some time and could affect our ability to maintain existing home sales prices, which may negatively impact our future financial and operating results.

Through our mortgage lending subsidiary, HomeAmerican, we also compete with numerous banks, thrifts and other mortgage bankers and brokers, many of which are larger and may have greater financial resources than we do. Competitive factors include pricing, mortgage loan terms, underwriting criteria and customer service. To the extent that we are unable to adequately compete with other companies that originate mortgage loans, total revenue and the results of operations from our Financial Services and Other segment may be negatively impacted.

Further decline in the market value of our homes or carrying value of our land would have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial position.

Our homebuilding subsidiaries acquire land for the replacement of land inventory and/or expansion within our current markets and may, from time to time, purchase land for expansion into new markets. The fair value of our land and land under development and housing completed or under construction inventory depends on market conditions. Factors that can impact our determination of the fair value of our inventory primarily include home sales prices, levels of home sales incentives and home construction costs. Our home sales prices and/or levels of home sales incentives can be impacted by, among other things, decreased demand for new homes, decreased home prices offered by our competitors, home foreclosure levels, decreased ability of our homebuyers to obtain suitable mortgage loan financing and high levels of home order cancellations. Additionally, our home construction costs can be impacted by, among other things, shortages of subcontractor labor and changes in costs associated with subcontracted labor, building materials and other resources. If we are required to decrease home sales prices and/or increase incentives in an effort to generate new home sales, maintain homes in Backlog or remain competitive with the home sales prices offered by our competitors, or if our home construction costs increase, we may not be able to recover the carrying costs of our inventory when our homebuilding subsidiaries build and sell homes. Under such circumstances, we may be required to record additional impairments of our inventory. Additionally, due to the uncertainty in the homebuilding and mortgage lending industries and the overall United States economy, it is reasonably possible for us to experience declines in the market value of our homes and, as a result, additional inventory impairments could be recorded in future reporting periods. Any such additional inventory impairments would have a negative impact on our financial position and results of operations in the future reporting period in which they were recorded.

Increases in our cancellations could have a negative impact on our Home Gross Margins and home sales revenue.

Home order cancellations can result from a number of factors, including declines in the market value of homes, increases in the supply of homes available to be purchased, increased competition, higher mortgage interest rates, homebuyers’ inability to sell their existing homes, homebuyers’ inability to obtain suitable financing, including providing sufficient down payments, and adverse changes in economic conditions.

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Increased levels of home order cancellations would have a negative impact on our home sales revenue and financial and operating results in future reporting periods.

If land is not available at reasonable prices or terms, our homes sales revenue and results of operations could be negatively impacted and/or we could be required to scale back our operations in a given market.

Our operations depend on our homebuilding subsidiaries’ ability to obtain land for the development of our residential communities at reasonable prices and with terms that meet our underwriting criteria. Our ability to obtain land for new residential communities may be adversely affected by changes in the general availability of land, the willingness of land sellers to sell land at reasonable prices given the deterioration in market conditions, competition for available land, availability of financing to acquire land, zoning, regulations that limit housing density, and other market conditions. If the supply of land, and especially finished lots, appropriate for development of residential communities continues to be limited because of these factors, or for any other reason, the number of homes that our homebuilding subsidiaries build and sell may decline. Additionally, the ability of our homebuilding subsidiaries to open new subdivisions could be impacted if we elect not to purchase lots under option contracts. To the extent that we are unable to timely purchase land or enter into new contracts for the purchase of land at reasonable prices, due to the lag time between the time we acquire land and the time we begin selling homes, our home sales revenue and results of operations could be negatively impacted and/or we could be required to scale back our operations in a given market.

If mortgage interest rates rise or if mortgage financing otherwise becomes less affordable, it could adversely affect our sales and business, and the duration and ultimate severity of the effects are uncertain.

