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Loan Production Data: | | | For the three months ended March 31, |
($ in thousands) | | | | | 2023 | | 2022 | | |
Loan origination volume by type | | | | | | | | | |
Purchase: | | | | | | | | | |
Conventional | | | | | $ | 12,969,966 | | | $ | 13,297,954 | | | |
Government | | | | | 5,623,050 | | | 4,272,747 | | | |
Jumbo and other | | | | | 652,780 | | | 1,532,197 | | | |
Total purchase | | | | | $ | 19,245,796 | | | $ | 19,102,898 | | | |
Refinance: | | | | | | | | | |
Conventional | | | | | $ | 1,869,911 | | | $ | 15,597,602 | | | |
Government | | | | | 941,775 | | | 3,409,198 | | | |
Jumbo and other | | | | | 277,532 | | | 702,631 | | | |
Total refinance | | | | | 3,089,218 | | | 19,709,431 | | | |
Total loan origination volume | | | | | $ | 22,335,014 | | | $ | 38,812,329 | | | |
Portfolio metrics | | | | | | | | | |
Average loan amount | | | | | $ | 362 | | | $ | 363 | | | |
Weighted average loan-to-value ratio | | | | | 83.51 | % | | 75.07 | % | | |
Weighted average credit score | | | | | 737 | | | 741 | | | |
Weighted average note rate | | | | | 6.20 | % | | 3.45 | % | | |
Percentage of loans sold | | | | | | | | | |
To GSEs | | | | | 97 | % | | 94 | % | | |
To other counterparties | | | | | 3 | % | | 6 | % | | |
Servicing-retained | | | | | 98 | % | | 99 | % | | |
Servicing-released | | | | | 2 | % | | 1 | % | | |
The components of loan production income for the periods presented were as follows:
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| For the three months ended March 31, | | Change $ | | Change % |
($ in thousands) | 2023 | | | | 2022 | | | | |
Primary gain (loss) | $ | (363,425) | | | | | $ | (339,968) | | | | | $ | (23,457) | | | 6.9 | % |
Loan origination fees | 50,980 | | | | | 86,164 | | | | | (35,184) | | | (40.8) | % |
Provision for representation and warranty obligations | (7,527) | | | | | (7,762) | | | | | 235 | | | (3.0) | % |
Capitalization of MSRs | 525,396 | | | | | 645,437 | | | | | (120,041) | | | (18.6) | % |
Loan production income | $ | 205,424 | | | | | $ | 383,871 | | | | | $ | (178,447) | | | (46.5) | % |
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Gain margin(1) | 0.92 | % | | | | 0.99 | % | | | | (0.07) | % | | |
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(1) Represents total loan production income divided by total loan origination volume for the applicable period. | | |
Loan production income was $205.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, a decrease of $178.4 million, or 46.5%, as compared to $383.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The decrease in loan production income was primarily driven by a decrease in loan production volume. Also contributing to the decline was a slight decrease in gain margin, from 99 basis points for the three months ended March 31, 2022 to 92 basis points for the same period in 2023. Loan production volume declined $16.5 billion, or 42%, from $38.8 billion to $22.3 billion during the three months ended March 31, 2023, as compared to the same period in 2022, due to lower refinance volume as a result of the higher primary mortgage interest rate environment during 2023, partially offset by a slight increase in purchase volume despite the higher interest rate environment and an overall decline in purchase volume for the industry.
Loan servicing income and Servicing costs
The table below summarizes loan servicing income and servicing costs for each of the periods presented (servicing costs include amounts paid to sub-servicers and other direct costs of servicing, but exclude the costs of team members that oversee UWM's servicing operations):
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| | For the three months ended March 31, | | Change $ | | Change % |
($ in thousands) | | 2023 | | 2022 | | |
Contractual servicing fees | | $ | 214,756 | | | $ | 195,950 | | | $ | 18,806 | | | 9.6 | % |
Late, ancillary and other fees | | 3,801 | | | 2,615 | | | 1,186 | | | 45.4 | % |
Loan servicing income | | $ | 218,557 | | | $ | 198,565 | | | $ | 19,992 | | | 10.1 | % |
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Servicing costs | | 36,862 | | | 47,184 | | | (10,322) | | | (21.9) | % |
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| | | For the three months ended March 31, |
($ in thousands) | | | | | 2023 | | 2022 | | |
Average UPB of loans serviced | | | | | $ | 313,918,441 | | | $ | 317,489,207 | | | |
Average number of loans serviced | | | | | 969,954 | | | 994,226 | | | |
Weighted average servicing fee as of period end | | | | | 0.2785 | % | | 0.2587 | % | | |
Loan servicing income was $218.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, an increase of $20.0 million, or 10.1%, as compared to $198.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase in loan servicing income during the three months ended March 31, 2023 was primarily driven by higher average servicing fees.
