Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
In this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, or this "report," we refer to AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. as "we," "us," the "Company," or "our," unless we specifically state otherwise or the context indicates otherwise. We refer to our external manager, AG REIT Management, LLC, as our "Manager," and we refer to the direct parent company of our Manager, Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P., as "Angelo Gordon."
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes to our consolidated financial statements, which are included in Item 1 of this report, as well as the information contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and any subsequent filings.
Forward-Looking Statements
We make forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), in this report that are subject to substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business, financial condition, liquidity, returns, results of operations, plans, yields, objectives, the composition of our portfolio, actions by governmental entities, including the Federal Reserve, and the potential effects of actual and proposed legislation on us, and our views on certain macroeconomic trends, and the impact of the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19"). When we use the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "may" or similar expressions, we intend to identify forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements are based upon information presently available to our management and are inherently subjective, uncertain and subject to change. There can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from our expectations. Some, but not all, of the factors that might cause such a difference include, without limitation:
• the uncertainty and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (including the impact of any significant variants) and of responsive measures implemented by various governmental authorities, businesses and other third parties, and the potential impact of COVID-19 on our personnel;
• changes in our business and investment strategy;
• our ability to predict and control costs;
• changes in interest rates and the fair value of our assets, including negative changes resulting in margin calls relating to the financing of our assets;
• changes in the yield curve;
• changes in prepayment rates on the loans we own or that underlie our investment securities;
• regulatory and structural changes in the residential loan market and its impact on non-agency mortgage markets;
• increased rates of default or delinquencies and/or decreased recovery rates on our assets;
• our ability to obtain and maintain financing arrangements on terms favorable to us or at all;
• our ability to enter into securitization transactions on the terms and pace anticipated or at all;
• changes in general economic conditions, in our industry and in the finance and real estate markets, including the impact on the value of our assets;
• conditions in the market for Residential Investments and Agency RMBS;
• legislative and regulatory actions by the U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve and other agencies and instrumentalities in response to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic;
• the forbearance program included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the "CARES Act");
• our ability to make distributions to our stockholders in the future;
• our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal tax purposes; and
• our ability to qualify for an exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act").
We caution investors not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made, and urge you to carefully consider the risks noted above and identified under the captions "Risk Factors," and "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and any subsequent filings. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict those events or how they may affect us. Except as required by law, we are not obligated to, and do not intend to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All forward-looking statements that we make, or that are attributable to us, are expressly qualified by this cautionary notice.
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Executive Summary
During the first quarter of 2022, we continued to grow our portfolio of newly-originated residential mortgage loans and increase our pace of securitization activity in order to obtain long-term, non-recourse financing without mark-to-market margin calls. We also reduced our exposure to Agency RMBS and ended the quarter with $137.9 million of liquidity to provide for continued growth and execution of our business strategy. Total liquidity consisted of $50.5 million of cash, $48.5 million of unencumbered Agency RMBS that we held as of quarter end, and $38.9 million of unencumbered Agency RMBS which we sold during March 2022, but which settled in April 2022. See below for detail on these activities during the first quarter 2022.
Investment Activity
• Purchased Non-Agency Loans with a fair value of $604.6 million, $329.2 million of which were purchased from Arc Home, our residential mortgage loan originator in which we own an approximate 44.6% interest; and
• Purchased Agency-Eligible Loans with a fair value of $343.3 million, $57.3 million of which were purchased from Arc Home.
Financing Activity
• Executed three rated securitizations converting financing from recourse financing with mark-to-market margin calls to non-recourse financing without mark-to-market margin calls;
◦ Securitized Non-Agency Loans with a total unpaid principal balance of $681.8 million;
◦ Securitized Agency-Eligible Loans with a total unpaid principal balance of $464.3 million; and
• Subsequent to quarter end, executed our second rated securitization of Agency-Eligible Loans, in which loans with an unpaid principal balance of $425.5 million were securitized.
Our company
We are a residential mortgage REIT with a focus on investing in a diversified risk-adjusted portfolio of residential mortgage-related assets in the U.S. mortgage market. Our objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns to our stockholders over the long-term, primarily through dividends and capital appreciation.
We focus our investment activities primarily on acquiring and securitizing newly-originated residential mortgage loans within the growing non-agency segment of the housing market. We obtain our assets through Arc Home, LLC ("Arc Home"), our residential mortgage loan originator in which we own an approximate 44.6% interest, and through other third-party origination partners. We finance our acquired loans through various financing lines on a short-term basis and utilize Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P.'s ("Angelo Gordon") proprietary securitization platform to secure long-term, non-recourse, non-mark-to-market financing as market conditions permit. Through our ownership in Arc Home, we also have exposure to mortgage banking activities. Arc Home is a multi-channel licensed mortgage originator and servicer primarily engaged in the business of originating and selling residential mortgage loans while retaining the mortgage servicing rights associated with certain loans that it originates.
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Our investment portfolio (which excludes our ownership in Arc Home) includes Residential Investments and Agency RMBS. Currently, our Residential Investments primarily consist of newly originated Non-Agency Loans and Agency-Eligible Loans, which we refer to as our target assets. In addition, we may also invest in other types of residential mortgage loans and other mortgage related assets. As of March 31, 2022, the Company's investment portfolio consisted of the following:
Asset Class Description
Target Assets
Non-Agency Loans
• Non-Agency Loans are loans that do not conform to the underwriting guidelines of a government-sponsored enterprise ("GSE"). Non-Agency Loans consist of Qualified mortgage loans ("QM Loans") and Non-Qualified mortgage loans ("Non-QM Loans"). QM Loans are residential mortgage loans that comply with the Ability-To-Repay rules and related guidelines of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau ("CFPB"). Non-QM Loans are residential mortgage loans that do not satisfy the requirements for QM Loans and are therefore not deemed to be a "qualified mortgage," under the rules of the CFPB.
◦ Non-Agency Loans are either held directly by us or held indirectly through our investment in Mortgage Acquisition Trust I LLC ("MATT").
◦ Non-Agency Loans held directly are included in the "Residential mortgage loans, at fair value" or the "Securitized residential mortgage loans, at fair value" line items on our consolidated balance sheets.
◦ Non-Agency Loans held indirectly through MATT are included in the "Investments in debt and equity of affiliates" line item on our consolidated balance sheets.
◦ Certain retained tranches from unconsolidated Non-Agency Loan securitizations are included in the "Real estate securities, at fair value" line item on our consolidated balance sheets.
Agency-Eligible Loans
• Agency-Eligible Loans are loans that are underwritten in accordance with GSE guidelines and are primarily secured by investment properties.
◦ Agency-Eligible Loans held directly are included in the "Residential mortgage loans, at fair value" or the "Securitized residential mortgage loans, at fair value" line items on our consolidated balance sheets.
Other Residential Mortgage Related Assets
Re/Non-Performing Loans
• Performing, re-performing, and non-performing loans are residential mortgage loans collateralized by a first lien mortgaged property.
◦ Re/Non-Performing loans are primarily held through interests in certain consolidated trusts. These investments are included in the "Securitized residential mortgage loans, at fair value" line item on our consolidated balance sheets.
◦ Certain retained tranches from unconsolidated Re/Non-Performing Loan securitizations which we hold alongside other private funds under the management of Angelo Gordon are included in the "Investments in debt and equity of affiliates" line item on our consolidated balance sheets.
Land Related Financing
• First mortgage loans originated to third-party land developers and home builders for purposes of the acquisition and horizontal development of land.
◦ These loans are held through our unconsolidated affiliates and are included in the "Investments in debt and equity of affiliates" line item on our consolidated balance sheets.
Agency RMBS
• Agency RMBS represent interests in pools of residential mortgage loans guaranteed by a GSE such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, or an agency of the U.S. Government such as Ginnie Mae.
◦ These investments are included in the "Real estate securities, at fair value" line item on our consolidated balance sheets.
Our primary sources of income are net interest income from our investment portfolio, changes in the fair value of our investments, and income from our investment in Arc Home. Net interest income consists of the interest income we earn on investments less the interest expense we incur on borrowed funds and any costs related to hedging. Income from our investment in Arc Home is generated through its mortgage banking activities which represents the origination and subsequent sale of residential mortgage loans and servicing income sourced from its portfolio of mortgage servicing rights.
We were incorporated in Maryland on March 1, 2011 and commenced operations in July 2011. We conduct our operations to qualify and be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes on our taxable income that we distribute currently to our stockholders as long as we maintain our intended qualification as a REIT, with the exception of business conducted in our domestic taxable REIT subsidiaries ("TRS") which are subject to corporate income tax. We also operate our business in a manner that permits us to maintain our exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act.
