Meritage Homes CORP 10-Q

Item 1. Financial Statements MERITAGE HOMES CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands, except share amounts) September 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 299,387 $ 618,335 Other receivables 193,307 147,548 Real estate 4,726,262 3,734,408 Real estate not owned — 8,011 Deposits on real estate under option or contract 88,428 90,679 Investments in unconsolidated entities 11,356 5,764 Property and equipment, net 39,437 37,340 Deferred tax assets, net 41,060 40,672 Prepaids, other assets and goodwill 171,853 124,776 Total assets $ 5,571,090 $ 4,807,533 Liabilities Accounts payable $ 322,227 $ 216,009 Accrued liabilities 353,512 337,277 Home sale deposits 57,767 42,610 Liabilities related to real estate not owned — 7,210 Loans payable and other borrowings 12,460 17,552 Senior notes, net 1,143,314 1,142,486 Total liabilities 1,889,280 1,763,144 Stockholders’ Equity Preferred stock, par value $ 0.01 . Authorized 10,000,000 shares; none issued and outstanding at September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 — — Common stock, par value $ 0.01 . Authorized 125,000,000 shares; 36,571,393 and 37,340,855 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively 366 373 Additional paid-in capital 322,442 414,841 Retained earnings 3,359,002 2,629,175 Total stockholders’ equity 3,681,810 3,044,389 Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 5,571,090 $ 4,807,533 See accompanying notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements 3 MERITAGE HOMES CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS (in thousands, except per share amounts) Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Homebuilding: Home closing revenue $ 1,569,032 $ 1,251,435 $ 4,223,435 $ 3,596,060 Land closing revenue 8,989 8,470 53,901 25,225 Total closing revenue 1,578,021 1,259,905 4,277,336 3,621,285 Cost of home closings ( 1,118,394 ) ( 879,759 ) ( 2,950,409 ) ( 2,612,428 ) Cost of land closings ( 8,577 ) ( 7,706 ) ( 42,046 ) ( 24,246 ) Total cost of closings ( 1,126,971 ) ( 887,465 ) ( 2,992,455 ) ( 2,636,674 ) Home closing gross profit 450,638 371,676 1,273,026 983,632 Land closing gross profit 412 764 11,855 979 Total closing gross profit 451,050 372,440 1,284,881 984,611 Financial Services: Revenue 6,308 5,208 16,119 15,624 Expense ( 2,804 ) ( 2,308 ) ( 7,897 ) ( 6,846 ) Earnings from financial services unconsolidated entities and other, net 1,338 1,324 4,033 3,821 Financial services profit 4,842 4,224 12,255 12,599 Commissions and other sales costs ( 77,884 ) ( 68,952 ) ( 212,807 ) ( 210,585 ) General and administrative expenses ( 48,443 ) ( 47,192 ) ( 136,370 ) ( 128,297 ) Interest expense — ( 79 ) ( 41 ) ( 246 ) Other (expense)/income, net ( 74 ) 1,268 ( 849 ) 3,443 Loss on early extinguishment of debt — — — ( 18,188 ) Earnings before income taxes 329,491 261,709 947,069 643,337 Provision for income taxes ( 67,002 ) ( 60,957 ) ( 217,242 ) ( 143,353 ) Net earnings $ 262,489 $ 200,752 $ 729,827 $ 499,984 Earnings per common share: Basic $ 7.18 $ 5.33 $ 19.87 $ 13.26 Diluted $ 7.10 $ 5.25 $ 19.65 $ 13.06 Weighted average number of shares: Basic 36,569 37,647 36,736 37,703 Diluted 36,946 38,229 37,136 38,285 See accompanying notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements 4 MERITAGE HOMES CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (in thousands) Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 Cash flows from operating activities: Net earnings $ 729,827 $ 499,984 Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash used in operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 17,545 19,892 Stock-based compensation 16,897 14,435 Loss on early extinguishment of debt — 18,188 Equity in earnings from unconsolidated entities ( 3,703 ) ( 2,878 ) Distributions of earnings from unconsolidated entities 3,785 3,324 Other 11,154 ( 3,085 ) Changes in assets and liabilities: Increase in real estate ( 990,106 ) ( 810,731 ) Decrease/(increase) in deposits on real estate under option or contract 176 ( 18,453 ) Increase in other receivables, prepaids and other assets ( 89,177 ) ( 51,611 ) Increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities 118,636 67,301 Increase in home sale deposits 15,157 14,928 Net cash used in operating activities ( 169,809 ) ( 248,706 ) Cash flows from investing activities: Investments in unconsolidated entities ( 5,674 ) ( 1 ) Purchases of property and equipment ( 19,537 ) ( 17,910 ) Proceeds from sales of property and equipment 328 404 Maturities/sales of investments and securities 1,032 2,795 Payments to purchase investments and securities ( 1,032 ) ( 2,795 ) Net cash used in investing activities ( 24,883 ) ( 17,507 ) Cash flows from financing activities: Repayment of loans payable and other borrowings ( 14,953 ) ( 6,308 ) Repayment of senior notes — ( 317,690 ) Proceeds from issuance of senior notes — 450,000 Payment of debt issuance costs — ( 6,102 ) Repurchase of shares ( 109,303 ) ( 37,017 ) Net cash (used in)/provided by financing activities ( 124,256 ) 82,883 Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents ( 318,948 ) ( 183,330 ) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 618,335 745,621 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 