Servicing costs decreased $10.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 from the three months ended March 31, 2022 as a result of lower loss mitigation expenses and a slight decrease in the average servicing portfolio.
For the periods presented below, our loan servicing portfolio consisted of the following:
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($ in thousands) | March 31, 2023 | | December 31, 2022 |
UPB of loans serviced | $ | 297,906,035 | | $ | 312,454,025 |
Number of loans serviced | 919,435 | | 967,050 |
MSR portfolio delinquency count (60+ days) as % of total | 0.98 | % | | 0.85 | % |
Weighted average note rate | 3.66 | % | | 3.64 | % |
Weighted average service fee | 0.2785 | % | | 0.2862 | % |
Change in Fair Value of Mortgage Servicing Rights
The change in fair value of MSRs was a net decrease of $337.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 as compared with a net increase of $172.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The net decrease in fair value for the three months ended March 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to a decrease in fair value of approximately $222.9 million due to changes in valuation inputs/assumptions, mainly as a result of changes in interest rates, a decline in fair value of approximately $96.3 million due to realization of cash flows and decay (including loans paid in full) and approximately $18.1 million of net reserves and transaction costs for bulk MSR sales and sales of excess servicing cash flows. The net increase in fair value for the three months ended March 31, 2022 of approximately $172.0 million was attributable to an increase of approximately $391.0 million resulting from changes in valuation inputs/assumptions, such as changes in interest rates, offset by declines of approximately $180.6 million due to realization of cash flows and decay (including loans paid in full) and approximately $38.4 million of net reserves and transaction costs for bulk MSR sales.
Interest income and Interest expense
For the periods presented below, interest income and the components of and total interest expense were as follows:
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| For the three months ended March 31, | | |
($ in thousands) | 2023 | | 2022 | | |
Interest income | $ | 74,580 | | | $ | 67,395 | | | |
Less: Interest expense on funding facilities | 20,581 | | | 30,816 | | | |
Net interest income | $ | 53,999 | | | $ | 36,579 | | | |
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Interest expense on non-funding debt | $ | 42,703 | | $ | 29,558 | | | |
Total interest expense | 63,284 | | | 60,374 | | | |
Net interest income (interest income less interest expense on funding facilities) was $54.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, an increase of $17.4 million, or 48%, as compared to $36.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This increase was primarily driven by a decrease in interest expense on funding facilities, due to lower average warehouse borrowing balances (due to lower production volume) and higher escrow credits provided by warehouse lenders, partially offset by higher interest rates on warehouse facilities (all of which are based on variable interest rate benchmarks plus a spread). Interest income increased due to higher average note rates on loans at fair value, partially offset by decreases in the average balances of mortgage loans at fair value (due to lower production volume).
Interest expense on non-funding debt was $42.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, an increase from $29.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022, due to additional interest in 2023 on borrowings on the MSR Facility established at the end of the third quarter of 2022 and the GNMA MSR Facility established in the first quarter of 2023.
Other expenses
Other expenses (excluding servicing costs and interest expense, explained above) for the periods presented were as follows:
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| | For the three months ended March 31, | | Change $ | | Change % |
| | 2023 | | 2022 | | |
Salaries, commissions and benefits | | $ | 121,003 | | | $ | 160,609 | | | $ | (39,606) | | | (24.7) | % |
Direct loan production costs | | 16,483 | | | 26,718 | | | (10,235) | | | (38.3) | % |
Marketing, travel, and entertainment | | 17,210 | | | 12,837 | | | 4,373 | | | 34.1 | % |
Depreciation and amortization | | 11,670 | | | 10,915 | | | 755 | | | 6.9 | % |
General and administrative | | 34,619 | | | 38,323 | | | (3,704) | | | (9.7) | % |
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Other expense/(income) | | (241) | | | 7,502 | | | (7,743) | | | (103.2) | % |
Other expenses | | $ | 200,744 | | | $ | 256,904 | | | $ | (56,160) | | | (21.9) | % |
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Other expenses were $200.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, a decrease of $56.2 million, or 21.9%, as compared to $256.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The decrease in other expenses was primarily due to a decrease in salaries, commissions and benefits of $39.6 million, or 24.7%, due to decreases in incentive compensation (primarily bonuses and commissions) attributable to decreased loan production and profitability and a decrease in the average number of team members. Direct loan production costs decreased $10.2 million primarily due to the decrease in production volume. The decrease in other expense of $7.7 million was primarily due to decline in fair value of retained investment securities in the first quarter of 2022 compared to an increase in fair value of investment securities in the first quarter of 2023, partially offset by an increase in the fair value of the Public and Private Warrants in the first quarter of 2023, compared to a decrease in the fair value of the Public and Private Warrants in the first quarter of 2022.
