Item 1. Business
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
General
Cavco Industries, Inc., a Delaware corporation, was formed on June 30, 2003, as a successor corporation to previous Cavco entities operating since 1965. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, we design and produce factory-built homes primarily distributed through a network of independent and Company-owned retailers, planned community operators and residential developers. We are one of the largest producers of manufactured homes in the United States, based on reported wholesale shipments. Our products are marketed under a variety of brand names including Cavco, Fleetwood, Palm Harbor, Nationwide, Fairmont, Friendship, Chariot Eagle, Destiny, Commodore, Colony, Pennwest, R-Anell, Manorwood and MidCountry. We are also a leading producer of park model RVs, vacation cabins and factory-built commercial structures. Our finance subsidiary, CountryPlace Acceptance Corp. ("CountryPlace"), is an approved Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA" or "Fannie Mae") and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC" or "Freddie Mac") seller/servicer, and a Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA" or "Ginnie Mae") mortgage-backed securities issuer that offers conforming mortgages, non-conforming mortgages and home-only loans to purchasers of factory-built homes. Our insurance subsidiary, Standard Casualty Company ("Standard Casualty"), provides property and casualty insurance primarily to owners of manufactured homes. The terms "Cavco," "us," "we," "our," the "Company," and any other similar terms refer to Cavco Industries, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated in this Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Annual Report").
We construct homes using an assembly-line process in which each module or floor section is completed in stages. This assembly-line process is designed to be flexible in order to accommodate customer requested customizations. Our operations include 26 homebuilding production lines located throughout the United States and we distribute our homes through 45 Company-owned U.S. retail stores and a network of independent distribution points in 48 states and Canada. Thirty-one Company-owned retail stores are located in Texas.
On September 24, 2021, we purchased certain manufactured housing assets and assumed certain liabilities of The Commodore Corporation ("Commodore"), including its six manufacturing facilities and two wholly-owned retail locations. The addition of Commodore expanded our geographic reach into the Northeast U.S. and enhanced our presence in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic markets. It also expanded our reach to modular home customers, as their home production is generally split between manufactured and modular housing. Implementation of best practices of the Company and Commodore are expected to create efficiency improvements across our operations. In addition to our proven existing processes we can bring to the Commodore operations, we believe Commodore has developed and implemented advanced manufacturing technologies that will lead to improvements to Cavco's operations. Commodore also participates in commercial lending operations with its dealers, and we have continued most of these programs after acquisition. The transaction was accounted for as a business combination and the results of operations have been included in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements since the date of acquisition.
CountryPlace originates and services single-family, conforming and non-confirming residential mortgages and home-only loans, for itself and others. CountryPlace is authorized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD") to directly endorse Federal Housing Administration ("FHA") Title I and Title II mortgage insurance, is an approved lender with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs ("VA") and the U.S. Department of Agriculture ("USDA") under its Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program, is approved by GNMA to issue GNMA-insured mortgage-backed securities and is authorized to sell mortgages to, and service mortgages for, FNMA and FHLMC. A conforming mortgage or loan is one that conforms to the guidelines of a Government-Sponsored Enterprise ("GSE"), such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or a government agency, such as FHA; a non-conforming mortgage or loan does not conform to these guidelines. For further information relating to consumer loans receivable (see Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements).
Standard Casualty, located in Texas, specializes in homeowner property and casualty insurance products for the manufactured housing industry and holds insurance licenses in multiple states, primarily serving the Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada markets. In addition to writing direct policies, Standard Casualty assumes and cedes reinsurance in the ordinary course of business (see Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements).
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See Note 23 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for financial information regarding the Company's business segments, factory-built housing and financial services, which are also discussed below.
Business Strategies
Our operations are generally managed on a decentralized basis with oversight from the home office. This decentralization enables our operators the flexibility to adapt to local market demand, be more customer focused and have the autonomy to make swift decisions, while still being held accountable for operational and financial performance.
Our marketing efforts are focused on providing manufactured homes that are customizable and appeal to a wide range of home buyers, on a regional basis, in the markets we serve. The primary demographics for our products are entry-level and move-up buyers and persons age 55 and older. We also market to special niches such as subdivision developers and second home or vacation home buyers.
We focus on developing and maintaining the resources necessary to meet our customer's desire for varied and unique specifications in an efficient factory production environment. This enables us to attract distributors and consumers who desire the flexibility the custom home building process provides but who also seek the value and affordability created by building a home on a factory production line.
We strive to maintain a competitive advantage by reacting quickly to changes in the marketplace and to the specific needs of our distributors and consumers. We build homes of superior quality, offer innovative designs and floor plans, demonstrate exceptional value, provide the engineering and technical resources to enable custom home building and focus on responsive and efficient customer service after the sale.
Products
A majority of our products are constructed in accordance with the National Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards promulgated by HUD ("HUD code"). We also build park model RVs, constructed to standards approved by the American National Standards Institute, a private, non-profit organization that administers and coordinates a voluntary standardization and conformity program. Park model RVs are less than 400 square feet in size, primarily used as vacation dwellings and seasonal living, and placed in planned communities, recreational home parks and resorts. We also produce a wide variety of modular homes, which include single and multi-section ranch, split-level and Cape Cod style homes, as well as two- and three-story homes, multi-family units and commercial modular structures, including apartment buildings, condominiums, hotels, workforce housing, schools and housing for U.S. military troops (e.g., barracks). Commercial buildings are constructed in the same facilities in which the residential homes are built using similar assembly line processes and techniques. These commercial projects are generally engineered to the purchaser's specifications. The buildings are transported to the customer's site in the same manner as residential homes and are often set by crane and finished at the site.
