Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during the Company’s quarter ended June 30, 2020, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1: LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Legal Proceedings
Information with respect to this item may be found in Note 11 – Commitments and Contingencies of the “Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which is incorporated herein by reference.
ITEM 1A: RISK FACTORS
The pandemic has impaired may continue to impair the ability of borrowers to repay outstanding loans or other obligations, resulting in increases in forbearances and/or delinquencies, which could negatively impact our business.
Borrowers that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic may not remit payments of principal and interest relating to their mortgage loans on a timely basis, or at all. This could be due to an inability to make such payments, an unwillingness to make such payments, or a temporary or permanent waiver of the requirement to make such payments, including under the terms of any applicable forbearance, modification, or maturity extension agreement or program. On March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was enacted to provide financial assistance to individuals and businesses affected by the pandemic. The CARES Act provides certain measures to support individuals in maintaining solvency through monetary relief, including in the form of loan forgiveness/forbearance. The CARES Act, among other things, provides any homeowner with a federally-backed mortgage who is experiencing financial hardship the option of up to six months of forbearance on their mortgage payments, with a potential to extend that forbearance for another six months. During the forbearance period, no additional fees, penalties or interest can accrue on the homeowner’s account. The CARES Act also established a temporary moratorium on foreclosures. Transactions we enter into to finance loans with warehouse counterparties and to sell whole loans to third parties, may be negatively impacted by the pandemic related payment forbearances, waiver, or other payment deferral program, including but not limited to, reducing proceeds from these transactions, require us to repurchase impacted loans and reduce proceeds or incur losses on loans sold that are within forbearance or other deferred payment programs. To the extent borrower forbearance affects our ability to finance and sell loans to third parties, it may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Loss or suspension of our approvals, or limitations placed on our delivery volume, or the potential limitation or wind-down of, the role Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae play in the residential mortgage-backed security (MBS) market have had, and could continue to have, an adverse effect on our business, operations and financial condition.
We originate loans eligible for sale to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, (together, the GSEs), government insured or guaranteed loans, such as FHA, VA and USDA loans, and loans eligible for Ginnie Mae securities issuance (collectively, the Agencies), in addition to other investors and counterparties (collectively, the Counterparties). We also service loans sold to the GSE’s, as well as securitize with the Agencies and other Counterparties. We believe that having the ability to sell loans directly to these GSE’s, Agencies, and Counterparties and issue securities gives us an advantage in the overall mortgage origination market. The role of the GSE’s, Agencies, and Counterparties may become limited over time in their ability to guarantee mortgages or purchase mortgage loans. Conversely, the GSEs, Agencies, and Counterparties may propose to implement reforms relating to borrowers, lenders, and investors in the mortgage market, including reducing the maximum size of a purchasable loan, phasing-in a minimum down payment requirement for borrowers, changing underwriting standards, and increasing accountability and transparency in the securitization process. The GSEs, Agencies, and Counterparties may also limit the amount of loans a company can sell to them based upon the company’s net worth or