Income Taxes
We recorded a $1.0 million income tax benefit during the three months ended March 31, 2023, compared to a provision for income taxes of $4.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The decrease in income tax provision for the three months ended March 31, 2023, as compared to the same period in 2022, was primarily due to the decrease in pre-tax income attributable to the Company.
Net income
Net loss was $138.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, a decrease of $591.9 million or 130.6%, as compared to net income of $453.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The decrease in net income was
primarily the result of a decrease in total revenue, net of $660.5 million, partially offset by a decrease in total expenses (including income taxes) of $68.6 million, as further described above.
Net loss attributable to the Company of $11.9 million and net income attributable to the Company of $21.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, reflects the net (loss) income of UWM attributable to the Company due to its approximate 6% ownership interest in Holdings LLC for these periods.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
Historically, our primary sources of liquidity have included:
•borrowings including under our warehouse facilities and other financing facilities;
•cash flow from operations and investing activities, including:
◦sale or securitization of loans into the secondary market;
◦loan origination fees;
◦servicing fee income;
◦interest income on mortgage loans; and
◦sale of MSRs and excess servicing cash flows.
Historically, our primary uses of funds have included:
•origination of loans;
•retention of MSRs from our loan sales;
•payment of interest expense;
•payment of operating expenses; and
•dividends on, and repurchases of, our Class A common stock and distributions to SFS Corp.
We are also subject to contingencies which may have a significant impact on the use of our cash.
To originate and aggregate loans for sale or securitization into the secondary market, we use our own working capital and borrow or obtain funding on a short-term basis primarily through uncommitted and committed warehouse facilities that we have established with large global banks, regional or specialized banks and certain agencies.
We continually evaluate our capital structure and capital resources to optimize our leverage and profitability and take advantage of market opportunities. As part of such evaluation, we regularly review our levels of indebtedness and available equity, our strategic investments, including technology and growth of the wholesale channel, the availability or desirability of growth through the acquisition of other companies or other mortgage portfolios, the repurchase or redemption of our outstanding indebtedness, or repurchases of our common stock or common stock derivatives.
Loan Funding Facilities
Warehouse facilities
Our warehouse facilities, which are our primary loan funding facilities used to fund the origination of our mortgage loans, are primarily in the form of master repurchase agreements. Loans financed under these facilities are generally financed, on average, at approximately 97% to 98% of the principal balance of the loan, which requires us to fund the remaining 2-3% of the unpaid principal balance from cash generated from our operations. Once closed, the underlying residential mortgage loan is pledged as collateral for the borrowing or advance that was made under these loan funding facilities. In most cases, the loans we originate will remain in one of our warehouse facilities for less than one month, until the loans are pooled and sold. During the time we hold the loans pending sale, we earn interest income from the borrower on the underlying mortgage loan note. This income is partially offset by the interest and fees we have to pay under the warehouse facilities. Interest rates under the warehouse facilities are typically based on a reference interest rate benchmark plus a spread. As of March 31, 2023, ten of our warehouse facility agreements had been amended to change the reference interest rate from LIBOR to variants of SOFR or
other alternative index. The remaining warehouse facility transitioned from LIBOR to a variant of SOFR in May of 2023 due to the pending discontinuation of LIBOR.
When we sell or securitize a pool of loans, the proceeds we receive from the sale or securitization of the loans are used to pay back the amounts we owe on the warehouse facilities. The remaining funds received then become available to be re-advanced to originate additional loans. We are dependent on the cash generated from the sale or securitization of loans to fund future loans and repay borrowings under our warehouse facilities. Delays or failures to sell or securitize loans in the secondary market could have an adverse effect on our liquidity position.
From a cash flow perspective, the vast majority of cash received from mortgage originations occurs at the point the loans are sold or securitized into the secondary market. The vast majority of servicing fee income relates to the retained servicing fee on the loans, where cash is received monthly over the life of the loan and is typically a product of the borrowers’ current unpaid principal balance multiplied by the weighted average service fee. For a given mortgage loan, servicing revenue from the retained servicing fee declines over time as the principal balance of the loan is reduced.
The amount of financing advanced to us under our warehouse facilities, as determined by agreed upon advance rates, may be less than the stated advance rate depending, in part, on the fair value of the mortgage loans securing the financings and premium we pay the broker. Each of our warehouse facilities allows the bank extending the advances to evaluate regularly the market value of the underlying loans that are serving as collateral. If a bank determines that the value of the collateral has decreased, the bank can require us to provide additional collateral (e.g., initiate a margin call) or reduce the amount outstanding with respect to the corresponding loan. Our inability to satisfy the request could result in the termination of the facility and, depending on the terms of our agreements, possibly result in a default being declared under our other warehouse facilities.