We produce residential homes in a variety of floor plans. Most of these homes are single-story and generally range in size from approximately 500 to 3,300 square feet, but may be larger in the case of multi-level modular homes.
Each home typically contains a living room, dining area, kitchen, one to five bedrooms and one or more bathrooms, is equipped with central heat and hot water systems, kitchen appliances, floor coverings and window treatments. Upgrades can include fireplaces, central air conditioning, tile roofs, high ceilings, skylights, hardwood floors, custom cabinetry, granite countertops and eco-friendly elements. We also offer a variety of structural, decorative and energy efficient customizations to meet the home buyer's specifications.
With manufacturing facilities strategically positioned across the nation, we utilize local market research to design homes to meet the demands of our customers. We have the ability to react and modify floor plans and designs to consumers' specific needs. By offering a full range of homes from entry-level models to large custom homes and with the ability to engineer designs in-house, we can accommodate a wide spectrum of customer requests.
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We regularly introduce new floor plans and options to appeal to changing trends in different regions of the country. We have developed engineering systems that, through the use of computer-aided technology, permit customization of homes and assist with product development and enhancement. We work with a variety of partners to meet the expanding range of housing needs, including home buyer's private land, planned neighborhoods, recreational or resort properties and workforce accommodations for agriculture and industry.
We employ a concerted effort to identify niche market opportunities where our diverse product lines and custom building capabilities provide us with a competitive advantage. We are focused on building quality, energy efficient homes for the modern home buyer. Our green building initiatives involve the creation of an energy efficient envelope, including higher utilization of renewable materials and provide lower utility costs. We also build homes designed to use alternative energy sources, such as solar.
Once a factory-built home is built at our facilities, it is then generally transported by independent trucking companies either to a retail sales center, planned community, housing development, work site or the home buyer's site. Distributors, or other independent installers utilized by us for homes sold through our Company-owned retail stores, are responsible for placing the home on site and, in most instances, arranging for connections to utilities and providing installation and finish-out services. Although manufactured homes are designed to be transportable, cost considerations result in very few being moved from their original site after installation.
Factory-built Housing Segment
Manufacturing Operations . Our manufacturing facilities employ between approximately 100 to 350 employees each. Most homes are constructed in one or more floor sections or modules on a permanently affixed steel or wood support chassis. Each section is assembled in stages beginning with the construction of the chassis, followed by the addition of other constructed and purchased components, and ending with a final quality control inspection. The efficiency of the assembly-line process and the benefits of constructing homes in a controlled factory environment enables us to produce quality homes in less time and at a lower cost per square foot than building homes on individual sites.
We operate 26 homebuilding production lines in Millersburg and Woodburn, Oregon; Riverside, California; Nampa, Idaho; Phoenix and Goodyear, Arizona; Austin, Fort Worth, Seguin and Waco, Texas; Montevideo, Minnesota; Dorchester, Wisconsin; Nappanee and Goshen, Indiana; Lafayette, Tennessee; Douglas and Moultrie, Georgia; Shippenville and Emlenton, Pennsylvania; Martinsville and Rocky Mount, Virginia; Cherryville, North Carolina; and Ocala and Plant City, Florida. These manufacturing facilities range from approximately 79,000 to 341,000 square feet of floor space. The production schedules for our manufacturing facilities are based on wholesale orders received from independent and Company-owned retailers, planned community operators and residential developers. Our facilities are structured to operate on a one shift per day, five days per week basis, and a typical home is completed in approximately six production days.
Manufactured housing is a regional business and the primary geographic market for a typical manufacturing facility is within a cost effective shipping radius of 350 miles. Each of our manufacturing facilities serves multiple distributors and a number of one-time purchasers. Because homes are produced to fill existing wholesale orders, our factories generally do not carry finished goods inventories, except for homes awaiting delivery. Materials used in homebuilding operations are mainly standard items carried by major suppliers and consist of wood, wood products, steel, gypsum wallboard, windows, doors, fiberglass insulation, carpet, vinyl, fasteners, plumbing materials, aluminum, appliances and electrical items. Fluctuations in the cost of materials and labor may affect gross margins from home sales to the extent that costs cannot be efficiently matched to the home sales price. We continue to monitor and react to inflation in these materials by maintaining a focus on our product pricing in response to higher materials costs, but such product pricing increases may lag behind the escalation of such costs.
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From time to time and to varying degrees, we may experience shortages in the availability of materials and/or labor in the markets served. Availability of these inputs has not caused significant production halts in the current period, but we have experienced periodic shutdowns in other periods and shortages of primary building materials have caused production inefficiencies as we have needed to change processes in response to the delay in materials. These shortages may also result in extended order backlogs, delays in the delivery of homes and reduced gross margins from home sales.
Housing demand remains strong as qualified individuals continue pursuing affordable home-ownership. Home order rates have moderated from the extreme highs we saw during the summer of 2020 to the summer of 2021, but still remain above pre-pandemic rates, which we considered to be strong. The increase in orders outpaced production and raised our home order backlog at April 2, 2022 to approximately $1.1 billion in wholesale sales values, up $511 million from $603 million one year earlier. The year over year increase includes $264 million attributable to our acquisition of Commodore. Distributors may cancel orders prior to production without penalty. After production of a particular home has commenced, the order becomes non-cancelable and the distributor is obligated to take delivery of the home. Accordingly, until production of a particular home has commenced, we do not consider order backlog to be firm orders.