The mortgage lending industry continues to experience significant instability, including defaults on subprime loans and other nonconforming loans and expectations of increasing interest payment requirements and further defaults. These factors have resulted in a decline in the market value of many mortgage loans and related securities. Lenders, regulators and others have questioned the adequacy of lending standards and other credit requirements for several loan products and programs offered in prior years. Credit requirements tightened, and investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities declined. The deterioration in credit quality has caused almost all lenders to eliminate subprime mortgages and most other loan products that are not eligible for sale to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or loans that do not meet FHA and VA requirements. Fewer loan products, tighter loan qualifications and a reduced willingness of lenders to make loans in turn have made it more difficult for many homebuyers to finance the purchase of our homes. These factors have served to reduce the pool of qualified homebuyers and made it more difficult to sell to first-time and move-up buyers who have historically been our customers. These reductions in demand have adversely affected our business and financial results, and the duration and severity of the effects remain uncertain.

We believe that the liquidity provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the mortgage industry has been very important to the housing market. The future of these entities is in question. Any reduction in the availability of the financing provided by these institutions could adversely affect interest rates, mortgage availability and our sales of new homes and mortgage loans.

Because of the decline in the availability of other mortgage products, FHA and VA mortgage financing support has become a more important factor in marketing our homes. The American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, however, increased a buyer’s down payment requirement for FHA insured loans. In addition, increased demands on the FHA have resulted in a reduction of its cash reserves. These factors or further increases in down payment requirements or limitations or restrictions on the availability of FHA and VA financing support could adversely affect interest rates, mortgage availability and our sales of new homes and mortgage loans.

Even if potential customers do not need financing, changes in the availability of mortgage products may make it harder for them to sell their current homes to potential buyers who need financing.

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If interest rates increase, the costs of owning a home will be affected and could result in further reductions in the demand for our homes. Similarly, potential changes to the tax code with respect to deduction of home mortgage interest payments or other changes may decrease affordability of homeownership.

We have financial needs that we meet through the capital markets, including the debt and secondary mortgage markets, and continued disruptions in these markets could have an adverse impact on our results of operations, financial position and/or cash flows.

We have financial needs that we meet through the capital markets, including the debt and secondary mortgage markets. Reduced investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities in the secondary mortgage markets and increased investor yield requirements for those loans and securities and the exit of third-party purchasers from the secondary market may have an adverse impact on our results of operations, financial position and/or cash flows. In addition, the sources and terms and conditions of warehouse financing and mortgage repurchase arrangements and other lending arrangements for the mortgage lending industry are changing. These changes can impact, among other things, availability of capital, terms and structures for debt and line of credit agreements, collateral requirements and collateral advance rates.

In the ordinary course of business, we are required to obtain performance bonds, the unavailability of which could adversely affect our results of operations and/or cash flows.

As is customary in the homebuilding industry, we often are required to provide surety bonds to secure our performance under construction contracts, development agreements and other arrangements. Our ability to obtain surety bonds primarily depends upon our credit rating, capitalization, working capital, past performance, management expertise and certain external factors, including the overall capacity of the surety market and the underwriting practices of surety bond issuers. The ability to obtain surety bonds also can be impacted by the willingness of insurance companies to issue performance bonds. If we were unable to obtain surety bonds when required, our results of operations and/or cash flows could be adversely impacted.

Further uncertainty in the mortgage lending industry, including repurchase requirements associated with HomeAmerican’s sale of mortgage loans, could negatively impact our results of operations.

We are subject to risks associated with mortgage loans, including, besides conventional mortgage loans, previously originated and sold Alt-A, and sub-prime mortgage loans, second mortgage loans, high loan-to-value mortgage loans and jumbo mortgage loans (mortgage loans with principal balances that exceed various thresholds in our markets). These risks may include, among other things, compliance with mortgage loan underwriting criteria and the associated homebuyers’ performance, which could require HomeAmerican to repurchase certain of those mortgage loans or provide indemnification. Repurchased mortgage loans and/or the settlement of claims associated with such loans had in 2011 and could have in the future a substantial impact on HomeAmerican’s results of operations, liquidity and cash flow.

Decreases in the market value of our investments in marketable securities could have an adverse impact on our results of operations.

We have invested $519.9 million in marketable securities at December 31, 2011, the market value of which is subject to changes from period to period. Decreases in the market value of our marketable securities could have an adverse impact on our statements of financial position, results of operations and cash flow.

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As of December 31, 2011, we are utilizing a new Enterprise Resource Planning (“ERP”) system in all but two of our homebuilding divisions and, if we encounter significant problems with this implementation or implementation throughout our remaining homebuilding divisions, it could have an adverse impact on our operating activities and/or financial reporting capabilities.