Warehouse lenders generally conduct daily evaluations of the adequacy of the underlying collateral for the warehouse loans based on the fair value of the mortgage loans. As the loans are generally financed at 97% to 98% of principal balance and our loans are typically outstanding on warehouse lines for short periods (e.g., less than one month), significant increases in market interest rates would be required for us to experience margin calls or requirements to reduce the amount outstanding with respect to the corresponding loan from a majority of our warehouse lenders. Four of our warehouse lines advance based on the fair value of the loans, rather than principal balance. For those lines, we exchange collateral for modest changes in value. As of March 31, 2023, there were no outstanding exchanges of collateral.
The amount owed and outstanding on our warehouse facilities fluctuates based on our origination volume, the amount of time it takes us to sell the loans we originate, our cash on hand, and our ability to obtain additional financing. From time to time, we will increase or decrease the size of the lines to reflect anticipated increases or decreases in volume, strategies regarding the timing of sales of mortgages to the GSEs or secondary markets and costs associated with not utilizing the lines. We reserve the right to arrange for the early payment of outstanding loans and advances from time to time. As we accumulate loans, a significant portion of our total warehouse facilities may be utilized to fund loans.
The table below reflects the current line amounts of our principal warehouse facilities and the amounts advanced against those lines as of March 31, 2023:
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Facility Type | | Collateral | | Line Amount as of March 31, 20231 | | Date of Initial Agreement With Warehouse Lender | Current Agreement Expiration Date | | Total Advanced Against Line as of March 31, 2023 (in thousands) |
MRA Funding: | | | | | | | | | |
Master Repurchase Agreement | | Mortgage Loans | | $150 Million | | 2/29/2012 | 5/23/2023 | | $ | 132,791 | |
Master Repurchase Agreement | | Mortgage Loans | | $3.0 Billion | | 5/9/2019 | 7/28/2023 | | 1,134,464 | |
Master Repurchase Agreement | | Mortgage Loans | | $700 Million | | 7/24/2020 | 8/30/2023 | | 475,650 | |
Master Repurchase Agreement | | Mortgage Loans | | $200 Million | | 3/30/2018 | 9/6/2023 | | 70,779 | |
Master Repurchase Agreement | | Mortgage Loans | | $200 Million | | 10/30/2020 | 9/26/2023 | | 19,513 | |
Master Repurchase Agreement | | Mortgage Loans | | $300 Million | | 8/19/2016 | 11/8/2023 | | 45,973 | |
Master Repurchase Agreement | | Mortgage Loans | | $250 Million | | 2/26/2016 | 12/21/2023 | | 143,341 | |
Master Repurchase Agreement | | Mortgage Loans | | $1.0 Billion | | 7/10/2012 | 1/8/2024 | | 266,811 | |
Master Repurchase Agreement | | Mortgage Loans | | $2.5 Billion | | 12/31/2014 | 2/21/2024 | | 1,748,239 | |
Master Repurchase Agreement | | Mortgage Loans | | $500 Million | | 3/7/2019 | 2/21/2024 | | 162,718 | |
Master Repurchase Agreement | | Mortgage Loans | | $500 Million | | 4/23/2021 | 4/23/2024 | | 34,908 | |
Early Funding: | | | | | | | | | |
Master Repurchase Agreement | | Mortgage Loans | | $600 Million (ASAP+ - see below) | No expiration | | 22,871 | |
Master Repurchase Agreement | | Mortgage Loans | | $750 Million (EF - see below) | No expiration | | 1,776 | |
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1 An aggregate of $400 million of these line amounts is committed as of March 31, 2023.
Early Funding Programs
We are an approved lender for loan early funding facilities with Fannie Mae through its As Soon As Pooled Plus (“ASAP+”) program and Freddie Mac through its Early Funding (“EF”) program. As an approved lender for these early funding programs, we enter into an agreement to deliver closed and funded one-to-four family residential mortgage loans, each secured by related mortgages and deeds of trust, and receive funding in exchange for such mortgage loans in some cases before the lender has grouped them into pools to be securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. All such mortgage loans must adhere to a set of eligibility criteria to be acceptable. As of March 31, 2023, $22.9 million was outstanding through the ASAP+ program and $1.8 million was outstanding under the EF program.
Covenants
Our warehouse facilities generally require us to comply with certain operating and financial covenants and the availability of funds under these facilities is subject to, among other conditions, our continued compliance with these covenants. These financial covenants include, but are not limited to, maintaining (i) a certain minimum tangible net worth, (ii) minimum liquidity, (iii) a maximum ratio of total liabilities or total debt to tangible net worth, and (iv) profitability. A breach of these covenants can result in an event of default under these facilities and as such would allow the lenders to pursue certain remedies. In addition, each of these facilities, as well as our unsecured lines of credit, includes cross default or cross acceleration provisions that could result in all facilities terminating if an event of default or acceleration of maturity occurs under any facility. We were in compliance with all covenants under these facilities as of March 31, 2023.