It is difficult to predict the future of housing demand, employee availability, our supply chain or the Company's performance and operations. We continue to focus on developing production growth opportunities by working to improve our production capabilities and processes and adjusting product offerings. We strive to balance the production levels and workforce size with the demand for our product offerings to maximize efficiencies. Maintaining an appropriately sized and well-trained workforce is key to increasing production to meet increased demand, and we face a major challenge in overcoming hiring difficulties in the current environment. However, we are continually reviewing wage rates of our production employees and have established other monetary incentive and benefit programs to en sure competitive compensation. We are also working to more extensively use online recruiting tools, update our recruitment brochures, enhance our training programs and improve the appearance and appeal of our manufacturing facilities to improve the recruitment and retention of qualified production employees and reduce annualized turnover rates. Although we continue to experience hiring challenges and other inefficiencies from building material supply disruptions, we have reduced our total open production positions needed by nearly 25% over the past year, bringing our total average plant capacity utilization rate to exceeding 80% during the fourth fiscal quarter of 2022, which is above pre-pandemic levels.
Distribution . We sold 16,697, 14,214 and 15,100 factory-built homes in fiscal years 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively, through Company-owned and independent distribution channels.
As of April 2, 2022, there were a total of 45 Company-owned retail stores, located in Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Indiana, Oklahoma, Florida and New York. Thirty-one of the Company-owned retail stores are located in Texas. Company-owned retail stores are generally located on main roads or highways with high visibility, each having a sales office, which is generally a factory-built structure, and a variety of model homes of various sizes, floor plans, features and prices. Customers most often custom order a home to be built at one of our manufacturing facilities, or they may purchase a home from the inventory of homes maintained at retail locations, including a model home. Model homes may be displayed in a residential setting with sidewalks and landscaping. Each sales center usually employs a manager and one to five salespersons, who are compensated through a combination of salary and commission. We internally finance home inventories at Company-owned retail stores.
As of April 2, 2022, we had a network of independent distributors, of which 9% were in Arizona, 8% in Texas, 7% each in California, Florida and North Carolina and 6% each in Georgia and Oregon, based on the quantity of wholesale shipments during fiscal year 2022. The remaining 50% were in 41 other states and Canada. As is common in the industry, our independent distributors typically sell homes produced by other manufacturers in addition to those we produce. Some independent distributors operate multiple sales outlets. No independent distributor accounted for 10% or more of factory-built housing revenue during any fiscal year within the three-year period ended April 2, 2022.
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We continually seek to increase wholesale shipments by growing sales at existing independent distributors and by identifying new independent distributors to sell our homes. We provide comprehensive sales and product training, either physically or virtually, to independent retail sales associates, including providing opportunities to visit our manufacturing facilities to discuss and view new product designs as they are developed. These training seminars facilitate the sale of our homes by increasing the skill and knowledge of the retail sales consultants. In addition, we display our products at trade shows and support our distributors through the distribution of floor plan literature, brochures, decor selection displays, point of sale promotional material and internet-based marketing assistance.
Independent distributors frequently finance a portion of their home purchases through wholesale floor plan financing arrangements. In most cases, we receive a deposit or a commitment from the distributor's lender for each home ordered. We then manufacture the home and ship it at the distributor's expense. Payment is due from the lender upon shipment of the product. For a description of wholesale floor plan financing arrangements used by independent distributors and our obligations in connection with these arrangements, see "Company Provided Financing — Commercial Financing" below.
Warranties. We provide the retail home buyer a one-year limited warranty covering defects in material or workmanship in home structure, plumbing and electrical systems. Nonstructural components of a cosmetic nature are generally warranted for 120 days from the date of delivery, except in specific cases where state laws require longer warranty terms. The warranty does not extend to installation and setup of the home, as the distributor is generally responsible for these activities. Appliances, floor coverings, roofing and certain other components are warranted by their original manufacturer for various lengths of time.
Financial Services Segment
Finance . We provide a source of retail home buyer financing on competitive terms through our subsidiary, CountryPlace. We offer conforming and non-conforming mortgages and home-only loans to purchasers of numerous brands of factory-built homes sold by Company-owned retail stores and certain independent distributors, builders, communities and developers. We are authorized to directly endorse FHA Title I and Title II mortgage insurance, are an approved lender with the VA and the USDA under its Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program, are approved to issue GNMA-insured mortgage-backed securities and are authorized to sell mortgages to, and service mortgages for, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Most loans originated by us are sold to investors, and we provide various loan servicing functions for non-affiliated entities under contract.
The loan contracts are fixed and step rate and have monthly scheduled payments of principal and interest. The scheduled payments for each contract would, if made on their respective due dates, result in a full amortization of the contract. Loan contracts secured by collateral that is geographically concentrated could experience higher rates of delinquencies, default and foreclosure losses than loan contracts secured by collateral that is more geographically dispersed. Our loan contracts are secured by factory-built homes located in 26 states, with the largest concentrations in Texas, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Alabama (see Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional geographic concentration information).