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Our Manager and Angelo Gordon
We are externally managed by AG REIT Management, LLC (our "Manager"), a subsidiary of Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P. ("Angelo Gordon"), pursuant to a management agreement. Pursuant to the terms of our management agreement, our Manager provides us with our management team, including our officers, along with appropriate support personnel. All of our officers are employees of Angelo Gordon or its affiliates. We do not have any employees. Our Manager is at all times subject to the supervision and oversight of our Board of Directors and has only such functions and authority as our Board of Directors delegates to it. Our Manager has delegated to Angelo Gordon the overall responsibility with respect to our Manager’s day-to-day duties and obligations arising under our management agreement.
Through our relationship with our Manager, we benefit from the expertise and relationships that Angelo Gordon has established which provides us with resources to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for our stockholders. Our management has significant experience in the mortgage industry and expertise in structured credit investments. We are able to leverage our Manager, along with our ownership interest in Arc Home, a vertically integrated origination platform, to access investment opportunities in the non-agency residential mortgage loan market. This strategic advantage has enabled us to grow our investment portfolio and remain active in the securitization markets, utilizing Angelo Gordon's proprietary securitization platform to deliver non-agency investments to a diverse mix of investors.
Market conditions
During the first quarter 2022, the financial markets were generally weaker and volatile amid the Federal Reserve rate-hike cycle, high inflation readings, the Ukraine-Russia war and the uncertainty as to whether the Federal Reserve can formulate and implement monetary policy that will avoid recession and generate a so called soft landing for the economy. Notwithstanding the macro environment, mortgage fundamentals continued to be favorable, and some signs of normalization to pre-pandemic levels continued to emerge. Prepayment speeds have declined and were 10% to 20% higher than pre-pandemic levels after having been as much as 150% higher. The overall forbearance rate in the mortgage market continued to fall, and servicers began offering more modifications to cure delinquent statuses. The latest reading from the S&P/CoreLogic Case-Shiller index showed home prices increased by 19.2% year over year in January 2022, while the CoreLogic Home Price Index rose 20% in February 2022. Limited availability of homes against fundamentally strong housing demand has been a driving factor for persistent home price appreciation.
Non-Agency Loans and Securitizations : Expectations for the Federal Reserve to begin a cycle of tightening drove benchmark rates as well as credit spreads considerably higher throughout the quarter. Generic new issue AAA Non-QM yields ended the quarter slightly above 4% compared to being just under 2% to at the end of 2021. Credit spreads began the quarter approximately 100 basis points over benchmark rates and widened out steadily before finding some stability in the final weeks of the quarter, settling in at approximately 175 basis points over benchmark rates. Originators and whole loan pricing were similarly negatively affected as mortgage rates rose materially where the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey ended 2021 at 3.11% and rose to 4.67% by March 31, 2022. Some newly originated loan packages transacted in the quarter were priced at a discount as consumers were able to lock in lower interest rates prior to the recent increase experienced in the market. Non-QM loans were hit particularly hard as securitization remains the primary means for monetization, whereas alternative sources of liquidity exists for other sectors through outlets such as the GSEs or banks.
Agency RMBS : Nominal spreads on Agency MBS finally capitulated to the Federal Reserve’s recent focus on the rate-hike cycle with the spreads between current coupon and a blend of 5-year and 10-year US Treasury yields widening by roughly 40bps to levels not seen since 2014 outside of March of 2020. While origination has fallen materially with the move in rates, significant rate volatility and uncertainty over the path of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet reduction, with talk of outright sales of MBS, has reduced demand sharply from investors. Spreads now incorporate an elevated risk premium, but continued uncertainty and rate volatility pose headwinds to a recovery near-term.
Non-Agency RMBS : Spreads for securitized residential debt sectors were wider, sometimes sharply, during the first quarter amid broad-based risk-off sentiment and risk-free rate increase that occupied much of the tone to start the year. Credit risk transfer ("CRT") tranches were as much 200 to 300 basis points wider to end the quarter. As the quarter turned, CRT spreads started to reverse course as risk appetite increased with new issuances several times oversubscribed owing to relative value against corporate credit and additional demand generated by new investors to the CRT market. Other mortgage credit sectors also widened during the quarter. Seasoned RMBS widened by 80 basis points to around 200 to 230 basis points, and AAA rated tranches of Non-QM transactions also widened by 80 basis points to 170 basis points. Quarterly new issuance of RMBS rose 24% year-over-year to $51 billion in the first quarter on higher Non-QM, CRT and agency-eligible issuance, and compared to the fourth quarter, RMBS new issuance was a little lower, falling from $64 billion at the end of 2021. Non-QM and Jumbo
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loans were the most active sectors during the first quarter, at $12.6 billion and $11.3 billion, respectively, followed by CRT at $9.1 billion.
In light of various market uncertainties, such as uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic for the U.S. and global economy, geopolitical risks and interest rate volatility, there can be no assurance that the trends and conditions described above will not change in a manner materially adverse to the mortgage REIT industry and/or our Company.
Presentation of investment, financing and hedging activities
In the "Investment activities," "Financing activities," "Hedging activities," and "Liquidity and capital resources" sections of this Item 2, we present information on our investment portfolio and the related financing arrangements inclusive of unconsolidated ownership interests in affiliates that are accounted for under GAAP using the equity method. Our investment portfolio excludes our investment in Arc Home.
Our investment portfolio and the related financing arrangements are presented along with a reconciliation to GAAP. This presentation of our investment portfolio is consistent with how our management team evaluates the business, and we believe this presentation, when considered with the GAAP presentation, provides supplemental information useful for investors in evaluating our investment portfolio and financial condition. See Notes 2 and 10 to the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)" for a discussion of investments in debt and equity of affiliates. See below for further terms used when describing our investment portfolio.
• Our "Investment portfolio" includes our Residential Investments and Agency RMBS, inclusive of TBAs.
• Our "Residential Investments" refer to our residential mortgage loans and Non-Agency RMBS.
◦ "Residential mortgage loans" or "Loans" refer to our Non-Agency Loans, Agency-Eligible Loans, and Re/Non-Performing Loans (exclusive of retained tranches from unconsolidated securitizations) and Land Related Financing.
◦ "Non-Agency RMBS" refer to the retained tranches from unconsolidated securitizations of Non-Agency Loans and Re/Non-Performing Loans.
• "Real estate securities" refers to our Non-Agency RMBS and Agency RMBS, inclusive of TBAs.
• Our "GAAP Investment portfolio" includes our GAAP Residential Investments and Agency RMBS.
• Our "GAAP Residential Investments" refer to our Residential Investments exclusive of all investments held within affiliated entities.
For a reconciliation of our Investment portfolio to our GAAP Investment portfolio, see the GAAP Investment Portfolio Reconciliation Table below.
Special Note Regarding COVID-19 Pandemic
In March 2020, the global pandemic associated with COVID-19 and the related economic conditions caused financial and mortgage-related asset markets to come under extreme duress, resulting in credit spread widening, a sharp decrease in interest rates and unprecedented illiquidity in repurchase agreement financing and MBS markets. The illiquidity was exacerbated by inadequate demand for MBS among primary dealers due to balance sheet constraints.
Although market conditions have improved, the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing with new variants emerging despite growing vaccination rates. As a result, the full impact of COVID-19 (including the impact of any significant variants) on the mortgage REIT industry, credit markets, and, consequently, on our financial condition and results of operations for future periods remains uncertain. Future developments with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, including among others, the emergence of new variants, the effectiveness and durability of current vaccines and government stimulus measures, could materially and adversely affect our business, operations, operating results, financial condition, liquidity, or capital levels.
Results of Operations
Our operating results can be affected by a number of factors and primarily depend on the size and composition of our investment portfolio, the level of our net interest income, the fair value of our assets and the supply of, and demand for, our investments in residential mortgage loans in the marketplace, among other things, which can be impacted by unanticipated credit events, such as defaults, liquidations or delinquencies, experienced by borrowers whose residential mortgage loans are included in our investment portfolio and other unanticipated events in our markets. Our primary source of net income or loss available to common stockholders is our net interest income, less our cost of hedging, which represents the difference between
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the interest earned on our investment portfolio and the costs of financing and economic hedges in place on our investment portfolio, as well as any income or losses from our equity investments in affiliates.
Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 compared to the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021
The table below presents certain information from our consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands).
Three Months Ended
March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021 Increase/(Decrease)
Statement of Operations Data:
Net Interest Income
Interest income $ 33,417 $ 12,119 $ 21,298
Interest expense 16,122 4,061 12,061
Total Net Interest Income 17,295 8,058 9,237
Other Income/(Loss)
Net interest component of interest rate swaps (2,270) (741) (1,529)
Net realized gain/(loss) 8,783 (4,038) 12,821
Net unrealized gain/(loss) (22,420) 19,849 (42,269)
Other income/(loss), net — 37 (37)
Total Other Income/(Loss) (15,907) 15,107 (31,014)
Expenses
Management fee to affiliate 1,962 1,654 308
Other operating expenses 3,688 4,150 (462)
Transaction related expenses 5,879 (167) 6,046
Servicing fees 1,007 615 392
Total Expenses 12,536 6,252 6,284
Income/(loss) before equity in earnings/(loss) from affiliates (11,148) 16,913 (28,061)
Equity in earnings/(loss) from affiliates (2,054) 26,336 (28,390)
Net Income/(Loss) (13,202) 43,249 (56,451)
Gain on Exchange Offers, net — 358 (358)
Dividends on preferred stock (4,586) (4,924) 338
Net Income/(Loss) Available to Common Stockholders $ (17,788) $ 38,683 $ (56,471)
Interest income
Interest income is calculated using the effective interest method for our GAAP investment portfolio.
