A master servicer may delegate its servicing obligations in respect of the mortgage loans serviced thereby to one or more third-party servicers; provided that the master servicer will generally remain obligated under the related Pooling Agreement. A sub-servicer for any series of certificates may be an affiliate of the Depositor or master servicer. Each sub-servicing agreement between a master servicer and a sub-servicer (a “Sub-Servicing Agreement”) will generally provide that, if for any reason the master servicer is no longer acting in that capacity, the trustee or any successor master servicer may assume the master servicer’s rights and obligations under that Sub-Servicing Agreement. A master servicer will be required to monitor the performance of sub-servicers retained by it and will have the right to remove a sub-servicer retained by it at any time it considers removal to be in the best interests of certificateholders.
Generally, a master servicer will be solely liable for all fees owed by it to any sub-servicer, irrespective of whether the master servicer’s compensation pursuant to the related Pooling Agreement is sufficient to pay those fees. Each sub-servicer will be reimbursed by the master servicer that retained it for certain expenditures which it makes, generally to the same extent the master servicer would be reimbursed under a Pooling Agreement. See “—Certificate Account” and “—Servicing Compensation and Payment of Expenses” in this prospectus.
To the extent so specified in the related prospectus supplement, one or more special servicers may be a party to the related Pooling Agreement or may be appointed by the master servicer or another specified party. A special servicer for any series of certificates may be an affiliate of the Depositor or the master servicer. A special servicer may be entitled to any of the rights, and subject to any of the obligations, described in this prospectus in respect of a master servicer. The related prospectus supplement will describe the rights, obligations and compensation of any special servicer for a particular series of certificates. The master servicer will not be liable for the performance of a special servicer.
General. The master servicer, the trustee and/or a special servicer will, as to each trust fund that includes mortgage loans, establish and maintain or cause to be established and maintained one or more separate accounts for the collection of payments on or in respect of those mortgage loans, which will be established so as to comply with the standards of each rating agency that has rated any one or more classes of certificates of the related series. A certificate account may be maintained as an interest-bearing or a non-interest-bearing account and the funds held in a certificate account may be invested pending each succeeding distribution date in United States government securities and other obligations that are acceptable to each rating agency that has rated any one or more classes of certificates of the related series (“Permitted Investments”). Any interest or other income earned on funds in a certificate account will generally be paid to the related master servicer, trustee or any special servicer as additional compensation. A certificate account may be maintained with the related master servicer, special servicer or Mortgage Asset Seller or with a depository institution that is an affiliate of any of the foregoing or of the Depositor, provided that it complies with applicable rating agency standards. If permitted by the applicable rating agency or agencies and so specified in the related prospectus supplement, a certificate account may contain funds relating to more than one series of mortgage pass-through certificates and may contain other funds representing payments on mortgage loans owned by the related master servicer or any special servicer or serviced by either on behalf of others.
Deposits. A master servicer, trustee or special servicer will generally be required to deposit or cause to be deposited in the certificate account for each trust fund that includes mortgage loans, within a certain period following receipt (in the case of collections on or in respect of the mortgage loans) or otherwise as provided in the related Pooling Agreement, the following payments and collections received or made by the master servicer, the trustee or any special servicer subsequent to the cut-off date (other than payments due on or before the cut-off date):
1. all payments on account of principal, including principal prepayments, on the mortgage loans;
2. all payments on account of interest on the mortgage loans, including any default interest collected, in each case net of any portion retained by the master servicer or any special servicer as its servicing compensation or as compensation to the trustee;
3. all proceeds received under any hazard, title or other insurance policy that provides coverage with respect to a Mortgaged Property or the related mortgage loan or in connection with the full or partial condemnation of a Mortgaged Property (other than proceeds applied to the restoration of the property or released to the related borrower in accordance with the customary servicing practices of the master servicer (or, if applicable, a special servicer) and/or the terms and conditions of the related Mortgage) (collectively, “Insurance and Condemnation Proceeds”) and all other amounts received and retained in connection with the liquidation of defaulted mortgage loans or property acquired by foreclosure or otherwise (“Liquidation Proceeds”), together with the net operating income (less reasonable reserves for future expenses) derived from the operation of any Mortgaged Properties acquired by the trust fund through foreclosure or otherwise;
4. any amounts paid under any instrument or drawn from any fund that constitutes credit support for the related series of certificates as described under “Description of Credit Support” in this prospectus;
5. any advances made as described under “Description of the Certificates—Advances in Respect of Delinquencies” in this prospectus;
6. any amounts paid under any Cash Flow Agreement, as described under “Description of the Trust Funds—Cash Flow Agreements” in this prospectus;
7. all proceeds of the purchase of any mortgage loan, or property acquired in respect of a mortgage loan, by the Depositor, any Mortgage Asset Seller or any other specified person as described under “—Assignment of Mortgage Loans; Repurchases” and “—Representations and Warranties; Repurchases” in this prospectus, all proceeds of the purchase of any defaulted mortgage loan as described under “—Realization Upon Defaulted Mortgage Loans” in this prospectus, and all proceeds of any mortgage asset purchased as described under “Description of the Certificates—Termination” in this prospectus (all of the foregoing, also “Liquidation Proceeds”);
8. any amounts paid by the master servicer to cover Prepayment Interest Shortfalls arising out of the prepayment of mortgage loans as described under “—Servicing Compensation and Payment of Expenses” in this prospectus;
9. to the extent that this item does not constitute additional servicing compensation to the master servicer or a special servicer, any payments on account of modification or assumption fees, late payment charges or Prepayment Premiums with respect to the mortgage loans;
10. all payments required to be deposited in the certificate account with respect to any deductible clause in any blanket insurance policy described under “—Hazard Insurance Policies” in this prospectus;
11. any amount required to be deposited by the master servicer or the trustee in connection with losses realized on investments for the benefit of the master servicer or the trustee, as the case may be, of funds held in the certificate account; and
12. any other amounts required to be deposited in the certificate account as provided in the related Pooling Agreement and described in the related prospectus supplement.
Withdrawals. A master servicer, trustee or special servicer may generally make withdrawals from the certificate account for each trust fund that includes mortgage loans for any of the following purposes:
1. to make distributions to the certificateholders on each distribution date;
2. to pay the master servicer, the trustee or a special servicer any servicing fees not previously retained by them out of payments on the particular mortgage loans as to which those fees were earned;
3. to reimburse the master servicer, a special servicer, the trustee or any other specified person for any unreimbursed amounts advanced by it as described under “Description of the Certificates—Advances in Respect of Delinquencies” in this prospectus, the reimbursement to be made out of amounts received that were identified and applied by the master servicer or a special servicer, as applicable, as late collections of interest on and principal of the particular mortgage loans with respect to which the advances were made or out of amounts drawn under any form of credit support with respect to those mortgage loans;
4. to reimburse the master servicer, the trustee or a special servicer for unpaid servicing fees earned by it and certain unreimbursed servicing expenses incurred by it with respect to mortgage loans in the trust fund and properties acquired in respect of the mortgage loans, the reimbursement to be made out of amounts that represent Liquidation Proceeds and Insurance and Condemnation Proceeds collected on the particular mortgage loans and properties, and net income collected on the particular properties, with respect to which those fees were earned or those expenses were incurred or out of amounts drawn under any form of credit support with respect to those mortgage loans and properties;
5. to reimburse the master servicer, a special servicer, the trustee or other specified person for any advances described in clause (3) above made by it and/or any servicing expenses referred to in clause (4) above incurred by it that, in the good faith judgment of the master servicer, special servicer, trustee or other specified person, as applicable, will not be recoverable from the amounts described in clauses (3) and (4), respectively, the reimbursement to be made from amounts collected on other mortgage loans in the same trust fund or, if so provided by the related Pooling Agreement and described in the related prospectus supplement, only from that portion of amounts collected on those other mortgage loans that is otherwise distributable on one or more classes of Subordinate Certificates of the related series;
6. if described in the related prospectus supplement, to pay the master servicer, a special servicer, the trustee or any other specified person interest accrued on the advances described in clause (3) above made by it and the servicing expenses described in clause (4) above incurred by it while they remain outstanding and unreimbursed;
7. if and as described in the related prospectus supplement, to pay for costs and expenses incurred by the trust fund for environmental site assessments performed with respect to Mortgaged Properties that constitute security for defaulted mortgage loans, and for any containment, clean-up or remediation of hazardous wastes and materials present on those Mortgaged Properties;
8. to reimburse the master servicer, the special servicer, the Depositor, or any of their respective directors, officers, employees and agents, as the case may be, for certain expenses, costs and liabilities incurred thereby, as described under “—Certain Matters Regarding the Master Servicer and the Depositor” in this prospectus;
9. if described in the related prospectus supplement, to pay the fees of trustee;
10. to reimburse the trustee or any of its directors, officers, employees and agents, as the case may be, for certain expenses, costs and liabilities incurred thereby, as described under “—Certain Matters Regarding the Trustee” in this prospectus;
11. if described in the related prospectus supplement, to pay the fees of any provider of credit support;
12. if described in the related prospectus supplement, to reimburse prior draws on any form of credit support;
13. to pay the master servicer, a special servicer or the trustee, as appropriate, interest and investment income earned in respect of amounts held in the certificate account as additional compensation;
14. to pay (generally from related income) for costs incurred in connection with the operation, management and maintenance of any Mortgaged Property acquired by the trust fund by foreclosure or otherwise;
15. if one or more elections have been made to treat the trust fund or designated portions of the trust fund as a REMIC, to pay any federal, state or local taxes imposed on the trust fund or its assets or transactions, as described under “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences—Federal Income Tax Consequences for REMIC Certificates—Taxes That May Be Imposed on the REMIC Pool” in this prospectus;
16. to pay for the cost of an independent appraiser or other expert in real estate matters retained to determine a fair sale price for a defaulted mortgage loan or a property acquired in respect a defaulted mortgage loan in connection with the liquidation of that mortgage loan or property;
17. to pay for the cost of various opinions of counsel obtained pursuant to the related Pooling Agreement for the benefit of certificateholders;
18. to make any other withdrawals permitted by the related Pooling Agreement and described in the related prospectus supplement; and
19. to clear and terminate the certificate account upon the termination of the trust fund.
| Modifications, Waivers and Amendments of Mortgage Loans |
A master servicer or special servicer may agree to modify, waive or amend any term of any mortgage loan serviced by it in a manner consistent with the applicable Servicing Standard and the REMIC provisions, or grantor trust provisions, as applicable. For example, the related prospectus supplement may provide that a mortgage loan may be amended to extend the maturity date or change the interest rate.
Realization Upon Defaulted Mortgage Loans
A borrower’s failure to make required mortgage loan payments may mean that operating income is insufficient to service the mortgage debt, or may reflect the diversion of that income from the servicing of the mortgage debt. In addition, a borrower that is unable to make mortgage loan payments may also be unable to make timely payment of taxes and insurance premiums and to otherwise maintain the related Mortgaged Property. In general, the master servicer or the special servicer, if any, for a series of certificates will be required to monitor any mortgage loan in the related trust fund that is in default, evaluate whether the causes of the default can be corrected over a reasonable period without significant impairment of the value of the related Mortgaged Property, initiate corrective action in cooperation with the borrower if cure is likely, inspect the related Mortgaged Property and take any other actions as are consistent with the Servicing Standard. A significant period of time may elapse before the servicer is able to assess the success of the corrective action or the need for additional initiatives.
The time within which the servicer can make the initial determination of appropriate action, evaluate the success of corrective action, develop additional initiatives, institute foreclosure proceedings and actually foreclose (or accept a deed to a Mortgaged Property in lieu of foreclosure) on behalf of the certificateholders may vary considerably depending on the particular mortgage loan, the Mortgaged Property, the borrower, the presence of an acceptable party to assume the mortgage loan and the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Mortgaged Property is located. If a borrower files a bankruptcy petition, the master servicer may not be permitted to accelerate the maturity of the related mortgage loan or to foreclose on the related Mortgaged Property for a considerable period of time, and that mortgage loan
may be restructured in the resulting bankruptcy proceedings. See “Certain Legal Aspects of Mortgage Loans” in this prospectus.
The related prospectus supplement will describe the remedies available to a servicer in connection with a default on a mortgage loan. Such remedies include instituting foreclosure proceedings, exercising any power of sale contained in mortgage, obtaining a deed in lieu of foreclosure or otherwise acquire title to the related Mortgaged Property, by operation of law or otherwise.
| Hazard Insurance Policies |
Each Pooling Agreement will generally require the master servicer to cause each mortgage loan borrower to maintain a hazard insurance policy that provides for the coverage required under the related Mortgage or, if the Mortgage permits the mortgagee to dictate to the borrower the insurance coverage to be maintained on the related Mortgaged Property, the coverage consistent with the requirements of the Servicing Standard. The coverage generally will be in an amount equal to the lesser of the principal balance owing on that mortgage loan and the replacement cost of the related Mortgaged Property. The ability of a master servicer to assure that hazard insurance proceeds are appropriately applied may be dependent upon its being named as an additional insured under any hazard insurance policy and under any other insurance policy referred to below, or upon the extent to which information concerning covered losses is furnished by borrowers. All amounts collected by a master servicer under that policy (except for amounts to be applied to the restoration or repair of the Mortgaged Property or released to the borrower in accordance with the master servicer’s normal servicing procedures and/or to the terms and conditions of the related Mortgage and Mortgage Note) will be deposited in the related certificate account. The Pooling Agreement may provide that the master servicer may satisfy its obligation to cause each borrower to maintain a hazard insurance policy by maintaining a blanket policy insuring against hazard losses on all of the mortgage loans in a trust fund. If the blanket policy contains a deductible clause, the master servicer will be required, in the event of a casualty covered by the blanket policy, to deposit in the related certificate account all sums that would have been deposited in that certificate account but for that deductible clause.
In general, the standard form of fire and extended coverage policy covers physical damage to or destruction of the improvements of the property by fire, lightning, explosion, smoke, windstorm and hail, and riot, strike and civil commotion, subject to the conditions and exclusions specified in each policy. Although the policies covering the Mortgaged Properties will be underwritten by different insurers under different state laws in accordance with different applicable state forms, and therefore will not contain identical terms and conditions, most policies typically do not cover any physical damage resulting from war, revolution, governmental actions, floods and other water-related causes, earth movement (including earthquakes, landslides and mudflows), wet or dry rot, vermin, domestic animals and certain other kinds of risks. Accordingly, a Mortgaged Property may not be insured for losses arising from that cause unless the related Mortgage specifically requires, or permits the mortgagee to require, that coverage.
The hazard insurance policies covering the Mortgaged Properties will typically contain co-insurance clauses that in effect require an insured at all times to carry insurance of a specified percentage, generally 80% to 90%, of the full replacement value of the improvements on the property in order to recover the full amount of any partial loss. If the insured’s coverage falls below this specified percentage, those clauses generally provide that the insurer’s liability in the event of partial loss does not exceed the lesser of (1) the replacement cost of the improvements less physical depreciation and (2) that proportion of the loss as the amount of insurance carried bears to the specified percentage of the full replacement cost of those improvements.
| Due-on-Sale and Due-on-Encumbrance Provisions |
Certain of the mortgage loans may contain a due-on-sale clause that entitles the lender to accelerate payment of the mortgage loan upon any sale or other transfer of the related Mortgaged Property made without the lender’s consent. Certain of the mortgage loans may also contain a due-on-encumbrance clause that entitles the lender to accelerate the maturity of the mortgage loan upon the creation of any
other lien or encumbrance upon the Mortgaged Property. The master servicer will determine whether to exercise any right the trustee may have under that provision in a manner consistent with the Servicing Standard. The master servicer will generally be entitled to retain as additional servicing compensation any fee collected in connection with the permitted transfer of a Mortgaged Property. See “Certain Legal Aspects of Mortgage Loans—Due-on-Sale and Due-on-Encumbrance” in this prospectus.
| Servicing Compensation and Payment of Expenses |
A master servicer’s primary servicing compensation with respect to a series of certificates generally will come from the periodic payment to it of a specified portion of the interest payments on each mortgage loan in the related trust fund. Because that compensation is generally based on a percentage of the principal balance of each mortgage loan outstanding from time to time, it will decrease in accordance with the amortization of the mortgage loans. As additional compensation, the master servicer may retain all or a portion of late payment charges, Prepayment Premiums, modification fees and other fees collected from borrowers and any interest or other income that may be earned on funds held in the certificate account. Any sub-servicer will receive a portion of the master servicer’s compensation as its sub-servicing compensation.
In addition to amounts payable to any sub-servicer, a master servicer may be required, to the extent provided in the related prospectus supplement, to pay from amounts that represent its servicing compensation certain expenses incurred in connection with the administration of the related trust fund, including, without limitation, payment of the fees and disbursements of independent accountants and payment of expenses incurred in connection with distributions and reports to certificateholders. Certain other expenses, including certain expenses related to mortgage loan defaults and liquidations and, to the extent so provided in the related prospectus supplement, interest on those expenses at the rate specified in the prospectus supplement, and the fees of any special servicer, may be required to be borne by the trust fund.
If provided in the related prospectus supplement, a master servicer may be required to apply a portion of the servicing compensation otherwise payable to it in respect of any period to Prepayment Interest Shortfalls. See “Yield and Maturity Considerations—Certain Shortfalls in Collections of Interest” in this prospectus.
| Evidence as to Compliance |
The related prospectus supplement will identify each party that will be required to deliver annually to the trustee, master servicer or us, as applicable, on or before the date specified in the related Pooling Agreement, an officer’s certificate stating that (i) a review of that party’s servicing activities during the preceding calendar year and of performance under the related Pooling Agreement has been made under the supervision of the officer, and (ii) to the best of the officer’s knowledge, based on the review, such party has fulfilled all its obligations under the related Pooling Agreement throughout the year, or, if there has been a default in the fulfillment of any obligation, specifying the default known to the officer and the nature and status of the default.
In addition, each party that participates in the servicing and administration of more than 5% of the mortgage loans and any interest rate or currency swap or interest rate cap, floor or collar contracts comprising a trust for any series will be required to deliver annually to us and/or the trustee, a report (an “Assessment of Compliance”) that assesses compliance by that party with the servicing criteria set forth in Item 1122(d) of Regulation AB under the Securities Act (17 C.F.R. 229.1122) that contains the following:
| | (a) | a statement of the party’s responsibility for assessing compliance with the servicing criteria applicable to it; |
| | (b) | a statement that the party used the criteria in Item 1122(d) of Regulation AB to assess compliance with the applicable servicing criteria; |
| | (c) | the party’s assessment of compliance with the applicable servicing criteria during and as of the end of the prior calendar month, setting forth any material instance of noncompliance identified by the party; and |
| | (d) | a statement that a registered public accounting firm has issued an attestation report on the party’s assessment of compliance with the applicable servicing criteria during and as of the end of the prior calendar month. |
Each party that is required to deliver an Assessment of Compliance will also be required to simultaneously deliver a report (an “Attestation Report”) of a registered public accounting firm, prepared in accordance with the standards for attestation engagements issued or adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, that expresses an opinion, or states that an opinion cannot be expressed, concerning the party’s assessment of compliance with the applicable servicing criteria.
Each Pooling Agreement will also require, on or before a specified date in each year, the master servicer to furnish to the trustee a statement signed by one or more officers of the master servicer to the effect that the master servicer has fulfilled its material obligations under that Pooling Agreement throughout the preceding calendar year or other specified twelve month period.
| Certain Matters Regarding the Master Servicer and the Depositor |
The related prospectus supplement will describe certain protections afforded to a servicer under the related Pooling Agreement. For example, the Pooling Agreement may permit the servicer to resign from its obligations under the Pooling Agreement provided certain conditions are met. In addition, the Pooling Agreement may provide that none of the master servicer, the Depositor or any director, officer, employee or agent of either of them will be under any liability to the related trust fund or certificateholders for any action taken, or not taken, in good faith pursuant to the Pooling Agreement or for errors in judgment. The Pooling Agreement may also provide that the master servicer, the Depositor and any director, officer, employee or agent of either of them will be entitled to indemnification by the related trust fund against any loss, liability or expense incurred in connection with any legal action that relates to the Pooling Agreement or the related series of certificates. In addition, the Pooling Agreement may provide that none of the servicer, special servicer or the depositor will be under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any legal action that is not incidental to its responsibilities under the Pooling Agreement.
| Servicer Termination Events |
Each prospectus supplement will describe the events which will trigger a termination event (each a “Servicer Termination Event”). For example, the related prospectus supplement may provide that a servicer termination event will occur if a servicer fails to make remittance as required under the Pooling Agreement, if a special servicer fails to make the required deposit, or if either the servicer or special servicer materially fails to perform any of its obligations contained in the related Pooling Agreement.
The related prospectus supplement will describe the remedies available if a Servicer Termination Event occurs with respect to the master servicer under a Pooling Agreement, which remedies may include the termination of all of the rights and obligations of the master servicer as master servicer under the Pooling Agreement.
Each Pooling Agreement generally may be amended, without the consent of any of the holders of the related series of certificates for those purposes described in the related prospectus supplement, which, among others, may include:
1. to cure any ambiguity,
2. to correct a defective provision in the Pooling Agreement or to correct, modify or supplement any of its provisions that may be inconsistent with any other of its provisions,
3. to add any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the Pooling Agreement that are not inconsistent with its provisions, or
4. to comply with any requirements imposed by the Code;
provided that the amendment (other than an amendment for the specific purpose referred to in clause (4) above) may not (as evidenced by an opinion of counsel to an effect satisfactory to the trustee) adversely affect in any material respect the interests of any holder; and provided further that the amendment (other than an amendment for one of the specific purposes referred to in clauses (1) through (4) above) must be acceptable to each applicable rating agency.
Each Pooling Agreement may also be amended, with the consent of the holders of the related series of certificates entitled to not less than the percentage specified in the related prospectus supplement of the voting rights for that series allocated to the affected classes, for any purpose. The related prospectus supplement may provide that these types of amendments may not:
1. reduce in any manner the amount of, or delay the timing of, payments received or advanced on mortgage loans that are required to be distributed in respect of any certificate without the consent of the holder of that certificate,
2. adversely affect in any material respect the interests of the holders of any class of certificates, in a manner other than as described in clause (1), without the consent of the holders of all certificates of that class, or
3. modify the amendment provisions of the Pooling Agreement described in this paragraph without the consent of the holders of all certificates of the related series.
Generally, the trustee will be prohibited from consenting to any amendment of a Pooling Agreement pursuant to which one or more REMIC elections are to be or have been made unless the trustee shall first have received an opinion of counsel to the effect that the amendment will not result in the imposition of a tax on the related trust fund or cause the related trust fund, or the designated portion, to fail to qualify as a REMIC at any time that the related certificates are outstanding.
| List of Certificateholders |
Generally, upon written request of three or more certificateholders of record made for purposes of communicating with other holders of certificates of the same series with respect to their rights under the related Pooling Agreement, the trustee or other specified person will afford those certificateholders access during normal business hours to the most recent list of certificateholders of that series held by that person. If that list is of a date more than 90 days prior to the date of receipt of that certificateholder’s request, then that person, if not the registrar for that series of certificates, will be required to request from that registrar a current list and to afford those requesting certificateholders access thereto promptly upon receipt.
The trustee under each Pooling Agreement will be named in the related prospectus supplement. The commercial bank, national banking association, banking corporation or trust company that serves as trustee may have typical banking relationships with the Depositor and its affiliates and with any master servicer or special servicer and its affiliates.
The trustee for each series of certificates will make no representation as to the validity or sufficiency of the related Pooling Agreement, the certificates or any underlying mortgage loan or related document and will not be accountable for the use or application by or on behalf of the master servicer for that series of any funds paid to the master servicer or any special servicer in respect of the certificates or the
underlying mortgage loans, or any funds deposited into or withdrawn from the certificate account or any other account for that series by or on behalf of the master servicer or any special servicer. If no Servicer Termination Event has occurred and is continuing, the trustee for each series of certificates will be required to perform only those duties specifically required under the related Pooling Agreement. However, upon receipt of any of the various certificates, reports or other instruments required to be furnished to it pursuant to the related Pooling Agreement, a trustee will be required to examine those documents and to determine whether they conform to the requirements of that agreement.
| Certain Matters Regarding the Trustee |
As described in the related prospectus supplement, the fees and normal disbursements of any trustee may be the expense of the related master servicer or other specified person or may be required to be borne by the related trust fund.
The trustee for each series of certificates will generally be entitled to indemnification, from amounts held in the certificate account for that series, for any loss, liability or expense incurred by the trustee in connection with the trustee’s acceptance or administration of its trusts under the related Pooling Agreement. However, the indemnification will not extend to any loss, liability or expense that constitutes a specific liability imposed on the trustee pursuant to the related Pooling Agreement, or to any loss, liability or expense incurred by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the trustee in the performance of its obligations and duties under the Pooling Agreement, or by reason of its reckless disregard of those obligations or duties, or as may arise from a breach of any representation, warranty or covenant of the trustee made in the Pooling Agreement.
The trustee for each series of certificates will generally be entitled to execute any of its trusts or powers under the related Pooling Agreement or perform any of its duties under that Pooling Agreement either directly or by or through agents or attorneys, and the trustee will not be relieved of any of its duties or obligations by virtue of the appointment of any agents or attorneys.
| Resignation and Removal of the Trustee |
A trustee will be permitted at any time to resign from its obligations and duties under the related Pooling Agreement by giving written notice to the Depositor, the servicer, the special servicer and to all certificateholders. Upon receiving this notice of resignation, the Depositor, or other person as may be specified in the related prospectus supplement, will be required to use its best efforts to promptly appoint a successor trustee. If no successor trustee shall have accepted an appointment within a specified period after the giving of notice of resignation, the resigning trustee may petition any court of competent jurisdiction to appoint a successor trustee.