As of December 31, 2011, we have been utilizing a new ERP system in eight of our ten homebuilding divisions. The full implementation of this system throughout all of our homebuilding divisions is scheduled to take place over the course of the next year. To the extent that we encounter significant problems, delays or disruptions in our implementation process, our ability to effectively monitor and manage our operating activities and/or financial reporting capabilities could be adversely impacted.

Our financial services operations have concentration risks that could impact our results of operations.

There are a limited number of third-party purchasers of mortgage loans originated by HomeAmerican. On August 31, 2011, Bank of America, one of our third-party purchasers, announced its intention to sell its third-party mortgage operation and exit its correspondent mortgage lending business. Subsequently, Bank of America amended its prior announcement and indicated that no sale of the third-party mortgage operation was forthcoming, but that it would proceed with its original plan to exit its correspondent mortgage lending business, with the last date that they would purchase a mortgage being December 15, 2011. If we continue to see other third-party purchasers of mortgage loans exit the business, our operations could be impacted adversely due to reduced competition and having fewer bidders for originated mortgage loans we sell, which could result in us receiving a lower price for such originated mortgage loans.

Our business is subject to numerous federal, local and state laws and regulations concerning land development, construction of homes, sales, mortgage lending, environmental and other aspects of our business. These laws and regulations could give rise to additional liabilities or expenditures, or restrictions on our business.

Our operations are subject to continuing compliance requirements mandated by applicable federal, state and local statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations, including zoning and land use ordinances, building, plumbing and electrical codes, contractors’ licensing laws, state insurance laws, federal and state human resources laws and regulations and health and safety laws and regulations (including, but not limited to, those of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration). Various localities in which we operate have imposed (or may impose in the future) fees on developers to fund schools, road improvements and low and moderate-income housing.

From time to time, various municipalities in which our homebuilding subsidiaries operate restrict or place moratoria on the availability of utilities, including water and sewer taps. Additionally, certain jurisdictions in which our homebuilding subsidiaries operate have proposed or enacted “slow growth” or “no growth” initiatives and other measures that may restrict the number of building permits available in any given year. These initiatives or other slow or no growth measures could reduce our ability to open new subdivisions and build and sell homes in the affected markets and may create additional costs and administration requirements, which in turn could negatively impact our future home sales and results of operations. Although future conditions or governmental actions may impact our ability to obtain necessary permits or water and sewer taps, we currently believe that we have, or can obtain, water and sewer taps and building permits for our homebuilding subsidiaries’ land inventory and land held for development.

Our homebuilding operations also are affected by environmental laws and regulations pertaining to availability of water, municipal sewage treatment capacity, stormwater discharges, land use, hazardous waste disposal, dust controls, building materials, population density and preservation of endangered species, natural terrain and vegetation. Due to these considerations, our homebuilding subsidiaries generally obtain an environmental site assessment for parcels of land that they acquire. The particular environmental laws and regulations that apply to any given

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homebuilding project vary greatly according to a particular site’s location, the site’s environmental conditions and the present and former uses. These environmental laws may result in project delays, cause us to incur substantial compliance and other costs and/or prohibit or severely restrict homebuilding activity in certain environmentally sensitive locations.

We also are subject to rules and regulations with respect to originating, processing, selling and servicing mortgage loans, which, among other things: prohibit discrimination and establish underwriting guidelines; provide for audits and inspections; require appraisals and/or credit reports on prospective borrowers and disclosure of certain information concerning credit and settlement costs; establish maximum loan amounts; prohibit predatory lending practices; and regulate the referral of business to affiliated entities. The turmoil caused by the increased number of defaults in subprime and other mortgages has encouraged consumer lawsuits and the investigation of financial services industry practices by governmental authorities. These investigations could include the examination of consumer lending practices, sales of mortgages to financial institutions and other investors and the practices in the financial services segments of homebuilding companies. New rules and regulations or revised interpretations of existing rules and regulations applicable to our mortgage lending operations could result in more stringent compliance standards, which may substantially increase costs of compliance. Additionally, potential changes to regulations, including but not limited to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) could have a significant impact on the ability of our affiliated businesses to provide services to Richmond American Homes customers, which could have a significant negative impact on our financial and operating results.