Interest income increased from March 31, 2021 to March 31, 2022 primarily due to an increase in the size of our portfolio. The weighted average amortized cost of our GAAP investment portfolio increased by $2.0 billion from $1.4 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2021 to $3.4 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase was primarily driven by purchases of Non-Agency Loans and Agency-Eligible Loans during the period. This increase was coupled with an increase of 0.59% in the weighted average yield of our GAAP investment portfolio from 3.39% for the three months ended March 31, 2021 to 3.98% for the three months ended March 31, 2022.
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Interest expense
Interest expense is calculated based on the actual financing rate and the outstanding financing balance of our GAAP investment portfolio.
Interest expense increased from March 31, 2021 to March 31, 2022 primarily due to an increase in the amount of financing on our GAAP investment portfolio, inclusive of securitized debt, during the period. The weighted average financing balance on our GAAP investment portfolio, inclusive of securitized debt, increased by $1.9 billion from $1.2 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2021 to $3.1 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The increase was driven by the issuance of securitized debt as well as financing added on purchases of Non-Agency Loans and Agency-Eligible Loans during the period. This was coupled with an increase of 0.74% in the weighted average financing rate on our GAAP investment portfolio, inclusive of securitized debt, from 1.37% for the three months ended March 31, 2021 to 2.11% for the three months ended March 31, 2022.
Net interest component of interest rate swaps
Net interest component of interest rate swaps represents the net interest income received or expense paid on our interest rate swaps.
The net interest component of interest rate swap expense increased from March 31, 2021 to March 31, 2022 primarily due to an increase in the size of our interest rate swap portfolio and an increase in the net pay rate. As of March 31, 2022, we held an interest rate swap portfolio with a notional value of $1.4 billion, a weighted average receive-variable rate of 0.30%, and a weighted average pay-fix rate of 1.27%. As of March 31, 2021, we held an interest rate swap portfolio with a notional value of $1.1 billion, a weighted average receive-variable rate of 0.20%, and a weighted average pay-fix rate of 0.80%.
Net realized gain/(loss)
The following table presents a summary of net realized gain/(loss) for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands).
Three Months Ended
March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021
Sales of residential mortgage loans and loans transferred to or sold from Other assets $ (58) $ (469)
Sales of real estate securities (16,840) (500)
Settlement of derivatives and other instruments 25,681 (165)
Sales of commercial loans — (2,904)
Total Net realized gain/(loss) $ 8,783 $ (4,038)
Net unrealized gain/(loss)
The following table presents a summary of net unrealized gain/(loss) for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands).
Three Months Ended
March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021
Residential mortgage loans $ (158,147) $ 10,829
Real estate securities (11,425) (23,960)
Securitized debt 97,235 (2,045)
Derivatives 49,917 28,484
Commercial loans — 6,473
Excess mortgage servicing rights — 68
Total Net unrealized gain/(loss) $ (22,420) $ 19,849
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Management fee to affiliate
Our management fee is based upon a percentage of our Stockholders’ Equity. See the "Contractual obligations" section of this Item 2 for further detail on the calculation of our management fee and for the definition of Stockholders’ Equity. Management fees increased from March 31, 2021 to March 31, 2022 primarily due to an increase in our Stockholder's Equity as calculated pursuant to our Management Agreement resulting from our November 2021 common stock offering.
Other operating expenses
Other operating expenses is primarily comprised of professional fees, directors’ and officers’ ("D&O") insurance, directors’ compensation, and certain non-investment related and investment related expenses reimbursable to the Manager. We are required to reimburse our Manager or its affiliates for operating expenses incurred by our Manager or its affiliates on our behalf, including certain compensation expenses and other expenses relating to legal, accounting, due diligence, and other services. Refer to the "Contractual obligations" section below for more detail on certain expenses reimbursable to the Manager. The following table presents a summary of Other operating expenses broken out between non-investment related expenses and investment related expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands).
Three Months Ended
March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021
Non Investment Related Expenses
Affiliate expense reimbursement - Operating expenses (1) $ 1,405 $ 1,250
Professional fees 467 1,225
D&O insurance 327 394
Directors' compensation 168 168
Other 307 156
Total Non Investment Related Expenses 2,674 3,193
Investment Related Expenses
Affiliate expense reimbursement - Deal related expenses 135 281
Residential mortgage loan asset management fees 544 427
Other 335 249
Total Investment Related Expenses 1,014 957
Total Other operating expenses $ 3,688 $ 4,150
(1) For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Manager agreed to waive its right to receive expense reimbursements of $0.8 million. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, $0.2 million of the waived reimbursable expenses is included within the "Affiliated expense reimbursement - Operating expenses" line item above.
Transaction related expenses
Transaction related expenses are expenses associated with purchasing and securitizing residential mortgage loans as well as certain other transaction and performance related fees associated with assets we invest in. These fees increased from the three months ended March 31, 2021 to the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily as a result of the upfront expenses on the three securitizations transacted in the first quarter of 2022. No securitizations were transacted during the first quarter of 2021.
Servicing fees
We incur servicing fee expenses in connection with the servicing of our residential mortgage loans. The weighted average cost of our GAAP residential mortgage loan portfolio increased by $2.5 billion from $0.5 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2021 to $3.0 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2022 resulting from purchases of Non-Agency Loans and Agency-Eligible Loans. As a result, servicing fees increased from the three months ended March 31, 2021 to the three months ended March 31, 2022.
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Equity in earnings/(loss) from affiliates
Equity in earnings/(loss) from affiliates represents our share of earnings and profits of investments held within affiliated entities. Substantially all of these investments are comprised of real estate securities, loans, and our investment in AG Arc which holds our investment in Arc Home. The below table reconciles the net income/(loss) to the "Equity in earnings/(loss) from affiliates" line item on our consolidated statements of operations (in thousands).
Three Months Ended
March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021
MATT Non-QM Loans $ (889) $ 14,646
Land Related Financing 502 710
Re/Non-Performing Loans 3 4,623
AG Arc (1) (1,670) 6,340
Other — 17
Equity in earnings/(loss) from affiliates
$ (2,054) $ 26,336
(1) The earnings/(loss) at AG Arc during the three months ended March 31, 2022 were primarily the result of $3.1 million related to changes in the fair value of the MSR portfolio held by Arc Home, offset by $(2.4) million of losses related to Arc Home's lending and servicing operations. The earnings recognized by AG Arc do not include our portion of gains recorded by Arc Home in connection with the sale of residential mortgage loans to us. For the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 , we eliminated $2.4 million and $0.5 million of intra-entity profits recognized by Arc Home, respectively, and also decreased the cost basis of the underlying loans we purchased by the same amount, respectively. Refer to Note 2 to the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)" for more information on this accounting policy.
Gain on Exchange Offers, net
We completed a privately negotiated exchange offer during the three months ended March 31, 2021. As a result of the exchange offer, we exchanged 153,325 shares of our 8.25% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock ("Series A Preferred Stock") and 350,609 shares of our 8.00% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock ("Series B Preferred Stock") for a total of 937,462 shares of common stock. We recognized a gain of $0.4 million in connection with the offer. There were no exchange offers transacted during the three months ended March 31, 2022.
Book value and Adjusted book value per share
The below table details book value and adjusted book value per common share. Per share amounts for book value are calculated using all outstanding common shares in accordance with GAAP, including all vested shares issued to our Manager and our independent directors under our equity incentive plans as of quarter-end.
March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021
Book value per common share (1) $ 13.68 $ 14.64
Adjusted book value per common share (2) 13.37 14.32
(1) Calculated using stockholders’ equity less net proceeds of $220.5 million on our issued and outstanding preferred stock as the numerator.
(2) Calculated using stockholders’ equity less the liquidation preference of $228.0 million on our issued and outstanding preferred stock as the numerator.
Net interest margin and leverage ratio
Net interest margin and leverage ratio are metrics that management believes should be considered when evaluating the performance of our investment portfolio.