If at any time a trustee ceases to be eligible to continue as trustee under the related Pooling Agreement, or if at any time the trustee becomes incapable of acting, or if certain events of, or proceedings in respect of, bankruptcy or insolvency occur with respect to the trustee, the Depositor will be authorized to remove the trustee and appoint a successor trustee. In addition, holders of the certificates of any series entitled to at least 51% (or other percentage specified in the related prospectus supplement) of the voting rights for that series may at any time, with or without cause, remove the trustee under the related Pooling Agreement and appoint a successor trustee.
Any resignation or removal of a trustee and appointment of a successor trustee will not become effective until acceptance of appointment by the successor trustee.
DESCRIPTION OF CREDIT SUPPORT
Credit support may be provided with respect to one or more classes of the certificates of any series, or with respect to the related mortgage assets. Credit support may be in the form of letters of credit,
overcollateralization, the subordination of one or more classes of certificates, insurance policies, surety bonds, guarantees or reserve funds, or any combination of the foregoing. If so provided in the related prospectus supplement, any form of credit support may provide credit enhancement for more than one series of certificates to the extent described in that prospectus supplement.
The credit support will not provide protection against all risks of loss and will not guarantee payment to certificateholders of all amounts to which they are entitled under the related Pooling Agreement. If losses or shortfalls occur that exceed the amount covered by the related credit support or that are not covered by that credit support, certificateholders will bear their allocable share of deficiencies. Moreover, if a form of credit support covers more than one series of certificates, holders of certificates of one series will be subject to the risk that the credit support will be exhausted by the claims of the holders of certificates of one or more other series before the former receive their intended share of that coverage.
If credit support is provided with respect to one or more classes of certificates of a series, or with respect to the related mortgage assets, the related prospectus supplement will include a description of
| | ● | the nature and amount of coverage under the credit support, |
| | ● | any conditions to payment under the credit support not otherwise described in this prospectus, |
| | ● | any conditions under which the amount of coverage under the credit support may be reduced and under which that credit support may be terminated or replaced and |
| | ● | the material provisions relating to the credit support. |
Additionally, the related prospectus supplement will set forth certain information with respect to the obligor under any instrument of credit support, including
| | ● | a brief description of its principal business activities; |
| | ● | its principal place of business, place of incorporation and the jurisdiction under which it is chartered or licensed to do business, |
| | ● | if applicable, the identity of regulatory agencies that exercise primary jurisdiction over the conduct of its business and |
| | ● | its total assets, and its stockholders’ equity or policyholders’ surplus, if applicable, as of a date that will be specified in the prospectus supplement. See “Risk Factors—Credit Support May Not Cover Losses” in this prospectus. |
If so specified in the related prospectus supplement, one or more classes of certificates of a series may be Subordinate Certificates. To the extent specified in the related prospectus supplement, the rights of the holders of Subordinate Certificates to receive distributions from the certificate account on any distribution date will be subordinated to the corresponding rights of the holders of Senior Certificates. If so provided in the related prospectus supplement, the subordination of a class may apply only in the event of (or may be limited to) certain types of losses or shortfalls. The related prospectus supplement will set forth information concerning the method and amount of subordination provided by a class or classes of Subordinate Certificates in a series and the circumstances under which that subordination will be available.
If the mortgage assets in any trust fund are divided into separate groups, each supporting a separate class or classes of certificates of the related series, credit support may be provided by cross-support provisions requiring that distributions be made on Senior Certificates evidencing interests in one group of
mortgage assets prior to distributions on Subordinate Certificates evidencing interests in a different group of mortgage assets within the trust fund. The prospectus supplement for a series that includes a cross-support provision will describe the manner and conditions for applying those provisions.
| Insurance or Guarantees with Respect to Mortgage Loans |
If so provided in the prospectus supplement for a series of certificates, mortgage loans included in the related trust fund will be covered for certain default risks by insurance policies or guarantees. A copy of that instrument will accompany the Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the SEC within 15 days of issuance of the certificates of the related series.
If so provided in the prospectus supplement for a series of certificates, deficiencies in amounts otherwise payable on those certificates or certain classes of those certificates may be covered by one or more letters of credit, issued by a bank or financial institution specified in the prospectus supplement (the “L/C Bank”). Under a letter of credit, the L/C Bank will be obligated to honor draws under a letter of credit in an aggregate fixed dollar amount, net of unreimbursed payments, generally equal to a percentage specified in the related prospectus supplement of the aggregate principal balance of the mortgage assets on the related cut-off date or of the initial aggregate principal balance of one or more classes of certificates. If so specified in the related prospectus supplement, the letter of credit may permit draws only in the event of certain types of losses and shortfalls. The amount available under the letter of credit will, in all cases, be reduced to the extent of the unreimbursed payments under the letter of credit and may otherwise be reduced as described in the related prospectus supplement. The obligations of the L/C Bank under the letter of credit for each series of certificates will expire at the earlier of the date specified in the related prospectus supplement or the termination of the trust fund. A copy of that letter of credit will accompany the Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the SEC within 15 days of issuance of the certificates of the related series.
| Certificate Insurance and Surety Bonds |
If so provided in the prospectus supplement for a series of certificates, insurance policies and/or surety bonds provided by one or more insurance companies or sureties of the insurance companies will cover deficiencies in amounts otherwise payable on those certificates or certain classes. Those instruments may cover, with respect to one or more classes of certificates of the related series, timely distributions of interest and/or full distributions of principal on the basis of a schedule of principal distributions set forth in or determined in the manner specified in the related prospectus supplement. The related prospectus supplement will describe any limitations on the draws that may be made under that instrument. A copy of that instrument will accompany the Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the SEC within 15 days of issuance of the certificates of the related series.
If so provided in the prospectus supplement for a series of certificates, deficiencies in amounts otherwise payable on those certificates or certain classes of those certificates will be covered, to the extent of available funds, by one or more reserve funds in which cash, a letter of credit, short-term debt obligations, a demand note or a combination of those features will be deposited, in the amounts specified in the prospectus supplement. If so specified in the related prospectus supplement, the reserve fund for a series may also be funded over time by a specified amount of the collections received on the related mortgage assets.
Amounts on deposit in any reserve fund for a series, together with the reinvestment income on those amounts, if any, will be applied for the purposes, in the manner, specified in the related prospectus supplement. If so specified in the related prospectus supplement, reserve funds may be established to provide protection only against certain types of losses and shortfalls. Following each distribution date,
amounts in a reserve fund in excess of any amount required to be maintained in that reserve fund may be released from it under the conditions specified in the related prospectus supplement.
Amounts deposited in any reserve fund will generally be invested in short-term debt obligations. Any reinvestment income or other gain from those investments will generally be credited to the related reserve fund for that series, and any loss resulting from those investments will be charged to that reserve fund. However, that income may be payable to any related master servicer or another service provider as additional compensation for its services. The reserve fund, if any, for a series will not be a part of the trust fund.
| Credit Support with Respect to MBS |
If so provided in the prospectus supplement for a series of certificates, any MBS included in the related trust fund and/or the related underlying mortgage loans may be covered by one or more of the types of credit support described in this prospectus. The related prospectus supplement will specify, as to each form of credit support, the information indicated above with respect to the credit support for each series, to the extent that information is material and available.
CERTAIN LEGAL ASPECTS OF MORTGAGE LOANS
The following discussion contains general summaries of certain legal aspects of loans secured by commercial and multifamily residential properties. Because those legal aspects are governed by applicable state law, which laws may differ substantially, the summaries do not purport to be complete, to reflect the laws of any particular state, or to encompass the laws of all states in which the security for the mortgage loans, or mortgage loans underlying any MBS, is situated. Accordingly, the summaries are qualified in their entirety by reference to the applicable laws of those states. See “Description of the Trust Funds—Mortgage Loans” in this prospectus.
Each mortgage loan will be evidenced by a promissory note or bond and secured by an instrument granting a security interest in real property, which may be a mortgage, deed of trust or a deed to secure debt, depending upon the prevailing practice and law in the state in which the related Mortgaged Property is located. Mortgages, deeds of trust and deeds to secure debt are in this prospectus collectively referred to as “mortgages.” A mortgage creates a lien upon, or grants a title interest in, the real property covered thereby, and represents the security for the repayment of the indebtedness customarily evidenced by a promissory note. The priority of the lien created or interest granted will depend on the terms of the mortgage and, in some cases, on the terms of separate subordination agreements or intercreditor agreements with others that hold interests in the real property, the knowledge of the parties to the mortgage and, generally, the order of recordation of the mortgage in the appropriate public recording office. However, the lien of a recorded mortgage will generally be subordinate to later-arising liens for real estate taxes and assessments and other charges imposed under governmental police powers.
| Types of Mortgage Instruments |
There are two parties to a mortgage: a mortgagor who is the borrower and usually the owner of the subject property, and a mortgagee, who is the lender. In contrast, a deed of trust is a three-party instrument, among a trustor who is the equivalent of a borrower, a trustee to whom the real property is conveyed, and a beneficiary, who is the lender, for whose benefit the conveyance is made. Under a deed of trust, the trustor grants the property, irrevocably until the debt is paid, in trust and generally with a power of sale, to the trustee to secure repayment of the indebtedness evidenced by the related mortgage note. A deed to secure debt typically has two parties. The grantor (the borrower) conveys title to the real property to the grantee (the lender) generally with a power of sale, until the time the debt is repaid. In a case where the borrower is a land trust, there would be an additional party because a land trustee holds legal title to the property under a land trust agreement for the benefit of the borrower. At origination of a mortgage loan involving a land trust, the borrower executes a separate undertaking to make payments on
the mortgage note. The mortgagee’s authority under a mortgage, the trustee’s authority under a deed of trust and the grantee’s authority under a deed to secure debt are governed by the express provisions of the related instrument, the law of the state in which the real property is located, certain federal laws (including, without limitation, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act) and, in some deed of trust transactions, the directions of the beneficiary.
Mortgages that encumber income-producing property often contain an assignment of rents and leases, pursuant to which the borrower (or with respect to any indemnity deed of trust structure, the related property owner) assigns to the lender the its right, title and interest as landlord under each lease and the income derived therefrom, while, unless rents are to be paid directly to the lender, retaining a revocable license to collect the rents for so long as there is no default. If the borrower defaults, the license terminates and the lender is entitled to collect the rents. Local law may require that the lender take possession of the property and/or obtain a court-appointed receiver before becoming entitled to collect the rents.
In most states, hotel and motel room revenue are considered accounts receivable under the Uniform Commercial Code, also known as the UCC. In cases where hotels or motels constitute loan security, the borrower as additional security for the loan generally pledges the revenue. In general, the lender must file financing statements in order to perfect its security interest in the revenue and must file continuation statements, generally every five years, to maintain perfection of that security interest. Even if the lender’s security interest in room revenue is perfected under the UCC, it may be required to commence a foreclosure action or otherwise take possession of the property in order to collect the room revenue following a default. See “—Bankruptcy Laws” below.
In the case of certain types of mortgaged properties, for instance hotels, motels and nursing homes, personal property (to the extent owned by the borrower and not previously pledged) may constitute a significant portion of the property’s value as security. The creation and enforcement of liens on personal property are governed by the UCC. Accordingly, if a borrower pledges personal property as security for a mortgage loan, the lender generally must file UCC financing statements in order to perfect its security interest in that personal property, and must file continuation statements, generally every five years, to maintain that perfection.
General. Foreclosure is a legal procedure that allows the lender to recover its mortgage debt by enforcing its rights and available legal remedies under the mortgage. If the borrower defaults in payment or performance of its obligations under the mortgage note or mortgage, the lender has the right to institute foreclosure proceedings to sell the real property at public auction to satisfy the indebtedness.
Foreclosure procedures vary from state to state. Two primary methods of foreclosing a mortgage are judicial foreclosure, involving court proceedings, and non-judicial foreclosure pursuant to a power of sale granted in the mortgage instrument. Other foreclosure procedures are available in some states, but they are either infrequently used or available only in limited circumstances.
A foreclosure action is subject to most of the delays and expenses of other lawsuits if defenses are raised or counterclaims are interposed, and sometimes requires several years to complete. Moreover, as discussed below, even a non-collusive, regularly conducted foreclosure sale may be challenged as a fraudulent conveyance, regardless of the parties’ intent, if a court determines that the sale was for less than fair consideration and that the sale occurred while the borrower was insolvent and within a specified period prior to the borrower’s filing for bankruptcy protection.
Judicial Foreclosure. A judicial foreclosure proceeding is conducted in a court having jurisdiction over the Mortgaged Property. Generally, the action is initiated by the service of legal pleadings upon all
parties having a subordinate interest of record in the real property and all parties in possession of the property, under leases or otherwise, whose interests are subordinate to the mortgage. Delays in completion of the foreclosure may occasionally result from difficulties in locating defendants. When the lender’s right to foreclose is contested, the legal proceedings can be time-consuming. Upon successful completion of a judicial foreclosure proceeding, the court generally issues a judgment of foreclosure and appoints a referee or other officer to conduct a public sale of the Mortgaged Property, the proceeds of which are used to satisfy the judgment. Those sales are made in accordance with procedures that vary from state to state.
Equitable Limitations on Enforceability of Certain Provisions. United States courts have traditionally imposed general equitable principles to limit the remedies available to lenders in foreclosure actions. These principles are generally designed to relieve borrowers from the effects of mortgage defaults perceived as harsh or unfair. Relying on those principles, a court may alter the specific terms of a loan to the extent it considers necessary to prevent or remedy an injustice, undue oppression or overreaching, or may require the lender to undertake affirmative actions to determine the cause of the borrower’s default and the likelihood that the borrower will be able to reinstate the loan. In some cases, courts have substituted their judgment for the lenders and have required that lenders reinstate loans or recast payment schedules in order to accommodate borrowers who are suffering from a temporary financial disability. In other cases, courts have limited the right of the lender to foreclose in the case of a non-monetary default, such as a failure to adequately maintain the mortgaged property or an impermissible further encumbrance of the mortgaged property. Finally, some courts have addressed the issue of whether federal or state constitutional provisions reflecting due process concerns for adequate notice require that a borrower receive notice in addition to statutorily-prescribed minimum notice. For the most part, these cases have upheld the reasonableness of the notice provisions or have found that a public sale under a mortgage providing for a power of sale does not involve sufficient state action to trigger constitutional protections.
Non-Judicial Foreclosure/Power of Sale. Foreclosure of a deed of trust is generally accomplished by a non-judicial trustee’s sale pursuant to a power of sale typically granted in the deed of trust. A power of sale may also be contained in any other type of mortgage instrument if applicable law so permits. A power of sale under a deed of trust allows a non-judicial public sale to be conducted generally following a request from the beneficiary/lender to the trustee to sell the property upon default by the borrower and after notice of sale is given in accordance with the terms of the mortgage and applicable state law. In some states, prior to that sale, the trustee under the deed of trust must record a notice of default and notice of sale and send a copy to the borrower and to any other party who has recorded a request for a copy of a notice of default and notice of sale. In addition, in some states the trustee must provide notice to any other party having an interest of record in the real property, including junior lienholders. A notice of sale must be posted in a public place and, in most states, published for a specified period of time in one or more newspapers. The borrower or junior lienholder may then have the right, during a reinstatement period required in some states, to cure the default by paying the entire actual amount in arrears (without regard to the acceleration of the indebtedness), plus the lender’s expenses incurred in enforcing the obligation. In other states, the borrower or the junior lienholder is not provided a period to reinstate the loan, but has only the right to pay off the entire debt to prevent the foreclosure sale. Generally, state law governs the procedure for public sale, the parties entitled to notice, the method of giving notice and the applicable time periods.
Public Sale. A third party may be unwilling to purchase a mortgaged property at a public sale because of the difficulty in determining the value of that property at the time of sale, due to, among other things, redemption rights which may exist and the possibility of physical deterioration of the property during the foreclosure proceedings. Potential buyers may be reluctant to purchase property at a foreclosure sale as a result of the 1980 decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Durrett v. Washington National Insurance Company and other decisions that have followed its reasoning. The court in Durrett held that even a non-collusive, regularly conducted foreclosure sale was a fraudulent transfer under the federal bankruptcy code, as amended from time to time (11 U.S.C. §§ 101-1532) (the “Bankruptcy Code”) and, thus, could be rescinded in favor of the bankrupt’s estate, if (1) the foreclosure sale was held while the debtor was insolvent and not more than one year prior to the
filing of the bankruptcy petition and (2) the price paid for the foreclosed property did not represent “fair consideration,” which is “reasonably equivalent value” under the Bankruptcy Code. Although the reasoning and result of Durrett in respect of the Bankruptcy Code was rejected by the United States Supreme Court in BFP v. Resolution Trust Corp., 511 U.S. 531 (1994), the case could nonetheless be persuasive to a court applying a state fraudulent conveyance law which has provisions similar to those construed in Durrett. For these reasons, it is common for the lender to purchase the mortgaged property for an amount equal to the lesser of fair market value and the underlying debt and accrued and unpaid interest plus the expenses of foreclosure. Generally, state law controls the amount of foreclosure costs and expenses which may be recovered by a lender. Thereafter, subject to the mortgagor’s right in some states to remain in possession during a redemption period, if applicable, the lender will become the owner of the property and have both the benefits and burdens of ownership of the mortgaged property. For example, the lender will have the obligation to pay debt service on any senior mortgages, to pay taxes, obtain casualty insurance and to make those repairs at its own expense as are necessary to render the property suitable for sale. Frequently, the lender employs a third party management company to manage and operate the property. The costs of operating and maintaining a commercial or multifamily residential property may be significant and may be greater than the income derived from that property. The costs of management and operation of those mortgaged properties which are hotels, motels or restaurants, nursing or convalescent homes, hospitals or casinos may be particularly significant because of the expertise, knowledge and, with respect to nursing or convalescent homes, hospitals or casinos, regulatory compliance, required to run those operations and the effect which foreclosure and a change in ownership may have on the public’s and the industry’s, including franchisors’, perception of the quality of those operations. The lender will commonly obtain the services of a real estate broker and pay the broker’s commission in connection with the sale of the property. Depending upon market conditions, the ultimate proceeds of the sale of the property may not equal the amount of the mortgage against the property. Moreover, a lender commonly incurs substantial legal fees and court costs in acquiring a mortgaged property through contested foreclosure and/or bankruptcy proceedings. Furthermore, an increasing number of states require that any environmental contamination at certain types of properties be cleaned up before a property may be resold. In addition, a lender may be responsible under federal or state law for the cost of cleaning up a mortgaged property that is environmentally contaminated. See “—Environmental Risks” below.
The holder of a junior mortgage that forecloses on a mortgaged property does so subject to senior mortgages and any other prior liens, and may be obliged to keep senior mortgage loans current in order to avoid foreclosure of its interest in the property. In addition, if the foreclosure of a junior mortgage triggers the enforcement of a “due-on-sale” clause contained in a senior mortgage, the junior mortgagee could be required to pay the full amount of the senior mortgage indebtedness or face foreclosure.
Rights of Redemption. The purposes of a foreclosure action are to enable the lender to realize upon its security and to bar the borrower, and all persons who have interests in the property that are subordinate to that of the foreclosing lender, from exercise of their “equity of redemption.” The doctrine of equity of redemption provides that, until the property encumbered by a mortgage has been sold in accordance with a properly conducted foreclosure and foreclosure sale, those having interests that are subordinate to that of the foreclosing lender have an equity of redemption and may redeem the property by paying the entire debt with interest. Those having an equity of redemption must generally be made parties and joined in the foreclosure proceeding in order for their equity of redemption to be terminated.
The equity of redemption is a common-law (non-statutory) right which should be distinguished from post-sale statutory rights of redemption. In some states, after sale pursuant to a deed of trust or foreclosure of a mortgage, the borrower and foreclosed junior lienors are given a statutory period in which to redeem the property. In some states, statutory redemption may occur only upon payment of the foreclosure sale price. In other states, redemption may be permitted if the former borrower pays only a portion of the sums due. The effect of a statutory right of redemption is to diminish the ability of the lender to sell the foreclosed property because the exercise of a right of redemption would defeat the title of any purchaser through a foreclosure. Consequently, the practical effect of the redemption right is to force the lender to maintain the property and pay the expenses of ownership until the redemption period
has expired. In some states, a post-sale statutory right of redemption may exist following a judicial foreclosure.
Anti-Deficiency Legislation. Some or all of the mortgage loans may be nonrecourse loans, as to which recourse in the case of default will be limited to the Mortgaged Property and those other assets, if any, that were pledged to secure the mortgage loan. However, even if a mortgage loan by its terms provides for recourse to the borrower’s other assets, a lender’s ability to realize upon those assets may be limited by state law. For example, in some states a lender cannot obtain a deficiency judgment against the borrower following foreclosure or sale under a deed of trust. A deficiency judgment is a personal judgment against the former borrower equal to the difference between the net amount realized upon the public sale of the real property and the amount due to the lender. Other statutes may require the lender to exhaust the security afforded under a mortgage before bringing a personal action against the borrower. In certain other states, the lender has the option of bringing a personal action against the borrower on the debt without first exhausting that security; however, in some of those states, the lender, following judgment on that personal action, may be deemed to have elected a remedy and thus may be precluded from foreclosing upon the security. Consequently, lenders in those states where an election of remedy provision exists will usually proceed first against the security. Finally, other statutory provisions, designed to protect borrowers from exposure to large deficiency judgments that might result from bidding at below-market values at the foreclosure sale, limit any deficiency judgment to the excess of the outstanding debt over the fair market value of the property at the time of the sale.
Leasehold Risks. Mortgage loans may be secured by a mortgage on the borrower’s leasehold interest in a ground lease. Leasehold mortgage loans are subject to certain risks not associated with mortgage loans secured by a lien on the fee estate of the borrower. The most significant of these risks is that if the borrower’s leasehold were to be terminated upon a lease default, the leasehold mortgagee would lose its security. This risk may be lessened if the ground lease requires the lessor to give the leasehold mortgagee notices of lessee defaults and an opportunity to cure them, permits the leasehold estate to be assigned to and by the leasehold mortgagee or the purchaser at a foreclosure sale, and contains certain other protective provisions typically included in a “mortgageable” ground lease.
Cooperative Shares. Mortgage loans may be secured by a security interest on the borrower’s ownership interest in shares, and the proprietary leases appurtenant thereto, allocable to cooperative dwelling units that may be vacant or occupied by non-owner tenants. Those loans are subject to certain risks not associated with mortgage loans secured by a lien on the fee estate of a borrower in real property. This kind of loan typically is subordinate to the mortgage, if any, on the Cooperative’s building which, if foreclosed, could extinguish the equity in the building and the proprietary leases of the dwelling units derived from ownership of the shares of the Cooperative. Further, transfer of shares in a Cooperative are subject to various regulations as well as to restrictions under the governing documents of the Cooperative, and the shares may be cancelled in the event that associated maintenance charges due under the related proprietary leases are not paid. Typically, a recognition agreement between the lender and the Cooperative provides, among other things, the lender with an opportunity to cure a default under a proprietary lease.
Under the laws applicable in many states, “foreclosure” on Cooperative shares is accomplished by a sale in accordance with the provisions of Article 9 of the UCC and the security agreement relating to the shares. Article 9 of the UCC requires that a sale be conducted in a “commercially reasonable” manner, which may be dependent upon, among other things, the notice given the debtor and the method, manner, time, place and terms of the sale. Article 9 of the UCC provides that the proceeds of the sale will be applied first to pay the costs and expenses of the sale and then to satisfy the indebtedness secured by the lender’s security interest. A recognition agreement, however, generally provides that the lender’s right to reimbursement is subject to the right of the Cooperative to receive sums due under the proprietary leases.
Generally. The Bankruptcy Code and related state laws may interfere with or affect the ability of a lender to realize upon collateral and/or to enforce a deficiency judgment. For example, under the Bankruptcy Code, virtually all actions (including foreclosure actions and deficiency judgment proceedings) are automatically stayed upon the filing of the bankruptcy petition, and, usually, no interest or principal payments are made during the course of the bankruptcy case. The delay and the consequences of a delay caused by an automatic stay can be significant. Also, under the Bankruptcy Code, the filing of a petition in bankruptcy by or on behalf of a junior lienor may stay the senior lender from taking action to foreclose out a junior lien.
Under the Bankruptcy Code, provided certain substantive and procedural safeguards for the lender are met, the amount and terms of a mortgage secured by property of the debtor may be modified. In addition under certain circumstances, the outstanding amount of the loan secured by the real property may be reduced to the then-current value of the property (with a corresponding partial reduction of the amount of the lender’s security interest) pursuant to a confirmed plan or lien avoidance proceeding, thus leaving the lender a general unsecured creditor for the difference between the value and the outstanding balance of the loan. Other modifications may include the reduction in the amount of each scheduled payment, which reduction may result from a reduction in the rate of interest and/or the alteration of the repayment schedule (with or without affecting the unpaid principal balance of the loan), and/or an extension (or reduction) of the final maturity date. Some courts have approved bankruptcy plans, based on the particular facts of the reorganization case, that effected the curing of a mortgage loan default by paying arrearages over a number of years. Also, under federal bankruptcy law, a bankruptcy court may permit a debtor through its rehabilitative plan to de-accelerate a secured loan and to reinstate the loan even though the lender accelerated the mortgage loan and final judgment of foreclosure had been entered in state court (provided no sale of the property had yet occurred) prior to the filing of the debtor’s petition. This may be done even if the plan of reorganization does not provide for payment in full of the amount due under the original loan. Thus, the full amount due under the original loan may never be repaid. Other types of significant modifications to the terms of the mortgage may be acceptable to the bankruptcy court, such as making distributions to the mortgage holder of property other than cash, or the substitution of collateral which is the “indubitable equivalent” of the real property subject to the mortgage or the subordination of the mortgage to liens securing new debt (provided that the lender’s secured claim is “adequately protected” as such term is defined and interpreted under the Bankruptcy Code), often depending on the particular facts and circumstances of the specific case.