W e continue to assist customers in need by servicing existing loans and insurance policies and complying with state and federal regulations regarding loan forbearance, home foreclosures and policy cancellations. See further details in the "Government Regulation" section below.
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Certain loans serviced for investors expose us to cash flow deficits if customers do not make contractual monthly payments of principal and interest in a timely manner. For certain loans serviced for Ginnie Mae and Freddie Mac, and home-only loans serviced for certain other investors, we must remit scheduled monthly principal and/or interest payments and principal curtailments regardless of whether monthly mortgage payments are collected from borrowers. Ginnie Mae permits cash obligations on loans in forbearance from COVID-19 to be offset by other incoming cash flows from loans such as loan pre-payments. Through fiscal year 2022, monthly collections of principal and interest from borro wers have exceeded scheduled principal and interest payments owed to investors; however, mandatory extended forbearance under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the "CARES Act") and certain other regulations related to COVID-19 could negatively impact cash obligations in the future.
We believe that providing financing alternatives improves our responsiveness to the financing needs of prospective home buyers and presents opportunities for additional sources of loan origination and servicing revenues. We have expanded our home-only lending programs in recent years, partially with the support of independent third-party financiers. Home-only loans and non-conforming mortgages originated are either sold outright, grouped and sold as a pool of loans, or held for investment.
Insurance . Standard Casualty, located in Texas, specializes in homeowner property and casualty insurance products for the manufactured housing industry and holds insurance licenses in multiple states, primarily serving the Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada markets. In addition to writing direct policies, we assume and cede reinsurance in the ordinary course of business. In Texas, policies are written through one affiliated managing general agent, whic h produces a ll premiums, and through local agents, most of which are manufactured home distributors. All business outside the state of Texas is written on a direct basis through local agents.
Company Provided Financing
Consumer Financing. Sales of factory-built homes are significantly affected by the availability and cost of consumer financing. There are three basic types of consumer financing in the factory-built housing industry: conforming mortgage loans which comply with the requirements of FHA, VA, USDA or GSEs; non-conforming mortgages for purchasers of the home and the land on which the home is placed; and personal property loans (often referred to as home-only or chattel loans) for consumers where the home is the sole collateral for the loan (generally HUD code homes).
Limited secondary market availability for non-conforming mortgages and home-only personal property loans secured by manufactured homes continue to constrain industry growth. We work independently and with other industry participants to develop secondary market opportunities for manufactured home-only loans and non-conforming mortgage portfolios and expand lending availability in the industry. Additionally, we continue to invest in community-based lending initiatives that provide home-only financing to residents of certain manufactured home communities. We also develop and invest in home-only lending programs to grow sales of homes through traditional distribution points. We believe that growing our investment and participation in home-only lending may provide additional sales growth opportunities for our factory-built housing operations and reduce our exposure to the actions of independent lenders.
We also work independently and with industry trade associations to encourage favorable legislative and GSE action to address the financing needs of buyers of affordable homes. Federal law requires GSEs to implement the "Duty to Serve" requirements specified in the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992, as amended by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. In April 2022, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac released their Underserved Markets Plans for 2022-2024 that describe, with specificity, the actions they would take over the three-year period to fulfill the "Duty to Serve" obligation. As with prior plans, the 2022-2024 plans offer enhanced mortgage loan products for manufactured homes titled a s real property, including Fannie Mae's "MH Advantage" and Freddie Mac's "ChoiceHome" programs that began in the latter part of calendar year 2018. Although some progress has been made with these programs, meaningful positive im pact in the form of increased home orders has yet to be realized. The plans do not include purchases of home-only loans during the three-year timeframe. Expansion of the secondary market for home-only loans through GSEs could support further demand for housing as lending options would likely become more available to home buyers.
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Commercial Financing. Certain of our wholesale factory-built housing sales to independent distributors are purchased through wholesale floor plan financing arrangements. Under a typical floor plan financing arrangement, an independent financial institution specializing in this line of business provides the distributor with a loan for the purchase price of the home and maintains a security interest in the home as collateral. The financial institution customarily requires Cavco, as the manufacturer of the home, to enter into a separate repurchase agreement with the financial institution that, upon default by the distributor and under certain other circumstances, obligates us to repurchase the financed home at declining prices over the term of the repurchase agreement (which, in most cases, is 18 to 24 months). The price at which we may be obligated to repurchase a home under these agreements is based upon the amount financed, plus certain administrative and shipping expenses. Our obligation under these repurchase agreements ceases upon the purchase of the home by the retail customer. The maximum amount of contingent obligations under such repurchase agreements was approximately $141.0 million and $74.2 million as of April 2, 2022 and April 3, 2021, respectively. The increase is the result of higher home sales price, increased units under these programs and the addition of Commodore. The risk of loss under these agreements is spread over many distributors and is further reduced by the resale value of the homes that we obtain upon the execution of a repurchase.
We continue to make certain commercial loan programs available to members of our wholesale distribution chain. Under our commercial loan arrangements, we provide funds for financed home purchases by distributors, community owners and developers (see Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements). Our involvement in commercial loans helps to increase the availability of manufactured home financing to distributors, community owners and developers and provides additional opportunity for product exposure to potential home buyers. While these initiatives support our ongoing efforts to expand product distribution, they also expose us to risks associated with the creditworthiness of this customer base and our inventory financing partners.