GAAP net interest margin and non-GAAP net interest margin, a non-GAAP financial measure, are calculated by subtracting the weighted average cost of funds from the weighted average yield for our GAAP investment portfolio and our investment portfolio, respectively. The weighted average yield represents an effective interest rate, which utilizes all estimates of future cash flows and adjusts for actual prepayment and cash flow activity as of quarter-end. The calculation of weighted average yield is weighted on fair value at quarter-end. The weighted average cost of funds is the sum of the weighted average funding costs on total financing arrangements outstanding at quarter-end, including all non-recourse financing arrangements, and our weighted average hedging cost, which is the weighted average of the net pay rate on our interest rate swaps. GAAP and non-GAAP cost of funds are weighted by the outstanding financing arrangements on our GAAP investment portfolio and our investment portfolio, respectively, and the fair value of securitized debt at quarter-end.
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Our leverage ratio is determined by our portfolio mix as well as many additional factors, including the liquidity of our portfolio, the availability and price of our financing, the available capacity to finance our assets, and anticipated regulatory developments. See the "Financing activities" section below for more detail on our leverage ratio.
The table below sets forth the net interest margin and leverage ratio on our investment portfolio as of March 31, 2022 and March 31, 2021 and a reconciliation to the net interest margin and leverage ratio on our GAAP investment portfolio.
March 31, 2022
Weighted Average GAAP Investment Portfolio Investments in Debt and Equity of Affiliates Investment Portfolio (a)
Yield 4.09 % 7.43 % 4.15 %
Cost of Funds (b) 2.72 % 3.21 % 2.73 %
Net Interest Margin 1.37 % 4.22 % 1.42 %
Leverage Ratio (c) 5.8x (d) 2.7x
March 31, 2021
Weighted Average GAAP Investment Portfolio Investments in Debt and Equity of Affiliates Investment Portfolio (a)
Yield 3.31 % 13.09 % 4.44 %
Cost of Funds (b) 1.83 % 2.73 % 1.77 %
Net Interest Margin 1.48 % 10.36 % 2.67 %
Leverage Ratio (c) 3.2x (d) 2.6x
(a) Excludes any net TBA positions.
(b) Includes cost of non-recourse financing arrangements.
(c) The leverage ratio on our GAAP Investment Portfolio represents GAAP leverage. The leverage ratio on our investment portfolio represents Economic Leverage as defined below in the "Financing Activities" section.
(d) Refer to the "Financing activities" section below for an aggregate breakout of leverage .
Core Earnings
One of our objectives is to generate net income from net interest margin on the portfolio, and management uses Core Earnings, as one of several metrics, to help measure our performance against this objective. Management believes that this non-GAAP measure, when considered with our GAAP financial statements, provides supplemental information useful for investors to help evaluate our financial performance. However, management also believes that our definition of Core Earnings has important limitations as it does not include certain earnings or losses our management team considers in evaluating our financial performance. Our presentation of Core Earnings may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures of other companies, who may use different calculations. This non-GAAP measure should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, Net Income/(loss) available to common stockholders or Net income/(loss) per diluted common share calculated in accordance with GAAP. Our GAAP financial results and the reconciliations from these results should be carefully evaluated.
We define Core Earnings, a non-GAAP financial measure, as Net Income/(loss) available to common stockholders excluding (i) (a) unrealized gains/(losses) on loans, real estate securities, derivatives and other investments, inclusive of our investment in AG Arc, and (b) net realized gains/(losses) on the sale or termination of such instruments, (ii) any transaction related expenses incurred in connection with the acquisition, disposition, or securitization of our investments, (iii) accrued deal-related performance fees payable to third party operators to the extent the primary component of the accrual relates to items that are excluded from Core Earnings, such as unrealized and realized gains/(losses), (iv) realized and unrealized changes in the fair value of Arc Home's net mortgage servicing rights and the derivatives intended to offset changes in the fair value of those net mortgage servicing rights, (v) deferred taxes recognized at our taxable REIT subsidiaries, if any, and (vi) any gains/(losses) associated with exchange transactions on our common and preferred stock. Items (i) through (vi) above include any amount related to those items held in affiliated entities. Management considers the transaction related expenses referenced in (ii) above to be similar to realized losses incurred at the acquisition, disposition, or securitization of an asset and does not view them as being part of its core operations. Management views the exclusion described in (iv) above to be consistent with how it calculates Core Earnings on the remainder of its portfolio. Management excludes all deferred taxes because it believes deferred taxes are not representative of current operations. Core Earnings include the net interest income and other income earned on our investments on a yield adjusted basis, including TBA dollar roll income/(loss) or any other investment activity that may earn or pay net interest or its economic equivalent.
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A reconciliation of "Net Income/(loss) available to common stockholders" to Core Earnings for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 is set forth below (in thousands, except per share data).
Three Months Ended
March 31, 2022
March 31, 2021
Net Income/(loss) available to common stockholders $ (17,788) $ 38,683
Add (Deduct):
Net realized (gain)/loss (8,783) 4,038
Net unrealized (gain)/loss 22,420 (19,849)
Transaction related expenses and deal related performance fees (1) 6,132 (12)
Equity in (earnings)/loss from affiliates 2,054 (26,336)
Net interest income and expenses from equity method investments (2)(3) (2,550) 7,322
Other (income)/loss, net — (14)
(Gains) from Exchange Offers, net — (358)
Dollar roll income/(loss) (1,977) —
Core Earnings $ (492) $ 3,474
Core Earnings, per Diluted Share (4) $ (0.02) $ 0.25
(1) For the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, total transaction related expenses and deal related performance fees included $5.9 million and $(0.2) million, respectively, recorded within the "Transaction related expenses" line item and $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively, recorded within the "Interest expense" line item, which relates to the amortization of deferred financing costs.
(2) For the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, $4.4 million or $0.18 per share and $2.6 million or $0.18 per share, respectively, of realized and unrealized changes in the fair value of Arc Home's net mortgage servicing rights and corresponding derivatives were excluded from Core Earnings, net of deferred tax expense. Additionally, for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, $(2.5) million or $(0.10) per share and $0.6 million or $0.04 per share, respectively, of unrealized changes in the fair value of our investment in Arc Home were excluded from Core Earnings.
(3) Core income or loss recognized by AG Arc does not include our portion of gains recorded by Arc Home in connection with the sale of residential mortgage loans to us. For the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, we eliminated $2.4 million or $0.10 per share and $0.5 million or $0.03 per share of intra-entity profits recognized by Arc Home, respectively, and also decreased the cost basis of the underlying loans we purchased by the same amount. Refer to Note 2 to the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)" for more information on this accounting policy.
(4) All per share amounts for all periods presented have been adjusted to reflect the one-for-three reverse stock split.
Investment activities
We aim to allocate capital to investment opportunities with attractive risk/return profiles in our target asset classes. Our investment activities primarily include acquiring and securitizing newly-originated residential mortgage loans. We finance our acquired loans through various financing lines on a short-term basis and securitize the loans to obtain long-term, non-recourse, non-mark-to-market financing as market conditions permit. We are also currently investing in Agency RMBS to utilize excess liquidity. Our investment and capital allocation decisions depend on prevailing market conditions and compliance with Investment Company Act and REIT tests, among other factors, and may change over time in response to opportunities available in different economic and capital market environments. As a result, in reacting to market conditions and taking into account a variety of other factors, including liquidity, duration, and interest rate expectations, the mix of our assets changes over time as we deploy capital. We actively evaluate our investments based on factors including, among others, the characteristics of the underlying collateral, geography, expected return, expected future prepayment trends, supply of and demand for our investments, costs of financing, costs of hedging, expected future interest rate volatility, and the overall shape of the U.S. Treasury and interest rate swap yield curves.
We allocate our equity by investment type using the fair value of our investment portfolio, less any associated leverage, inclusive of any long TBA position (at cost). We allocate all non-investment portfolio related assets and liabilities to our investment portfolio based on the characteristics of such assets and liabilities in order to sum to stockholders' equity per the consolidated balance sheets. Our equity allocation method is a non-GAAP methodology and may not be comparable to the similarly titled measure or concepts of other companies, who may use different calculations and allocation methodologies.
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The following table presents a summary of the allocated equity of our investment portfolio as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 ($ in thousands).
Allocated Equity Percent of Equity
March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021 March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021
Residential Investments $ 467,053 $ 459,058 85.3 % 80.5 %
Agency RMBS 80,597 111,322 14.7 % 19.5 %
Total $ 547,650 $ 570,380 100.0 % 100.0 %
The following table presents a summary of our investment portfolio as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 and a reconciliation to our GAAP Investment Portfolio ($ in thousands).
