Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported distributable earnings of $57.3 million or $0.28 per share, and $0.31 per share excluding one-time realized losses from the sale of REO assets [19] - The return on equity (ROE) for the first quarter was approximately 10% [19] - The company anticipates distributable earnings guidance of $0.30 to $0.35 per quarter for 2025 [19][20] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - In the balance sheet lending platform, the company originated $370 million of new bridge loans in the first quarter, with a target of $1.5 billion to $2 billion for 2025 [13] - The agency business had a slow first quarter, producing $6 million in originations and $731 million in loan sales, maintaining strong margins of 1.75% [25] - The investment portfolio grew to $11.5 billion at March 31, with an all-in yield of 7.85% [26] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company experienced a significant backup in long-term rates, creating headwinds for originations [7] - The delinquency rate decreased by 20% to $654 million as of March 31 compared to $819 million at December 31 [22] - The average cost of debt decreased to approximately 6.82% at March 31 from 6.88% at December 31 [28] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on resolving REO assets and delinquencies, viewing 2025 as a transitional year [18] - A transformational deal was announced with a $1.1 billion repurchase facility to finance assets in existing CLO vehicles, enhancing liquidity and efficiency [4][5] - The company aims to leverage the securitization market to drive higher returns on capital and increase future earnings [37] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that the current rate environment is volatile and unpredictable, impacting the ability to forecast future earnings [8] - There is optimism regarding a potential reduction in interest rates, which could positively affect agency volumes and earnings [9] - The company is actively working to reposition underperforming assets and improve occupancy and net operating income (NOI) over the next 12 to 24 months [11] Other Important Information - The company has taken back approximately $197 million of REO assets and expects to see these assets grow to between $400 million and $500 million [52] - The average balance on debt facilities was down to approximately $9.4 billion for the first quarter compared to $9.7 billion in the fourth quarter [28] Q&A Session Summary Question: What is the outlook for net growth in the Bridge portfolio in 2025? - Management expects net growth in the Bridge portfolio, targeting $1.5 billion to $2 billion in new business while managing runoff effectively [33] Question: What were the primary weaknesses in the 2022 and 2023 vintages? - Management highlighted that the multifamily sector experienced a long period of growth without corrections, leading to poor performance due to economic factors and management issues [39][41] Question: What is the current cash and liquidity situation? - The company has approximately $325 million in cash and liquidity, with plans to enhance leverage and grow liquidity through the securitization market [48][49] Question: What is the expected trajectory for NPLs and REO? - Management anticipates NPLs to decrease and REO to increase to between $400 million and $500 million, focusing on repositioning these assets [52][54] Question: What is the book value at the end of the quarter? - The book value was reported at $11.98 at the end of the quarter [76]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company generated a total economic return of 4.4% for Q1 2025, with both RMBS and MSR contributing positively to the results [4] - Book value increased to $14.66 per share at March 31, compared to $14.47 at December 31, including a $0.45 common stock dividend [10] - Comprehensive income for the first quarter was $64.9 million, or $0.62 per weighted average common share [11] - Economic debt to equity decreased to 6.2 times [15] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Net interest and servicing income increased by $5.2 million due to portfolio shifts into higher coupon agency RMBS and lower borrowing rates [11] - The company decreased its mortgage exposure by 30% and reduced leverage during the first quarter [15] - The MSR portfolio's prepayment speed was 4.2 CPR for Q1, down 0.7% quarter over quarter [24] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Interest rates across the US treasury yield curve ended the first quarter lower than at the end of 2024, with two-year and ten-year notes both decreasing by 36 basis points [5] - Prepayment rates for the thirty-year agency RMBS universe decreased by 1.4 percentage points quarter over quarter to 5.6% CPR [20] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to scale its direct-to-consumer originations platform, increase offerings of second liens, and explore opportunities in the Ginnie Mae market [6][7] - The focus is on growing the presence in third-party subservicing and generating cost efficiencies through technology and AI applications [7] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed concerns about economic uncertainty driven by proposals on tariffs and trade policy, which could impact the dollar's status as the world's reserve currency [6] - The company is managing its portfolio for long-term stability while keeping leverage and risk at muted levels until there is more clarity on the economic path forward [29] Other Important Information - The company has maintained high liquidity levels, with $950 million in unused MSR asset financing capacity and $47 million in unused capacity for service and advances [13] - The