Industry Overview
General. Manufactured housing provides an alternative to other forms of new low-cost housing such as site-built housing and condominiums, and to existing housing such as pre-owned homes and apartments. According to statistics published by the Institute for Building Technology and Safety and the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, for the 2021 calendar year, manufactured housing wholesale shipments of homes constructed in accordance with the HUD code accounted for an estimated 12.2% of all new single-family homes sold.
According to data reported by the Manufactured Housing Institute, approximatel y 106,000 H UD code manufactured homes were shipped during calendar year 2021, compared to the 94,000 shipped during calendar year 2020 and 95,000 shipments in 2019. Prior to 2019, annual shipments had increased each year since calendar year 2009 when 50,000 HUD code manufactured homes were shipped, the lowest level since the industry began recording statistics in 1959.
Home Buyer Demographics. We believe the sector of the housing market in which manufactured housing is most competitive includes consumers from diverse backgrounds with household incomes under $40,000. This segment has a high representation of persons age 55 and older, as well as young single persons and young married couples. The low cost of a fully-equipped manufactured home compared to a site-built alternative is attractive to these consumers. Persons in rural areas and those who presently live in manufactured homes also make up a significant portion of the demand for new manufactured housing. Innovative engineering and design, as well as efficient production techniques, continue to position manufactured homes to meet the demand for affordable housing in rural markets and manufactured housing communities. The markets for affordable factory-built housing are very competitive, as well as cyclical and seasonal. The industry is sensitive to employment levels, consumer confidence, the availability of financing and general economic conditions.
"First-time" and "move-up" buyers of affordable homes are historically among the largest segments of new manufactured home purchasers. Included in this group are lower-income households that are particularly affected by periods of low employment rates and underemployment. Consumer confidence is especially important among manufactured home buyers interested in our products for seasonal or retirement living.
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The two largest manufactured housing consumer demographics, young adults and those who are age 55 and older, are both growing. According to World Bank, the U.S. adult population is estimated to expand by approximately 9.1 million between 2022 and 2027. Young adults born from 1976 to 1995, often referred to as Gen Y or Millennials, represent a large segment of the population who are generally first-time home buyers attracted by the affordability, product diversity and location flexibility of factory-built homes. The age 55 and older category is reported to be the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. This group is similarly interested in the value proposition; however, they are also motivated by the energy efficiency and low maintenance requirements of factory-built homes and by the lifestyle offered by planned communities that are specifically designed for homeowners that fall into this age group.
Competition
The manufactured housing industry is highly competitive at both the wholesale and retail levels, with competition based on several factors including price, product features, reputation for service and quality, depth of distribution, pr omotion, merchandising and the terms of retail customer financing. We compete with more than 30 other producers of manufactured homes, as well as with new and existing apartments, townhouses and condominiums and site-built homes.
There are a number of other national manufacturers competing for a significant share of the manufactured housing market in the United States, including Clayton Homes, Inc. and Skyline Champion Corporation, which may possess greater financial, manufacturing, distribution and marketing resources than us.
There are significant competitors to CountryPlace in the markets served. These competitors include national, regional and local banks, mortgage banks and independent finance companies such as: 21st Mortgage Corporation, an affiliate of Clayton Homes, Inc. and Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.; Triad Financial Services, Inc.; and Cascade Financial Services. Certain of these competitors are larger than CountryPlace and have access to substantially more capital. CountryPlace remains competitive in breadth of loan product offerings, interest rates, customer service and loan servicing capabilities.
The market for homeowners' insurance is highly competitive. Standard Casualty competes principally in property and casualty insurance for owners of manufactured homes with companies such as National Lloyds and American Modern Insurance, which may be larger and offer broader types of insurance allowing them to be more aggressive in their underwriting standards. Standard Casualty remains competitive in price, breadth of product offerings, product features, customer service, claim handling and use of technology.
Government Regulation
Our manufactured homes are subject to a number of federal, state and local laws, codes and regulations. Construction of manufactured housing is governed by the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974, as amended, also referred to as the Home Construction Act. In 1976, HUD issued regulations under the Home Construction Act establishing comprehensive national construction standards. In 1994, the codes were amended and expanded to, among other things, address specific requirements for homes destined for geographic areas subject to severe weather conditions. The HUD regulations, known collectively as the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards, cover all aspects of manufactured home construction, including structural integrity, fire safety, wind loads, thermal protection and ventilation. Such regulations preempt conflicting state and local regulations on such matters and are subject to periodic change. Our manufacturing facilities, and the plans and specifications of the HUD code manufactured homes they produce, have been approved by a HUD-certified inspection agency. Further, an independent HUD-certified third-party inspector regularly reviews our manufactured homes for compliance with HUD regulations during construction. Failure to comply with applicable HUD regulations could expose us to a wide variety of sanctions, including mandated closings of our manufacturing facilities. We believe our manufactured homes are in substantial compliance with all present HUD requirements. Our park model RVs are not subject to HUD regulations, but we believe that our park model RVs are in substantial compliance with the standards of the American National Standards Institute.
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Transporting manufactured homes on highways is subject to regulation by various federal, state and local authorities. Such regulations may prescribe size and road use limitations and impose lower than normal speed limits and various other requirements. Generally, our distributors are responsible for the transportation of homes from our factory to the final destination through independent third-party transportation companies.