Fair Value Percent of Investment Portfolio
Fair Value Leverage Ratio (a)
March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021 March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021 March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021
Residential Investments $ 3,354,298 $ 2,725,889 89.9 % 84.6 % 2.5x 2.1x
Agency RMBS 377,493 495,713 10.1 % 15.4 % 4.0x 3.7x
Total: Investment Portfolio $ 3,731,791 $ 3,221,602 100.0 % 100.0 % 2.7x 2.4x
Investments in Debt and Equity of Affiliates $ 62,884 $ 72,026 N/A N/A (b) (b)
TBAs $ 150,270 $ — N/A N/A (b) (b)
Total: GAAP Investment Portfolio $ 3,518,637 $ 3,149,576 N/A N/A 5.8x 4.9x
(a) The leverage ratio on our investment portfolio represents Economic Leverage as defined below in the "Financing Activities" section and is calculated by dividing each investment type's total recourse financing arrangements by its allocated equity (described in the chart above). Cash posted as collateral has been allocated pro-rata by each respective asset class's Economic Leverage amount. The Economic Leverage Ratio excludes any fully non-recourse financing arrangements and includes any net receivables or payables on TBAs. The leverage ratio on our GAAP Investment Portfolio represents GAAP leverage.
(b) Refer to the "Financing activities" section below for an aggregate breakout of leverage.
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The following table presents a reconciliation of our Investment Portfolio to our GAAP Investment Portfolio as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 ($ in thousands).
March 31, 2022
December 31, 2021
Instrument Current Face Amortized Cost Unrealized Mark-
to-Market Fair Value (1) Weighted Average
Coupon (2) Weighted
Average Yield Weighted Average
Life (Years) (3) Fair Value (1)
Residential Investments
Non-Agency Loans $ 2,261,800 $ 2,332,131 $ (86,211) $ 2,245,920 4.78 % 4.12 % 6.17 $ 1,858,798
Agency-Eligible Loans
745,978 762,270 (47,190) 715,080 3.62 % 3.27 % 8.53 440,837
MATT Non-QM Loans (4) 427,965 43,243 (1,973) 41,270 1.04 % 3.99 % 1.31 45,837
Re/Non-Performing Loans 408,675 332,327 1,267 333,594 3.41 % 6.68 % 7.14 360,131
Land Related Financing 13,569 13,569 — 13,569 14.50 % 14.50 % 0.53 16,891
Non-Agency RMBS Interest Only (5) 139,080 3,301 1,564 4,865 0.38 % 31.33 % 2.72 3,395
Total Residential Investments 3,997,067 3,486,841 (132,543) 3,354,298 4.12 % 4.27 % 6.05 2,725,889
Agency RMBS
30 Year Fixed Rate 223,604 229,908 (18,059) 211,849 2.50 % 2.08 % 8.11 495,713
Interest Only 103,290 15,655 (281) 15,374 3.00 % 6.46 % 6.30 —
Fixed Rate 30 Year TBA (6) 150,000 150,481 (211) 150,270 3.50 % N/A N/A —
Total Agency RMBS 476,894 396,044 (18,551) 377,493 2.92 % 2.38 % 7.54 495,713
Total: Investment Portfolio $ 4,473,961 $ 3,882,885 $ (151,094) $ 3,731,791 3.98 % 4.15 % 6.16 $ 3,221,602
Investments in Debt and Equity of Affiliates $ 479,513 $ 65,000 $ (2,116) $ 62,884 2.13 % 7.43 % 1.35 $ 72,026
TBAs $ 150,000 $ 150,481 $ (211) $ 150,270 3.50 % N/A N/A $ —
Total: GAAP Investment Portfolio $ 3,844,448 $ 3,667,404 $ (148,767) $ 3,518,637 4.14 % 4.09 % 6.76 $ 3,149,576
(1) Refer to Note 10 to the "Notes of the Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)" for more detail on what is included in our "Investments in debt and equity of affiliates" line item on our consolidated balance sheets. Our assets held through Investments in debt and equity of affiliates are included in the "MATT Non-QM Loans," "Re/Non-Performing Loans," and "Land Related Financing," line items above.
(2) Equity residuals with a zero coupon rate are excluded from this calculation.
(3) Weighted average life is based on projected life. Typically, actual maturities are shorter than stated contractual maturities. Maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the underlying mortgages, periodic payments of principal, and prepayments of principal.
(4) As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, this line item primarily includes retained tranches from securitizations.
(5) As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, this line item includes Non-QM interest-only bonds.
(6) Represents long positions in Fixed Rate 30 Year TBA.
Residential Investments
The following table presents the fair value of the loans and securities in our residential investments and a reconciliation to our GAAP residential portfolio (in thousands).
Fair Value
March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021
Residential mortgage loans (1) $ 3,295,621 $ 2,663,992
Non-Agency RMBS (2) 58,677 61,897
Total Residential Investments $ 3,354,298 $ 2,725,889
Less: Residential mortgage loans in Investments in Debt and Equity of Affiliates $ 22,988 $ 28,886
Less: Non-Agency RMBS in Investments in Debt and Equity of Affiliates $ 39,896 $ 43,140
Total GAAP Residential Investments $ 3,291,414 $ 2,653,863
(1) Includes Non-Agency Loans, Agency-Eligible Loans, Re/Non-Performing Loans, and Land Related Financing not held in securitized form.
(2) Includes Non-Agency Loans and Re/Non-Performing Loans held in securitized form.
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Residential mortgage loans
The following tables present certain information regarding credit quality for certain categories within our Residential mortgage loan portfolio ($ in thousands).
March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021
Unpaid Principal Balance Weighted Average (1)(2) Aging by Unpaid Principal Balance (1)(2)
Fair Value Original LTV Ratio Current FICO (3) Current 30-59 Days 60-89 Days 90+ Days Fair Value
Non-Agency Loans $ 2,246,908 $ 2,232,589 69.32 % 733 $ 2,199,543 $ 29,453 $ 3,734 $ 14,178 $ 1,844,198
Agency-Eligible Loans 745,978 715,080 64.73 % 757 738,216 5,840 539 1,383 440,837
MATT Non-QM Loans 9,243 9,365 60.65 % 668 5,005 595 — 3,643 11,839
Re/Non-Performing Loans 370,129 325,018 79.31 % 639 243,340 30,564 15,681 74,567 350,227
Land Related Financing 13,569 13,569 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 16,891
Total Residential mortgage loans $ 3,385,827 $ 3,295,621 69.36 % 727 $ 3,186,104 $ 66,452 $ 19,954 $ 93,771 $ 2,663,992
Less: Residential mortgage loans in Investments in Debt and Equity of Affiliates 22,861 22,988 60.70 % 668 5,005 595 — 3,692 28,886
Total GAAP Residential mortgage Loans $ 3,362,966 $ 3,272,633 69.39 % 728 $ 3,181,099 $ 65,857 $ 19,954 $ 90,079 $ 2,635,106
(1) Weighted average and aging data excludes residual positions where we consolidate a securitization and the positions are recorded on our balance sheet as Re/Non-Performing Loans. There may be limited data available regarding the underlying collateral of the residual positions.
(2) Weighted average and aging data excludes Land Related Financing.
(3) Weighted average current FICO excludes borrowers where FICO scores were not available.
See Note 3 to the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)" for a breakout of geographic concentration of credit risk within loans we include in the "Residential mortgage loans, at fair value" and "Securitized residential mortgage loans, at fair value" line items on our consolidated balance sheets.
Non-Agency RMBS
The following table presents the fair value of our Non-Agency RMBS by credit rating as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 (in thousands).
Credit Rating - Non-Agency RMBS (1) March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021
B $ 9,804 $ 10,528
Not Rated 48,873 51,369
Total: Non-Agency RMBS $ 58,677 $ 61,897
Less: Non-Agency RMBS in Investments in Debt and Equity of Affiliates $ 39,896 $ 43,140
Total: GAAP Basis $ 18,781 $ 18,757
(1) Represents the minimum rating for rated assets of S&P, Moody and Fitch credit ratings, stated in terms of the S&P equivalent.
The following table presents the geographic concentration of the underlying collateral for our Non-Agency RMBS portfolio ($ in thousands).
March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021
State Fair Value Percentage State Fair Value Percentage
California $ 29,400 50.1 % California $ 31,480 50.9 %
New York 10,488 17.9 % New York 11,092 17.9 %
Florida 3,515 6.0 % Florida 3,661 5.9 %
New Jersey 1,846 3.1 % New Jersey 1,684 2.7 %
Texas 1,639 2.8 % Texas 1,511 2.4 %
Other 11,789 20.1 % Other 12,469 20.2 %
Total $ 58,677 100.0 % Total $ 61,897 100.0 %
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Agency RMBS
The following table presents the fair value ($ in thousands) and the Constant Prepayment Rate ("CPR") experienced on our GAAP Agency RMBS portfolio for the periods presented.
Fair Value CPR (1)
Agency RMBS March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021 March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021
30 Year Fixed Rate $ 211,849 $ 495,713 11.2 % 6.1 %
Interest Only 15,374 — 12.9 % — %
Total/Weighted Average $ 227,223 $ 495,713 11.3 % 6.1 %
(1) Represents the weighted average monthly CPRs published during the period for our in-place portfolio.