The Bankruptcy Code provides that a lender’s perfected pre-petition security interest in leases, rents and hotel revenues continues in the post-petition leases, rents and hotel revenues, unless a bankruptcy court orders to the contrary “based on the equities of the case.” The equities of a particular case may permit the discontinuance of security interests in pre-petition leases and rents. Thus, unless a court orders otherwise, revenues from a mortgaged property generated after the date the bankruptcy petition is filed will normally constitute “cash collateral” under the Bankruptcy Code. Debtors may only use cash collateral upon obtaining the lender’s consent or a prior court order finding that the lender’s interest in the mortgaged property and the cash collateral is “adequately protected” as the term is defined and interpreted under the Bankruptcy Code. In addition to post-petition rents, any cash held by a lender in a lockbox or reserve account would also constitute “cash collateral” under the Bankruptcy Code. So long as the lender is adequately protected, a debtor’s use of cash collateral may be for its own benefit or for the benefit of any affiliated entity group that is also subject to bankruptcy proceedings, including use as collateral for new debt. It should be noted, however, that the court may find that the lender has no security interest in either pre-petition or post-petition revenues if the court finds that the loan documents do not contain language covering accounts, room rents, or other forms of personalty necessary for a security interest to attach to hotel revenues.
Federal bankruptcy law provides generally that rights and obligations under an unexpired lease of the debtor/lessee may not be terminated or modified at any time after the commencement of a case under the Bankruptcy Code solely because of a provision in the lease to that effect or because of certain other similar events. This prohibition on so-called “ipso facto clauses” could limit the ability of the trustee to
exercise certain contractual remedies with respect to the leases on any mortgaged property. In addition, Section 362 of the Bankruptcy Code operates as an automatic stay of, among other things, any act to obtain possession of property from a debtor’s estate, which may delay a trustee’s exercise of those remedies, including foreclosure, in the event that a lessee becomes the subject of a proceeding under the Bankruptcy Code. For example, a mortgagee would be stayed from enforcing an assignment by a borrower of rents and leases related to a mortgaged property if the related borrower was in a bankruptcy proceeding. The legal proceedings necessary to resolve the issues could be time-consuming and might result in significant delays in the receipt of the assigned rents. Similarly, the filing of a petition in bankruptcy by or on behalf of a lessee of a mortgaged property would result in a stay against the commencement or continuation of any state court proceeding for past due rent, for accelerated rent, for damages or for a summary eviction order with respect to a default under the related lease that occurred prior to the filing of the lessee’s petition. While relief from the automatic stay to enforce remedies may be requested, it can be denied for a number of reasons, including where the collateral is “necessary to an effective reorganization” for the debtor, and if a debtor’s case has been administratively consolidated with those of its affiliates, the court may also consider whether the property is “necessary to an effective reorganization” of the debtor and its affiliates, taken as a whole.
Rents and leases may also escape an assignment (i) if the assignment is not fully perfected under state law prior to commencement of the bankruptcy proceeding, (ii) to the extent such rents and leases are used by the borrower to maintain the mortgaged property or for other court authorized expenses, (iii) to the extent other collateral may be substituted for the rents and leases, or (iv) to the extent the bankruptcy court determines that the lender is adequately protected.
In addition, the Bankruptcy Code generally provides that a trustee or debtor-in-possession may, with respect to an unexpired lease of non-residential real property, before the earlier of (i) 120 days after the filing of a bankruptcy case or (ii) the entry of an order confirming a plan, subject to approval of the court, (a) assume the lease and retain it or assign it to a third party or (b) reject the lease. If the trustee or debtor-in-possession fails to assume or reject the lease within the time specified in the preceding sentence, subject to any extensions by the bankruptcy court, the lease will be deemed rejected and the property will be surrendered to the lessor. The bankruptcy court may for cause shown extend the 120-day period up to 90 days for a total of 210 days. If the lease is assumed, the trustee in bankruptcy on behalf of the lessee, or the lessee as debtor-in-possession, or the assignee, if applicable, must cure any defaults under the lease, compensate the lessor for its losses and provide the lessor with “adequate assurance” of future performance. However, these remedies may, in fact, be insufficient and the lessor may be forced to continue under the lease with a lessee that is a poor credit risk or an unfamiliar tenant if the lease was assigned. If the lease is rejected, the rejection generally constitutes a breach of the executory contract or unexpired lease immediately before the date of filing the petition. As a consequence, the other party or parties to the lease, such as the borrower, as lessor under a lease, generally would have only an unsecured claim against the debtor for damages resulting from the breach, which could adversely affect the security for the related mortgage loan. In addition, pursuant to Section 502(b)(6) of the Bankruptcy Code, a lessor’s damages for lease rejection in respect of future rent installments are limited to the rent reserved by the lease, without acceleration, for the greater of one year or 15 percent, not to exceed three years, of the remaining term of the lease.
If a trustee in bankruptcy on behalf of a lessor, or a lessor as debtor-in-possession, rejects an unexpired lease of real property, the lessee may treat the lease as terminated by the rejection or, in the alternative, the lessee may remain in possession of the leasehold for the balance of the term and for any renewal or extension of the term that is enforceable by the lessee under applicable non-bankruptcy law. The Bankruptcy Code provides that if a lessee elects to remain in possession after a rejection of a lease, the lessee may offset against rents reserved under the lease for the balance of the term after the date of rejection of the lease, and the related renewal or extension of the lease, any damages occurring after that date caused by the nonperformance of any obligation of the lessor under the lease after that date.
In a bankruptcy or similar proceeding involving a borrower, action may be taken seeking the recovery as a preferential transfer of any payments made by such borrower, or made directly by the related lessee, under the related mortgage loan to the trust fund. Payments on long term debt may be protected from
recovery as preferences if they qualify for the “ordinary course” exception under the Bankruptcy Code or if certain of the other defenses in the Bankruptcy Code are applicable. Whether any particular payment would be protected depends upon the facts specific to a particular transaction.
In addition, in a bankruptcy or similar proceeding involving any borrower, an action may be taken to avoid the transaction (or any component of the transaction, such as joint and several liability on the related mortgage loan) as an actual or constructive fraudulent conveyance under state or federal law. Any payment by a borrower in excess of its allocated share of the loan could be challenged as a fraudulent conveyance by creditors of that borrower in an action outside a bankruptcy case or by the representative of the borrower’s bankruptcy estate in a bankruptcy case. Generally, under federal and most state fraudulent conveyance statutes, the incurrence of an obligation or the transfer of property by a person will be subject to avoidance under certain circumstances if the person did not receive fair consideration or reasonably equivalent value in exchange for such obligation or transfer and (i) was insolvent or was rendered insolvent by such obligation or transfer, (ii) was engaged in business or a transaction, or was about to engage in business or a transaction, for which any property remaining with the person constituted unreasonably small capital, or (iii) intended to, or believed that it would, incur debts that would be beyond the person’s ability to pay as such debts matured. The measure of insolvency will vary depending on the law of the applicable jurisdiction. However, an entity will generally be considered insolvent if the present fair salable value of its assets is less than (x) the sum of its debts or (y) the amount that would be required to pay its probable liabilities on its existing debts as they become absolute and matured. Accordingly, a lien granted by a borrower to secure repayment of the loan in excess of its allocated share could be avoided if a court were to determine that (i) such borrower was insolvent at the time of granting the lien, was rendered insolvent by the granting of the lien, was left with inadequate capital, or was not able to pay its debts as they matured and (ii) the borrower did not, when it allowed its property to be encumbered by a lien securing the entire indebtedness represented by the loan, receive fair consideration or reasonably equivalent value for pledging such property for the equal benefit of each other borrower.
Under Sections 363(b) and (f) of the Bankruptcy Code, a trustee, or a borrower as debtor in possession, may, under certain circumstances, despite the provisions of the related mortgage to the contrary, sell the related mortgaged property free and clear of all liens, which liens would then attach to the proceeds of such sale. Such a sale may be approved by a bankruptcy court even if the proceeds are insufficient to pay the secured debt in full.
Pursuant to Section 364 of the Bankruptcy Code, a bankruptcy court may, under certain circumstances, authorize a debtor to obtain credit after the commencement of a bankruptcy case, secured among other things, by senior, equal or junior liens on property that is already subject to a lien. In the bankruptcy case of General Growth Properties filed on April 16, 2009, the debtors initially sought approval of a debtor-in-possession loan to the corporate parent entities guaranteed by the property-level special purpose entities and secured by second liens on their properties. Although the debtor-in-possession loan subsequently was modified to eliminate the subsidiary guarantees and second liens, there can be no assurance that, in the event of a bankruptcy of the sponsor of the borrower, the sponsor of the borrower would not seek approval of a similar debtor-in-possession loan, or that a bankruptcy court would not approve a debtor-in-possession loan that included such subsidiary guarantees and second liens on such subsidiaries’ properties.
A trustee in bankruptcy, in some cases, may be entitled to collect its costs and expenses in preserving or selling the mortgaged property ahead of payment to the lender. In certain circumstances, a debtor in bankruptcy may have the power to grant liens senior to the lien of a mortgage, and analogous state statutes and general principles of equity may also provide a borrower with means to halt a foreclosure proceeding or sale and to force a restructuring of a mortgage loan on terms a lender would not otherwise accept. Moreover, the laws of certain states also give priority to certain tax liens over the lien of a mortgage or deed of trust. Under the Bankruptcy Code, if the court finds that actions of the mortgagee have been unreasonable, the lien of the related mortgage may be subordinated to the claims of unsecured creditors.
Certain of the Borrowers May Be Partnerships. The laws governing limited partnerships in certain states provide that the commencement of a case under the Bankruptcy Code with respect to a general partner will cause a person to cease to be a general partner of the limited partnership, unless otherwise provided in writing in the limited partnership agreement. This provision may be construed as an “ipso facto” clause and, in the event of the general partner’s bankruptcy, may not be enforceable. Certain limited partnership agreements of the borrowers may provide that the commencement of a case under the Bankruptcy Code with respect to the related general partner constitutes an event of withdrawal (assuming the enforceability of the clause is not challenged in bankruptcy proceedings or, if challenged, is upheld) that might trigger the dissolution of the limited partnership, the winding up of its affairs and the distribution of its assets, unless (i) at the time there was at least one other general partner and the written provisions of the limited partnership permit the business of the limited partnership to be carried on by the remaining general partner and that general partner does so or (ii) the written provisions of the limited partnership agreement permit the limited partners to agree within a specified time frame (often 60 days) after the withdrawal to continue the business of the limited partnership and to the appointment of one or more general partners and the limited partners do so. In addition, the laws governing general partnerships in certain states provide that the commencement of a case under the Bankruptcy Code or state bankruptcy laws with respect to a general partner of the partnerships triggers the dissolution of the partnership, the winding up of its affairs and the distribution of its assets. Those state laws, however, may not be enforceable or effective in a bankruptcy case. The dissolution of a borrower, the winding up of its affairs and the distribution of its assets could result in an acceleration of its payment obligation under the borrower’s mortgage loan, which may reduce the yield on the certificates in the same manner as a principal prepayment.
In addition, the bankruptcy of the general or limited partner of a borrower that is a partnership, or the bankruptcy of a member of a borrower that is a limited liability company or the bankruptcy of a shareholder of a borrower that is a corporation may provide the opportunity in the bankruptcy case of the partner, member or shareholder to obtain an order from a court consolidating the assets and liabilities of the partner, member or shareholder with those of the mortgagor pursuant to the doctrines of substantive consolidation or piercing the corporate veil. In such a case, the respective mortgaged property, for example, would become property of the estate of the bankrupt partner, member or shareholder. Not only would the mortgaged property be available to satisfy the claims of creditors of the partner, member or shareholder, but an automatic stay would apply to any attempt by the trustee to exercise remedies with respect to the mortgaged property. However, such an occurrence should not affect the trustee’s status as a secured creditor with respect to the mortgagor or its security interest in the mortgaged property.
A borrower that is a limited partnership, in many cases, may be required by the loan documents to have a special purpose entity as its sole general partner, and a borrower that is a general partnership, in many cases, may be required by the loan documents to have as its general partners only entities that are special purpose entities. A borrower that is a limited liability company may be required by the loan documents to have a special purpose member or a springing member. All borrowers that are tenants-in-common may be required by the loan documents to be special purpose entities. These provisions are designed to mitigate the risk of the dissolution or bankruptcy of the borrower partnership or its general partner, a borrower limited liability company or its member (if applicable), or a borrower that is a tenant-in-common. However, we cannot assure you that any borrower partnership or its general partner, or any borrower limited liability company or its member (if applicable), or a borrower that is a tenant-in-common, will not dissolve or become a debtor under the Bankruptcy Code.
Real property pledged as security for a mortgage loan may be subject to certain environmental risks. Under federal law, including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (also known as “CERCLA”) and the laws of certain states, failure to perform the remediation required or demanded by the state or federal government of any condition or circumstance that:
| | ● | may pose an imminent or substantial endangerment to human health or welfare or the environment, |
| | ● | may result in a release or threatened release of any hazardous material, |
| | ● | may give rise to any environmental claim or demand, or |
| | ● | may give rise to a lien on the property to ensure the reimbursement of remedial costs incurred by the federal or state government. In several states, the lien has priority over the lien of an existing mortgage against the property. Of particular concern may be those mortgaged properties which are, or have been, the site of manufacturing, industrial or hazardous material treatment, storage or disposal activity. Those environmental risks may give rise to (a) a diminution in value of property securing a mortgage note or the inability to foreclose against the property or (b) in certain circumstances as more fully described below, liability for clean-up costs or other remedial actions, which liability could exceed the value of the property, the aggregate assets of the owner or operator, or the principal balance of the related indebtedness. |
The state of the law is currently unclear as to whether and under what circumstances cleanup costs, or the obligation to take remedial actions, could be imposed on a secured lender. Under the laws of some states and under CERCLA, a lender may become liable as an “owner” or an “operator” of a contaminated mortgaged property for the costs of remediation of releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances at the mortgaged property. The liability may attach if the lender or its agents or employees have participated in the management of the operations of the borrower, even though the environmental damage or threat was caused by a prior owner, operator, or other third party.
Excluded from CERCLA’s definition of “owner or operator” is any person “who, without participating in the management of a vessel or facility, holds indicia of ownership primarily to protect his security interest” (the “secured-creditor exemption”). This exemption for holders of a security interest such as a secured lender applies only in circumstances when the lender seeks to protect its security interest in the contaminated facility or property. Thus, if a lender’s activities encroach on the actual management of that facility or property or of the borrower, the lender faces potential liability as an “owner or operator” under CERCLA. Similarly, when a lender forecloses and takes title to a contaminated facility or property (whether it holds the facility or property as an investment or leases it to a third party), under some circumstances the lender may incur potential CERCLA liability.
Amendments to CERCLA provide examples of permissible actions that may be undertaken by a lender holding security in a contaminated facility without exceeding the bounds of the secured-creditor exemption, subject to certain conditions and limitations. Additionally, the amendments provide certain protections from CERCLA liability as an “owner or operator” to a lender who forecloses on contaminated property, as long as it seeks to divest itself of the facility at the earliest practicable commercially reasonable time on commercially reasonable terms. The amendments also limit the potential liability of lenders under the federal Solid Waste Disposal Act for costs of responding to leaking underground storage tanks. However, the protections afforded lenders under the amendments are subject to terms and conditions that have not been clarified by the courts. Moreover, the CERCLA secured-creditor exemption does not necessarily affect the potential for liability in actions under other federal or state laws which may impose liability on “owners or operators” but do not incorporate the secured-creditor exemption. Furthermore, the secured-creditor exemption does not protect lenders from other bases of CERCLA liability, such as that imposed on “generators” or “transporters” of hazardous substances.
Environmental clean-up costs may be substantial. It is possible that those costs could become a liability of the applicable trust fund and occasion a loss to certificateholders if those remedial costs were incurred.
In a few states, transfers of some types of properties are conditioned upon clean-up of contamination prior to transfer. It is possible that a property securing a mortgage loan could be subject to these transfer restrictions. If this occurs, and if the lender becomes the owner upon foreclosure, the lender may be required to clean up the contamination before selling the property.
The cost of remediating hazardous substance contamination at a property can be substantial. If a lender is or becomes liable, it can bring an action for contribution against the owner or operator that created the environmental hazard, but that person or entity may be without substantial assets. Accordingly, it is possible that these costs could become a liability of a trust fund and occasion a loss to certificateholders of the related series.
To reduce the likelihood of this kind of loss, the related Pooling Agreement may provide that the master servicer may not, on behalf of the trust fund, acquire title to a Mortgaged Property or take over its operation unless the master servicer, based on a report prepared by a person who regularly conducts environmental site assessments, has made the determination that it is appropriate to do so. There can be no assurance that any environmental site assessment obtained by the master servicer will detect all possible environmental contamination or conditions or that the other requirements of the related pooling and servicing agreement, even if fully observed by the master servicer, will in fact insulate the related trust fund from liability with respect to environmental matters.
Even when a lender is not directly liable for cleanup costs on property securing loans, if a property securing a loan is contaminated, the value of the security is likely to be affected. In addition, a lender bears the risk that unanticipated cleanup costs may jeopardize the borrower’s repayment. Neither of these two issues is likely to pose risks exceeding the amount of unpaid principal and interest of a particular loan secured by a contaminated property, particularly if the lender declines to foreclose on a mortgage secured by the property.
If a lender forecloses on a mortgage secured by a property the operations of which are subject to environmental laws and regulations, the lender will be required to operate the property in accordance with those laws and regulations. Compliance could be complicated and may entail substantial expense.
In addition, a lender may be obligated to disclose environmental conditions on a property to government entities and/or to prospective buyers, including prospective buyers at a foreclosure sale or following foreclosure. That disclosure may decrease the amount that prospective buyers are willing to pay for the affected property and thereby lessen the ability of the lender to recover its investment in a loan upon foreclosure.
| Due-on-Sale and Due-on-Encumbrance |
Certain of the mortgage loans may contain “due-on-sale” and “due-on-encumbrance” clauses that purport to permit the lender to accelerate the maturity of the loan if the borrower transfers or encumbers the related Mortgaged Property. The Garn-St Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 (the “Garn Act”) generally preempts state laws that prohibit the enforcement of due-on-sale clauses by providing, among other things, that “due-on-sale” clauses in certain loans are enforceable within certain limitations as set forth in the Garn Act. Therefore, subject to those limitations, a master servicer may have the right to accelerate the maturity of a mortgage loan that contains a “due-on-sale” provision upon transfer of an interest in the property, whether or not the master servicer can demonstrate that the transfer threatens its security interest in the property.
Certain of the mortgage loans may not restrict the ability of the borrower to use the Mortgaged Property as security for one or more additional loans. Where a borrower encumbers a mortgaged property with one or more junior liens, the senior lender is subjected to additional risk. First, the borrower may have difficulty servicing and repaying multiple loans. Moreover, if the subordinate financing permits recourse to the borrower, as is frequently the case, and the senior loan does not, a borrower may have more incentive to repay sums due on the subordinate loan. Second, acts of the senior lender that prejudice the junior lender or impair the junior lender’s security may create a superior equity in favor of the junior lender. For example, if the borrower and the senior lender agree to an increase in the principal amount of or the interest rate payable on the senior loan, the senior lender may lose its priority to the extent any existing junior lender is harmed or the borrower is additionally burdened. Third, if the borrower defaults on the senior loan and/or any junior loan or loans, the existence of junior loans and actions taken
by junior lenders can impair the security available to the senior lender and can interfere with or delay the taking of action by the senior lender. Moreover, the bankruptcy of a junior lender may operate to stay foreclosure or similar proceedings by the senior lender.
| Default Interest and Limitations on Prepayments |
Mortgage notes and mortgages may contain provisions that obligate the borrower to pay a late charge or additional interest if payments are not timely made, and in some circumstances, may prohibit prepayments for a specified period and/or condition prepayments upon the borrower’s payment of prepayment fees or yield maintenance penalties. In certain states, there are or may be specific limitations upon the late charges which a lender may collect from a borrower for delinquent payments. Certain states also limit the amounts that a lender may collect from a borrower as an additional charge or fee if the loan is prepaid. In addition, the enforceability of provisions that provide for prepayment fees or penalties upon an involuntary prepayment is unclear under the laws of many states.
| Applicability of Usury Laws |
Title V of the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980 (“Title V”) provides that state usury limitations shall not apply to certain types of residential, including multifamily but not commercial, first mortgage loans originated by certain lenders after March 31, 1980. A similar Federal statute was in effect with respect to mortgage loans made during the first three months of 1980. The statute authorized any state to reimpose interest rate limits by adopting, before April 1, 1983, a law or constitutional provision that expressly rejects application of the federal law. In addition, even where Title V is not so rejected, any state is authorized by the law to adopt a provision limiting discount points or other charges on mortgage loans covered by Title V. Certain states have taken action to reimpose interest rate limits and/or to limit discount points or other charges.
In any state in which application of Title V has been expressly rejected or a provision limiting discount points or other charges has been adopted, no mortgage loan originated after the date of that state action will (if originated after that rejection or adoption) be eligible for inclusion in a trust fund unless (1) the mortgage loan provides for an interest rate, discount points and charges as are permitted in that state or (2) the mortgage loan provides that the terms are to be construed in accordance with the laws of another state under which the interest rate, discount points and charges would not be usurious and the borrower’s counsel has rendered an opinion that the choice of law provision would be given effect.
Statutes differ in their provisions as to the consequences of a usurious loan. One group of statutes requires the lender to forfeit the interest due above the applicable limit or impose a specified penalty. Under this statutory scheme, the borrower may cancel the recorded mortgage or deed of trust upon paying its debt with lawful interest, and the lender may foreclose, but only for the debt plus lawful interest. A second group of statutes is more severe. A violation of this type of usury law results in the invalidation of the transaction, thereby permitting the borrower to cancel the recorded mortgage or deed of trust without any payment or prohibiting the lender from foreclosing.
| Servicemembers Civil Relief Act |
Under the terms of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (the “Relief Act”), a borrower who enters military service after the origination of that borrower’s mortgage loan, including a borrower who was in reserve status and is called to active duty after origination of the mortgage loan, upon notification by such borrower, shall not be charged interest, including fees and charges, in excess of 6% per annum during the period of that borrower’s active duty status. In addition to adjusting the interest, the lender must forgive any such interest in excess of 6% unless a court or administrative agency orders otherwise upon application of the lender. The Relief Act applies to individuals who are members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, Reserves, Coast Guard and officers of the U.S. Public Health Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration assigned to duty with the military. Because the Relief Act applies to individuals who enter military service, including reservists who are called to active duty, after origination of the related mortgage loan, no information can be provided as to the number of
loans with individuals as borrowers that may be affected by the Relief Act. Application of the Relief Act would adversely affect, for an indeterminate period of time, the ability of any servicer to collect full amounts of interest on certain of the mortgage loans. Any shortfalls in interest collections resulting from the application of the Relief Act would result in a reduction of the amounts distributable to the holders of the related series of certificates, and would not be covered by advances or, any form of credit support provided in connection with those certificates. In addition, the Relief Act imposes limitations that would impair the ability of the servicer to foreclose on an affected mortgage loan during the borrower’s period of active duty status, and, under certain circumstances, during an additional three-month period thereafter.
| Type of Mortgaged Property |
The lender may be subject to additional risk depending upon the type and use of the Mortgaged Property in question. For instance, Mortgaged Properties which are hospitals, nursing homes or convalescent homes may present special risks to lenders in large part due to significant governmental regulation of the operation, maintenance, control and financing of health care institutions. Mortgages on Mortgaged Properties which are owned by the borrower under a condominium form of ownership are subject to the declaration, by-laws and other rules and regulations of the condominium association. Mortgaged Properties which are hotels or motels may present additional risk to the lender in that:
1. hotels and motels are typically operated pursuant to franchise, management and operating agreements which may be terminable by the operator; and
2. the transferability of the hotel’s operating, liquor and other licenses to the entity acquiring the hotel either through purchase or foreclosure is subject to the vagaries of local law requirements.
In addition, Mortgaged Properties which are multifamily properties or cooperatively owned multifamily properties may be subject to rent control laws, which could impact the future cash flows of those properties.
| Americans with Disabilities Act |
Under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and rules promulgated under this act (the “ADA”), in order to protect individuals with disabilities, public accommodations (such as hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, hospitals, schools and social service center establishments) must remove architectural and communication barriers which are structural in nature from existing places of public accommodation to the extent “readily achievable.” In addition, under the ADA, alterations to a place of public accommodation or a commercial facility are to be made so that, to the maximum extent feasible, the altered portions are readily accessible to and usable by disabled individuals. The “readily achievable” standard takes into account, among other factors, the financial resources of the affected site, owner, landlord or other applicable person. In addition to imposing a possible financial burden on the borrower in its capacity as owner or landlord, the ADA may also impose these requirements on a foreclosing lender who succeeds to the interest of the borrower as owner or landlord. Furthermore, since the “readily achievable” standard may vary depending on the financial condition of the owner or landlord, a foreclosing lender who is financially more capable than the borrower of complying with the requirements of the ADA may be subject to more stringent requirements than those to which the borrower is subject.
| Forfeiture for Drug, RICO and Money Laundering Violations |
Federal law provides that property purchased or improved with assets derived from criminal activity or otherwise tainted, or used in the commission of certain offenses, can be seized and ordered forfeited to the United States of America. The offenses which can trigger such a seizure and forfeiture include, among others, violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, the anti-money laundering laws and regulations, including the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, also known as the USA Patriot Act, and the regulations issued pursuant to the USA Patriot Act, as well as the narcotic drug laws. In many instances, the United States may seize the property even before a conviction occurs.