Product liability litigation and warranty claims that arise in the ordinary course of business may be costly.

As a homebuilder, we are subject to construction defect and home warranty claims, as well as claims associated with the sale and financing of our homes arising in the ordinary course of business. These types of claims can be costly. The costs of insuring against construction defect and product liability claims can be high and the amount of coverage offered by insurance companies may be limited. If we are not able to obtain adequate insurance against these claims, we may incur additional expenses that would have a negative impact on our results of operations in future reporting periods. Additionally, changes in the facts and circumstances of our pending litigation matters could have a material impact on our results of operations and cash flows in future reporting periods.

Our income tax provision or benefit and other tax liabilities may be insufficient if taxing authorities are successful in asserting tax positions that are contrary to our position.

From time to time, we are audited by various federal and state authorities regarding income tax matters. Significant judgment is required to determine our provision or benefit for income taxes and our liabilities for federal and state income taxes. Our current audits are in various stages of completion; however, no outcome for a particular audit can be determined with certainty prior to the conclusion of the audit, appeal and, in some cases, litigation process. Although we believe our approach to determining the appropriate tax treatment is supportable, it is possible that the final tax authority will take a tax position that is materially different than that which is reflected in our income tax provision or benefit and other tax liabilities. As each audit is completed, adjustments, if any, are recorded in our Consolidated Financial Statements in the period determined. Such differences could have a material adverse effect on our income tax provision or benefit, or other tax liabilities, in the reporting period in which such determination is made and, consequently, on our results of operations, financial position and/or cash flows for such period.

The homebuilding industry is cyclical and affected by changes in general economic, real estate or other business conditions that could adversely affect our business or financial results.

The homebuilding industry is cyclical and is significantly affected by changes in industry conditions, as well as in general and local economic conditions, such as:

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These may occur on a national scale, like the current downturn, or may affect some of the regions or markets in which we operate more than others. When adverse conditions affect any of our larger markets, they could have a proportionately greater impact on us than on some other homebuilding companies.

An oversupply of alternatives to new homes, including foreclosed homes, homes held for sale by investors and speculators, other existing homes, and rental properties, can also reduce our ability to sell new homes and depress new home prices and reduce our margins on the sales of new homes. High levels of foreclosures not only contribute to additional inventory available for sale, but also reduce appraisal valuations for new homes, potentially resulting in lower sales prices.

Continued military deployments, terrorist attacks, other acts of violence or threats to national security, and any corresponding response by the United States or others, or related domestic or international instability, may adversely affect general economic conditions or cause a slowdown of the economy.

As a result of the foregoing matters, potential customers may be less willing or able to buy our homes. In the future, our pricing strategies may continue to be limited by market conditions. We may be unable to change the mix of our home offerings, reduce the costs of the homes we build or offer more affordable homes to maintain our Home Gross Margins or satisfactorily address changing market conditions in other ways. In addition, Cancellations of home sales contracts in Backlog may increase as homebuyers choose to not honor their contracts.

Our financial services business is closely related to our homebuilding business, as it originates mortgage loans principally to purchasers of the homes we build. A decrease in the demand for our homes because of the foregoing matters may also adversely affect the financial results of this segment of our business. An increase in the default rate on the mortgages we originate may adversely affect our ability to sell the mortgages or the pricing we receive upon the sale of mortgages or may increase our potential exposure regarding those mortgage loan sales. Because of the uncertainties inherent in these matters, actual future obligations could differ significantly from our current estimates.

Because of the seasonal nature of our business, our quarterly operating results can fluctuate.

We may experience noticeable seasonality and quarter-to-quarter variability in homebuilding activity levels. In general, the number of homes closed and associated home sales revenue can increase during the third and fourth quarters, compared with the first and second quarters. We believe that this type of seasonality reflects the historical tendency of homebuyers to purchase new homes in the spring with closings scheduled in the fall or winter, as well as the scheduling of construction to accommodate seasonal weather conditions in certain markets. During 2011, 2010 and 2009, this seasonality pattern was not apparent in our financial or operating results. The extent to which historical seasonality patterns may have contributed to actual 2011, 2010 and 2009 home sales and closing levels is unknown, and there can be no assurances that this seasonality pattern will be apparent in future reporting periods.