Investments in debt and equity of affiliates
The below table details our investments in debt and equity of affiliates as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 (in thousands).
March 31, 2022 December 31, 2021
Assets Liabilities Equity Assets Liabilities Equity
MATT Non-QM Loans (1) $ 41,270 $ (28,086) $ 13,184 $ 45,837 $ (30,471) $ 15,366
Land Related Financing (2) 13,569 — 13,569 16,891 — 16,891
Re/Non-Performing Loans 8,045 (5,408) 2,637 9,298 (5,538) 3,760
Total Investments excluding AG Arc 62,884 (33,494) 29,390 72,026 (36,009) 36,017
AG Arc, at fair value 54,121 — 54,121 53,435 — 53,435
Cash and Other assets/(liabilities) 4,340 (765) 3,575 3,698 (1,127) 2,571
Investments in debt and equity of affiliates $ 121,345 $ (34,259) $ 87,086 $ 129,159 $ (37,136) $ 92,023
(1) As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, MATT primarily holds retained tranches from past securitizations which continue to reduce in size due to ongoing principal repayments and we do not expect to acquire additional investments within this equity method investment.
(2) Land Related Financing continues to reduce in size due to ongoing principal repayments and we do not expect to originate new loans within this equity method investment.
Financing activities
We use leverage to finance the purchase of our investment portfolio. Our leverage has primarily been in the form of repurchase agreements, revolving facilities, and securitized debt. Repurchase agreements involve the sale and a simultaneous agreement to repurchase the transferred assets or similar assets at a future date and typically have a term of 30 to 90 days. The amount borrowed generally is equal to the fair value of the assets pledged less an agreed-upon discount, referred to as a "haircut." The size of the haircut reflects the perceived risk associated with the pledged asset. Haircuts may change as our financing arrangements mature or roll and are sensitive to governmental regulations. Interest rates on borrowings are fixed based on prevailing rates corresponding to the terms of the borrowings, and interest is paid at the termination of the borrowing at which time we may enter into a new borrowing arrangement at prevailing market rates with the same counterparty or repay that counterparty and negotiate financing with a different counterparty. We have also used revolving facilities, which are typically longer term in nature than repurchase agreements, to finance loans. Interest rates on these facilities are based on prevailing rates corresponding to the terms of the borrowings, and interest is paid on a monthly basis. Repurchase agreements and revolving facilities, which we refer to as our financing arrangements, are generally mark-to-market with respect to margin calls and recourse to us. We had outstanding financing arrangements with five counterparties as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.
Our financing arrangements generally include customary representations, warranties, and covenants, but may also contain more restrictive supplemental terms and conditions. Although specific to each financing arrangement, typical supplemental terms include requirements of minimum equity and liquidity, leverage ratios, and performance triggers. In addition, some of the financing arrangements contain cross default features, whereby default under an agreement with one lender simultaneously causes default under agreements with other lenders. To the extent that we fail to comply with the covenants contained in these
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financing arrangements or is otherwise found to be in default under the terms of such agreements, the counterparty has the right to accelerate amounts due under the associated agreement. As of March 31, 2022, we are in compliance with all of our financial covenants.
We also use securitized debt to finance our loan portfolio. Securitized debt is generally non-mark-to-market with respect to margin calls and non-recourse to us.
Recourse and non-recourse financing
The below table provides detail on the breakout between recourse and non-recourse financing as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 (in thousands).
March 31, 2022
December 31, 2021
Recourse financing - Financing arrangements $ 1,424,503 $ 1,791,596
Non-recourse financing - Securitized debt, at fair value 1,859,917 999,215
Non-recourse financing - Financing arrangements included in Investments in Debt and Equity of Affiliates 20,484 22,156
Total Financing 3,304,904 2,812,967
Less:
Recourse financing - Financing arrangements included in Investments in Debt and Equity of Affiliates 13,010 13,853
Non-recourse financing - Financing arrangements included in Investments in Debt and Equity of Affiliates 20,484 22,156
Total Financing in Investments in Debt and Equity of Affiliates 33,494 36,009
Total: GAAP Basis $ 3,271,410 $ 2,776,958
Leverage
We define GAAP leverage as the sum of (1) GAAP Securitized debt, at fair value, (2) our GAAP Financing arrangements, net of any restricted cash posted on such financing arrangements, and (3) the amount payable on purchases that have not yet settled less the financing remaining on sales that have not yet settled. We define Economic Leverage, a non-GAAP metric, as the sum of: (i) our GAAP leverage, exclusive of any fully non-recourse financing arrangements, (ii) financing arrangements held through affiliated entities, net of any restricted cash posted on such financing arrangements, exclusive of any financing utilized through AG Arc, any adjustment related to unsettled trades as described in (2) in the previous sentence, and any non-recourse financing arrangements and (iii) our net TBA position (at cost), if any.
The calculations in the tables below divide GAAP leverage and Economic Leverage by our GAAP stockholders’ equity to derive our leverage ratios. The following tables present a reconciliation of our Economic Leverage ratio to GAAP Leverage ($ in thousands).
March 31, 2022 Leverage Stockholders’ Equity Leverage Ratio
GAAP Securitized debt, at fair value $ 1,859,917
GAAP Financing arrangements 1,411,493
Restricted cash posted on Financing arrangements (5,399)
Financing arrangements on sales that have not yet settled (66,352)
GAAP Leverage $ 3,199,659 $ 547,650 5.8x
Financing arrangements through affiliated entities 33,472
Non-recourse financing arrangements (1) (1,880,401)
Net TBA (receivable)/payable adjustment 146,850
Economic Leverage $ 1,499,580 $ 547,650 2.7x
(1) Non-recourse financing arrangements include securitized debt and other non-recourse financing held within MATT.
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December 31, 2021 Leverage Stockholders’ Equity Leverage Ratio
GAAP Securitized debt, at fair value $ 999,215
GAAP Financing arrangements 1,777,743
Restricted cash posted on Financing arrangements (4,951)
Purchase price payable on Agency-Eligible Loans 87
GAAP Leverage $ 2,772,094 $ 570,380 4.9x
Financing arrangements through affiliated entities 35,744
Non-recourse financing arrangements (1) (1,021,371)
Net TBA receivable/(payable) adjustment (394,212)
Economic Leverage $ 1,392,255 $ 570,380 2.4x
(1) Non-recourse financing arrangements include securitized debt and other non-recourse financing held within MATT.
Hedging activities
Subject to maintaining our qualification as a REIT and our Investment Company Act exemption, to the extent leverage is deployed, we may utilize derivative instruments in an effort to hedge the interest rate risk associated with the financing of our portfolio. Specifically, we may seek to hedge our exposure to potential interest rate mismatches between the interest we earn on our investments and our borrowing costs caused by fluctuations in short-term interest rates. We may utilize interest rate swaps, swaption agreements, and other financial instruments such as short positions in to-be-announced securities. In utilizing leverage and interest rate derivatives, our objectives are to improve risk-adjusted returns and, where possible, to lock in, on a long-term basis, a spread between the yield on our assets and the costs of our financing and hedging. Derivatives have not been designated as hedging instruments for GAAP. See Note 7 in the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)" for more information.
Dividends
Federal income tax law generally requires that a REIT distribute annually at least 90% of its REIT ordinary taxable income, without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gains and that it pay tax at regular corporate rates to the extent that it annually distributes less than 100% of its net taxable income. Before we pay any dividend, whether for U.S. federal income tax purposes or otherwise, we must first meet both our operating requirements and debt service on our financing arrangements and other debt payable. If our cash available for distribution is less than our net taxable income, we could be required to sell assets or borrow funds to make required cash distributions or we may make a portion of the required distribution in the form of a taxable stock distribution or distribution of debt securities.
As described above, our distribution requirements are based on taxable income rather than GAAP net income. Differences between taxable income and GAAP net income include (i) unrealized gains and losses associated with investment and derivative portfolios which are marked-to-market in current income for GAAP purposes, but excluded from taxable income until realized or settled, (ii) temporary differences related to amortization of premiums and discounts paid on investments, (iii) the timing and amount of deductions related to stock-based compensation, (iv) temporary differences related to the recognition of realized gains and losses on sold investments and certain terminated derivatives, (v) taxes, (vi) methods of depreciation and (vii) differences between GAAP income or losses in our TRSs’ and taxable income resulting from dividend distributions to the REIT from our TRSs'. Undistributed taxable income is based on current estimates and is not finalized until we file our annual tax return for that tax year, typically in October of the following year. We did not have any undistributed taxable income as of March 31, 2022.
On July 12, 2021, we announced a one-for-three reverse stock split of our outstanding shares of common stock. The reverse stock split was effected following the close of business on July 22, 2021. All per share amounts and common shares outstanding for all periods presented have been adjusted on a retroactive basis to reflect the one-for-three reverse stock split.
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The following table details our common stock dividends declared during the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021.