299,387 $ 562,291 See Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information in Note 13. See accompanying notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements 5 MERITAGE HOMES CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION Organization. Meritage Homes Corporation ("Meritage Homes") is a leading designer and builder of single-family homes. We primarily build in historically high-growth regions of the United States and offer a variety of entry-level and first move-up homes. We have homebuilding operations in three regions: West, Central and East, which are comprised of ten states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah. We also operate a financial services reporting segment. In this segment, we offer title and escrow, mortgage, and insurance services. Carefree Title Agency, Inc. ("Carefree Title"), our wholly-owned title company, provides title insurance and closing/settlement services to our homebuyers. Managing our own title operations allows us greater control over the entire escrow and closing cycles in addition to generating additional revenue. Meritage Homes Insurance Agency (“Meritage Insurance"), our wholly-owned insurance broker, works in collaboration with insurance companies nationwide to offer homeowners insurance and other insurance products to our homebuyers. Our financial services operations also provides mortgage services to our homebuyers through an unconsolidated joint venture. We commenced our homebuilding operations in 1985 through our predecessor company, Monterey Homes. Meritage Homes Corporation was incorporated in the state of Maryland in 1988 under the name of Homeplex Mortgage Investments Corporation and merged with Monterey Homes in 1996, at which time our name was changed to Monterey Homes Corporation and later ultimately to Meritage Homes Corporation. Since that time, we have engaged in homebuilding and related activities. Meritage Homes Corporation operates as a holding company and has no independent assets or operations. Its homebuilding construction, development and sales activities are conducted through its subsidiaries. Our homebuilding activities are conducted under the name of Meritage Homes in each of our homebuilding markets. At September 30, 2022, we were actively selling homes in 275 communities, with base prices ranging from approximately $ 250,000 to $ 1,400,000 . Basis of Presentation . The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. The unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Meritage Homes Corporation and those of our consolidated subsidiaries, partnerships and other entities in which we have a controlling financial interest, and of variable interest entities (see Note 3) in which we are deemed the primary beneficiary (collectively, “us”, “we”, “our” and “the Company”). Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include all normal and recurring adjustments that are considered necessary for the fair presentation of our results for the interim periods presented. Results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the full fiscal year. Cash and Cash Equivalents. Liquid investments with an initial maturity of three months or less are classified as cash equivalents. Amounts in transit from title companies or closing agents for home closings of approximately $ 94.6 million and $ 95.4 million are included in Cash and cash equivalents at September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. Real Estate. Real estate inventory is stated at cost unless the community or land is determined to be impaired, at which point the inventory is written down to fair value as required by Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 360-10, Property, Plant and Equipment (“ASC 360-10”) . Inventory includes the costs of land acquisition, land development and home construction, capitalized interest, real estate taxes, and direct overhead costs incurred during development and home construction that benefit the entire community, less impairments, if any. Land and development costs are typically allocated and transferred to homes when home construction begins. Home construction costs are accumulated on a per-home basis, while selling and marketing costs are expensed as incurred. Cost of home closings includes the specific construction costs of the home and all related allocated land acquisition, land development and other common costs (both incurred and estimated to be incurred) that are allocated based upon the total number of homes expected to be closed in each community or phase. Any changes to the estimated total development costs of a community or phase are allocated to the remaining homes in that community or phase. When a home closes, we may have incurred costs for goods and services that have not yet been paid. We accrue a liability to capture such obligations in connection with the home closing which is charged directly to Cost of home closings. 