Our manufactured homes are subject to local zoning and housing regulations. In certain cities and counties in areas where our homes are sold, local governmental ordinances and regulations have been enacted which restrict the placement of manufactured homes on privately-owned land or which require the placement of manufactured homes in manufactured home communities. Such ordinances and regulations may adversely impact our ability to sell homes for installation in communities where they are in effect. A number of states have adopted procedures governing the installation of manufactured homes. Utility connections are subject to state and local regulations, which must be complied with by the distributor or other person installing the home.
Certain warranties we issue, including our principal homeowners' warranties, may be subject to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Federal Trade Commission Improvement Act (the "Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act"), which regulates the descriptions of warranties on consumer products. In the case of warranties subject to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, we are subject to a number of additional regulatory requirements. For example, warranties that are subject to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act must be included in a single easy-to-read document that is generally made available prior to purchase. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act also prohibits certain attempts to disclaim or modify implied warranties and the use of deceptive or misleading terms. A claim for a violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act can be the subject of an action in federal court in which consumers may be able to recover attorneys' fees. The description and substance of our warranties are also subject to a variety of state laws and regulations. A number of states require manufactured home producers and distributors to post bonds to ensure the satisfaction of consumer warranty claims.
A variety of laws affect the financing of the homes we manufacture. The Federal Consumer Credit Protection Act (the "Truth-in-Lending Act" or "TILA") and Regulation Z promulgated thereunder require written disclosure of information relating to such financing, including the amount of the annual percentage interest rate and any finance charges. The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act also requires certain disclosures to potential customers concerning credit information used as a basis to deny credit. The Federal Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Regulation B promulgated thereunder prohibit discrimination against any credit applicant based on certain specified grounds. The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act ("RESPA") and Regulation X promulgated thereunder require certain disclosures regarding the nature and costs of real estate settlements. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB") has adopted or proposed various Trade Regulation Rules dealing with unfair credit and collection practices and the preservation of consumers' claims and defenses. Direct loans and mortgage loans eligible for inclusion in a Ginnie Mae security are subject to the credit underwriting requirements of the FHA, USDA or VA. A variety of state laws also regulate the form of financing documents and the allowable deposits, finance charge and fees chargeable pursuant to financing documents. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, implemented by Regulation F, applies to certain loans and contracts that we service for certain investors and prohibits debt collectors from engaging in harassment or abuse, making false or misleading representations, or engaging in unfair practices in debt collection.
In 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd-Frank Act") was passed into law. The Dodd-Frank Act was a sweeping piece of legislation designed to reform credit and lending practices after the global credit crisis of 2008. On May 24, 2018, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd-Frank Reform Act") was signed into law. The Dodd-Frank Reform Act revises portions of the Dodd-Frank Act, reduces the regulatory burden on smaller financial institutions, including eliminating certain provisions of the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 (the "SAFE Act"). With the elimination of certain provisions of the SAFE Act, manufactured housing distributors can now assist home buyers with securing financing for the purchase of homes; however, they may not assist in negotiating the financing terms. This has facilitated access to financing and makes the overall home buying experience smoother for the consumer.
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Certain CFPB mortgage finance rules required under the Dodd-Frank Act, and modified by the Dodd-Frank Reform Act, apply to consumer credit transactions secured by a dwelling, which include real property mortgages and home-only loans secured by manufactured homes. These rules defined standards for origination of a Qualified Mortgage ("QM"), established specific requirements for lenders to prove borrowers' ability to repay loans and outlined the conditions under which QMs are subject to safe harbor limitations on liability to borrowers. The rules also establish interest rates and other cost parameters for determining which QMs fall under safe harbor protection. Among other issues, QMs with interest rates and other costs outside the limits are deemed "rebuttable" by borrowers and expose the lender and its assignees (including investors in loans, pools of loans and instruments secured by loans or loan pools) to possible litigation and penalties.
The CFPB issued a final rule, effective June 30, 2021, with mandatory compliance as of October 1, 2022, which expands the definition of a General QM and gives lenders more leeway to determine a borrower's likelihood of repayment. Under the original QM rule, the ratio of the consumer's total monthly debt to total monthly income could not exceed 43% for a loan to be considered a QM. In December 2020, the Bureau issued a QM Final Rule which amended Regulation Z by replacing the original debt ratio-based QM definition with a limit based on loan pricing, among other changes to the definition.
The original QM rule also defined a temporary category of QMs, commonly known as the GSE Patch, which includes mortgages that are eligible to be purchased or guaranteed by either of the GSEs while operating under the federal conservatorship. Under the original QM rule, the GSE Patch was set to expire on July 1, 2021. However, the CFPB extended the mandatory compliance date of the new General QM rule beyond July 1, 2021. Nonetheless, some lenders originating loans for sale to the GSEs elected to no longer originate general QM loans with debt-to-income ratios in excess of 43% or GSE Patch QM loans for borrower applications received on or after July 1, 2021.