MSR market remains well supported, with transfer volume normalizing to pre-COVID levels [22] Q&A Session Summary Question: Update on book value through April and portfolio adjustments - Management indicated a 3.5% decline in book value through early April and noted further risk reduction in the portfolio due to increased volatility [33][34] Question: Impact of Rocket and Mr. Cooper merger on the servicing market - Management believes the merger's impact on demand for MSR will be muted, with combined demand likely equal to the sum of individual demands [41][42] Question: Comfort level with the dividend - Management expressed confidence in supporting the dividend given the current portfolio composition and wider spreads [50] Question: Sensitivity of book value to spread changes - Management explained that the sensitivity to spread changes is lower due to the allocation of capital between MSR and securities [52][56] Question: Liquidity levels and recapture efforts - Management confirmed high liquidity levels and noted that organic recapture from the direct-to-consumer channel remains low but is expected to improve as the platform scales [81][84] Question: Interest in the Ginnie Mae market - Management is exploring the Ginnie Mae market for potential opportunities and to enhance their service offerings [86]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company generated a total economic return of 4.4% for Q1 2025, with both RMBS and MSR contributing positively [5] - Book value increased to $14.66 per share at March 31, compared to $14.47 at December 31 [10] - Comprehensive income for the first quarter was $64.9 million, or $0.62 per weighted average common share [11] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Net interest and servicing income increased by $5.2 million due to portfolio shifts into higher coupon agency RMBS and lower borrowing rates [11] - The company’s economic debt to equity decreased to 6.2 times, with a 30% reduction in mortgage exposure [16] - The MSR portfolio's prepayment speed was 4.2 CPR for Q1, down 0.7% quarter over quarter [25] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Interest rates across the US treasury yield curve ended the first quarter lower than at the end of 2024, with two-year and ten-year notes decreasing by 36 basis points [6] - Prepayment rates for the thirty-year agency RMBS universe decreased by 1.4 percentage points quarter over quarter to 5.6% CPR [21] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to scale its direct-to-consumer originations platform, increase offerings of second liens, and grow its presence in third-party subservicing [7][8] - The company is exploring opportunities in the Ginnie Mae market and diversifying its portfolio in response to the evolving mortgage finance landscape [8] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed concerns about economic uncertainty driven by trade policies and the Fed's response, indicating a cautious approach to portfolio risk [7][28] - The company sees attractive levered returns on Agency RMBS and expects stable cash flows from its low weighted average mortgage rate MSR portfolio [29] Other Important Information - The company maintained high liquidity levels with $950 million in unused MSR asset financing capacity [13] - The company is actively managing its portfolio to take advantage of market dislocations and attractive return opportunities [5][29] Q&A Session Summary Question: Update on book value through April and portfolio changes - Management reported a 3.5% decline in book value through early April and noted further risk reduction in the portfolio due to increased volatility [33][35] Question: Impact of Rocket and Mr. Cooper merger on competitive landscape - Management indicated that the merger may lead to slightly better bidding for MSR but does not represent a wholesale change in market dynamics [42][46] Question: Comfort level with the dividend - Management expressed confidence in supporting the dividend given the current portfolio composition and wider spreads [51] Question: Sensitivity of book value to spread changes - Management explained that the sensitivity to spread changes is lower due to the allocation of capital between servicing and securities [56][58] Question: Volatility and hedging activity impact on static return estimates - Management acknowledged higher convexity costs due to realized volatility but noted that wider spreads could mitigate some of these costs [67][68]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for the fourth quarter was $240 million, up 44% compared to $166 million last year, with adjusted EBITDA of $18 million and net income of $8.5 million [5][18] - For the full year, revenue grew 8% to approximately $696 million, with a net loss of $12.4 million, significantly improved from a net loss of $34 million last year [5][24] - Adjusted EBITDA for the full year was $9.4 million, compared to a negative $19.6 million in the prior year [24] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Brokerage revenue increased 40% in the fourth quarter, with transaction count up 23% and volume growth of 41% [5][6] - Financing revenue nearly doubled in the fourth quarter to $31 million, a 97% increase year-over-year [20][21] - The core private client business contributed 59% of brokerage revenue in the fourth quarter, down from 66% the previous year [19][20] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company closed 7,800 transactions with a total volume of $43.6 billion for the year, reflecting gains of 414% in transaction count [10] - Average transaction size increased to approximately $7 million in the fourth quarter, up from $6.2 million a year ago [19] - The