6 We capitalize qualifying interest to inventory during the development and construction periods. Capitalized interest is included in cost of closings when the related inventory is closed. Included within our real estate inventory is land held for development and land held for sale. Land held for development primarily represents land and land development costs related to land where development activity is not currently underway but is expected to begin in the future. For these parcels, we have chosen not to currently develop certain land holdings as they typically represent a portion or phases of a larger land parcel that we plan to build out over several years. We do not capitalize interest for these inactive assets, and all ongoing costs of land ownership (i.e. property taxes, homeowner association dues, etc.) are expensed as incurred. We rely on certain estimates to determine our construction and land development costs. Construction and land costs are comprised of direct and allocated costs, including estimated future costs. In determining these costs, we compile project budgets that are based on a variety of assumptions, including future construction schedules and costs to be incurred. Actual results can differ from budgeted amounts for various reasons, including construction delays, labor or material shortages, absorptions that differ from our expectations, increases in costs that have not yet been committed, changes in governmental requirements, or other unanticipated issues, including weather, encountered during construction and development and other factors beyond our control. To address uncertainty in these budgets, we assess, update and revise project budgets on a regular basis, utilizing the most current information available to estimate home construction and land development costs. Typically, a community's life cycle ranges from three to five years , commencing with the acquisition of the land, continuing through the land development phase, if applicable, and concluding with the sale, construction and closing of the homes. Actual community lives will vary based on the size of the community, the sales orders absorption rates and whether the land purchased was raw, partially-developed or in finished status. Master-planned communities encompassing several phases and super-block land parcels may have significantly longer lives and projects involving smaller finished lot purchases may be significantly shorter. All of our land inventory and related real estate assets are periodically reviewed for recoverability when certain criteria are met, but at least annually, as our inventory is considered “long-lived” in accordance with GAAP. Community-level reviews are performed quarterly to determine if indicators of potential impairment exist. If indicators of potential impairment exist and the undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by an asset are lower than its carrying amount, impairment charges are recorded to write down the asset to its estimated fair value. The impairment of a community is allocated to each remaining lot in the community on a straight-line basis. Our determination of fair value is based on projections and estimates. Changes in these expectations may lead to a change in the outcome of our impairment analysis, and actual results may also differ from our assumptions. See Note 2 for additional information related to real estate. Deposits. Deposits paid related to land option and purchase contracts are recorded and classified as Deposits on real estate under option or contract until the related land is purchased. Deposits are reclassified as a component of Real estate at the time the deposit is used to offset the acquisition price of the land based on the terms of the underlying agreements. To the extent they are non-refundable, deposits are expensed to Cost of home closings if the land acquisition is terminated or no longer considered probable. Since our acquisition contracts typically do not require specific performance, we do not consider such contracts to be contractual obligations to purchase the land and our total exposure under such contracts is limited to the loss of any non-refundable deposits and any ancillary capitalized costs. Our Deposits on real estate under option or contract were $ 88.4 million and $ 90.7 million as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. Goodwill. In accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles, Goodwill and Other ("ASC 350"), we analyze goodwill on an annual basis (or whenever indication of impairment exists) through a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is necessary to perform a goodwill impairment test. ASC 350 states that an entity may assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform a goodwill impairment test. Such qualitative factors include: (1) macroeconomic conditions, such as a deterioration in general economic conditions, (2) industry and market considerations such as deterioration in the environment in which the entity operates, (3) cost factors such as increases in raw materials, labor costs, etc., and (4) overall financial performance such as negative or declining cash flows or a decline in actual or planned revenue or earnings. If the qualitative analysis determines that additional impairment testing is required, a two-step impairment test in accordance with ASC 350 would be initiated. We continually evaluate our qualitative inputs to assess whether events and circumstances have occurred that indicate the goodwill balance may not be recoverable. See Note 9 for