Other Financing Facilities
Senior Notes
On November 3, 2020, our consolidated subsidiary, UWM, issued $800.0 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due November 15, 2025 (the “2025 Senior Notes”). The 2025 Senior Notes accrue interest at a rate of 5.500% per annum. Interest on the 2025 Senior Notes is due semi-annually on May 15 and November 15 of each year. We used approximately $500.0 million of the net proceeds from the offering of 2025 Senior Notes for general corporate purposes to fund future growth and distributed the remainder to SFS Corp. for tax distributions.
On or after November 15, 2022, we may, at our option, redeem the 2025 Senior Notes in whole or in part during the twelve-month period beginning on the following dates at the following redemption prices: November 15, 2022 at 102.750%;
November 15, 2023 at 101.375%; or November 15, 2024 until maturity at 100.000%, of the principal amount of the 2025 Senior Notes to be redeemed on the redemption date plus accrued and unpaid interest.
On April 7, 2021, our consolidated subsidiary, UWM, issued $700.0 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due April 15, 2029 (the “2029 Senior Notes”). The 2029 Senior Notes accrue interest at a rate of 5.500% per annum. Interest on the 2029 Senior Notes is due semi-annually on April 15 and October 15 of each year. We used a portion of the proceeds from the issuance of the 2029 Senior Notes to pay off and terminate the $400.0 million line of credit, effective April 20, 2021, and the remainder for general corporate purposes.
On or after April 15, 2024, we may, at our option, redeem the 2029 Senior Notes in whole or in part during the twelve-month period beginning on the following dates at the following redemption prices: April 15, 2024 at 102.750%; April 15, 2025 at 101.375%; or April 15, 2026 until maturity at 100.000%, of the principal amount of the 2029 Senior Notes to be redeemed on the redemption date plus accrued and unpaid interest. Prior to April 15, 2024, we may, at our option, redeem up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the 2029 Senior Notes originally issued at a redemption price of 105.500% of the principal amount of the 2029 Senior Notes to be redeemed on the redemption date plus accrued and unpaid interest with the net proceeds of certain equity offerings. In addition, we may, at our option, redeem the 2029 Senior Notes prior to April 15, 2024 at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount redeemed plus a “make-whole” premium, plus accrued and unpaid interest.
On November 22, 2021, our consolidated subsidiary, UWM, issued $500.0 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due June 15, 2027 (the "2027 Senior Notes"). The 2027 Senior Notes accrue interest at a rate of 5.750% per annum. Interest on the 2027 Senior Notes is due semi-annually on June 15 and December 15 of each year. We used the proceeds from the issuance of the 2027 Senior Notes for general corporate purposes.
On or after June 15, 2024, we may, at our option, redeem the 2027 Senior Notes in whole or in part during the twelve-month period beginning on the following dates at the following redemption prices: June 15, 2024 at 102.875%; June 15, 2025 at 101.438%; or June 15, 2026 until maturity at 100.000%, of the principal amount of the 2027 Senior Notes to be redeemed on the redemption date plus accrued and unpaid interest. Prior to June 15, 2024, we may, at our option, redeem up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the 2027 Senior Notes originally issued at a redemption price of 105.75% of the principal amount of the 2027 Senior Notes redeemed on the redemption date plus accrued and unpaid interest with the net proceeds of certain equity offerings. In addition, we may, at our option, redeem the 2027 Senior Notes prior to June 15, 2024 at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount redeemed plus a “make-whole” premium, plus accrued and unpaid interest.
The indentures governing the 2025 Senior Notes, the 2029 Senior Notes, and the 2027 Senior Notes contain certain operating covenants and restrictions, subject to a number of exceptions and qualifications, including restrictions on our ability to (1) incur additional non-funding indebtedness unless either (y) the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio (as defined in the applicable indenture) is no less than 3.0 to 1.0 or (z) the Debt-to-Equity Ratio (as defined in the applicable indenture) does not exceed 2.0 to 1.0, (2) merge, consolidate or sell assets, (3) make restricted payments, including distributions, (4) enter into transactions with affiliates, (5) enter into sale and leaseback transactions and (6) incur liens securing indebtedness. We were in compliance with the terms of these indentures as of March 31, 2023.