While many manufactured homes are currently financed with agency-conforming mortgages in which the ability to repay is verified, and interest rates and other costs are within the safe harbor limits established under the CFPB mortgage finance rules, certain loans to finance the purchase of manufactured homes, especially home-only loans and non-conforming mortgages, may fall outside the safe harbor limits. The rules have caused some lenders to curtail underwriting such loans, and some investors are reluctant to own or participate in owning such loans because of the uncertainty of potential litigation and other costs. As a result, some prospective buyers of manufactured homes may be unable to secure the financing necessary to complete purchases. In addition, compliance with the law and ongoing rule implementation has caused lenders to incur additional costs to implement new processes, procedures, controls and infrastructure required to comply with the regulations. Compliance may constrain lenders' ability to profitably price certain loans. Failure to comply with these regulations, changes in these or other regulations, or the imposition of additional regulations, could affect our earnings, limit our access to capital and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
The CFPB rules amending TILA and RESPA expanded the types of mortgage loans that are subject to the protections of the Home Ownership and Equity Protections Act of 1994 ("HOEPA"), revised and expanded the tests for coverage under HOEPA, and imposed additional restrictions on mortgages that are covered by HOEPA. As a result, certain manufactured home loans are subject to HOEPA limits on interest rates and fees. Loans with rates or fees in excess of the limits are deemed "High Cost Mortgages" and provide additional protections for borrowers, including with respect to determining the value of the home. Based on our experience, we believe that most loans for the purchase of manufactured homes have been written at rates and fees that would not appear to be considered High Cost Mortgages under the new rule. Although some lenders may continue to offer loans that are now deemed High Cost Mortgages, the rate and fee limits appear to have deterred some lenders from offering loans to certain borrowers and may continue to make them reluctant to enter into loans subject to the provisions of HOEPA. As a result, some prospective buyers of manufactured homes may be unable to secure financing necessary to complete manufactured home purchases.
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The Dodd-Frank Act amended provisions of TILA to require rules for appraisals on principal residences securing higher-priced mortgage loans ("HPML"). Certain loans secured by manufactured homes, primarily home-only loans, could be considered HPMLs. Among other things, the rules require creditors to provide copies of appraisal reports to borrowers prior to loan closing, although loans secured solely by a manufactured home and not land are exempt from the HPML appraisal requirement so long as the lender provides the home buyer with alternative information about the home value in one of three allowable forms. While it's not possible to determine the magnitude of these changes, some prospective home buyers may be deterred from completing a manufactured home purchase as a result of the disclosure of the appraised value.
The Dodd-Frank Act also required integrating disclosures provided by lenders to borrowers under TILA and RESPA. The final rule became effective October 3, 2015. The TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure ("TRID") mandated extensive changes to the mortgage loan closing process and necessitated significant changes to mortgage origination systems.
Regulation C of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act ("HMDA") requires certain financial institutions, including non-depository institutions, to collect, record, report and disclose information about their mortgage lending activity. The data-related requirements in the HMDA and Regulation C are used to identify potential discriminatory lending patterns and enforce anti-discrimination statutes. The Dodd-Frank Act transferred rulemaking authority for HMDA to the CFPB, effective in 2011. It also amended HMDA to require financial institutions to report additional data points and to collect, record and report additional information. The CFPB issued a final rule amending Regulation C, which became effective on January 1, 2018. Regulation C generally applies to consumer-purpose, closed-end loans and open-end lines of credit that are secured by a dwelling. Non-depository financial institutions are subject to Regulation C if they originate at least 25 covered closed-end mortgage loans or at least 100 covered open-end lines of credit in each of the two preceding calendar years. Violations of Regulation C, including incomplete, inaccurate or omitted data, are subject to administrative sanctions, including civil money penalties, and compliance can be enforced by the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the National Credit Union Administration, HUD or the CFPB.
FHA Title I program guidelines provide Ginnie Mae the ability to securitize manufactured home FHA Title I loans. These guidelines are intended to allow lenders to obtain new capital, which can then be used to fund new loans for their customers. Home-only loans have languished for several years while these changes were meant to broaden home-only financing availability for prospective homeowners. We are aware of only a small number of loans currently being securitized under the Ginnie Mae program.
On March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was signed into law. While the CARES Act contains a variety of provisions, including, among other things, unemployment benefit expansion and emergency funding of public health care initiatives, it also grants forbearance rights and foreclosure protection to borrowers with loans purchased by a GSE or insured by FHA, USDA or VA. Borrowers with these federally backed mortgage loans who are experiencing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic may request forbearance for 6 months, regardless of delinquency status. Forbearance may be extended for an additional 6 months at the borrower's request, and they may request up to two additional three-month extensions, for a maximum of 18 months of total forbearance . The federal foreclosure moratorium expired on July 31, 2021; however mortgage servicers were precluded from proceeding with foreclosure until January 1, 2022. Effective August 31, 2021, the CFPB published rules to help homeowners pursue loss mitigation options with mortgage servicers to avoid foreclosure. These rules allowed mortgage servicers to offer certain streamlined loss mitigation options. The FHA allowed for an extension of the foreclosure-related eviction moratorium for foreclosed borrowers through September 30, 2021. When the eviction moratorium for federally backed loans ended, mortgage servicers could only proceed with foreclosures if borrowers had abandoned their properties or had not responded to mortgage servicers' efforts to assist with loss mitigation options. On February 18, 2022, President Biden extended the national emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic beyond March 1, 2022.
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The Treasury Department issued guidance regarding the Homeowner Assistance Fund ("HAF"), which was established under section 3206 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The HAF was established to mitigate financial hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by providing funds to eligible state agencies for the purpose of preventing homeowner mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities or home energy services and displacements of homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020, through qualified expenditures related to mortgages and housing. Eligible state agencies participating in HAF are responsible for the selection and qualification of borrowers to receive HAF funds.
