Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Variable Interest Entities and Securitizations

v3.22.1
Variable Interest Entities and Securitizations
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Variable Interest Entities and Securitizations
3. Variable Interest Entities and Securitizations
The Company determined that the special purpose entities (“SPEs”) created in connection with its securitizations are variable interest entities (“VIEs”). A VIE is an entity that has either a total equity investment that is insufficient to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support or whose equity investors lack the characteristics of a controlling financial interest. A VIE is consolidated by its primary beneficiary, which is the entity that, through its variable interests has both the power to direct the activities that significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and the obligations to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE.
Consolidated VIEs
FAR
FAR securitizes certain of its interests in nonperforming reverse mortgages and
non-agency
reverse mortgage loans. The transactions provide investors with the ability to invest in a pool of reverse mortgage loans secured by
one-to-four-family
residential properties. The transactions provide FAR with access to liquidity for these assets, ongoing servicing fees, and potential residual returns. The principal and interest on the outstanding certificates are paid using the cash flows from the underlying reverse mortgage loans, which serve as collateral for the debt. The securitizations are callable at or following the optional redemption date as defined in the respective indenture agreements.
 
In February 2022, FAR executed its optional redemption of outstanding securitized notes related to outstanding nonperforming home equity conversion mortgage (“HECM”) securitizations. As part of the optional redemption, FAR paid off notes with an outstanding principal balance of $488.2 million. The notes were paid off at par. As a result of the optional redemption, FAR will no longer be required to consolidate this securitization trust and the outstanding loans with unpaid principal balance of $506.6 million will be included in Loans held for
investment at fair value in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition unless included in a subsequent securitization.
FAM
FAM (prior to January 1, 2022, through “FACo”) securitizes certain of its interests in fix & flip mortgages. The transactions provide debt security holders the ability to invest in a pool of loans secured by an investment in real estate. The transactions provide the Company with access to liquidity for the loans and ongoing management fees. The principal and interest on the outstanding debt securities are paid using the cash flows from the underlying loans, which serve as collateral for the debt.
Servicing Securitized Loans
In their capacity as servicer of the securitized loans, FAM (prior to January 1, 2022, through FACo) and FAR retain the power to direct the VIE’s activities that most significantly impact the VIEs economic performance. FAM (prior to January 1, 2022, through FACo) and FAR also retain certain beneficial interests in these trusts which provide exposure to potential gains and losses based on the performance of the trust. As FAM (prior to January 1, 2022, through FACo) and FAR have both the power to direct the activities that significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and the obligations to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE, the definition of primary beneficiary is met and the trusts are consolidated by the Company through its FAM (prior to January 1, 2022, FACo) and FAR subsidiaries.
Certain obligations may arise from the agreements associated with transfers of loans. Under these agreements, the Company may be obligated to repurchase the loans, or otherwise indemnify or reimburse the investor for losses incurred due to material breach of contractual representations and warranties. There were no charge-offs associated with these transferred mortgage loans related to the standard securitization representations and warranties obligations for the Successor three months ended March 31, 2022, or the Predecessor period from January 1, 2021 to March 31, 2021.
The following table presents the assets and liabilities of the Company’s consolidated VIEs, which are included in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition and excludes intercompany balances, except for retained bonds and beneficial interests (in thousands):
 
    
March 31,
2022
    
December 31,
2021
 
ASSETS
                 
Restricted cash
  
$
303,232
 
   $ 311,652  
Loans held for investment, subject to nonrecourse debt, at fair value
  
 
6,103,454
 
     6,099,607  
Other assets, net
  
 
73,701
 
     67,593  
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
TOTAL ASSETS
  
$
6,480,387
 
   $ 6,478,852  
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
LIABILITIES
                 
Nonrecourse debt, at fair value
  
$
6,268,232
 
   $ 6,088,298  
Payables and other liabilities
  
 
633
 
     428  
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
TOTAL VIE LIABILITIES
  
 
6,268,865
 
     6,088,726  
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Retained bonds and beneficial interests eliminated in consolidation
  
 
(236,076
     (231,229
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
TOTAL CONSOLIDATED LIABILITIES
  
$
6,032,789
 
   $ 5,857,497  
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Unconsolidated VIEs
FAM
Hundred Acre Wood trust (“HAWT”)
FAM securitizes certain of its interests in agency-eligible residential mortgage loans. The transactions provide investors with the ability to invest in a pool of mortgage loans secured by
one-to-four-family
residential properties and provide FAM with access to liquidity for these assets and ongoing servicing fees. The principal and interest on the outstanding certificates are paid using the cash flows from the underlying mortgage loans, which serve as collateral for the debt. In May 2021, FAM established the Hundred Acre Wood Trust (“HAWT” or “Trust”) for the sole purpose of acquiring mortgage loans for securitization. In 2021, FAM executed the HAWT 2021-INV1, HAWT 2021-INV2 and HAWT 2021-INV3 securitizations, where FAM’s beneficial interest in the securitization is limited to its U.S. Risk Retention Certificates, a 5% eligible vertical interest in the Trust. The Company determined that the securitization structures meets the definition of a VIE and concluded that the Company does not hold a significant variable interest in the securitizations and that the contractual role as servicer is not a variable interest. The transfer of the loans to the VIEs was determined to be a sale. The Company derecognized the mortgage loans and did not consolidate the trusts.
FAM’s continuing involvement with and exposure to loss from the VIE includes the carrying value of the retained bond, the servicing asset recognized in the sale of the loans, servicing advances in the role as servicer, and obligations under representations and warranties contained in the loan sale agreements. Creditors of the VIE have no recourse to FAM’s assets or general credit. The underlying performance of the mortgage loans transferred has a direct impact on the fair values and cash flows of the beneficial interests held and the servicing asset recognized.
The following table presents a summary of the outstanding collateral and certificate balances for securitization trusts for which the Company was the transferor and that were not consolidated by the Company (in thousands):
 
    
March 31,
2022
    
December 31,
2021
 
Unconsolidated securitization trusts:
                 
Total collateral balances – UPB
  
$
1,056,341
 
   $ 1,085,340  
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total certificate balances
  
$
1,056,341
 
   $ 1,085,340  
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, there were $0.7 million and $0.4 million, respectively, of mortgage loans transferred by the Company to unconsolidated securitization trusts that are 90 days or more past
due.
Cavatica Asset Participation Trust (“CAPT”)
In December 2021, FACo established the CAPT for the purpose of securitizing agricultural loans. In 2021, FACo executed CAPT-2021, where its beneficial interest in the securitization is limited to its Issuer Residual Interest Certificates, a 5% eligible vertical interest in the Trust. The Company determined that the securitization structures meets the definition of a VIE and concluded that the Company does not hold a significant variable interest in the securitizations and the Company does not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of the VIEs. However, the transfer of the loans to the VIEs was determined not to be a sale. As such, the Company continues to recognize and consolidate the loans and the related nonrecourse liability, with the retained bonds being eliminated against the nonrecourse liability in consolidation. The Company’s continuing involvement with and exposure to loss from the VIE includes the carrying value of the retained bond, the retained loans, debt servicing of the related nonrecourse liability, servicing advances in the role as servicer, and obligations under representations and warranties contained in the loan sale agreements. Creditors of the VIE have no recourse to the Company’s assets or general credit. The underlying performance of the mortgage loans held has a direct impact on the fair values and cash flows of the beneficial interests held.
As of March 31, 2022, the consolidated balance of the agricultural loans transferred to the VIE and the related nonrecourse liability had a fair value of $132.5 million and $127.6 million, respectively.