Supply shortages and other risks related to the demand for skilled labor and building materials could increase costs and delay deliveries.

The residential construction industry experiences labor and material shortages from time to time, including: work stoppages; labor disputes and shortages in qualified trades people, insulation, drywall, concrete, steel and lumber; lack

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of availability of adequate utility infrastructure and services; our need to rely on local subcontractors who may not be adequately capitalized or insured; and shortages, delays in availability, or fluctuations in prices, of building materials. These labor and material shortages can be more severe during periods of strong demand for housing or during periods in which the markets where we operate experience natural disasters that have a significant impact on existing residential and commercial structures. Additionally, we could experience labor shortages as a result of subcontractors going out of business. Any of these circumstances could give rise to delays in the start or completion of our residential communities, increase the cost of developing one or more of our residential communities and increase the construction cost of our homes. To the extent that market conditions prevent the recovery of increased costs, including, among other things, subcontracted labor, finished lots, building materials, and other resources, through higher selling prices, our Home Gross Margins and results of operations could be affected negatively.

Increased costs of lumber, framing, concrete, steel and other building materials could cause increases in construction costs. We generally are unable to pass on increases in construction costs to customers who have already entered into sales contracts, as those sales contracts generally fix the price of the homes at the time the contracts are signed, which may be well in advance of the construction of the home. Sustained increases in construction costs may, over time, erode our Home Gross Margins, particularly if pricing competition restricts our ability to pass on any additional costs of materials or labor, thereby decreasing our Home Gross Margins.

Natural disasters could cause an increase in home construction costs, as well as delays, and could negatively impact our results of operations.

The climates and geology of many of the markets in which we operate present increased risks of natural disasters. To the extent that hurricanes, severe storms, earthquakes, droughts, floods, heavy or prolonged precipitation, wildfires or other natural disasters or similar events occur, the financial and operating results of our business may be negatively impacted.

We are dependent on the services of key employees, and the loss of their services could hurt our business.

Although we believe that the Company has made provision for adequately staffing current operations, because of our efforts to “right-size” our organization during the past five years, retaining our skilled people has become a critical area of focus. Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to attract, train and retain skilled personnel. If we are unable to retain our key employees or attract, train and retain other skilled personnel in the future, it could have an adverse impact on our financial and operating results.

The interests of certain controlling shareholders may be adverse to investors.

Larry A. Mizel, David D. Mandarich and other of our affiliates beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate, approximately 25% of our common stock. To the extent they and their affiliates vote their shares in the same manner, their combined stock ownership may effectively give them the power to influence the election of members of our board of directors and other matters reserved for our shareholders. Circumstances may occur in which the interest of these shareholders could be in conflict with your interests. In addition, such persons may have an interest in pursuing transactions that, in their judgment, enhance the value of their equity investment in us, even though such transactions may involve risks to you.

None.

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Our corporate office is located at 4350 South Monaco Street, Denver, Colorado 80237, where we lease office space in a 144,000 square foot office building. Our homebuilding divisions and, in some markets, other MDC subsidiaries, including HomeAmerican, American Home Insurance and American Home Title, lease additional office space. The table below outlines the number of office facilities that are leased and the approximate square footage leased in each market at December 31, 2011. While currently we are satisfied with the suitability and capacity of our office locations, we continue to evaluate them in view of market conditions.

Because of the nature of the homebuilding business, we and certain of our subsidiaries and affiliates have been named as defendants in various claims, complaints and other legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business, including product liability claims and claims associated with the sale and financing of our homes. In the opinion of management, the outcome of these ordinary course matters will not have a material adverse effect upon our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

West Virginia Litigation

Litigation has been filed by homeowners in West Virginia against MDC, its subsidiary Richmond American Homes of West Virginia, Inc. (“RAH West Virginia”) and various subcontractors alleging a failure to install functional passive radon mitigation systems in their homes. The plaintiffs seek compensatory and punitive damages and medical monitoring costs for alleged negligent construction, failure to warn, breach of warranty or contract, breach of implied warranty of habitability, fraud, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress based upon alleged exposure to radon gas. The litigation includes the following actions:

Joy, et al. v. Richmond American Homes of West Virginia, Inc., et al., No. 08-C-204, Circuit Court of Jefferson County, West Virginia (“Joy”). This action was filed on May 16, 2008, by sixty-six plaintiffs from fifteen households. The Company and RAH West Virginia have answered and asserted cross-claims against the subcontractors for contractual and implied indemnity and contribution.