In the event of a forfeiture proceeding, a lender may be able to establish its interest in the property by proving that (1) its mortgage was executed and recorded before the commission of the illegal conduct from which the assets used to purchase or improve the property were derived or before any other crime upon which the forfeiture is based, or (2) the lender, at the time of the execution of the mortgage, “did not know or was reasonably without cause to believe that the property was subject to forfeiture.” However, there is no assurance that such defense will be successful.
MATERIAL FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES
The following is a general discussion of the anticipated material federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of certificates. The discussion below does not purport to address all federal income tax consequences that may be applicable to particular categories of investors, some of which may be subject to special rules. Further, the authorities on which this discussion is based are subject to change or differing interpretations, and any change or interpretation could apply retroactively. No rulings have been or will be sought from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) with respect to any of the federal income tax consequences discussed below. Accordingly, the IRS may take contrary positions. This discussion reflects the applicable provisions of the Code as well as regulations (the “REMIC Regulations”) promulgated by the U.S. Department of Treasury (the “Treasury”). Investors should consult their own tax advisors in determining the federal, state, local and other tax consequences to them of the purchase, ownership and disposition of certificates.
For purposes of this discussion, (1) references to the mortgage loans include references to the mortgage loans underlying MBS included in the mortgage assets and (2) where the applicable prospectus supplement provides for a fixed retained yield with respect to the mortgage loans underlying a series of certificates, references to the mortgage loans will be deemed to refer to that portion of the mortgage loans held by the trust fund which does not include the Retained Interest. References to a “holder” or “certificateholder” in this discussion generally mean the beneficial owner of a certificate.
Federal Income Tax Consequences for REMIC Certificates
General
With respect to a particular series of certificates, an election may be made to treat the trust fund or one or more segregated pools of assets in the trust fund as one or more REMICs within the meaning of Code Section 860D. A trust fund or a portion of a trust fund as to which a REMIC election is made will be referred to as a “REMIC Pool.” For purposes of this discussion, certificates of a series as to which one or more REMIC elections are made are referred to as “REMIC Certificates” and will consist of one or more classes of “Regular Certificates” and one class of Residual Certificates in the case of each REMIC Pool. Qualification as a REMIC requires ongoing compliance with certain conditions. With respect to each series of REMIC Certificates, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, counsel to the Depositor, will deliver its opinion generally to the effect that, assuming:
1. the making of an election,
2. compliance with the Pooling Agreement and any other governing documents and
3. compliance with any changes in the law, including any amendments to the Code or applicable Treasury regulations under the Code, each REMIC Pool will qualify as a REMIC.
In that case, the Regular Certificates will be considered to be “regular interests” in the REMIC Pool and generally will be treated for federal income tax purposes as if they were newly originated debt instruments, and the Residual Certificates will be considered to be “residual interests” in the REMIC Pool. The prospectus supplement for each series of certificates will indicate whether one or more REMIC elections with respect to the related trust fund will be made, in which event references to “REMIC” or “REMIC Pool” below shall be deemed to refer to that REMIC Pool. If so specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the portion of a trust fund as to which a REMIC election is not made may be
treated as a grantor trust for federal income tax purposes. See “—Federal Income Tax Consequences for Certificates as to Which No REMIC Election Is Made” below.
Characterization of Investments in REMIC Certificates
REMIC Certificates held by a domestic building and loan association will constitute “a regular or residual interest in a REMIC” within the meaning of Code Section 7701(a)(19)(C)(xi), but only in the same proportion that the assets of the REMIC Pool would be treated as “loans . . . secured by an interest in real property which is . . . residential real property” (such as single family or multifamily properties, but not commercial properties) within the meaning of Code Section 7701(a)(19)(C)(v) or as other assets described in Code Section 7701(a)(19)(C), and otherwise will not qualify for that treatment. REMIC Certificates held by a real estate investment trust will constitute “real estate assets” within the meaning of Code Section 856(c)(5)(B), and interest, including original issue discount, on the Regular Certificates and income with respect to Residual Certificates will be considered “interest on obligations secured by mortgages on real property or on interests in real property” within the meaning of Code Section 856(c)(3)(B) if received by a real estate investment trust in the same proportion that, for both purposes, the assets of the REMIC Pool would be so treated. If at all times 95% or more of the assets of the REMIC Pool qualify for each of the foregoing respective treatments, the REMIC Certificates will qualify for the corresponding status in their entirety. Mortgage Loans held by the REMIC Pool that have been defeased with U.S. Treasury obligations will not qualify for the foregoing treatments. For purposes of Code Section 856(c)(5)(B), payments of principal and interest on the mortgage loans that are reinvested pending distribution to holders of REMIC Certificates qualify for that treatment. Where two REMIC Pools are a part of a tiered structure they will be treated as one REMIC for purposes of the tests described above respecting asset ownership of more or less than 95%. Regular Certificates will be “qualified mortgages” for another REMIC for purposes of Code Section 860G(a)(3). REMIC Certificates held by a regulated investment company will not constitute “Government Securities” within the meaning of Code Section 851(b)(3)(A)(i). REMIC Certificates held by certain financial institutions will constitute an “evidence of indebtedness” within the meaning of Code Section 582(c)(1).
Qualification as a REMIC
In order for the REMIC Pool to qualify as a REMIC, there must be ongoing compliance on the part of the REMIC Pool with the requirements set forth in the Code. The REMIC Pool must fulfill an asset test, which requires that no more than a de minimis portion of the assets of the REMIC Pool, as of the close of the third calendar month beginning after the “Startup Day” (which for purposes of this discussion is the date of issuance of the REMIC Certificates) and at all times thereafter, may consist of assets other than “qualified mortgages” and “permitted investments.” The REMIC Regulations provide a safe harbor pursuant to which the de minimis requirement is met if at all times the aggregate adjusted basis of the nonqualified assets is less than 1% of the aggregate adjusted basis of all the REMIC Pool’s assets. An entity that fails to meet the safe harbor may nevertheless demonstrate that it holds no more than a de minimis amount of nonqualified assets. A REMIC also must provide “reasonable arrangements” to prevent its residual interest from being held by “disqualified organizations” and must furnish applicable tax information to transferors or agents that violate this requirement. The Pooling Agreement for each series will contain a provision designed to meet this requirement. See “—Taxation of Residual Certificates—Tax-Related Restrictions on Transfer of Residual Certificates—Disqualified Organizations” below.
A qualified mortgage is any obligation that is principally secured by an interest in real property and that is either transferred to the REMIC Pool on the Startup Day in exchange for regular or residual interests, or is either purchased by the REMIC Pool within a three-month period thereafter or represents an increase in the loan advanced to the obligor under its original terms, in each case pursuant to a fixed price contract in effect on the Startup Day. Qualified mortgages include (i) whole mortgage loans, such as the mortgage loans, (ii) certificates of beneficial interest in a grantor trust that holds mortgage loans, including certain of the MBS, (iii) regular interests in another REMIC, such as MBS in a trust as to which a REMIC election has been made, (iv) loans secured by timeshare interests and (v) loans secured by shares held by a tenant stockholder in a cooperative housing corporation, provided, in general:
1. the fair market value of the real property security (including buildings and structural components) is at least 80% of the principal balance of the related mortgage loan or mortgage loan underlying the mortgage certificate either at origination or as of the Startup Day (an original loan-to-value ratio of not more than 125% with respect to the real property security), or
2. substantially all the proceeds of the mortgage loan or the underlying mortgage loan were used to acquire, improve or protect an interest in real property that, at the origination date, was the only security for the mortgage loan or underlying mortgage loan.
If the mortgage loan has been substantially modified other than in connection with a default or reasonably foreseeable default, it must meet the loan-to-value test in the first bullet point of the preceding sentence as of the date of the last modification or at closing. A qualified mortgage includes a qualified replacement mortgage, which is any obligation that would have been treated as a qualified mortgage if it were transferred to the REMIC Pool on the Startup Day and that is received either (1) in exchange for any qualified mortgage within a three-month period thereafter or (2) in exchange for a defective obligation within a two-year period thereafter. A “defective obligation” includes
| | ● | a mortgage in default or as to which default is reasonably foreseeable, |
| | ● | mortgage as to which a customary representation or warranty made at the time of transfer to the REMIC Pool has been breached, |
| | ● | a mortgage that was fraudulently procured by the mortgagor, and |
| | ● | a mortgage that was not in fact principally secured by real property (but only if the mortgage is disposed of within 90 days of discovery). |
A mortgage loan that is defective as described in the 4th clause in the immediately preceding sentence that is not sold or, if within two years of the Startup Day, exchanged, within 90 days of discovery, ceases to be a qualified mortgage after that 90-day period.
Permitted investments include cash flow investments, qualified reserve assets, and foreclosure property. A cash flow investment is an investment, earning a return in the nature of interest, of amounts received on or with respect to qualified mortgages for a temporary period, not exceeding 13 months, until the next scheduled distribution to holders of interests in the REMIC Pool. A qualified reserve asset is any intangible property held for investment that is part of any reasonably required reserve maintained by the REMIC Pool to provide for payments of expenses of the REMIC Pool or amounts due on the regular or residual interests in the event of defaults (including delinquencies) on the qualified mortgages, lower than expected reinvestment returns, prepayment interest shortfalls and certain other contingencies. In addition, a reserve fund (limited to not more than 50% of the REMIC Pool’s initial assets) may be used to provide a source of funds for the purchase of increases in the balances of qualified mortgages pursuant to their terms. A reserve fund will be disqualified if more than 30% of the gross income from the assets in the fund for the year is derived from the sale or other disposition of property held for less than three months, unless required to prevent a default on the regular interests caused by a default on one or more qualified mortgages. A reserve fund must be reduced “promptly and appropriately” to the extent no longer required. Foreclosure property is real property acquired by the REMIC Pool in connection with the default or imminent default of a qualified mortgage, provided the Depositor had no knowledge that the mortgage loan would go into default at the time it was transferred to the REMIC Pool. Foreclosure property generally must be disposed of prior to the close of the third calendar year following the acquisition of the property by the REMIC Pool, with an extension that may be granted by the IRS.
In addition to the foregoing requirements, the various interests in a REMIC Pool also must meet certain requirements. All of the interests in a REMIC Pool must be either of the following: (1) one or more classes of regular interests or (2) a single class of residual interests on which distributions, if any, are made pro rata. A regular interest is an interest in a REMIC Pool that is issued on the Startup Day with fixed terms, is designated as a regular interest, and unconditionally entitles the holder to receive a specified principal amount (or other similar amount), and provides that interest payments (or other similar
amounts), if any, at or before maturity either are payable based on a fixed rate or a qualified variable rate, or consist of a specified, nonvarying portion of the interest payments on qualified mortgages. The specified portion may consist of a fixed number of basis points, a fixed percentage of the total interest, or a fixed or qualified variable or inverse variable rate on some or all of the qualified mortgages minus a different fixed or qualified variable rate. The specified principal amount of a regular interest that provides for interest payments consisting of a specified, nonvarying portion of interest payments on qualified mortgages may be zero. A residual interest is an interest in a REMIC Pool other than a regular interest that is issued on the Startup Day and that is designated as a residual interest. An interest in a REMIC Pool may be treated as a regular interest even if payments of principal with respect to that interest are subordinated to payments on other regular interests or the residual interest in the REMIC Pool, and are dependent on the absence of defaults or delinquencies on qualified mortgages or permitted investments, lower than reasonably expected returns on permitted investments, unanticipated expenses incurred by the REMIC Pool or prepayment interest shortfalls. Accordingly, the Regular Certificates of a series will constitute one or more classes of regular interests, and the Residual Certificates for each REMIC Pool of that series will constitute a single class of residual interests on which distributions are made pro rata.
If an entity, such as the REMIC Pool, fails to comply with one or more of the ongoing requirements of the Code for REMIC status during any taxable year, the Code provides that the entity will not be treated as a REMIC for that year and thereafter. In this event, an entity with multiple classes of ownership interests may be treated as a separate association taxable as a corporation under Treasury regulations, and the Regular Certificates may be treated as equity interests in the REMIC Pool. The Code, however, authorizes the Treasury Department to issue regulations that address situations where failure to meet one or more of the requirements for REMIC status occurs inadvertently and in good faith, and disqualification of the REMIC Pool would occur absent regulatory relief. Investors should be aware, however, that the Conference Committee Report to the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (the “Reform Act”) indicates that the relief may be accompanied by sanctions, such as the imposition of a corporate tax on all or a portion of the REMIC Pool’s income for the period of time in which the requirements for REMIC status are not satisfied.
Taxation of Regular Certificates
A regular interest will be treated as a newly originated debt instrument for federal income tax purposes. In general, interest, original issue discount and market discount on a Regular Certificate will be treated as ordinary income to a holder of the Regular Certificate (the “Regular Certificateholder”) as they accrue, and principal payments on a Regular Certificate will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of the Regular Certificateholder’s basis in the Regular Certificate allocable thereto (other than accrued market discount not yet reported as ordinary income). Regular Certificateholders must use the accrual method of accounting with regard to Regular Certificates, regardless of the method of accounting otherwise used by those Regular Certificateholders.
Accrual Certificates and principal-only certificates will be, and other classes of Regular Certificates may be, issued with “original issue discount” within the meaning of Code Section 1273(a). Holders of any class of Regular Certificates having original issue discount generally must include original issue discount in ordinary income for federal income tax purposes as it accrues, in accordance with the constant yield method that takes into account the compounding of interest, in advance of receipt of the cash attributable to that income. The following discussion is based in part on Treasury regulations (the “OID Regulations”) under Code Sections 1271 through 1275 and in part on the provisions of the Reform Act. Regular Certificateholders should be aware, however, that the OID Regulations do not adequately address certain issues relevant to prepayable securities, such as the Regular Certificates. To the extent those issues are not addressed in those regulations, the Depositor intends to apply the methodology described in the Conference Committee Report to the Reform Act. We cannot assure you that the IRS will not take a different position as to those matters not currently addressed by the OID Regulations. Moreover, the OID Regulations include an anti-abuse rule allowing the IRS to apply or depart from the OID Regulations
where necessary or appropriate to ensure a reasonable tax result in light of the applicable statutory provisions. A tax result will not be considered unreasonable under the anti-abuse rule in the absence of a substantial effect on the present value of a taxpayer’s tax liability. Investors are advised to consult their own tax advisors as to the discussion in this prospectus and the appropriate method for reporting interest and original issue discount with respect to the Regular Certificates.
Each Regular Certificate, except to the extent described below with respect to a Regular Certificate on which principal is distributed by random lot (“Random Lot Certificates”), will be treated as a single installment obligation for purposes of determining the original issue discount includible in a Regular Certificateholder’s income. The total amount of original issue discount on a Regular Certificate is the excess of the “stated redemption price at maturity” of the Regular Certificate over its “issue price.” The issue price of a class of Regular Certificates offered pursuant to this prospectus generally is the first price at which a substantial amount of Regular Certificates of that class is sold to the public (excluding bond houses, brokers and underwriters). Although unclear under the OID Regulations, the Depositor intends to treat the issue price of a class as to which there is no substantial sale as of the issue date or that is retained by the Depositor as the fair market value of that class as of the issue date. The issue price of a Regular Certificate also includes the amount paid by an initial Regular Certificateholder for accrued interest that relates to a period prior to the issue date of the Regular Certificate, unless the Regular Certificateholder elects on its federal income tax return to exclude that amount from the issue price and to recover it on the first distribution date. The stated redemption price at maturity of a Regular Certificate always includes the original principal amount of the Regular Certificate, but generally will not include distributions of stated interest if those interest distributions constitute “qualified stated interest.” Under the OID Regulations, qualified stated interest generally means interest payable at a single fixed rate or a qualified variable rate (as described below) provided that those interest payments are unconditionally payable at intervals of one year or less during the entire term of the Regular Certificate. Because there is no penalty or default remedy in the case of nonpayment of interest with respect to a Regular Certificate, it is possible that no interest on any class of Regular Certificates will be treated as qualified stated interest. However, except as provided in the following three sentences or in the applicable prospectus supplement, because the underlying mortgage loans provide for remedies in the event of default, we intend to treat interest with respect to the Regular Certificates as qualified stated interest. Distributions of interest on an Accrual Certificate, or on other Regular Certificates with respect to which deferred interest will accrue, will not constitute qualified stated interest, in which case the stated redemption price at maturity of the Regular Certificates includes all distributions of interest as well as principal on those Regular Certificates. Likewise, we intend to treat an “interest only” class, or a class on which interest is substantially disproportionate to its principal amount, a so-called “super-premium” class, as having no qualified stated interest. Where the interval between the issue date and the first distribution date on a Regular Certificate is shorter than the interval between subsequent distribution dates, the interest attributable to the additional days will be included in the stated redemption price at maturity.
Under a de minimis rule, original issue discount on a Regular Certificate will be considered to be zero if the original issue discount is less than 0.25% of the stated redemption price at maturity of the Regular Certificate multiplied by the weighted average maturity of the Regular Certificate. For this purpose, the weighted average maturity of the Regular Certificate is computed as the sum of the amounts determined by multiplying the number of full years (i.e., rounding down partial years) from the issue date until each distribution is scheduled to be made by a fraction, the numerator of which is the amount of each distribution included in the stated redemption price at maturity of the Regular Certificate and the denominator of which is the stated redemption price at maturity of the Regular Certificate. The Conference Committee Report to the Reform Act provides that the schedule of distributions should be determined in accordance with the assumed rate of prepayment of the mortgage loans (the “Prepayment Assumption”) and the anticipated reinvestment rate, if any, relating to the Regular Certificates. The Prepayment Assumption with respect to a Series of Regular Certificates will be set forth in the related prospectus supplement. Holders generally must report de minimis original issue discount pro rata as principal payments are received, and that income will be capital gain if the Regular Certificate is held as a capital asset. However, under the OID Regulations, Regular Certificateholders may elect to accrue all de minimis original issue discount as well as market discount and market premium under the constant yield method. See “—Election to Treat All Interest Under the Constant Yield Method” below.
A Regular Certificateholder generally must include in gross income for any taxable year the sum of the “daily portions,” as defined below, of the original issue discount on the Regular Certificate accrued during an accrual period for each day on which it holds the Regular Certificate, including the date of purchase but excluding the date of disposition. We intend to treat the monthly period ending on the day before each distribution date as the accrual period. With respect to each Regular Certificate, a calculation will be made of the original issue discount that accrues during each successive full accrual period, or shorter period from the date of original issue, that ends on the day before the related distribution date on the Regular Certificate. The Conference Committee Report to the Reform Act states that the rate of accrual of original issue discount is intended to be based on the Prepayment Assumption. Other than as discussed below with respect to a Random Lot Certificate, the original issue discount accruing in a full accrual period would be the excess, if any, of:
1. the sum of (a) the present value of all of the remaining distributions to be made on the Regular Certificate as of the end of that accrual period that are included in the Regular Certificate’s stated redemption price at maturity and (b) the distributions made on the Regular Certificate during the accrual period that are included in the Regular Certificate’s stated redemption price at maturity, over
2. the adjusted issue price of the Regular Certificate at the beginning of the accrual period.
The present value of the remaining distributions referred to in the preceding sentence is calculated based on:
1. the yield to maturity of the Regular Certificate at the issue date,
2. events (including actual prepayments) that have occurred prior to the end of the accrual period, and
3. the Prepayment Assumption.
For these purposes, the adjusted issue price of a Regular Certificate at the beginning of any accrual period equals the issue price of the Regular Certificate, increased by the aggregate amount of original issue discount with respect to the Regular Certificate that accrued in all prior accrual periods and reduced by the amount of distributions included in the Regular Certificate’s stated redemption price at maturity that were made on the Regular Certificate in those prior periods. The original issue discount accruing during any accrual period (as determined in this paragraph) will then be divided by the number of days in the period to determine the daily portion of original issue discount for each day in the period. With respect to an initial accrual period shorter than a full accrual period, the daily portions of original issue discount must be determined according to an appropriate allocation under any reasonable method.
Under the method described above, the daily portions of original issue discount required to be included in income by a Regular Certificateholder generally will increase to take into account prepayments on the Regular Certificates as a result of prepayments on the mortgage loans that exceed the Prepayment Assumption, and generally will decrease, but not below zero for any period, if the prepayments are slower than the Prepayment Assumption. An increase in prepayments on the mortgage loans with respect to a series of Regular Certificates can result in both a change in the priority of principal payments with respect to certain classes of Regular Certificates and either an increase or decrease in the daily portions of original issue discount with respect to those Regular Certificates.
In the case of a Random Lot Certificate, we intend to determine the yield to maturity of that certificate based upon the anticipated payment characteristics of the class as a whole under the Prepayment Assumption. In general, the original issue discount accruing on each Random Lot Certificate in a full accrual period would be its allocable share of the original issue discount with respect to the entire class, as determined in accordance with the preceding paragraph. However, in the case of a distribution in retirement of the entire unpaid principal balance of any Random Lot Certificate, or portion of that unpaid principal balance, (a) the remaining unaccrued original issue discount allocable to that certificate (or to that portion) will accrue at the time of that distribution, and (b) the accrual of original issue discount
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allocable to each remaining certificate of the class (or the remaining unpaid principal balance of a partially redeemed Random Lot Certificate after a distribution of principal has been received) will be adjusted by reducing the present value of the remaining payments on that class and the adjusted issue price of that class to the extent attributable to the portion of the unpaid principal balance of the class that was distributed. We believe that the foregoing treatment is consistent with the “pro rata prepayment” rules of the OID Regulations, but with the rate of accrual of original issue discount determined based on the Prepayment Assumption for the class as a whole. You are advised to consult your tax advisors as to this treatment.
The Treasury proposed regulations on August 24, 2004 that create a special rule for accruing original issue discount on Regular Certificates providing for a delay between record and payment dates, such that the period over which original issue discount accrues coincides with the period over which the Regular Certificateholder’s right to interest payment accrues under the governing contract provisions rather than over the period between distribution dates. If the proposed regulations are adopted in the same form as proposed, taxpayers would be required to accrue interest from the issue date to the first record date, but would not be required to accrue interest after the last record date. The proposed regulations are limited to Regular Certificates with delayed payment for periods of fewer than 32 days. The proposed regulations are proposed to apply to any Regular Certificate issued after the date the final regulations are published in the Federal Register.
A purchaser of a Regular Certificate at a price greater than its adjusted issue price but less than its stated redemption price at maturity will be required to include in gross income the daily portions of the original issue discount on the Regular Certificate reduced pro rata by a fraction, the numerator of which is the excess of its purchase price over the adjusted issue price and the denominator of which is the excess of the remaining stated redemption price at maturity over the adjusted issue price. Alternatively, a subsequent purchaser may elect to treat all of the acquisition premium under the constant yield method, as described below under the heading “—Election to Treat All Interest Under the Constant Yield Method” below.
| | Variable Rate Regular Certificates. |
Regular Certificates may provide for interest based on a variable rate. Under the OID Regulations, interest is treated as payable at a variable rate if, generally:
1. the issue price does not exceed the original principal balance by more than a specified amount, and
2. the interest compounds or is payable at least annually at current values of
(a) one or more “qualified floating rates,”
(b) a single fixed rate and one or more qualified floating rates,
(c) a single “objective rate,” or
(d) a single fixed rate and a single objective rate that is a “qualified inverse floating rate.”
A floating rate is a qualified floating rate if variations in the rate can reasonably be expected to measure contemporaneous variations in the cost of newly borrowed funds, where the rate is subject to a fixed multiple that is greater than 0.65, but not more than 1.35. The rate may also be increased or decreased by a fixed spread or subject to a fixed cap or floor, or a cap or floor that is not reasonably expected as of the issue date to affect the yield of the instrument significantly. An objective rate (other than a qualified floating rate) is a rate that is determined using a single fixed formula and that is based on objective financial or economic information, provided that the information is not (1) within the control of the depositor or a related party or (2) unique to the circumstances of the depositor or a related party. A
qualified inverse floating rate is a rate equal to a fixed rate minus a qualified floating rate that inversely reflects contemporaneous variations in the cost of newly borrowed funds; an inverse floating rate that is not a qualified floating rate may nevertheless be an objective rate. A class of Regular Certificates may be issued under this prospectus that does not have a variable rate under the OID Regulations, for example, a class that bears different rates at different times during the period it is outstanding so that it is considered significantly “front-loaded” or “back-loaded” within the meaning of the OID Regulations. It is possible that a class of this type may be considered to bear “contingent interest” within the meaning of the OID Regulations. The OID Regulations, as they relate to the treatment of contingent interest, are by their terms not applicable to Regular Certificates. However, if final regulations dealing with contingent interest with respect to Regular Certificates apply the same principles as the current regulations, those regulations may lead to different timing of income inclusion than would be the case under the variable interest regulations. Furthermore, application of those principles could lead to the characterization of gain on the sale of contingent interest Regular Certificates as ordinary income. Investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the appropriate treatment of any Regular Certificate that does not pay interest at a fixed rate or variable rate as described in this paragraph.
Under the REMIC Regulations, a Regular Certificate (1) bearing a rate that qualifies as a variable rate under the OID Regulations that is tied to current values of a variable rate (or the highest, lowest or average of two or more variable rates), including a rate based on the average cost of funds of one or more financial institutions, or a positive or negative multiple of a rate (plus or minus a specified number of basis points), or that represents a weighted average of rates on some or all of the mortgage loans, including a rate that is subject to one or more caps or floors, or (2) bearing one or more of these variable rates for one or more periods or one or more fixed rates for one or more periods, and a different variable rate or fixed rate for other periods qualifies as a regular interest in a REMIC. Accordingly, if so indicated in the related prospectus supplement, we intend to treat Regular Certificates that qualify as regular interests under this rule in the same manner as obligations bearing a variable rate for original issue discount reporting purposes.