2022
Declaration Date Record Date Payment Date Cash Dividend Per Share
3/18/2022 3/31/2022 4/29/2022 $ 0.21
2021
Declaration Date Record Date Payment Date Cash Dividend Per Share
3/22/2021 4/1/2021 4/30/2021 $ 0.18
The following tables detail our preferred stock dividends declared and paid during the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021.
2022 Cash Dividend Per Share
Declaration Date Record Date Payment Date 8.25% Series A
8.00% Series B
8.000% Series C
2/18/2022 2/28/2022 3/17/2022 $ 0.51563 $ 0.50 $ 0.50
2021 Cash Dividend Per Share
Declaration Date Record Date Payment Date 8.25% Series A
8.00% Series B
8.000% Series C
2/16/2021 2/26/2021 3/17/2021 $ 0.51563 $ 0.50 $ 0.50
Liquidity and capital resources
Our liquidity determines our ability to meet our cash obligations, including distributions to our stockholders, payment of our expenses, financing our investments and satisfying other general business needs.
Our principal sources of cash consist of borrowings under financing arrangements, principal and interest payments we receive on our investment portfolio, cash generated from our operating results, and proceeds from capital market transactions. We typically use cash to repay principal and interest on our financing arrangements, to purchase loans, real estate securities, and other real estate related assets, to make dividend payments on our capital stock, and to fund our operations. At March 31, 2022, we had $137.9 million of liquidity, which consisted of $50.5 million of cash, $48.5 million of unencumbered Agency RMBS that we held as of quarter end, and $38.9 million of unencumbered Agency RMBS which we sold during March 2022, but which settled in April 2022. Refer to the "Contractual obligations" section of this Item 2 for additional obligations that could impact our liquidity.
Margin requirements
The fair value of our loans and real estate securities fluctuate according to market conditions. When the fair value of the assets pledged as collateral to secure a financing arrangement decreases to the point where the difference between the collateral fair value and the financing arrangement amount is less than the haircut, our lenders may issue a "margin call," which requires us to post additional collateral to the lender in the form of additional assets or cash. Under our repurchase facilities, our lenders have full discretion to determine the fair value of the securities we pledge to them. Our lenders typically value assets based on recent transactions in the market. Lenders also issue margin calls as the published current principal balance factors change on the pool of mortgages underlying the securities pledged as collateral when scheduled and unscheduled paydowns are announced monthly. We experience margin calls in the ordinary course of our business. In seeking to manage effectively the margin requirements established by our lenders, we maintain a position of cash and, when owned, unpledged Agency RMBS. We refer to this position as our "liquidity." The level of liquidity we have available to meet margin calls is directly affected by our leverage levels, our haircuts and the price changes on our assets. Typically, if interest rates increase or if credit spreads widen, then the prices of our collateral (and our unpledged assets that constitute our liquidity) will decline, we will experience margin calls, and we will need to use our liquidity to meet the margin calls. There can be no assurance that we will maintain sufficient levels of liquidity to meet any margin calls. If our haircuts increase, our liquidity will proportionately decrease. In addition, if we increase our borrowings, our liquidity will decrease by the amount of additional haircut on the increased level of indebtedness. We intend to maintain a level of liquidity in relation to our assets that enables us to meet reasonably anticipated margin calls but that also allows us to be substantially invested in the residential mortgage market. We may misjudge the appropriate amount of our liquidity by maintaining excessive liquidity, which would lower our investment returns, or by maintaining insufficient liquidity, which may force us to liquidate assets into potentially unfavorable market conditions and harm our results of operations and financial condition. Further, an unexpected rise in interest rates and a corresponding fall in
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the fair value of our securities may also force us to liquidate assets under difficult market conditions, thereby harming our results of operations and financial condition, in an effort to maintain sufficient liquidity to meet increased margin calls.
Similar to the margin calls that we receive on our borrowing agreements, we may also receive margin calls on our derivative instruments when their fair value declines. This typically occurs when prevailing market rates change adversely, with the severity of the change also dependent on the terms of the derivatives involved. We may also receive margin calls on our derivatives based on the implied volatility of interest rates. Our posting of collateral with our counterparties can be done in cash or securities, and is generally bilateral, which means that if the fair value of our interest rate hedges increases, our counterparty will be required to post collateral with us. Refer to the "Liquidity risk – derivatives" section of Item 3 below for a further discussion on margin.
Cash flows
The below details changes to our cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 ($ in thousands).
Three Months Ended
March 31, 2022 March 31, 2021 Change
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, Beginning of Period $ 100,229 $ 62,318 $ 37,911
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities (1) 4,528 6,477 (1,949)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities (2) (624,197) (526,454) (97,743)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities (3) 615,611 549,205 66,406
Net change in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash (4,058) 29,228 (33,286)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash — 9 (9)
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, End of Period $ 96,171 $ 91,555 $ 4,616
(1) Cash provided by operating activities is primarily attributable to net interest income less operating expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2022.
(2) Cash used in investing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2022 was primarily attributable to purchases of investments, offset by sales of investments and principal repayments on investments.
(3) Cash provided by financing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2022 was primarily attributable to issuance of securitized debt, offset by net repayments of financing arrangements and dividend payments.
Stock repurchase programs
On November 3, 2015, our Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program ("Repurchase Program") to repurchase up to $25.0 million of our outstanding common stock. Such authorization does not have an expiration date. As part of the Repurchase Program, shares may be purchased in open market transactions, including through block purchases, through privately negotiated transactions, or pursuant to any trading plan that may be adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Exchange Act. Open market repurchases will be made in accordance with Exchange Act Rule 10b-18, which sets certain restrictions on the method, timing, price and volume of open market stock repurchases. Subject to applicable securities laws, the timing, manner, price and amount of any repurchases of common stock under the Repurchase Program may be determined by our discretion, using available cash resources. Shares of common stock repurchased by us under the Repurchase Program, if any, will be cancelled and, until reissued, will be deemed to be authorized but unissued shares of common stock as required by Maryland law. The Repurchase Program may be suspended or discontinued by us at any time and without prior notice and the authorization does not obligate us to acquire any particular amount of common stock. The cost of the acquisition of shares of our own stock in excess of the aggregate par value of the shares first reduces additional paid-in capital, to the extent available, with any residual cost applied against retained earnings. We did not repurchase any shares under the Repurchase Program during the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021. Approximately $11.0 million of common stock remained authorized for future share repurchases under the Repurchase Program as of March 31, 2022.
On February 22, 2021, our Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program pursuant to which our Board of Directors granted a repurchase authorization to acquire shares of our Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock, and Series C Preferred Stock having an aggregate value of up to $20.0 million. No share repurchases under the Preferred Repurchase Program have been made since its authorization.
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Equity distribution agreements
On May 5, 2017, we entered into an equity distribution agreement with each of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and JMP Securities LLC (collectively, the "Sales Agents"), which we refer to as the "Equity Distribution Agreements," pursuant to which we may sell up to $100.0 million aggregate offering price of shares of our common stock from time to time through the Sales Agents, under the Securities Act of 1933. For the three months ended March 31, 2022, we did not issue any shares of common stock under the Equity Distribution Agreements. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, we issued 0.7 million shares of common stock under the Equity Distribution Agreements for net proceeds of approximately $10.0 million. Since inception of the program, we have issued approximately 2.2 million shares of common stock under the Equity Distribution Agreements for gross proceeds of $48.3 million.
Common stock offering
On November 22, 2021, we completed a public offering of 7.0 million shares of our common stock and subsequently issued an additional 1.1 million shares pursuant to the underwriters' exercise of their over-allotment option at a price of $9.98 per share. Net proceeds to us from the offering were approximately $80.0 million, after deducting offering expenses.
Forward-looking statements regarding liquidity
Based upon our current portfolio, leverage and available borrowing arrangements, we believe the net proceeds of our common equity offerings, preferred equity offerings, and private placements, combined with cash flow from operations and our available borrowing capacity will be sufficient to enable us to meet our anticipated liquidity requirements, including funding our investment activities, paying fees under our management agreement, funding our distributions to stockholders and paying general corporate expenses.
Contractual obligations
Management agreement
On June 29, 2011, we entered into a management agreement with our Manager, pursuant to which our Manager is entitled to receive a management fee and the reimbursement of certain expenses. The management fee is calculated and payable quarterly in arrears in an amount equal to 1.50% of our Stockholders’ Equity, per annum.