Bauer, et al. v. Richmond American Homes of West Virginia, Inc., et al., No. 08-C-431, Circuit Court of Jefferson County, West Virginia (“Bauer”). This action was filed on October 24, 2008, by eighty-six plaintiffs from twenty-one households. This action has been consolidated for discovery and pre-trial proceedings with the Joy action.

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Saliba, et al. v. Richmond American Homes of West Virginia, Inc., et al., No. 08-C-447, Circuit Court, Jefferson County, West Virginia (“Saliba”). This action was filed on November 7, 2008, by thirty-five plaintiffs from nine households. This action has been consolidated for discovery and pre-trial proceedings with the Joy action.

Thorin, et al. v. Richmond American Homes of West Virginia, Inc., et al., No. 10-C-154, Circuit Court of Jefferson County, West Virginia (“Thorin”). This litigation was filed on May 12, 2010, by forty plaintiffs from eleven households in Jefferson and Berkeley Counties. To date, this action has not been consolidated for any purposes with the prior three actions. The claims asserted and the relief sought in the Thorin case are substantially similar to the Joy, Bauer and Saliba cases.

These cases have been settled in principle subject to approval by the court. The Company does not expect that the settlement will result in a loss exceeding amounts already recognized.

Shareholder Derivative Litigation

On September 28, 2011, a shareholder derivative lawsuit was filed by Martha Woodford in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, Civil Action No. 11-00879-RGA. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff makes claims against our board of directors and our executive officers for alleged breaches of fiduciary duty, violation of Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act, corporate waste and unjust enrichment relating to the Company’s executive officer compensation practices. The plaintiff seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief on behalf of the Company, and attorneys’ and other professional fees and costs. The parties have reached an agreement in principle, providing for the settlement of the lawsuit. Under the terms of the proposed settlement, the Company would implement certain corporate governance procedures and pay legal fees to the plaintiffs. The Company’s directors and executive officers admit no liability. The proposed settlement is subject to shareholder notice and court approval. If the court approves the settlement, the lawsuit will be dismissed with prejudice. The Company does not expect that the settlement will result in a loss exceeding amounts already recognized.

Not applicable.

PART II

At December 31, 2011, MDC had 657 shareowners of record. The shares of MDC common stock are traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the closing price ranges of MDC’s common stock.

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The following table sets forth the cash dividends declared and paid in 2011 and 2010 (dollars in thousands, except per share amounts).

On January 23, 2012, MDC’s board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of twenty five cents ($0.25) per share. The dividend will be paid on February 22, 2012 to shareowners of record on February 8, 2012.

There were no shares of MDC common stock repurchased during the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 or 2009. At December 31, 2011, we were authorized to repurchase up to 4,000,000 shares of our common stock.

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Performance Graph

Set forth below is a graph comparing the yearly change in the cumulative total return of the MDC’s common stock with the cumulative total return of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index and with that of a peer group of other homebuilders over the five-year period ending on December 31, 2011, weighted as of the beginning of that period.

It is assumed in the graph that $100 was invested (1) in the Company’s common stock; (2) in the stocks of the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index; and (3) in the stocks of the peer group companies, just prior to the commencement of the period and that all dividends received within a quarter were reinvested in that quarter. The peer group index is composed of the following companies: Beazer Homes USA, Inc., D.R. Horton, Inc., Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., KB Home, Lennar Corporation, M/I Homes, Inc., Meritage Homes Corporation, NVR, Inc., Pulte Homes, Inc., The Ryland Group, Inc., Standard Pacific Corp. and Toll Brothers, Inc.

The stock price performance shown on the following graph is not indicative of future price performance.

COMPARISON OF CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN

OF MDC COMMON STOCK, THE S&P 500 STOCK INDEX

AND A SELECTED PEER GROUP

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The data in these tables and related footnotes should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements (in thousands, except per share and unit amounts).