The amount of original issue discount with respect to a Regular Certificate bearing a variable rate of interest will accrue in the manner described above under “—Original Issue Discount” with the yield to maturity and future payments on that Regular Certificate generally to be determined by assuming that interest will be payable for the life of the Regular Certificate based on the initial rate (or, if different, the value of the applicable variable rate as of the pricing date) for the relevant class. Generally, we intend to treat variable interest as qualified stated interest, other than variable interest on an interest-only or super-premium class, which will be treated as non-qualified stated interest includible in the stated redemption price at maturity. Ordinary income reportable for any period will be adjusted based on subsequent changes in the applicable interest rate index.
Although unclear under the OID Regulations, unless required otherwise by applicable final regulations, we intend to treat Regular Certificates bearing an interest rate that is a weighted average of the net interest rates on mortgage loans or mortgage certificates having fixed or adjustable rates, as having qualified stated interest, except to the extent that initial “teaser” rates cause sufficiently “back-loaded” interest to create more than de minimis original issue discount. The yield on those Regular Certificates for purposes of accruing original issue discount will be a hypothetical fixed rate based on the fixed rates, in the case of fixed rate mortgage loans, and initial “teaser rates” followed by fully indexed rates, in the case of adjustable rate mortgage loans. In the case of adjustable rate mortgage loans, the applicable index used to compute interest on the mortgage loans will be the index in effect on the pricing date (or possibly the issue date), and in the case of initial teaser rates, will be deemed to be in effect beginning with the period in which the first weighted average adjustment date occurring after the issue date occurs. Adjustments will be made in each accrual period either increasing or decreasing the amount of ordinary income reportable to reflect the actual pass-through interest rate on the Regular Certificates.
Under the OID Regulations, all interest on a Regular Certificate as to which there may be deferred interest is includible in the stated redemption price at maturity thereof. Accordingly, any deferred interest
that accrues with respect to a class of Regular Certificates may constitute income to the holders of such Regular Certificates prior to the time distributions of cash with respect to such deferred interest are made.
A purchaser of a Regular Certificate also may be subject to the market discount rules of Code Section 1276 through 1278. Under these Code sections and the principles applied by the OID Regulations in the context of original issue discount, “market discount” is the amount by which the purchaser’s original basis in the Regular Certificate (exclusive of accrued qualified stated interest) (1) is exceeded by the then-current principal amount of the Regular Certificate or (2) in the case of a Regular Certificate having original issue discount, is exceeded by the adjusted issue price of that Regular Certificate at the time of purchase. The purchaser generally will be required to recognize ordinary income to the extent of accrued market discount on the Regular Certificate as distributions includible in the stated redemption price at maturity of the Regular Certificate are received, in an amount not exceeding that distribution. The market discount would accrue in a manner to be provided in Treasury regulations and should take into account the Prepayment Assumption. The Conference Committee Report to the Reform Act provides that until regulations are issued, the market discount would accrue either (1) on the basis of a constant interest rate or (2) in the ratio of stated interest allocable to the relevant period to the sum of the interest for that period plus the remaining interest as of the end of that period, or in the case of a Regular Certificate issued with original issue discount, in the ratio of original issue discount accrued for the relevant period to the sum of the original issue discount accrued for that period plus the remaining original issue discount as of the end of that period. You also generally will be required to treat a portion of any gain on a sale or exchange of the Regular Certificate as ordinary income to the extent of the market discount accrued to the date of disposition under one of the foregoing methods, less any accrued market discount previously reported as ordinary income as partial distributions in reduction of the stated redemption price at maturity were received. You will be required to defer deduction of a portion of the excess of the interest paid or accrued on indebtedness incurred to purchase or carry a Regular Certificate over the interest distributable on those Regular Certificates. The deferred portion of an interest expense in any taxable year generally will not exceed the accrued market discount on the Regular Certificate for that year. The deferred interest expense is, in general, allowed as a deduction not later than the year in which the related market discount income is recognized or the Regular Certificate is disposed of. As an alternative to the inclusion of market discount in income on the foregoing basis, you may elect to include market discount in income currently as it accrues on all market discount instruments you acquired in that taxable year or thereafter, in which case the interest deferral rule will not apply. See “—Election to Treat All Interest Under the Constant Yield Method” below regarding an alternative manner in which that election may be deemed to be made.
Market discount with respect to a Regular Certificate will be considered to be zero if the market discount is less than 0.25% of the remaining stated redemption price at maturity of the Regular Certificate multiplied by the weighted average maturity of the Regular Certificate (determined as described above in the third paragraph under “—Original Issue Discount”) remaining after the date of purchase. It appears that de minimis market discount would be reported in a manner similar to de minimis original issue discount. See “—Original Issue Discount” above. Treasury regulations implementing the market discount rules have not yet been issued, and therefore investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of these rules. You should also consult Revenue Procedure 92-67 concerning the elections to include market discount in income currently and to accrue market discount on the basis of the constant yield method.
A Regular Certificate purchased at a cost, excluding any portion of the cost attributable to accrued qualified stated interest, greater than its remaining stated redemption price at maturity generally is considered to be purchased at a premium. If you hold a Regular Certificate as a “capital asset” within the meaning of Code Section 1221, you may elect under Code Section 171 to amortize that premium under the constant yield method. Final regulations with respect to amortization of bond premium do not by their terms apply to prepayable obligations such as the Regular Certificates. However, the Conference
Committee Report to the Reform Act indicates a Congressional intent that the same rules that will apply to the accrual of market discount on installment obligations will also apply to amortizing bond premium under Code Section 171 on installment obligations such as the Regular Certificates, although it is unclear whether the alternatives to the constant yield method described above under “—Market Discount” are available. Amortizable bond premium will be treated as an offset to interest income on a Regular Certificate rather than as a separate deduction item. See “—Election to Treat All Interest Under the Constant Yield Method” below regarding an alternative manner in which the Code Section 171 election may be deemed to be made.
| | Election to Treat All Interest Under the Constant Yield Method. |
A holder of a debt instrument such as a Regular Certificate may elect to treat all interest that accrues on the instrument using the constant yield method, with none of the interest being treated as qualified stated interest. For purposes of applying the constant yield method to a debt instrument subject to an election, (1) ”interest” includes stated interest, original issue discount, de minimis original issue discount, market discount and de minimis market discount, as adjusted by any amortizable bond premium or acquisition premium and (2) the debt instrument is treated as if the instrument were issued on the holder’s acquisition date in the amount of the holder’s adjusted basis immediately after acquisition. It is unclear whether, for this purpose, the initial Prepayment Assumption would continue to apply or if a new prepayment assumption as of the date of the holder’s acquisition would apply. A holder generally may make an election on an instrument by instrument basis or for a class or group of debt instruments. However, if the holder makes an election with respect to a debt instrument with amortizable bond premium or with market discount, the holder is deemed to have made elections to amortize bond premium or to report market discount income currently as it accrues under the constant yield method, respectively, for all debt instruments acquired by the holder in the same taxable year or thereafter. The election is made on the holder’s federal income tax return for the year in which the debt instrument is acquired and is irrevocable except with the approval of the IRS. You should consult their own tax advisors regarding the advisability of making an election.
Prepayment Premiums actually collected on the mortgage loans will be distributed to the Regular Certificates as described in “Description of the Offered Certificates—Distributions” in the prospectus supplement. It is not entirely clear under the Code when the amount of prepayment premiums so allocated should be taxed to the holders of the Regular Certificates, but it is not expected, for federal income tax reporting purposes, that prepayment premiums will be treated as giving rise to any income to the holder of such Classes of Certificates prior to the Trustee’s actual receipt of a prepayment premium. Prepayment Premiums, if any, may be treated as paid upon the retirement or partial retirement of the Regular Certificates. The IRS may disagree with these positions. Certificateholders should consult their own tax advisors concerning the treatment of prepayment premiums.
Sale or Exchange of Regular Certificates.
If you sell or exchange a Regular Certificate, you will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference, if any, between the amount received (other than amounts allocable to accrued interest) and your adjusted basis in the Regular Certificate. The adjusted basis of a Regular Certificate generally will equal the cost of the Regular Certificate to the seller, increased by any original issue discount or market discount previously included in the seller’s gross income with respect to the Regular Certificate and reduced by amounts included in the stated redemption price at maturity of the Regular Certificate that were previously received by the seller, by any amortized premium and by previously recognized losses.
Except as described above with respect to market discount, and except as provided in this paragraph, any gain or loss on the sale or exchange of a Regular Certificate realized by an investor who holds the Regular Certificate as a capital asset will be capital gain or loss and will be long-term or short-term depending on whether the Regular Certificate has been held for the applicable holding period (described below). That gain will be treated as ordinary income as follows:
1. if a Regular Certificate is held as part of a “conversion transaction” as defined in Code Section 1258(c), up to the amount of interest that would have accrued on the Regular Certificateholder’s net investment in the conversion transaction at 120% of the appropriate applicable Federal rate under Code Section 1274(d) in effect at the time the taxpayer entered into the transaction minus any amount previously treated as ordinary income with respect to any prior disposition of property that was held as a part of that transaction,
2. in the case of a non-corporate taxpayer, to the extent the taxpayer has made an election under Code Section 163(d)(4) to have net capital gains taxed as investment income at ordinary rates, or
3. to the extent that the gain does not exceed the excess, if any, of (a) the amount that would have been includible in the gross income of the holder if its yield on the Regular Certificate were 110% of the applicable Federal rate as of the date of purchase, over (b) the amount of income actually includible in the gross income of that holder with respect to the Regular Certificate.
In addition, gain or loss recognized from the sale of a Regular Certificate by certain banks or thrift institutions will be treated as ordinary income or loss pursuant to Code Section 582(c). Long-term capital gains of certain non-corporate taxpayers generally are taxed at lower rates than ordinary income or short-term capital gains of those taxpayers for property held for more than one year. The maximum tax rate for corporations is the same with respect to both ordinary income and capital gains.
Holders of Regular Certificates will be required to report income with respect to Regular Certificates on the accrual method of accounting, without giving effect to delays or reductions in distributions attributable to defaults or delinquencies on the mortgage loans allocable to a particular class of Regular Certificates, except to the extent it can be established that those losses are uncollectible. Accordingly, the holder of a Regular Certificate may have income, or may incur a diminution in cash flow as a result of a default or delinquency, but may not be able to take a deduction (subject to the discussion below) for the corresponding loss until a subsequent taxable year. In this regard, investors are cautioned that while they may generally cease to accrue interest income if it reasonably appears that the interest will be uncollectible, the IRS may take the position that original issue discount must continue to be accrued in spite of its uncollectibility until the debt instrument is disposed of in a taxable transaction or becomes worthless in accordance with the rules of Code Section 166.
Under Code Section 166, holders of Regular Certificates that are corporations or that otherwise hold the Regular Certificates in connection with a trade or business should in general be allowed to deduct, as an ordinary loss, a loss sustained during the taxable year on account of those Regular Certificates becoming wholly or partially worthless, and, in general, holders of Regular Certificates that are not corporations and do not hold the Regular Certificates in connection with a trade or business will be allowed to deduct as a short-term capital loss any loss with respect to principal sustained during the taxable year on account of a portion of any class or subclass of those Regular Certificates becoming wholly worthless. Although the matter is not free from doubt, non-corporate holders of Regular Certificates should be allowed a bad debt deduction at that time as the principal balance of any class or subclass of those Regular Certificates is reduced to reflect losses resulting from any liquidated mortgage loans below a holder’s basis in the Regular Certificates. The IRS, however, could take the position that non-corporate holders will be allowed a bad debt deduction to reflect those losses only after all mortgage loans remaining in the trust fund have been liquidated or that class of Regular Certificates has been otherwise retired. The IRS could also assert that losses on the Regular Certificates are deductible based on some other method that may defer those deductions for all holders, such as reducing future cash flow
for purposes of computing original issue discount. This may have the effect of creating “negative” original issue discount which would be deductible only against future positive original issue discount or otherwise upon termination of the class. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is not clear whether holders of interest-only certificates are entitled to any deduction under Code Section 166 for bad debt losses. You are urged to consult your own tax advisors regarding the appropriate timing, amount and character of any loss sustained with respect to the Regular Certificates. Special loss rules are applicable to banks and thrift institutions, including rules regarding reserves for bad debts. Banks and thrift institutions are advised to consult their tax advisors regarding the treatment of losses on Regular Certificates.
Taxation of Residual Certificates
| | Taxation of REMIC Income. |
Generally, the “daily portions” of REMIC taxable income or net loss will be includible as ordinary income or loss in determining the federal taxable income of holders of Residual Certificates (“Residual Certificateholders”), and will not be taxed separately to the REMIC Pool. The daily portions of REMIC taxable income or net loss of a Residual Certificateholder are determined by allocating the REMIC Pool’s taxable income or net loss for each calendar quarter ratably to each day in that quarter and by allocating that daily portion among the Residual Certificateholders in proportion to their respective holdings of Residual Certificates in the REMIC Pool on that day. REMIC taxable income is generally determined in the same manner as the taxable income of an individual using the accrual method of accounting, except that:
1. the limitations on deductibility of investment interest expense and expenses for the production of income do not apply,
2. all bad loans will be deductible as business bad debts, and
3. the limitation on the deductibility of interest and expenses related to tax-exempt income will apply.
The REMIC Pool’s gross income includes interest, original issue discount income and market discount income, if any, on the mortgage loans, reduced by amortization of any premium on the mortgage loans, plus income from amortization of issue premium, if any, on the Regular Certificates, plus income on reinvestment of cash flows and reserve assets, plus any cancellation of indebtedness income upon allocation of realized losses to the Regular Certificates. The REMIC Pool’s deductions include interest and original issue discount expense on the Regular Certificates, servicing fees on the mortgage loans, other administrative expenses of the REMIC Pool and realized losses on the mortgage loans. The requirement that Residual Certificateholders report their pro rata share of taxable income or net loss of the REMIC Pool will continue until there are no certificates of any class of the related series outstanding.
The taxable income recognized by a Residual Certificateholder in any taxable year will be affected by, among other factors, the relationship between the timing of recognition of interest and original issue discount or market discount income or amortization of premium with respect to the mortgage loans, on the one hand, and the timing of deductions for interest (including original issue discount) on the Regular Certificates or income from amortization of issue premium on the Regular Certificates, on the other hand. In the event that an interest in the mortgage loans is acquired by the REMIC Pool at a discount, and one or more of those mortgage loans is prepaid, the Residual Certificateholder may recognize taxable income without being entitled to receive a corresponding amount of cash because (1) the prepayment may be used in whole or in part to make distributions in reduction of principal on the Regular Certificates and (2) the discount on the mortgage loans which is includible in income may exceed the deduction allowed upon those distributions on those Regular Certificates on account of any unaccrued original issue discount relating to those Regular Certificates. When there is more than one class of Regular Certificates that distribute principal sequentially, this mismatching of income and deductions is particularly likely to occur in the early years following issuance of the Regular Certificates when distributions in reduction of principal are being made in respect of earlier classes of Regular Certificates to the extent that those classes are not issued with substantial discount. If taxable income attributable to that kind of
mismatching is realized, in general, losses would be allowed in later years as distributions on the later classes of Regular Certificates are made. Taxable income may also be greater in earlier years than in later years as a result of the fact that interest expense deductions, expressed as a percentage of the outstanding principal amount of that series of Regular Certificates, may increase over time as distributions in reduction of principal are made on the lower yielding classes of Regular Certificates, whereas to the extent that the REMIC Pool includes fixed rate mortgage loans, interest income with respect to any given mortgage loan will remain constant over time as a percentage of the outstanding principal amount of that loan. Consequently, Residual Certificateholders must have sufficient other sources of cash to pay any federal, state or local income taxes due as a result of that mismatching or unrelated deductions against which to offset that income, subject to the discussion of “excess inclusions” below under “—Limitations on Offset or Exemption of REMIC Income.” The timing of that mismatching of income and deductions described in this paragraph, if present with respect to a series of certificates, may have a significant adverse effect upon the Residual Certificateholder’s after-tax rate of return.
The amount of any net loss of the REMIC Pool that you may take into account is limited to the adjusted basis of the Residual Certificate as of the close of the quarter (or time of disposition of the Residual Certificate if earlier), determined without taking into account the net loss for the quarter. The initial adjusted basis of a purchaser of a Residual Certificate is the amount paid for that Residual Certificate. The adjusted basis will be increased by the amount of taxable income of the REMIC Pool reportable by the Residual Certificateholder and will be decreased (but not below zero), first, by a cash distribution from the REMIC Pool and, second, by the amount of loss of the REMIC Pool reportable by the Residual Certificateholder. Any loss that is disallowed on account of this limitation may be carried over indefinitely with respect to the Residual Certificateholder as to whom that loss was disallowed and may be used by that Residual Certificateholder only to offset any income generated by the same REMIC Pool.
You will not be permitted to amortize directly the cost of your Residual Certificate as an offset to its share of the taxable income of the related REMIC Pool. However, that taxable income will not include cash received by the REMIC Pool that represents a recovery of the REMIC Pool’s basis in its assets. That recovery of basis by the REMIC Pool will have the effect of amortization of the issue price of the Residual Certificates over their life. However, in view of the possible acceleration of the income of Residual Certificateholders described under “—Taxation of REMIC Income” above, the period of time over which the issue price is effectively amortized may be longer than the economic life of the Residual Certificates.
A Residual Certificate may have a negative value if the net present value of anticipated tax liabilities exceeds the present value of anticipated cash flows. The REMIC Regulations appear to treat the issue price of a residual interest as zero rather than a negative amount for purposes of determining the REMIC Pool’s basis in its assets. Regulations have been issued addressing the federal income tax treatment of “inducement fees” received by transferees of noneconomic REMIC residual interests. These regulations require inducement fees to be included in income over a period reasonably related to the period in which the related REMIC residual interest is expected to generate taxable income or net loss to its holder. Under two safe harbor methods, inducement fees are permitted to be included in income (i) in the same amounts and over the same period that the taxpayer uses for financial reporting purposes, provided that such period is not shorter than the period the REMIC is expected to generate taxable income or (ii) ratably over the remaining anticipated weighted average life of all the regular and residual interests issued by the REMIC, determined based on actual distributions projected as remaining to be made on such interests under the Prepayment Assumption. If the holder of a residual interest sells or otherwise disposes of the residual interest, any unrecognized portion of the inducement fee would be required to be taken into account at the time of the sale or disposition. Prospective purchasers of the Residual Certificates should consult with their tax advisors regarding the effect of these regulations.
Further, to the extent that your initial adjusted basis (other than an original holder) in the Residual Certificate is greater than the corresponding portion of the REMIC Pool’s basis in the mortgage loans, you will not recover a portion of that basis until termination of the REMIC Pool unless future Treasury
regulations provide for periodic adjustments to the REMIC income otherwise reportable by that holder. The REMIC Regulations currently in effect do not so provide. See “—Treatment of Certain Items of REMIC Income and Expense—Market Discount” below regarding the basis of mortgage loans to the REMIC Pool and “—Sale or Exchange of a Residual Certificate” below regarding possible treatment of a loss upon termination of the REMIC Pool as a capital loss.
| | Treatment of Certain Items of REMIC Income and Expense. |
Although we intend to compute REMIC income and expense in accordance with the Code and applicable regulations, the authorities regarding the determination of specific items of income and expense are subject to differing interpretations. We make no representation as to the specific method that will be used for reporting income with respect to the mortgage loans and expenses with respect to the Regular Certificates, and different methods could result in different timing of reporting of taxable income or net loss to you or differences in capital gain versus ordinary income.
Original Issue Discount and Premium. Generally, the REMIC Pool’s deductions for original issue discount and income from amortization of issue premium on the Regular Certificates will be determined in the same manner as original issue discount income on Regular Certificates as described under “—Taxation of Regular Certificates—Original Issue Discount” and “—Variable Rate Regular Certificates,” without regard to the de minimis rule described in that section, and “—Premium” above.
Deferred Interest. Any deferred interest that accrues with respect to any adjustable rate mortgage loans held by the REMIC Pool will constitute income to the REMIC Pool and will be treated in a manner similar to the deferred interest that accrues with respect to Regular Certificates as described under “—Taxation of Regular Certificates—Deferred Interest” above.
Market Discount. The REMIC Pool will have market discount income in respect of mortgage loans if, in general, their unpaid principal balances exceed the basis of the REMIC Pool allocable to those mortgage loans. The REMIC Pool’s basis in those mortgage loans is generally the fair market value of the mortgage loans immediately after the transfer of the mortgage loans to the REMIC Pool. The REMIC Regulations provide that the basis is equal in the aggregate to the issue prices of all regular and residual interests in the REMIC Pool (or the fair market value at the closing date, in the case of a retained class). In respect of mortgage loans that have market discount to which Code Section 1276 applies, the accrued portion of the market discount would be recognized currently as an item of ordinary income in a manner similar to original issue discount. Market discount income generally should accrue in the manner described under “—Taxation of Regular Certificates—Market Discount” above.
Premium. Generally, if the basis of the REMIC Pool in the mortgage loans exceeds the unpaid principal balances of the mortgage loans, the REMIC Pool will be considered to have acquired those mortgage loans at a premium equal to the amount of that excess. As stated above, the REMIC Pool’s basis in mortgage loans is the fair market value of the mortgage loans, based on the aggregate of the issue prices (or the fair market value of retained classes) of the regular and residual interests in the REMIC Pool immediately after the transfer of the mortgage loans to the REMIC Pool. In a manner analogous to the discussion above under “—Taxation of Regular Certificates—Premium,” a REMIC Pool that holds a mortgage loan as a capital asset under Code Section 1221 may elect under Code Section 171 to amortize premium on whole mortgage loans or mortgage loans underlying MBS that were originated after September 27, 1985 or MBS that are REMIC regular interests under the constant yield method. Amortizable bond premium will be treated as an offset to interest income on the mortgage loans, rather than as a separate deduction item. To the extent that the borrowers with respect to the mortgage loans are individuals, Code Section 171 will not be available for premium on mortgage loans, including underlying mortgage loans, originated on or prior to September 27, 1985. Premium with respect to those mortgage loans may be deductible in accordance with a reasonable method regularly employed by the related holder. The allocation of the premium pro rata among principal payments should be considered a reasonable method; however, the IRS may argue that the premium should be allocated in a different manner, such as allocating the premium entirely to the final payment of principal.
| | Limitations on Offset or Exemption of REMIC Income. |
A portion or all of the REMIC taxable income includible in determining your federal income tax liability will be subject to special treatment. That portion, referred to as the “excess inclusion,” is equal to the excess of REMIC taxable income for the calendar quarter allocable to a Residual Certificate over the daily accruals for that quarterly period of (1) 120% of the long-term applicable Federal rate that would have applied to the Residual Certificate if it were a debt instrument, on the Startup Day under Code Section 1274(d), multiplied by (2) the adjusted issue price of such Residual Certificate at the beginning of that quarterly period. For this purpose, the adjusted issue price of a Residual Certificate at the beginning of a quarter is the issue price of the Residual Certificate, plus the amount of those daily accruals of REMIC income described in this paragraph for all prior quarters, decreased by any distributions made with respect to that Residual Certificate prior to the beginning of that quarterly period. Accordingly, the portion of the REMIC Pool’s taxable income that will be treated as excess inclusions will be a larger portion of that income as the adjusted issue price of the Residual Certificates diminishes and all such taxable income will be so treated if the adjusted price of the Residual Certificate is zero.
The portion of your REMIC taxable income consisting of the excess inclusions generally may not be offset by other deductions, including net operating loss carryforwards, on your return. However, net operating loss carryovers are determined without regard to excess inclusion income. Further, if you are an organization subject to the tax on unrelated business income imposed by Code Section 511, the excess inclusions will be treated as unrelated business taxable income to you for purposes of Code Section 511. In addition, REMIC taxable income is subject to 30% withholding tax with respect to certain persons who are not U.S. Persons, as defined below under “—Tax-Related Restrictions on Transfer of Residual Certificates—Foreign Investors” below, and that portion attributable to excess inclusions is not eligible for any reduction in the rate of withholding tax, by treaty or otherwise. See “—Taxation of Certain Foreign Investors—Residual Certificates” below. Finally, if a real estate investment trust or a regulated investment company owns a Residual Certificate, a portion (allocated under Treasury regulations yet to be issued) of dividends paid by the real estate investment trust or a regulated investment company could not be offset by net operating losses of its shareholders, would constitute unrelated business taxable income for tax-exempt shareholders, and would be ineligible for reduction of withholding to certain persons who are not U.S. Persons.