MSR Facilities
On September 30, 2022, the Company's consolidated subsidiary, UWM, entered into a Loan and Security Agreement with Citibank, N.A. ("Citibank"), providing UWM with up to $1.5 billion of uncommitted borrowing capacity to finance the origination, acquisition or holding of certain mortgage servicing rights (the “MSR Facility”). The MSR Facility is collateralized by all of UWM's mortgage servicing rights that are appurtenant to mortgage loans pooled in securitizations by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac that meet certain criteria. Available borrowings under the MSR Facility are based on the fair market value of the collateral, and borrowings under the MSR Facility will bear interest based on one-month term SOFR plus an applicable margin. As of March 31, 2023, $250.0 million was outstanding under the MSR Facility.
The MSR Facility contains covenants which include certain financial requirements, including maintenance of minimum tangible net worth, minimum liquidity, maximum debt to net worth ratio, and net income as defined in the agreement. As of March 31, 2023, we were in compliance with all applicable covenants.
On January 30, 2023, UWM, entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Loan and Security Agreement with Citibank, permitting UWM, with the prior consent of Citibank, to enter into transactions for the sale of excess servicing cash flows (as discussed below) whereby Citibank will release its security interest in that portion of the collateral.
On March 20, 2023, our consolidated subsidiary, UWM, entered into a Credit Agreement with Goldman Sachs Bank USA, providing UWM with up to $500.0 million of uncommitted borrowing capacity to finance the origination. acquisition or holding of certain mortgage servicing rights (the "GNMA MSR facility"). The GNMA MSR facility is collateralized by all of UWM's mortgage servicing rights that are appurtenant to mortgage loans pooled in securitization by Ginnie Mae that meet certain criteria. Available borrowings under the GNMA MSR facility are based on the fair market value of the collateral. Borrowings under the GNMA MSR facility will bear interest based on SOFR plus an applicable margin. As of March 31, 2023, $250.0 million was outstanding under the GNMA MSR facility.
The GNMA MSR Facility contains covenants which include certain financial requirements, including maintenance of minimum tangible net worth, minimum liquidity, maximum debt to net worth ratio, and net income as defined in the agreement. As of March 31, 2023, we were in compliance with all applicable covenants.
Excess Servicing Cash Flow Transactions
Pursuant to the guidelines of the GSEs, when we sell loans to the GSEs with servicing retained, we retain a minimum servicing fee (the “Base Servicing Fee”) to compensate us for servicing the mortgage loans. However, at times we may retain servicing fees for our MSRs that exceed the Base Servicing Fee. In the first quarter of 2023, we began conducting sales of the excess servicing fee cash flows on certain of our MSRs, whereby the rights to the excess fees are separated, securitized by the GSEs and sold, while we retain the obligation to service the loan and therefore continue to receive the Base Servicing Fee. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, we sold excess servicing cash flows on certain agency loans for proceeds of approximately $305.5 million.
Revolving Credit Facility
On August 8, 2022, UWM entered into the Revolving Credit Agreement, between UWM, as the borrower, and SFS Corp., as the lender. The Revolving Credit Agreement provides for, among other things, a $500.0 million unsecured revolving credit facility (the "Revolving Credit Facility"). The Revolving Credit Facility has an initial maturity date of August 8, 2023. Amounts borrowed under the Revolving Credit Facility may be borrowed, repaid and reborrowed from time to time, and accrue interest at the Applicable Prime Rate (as defined in the Revolving Credit Agreement). UWM may utilize the Revolving Credit Facility in connection with: (i) operational and investment activities, including but not limited to funding and/or advances related to (a) servicing rights, (b) ‘scratch and dent’ loans, (c) margin requirements, and (d) equity in loans held for sale; and (ii) general corporate purposes.
The Revolving Credit Agreement contains certain financial and operating covenants and restrictions, subject to a number of exceptions and qualifications, and the availability of funds under the Revolving Credit Facility is subject to our continued compliance with these covenants. We were in compliance with these covenants as of March 31, 2023. No amounts were outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility as of March 31, 2023.
Borrowings Against Investment Securities
In 2021, our consolidated subsidiary, UWM, began selling some of the mortgage loans that it originates through private label securitization transactions. In executing these transactions, UWM sells mortgage loans to a securitization trust for cash and, in some cases, retained interests in the trust. The securitization entities are funded through the issuance of beneficial interests in the securitized assets. The beneficial interests take the form of trust certificates, some of which are sold to investors and some of which may be retained by UWM due to regulatory requirements. UWM entered into sale and repurchase agreements for a portion of the retained beneficial interests in the securitization trusts established to facilitate its private label securitization transactions which have been accounted for as borrowings against investment securities. As of March 31, 2023, we had $101.3 million outstanding under individual trades executed pursuant to a master repurchase agreement with a counterparty which is collateralized by the investment securities (beneficial interests in the trusts) that we retained due to regulatory requirements. The borrowings against investment securities have remaining terms ranging from one to five months as of March 31, 2023, and interest rates based on twelve-month LIBOR or SOFR plus a spread. We intend to renew these sale and repurchase agreements upon their maturity during the required holding period for the retained investment securities.
