SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Report") contains certain forward-looking statements that are subject to various
risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "potential," "intend," "expect," "seek,"
"anticipate," "estimate," "approximately," "believe," "could," "project," "predict," "continue," "plan" or other similar words or expressions.
Forward-looking
statements are based on certain assumptions, discuss future expectations, describe future plans and strategies, contain financial and operating projections or state other
forward-looking information. Examples of forward-looking statements include the following:
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- projections of our revenues, income, earnings per share, capital structure or other financial items;
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- descriptions of our plans or objectives for future operations, products or services;
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- forecasts of our future economic performance, interest rates, profit margins and our share of future markets; and
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- descriptions of assumptions underlying or relating to any of the foregoing expectations regarding the timing of generating
any revenues.
Our
ability to predict results or the actual effect of future events, actions, plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such
forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, our actual results and performance could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There are a number of
factors, many of which are beyond our control, that could cause actual results to differ significantly from management's expectations. Some of these factors are discussed below.
You
should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement and should consider the following uncertainties and risk factors, as well as the risks, risk factors and
uncertainties discussed elsewhere in this Report and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Factors
that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated include, but are not limited
to:
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- changes in our investment objectives or investment or operational strategies, including any new lines of business or new
products and services that may subject us to additional risks;
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- volatility in our industry, interest rates and spreads, the debt or equity markets, the general economy or the residential
finance and real estate markets specifically, whether the result of market events or otherwise;
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- events or circumstances which undermine confidence in the financial markets or otherwise have a broad impact on financial
markets, such as the sudden instability or collapse of large depository institutions or other significant corporations, terrorist attacks, natural or man-made disasters, or threatened or
actual armed conflicts;
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- changes in general business, economic, market, employment and political conditions, or in consumer confidence and spending
habits from those expected;
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- continued declines in residential real estate and significant changes in U.S. housing prices and/or activity in the U.S.
housing market;
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- the availability of, and level of competition for, attractive risk-adjusted investment opportunities in
residential mortgage loans and mortgage-related assets that satisfy our investment objectives;
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- our success in winning bids to acquire loans;
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- the concentration of credit risks to which we are exposed;
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- the degree and nature of our competition;
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- changes in personnel and lack of availability of qualified personnel;
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- our dependence on our manager and servicer, potential conflicts of interest with such entities, and the performance of
such entities;
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- the availability, terms and deployment of short-term and long-term capital;
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- the adequacy of our cash reserves and working capital;
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- our ability to match the interest rates and maturities of our assets with our financing;
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- the timing and amount of cash flows, if any, from our investments;
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- unanticipated increases in financing and other costs, including a rise in interest rates;
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- the performance, financial condition and liquidity of borrowers;
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- incomplete or inaccurate information or documentation provided by customers or counterparties, or adverse changes in the
financial condition of our customers and counterparties;
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- the quality and enforceability of the collateral documentation evidencing our ownership and rights in the assets in which
we invest;
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- increased rates of delinquency, default and/or decreased recovery rates on our investments;
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- our ability to foreclose on our investments in a timely manner or at all;
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- increased prepayments of the mortgages and other loans underlying our mortgage-backed securities and other investments;
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- the degree to which our hedging strategies may or may not protect us from interest rate volatility;
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- the effect of the accuracy of or changes in the estimates we make about uncertainties and contingencies when measuring and
reporting upon our financial condition and results of operations;
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- our failure to maintain appropriate internal controls over financial reporting;
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- our ability to obtain and/or maintain licenses and other approvals in those jurisdictions where required to conduct our
business;
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- our ability to comply with various federal, state and local laws and regulations that govern our business;
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- developments in the secondary markets for our mortgage loan products;
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- legislative and regulatory changes that impact the mortgage loan industry or housing market;
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- changes in regulations or the occurrence of other events that impact the business, operations or prospects of government
agencies such as Ginnie Mae, the Federal Housing Administration (the "FHA") or the Veterans Administration (the "VA"), or government-sponsored entities such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, or such
changes that increase the cost of doing business with such entities;
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- the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd-Frank Act") and its
implementing regulations and regulatory agencies, and any other legislative and regulatory