In addition, the Code provides three rules for determining the effect of excess inclusions on your alternative minimum taxable income of a Residual Certificateholder. First, your alternative minimum taxable income is determined without regard to the special rule, discussed above, that taxable income cannot be less than excess inclusions. Second, your alternative minimum taxable income for a taxable year cannot be less than the excess inclusions for the year. Third, the amount of any alternative minimum tax net operating loss deduction must be computed without regard to any excess inclusions.
| | Tax-Related Restrictions on Transfer of Residual Certificates. |
Disqualified Organizations. If any legal or beneficial interest in a Residual Certificate is transferred to a Disqualified Organization (as defined below), a tax would be imposed in an amount equal to the product of (1) the present value of the total anticipated excess inclusions with respect to that Residual Certificate for periods after the transfer and (2) the highest marginal federal income tax rate applicable to corporations. The REMIC Regulations provide that the anticipated excess inclusions are based on actual prepayment experience to the date of the transfer and projected payments based on the Prepayment Assumption. The present value rate equals the applicable Federal rate under Code Section 1274(d) as of the date of the transfer for a term ending with the last calendar quarter in which excess inclusions are expected to accrue. The tax generally would be imposed on the transferor of the Residual Certificate, except that where the transfer is through an agent, including a broker, nominee or other middleman, for a Disqualified Organization, the tax would instead be imposed on that agent. However, a transferor of a Residual Certificate would in no event be liable for the tax with respect to a transfer if the transferee furnishes to the transferor an affidavit that the transferee is not a Disqualified Organization and, as of the time of the transfer, the transferor does not have actual knowledge that the affidavit is false. The tax also may be waived by the Treasury Department if the Disqualified Organization promptly disposes of the
residual interest and the transferor pays income tax at the highest corporate rate on the excess inclusions for the period the Residual Certificate is actually held by the Disqualified Organization.
In addition, if a Pass-Through Entity (as defined below) has excess inclusion income with respect to a Residual Certificate during a taxable year and a Disqualified Organization is the record holder of an equity interest in that entity, then a tax is imposed on the entity equal to the product of (1) the amount of excess inclusions on the Residual Certificate that are allocable to the interest in the Pass-Through Entity during the period the interest is held by the Disqualified Organization, and (2) the highest marginal federal corporate income tax rate. This tax would be deductible from the ordinary gross income of the Pass-Through Entity for the taxable year. The Pass-Through Entity would not be liable for the tax if it has received an affidavit from the record holder that it is not a Disqualified Organization or stating the holder’s taxpayer identification number and, during the period that person is the record holder of the Residual Certificate, the Pass-Through Entity does not have actual knowledge that the affidavit is false.
If an “electing large partnership” holds a Residual Certificate, all interests in the electing large partnership are treated as held by Disqualified Organizations for purposes of the tax imposed upon a Pass-Through Entity by Code Section 860E(c). An exception to this tax, otherwise available to a Pass-Through Entity that is furnished certain affidavits by record holders of interests in the entity and that does not know the affidavits are false, is not available to an electing partnership.
For these purposes:
1. “Disqualified Organization” means the United States, any state or one of their political subdivisions, any foreign government, any international organization, any agency or instrumentality of any of the foregoing (provided, that the term does not include an instrumentality if all of its activities are subject to tax and a majority of its board of directors is not selected by one of those governmental entities), any cooperative organization furnishing electric energy or providing telephone service to persons in rural areas as described in Code Section 1381(a)(2)(C), and any organization (other than a farmers’ cooperative described in Code Section 521) that is exempt from taxation under the Code unless that organization is subject to the tax on unrelated business income imposed by Code Section 511,
2. “Pass-Through Entity” means any regulated investment company, real estate investment trust, common trust fund, partnership, trust or estate and certain corporations operating on a cooperative basis. Except as may be provided in Treasury regulations, any person holding an interest in a Pass-Through Entity as a nominee for another will, with respect to that interest, be treated as a Pass-Through Entity, and
3. an “electing large partnership” means any partnership having more than 100 members during the preceding tax year (other than certain service partnerships and commodity pools), which elect to apply simplified reporting provisions under the Code.
The Pooling Agreement with respect to a series of certificates will provide that no legal or beneficial interest in a Residual Certificate may be transferred unless (1) the proposed transferee provides to the transferor and the trustee an affidavit providing its taxpayer identification number and stating that the transferee is the beneficial owner of the Residual Certificate, is not a Disqualified Organization and is not purchasing the Residual Certificates on behalf of a Disqualified Organization (i.e., as a broker, nominee or other middleman), and (2) the transferor provides a statement in writing to the Depositor and the trustee that it has no actual knowledge that the affidavit is false. Moreover, the Pooling Agreement will provide that any attempted or purported transfer in violation of these transfer restrictions will be null and void and will vest no rights in any purported transferee. Each Residual Certificate with respect to a series will bear a legend referring to the restrictions on transfer, and each Residual Certificateholder will be deemed to have agreed, as a condition of ownership of the Residual Certificates, to any amendments to the related Pooling Agreement required under the Code or applicable Treasury regulations to effectuate the foregoing restrictions. Information necessary to compute an applicable excise tax must be furnished to the IRS and to the requesting party within 60 days of the request, and the Depositor or the trustee may charge a fee for computing and providing that information.
Noneconomic Residual Interests. The REMIC Regulations would disregard certain transfers of Residual Certificates, in which case the transferor would continue to be treated as the owner of the Residual Certificates and thus would continue to be subject to tax on its allocable portion of the net income of the REMIC Pool. Under the REMIC Regulations, a transfer of a “noneconomic residual interest” (as defined below) to a Residual Certificateholder (other than a Residual Certificateholder who is not a U.S. Person, as defined under “—Foreign Investors” below) is disregarded for all federal income tax purposes if a significant purpose of the transferor is to impede the assessment or collection of tax. A residual interest in a REMIC, including a residual interest with a positive value at issuance, is a “noneconomic residual interest” unless, at the time of the transfer, (1) the present value of the expected future distributions on the residual interest at least equals the product of the present value of the anticipated excess inclusions and the highest corporate income tax rate in effect for the year in which the transfer occurs, and (2) the transferor reasonably expects that the transferee will receive distributions from the REMIC at or after the time at which taxes accrue on the anticipated excess inclusions in an amount sufficient to satisfy the accrued taxes. The anticipated excess inclusions and the present value rate are determined in the same manner as set forth under “—Disqualified Organizations” above. The REMIC Regulations explain that a significant purpose to impede the assessment or collection of tax exists if the transferor, at the time of the transfer, either knew or should have known that the transferee would be unwilling or unable to pay taxes due on its share of the taxable income of the REMIC. Under the REMIC Regulations, a safe harbor is provided if (1) the transferor conducted, at the time of the transfer, a reasonable investigation of the financial condition of the transferee and found that the transferee historically had paid its debts as they came due and found no significant evidence to indicate that the transferee would not continue to pay its debts as they came due in the future, (2) the transferee represents to the transferor that it understands that, as the holder of the noneconomic residual interest, the transferee may incur tax liabilities in excess of cash flows generated by the interest and that the transferee intends to pay taxes associated with holding the residual interest as they become due, (3) the transferee represents to the transferor that it will not cause income from the Residual Certificate to be attributable to a foreign permanent establishment or fixed base (within the meaning of an applicable income tax treaty) of the transferee or any other person and (4) either the “formula test” or the “assets test,” (each described below) is satisfied. The Pooling Agreement with respect to each series of certificates will require the transferee of a Residual Certificate to certify to the matters in clauses (1), (2) and (3) of the preceding sentence as part of the affidavit described under the heading “—Disqualified Organizations” above. The transferor must have no actual knowledge or reason to know that those statements are false.
The formula test is satisfied if the present value of the anticipated tax liabilities associated with holding the noneconomic residual interest cannot exceed the sum of
(i) the present value of any consideration given to the transferee to acquire the interest;
(ii) the present value of the expected future distributions on the interest; and
(iii) the present value of the anticipated tax savings associated with holding the interest as the REMIC generates losses.
For purposes of these computations, the transferee is assumed to pay tax at the highest rate of tax specified in Code Section 11(b)(1) (currently 35%) or, in certain circumstances, the alternative minimum tax rate. Further, present values generally are computed using a discount rate equal to the short-term Federal rate set forth in Code Section 1274(d) for the month of the transfer and the compounding period used by the transferee.
The assets test is satisfied if (i) the transferee must be a domestic “C” corporation (other than a corporation exempt from taxation or a regulated investment company or real estate investment trust) that meets certain gross and net asset tests (generally, $100 million of gross assets and $10 million of net assets for the current year and the two preceding fiscal years); (ii) the transferee must agree in writing that any subsequent transferee of the residual interest would meet the requirements for a safe harbor transfer; and (iii) the facts and circumstances known to the transferor on or before the date of the transfer
must not reasonably indicate that the taxes associated with ownership of the residual interest will not be paid by the transferee.
Foreign Investors. The REMIC Regulations provide that the transfer of a Residual Certificate that has “tax avoidance potential” to a “foreign person” will be disregarded for all federal tax purposes. This rule appears intended to apply to a transferee who is not a U.S. Person (a “Non-U.S. Person”), unless the transferee’s income is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the United States. A Residual Certificate is deemed to have tax avoidance potential unless, at the time of the transfer, (1) the future value of expected distributions equals at least 30% of the anticipated excess inclusions after the transfer, and (2) the transferor reasonably expects that the transferee will receive sufficient distributions from the REMIC Pool at or after the time at which the excess inclusions accrue and prior to the end of the next succeeding taxable year for the accumulated withholding tax liability to be paid. If the Non-U.S. Person transfers the Residual Certificates back to a U.S. Person, the transfer will be disregarded and the foreign transferor will continue to be treated as the owner unless arrangements are made so that the transfer does not have the effect of allowing the transferor to avoid tax on accrued excess inclusions.
Unless otherwise stated in the related prospectus supplement, a Residual Certificate may not be purchased by or transferred to any person that is not a U.S. Person. The term “U.S. Person” means a citizen or resident of the United States, a corporation or partnership (except to the extent provided in applicable Treasury regulations) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state, or the District of Columbia, including any entity treated as a corporation or partnership for federal income tax purposes, an estate that is subject to United States federal income tax regardless of the source of its income, or a trust if a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of that trust, and one or more such U.S. Persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of that trust (or, to the extent provided in applicable Treasury regulations, certain trusts in existence on August 20, 1996 that have elected to be treated as U.S. Persons).
In addition, under temporary and final Treasury regulations, effective August 1, 2006, a U.S. partnership having a partner who is not a U.S. Person will be required to pay withholding tax in respect of excess inclusion income allocable to such non-U.S. partner, even if no cash distributions are made to such partner. Accordingly, the Pooling Agreement will prohibit transfer of a Residual Certificate to a U.S. Person treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, any beneficial owner of which (other than through a U.S. corporation) is (or is permitted to be under the related partnership agreement) a non-U.S. Person.
| | Sale or Exchange of a Residual Certificate. |
Upon the sale or exchange of a Residual Certificate, you will recognize gain or loss equal to the excess, if any, of the amount realized over your adjusted basis, as described under “—Basis and Losses” above, in the Residual Certificate at the time of the sale or exchange. In addition to reporting the taxable income of the REMIC Pool, you will have taxable income to the extent that any cash distribution to you from the REMIC Pool exceeds the adjusted basis on that distribution date. That income will be treated as gain from the sale or exchange of the Residual Certificates. It is possible that the termination of the REMIC Pool may be treated as a sale or exchange of Residual Certificates, in which case, you will have an adjusted basis in the Residual Certificates remaining when your interest in the REMIC Pool terminates, and if you hold the Residual Certificate as a capital asset under Code Section 1221, then you will recognize a capital loss at that time in the amount of the remaining adjusted basis.
Any gain on the sale of Residual Certificates will be treated as ordinary income (1) if you hold the Residual Certificates as part of a “conversion transaction” as defined in Code Section 1258(c), up to the amount of interest that would have accrued on your net investment in the conversion transaction at 120% of the appropriate applicable Federal rate in effect at the time the taxpayer entered into the transaction minus any amount previously treated as ordinary income with respect to any prior disposition of property that was held as a part of that transaction or (2) if you are a non-corporate taxpayer, to the extent that you have made an election under Code Section 163(d)(4) to have net capital gains taxed as investment
income at ordinary income rates. In addition, gain or loss recognized from the sale of a Residual Certificate by certain banks or thrift institutions will be treated as ordinary income or loss pursuant to Code Section 582(c).
The Conference Committee Report to the Reform Act provides that, except as provided in Treasury regulations yet to be issued, the wash sale rules of Code Section 1091 will apply to dispositions of Residual Certificates where the seller of those certificates, during the period beginning six months before the sale or disposition of the Residual Certificate and ending six months after the sale or disposition, acquires (or enters into any other transaction that results in the application of Section 1091) any residual interest in any REMIC or any interest in a “taxable mortgage pool” (such as a non-REMIC owner trust) that is economically comparable to a Residual Certificate.
| | Mark to Market Regulations. |
The Treasury has issued regulations, the “Mark to Market Regulations,” under Code Section 475 relating to the requirement that a securities dealer mark to market securities held for sale to customers. This mark-to-market requirement applies to all securities of a dealer, except to the extent that the dealer has specifically identified a security as held for investment. The Mark to Market Regulations provide that, for purposes of this mark-to-market requirement, a Residual Certificate is not treated as a security and thus may not be marked to market.
Taxes That May Be Imposed on the REMIC Pool
Income from certain transactions by the REMIC Pool, called prohibited transactions, will not be part of the calculation of income or loss includible in the federal income tax returns of Residual Certificateholders, but rather will be taxed directly to the REMIC Pool at a 100% rate. Prohibited transactions generally include
1. the disposition of a qualified mortgage other than for:
(a) substitution within two years of the Startup Day for a defective (including a defaulted) obligation (or repurchase in lieu of substitution of a defective (including a defaulted) obligation at any time) or for any qualified mortgage within three months of the Startup Day,
(b) foreclosure, default or imminent default of a qualified mortgage,
(c) bankruptcy or insolvency of the REMIC Pool, or
(d) a qualified (complete) liquidation,
2. the receipt of income from assets that are not the type of mortgages or investments that the REMIC Pool is permitted to hold,
3. the receipt of compensation for services or
4. the receipt of gain from disposition of cash flow investments other than pursuant to a qualified liquidation.
Notwithstanding (1) and (4) it is not a prohibited transaction to sell REMIC Pool property to prevent a default on Regular Certificates as a result of a default on qualified mortgages or to facilitate a clean-up call, generally, an optional termination to save administrative costs when no more than a small percentage of the certificates is outstanding. The REMIC Regulations indicate that the modification of a mortgage loan generally will not be treated as a disposition if it is occasioned by a default or reasonably foreseeable default, an assumption of the mortgage loan, the waiver of a due-on-sale or
due-on-encumbrance clause or the conversion of an interest rate by a mortgagor pursuant to the terms of a convertible adjustable rate mortgage loan.
| | Contributions to the REMIC Pool After the Startup Day. |
In general, the REMIC Pool will be subject to a tax at a 100% rate on the value of any property contributed to the REMIC Pool after the Startup Day. Exceptions are provided for cash contributions to the REMIC Pool:
1. during the three months following the Startup Day,
2. made to a qualified reserve fund by a Residual Certificateholder,
3. in the nature of a guarantee,
4. made to facilitate a qualified liquidation or clean-up call, and
5. as otherwise permitted in Treasury regulations yet to be issued.
| | Net Income from Foreclosure Property. |
The REMIC Pool will be subject to federal income tax at the highest corporate rate on “net income from foreclosure property,” determined by reference to the rules applicable to real estate investment trusts. Generally, property acquired by foreclosure or deed in lieu of foreclosure would be treated as “foreclosure property” for a period ending with the third calendar year following the year of acquisition of that property, with a possible extension. Net income from foreclosure property generally means gain from the sale of a foreclosure property that is inventory property and gross income from foreclosure property other than qualifying rents and other qualifying income for a real estate investment trust.
It is not anticipated that the REMIC Pool will receive income or contributions subject to tax under the preceding three paragraphs, except as described in the applicable prospectus supplement with respect to net income from foreclosure property on a commercial or multifamily residential property that secured a mortgage loan. In addition, if so disclosed in the applicable prospectus supplement, it is not anticipated that any material state income or franchise tax will be imposed on a REMIC Pool.
Liquidation of the REMIC Pool
If a REMIC Pool adopts a plan of complete liquidation, within the meaning of Code Section 860F(a)(4)(A)(i), which may be accomplished by designating in the REMIC Pool’s final tax return a date on which that adoption is deemed to occur, and sells all of its assets (other than cash) within a 90-day period beginning on the date of the adoption of the plan of liquidation, the REMIC Pool will not be subject to the prohibited transaction rules on the sale of its assets, provided that the REMIC Pool credits or distributes in liquidation all of the sale proceeds plus its cash (other than amounts retained to meet claims) to holders of Regular Certificates and Residual Certificateholders within the 90-day period.
Administrative Matters
The REMIC Pool will be required to maintain its books on a calendar year basis and to file federal income tax returns for federal income tax purposes in a manner similar to a partnership. The form for that income tax return is Form 1066, U.S. Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit (REMIC) Income Tax Return. The trustee will be required to sign the REMIC Pool’s returns. Treasury regulations provide that, except where there is a single Residual Certificateholder for an entire taxable year, the REMIC Pool will be subject to the procedural and administrative rules of the Code applicable to partnerships, including the determination by the IRS of any adjustments to, among other things, items of REMIC income, gain, loss, deduction or credit in a unified administrative proceeding. The Residual Certificateholder owning the largest percentage interest in the Residual Certificates will be obligated to act as “tax matters person,” as defined in applicable Treasury regulations, with respect to the REMIC Pool. Each Residual
Certificateholder will be deemed, by acceptance of the Residual Certificates, to have agreed (1) to the appointment of the tax matters person as provided in the preceding sentence and (2) to the irrevocable designation of the trustee as agent for performing the functions of the tax matters person.
Limitations on Deduction of Certain Expenses
An investor who is an individual, estate or trust will be subject to limitation with respect to certain itemized deductions described in Code Section 67, to the extent that those itemized deductions, in the aggregate, do not exceed 2% of the investor’s adjusted gross income. In addition, Code Section 68 provides that itemized deductions otherwise allowable for a taxable year of an individual taxpayer with income above certain thresholds will be reduced by the lesser of (1) 3% of the excess, if any, of adjusted gross income over a statutory threshold or (2) 80% of the amount of itemized deductions otherwise allowable for that year. In the case of a REMIC Pool, those deductions may include deductions under Code Section 212 for the servicing fee and all administrative and other expenses relating to the REMIC Pool, or any similar expenses allocated to the REMIC Pool with respect to a regular interest it holds in another REMIC. Those investors who hold REMIC Certificates either directly or indirectly through certain pass-through entities may have their pro rata share of those expenses allocated to them as additional gross income, but may be subject to those limitations on deductions. In addition, those expenses are not deductible at all for purposes of computing the alternative minimum tax, and may cause those investors to be subject to significant additional tax liability. Temporary Treasury regulations provide that the additional gross income and corresponding amount of expenses generally are to be allocated entirely to the holders of Residual Certificates in the case of a REMIC Pool that would not qualify as a fixed investment trust in the absence of a REMIC election. However, that additional gross income and limitation on deductions will apply to the allocable portion of those expenses to holders of Regular Certificates, as well as holders of Residual Certificates, where those Regular Certificates are issued in a manner that is similar to pass-through certificates in a fixed investment trust. In general, that allocable portion will be determined based on the ratio that a REMIC Certificateholder’s income, determined on a daily basis, bears to the income of all holders of Regular Certificates and Residual Certificates with respect to a REMIC Pool. As a result, individuals, estates or trusts holding REMIC Certificates (either directly or indirectly through a grantor trust, partnership, S corporation, REMIC, or certain other pass-through entities described in the foregoing temporary Treasury regulations) may have taxable income in excess of the interest income at the pass-through rate on Regular Certificates that are issued in a single class or otherwise consistently with fixed investment trust status or in excess of cash distributions for the related period on Residual Certificates. If so indicated in the related prospectus supplement, all those expenses will be allocable to the Residual Certificates.
Taxation of Certain Foreign Investors
Interest, including original issue discount, distributable to Regular Certificateholders who are non-resident aliens, foreign corporations, or other Non-U.S. Persons, will be considered “portfolio interest” and, therefore, generally will not be subject to 30% United States withholding tax, provided that the Non-U.S. Person (1) is not a “10-percent shareholder” within the meaning of Code Section 871(h)(3)(B) of, or a controlled foreign corporation described in Code Section 881(c)(3)(C) related to, the REMIC (or possibly one or more borrowers) and (2) provides the trustee, or the person who would otherwise be required to withhold tax from those distributions under Code Section 1441 or 1442, with an appropriate statement, signed under penalties of perjury, identifying the beneficial owner and stating, among other things, that the beneficial owner of the Regular Certificate is a Non-U.S. Person. The appropriate documentation includes Form W-8BEN if the Non-U.S. Person is a corporation or individual eligible for the benefits of the portfolio interest exemption or an exemption based on a treaty; Form W-8ECI if the Non-U.S. Person is eligible for an exemption on the basis of its income from the Regular Certificate being effectively connected to a United States trade or business; Form W-8BEN or Form W-8IMY if the Non-U.S. Person is a trust, depending on whether such trust is classified as the beneficial owner of the Regular Certificate; and Form W-8IMY, with supporting documentation as specified in the Treasury Regulations, required to substantiate exemptions from withholding on behalf of its partners, if the Non-
U.S. Person is a partnership. An intermediary (other than a partnership) must provide Form W-8IMY, revealing all required information, including its name, address, taxpayer identification number, the country under the laws of which it is created, and certification that it is not acting for its own account. A “qualified intermediary” must certify that it has provided, or will provide, a withholding statement as required under Treasury Regulations Section 1.1441-1(e)(5)(v), but need not disclose the identity of its account holders on its Form W-8IMY, and may certify its account holders’ status without including each beneficial owner’s certification. A non-”qualified intermediary” must additionally certify that it has provided, or will provide, a withholding statement that is associated with the appropriate Forms W-8 and W-9 required to substantiate exemptions from withholding on behalf of its beneficial owners. The term “intermediary” means a person acting as a custodian, a broker, nominee or otherwise as an agent for the beneficial owner of a Regular Certificate. A “qualified intermediary” is generally a foreign financial institution or clearing organization or a non-U.S. branch or office of a U.S. financial institution or clearing organization that is a party to a withholding agreement with the IRS.
If that statement, or any other required statement, is not provided, 30% withholding will apply unless the interest on the Regular Certificate is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the United States by the Non-U.S. Person. In that latter case, the Non-U.S. Person will be subject to United States federal income tax at regular rates. Prepayment Premiums distributable to Regular Certificateholders who are Non-U.S. Persons may be subject to 30% United States withholding tax. Investors who are Non-U.S. Persons should consult their own tax advisors regarding the specific tax consequences to them of owning a Regular Certificate.
The Conference Committee Report to the Reform Act indicates that amounts paid to Residual Certificateholders who are Non-U.S. Persons are treated as interest for purposes of the 30% (or lower treaty rate) United States withholding tax. Treasury regulations provide that amounts distributed to Residual Certificateholders may qualify as “portfolio interest,” subject to the conditions described in “—Regular Certificates” above, but only to the extent that (1) the mortgage loans (including mortgage loans underlying certain MBS) were issued after July 18, 1984 and (2) the trust fund or segregated pool of assets in the trust fund (as to which a separate REMIC election will be made), to which the Residual Certificate relates, consists of obligations issued in “registered form” within the meaning of Code Section 163(f)(1). Generally, whole mortgage loans will not be, but MBS and regular interests in another REMIC Pool will be, considered obligations issued in registered form. Furthermore, a Residual Certificateholder will not be entitled to any exemption from the 30% withholding tax (or lower treaty rate) to the extent of that portion of REMIC taxable income that constitutes an “excess inclusion.” See “—Taxation of Residual Certificates—Limitations on Offset or Exemption of REMIC Income” above. If the amounts paid to Residual Certificateholders who are Non-U.S. Persons are effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the United States by Non-U.S. Persons, 30% (or lower treaty rate) withholding will not apply. Instead, the amounts paid to Non-U.S. Persons will be subject to United States federal income tax at regular rates. If 30% (or lower treaty rate) withholding is applicable, those amounts generally will be taken into account for purposes of withholding only when paid or otherwise distributed (or when the Residual Certificate is disposed of) under rules similar to withholding upon disposition of debt instruments that have original issue discount. See “—Tax-Related Restrictions on Transfer of Residual Certificates—Foreign Investors” above concerning the disregard of certain transfers having “tax avoidance potential” and the withholding tax obligations of U.S. partnerships having Non-U.S. Persons as partners. Investors who are Non-U.S. Persons should consult their own tax advisors regarding the specific tax consequences to them of owning Residual Certificates.
Under Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code (“FATCA”) “foreign financial institutions” will be required to enter into an agreement with the IRS requiring them to obtain and to disclose to the IRS information about certain of their U.S. investors, if any. FATCA also requires certain other foreign entities to obtain and disclose information about their investors to the relevant withholding agent who would, in turn, be required to provide such information to the IRS. FATCA imposes a 30% withholding tax on
certain payments of income and capital gains to an applicable foreign entity (which includes foreign financial institutions as well as certain other financial entities) if that foreign entity fails to enter into an information sharing agreement with the IRS or otherwise fails to comply with the requirements of the legislation. Withholding under FATCA will be effective for payments of income made after December 31, 2013, and for capital gains realized after December 31, 2016, but would not apply to obligations, such as any Regular Certificates, outstanding at any time before December 31, 2013. Non-U.S. Persons should consult their tax advisors regarding their requirements with respect to the new legislation.
3.8% Medicare Tax On “Net Investment Income”
Certain non-corporate U.S. Persons that are individuals, estates, and certain trusts are subject to an additional 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which may include any income or gain with respect to the REMIC Certificates, to the extent that their net investment income, when added to their other modified adjusted gross income, exceeds $200,000 for an unmarried individual, $250,000 for a married taxpayer filing a joint return (or a surviving spouse), or $125,000 for a married individual filing a separate return. U.S. Persons should consult their advisors with respect to the application of the 3.8% Medicare tax to their income and gains, if any, with respect to the REMIC Certificates.