The counterparty under these sale and repurchase agreements conducts daily evaluations of the adequacy of the underlying collateral based on the fair value of the retained investment securities less specified haircuts. These investment securities are financed on average at approximately 80% of the outstanding principal balance, and exchanges of cash collateral are required if the fair value of the retained investment securities less the haircut is less than the principal balance plus accrued interest on the secured borrowings. As of March 31, 2023, we had delivered $5.3 million of collateral to the counterparty under these sale and repurchase agreements.
Finance Leases
As of March 31, 2023, our finance lease liabilities were $36.8 million, $27.5 million of which relates to leases with related parties. The Company’s financing lease agreements have remaining terms ranging from approximately 2 months to thirteen years.
Cash flow data for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| For the three months ended March 31, |
($ in thousands) | 2023 | | 2022 | | |
Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 1,992,922 | | | $ | 11,751,763 | | | |
Net cash provided by investing activities | 644,369 | | | 610,498 | | | |
Net cash used in financing activities | (2,602,126) | | | (12,192,175) | | | |
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents | $ | 35,165 | | | $ | 170,086 | | | |
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period | 740,063 | | | 901,174 | | | |
Net cash provided by operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activities was $1.99 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $11.75 billion for the same period in 2022. The decrease in cash flows from operating activities was primarily driven by the smaller decrease in mortgage loans at fair value in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the first quarter of 2022.
Net cash provided by investing activities
Net cash provided by investing activities was $644.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to $610.5 million of net cash provided by investing activities for the same period in 2022. The slight increase in cash flows provided by investing activities was primarily driven by an increase in proceeds from the sales of MSRs and excess servicing cash flows.
Net cash used in financing activities
Net cash used in financing activities was $2.60 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to cash used in financing activities of $12.19 billion for the same period in 2022. The change year over year was primarily driven by a decrease in net repayments under the warehouse lines of credit for the three months ended March 31, 2023, primarily attributable to the smaller decrease in loans at fair value as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. Net secured line of credit repayments were $250.0 million in the first quarter of 2023, and Class A common stock dividends and distributions to SFS Corp. decreased $150.2 million in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022.
Contractual Obligations
Cash requirements from contractual and other obligations
As of March 31, 2023, our material cash requirements from known contractual and other obligations include interest and principal payments under our Senior Notes, principal payments under our borrowings against investment securities, interest and principal payments under our MSR Facility and GNMA MSR Facility, and payments under our financing and operating lease agreements. In the first quarter of 2023, UWM entered into the GNMA MSR Facility, which provides for up to $500 million of available borrowing capacity secured against certain MSRs. As of March 31, 2023, $250.0 million was outstanding under the GNMA MSR facility. There have been no other material changes in the cash requirements from known contractual and other obligations since December 31, 2022.
During the first quarter of 2023, the Board declared a dividend of $0.10 per share of Class A Common Stock for an aggregate $9.3 million. Concurrently with this declaration, the Board, in its capacity as the Manager of Holdings LLC, under the Holdings LLC Second Amended and Restated Operating Agreement, approved a proportional distribution of $150.2 million from Holdings LLC to SFS Corp. with respect to Class B Units of Holdings LLC. The dividend and the distributions were paid on April 11, 2023.
The sources of funds needed to satisfy these cash requirements include cash flows from operations and investing activities, including cash flows from sales of MSRs and excess servicing cash flows, sale or securitization of loans into the secondary market, loan origination fees, servicing fee income, and interest income on mortgage loans.
Repurchase and indemnification obligations
Loans sold to investors which we believe met investor and agency underwriting guidelines at the time of sale may be subject to repurchase in the event of specific default by the borrower or subsequent discovery that underwriting or documentation standards were not explicitly satisfied. We establish a reserve which is estimated based on an assessment of our contingent and non-contingent obligations, including expected losses, expected frequency, the overall potential remaining exposure, as well as an estimate for a market participant’s potential readiness to stand by to perform on such obligations. See Note 8 - Commitments and Contingencies to the condensed consolidated financial statements for further information.
Interest rate lock commitments, loan sale and forward commitments
In the normal course of business, we are party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit to borrowers at either fixed or floating interest rates. IRLCs are binding agreements to lend to a borrower at a specified interest rate within a specified period of time as long as there is no violation of conditions established in the contract. Forward commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses which may require payment of a fee. As many of the commitments expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. In addition, we have contracts to sell mortgage loans into the secondary market at specified future dates (commitments to sell loans), and forward commitments to sell MBS at specified future dates and interest rates. The blended average pullthrough rate was 75% and 77%, as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
Following is a summary of the notional amounts of commitments as of dates indicated:
| | | | | | | | | | | |
($ in thousands) | March 31, 2023 | | December 31, 2022 |
Interest rate lock commitments—fixed rate (a) | $ | 9,264,540 | | | $ | 5,350,845 | |
Interest rate lock commitments—variable rate (a) | 86,871 | | | 8,839 | |
Commitments to sell loans | 1,288,742 | | | 608,703 | |
Forward commitments to sell mortgage-backed securities | 9,799,070 | | | 10,336,172 | |
(a)Adjusted for pullthrough rates of 75% and 77%, respectively.