Numerous state and local governments also issued temporary emergency orders recommending or mandating that mortgage servicers accommodate borrowers experiencing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These emergency orders include a variety of provisions, including payment forbearance, waiver of late fees on past due payments, restrictions on reporting payment status to credit reporting agencies and moratorium on debt collection activities, foreclosures and evictions. We have implemented practices and adjusted policies to comply accordingly.
The GSEs require that seller/servicers such as CountryPlace maintain minimum levels of capital and liquidity to be eligible to service single-family mortgage loans guaranteed or owned by the GSEs. The current eligibility requirements became effective on December 31, 2015. On January 31, 2020, Federal Housing Finance Agency ("FHFA") initially released its "Servicer Eligibility 2.0" proposed enhancements to the requirements for public input, and on February 24, 2022, FHFA issued a revised proposal for public input. The proposed requirements establish a minimum level of tangible net worth that distinguishes between Ginnie Mae and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan servicing, and include a fixed base capital requirement as well as an incremental charge that reflects the volume and risk of a seller/servicer's servicing portfolio. The final eligibility requirements are expected to be in effect as of December 31, 2022. Although the proposed eligibility requirements are not yet final and may change prior to their effective date, CountryPlace has evaluated the proposal and believes that its capital and liquidity are such that it will continue to satisfy the requirements as currently proposed once in effect.
On April 19, 2021, the CFPB issued an interim final rule, effective November 30, 2021, amending Regulation F to require debt collectors to provide written notice to certain consumers of their protections under the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's eviction moratorium order of March 29, 2021. The interim final rule also prohibits certain communications methods and content and places limits on debt collectors' attempts to communicate with consumers who are obligated to repay debt, attorneys representing them or related parties.
Standard Casualty's insurance operations are regulated by the state insurance departments where it underwrites its policies. Our insurance product sales are subject to various state insurance laws and regulations, which govern allowable charges and other insurance practices. Underwriting, premiums, investments and capital reserves (including dividend payments to stockholders) are subject to the rules and regulations of these state agencies.
Governmental authorities have the power to enforce compliance with applicable regulations and violations may result in the payment of fines, the entry of injunctions or both. Although we believe that our operations are in substantial compliance with the requirements of all applicable laws and regulations, these requirements have generally become more stringent in recent years. Accordingly, we are unable to predict the ultimate cost of compliance with all applicable laws and enforcement policies.
Seasonality
The housing industry is generally subject to seasonal fluctuations based on new home buyer purchasing patterns. Demand for our core new home products typically peaks each spring and summer before declining in the winter, consistent with the overall housing industry, although this pattern became distorted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Diversification among our product lines and operations has partially offset the impact of any seasonal fluctuations. Additionally, demand patterns for park model RVs, cabins and homes used primarily for retirement or seasonal living partially offset general housing seasonality.
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CountryPlace realizes no seasonal impacts from its mortgage servicing operations. However, the mortgage subsidiary does experience minimal seasonal fluctuation in its mortgage origination activities because of the time needed for loan application approval processes and subsequent home loan closing activities. Revenue for Standard Casualty is also not substantially impacted by seasonality, as it recognizes revenue from policy sales ratably over each policy's term year. However, we are subject to adverse effects from excessive policy claims that may occur during periods of inclement weather, including seasonal spring storms or fall hurricane activity in Texas where most of our policies are underwritten. Losses from catastrophic events are limited by reinsurance contracts in place as part of our loss mitigation structure.
Human Capital Resources
Our workforce is made up of approximately 6,300 skilled full-time team members. We believe that an engaged, productive workforce is critically important to creating shareholder value. To that end, we are committed to providing a safe workplace and opportunities for professional growth and advancement based on performance, qualification, demonstrated skill and achievement at a fair wage.
As part of our commitment to focus on safety, our Safety Now program builds safety awareness and provides training and incentives to create a "safety first" culture throughout our manufacturing operations. In addition to improved safety training, especially for our newest associates, elements of this program include encouraging employee suggestions for a safer workplace, enhanced safety signage and reward programs for teams with the lowest safety incident rates and those with the most improved safety records.
We also have a number of internal programs and campaigns to enhance the culture and capability of our workforce. Driven by our aspiration to make a difference by focusing on excellence, we are executing our SPARK initiative, which is designed to improve the onboarding experience of our team members and drive retention. Our IGNITION program provides leadership training to new managers and other employees in supervisory roles to enhance communication and other critical management skills to improve the oversight and motivation of other employees. This training includes increasing technical skills, improving professional skills, expanding technology experience and educating on safety and security protocols, to name a few.
We have a multi-channel bi-lingual compliance training initiative so that our team members will understand our commitment to, and their responsibility for, maintaining high standards of integrity in the workplace. The program has been rolled out through our learning management system, with each new and existing team member being provided the same training.
We intend to be an employer of choice. To that end, we consistently assess the current landscape and labor market to refine our total rewards programs. We also monitor our progress in raising the incomes of our lowest wage earners so they can achieve success for themselves and their families. In addition, we have started a program called Homes for Our Own. This program generally involves education and financial assistance for employees aspiring to own their own home. We strive to help employees understand the home buying process, from getting financially ready to buy and maintain a home to how the actual process works.
More information on the above programs and more can be found in our Corporate Responsibility Report, published on our website.
Available Information
The Company's periodic and current reports, proxy statements, as well as any amendments to such filings, are made available free of charge through our web site, www.cavco.com , as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act").
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