Backup Withholding
Distributions made on the Regular Certificates, and proceeds from the sale of the Regular Certificates to or through certain brokers, may be subject to a “backup” withholding tax under Code Section 3406 at a current rate of 28% (which rate will be increased to 31% commencing after 2012) on “reportable payments” (including interest distributions, original issue discount, and, under certain circumstances, principal distributions) unless the Regular Certificateholder is a U.S. Person and provides Form W-9 with the correct taxpayer identification number; is a Non-U.S. Person and provides Form W-8BEN identifying the Non-U.S. Person and stating that the beneficial owner is not a U.S. Person; or can be treated as an exempt recipient within the meaning of Treasury Regulations Section 1.6049-4(c)(1)(ii). Any amounts to be withheld from distribution on the Regular Certificates would be refunded by the IRS or allowed as a credit against the Regular Certificateholder’s federal income tax liability. The New Regulations will change certain of the rules relating to certain presumptions currently available relating to information reporting and backup withholding. Information reporting requirements may also apply regardless of whether withholding is required. Non-U.S. Persons are urged to contact their own tax advisors regarding the application to them of backup and withholding and information reporting.
Reporting Requirements
Reports of accrued interest, original issue discount and information necessary to compute the accrual of any market discount on the Regular Certificates will be made annually to the IRS and to individuals, estates, non-exempt and non-charitable trusts, and partnerships who are either holders of record of Regular Certificates or beneficial owners who own Regular Certificates through a broker or middleman as nominee. All brokers, nominees and all other non-exempt holders of record of Regular Certificates (including corporations, non-calendar year taxpayers, securities or commodities dealers, real estate investment trusts, investment companies, common trust funds, thrift institutions and charitable trusts) may request that information for any calendar quarter by telephone or in writing by contacting the person designated in IRS Publication 938 with respect to a particular series of Regular Certificates. Holders through nominees must request that information from the nominee.
Form 1066 has an accompanying Schedule Q, Quarterly Notice to Residual Interest Holders of REMIC Taxable Income or Net Loss Allocation. Treasury regulations require that Schedule Q be furnished by the REMIC Pool to each Residual Certificateholder by the end of the month following the close of each calendar quarter (41 days after the end of a quarter under proposed Treasury regulations) in which the REMIC Pool is in existence.
Treasury regulations require that, in addition to the foregoing requirements, information must be furnished quarterly to Residual Certificateholders, furnished annually, if applicable, to holders of Regular
Certificates, and filed annually with the IRS concerning Code Section 67 expenses, see “—Limitations on Deduction of Certain Expenses” above, allocable to those holders. Furthermore, under those regulations, information must be furnished quarterly to Residual Certificateholders, furnished annually to holders of Regular Certificates, and filed annually with the IRS concerning the percentage of the REMIC Pool’s assets meeting the qualified asset tests described under “—Qualification as a REMIC” above.
Federal Income Tax Consequences
for Certificates as to which No REMIC Election Is Made
Standard Certificates
In the event that no election is made to treat a trust fund (or a segregated pool of assets in the trust fund) with respect to a series of certificates that are not designated as “—Stripped Certificates,” as described below, as a REMIC (certificates of that kind of series are referred to as “Standard Certificates”), in the opinion of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP the trust fund will be classified as a grantor trust under subpart E, Part 1 of subchapter J of the Code and not as an association taxable as a corporation or a “taxable mortgage pool” within the meaning of Code Section 7701(i). Where there is no fixed retained yield with respect to the mortgage loans underlying the Standard Certificates, the holder of a Standard Certificate (a “Standard Certificateholder”) in that series will be treated as the owner of a pro rata undivided interest in the ordinary income and corpus portions of the trust fund represented by its Standard Certificate and will be considered the beneficial owner of a pro rata undivided interest in each of the mortgage loans, subject to the discussion under “—Recharacterization of Servicing Fees” below. Accordingly, the holder of a Standard Certificate of a particular series will be required to report on its federal income tax return its pro rata share of the entire income from the mortgage loans represented by its Standard Certificate, including interest at the coupon rate on those mortgage loans, original issue discount (if any), prepayment fees, assumption fees, and late payment charges received by the master servicer, in accordance with that Standard Certificateholder’s method of accounting. A Standard Certificateholder generally will be able to deduct its share of the servicing fee and all administrative and other expenses of the trust fund in accordance with its method of accounting, provided that those amounts are reasonable compensation for services rendered to that trust fund. However, investors who are individuals, estates or trusts who own Standard Certificates, either directly or indirectly through certain pass-through entities, will be subject to limitation with respect to certain itemized deductions described in Code Section 67, including deductions under Code Section 212 for the servicing fee and all the administrative and other expenses of the trust fund, to the extent that those deductions, in the aggregate, do not exceed two percent of an investor’s adjusted gross income. In addition, Code Section 68 provides that itemized deductions otherwise allowable for a taxable year of an individual taxpayer with income above certain thresholds will be reduced by the lesser of (1) 3% of the excess, if any, of adjusted gross income over a statutory threshold, or (2) 80% of the amount of itemized deductions otherwise allowable for that year. As a result, those investors holding Standard Certificates, directly or indirectly through a pass-through entity, may have aggregate taxable income in excess of the aggregate amount of cash received on those Standard Certificates with respect to interest at the pass-through rate on those Standard Certificates. In addition, those expenses are not deductible at all for purposes of computing the alternative minimum tax, and may cause the investors to be subject to significant additional tax liability. Moreover, where there is fixed retained yield with respect to the mortgage loans underlying a series of Standard Certificates or where the servicing fee is in excess of reasonable servicing compensation, the transaction will be subject to the application of the “stripped bond” and “stripped coupon” rules of the Code, as described under “—Stripped Certificates” and “—Recharacterization of Servicing Fees,” below.
In the opinion of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, Standard Certificates will have the following status for federal income tax purposes:
1. Standard Certificate owned by a “domestic building and loan association” within the meaning of Code Section 7701(a)(19) will be considered to represent “loans....secured by an interest in real property which is . . . residential real property” within the meaning of Code Section 7701(a)(19)(C)(v), provided that the real property securing the mortgage loans represented by that Standard Certificate is of the type described in that section of the Code.
2. Standard Certificate owned by a real estate investment trust will be considered to represent “real estate assets” within the meaning of Code Section 856(c)(5)(B) to the extent that the assets of the related trust fund consist of qualified assets, and interest income on those assets will be considered “interest on obligations secured by mortgages on real property” to such extent within the meaning of Code Section 856(c)(3)(B).
3. Standard Certificate owned by a REMIC will be considered to represent an “obligation . . . which is principally secured by an interest in real property” within the meaning of Code Section 860G(a)(3)(A) to the extent that the assets of the related trust fund consist of “qualified mortgages” within the meaning of Code Section 860G(a)(3).
Standard Certificateholders are advised to consult with their tax advisors as to the federal income tax treatment of premium and discount arising either upon initial acquisition of Standard Certificates or thereafter.
Premium. The treatment of premium incurred upon the purchase of a Standard Certificate will be determined generally as described under “—Federal Income Tax Consequences for REMIC Certificates—Taxation of Residual Certificates—Treatment of Certain Items of REMIC Income and Expense—Premium” above.
Original Issue Discount. The original issue discount rules will be applicable to a Standard Certificateholder’s interest in those mortgage loans as to which the conditions for the application of those sections are met. Rules regarding periodic inclusion of original issue discount income are applicable to mortgages of corporations originated after May 27, 1969, mortgages of noncorporate borrowers (other than individuals) originated after July 1, 1982, and mortgages of individuals originated after March 2, 1984. Under the OID Regulations, the original issue discount could arise by the charging of points by the originator of the mortgages in an amount greater than a statutory de minimis exception, including a payment of points currently deductible by the borrower under applicable Code provisions or, under certain circumstances, by the presence of “teaser rates” on the mortgage loans.
Original issue discount must generally be reported as ordinary gross income as it accrues under a constant interest method that takes into account the compounding of interest, in advance of the cash attributable to that income. If so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, no prepayment assumption will be assumed for purposes of that accrual. However, Code Section 1272 provides for a reduction in the amount of original issue discount includible in the income of a holder of an obligation that acquires the obligation after its initial issuance at a price greater than the sum of the original issue price and the previously accrued original issue discount, less prior payments of principal. Accordingly, if the mortgage loans acquired by a Standard Certificateholder are purchased at a price equal to the then unpaid principal amount of the mortgage loans, no original issue discount attributable to the difference between the issue price and the original principal amount of the mortgage loans (i.e., points) will be includible by that holder.
Market Discount. Standard Certificateholders also will be subject to the market discount rules to the extent that the conditions for application of those sections are met. Market discount on the mortgage
loans will be determined and will be reported as ordinary income generally in the manner described under “—Federal Income Tax Consequences for REMIC Certificates—Taxation of Regular Certificates—Market Discount” above, except that the ratable accrual methods described there will not apply and it is unclear whether a Prepayment Assumption would apply. Rather, the holder will accrue market discount pro rata over the life of the mortgage loans, unless the constant yield method is elected. If so indicated in the related prospectus supplement, no prepayment assumption will be assumed for purposes of that accrual.
| | Recharacterization of Servicing Fees. |
If the servicing fee paid to the master servicer were deemed to exceed reasonable servicing compensation, the amount of that excess would represent neither income nor a deduction to certificateholders. In this regard, there are no authoritative guidelines for federal income tax purposes as to either the maximum amount of servicing compensation that may be considered reasonable in the context of this or similar transactions or whether, in the case of the Standard Certificate, the reasonableness of servicing compensation should be determined on a weighted average or loan-by-loan basis. If a loan-by-loan basis is appropriate, the likelihood that the amount would exceed reasonable servicing compensation as to some of the mortgage loans would be increased. IRS guidance indicates that a servicing fee in excess of reasonable compensation (“excess servicing”) will cause the mortgage loans to be treated under the “stripped bond” rules. That guidance provides safe harbors for servicing deemed to be reasonable and requires taxpayers to demonstrate that the value of servicing fees in excess of those amounts is not greater than the value of the services provided.
Accordingly, if the IRS’ approach is upheld, a servicer who receives a servicing fee in excess of those amounts would be viewed as retaining an ownership interest in a portion of the interest payments on the mortgage loans. Under the rules of Code Section 1286, the separation of ownership of the right to receive some or all of the interest payments on an obligation from the right to receive some or all of the principal payments on the obligation would result in treatment of those mortgage loans as “stripped coupons” and “stripped bonds.” Subject to the de minimis rule discussed under “—Stripped Certificates” below, each stripped bond or stripped coupon could be considered for this purpose as a non-interest bearing obligation issued on the date of issue of the Standard Certificates, and the original issue discount rules of the Code would apply to that holder. While Standard Certificateholders would still be treated as owners of beneficial interests in a grantor trust for federal income tax purposes, the corpus of the trust could be viewed as excluding the portion of the mortgage loans the ownership of which is attributed to the master servicer, or as including that portion as a second class of equitable interest. Applicable Treasury regulations treat that arrangement as a fixed investment trust, since the multiple classes of trust interests should be treated as merely facilitating direct investments in the trust assets and the existence of multiple classes of ownership interests is incidental to that purpose. In general, a recharacterization should not have any significant effect upon the timing or amount of income reported by a Standard Certificateholder, except that the income reported by a cash method holder may be slightly accelerated. See “—Stripped Certificates” below for a further description of the federal income tax treatment of stripped bonds and stripped coupons.
| | Sale or Exchange of Standard Certificates. |
Upon sale or exchange of a Standard Certificate, a Standard Certificateholder will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized on the sale (other than amounts allocable to accrued interest) and its aggregate adjusted basis in the mortgage loans and the other assets represented by the Standard Certificate. In general, the aggregate adjusted basis will equal the Standard Certificateholder’s cost for the Standard Certificate, increased by the amount of any income previously reported with respect to the Standard Certificate and decreased by the amount of any losses previously reported with respect to the Standard Certificate and the amount of any distributions received on those Standard Certificates. Except as provided above with respect to market discount on any mortgage loans, and except for certain financial institutions subject to the provisions of Code Section 582(c), that gain or loss would be capital gain or loss if the Standard Certificate was held as a capital asset. However, gain on the sale of a Standard Certificate will be treated as ordinary income (1) if a Standard Certificate is held as part of a “conversion transaction” as defined in Code Section 1258(c), up to the amount of interest that
would have accrued on the Standard Certificateholder’s net investment in the conversion transaction at 120% of the appropriate applicable Federal rate in effect at the time the taxpayer entered into the transaction minus any amount previously treated as ordinary income with respect to any prior disposition of property that was held as a part of that transaction or (2) in the case of a non-corporate taxpayer, to the extent the taxpayer has made an election under Code Section 163(d)(4) to have net capital gains taxed as investment income at ordinary income rates. Long-term capital gains of certain non-corporate taxpayers generally are subject to lower tax rates than ordinary income or short-term capital gains of those taxpayers for property held for more than one year. The maximum tax rate for corporations is the same with respect to both ordinary income and capital gains.
Stripped Certificates
Pursuant to Code Section 1286, the separation of ownership of the right to receive some or all of the principal payments on an obligation from ownership of the right to receive some or all of the interest payments results in the creation of “stripped bonds” with respect to principal payments and “stripped coupons” with respect to interest payments. For purposes of this discussion, certificates that are subject to those rules will be referred to as “Stripped Certificates.” Stripped Certificates include interest-only certificates entitled to distributions of interest, with disproportionately small, nominal or no distributions of principal and principal-only certificates entitled to distributions of principal, with disproportionately small, nominal or no distributions of interest as to which no REMIC election is made.
The certificates will be subject to those rules if:
1. we or any of our affiliates retain, for our own account or for purposes of resale, in the form of fixed retained yield or otherwise, an ownership interest in a portion of the payments on the mortgage loans,
2. the master servicer is treated as having an ownership interest in the mortgage loans to the extent it is paid, or retains, servicing compensation in an amount greater than reasonable consideration for servicing the mortgage loans (See “—Standard Certificates—Recharacterization of Servicing Fees” above), and
3. certificates are issued in two or more classes or subclasses representing the right to non-pro-rata percentages of the interest and principal payments on the mortgage loans.
In general, a holder of a Stripped Certificate will be considered to own “stripped bonds” with respect to its pro rata share of all or a portion of the principal payments on each mortgage loan and/or “stripped coupons” with respect to its pro rata share of all or a portion of the interest payments on each mortgage loan, including the Stripped Certificate’s allocable share of the servicing fees paid to the master servicer, to the extent that those fees represent reasonable compensation for services rendered. See discussion under “—Standard Certificates—Recharacterization of Servicing Fees” above. Although not free from doubt, for purposes of reporting to Stripped Certificateholders, the servicing fees will be allocated to the Stripped Certificates in proportion to the respective entitlements to distributions of each class, or subclass, of Stripped Certificates for the related period or periods. The holder of a Stripped Certificate generally will be entitled to a deduction each year in respect of the servicing fees, as described under “—Standard Certificates—General” above, subject to the limitation described there.
Code Section 1286 treats a stripped bond or a stripped coupon as an obligation issued at an original issue discount on the date that the stripped interest is purchased. Although the treatment of Stripped Certificates for federal income tax purposes is not clear in certain respects at this time, particularly where the Stripped Certificates are issued with respect to a mortgage pool containing variable-rate mortgage loans, in the opinion of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP (1) the trust fund will be treated as a grantor trust under subpart E, Part 1 of subchapter J of the Code and not as an association taxable as a corporation or a “taxable mortgage pool” within the meaning of Code Section 7701(i), and (2) each Stripped Certificate should be treated as a single installment obligation for purposes of calculating original
issue discount and gain or loss on disposition. This treatment is based on the interrelationship of Code Section 1286, Code Sections 1272 through 1275, and the OID Regulations. While under Code Section 1286 computations with respect to Stripped Certificates arguably should be made in one of the ways described under “—Taxation of Stripped Certificates—Possible Alternative Characterizations” below, the OID Regulations state, in general, that two or more debt instruments issued by a single issuer to a single investor in a single transaction should be treated as a single debt instrument for original issue discount purposes. The applicable Pooling Agreement will require that the trustee make and report all computations described below using this aggregate approach, unless substantial legal authority requires otherwise.
Furthermore, Treasury regulations provide for the treatment of a Stripped Certificate as a single debt instrument issued on the date it is purchased for purposes of calculating any original issue discount. In addition, under these regulations, a Stripped Certificate that represents a right to payments of both interest and principal may be viewed either as issued with original issue discount or market discount, as described below, at a de minimis original issue discount, or, presumably, at a premium. This treatment suggests that the interest component of that Stripped Certificate would be treated as qualified stated interest under the OID Regulations, other than in the case of an interest-only Stripped Certificate or a Stripped Certificate on which the interest is substantially disproportionate to the principal amount. Further, these final regulations provide that the purchaser of a Stripped Certificate will be required to account for any discount as market discount rather than original issue discount if either (1) the initial discount with respect to the Stripped Certificate was treated as zero under the de minimis rule, or (2) no more than 100 basis points in excess of reasonable servicing is stripped off the related mortgage loans. This market discount would be reportable as described under “—Federal Income Tax Consequences for REMIC Certificates—Taxation of Regular Certificates—Market Discount” above, without regard to the de minimis rule there, assuming that a prepayment assumption is employed in that computation.
| | Status of Stripped Certificates. |
No specific legal authority exists as to whether the character of the Stripped Certificates, for federal income tax purposes, will be the same as that of the mortgage loans. Although the issue is not free from doubt, in the opinion of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, Stripped Certificates owned by applicable holders should be considered to represent “real estate assets” within the meaning of Code Section 856(c)(5)(B), “obligation[s] principally secured by an interest in real property” within the meaning of Code Section 860G(a)(3)(A), and “loans . . . secured by an interest in real property which is . . . residential real property” within the meaning of Code Section 7701(a)(19)(C)(v), and interest (including original issue discount) income attributable to Stripped Certificates should be considered to represent “interest on obligations secured by mortgages on real property” within the meaning of Code Section 856(c)(3)(B), provided that in each case the mortgage loans and interest on those mortgage loans qualify for that treatment.
| | Taxation of Stripped Certificates. |
Original Issue Discount. Except as described under “—General” above, each Stripped Certificate will be considered to have been issued at an original issue discount for federal income tax purposes. Original issue discount with respect to a Stripped Certificate must be included in ordinary income as it accrues, in accordance with a constant interest method that takes into account the compounding of interest, which may be prior to the receipt of the cash attributable to that income. Based in part on the OID Regulations and the amendments to the original issue discount sections of the Code made by the Reform Act, the amount of original issue discount required to be included in the income of a holder of a Stripped Certificate (referred to in this discussion as a “Stripped Certificateholder”) in any taxable year likely will be computed generally as described under “—Federal Income Tax Consequences for REMIC Certificates—Taxation of Regular Certificates—Original Issue Discount” and “—Variable Rate Regular Certificates” above. However, with the apparent exception of a Stripped Certificate qualifying as a market discount obligation, as described under “—General” above, the issue price of a Stripped Certificate will be the purchase price paid by each holder of the Stripped Certificate, and the stated redemption price at maturity
will include the aggregate amount of the payments, other than qualified stated interest to be made on the Stripped Certificate to that Stripped Certificateholder, presumably under the Prepayment Assumption.
If the mortgage loans prepay at a rate either faster or slower than that under the Prepayment Assumption, a Stripped Certificateholder’s recognition of original issue discount will be either accelerated or decelerated and the amount of the original issue discount will be either increased or decreased depending on the relative interests in principal and interest on each mortgage loan represented by that Stripped Certificateholder’s Stripped Certificate. While the matter is not free from doubt, the holder of a Stripped Certificate should be entitled in the year that it becomes certain, assuming no further prepayments, that the holder will not recover a portion of its adjusted basis in that Stripped Certificate to recognize an ordinary loss, if it is a corporation, or a short-term capital loss, if it is not a corporation and does not hold the Stripped Certificate in connection with a trade or business, equal to that portion of unrecoverable basis.
As an alternative to the method described above, the fact that some or all of the interest payments with respect to the Stripped Certificates will not be made if the mortgage loans are prepaid could lead to the interpretation that the interest payments are “contingent” within the meaning of the OID Regulations. The OID Regulations, as they relate to the treatment of contingent interest, are by their terms not applicable to prepayable securities such as the Stripped Certificates. However, if final regulations dealing with contingent interest with respect to the Stripped Certificates apply the same principles as the OID Regulations, those regulations may lead to different timing of income inclusion that would be the case under the OID Regulations. Furthermore, application of those principles could lead to the characterization of gain on the sale of contingent interest Stripped Certificates as ordinary income. Investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the appropriate tax treatment of Stripped Certificates.
In light of the application of Code Section 1286, a beneficial owner of a Stripped Certificate generally will be required to compute accruals of original issue discount based on its yield, possibly taking into account its own prepayment assumption. The information necessary to perform the related calculations for information reporting purposes, however, generally will not be available to the trustee. Accordingly, any information reporting provided by the trustee with respect to the Stripped Certificates, which information will be based on pricing information as of the closing date, will largely fail to reflect the accurate accruals of original issue discount for these certificates. Prospective investors therefore should be aware that the timing of accruals of original issue discount applicable to a Stripped Certificate generally will be different than that reported to holders and the IRS. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding their obligation to compute and include in income the correct amount of original issue discount accruals and any possible tax consequences to them if they should fail to do so.
Sale or Exchange of Stripped Certificates. Sale or exchange of a Stripped Certificate prior to its maturity will result in gain or loss equal to the difference, if any, between the amount received and the Stripped Certificateholder’s adjusted basis in that Stripped Certificate, as described under “—Federal Income Tax Consequences for REMIC Certificates—Taxation of Regular Certificates—Sale or Exchange of Regular Certificates” above. To the extent that a subsequent purchaser’s purchase price is exceeded by the remaining payments on the Stripped Certificates by more than the statutory de minimis amount, that subsequent purchaser will be required for federal income tax purposes to accrue and report that excess as if it were original issue discount in the manner described above. It is not clear for this purpose whether the assumed prepayment rate that is to be used in the case of a Stripped Certificateholder other than an original Stripped Certificateholder should be the Prepayment Assumption or a new rate based on the circumstances at the date of subsequent purchase.
Purchase of More Than One Class of Stripped Certificates. Where an investor purchases more than one class of Stripped Certificates, it is currently unclear whether for federal income tax purposes those classes of Stripped Certificates should be treated separately or aggregated for purposes of the rules described above.
Possible Alternative Characterizations. The characterizations of the Stripped Certificates discussed above are not the only possible interpretations of the applicable Code provisions. For example, the Stripped Certificateholder may be treated as the owner of
1. one installment obligation consisting of that Stripped Certificate’s pro rata share of the payments attributable to principal on each mortgage loan and a second installment obligation consisting of that Stripped Certificate’s pro rata share of the payments attributable to interest on each mortgage loan,
2. as many stripped bonds or stripped coupons as there are scheduled payments of principal and/or interest on each mortgage loan or
3. a separate installment obligation for each mortgage loan, representing the Stripped Certificate’s pro rata share of payments of principal and/or interest to be made with respect thereto.
Alternatively, the holder of one or more classes of Stripped Certificates may be treated as the owner of a pro rata fractional undivided interest in each mortgage loan to the extent that the Stripped Certificate, or classes of Stripped Certificates in the aggregate, represent the same pro rata portion of principal and interest on that mortgage loan, and a stripped bond or stripped coupon (as the case may be), treated as an installment obligation or contingent payment obligation, as to the remainder. Final regulations issued regarding original issue discount on stripped obligations make the foregoing interpretations less likely to be applicable. The preamble to those regulations states that they are premised on the assumption that an aggregation approach is appropriate for determining whether original issue discount on a stripped bond or stripped coupon is de minimis, and solicits comments on appropriate rules for aggregating stripped bonds and stripped coupons under Code Section 1286.
Because of these possible varying characterizations of Stripped Certificates and the resultant differing treatment of income recognition, Stripped Certificateholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the proper treatment of Stripped Certificates for federal income tax purposes.
3.8% Medicare Tax On “Net Investment Income”
Certain non-corporate U.S. Persons may be subject to an additional 3.8% Medicare Tax on “net investment income”. See “—Federal Income Tax Consequences for REMIC Certificates—3.8% Medicare Tax on “Net Investment Income””, above.
Reporting Requirements and Backup Withholding
The trustee will furnish, within a reasonable time after the end of each calendar year, to each Standard Certificateholder or Stripped Certificateholder at any time during that year, the information, prepared on the basis described above, as the trustee deems to be necessary or desirable to enable those certificateholders to prepare their federal income tax returns. The information will include the amount of original issue discount accrued on certificates held by persons other than certificateholders exempted from the reporting requirements. The amounts required to be reported by the trustee may not be equal to the proper amount of original issue discount required to be reported as taxable income by a certificateholder, other than an original certificateholder that purchased at the issue price. In particular, in the case of Stripped Certificates, if so provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the reporting will be based upon a representative initial offering price of each class of Stripped Certificates. The trustee will also file the original issue discount information with the IRS. If a certificateholder fails to supply an accurate taxpayer identification number or if the Secretary of the Treasury determines that a certificateholder has not reported all interest and dividend income required to be shown on his federal income tax return, backup withholding at a current rate of 28% may be required in respect of any reportable payments, as described under “—Federal Income Tax Consequences for REMIC Certificates—Backup Withholding” above.
The IRS has published final regulations which establish a reporting framework for interests in “widely held fixed investment trusts” and place the responsibility of reporting on the person in the ownership chain
who holds an interest for a beneficial owner. A widely-held fixed investment trust is defined as an arrangement classified as an “investment trust” under Treasury Regulations Section 301.7701-4(c), in which any interest is held by a middleman, which includes, but is not limited to (i) a custodian of a person’s account, (ii) a nominee and (iii) a broker holding an interest for a customer in street name.