As of March 31, 2023, we had sold $1.6 billion of loans to a global insured depository institution and assigned the related trades to deliver the applicable loans into securities for end investors for settlement in April 2023.
Critical Accounting Estimates and Use of Significant Estimates
Preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires us 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. We have identified certain accounting estimates as being critical because they require management's judgement to make difficult, subjective or complex judgements about matters that are uncertain. Actual results could differ and the use of other assumptions or estimates could result in material differences in our condensed consolidated financial statements. Our critical accounting policies and estimates relate to accounting for mortgage loans held at fair value and revenue recognition, mortgage servicing rights, derivative financial instruments and representations and warranties reserve. There were no significant changes to our policies, methodologies, or processes used in applying our critical accounting estimates from what was described in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This report contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements relate to expectations for future financial performance, business strategies or expectations for our business. Specifically, forward-looking statements in this report include statements relating to:
•the future financial performance of our business;
•our future growth, including our loan originations and position in the industry compared to our peers;
•our client-based business strategies, strategic initiatives, technological developments and product pipeline;
•the impact of interest rate risk on our business;
•our ability to renew our sale and repurchase agreements, and the impacts of counterparty risks on our business;
•our mitigation of credit risks and the impacts of defaults on our business, as well as our risk mitigation strategies;
•our accounting policies and recent amendments to the FASB regulations, and the impacts to our agreements and financial results ;
•macroeconomic conditions that may affect our business and the mortgage industry in general;
•political and geopolitical conditions that may affect our business and the mortgage industry in general;
•our utilization of our warehouse facilities, MSR facilities, and Revolving Credit Facility, including outstanding borrowings through 2023;
•the impact of litigation on our financial position;
•our repurchase and indemnification obligations; and
•other statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words “may,” “can,” “should,” “will,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “target” or similar expressions.
These forward-looking statements involve estimates and assumptions which may be affected by risks and uncertainties in our business, as well as other external factors, which could cause future results to materially differ from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement including the following risks:
•our dependence on macroeconomic and U.S. residential real estate market conditions, including changes in U.S. monetary policies that affect interest rates;
•the impact of inflation on housing pricing, demand for mortgages and the ability of borrowers to qualify for mortgages;
•our reliance on our warehouse facilities to fund mortgage loans and otherwise operate our business, leveraging of assets under these facilities and the risk of a decrease in the value of the collateral underlying certain of our facilities causing an unanticipated margin call;
•our ability to sell loans in the secondary market, including to government sponsored enterprises, and to securitize our loans into mortgage-backed securities through the GSEs and Ginnie Mae;
•our dependence on the GSEs and the risk of changes to these entities and their roles, including, as a result of GSE reform, termination of conservatorship or efforts to increase the capital levels of the GSEs;
•changes in the GSEs’, FHA, USDA and VA guidelines or GSE and Ginnie Mae guarantees;
•our dependence on licensed residential mortgage officers or entities, including brokers that arrange for funding of mortgage loans, or banks, credit unions or other entities that use their own funds or warehouse facilities to fund mortgage loans, but in any case do not underwrite or otherwise make the credit decision with regard to such mortgage loans to originate mortgage loans;
•our inability to continue to grow, or to effectively manage the growth of, our loan origination volume;
•our ability to continue to attract and retain our Independent Mortgage Advisor relationships;
•the occurrence of a data breach or other failure of our cybersecurity;
•loss of key management;
•reliance on third-party software and services;
•reliance on third-party sub-servicers to service our mortgage loans or our mortgage servicing rights;
•intense competition in the mortgage industry;
•our ability to implement technological innovation;
•risks relating to the transition from LIBOR and the volatility of LIBOR or any replacement reference rate, which can result in higher than market interest rates;
•our ability to continue to comply with the complex state and federal laws regulations or practices applicable to mortgage loan origination and servicing in general, including maintaining the appropriate state licenses, managing the costs and operational risk associated with material changes to such laws;
•errors or the ineffectiveness of internal and external models or data we rely on to manage risk and make business decisions;
•risk of counterparty terminating servicing rights and contracts;
•the risk that we may become subject to legal actions that if decided adversely, could be detrimental to our business; and
•those risks described in Item 1A - Risk Factors in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as those described from time to time in our other filings with the SEC.
All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report and should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date. We do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.