AG Mortgage Investment Trust(MITT) - 2024 Q3 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company's book value increased from $10.37 to$10.58, representing a 2% growth, while producing a 3.9% economic return on equity for the quarter [8][27] - Net interest income for the quarter was $15.8 million, with earnings per share at$0.40 and EAD per share at $0.17 [9][28] - The economic leverage ratio decreased from 2.5 turns to 1.5 turns during the quarter, indicating a reduction in leverage [10][30] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company issued two agency-eligible non-owner-occupied securitizations totaling approximately$750 million, strengthening its market position [11][16] - The company acquired approximately $150 million of home equity loans and committed to purchase another$200 million, indicating a strategic shift towards this growing segment [20][23] - The investment portfolio decreased by approximately 1.4% to $6.8 billion, with active acquisitions offset by sales of Agency RMBS and loans [29] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The home equity lending market is estimated to be as much as$2 trillion, with expected annual loan originations of $200 billion to$300 billion [22] - The company noted that its securitized agency-eligible investor book has lower delinquencies compared to similar vintage non-AC prime jumbo transactions [18] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on home equity loans as a new opportunity, leveraging its expertise in mortgage banking and asset management [20][23] - Management indicated a cautious approach to capital allocation in the agency-eligible investor space due to increased competition and changing market dynamics [17] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed that housing supply and affordability remain significant issues, with no immediate solutions in sight [13] - The company believes it is less exposed to interest rate volatility compared to the average mortgage rate, and expects to deliver strong results even in a flat yield curve environment [14] Other Important Information - The company plans to simplify its reporting by solely disclosing book value adjusted for the liquidation preference of preferred stock [27] - The company ended the quarter with total liquidity of approximately $120 million, consisting of$103 million in cash and 17 million in unencumbered agency RMBS [31] Q&A Session Summary Question: Home equity opportunity and equity allocation - Management expects a high portion of future capital deployment to be in the home equity sector due to its attractiveness [33] Question: Drivers for increasing earnings closer to dividends - Management indicated that as assets mature and credit plays out, there is room to increase ROEs, which could align earnings with dividends [34][35] Question: Thoughts on the dividend amidst operating earnings dip - Management noted that they are building a pipeline for higher ROE opportunities and expect Arc Home to trend towards breakeven, which would support dividend coverage [38][40] Question: Impact of prepay assumptions in the current quarter - Management stated that the prepay assumption was a major driver for the decrease in EAD from 0.21 to $0.17 [44] Question: Securitization as a financing method for home equity - Management confirmed that securitization is the primary method for financing home equity loans, with sizes typically ranging from$275 million to $500 million [45] Question: Current level of cash and liquidity comfort - Management expressed comfort with the current liquidity level of approximately$120 million, indicating room for leveraging [48] Question: Concerns about credit performance and recession risks - Management is not seeing deterioration in credit performance and believes there are multiple loss remediation tactics available [56][57]