ten-year treasury yield dropped to a low of 3.6% in September, which contributed to increased market activity [8] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to increase investor outreach and client contact while focusing on individual producer productivity [15][16] - Investments in technology, including AI, are being made to enhance underwriting and support processes [15][39] - The company is pursuing strategic acquisitions and partnerships to extend market penetration and enhance service offerings [16][38] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that interest rate volatility remains a significant challenge for closing deals [11] - There is cautious optimism for incremental growth in transactions, driven by situational distress and realistic pricing [12] - The company expects first-quarter revenue to follow seasonal trends and be sequentially lower than Q4 [25][26] Other Important Information - The company has a strong balance sheet with no debt and $394 million in cash and marketable securities [24][17] - A semi-annual dividend of $0.25 per share was declared, amounting to approximately $10 million [25] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you discuss the different transaction size buckets for commission revenue? - Management highlighted a trend of increased capital in larger transactions, driven by institutional investors and entrepreneurial private investors [30][31] Question: What impact have the recent fires in Greater LA had on multifamily transactions? - Management noted that insurance costs have increased and that there is pressure on operating costs, affecting market sentiment and inventory availability [33][34] Question: Any updates on external growth opportunities or strategic initiatives? - Management indicated ongoing discussions for potential acquisitions but noted valuation concerns as a barrier [37][38] Question: How does the company balance capital allocation between share repurchase and dividends? - Management stated that capital allocation decisions are made opportunistically, with a focus on long-term growth investments [41][42]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The book value at December 31 was $14.47 per common share, down from $14.93 on September 30, resulting in a flat quarterly economic return [6][17] - The company incurred a comprehensive loss of $1.6 million or $0.03 per weighted average common share in Q4 [18] - Net interest expense decreased by $7.4 million in Q4 due to lower RMBS borrowing balances [18] - The economic return for the full year of 2024 was 7.0 percent [17] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Net servicing income was $168 million, slightly down from Q3 due to lower float income [19] - The servicing assets showed a gain of $82.5 million in Q4 after a loss of $133.4 million in Q3 [20] - The weighted average note rate in the MSR portfolio was 3.46%, with mortgage rates around 7% [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The 10-year treasury yield increased by 79 basis points to finish at 4.57% [7] - The 2-year treasury yield increased by 60 basis points to 4.24% [7] - The overall prepayment rates for 30-year agency RMBS rose to 6.9% CPR, reflecting a lagged effect from lower rates in Q3 [30] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on a hedged MSR-centric strategy to generate stable cash flows [14] - A direct-to-consumer origination platform was launched to maintain the servicing portfolio through recapture of underlying mortgage loans [11] - The company aims to expand its second lien loan offerings to borrowers [13] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expects mortgage rates to remain above 6% in the intermediate term, which may keep housing activity muted [9] - The company believes that its MSR portfolio will benefit from the success of servicing and originations [11] - Management expressed optimism about the stability of returns and the potential for attractive levered returns in 2025 and beyond [35] Other Important Information - The company serviced $212 billion UPB of MSR across 861,000 loans, with $58 billion UPB serviced for third-party clients [10] - The economic debt to equity ratio decreased slightly to 6.5 times [26] - The MSR portfolio was valued at $202 billion UPB at December 31, reflecting a slight increase in price multiple to 5.9 times [31][32] Q&A Session Summary Question: How has the book performed so far in the quarter? - Management indicated that total return is estimated to be up between 1.5% to 2% as of the previous night [38] Question: How does the lower leverage level impact earnings power? - Management stated that overall debt to economic ratio is just one measure and that the mix of assets supports stable returns [39][40] Question: What is the outlook for Agency MBS spreads this year? - Management expressed a positive outlook for mortgage spreads, noting a more controlled response since November [46][49] Question: Any thoughts on potential GSE reform? - Management indicated they do not have more information than the market regarding GSE reform and its implications [54] Question: Can you discuss the differences between EAD and static return range? - Management explained that the static return is a mark-to-market basis, while EAD reflects the purchase price and can create timing distortions [60][62] Question: Are there new financing counterparties for the MSR portfolio? - Management noted that the depth of the market for MSR financing continues to grow with new entrants [70][71] Question: How have costs changed in response to rate cuts? - Management stated that financing costs have decreased as the Fed has cut rates, impacting both MSR and RMBS sides [73]