Under these regulations, in connection with a grantor trust, the trustee will be required to file Form 1099 (or any successor form) with the IRS with respect to holders of the certificates who are not “exempt recipients” (a term that includes corporations, trusts, securities dealers, middlemen and certain other non-individuals) and do not hold such certificates through a middleman, to report, in accordance with the provisions of the pooling and servicing agreement, the grantor trust’s gross income and, in certain circumstances, unless the trustee reports under the safe harbor as described in the last sentence of this paragraph, if any trust assets were disposed of or certificates are sold in secondary market sales, the portion of the gross proceeds relating to the trust assets that are attributable to such holder. The same requirements would be imposed on middlemen holding certificates on behalf of holders. Under certain circumstances, the trustee may report under the safe harbor for widely-held mortgage trusts, as such term is defined under Treasury Regulations Section 1.671-5.
These regulations also require that the trustee make available information regarding interest income and information necessary to compute any original issue discount to (i) exempt recipients (including middlemen) and non-calendar year taxpayers, upon request, in accordance with the requirements of the regulations and (ii) holders who do not hold their certificates through a middleman. The information must be provided to parties specified in clause (i) on or before (a) the later of the 44th day after the close of the calendar year to which the request relates and 28 days after the receipt of the request if any trust assets are interests in another widely-held fixed investment trust or REMIC regular interests, and otherwise (b) the later of the 30th day after the close of the calendar year to which the request relates and 14 days after the receipt of the request. The information must be provided to parties specified in clause (ii) on or before March 15th of the calendar year for which the statement is being furnished.
Taxation of Certain Foreign Investors
To the extent that a certificate evidences ownership in mortgage loans that are issued on or before July 18, 1984, interest or original issue discount paid by the person required to withhold tax under Code Section 1441 or 1442 to nonresident aliens, foreign corporations, or other Non-U.S. Persons generally will be subject to 30% United States withholding tax, or a lower rate as may be provided for interest by an applicable tax treaty. Accrued original issue discount recognized by the Standard Certificateholder or Stripped Certificateholder on the sale or exchange of that certificate also will be subject to federal income tax at the same rate.
Treasury regulations provide that interest or original issue discount paid by the trustee or other withholding agent to a Non-U.S. Person evidencing ownership interest in mortgage loans issued after July 18, 1984 will be “portfolio interest” and will be treated in the manner, and those persons will be subject to the same certification and reporting requirements, described under “—Federal Income Tax Consequences for REMIC Certificates—Taxation of Certain Foreign Investors—Regular Certificates” above.
Holders that are “foreign financial institutions” may be required to provide additional information under FATCA. See “—Federal Income Tax Consequences for REMIC Certificates—Taxation of Certain Foreign Investors—FATCA”, above.
STATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS
In addition to the federal income tax consequences described in “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences”, you should consider the state and local tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership, and disposition of the offered certificates. State and local tax law may differ substantially from the corresponding federal law, and the discussion above does not purport to describe any aspect of the tax
laws of any state or other jurisdiction. Thus, you should consult your own tax advisors with respect to the various tax consequences of investments in the offered certificates.
CERTAIN ERISA CONSIDERATIONS
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, or ERISA, and the Code impose certain requirements on retirement plans, and on certain other employee benefit plans and arrangements, including individual retirement accounts and annuities, Keogh plans, collective investment funds, insurance company separate accounts and some insurance company general accounts in which those plans, accounts or arrangements are invested that are subject to the fiduciary responsibility provisions of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code (all of which are referred to as “Plans”), and on persons who are fiduciaries with respect to Plans, in connection with the investment of Plan assets. Certain employee benefit plans, such as governmental plans (as defined in ERISA Section 3(32)), and, if no election has been made under Section 410(d) of the Code, church plans (as defined in Section 3(33) of ERISA) are not subject to ERISA requirements. However, those plans may be subject to the provisions of other applicable federal, state or local law (“Similar Law”) materially similar to the foregoing provisions of ERISA or the Code. Moreover, those plans, if qualified and exempt from taxation under Sections 401(a) and 501(a) of the Code, are subject to the prohibited transaction rules set forth in Section 503 of the Code.
ERISA generally imposes on Plan fiduciaries certain general fiduciary requirements, including those of investment prudence and diversification and the requirement that a Plan’s investments be made in accordance with the documents governing the Plan. In addition, ERISA and the Code prohibit a broad range of transactions involving assets of a Plan and persons (“Parties in Interest”) who have certain specified relationships to the Plan, unless a statutory, regulatory or administrative exemption is available. Certain Parties in Interest that participate in a prohibited transaction may be subject to an excise tax imposed pursuant to Section 4975 of the Code, unless a statutory, regulatory or administrative exemption is available. These prohibited transactions generally are set forth in Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code. Special caution should be exercised before the assets of a Plan are used to purchase an offered certificate if, with respect to those assets, the Depositor, the master servicer or the trustee or one of their affiliates, either: (a) has investment discretion with respect to the investment of those assets of that Plan; or (b) has authority or responsibility to give, or regularly gives, investment advice with respect to those assets for a fee and pursuant to an agreement or understanding that the advice will serve as a primary basis for investment decisions with respect to those assets and that the advice will be based on the particular investment needs of the Plan; or (c) is an employer maintaining or contributing to the Plan.
Before purchasing any offered certificates with Plan assets, a Plan fiduciary should consult with its counsel and determine whether there exists any prohibition to that purchase under the requirements of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, whether any prohibited transaction class exemption or any individual administrative prohibited transaction exemption (as described below) applies, including whether the appropriate conditions set forth in those exemptions would be met, or whether any statutory prohibited transaction exemption is applicable, and further should consult the applicable prospectus supplement relating to that series of offered certificates. Fiduciaries of plans subject to a Similar Law should consider the need for, and the availability of, an exemption under such applicable Similar Law.
A Plan’s investment in offered certificates may cause the trust assets to be deemed Plan assets. Section 2510.3-101 of the regulations of the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”), as modified by Section 3(42) of ERISA, provides that when a Plan acquires an equity interest in an entity, the Plan’s assets include both the equity interest and an undivided interest in each of the underlying assets of the entity, unless certain exceptions not applicable to this discussion apply, or unless the equity participation in the entity by “benefit plan investors” (that is, Plans and entities whose underlying assets include plan
assets) is not “significant.” For this purpose, in general, equity participation in a trust fund will be “significant” on any date if, immediately after the most recent acquisition of any certificate, 25% or more of any class of certificates is held by benefit plan investors.
In general, any person who has discretionary authority or control respecting the management or disposition of Plan assets, and any person who provides investment advice with respect to those assets for a fee, is a fiduciary of the investing Plan. If the trust assets constitute Plan assets, then any party exercising management or discretionary control regarding those assets, such as a master servicer, a special servicer or any sub-servicer, may be deemed to be a Plan “fiduciary” with respect to the investing Plan, and thus subject to the fiduciary responsibility provisions and prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA and the Code. In addition, if the Trust Assets constitute Plan assets, the purchase of offered certificates by a Plan, as well as the operation of the trust fund, may constitute or involve a prohibited transaction under ERISA or the Code.
| Administrative Exemptions |
Several underwriters of mortgage-backed securities have applied for and obtained individual administrative ERISA prohibited transaction exemptions (the “Exemptions”) which can only apply to the purchase and holding of mortgage-backed securities which, among other conditions, are sold in an offering with respect to which that underwriter serves as the sole or a managing underwriter, or as a selling or placement agent. If one of the Exemptions might be applicable to a series of certificates, the related prospectus supplement will refer to the possibility, as well as provide a summary of the conditions to the applicability.
The DOL has promulgated amendments (the “Amendments”) to the Exemptions that, among other changes, permit Plans to purchase subordinated certificates rated in any of the four highest ratings categories (provided that all other requirements of the Exemptions are met). Plan fiduciaries should, and other potential investors who may be analyzing the potential liquidity of their investment may wish to, consult with their advisors regarding the Amendments.
| Insurance Company General Accounts |
Sections I and III of Prohibited Transaction Class Exemption (“PTCE”) 95-60 exempt from the application of the prohibited transaction provisions of Sections 406(a), 406(b) and 407(a) of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code transactions in connection with the acquisition of a security (such as a certificate issued by a trust fund) as well as the servicing, management and operation of a trust (such as the trust fund) in which an insurance company general account has an interest as a result of its acquisition of certificates issued by the trust, provided that certain conditions are satisfied. If these conditions are met, insurance company general accounts investing assets that are treated as assets of Plans would be allowed to purchase certain classes of certificates which do not meet the ratings requirements of the Exemptions. All other conditions of the Exemptions would have to be satisfied in order for PTCE 95-60 to be available. Before purchasing any class of offered certificates, an insurance company general account seeking to rely on Sections I and III of PTCE 95-60 should itself confirm that all applicable conditions and other requirements have been satisfied.
The Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 added a new Section 401(c) to ERISA, which provides certain exemptive relief from the provisions of Part 4 of Title I of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code, including the prohibited transaction restrictions imposed by ERISA and the related excise taxes imposed by the Code, for transactions involving an insurance company general account. Pursuant to Section 401(c) of ERISA, the DOL issued regulations (“401(c) Regulations”), generally effective July 5, 2001, to provide guidance for the purpose of determining, in cases where insurance policies supported by an insured’s general account are issued to or for the benefit of a Plan on or before December 31, 1998, which general account assets constitute Plan assets. Any assets of an insurance company general account which support insurance policies issued to a Plan after December 31, 1998 or issued to Plans on or before December 31, 1998 for which the insurance company does not comply with the 401(c) Regulations may be treated as Plan assets. In addition, because Section 401(c) of ERISA does not
relate to insurance company separate accounts, separate account assets are still generally treated as Plan assets of any Plan invested in that separate account. Insurance companies contemplating the investment of general account assets in the offered certificates should consult with their counsel with respect to the applicability of Section 401(c) of ERISA.
| Unrelated Business Taxable Income; Residual Certificates |
The purchase of a Residual Certificate by any employee benefit plan qualified under Code Section 401(a) and exempt from taxation under Code Section 501(a), including most varieties of Plans, may give rise to “unrelated business taxable income” as described in Code Sections 511-515 and 860E. Further, prior to the purchase of Residual Certificates, a prospective transferee may be required to provide an affidavit to a transferor that it is not, nor is it purchasing a Residual Certificate on behalf of, a “Disqualified Organization,” which term as defined above includes certain tax-exempt entities not subject to Code Section 511 including certain governmental plans, as discussed above under the caption “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences—Federal Income Tax Consequences for REMIC Certificates—Taxation of Residual Certificates—Tax-Related Restrictions on Transfer of Residual Certificates—Disqualified Organizations.”
Due to the complexity of these rules and the penalties imposed upon persons involved in prohibited transactions, it is particularly important that potential investors who are Plan fiduciaries or who are investing Plan assets consult with their counsel regarding the consequences under ERISA and the Code of their acquisition and ownership of certificates.
The sale of certificates to a Plan is in no respect a representation by the Depositor or the Underwriter that this investment meets all relevant legal requirements with respect to investments by Plans generally or by any particular Plan, or that this investment is appropriate for Plans generally or for any particular Plan.
LEGAL INVESTMENT
If so specified in the related prospectus supplement, certain classes of offered certificates will constitute “mortgage related securities” for purposes of the Secondary Mortgage Market Enhancement Act of 1984, as amended (“SMMEA”). Generally, the only classes of offered certificates which will qualify as “mortgage related securities” will be those that (1) are rated in one of the two highest rating categories by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization, as defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act (“NRSRO”); and (2) are part of a series evidencing interests in a trust fund consisting of loans originated by certain types of originators specified in SMMEA and secured by first liens on real estate.
While Section 939(e) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act amended SMMEA, effective July 21, 2012, so as to require the SEC to establish creditworthiness standards by that date in substitution for the foregoing ratings test, the SEC has neither proposed nor adopted a rule establishing new creditworthiness standards for purposes of SMMEA as of the date of this prospectus. However, the SEC has issued a transitional interpretation (Release No. 34-67448 (effective July 20, 2012)), which provides that, until such time as final rules establishing new standards of creditworthiness become effective, the standard of creditworthiness for purposes of the definition of the term “mortgage related security” is a security that is rated in one of the two highest rating categories by at least one NRSRO. Depending on the standards of creditworthiness that are ultimately established by the SEC, it is possible that certain classes of offered certificates specified to be “mortgage related securities” for purposes of SMMEA in the related prospectus supplement, may no longer qualify as such as of the time such new standards are effective.
The appropriate characterization of the offered certificates under various legal investment restrictions, and thus the ability of investors subject to those restrictions to purchase the offered certificates, are subject to significant interpretive uncertainties. Except as may be specified in the related prospectus supplement with regard to the status of certain classes of offered certificates as “mortgage
related securities” for purposes of SMMEA, no representations are made as to the proper characterization of the offered certificates for legal investment, financial institution regulatory, or other purposes, or as to the ability of particular investors to purchase any offered certificates under applicable legal investment restrictions. Further, any ratings downgrade of a class of offered certificates by an NRSRO to less than an “investment grade” rating (i.e., lower than the top four rating categories) may adversely affect the ability of an investor to purchase or retain, or otherwise impact the regulatory characteristics of, that class. The uncertainties described above (and any unfavorable future determinations concerning the legal investment or financial institution regulatory characteristics of the offered certificates) may adversely affect the liquidity and market value of the offered certificates.
Accordingly, all investors whose investment activities are subject to legal investment laws and regulations, regulatory capital requirements, or review by regulatory authorities should consult with their own legal advisors in determining whether and to what extent the offered certificates constitute legal investments or are subject to investment, capital, or other regulatory restrictions.
METHOD OF DISTRIBUTION
The offered certificates offered by this prospectus and by the related prospectus supplements will be offered in series, each consisting of one or more classes of certificates, through one or more of the methods described below. The prospectus supplement prepared for each series will describe the method of offering being utilized for that series, including the initial public offering or purchase price of each class or the method by which the price will be determined, and our net proceeds from that sale.
We intend that offered certificates will be offered through the following methods from time to time and that offerings may be made concurrently through more than one of these methods or that an offering of a particular series of certificates may be made through a combination of two or more of these methods. Those methods are as follows:
1. by negotiated firm commitment or best efforts underwriting and public offering by one or more underwriters specified in the related prospectus supplement;
2. by placements through one or more placement agents specified in the related prospectus supplement primarily with institutional investors and dealers; and
3. through direct offerings by the Depositor.
In addition, if specified in the related prospectus supplement, the offered certificates of a series may be offered in whole or in part to the seller of the related mortgage assets that would comprise the trust fund for such certificates.
If underwriters are used in a sale of any offered certificates (other than in connection with an underwriting on a best efforts basis), those certificates will be acquired by the underwriters for their own account and may be resold from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at fixed public offering prices or at varying prices to be determined at the time of sale or at the time of commitment. The managing underwriter or underwriters with respect to the offer and sale of a particular series of offered certificates will be set forth on the cover of the prospectus supplement relating to that series and the members of the underwriting syndicate, if any, will be named in that prospectus supplement.
In connection with the sale of the offered certificates, the underwriters may receive compensation from us or from purchasers of the offered certificates in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions. Underwriters and dealers participating in the distribution of the offered certificates may be deemed to be underwriters in connection with those offered certificates, and any discounts or commissions received by them from us and any profit on the resale of offered certificates by them may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. The related prospectus supplement will describe any discounts, concessions or commissions to be allowed or paid by us to the
underwriters, any other items constituting underwriting compensation, and any discounts and commissions to be allowed or paid to the dealers.
If so specified in the related prospectus supplement, the offered certificates may be underwritten by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, acting as sole underwriter or together with such other underwriters as may be named in the prospectus supplement, or J.P. Morgan Securities LLC may act as a dealer with regard to the offered certificates. The depositor is an affiliate of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and, as such, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC will have potential conflicts of interest in underwriting or acting as a dealer with regard to any offered certificates. Any potential conflicts of interest pertaining to J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, any of the other underwriters of the offered certificates, and their respective affiliates will be described in the related prospectus supplement.
It is anticipated that the underwriting agreement pertaining to the sale of any series of offered certificates will provide that the obligations of the underwriters will be subject to certain conditions precedent, that the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all offered certificates if any are purchased (other than in connection with an underwriting on a best efforts basis) and that we will indemnify the several underwriters, and each person, if any, who controls that underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, and the underwriters will indemnify us and our controlling persons, against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or will contribute to payments required to be made in respect of these liabilities.
The prospectus supplement with respect to any series offered by placements through dealers will contain information regarding the nature of that offering and any agreements to be entered into between us and purchasers of offered certificates of that series.
We anticipate that the offered certificates offered by this prospectus and the related prospectus supplement will be sold primarily to institutional investors. Purchasers of offered certificates, including dealers, may, depending on the facts and circumstances of those purchases, be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act in connection with reoffers and resales by them of offered certificates. If you purchase offered certificates, you should consult with your legal advisors in this regard prior to any reoffer or resale.
All or part of any class of offered certificates may be acquired by us or by one or more of our affiliates in a secondary market transaction or from an affiliate. Such offered certificates may then be included in a trust fund, the beneficial ownership of which will be evidenced by one or more classes of mortgage-backed certificates, including subsequent series of certificates offered pursuant to this prospectus and a prospectus supplement.
As to each series of certificates, only those classes rated in an investment grade rating category by an NRSRO will be offered by this prospectus and the related prospectus supplement. We may initially retain any class rated below investment grade, or any unrated class, and we may sell it at any time to one or more institutional investors.
If and to the extent required by applicable law or regulation, this prospectus will be used by an underwriter in connection with offers and sales related to market-making transactions in the offered certificates with respect to which such underwriter acts as principal. An underwriter may also act as agent in such transactions. Sales may be made at negotiated prices determined at the time of sale.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
With respect to each series of certificates offered by this prospectus, there are incorporated in this prospectus and in the related prospectus supplement by reference all documents and reports (other than annual reports on Form 10-K) filed or caused to be filed by the Depositor with respect to a trust fund before the end of the related offering pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act, that relate specifically to the related series of certificates. The Depositor will provide or cause to be provided without charge to each person to whom this prospectus is delivered in connection
with the offering of one or more classes of offered certificates, upon written or oral request of that person, a copy of any or all documents or reports incorporated in this prospectus by reference, in each case to the extent the documents or reports relate to one or more of the classes of offered certificates, other than the exhibits to those documents (unless the exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference in those documents). Requests to the Depositor should be directed in writing to its principal executive offices at 383 Madison Avenue, 31st Floor, New York, New York 10179, Attention: President, or by telephone at (212) 272-6858. The Depositor has determined that its financial statements will not be material to the offering of any offered certificates.
The Depositor filed a registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) relating to the certificates with the SEC. This prospectus is part of the Registration Statement, but the Registration Statement includes additional information.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
Copies of the Registration Statement and other filed materials, including distribution reports on Form 10-D, annual reports on Form 10-K, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments for these reports may be read and copied at the Public Reference Section of the SEC, 100 F Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. Information regarding the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a site on the World Wide Web at “http://www.sec.gov” at which you can view and download copies of reports, proxy and information statements and other information filed electronically through the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval (“EDGAR”) system. The Depositor has filed the Registration Statement, including all exhibits thereto, through the EDGAR system, so the materials should be available by logging onto the SEC’s Web site. The SEC maintains computer terminals providing access to the EDGAR system at each of the offices referred to above.
If so specified in the related prospectus supplement, copies of all filings through the EDGAR system of the related issuing entity on Forms 10-D, 10-K and 8-K will be made available on the applicable Trustee’s or other identified party’s website.
LEGAL MATTERS
The validity of the certificates of each series and material federal income tax matters will be passed upon for us by Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP or such other counsel as may be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
A new trust fund will be formed with respect to each series of certificates, and no trust fund will engage in any business activities or have any assets or obligations prior to the issuance of the related series of certificates. Accordingly, no financial statements with respect to any trust fund will be included in this prospectus or in the related prospectus supplement.
RATING
It is a condition to the issuance of any class of offered certificates that they shall have been rated not lower than investment grade, that is, in one of the four highest rating categories, by at least one NRSRO.
Other NRSROs that have not been engaged to rate any class of offered certificates may issue unsolicited credit ratings on one or more classes of offered certificates, relying on information they obtain pursuant to Rule 17g-5 under the Exchange Act or otherwise.
Ratings on mortgage pass-through certificates address the likelihood of receipt by the holders of those certificates of all collections on the underlying mortgage assets to which those holders are entitled.
These ratings address the structural, legal and issuer-related aspects associated with those certificates, the nature of the underlying mortgage assets and the credit quality of the guarantor, if any. Ratings on mortgage pass-through certificates do not represent any assessment of the likelihood of principal prepayments by borrowers or of the degree by which those prepayments might differ from those originally anticipated. As a result, you might suffer a lower than anticipated yield, and, in addition, holders of stripped interest certificates in extreme cases might fail to recoup their initial investments.
A security rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities and may be subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the assigning NRSRO. Each security rating should be evaluated independently of any other security rating.
INDEX OF DEFINED TERMS
| 30/360 | 50 | | FATCA | 110 |
| 401(c) Regulations | 121 | | Federal Funds Rate | 53 |
| 91-day Treasury Bill Rate | 54 | | FHLMC | 38 |
| 91-day Treasury Bills | 54 | | FNMA | 38 |
| Accrual Certificates | 49 | | Garn Act | 86 |
| Accrued Certificate Interest | 49 | | GNMA | 38 |
| Actual/360 | 50 | | Indirect Participants | 59 |
| Actual/365 (fixed) | 50 | | Insurance and Condemnation Proceeds | 66 |
| Actual/Actual (accrual basis) | 50 | | IRS | 89 |
| Actual/Actual (ISMA) | 50 | | ISMA | 50 |
| Actual/Actual (payment basis) | 50 | | Issuing Entity | 1 |
| ADA | 88 | | JPMCB | 46 |
| Amendments | 121 | | L/C Bank | 75 |
| ARM Loans | 37 | | LIBOR Determination Date | 51 |
| Assessment of Compliance | 70 | | Liquidation Proceeds | 66 |
| Attestation Report | 71 | | Loan-to-Value Ratio | 35 |
| Available Distribution Amount | 48 | | Lock-out Date | 37 |
| Bankruptcy Code | 78 | | Lock-out Period | 37 |
| Bond Equivalent Yield | 52 | | MBS | 33 |
| Book-Entry Certificates | 48 | | MBS Agreement | 38 |
| Cash Flow Agreement | 40 | | MBS Issuer | 38 |
| CERCLA | 84 | | MBS Servicer | 38 |
| Certificate Owner | 59 | | MBS Trustee | 38 |
| Clearstream | 61 | | Mortgage Asset Seller | 34 |
| CMT Rate | 52 | | Mortgage Notes | 34 |
| Code | 58 | | Mortgaged Properties | 34 |
| Commercial Paper Rate | 52 | | Mortgages | 34 |
| Cooperatives | 34 | | Net Leases | 35 |
| CPR | 43 | | Net Operating Income | 35 |
| Debt Service Coverage Ratio | 35 | | Nonrecoverable Advance | 56 |
| Debt Yield | 35 | | Non-U.S. Person | 106 |
| defective obligation | 91 | | NRSRO | 122 |
| Definitive Certificates | 48 | | OID Regulations | 92 |
| Depositor | ii, 34 | | Participants | 59 |
| Designated CMT Reuters Page | 52 | | Parties in Interest | 120 |
| Determination Date | 41 | | Pass-Through Entity | 104 |
| Direct Participants | 59 | | Permitted Investments | 65 |
| Disqualified Organization | 104, 122 | | Plans | 120 |
| Distribution Date Statement | 57 | | Pooling Agreement | 62 |
| DOL | 120 | | prepayment | 43 |
| DTC | 48 | | Prepayment Assumption | 93 |
| Due Dates | 36 | | Prepayment Interest Shortfall | 41 |
| Due Period | 41 | | Prepayment Premium | 37 |
| EDGAR | 125 | | Prime Rate | 54 |
| electing large partnership | 104 | | PTCE | 121 |
| Euroclear | 61 | | Random Lot Certificates | 93 |
| Excess Funds | 46 | | Record Date | 49 |
| excess servicing | 114 | | Reference Banks | 51 |
| Exchange Act | 39 | | Reform Act | 92 |
| Exemptions | 121 | | Registration Statement | 125 |
| FAMC | 38 | | Regular Certificateholder | 92 |
| Regular Certificates | 89 | | Servicing Standard | 64 |
| Related Proceeds | 56 | | Similar Law | 120 |
| Relief Act | 87 | | SMMEA | 122 |
| REMIC | 7, 89 | | SPA | 43 |
| REMIC Certificates | 89 | | Sponsor | 46 |
| REMIC Pool | 89 | | Standard Certificateholder | 112 |
| REMIC Regulations | 89 | | Standard Certificates | 112 |
| REO Property | 64 | | Startup Day | 90 |
| Residual Certificateholders | 100 | | Stripped Certificateholder | 116 |
| Residual Certificates | 49 | | Stripped Certificates | 115 |
| Reuters Screen FEDCMT Page | 52 | | Subordinate Certificates | 48 |
| Reuters Screen FEDFUNDS1 Page | 54 | | Sub-Servicing Agreement | 65 |
| Reuters Screen FRBCMT Page | 52 | | Terms and Conditions | 62 |
| Reuters Screen LIBOR01 Page | 51 | | Title V | 87 |
| Reuters Screen US PRIME 1 Page | 55 | | Treasury | 89 |
| SEC | 37 | | Treasury Notes | 53 |
| secured-creditor exemption | 85 | | U.S. Person | 106 |
| Securities Act | 39 | | Value | 36 |
| Senior Certificates | 48 | | Warranting Party | 63 |
| Servicer Termination Event | 71 | | | |