For purposes of calculating the management fee, "Stockholders’ Equity" means the sum of the net proceeds from any issuances of equity securities (including preferred securities) since inception (allocated on a pro rata daily basis for such issuances during the fiscal quarter of any such issuance, and excluding any future equity issuance to the Manager), plus our retained earnings at the end of such quarter (without taking into account any non-cash equity compensation expense or other non-cash items described below incurred in current or prior periods), less any amount that we pay for repurchases of our common stock, excluding any unrealized gains, losses or other non-cash items that have impacted stockholders’ equity as reported in our financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP, regardless of whether such items are included in other comprehensive income or loss, or in net income, and excluding one-time events pursuant to changes in GAAP, and certain other non-cash charges after discussions between the Manager and our independent directors and after approval by a majority of our independent directors. Stockholders’ Equity, for purposes of calculating the management fee, could be greater or less than the amount of stockholders’ equity shown on our financial statements. For the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, we incurred management fees of approximately $2.0 million and $1.7 million, respectively. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we have recorded management fees payable of $2.0 million and $1.8 million, respectively.
Our Manager uses the proceeds from its management fee in part to pay compensation to its officers and personnel, who, notwithstanding that certain of them also are our officers, receive no compensation directly from us. We are required to reimburse our Manager or its affiliates for operating expenses incurred by our Manager or its affiliates on our behalf, including certain salary expenses and other expenses relating to legal, accounting, due diligence and other services. Our reimbursement obligation is not subject to any dollar limitation; however, the reimbursement is subject to an annual budget process which combines guidelines from the Management Agreement with oversight by our Board of Directors and discussions with our Manager. For the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, we have incurred $2.5 million and $1.5 million, respectively, representing a reimbursement of expenses which are recorded within the "Other operating expenses" and "Transaction related expenses" line items on the consolidated statements of operations. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we recorded a reimbursement payable to the Manager of $1.9 million and $2.1 million, respectively.
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For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Manager agreed to waive its right to receive expense reimbursements of $0.8 million. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, we reduced our expense reimbursement amount by $0.2 million.
Incentive fee
In connection with our common stock offering in November 2021, including the Manager's purchase of 700,000 shares in the offering, on November 22, 2021, we and the Manager executed an amendment (the "Third Amendment") to the management agreement, pursuant to which we will pay the Manager an annual incentive fee in addition to the base management fee. Pursuant to the Third Amendment, the Manager waived the annual incentive fee with respect to the fiscal years ending December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022, and the annual incentive fee will first be payable with respect to the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023.
The annual incentive fee with respect to each applicable fiscal year will be equal to 15% of the amount by which our cumulative adjusted net income from the date of the Third Amendment exceeds the cumulative hurdle amount, which represents an 8% return (cumulative, but not compounding) on an equity hurdle base consisting of the sum of (i) our adjusted book value (calculated in the manner described in our public filings) as of October 31, 2021, (ii) $80.0 million, and (iii) the gross proceeds of any subsequent public or private common stock offerings by us. The annual incentive fee will be payable in cash, or, at the option of our Board of Directors, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares.
In addition, pursuant to the Third Amendment, the term of the management agreement was extended until June 30, 2023, unless earlier terminated in accordance with its terms. Thereafter, the management agreement will continue to renew automatically each year for an additional one-year period, unless the Company or the Manager exercise its respective termination rights. All other terms and conditions of the management agreement continued without change.
Share-based compensation
The AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, which became effective on April 15, 2020 following the approval of our stockholders at our 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, provides for a maximum of 666,666 shares of common stock that may be issued under the plan. The maximum number of shares of common stock granted during a single fiscal year to any non-employee director, taken together with any cash fees paid to such non-employee director during any fiscal year, shall not exceed $300,000 in total value (calculating the value of any such awards based on the grant date fair value). As of March 31, 2022, 591,532 shares of common stock were available to be awarded under the Equity Incentive Plan.
As of March 31, 2022, we have granted an aggregate of 75,134 shares of restricted common stock to our independent directors under our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, all of which have vested.
The AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc. 2021 Manager Equity Incentive Plan (the "2021 Manager Plan"), which became effective on April 7, 2021 following the approval of our stockholders at our 2021 annual meeting of stockholders, provides for a maximum of 573,425 shares of common stock that may be subject to awards thereunder to our Manager. As of March 31, 2022, there were no shares or awards issued under the 2021 Manager Plan. Following the execution of the third amendment to our management agreement in November 2021 related to the incentive fee, the Company's compensation committee no longer expects to continue its historical practice of making periodic equity grants to the Manager pursuant to the 2021 Manager Equity Incentive Plan.
Unfunded commitments
See Note 12 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)" for detail on our commitments as of March 31, 2022.
Off-balance sheet arrangements
Our investments in debt and equity of affiliates primarily consist of loans, real estate securities, and our interest in AG Arc. Investments in debt and equity of affiliates are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Certain of our investments in debt and equity of affiliates securitize residential mortgage loans and retain interests in the subordinated tranches of the transferred assets. These retained interests are included in the MATT Non-QM Loans and Re/Non-Performing Loans line items of our investment portfolio. See Notes 2 and 10 to the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)" for a discussion of investments i n debt and equity of affiliates.
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We record TBA purchases and sales on the trade date and present the purchase or receipt net of the corresponding payable or receivable until the settlement date of the transaction. Refer to Note 7 to the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)" for additional detail on TBAs as of March 31, 2022.
For additional information on our commitments as of March 31, 2022 , refer to Note 12 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)." Exclusive of our investments in debt and equity of affiliates described above, we do not expect these commitments, taken as a whole, to be significant to, or to have a material impact on, our overall liquidity or capital resources or our operations.
Critical accounting policies
We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP, which requires the use of estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates are based, in part, on our judgment and assumptions regarding various economic conditions that we believe are reasonable based on facts and circumstances existing at the time of reporting. We believe that the estimates, judgments and assumptions utilized in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements are prudent and reasonable. Although our estimates contemplate conditions as of March 31, 2022 and how we expect them to change in the future, it is reasonably possible that actual conditions could be different than anticipated in arriving at those estimates, which could materially affect reported amounts of assets, liabilities and accumulated other comprehensive income at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of income, expenses and other comprehensive income during the periods presented.
Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP, which requires the use of estimates that involve the exercise of judgment and the use of assumptions as to future uncertainties. A discussion of the critical accounting policies and the possible effects of changes in estimates on our consolidated financial statements is included in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and in Note 2 to the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)." Our most critical accounting policies are believed to include (i) Valuation of financial instruments, (ii) Accounting for loans, (iii) Accounting for real estate securities, (iv) Interest income recognition, (v) Financing arrangements, and (vi) Investment consolidation.
These policies involve decisions and assessments that could affect our reported assets and liabilities, as well as our reported revenues and expenses. We believe that all of the decisions and assessments upon which our consolidated financial statements are based are reasonable at the time made and based upon information available to us at that time. We rely upon third-party pricing of our assets at each-quarter end to arrive at what we believe to be reasonable estimates of fair value, whenever available. For more information on our fair value measurements, see Note 5 to the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)." For a review of our significant accounting policies and the recent accounting pronouncements that may impact our results of operations, see Note 2 to the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)."
Compliance with Investment Company Act and REIT tests
We conduct our business so as to maintain our exempt status under, and not to become regulated as an investment company for purposes, of the Investment Company Act. Under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, a company is an investment company if it is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Under Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act, a company is deemed to be an investment company if it is engaged, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire "investment securities" having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis (the "40% Test"). "Investment securities" do not include, among other things, U.S. government securities, and securities issued by majority-owned subsidiaries that (i) are not investment companies and (ii) are not relying on the exceptions from the definition of investment company provided by Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act (the so called "private investment company" exemptions). As of December 31, 2021 and for the three months ended March 31, 2022, we determined that we maintained compliance with the 40% Test requirements.
If we failed to comply with the 40% Test or another exemption under the Investment Company Act and became regulated as an investment company, our ability to, among other things, use leverage would be substantially reduced and, as a result, we would be unable to conduct our business as described in this Report. Accordingly, in order to maintain our exempt status, we monitor our subsidiaries' compliance with Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act, which exempts from the definition of "investment company" entities primarily engaged in the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate. The staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, generally requires an
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entity relying on Section 3(c)(5)(C) to invest at least 55% of its portfolio in "qualifying assets" (the "55% Test") and at least another 25% in additional qualifying assets or in "real estate-related" assets (with no more than 20% comprised of miscellaneous assets) (the "80% Test"). As of December 31, 2021 and for the three months ended March 31, 2022, we determined that our subsidiaries maintained compliance with both the 55% Test and the 80% Test requirements.
We intend to conduct our business so as to maintain our qualification as a REIT under the Code by satisfying the asset, income, distribution and other REIT requirements. We calculate that at least 75% of our assets were real estate assets, cash and cash items and government securities for the year ended December 31, 2021. We also calculate that a sufficient portion of our revenue qualifies for the 75% gross income test and for the 95% gross income test rules for the year ended December 31, 2021. We believe we are currently in compliance with the REIT income and asset tests as well as all other REIT requirements including the ownership of our stock and the distribution of our taxable income. Therefore, for the year ended December 31, 2021, we believe that we qualified as a REIT under the Code.
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Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.