additional information on our goodwill assets. Leases. We lease certain office space and equipment for use in our operations. We assess each of these contracts to determine whether the arrangement contains a lease as defined by ASC 842, Leases ("ASC 842"). In order to meet the definition of a lease under ASC 842, the contractual arrangement must convey to us the right to control the use of an identifiable asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Leases that meet the criteria of ASC 842 are recorded on our balance sheets as right-of-use ("ROU") assets and lease liabilities. ROU assets are classified within Prepaids, other assets and goodwill on the accompanying unaudited consolidated balance sheets, while lease liabilities are classified within Accrued liabilities on the accompanying unaudited consolidated balance sheets. 7 The table below outlines our ROU assets and lease liabilities (in thousands): As of September 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 ROU assets $ 19,961 $ 21,038 Lease liabilities 23,998 26,171 Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements - Joint Ventures . We may participate in land development joint ventures as a means of accessing larger parcels of land and lot positions, expanding our market opportunities, managing our risk profile and leveraging our capital base, although our participation in such ventures is currently limited. See Note 4 for additional discussion of our investments in unconsolidated entities . Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements - Other. In the normal course of business, we may acquire lots from various development entities pursuant to purchase and option agreements. The purchase price generally approximates the market price at the date the contract is executed (with possible future escalators) and may have staggered purchase schedules. See Note 3 for additional information on these off-balance sheet arrangements. Surety Bonds and Letters of Credit. We provide surety bonds and letters of credit in support of our obligations relating to the development of our projects and other corporate purposes in lieu of cash deposits. The amount of these obligations outstanding at any time varies depending on the stage and level of our development activities. Bonds are generally not wholly released until all development activities under the bond are complete. In the event a bond or letter of credit is drawn upon, we would be obligated to reimburse the issuer for any amounts advanced under the bond or letter of credit. We believe it is unlikely that any significant amounts of these bonds or letters of credit will be drawn upon. The table below outlines our surety bond and letter of credit obligations (in thousands): As of September 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Outstanding Estimated work remaining to complete Outstanding Estimated work remaining to complete Sureties: Sureties related to owned projects and lots under contract $ 852,017 $ 528,510 $ 620,297 $ 352,152 Total Sureties $ 852,017 $ 528,510 $ 620,297 $ 352,152 Letters of Credit (“LOCs”): LOCs for land development 54,799 N/A 57,396 N/A LOCs for general corporate operations 5,000 N/A 5,000 N/A Total LOCs $ 59,799 N/A $ 62,396 N/A Accrued Liabilities . Accrued liabilities at September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 consisted of the following (in thousands): As of September 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Accruals related to real estate development and construction activities $ 158,552 $ 115,214 Payroll and other benefits 84,062 102,773 Accrued interest 21,383 5,556 Accrued taxes 12,634 37,297 Warranty reserves 31,715 26,264 Lease liabilities 23,998 26,171 Other accruals 21,168 24,002 Total $ 353,512 $ 337,277 8 Warranty Reserves. We provide home purchasers with limited warranties against certain building defects and we have certain obligations related to those post-construction warranties for closed homes. The specific terms and conditions of these limited warranties vary by state, but overall the nature of the warranties include a complete workmanship and materials warranty for the first year after the close of the home, a major mechanical warranty for two years after the close of the home and a structural warranty that typically extends up to 10 years after the close of the home. With the assistance of an actuary, we have estimated these reserves for the structural warranty based on the number of homes still under warranty and historical data and trends for our communities. We may use industry data with respect to similar product types and geographic areas in markets where our experience is incomplete to draw a meaningful conclusion. We regularly review our warranty reserves and adjust them, as necessary, to reflect changes in trends as information becomes available. Based on such reviews of warranty costs incurred, we did not adjust the warranty reserve balance in the three or nine months ended September 30, 2022 or 2021. Included in the warranty reserve balances at September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 reflected in the table below are case-specific reserves for warranty matters, as discussed in Note 15. A summary of changes in our warranty reserves follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Balance, beginning of period $ 31,437 $ 25,065 $ 26,264 $ 23,743 Additions to reserve from new home deliveries 5,583 4,442 15,419 12,766 Warranty claims ( 5,305 ) ( 2,956 ) ( 9,968 ) (1) ( 9,958 ) Adjustments to pre-existing reserves — — — — Balance, end of period $ 31,715 $ 26,551 $ 31,715 $ 26,551 (1) Net of recoveries for costs incurred over several years on a foundation design and performance matter that affected a single community in Texas. Warranty reserves are included in Accrued liabilities on the accompanying unaudited consolidated balance sheets, and additions and adjustments to the reserves are included in Cost of home closings within the accompanying unaudited consolidated income statements. These reserves are intended to cover costs associated with our contractual and statutory warranty obligations, which include, among other items, claims involving defective workmanship and materials. We believe that our total reserves, coupled with our contractual relationships and rights with our trades and the insurance we and our trades maintain, are sufficient to cover our general warranty obligations. However, unanticipated changes in legal, weather, environmental or other conditions could have an impact on our actual warranty costs, and future costs could differ significantly from our estimates. Revenue Recognition. In accordance with ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, we apply the following steps in determining the timing and amount of revenue to recognize: (1) identify the contract with our customer; (2) identify the performance obligation(s) in the contract; (3) determine the transaction price; (4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, if applicable; and (5) recognize revenue when (or as) we satisfy the performance obligations. The performance obligations and subsequent revenue recognition for our three sources of revenue are outlined below: • Revenue from home closings is recognized when closings have occurred, the risks and rewards of ownership are transferred to the buyer, and we have no continuing involvement with the property, which is generally upon the close of escrow. Revenue is reported net of any discounts and incentives. • Revenue from land closings is recognized when a significant down payment is received, title passes, and collectability of the receivable, if any, is reasonably assured, and we have no continuing involvement with the property, which is generally upon the close of escrow. • Revenue from financial services is recognized when closings have occurred and all financial services have been rendered, which is generally upon the close of escrow. Home closing and land closing revenue expected to be recognized in any future year related to remaining performance obligations (if any) and the associated contract liabilities expected to be recognized as revenue, excluding revenue pertaining to contracts that have an original expected duration of one year or less, is not material. Revenue from financial services includes estimated future insurance policy renewal commissions as our performance obligations are satisfied upon issuance of the initial policy with a third party broker. The related contract assets for these estimated future renewal commissions are no t material at September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021. Our three sources of revenue are disaggregated by type in the accompanying unaudited consolidated income statements. 9 Recent Accounting Pronouncements. There are no recent accounting pronouncements that are expected to have a material impact on our financial statements or financial statement disclosures. NOTE 2 — REAL ESTATE AND CAPITALIZED INTEREST Real estate consists of the following (in thousands): As of September 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Homes under contract under construction (1) $ 1,452,691 $ 1,039,822 Unsold homes, completed and under construction (1) 986,862 484,999 Model homes (1) 87,550 81,049 Finished home sites and home sites under development (2) (3) 2,199,159 2,128,538 Total $ 4,726,262 $ 3,734,408 (1) Includes the allocated land and land development costs associated with each lot for these homes. (2) Includes raw land, land held for development and land held for sale, less impairments, if any. We do not capitalize interest for inactive assets, and all ongoing costs of land ownership (i.e. property taxes, homeowner association dues, etc.) are expensed as incurred. (3) Includes land held for sale of $ 62.2 million and $ 62.1 million as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively . Subject to sufficient qualifying assets, we capitalize our development period interest costs incurred to applicable qualifying assets in connection with our real estate development and construction activities. Capitalized interest is allocated to active real estate when incurred and charged to Cost of closings when the related property is delivered. A summary of our capitalized interest is as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Capitalized interest, beginning of period $ 61,459 $ 56,710 $ 56,253 $ 58,940 Interest incurred 15,179 15,212 45,563 47,625 Interest expensed — ( 79 ) ( 41 ) ( 246 ) Interest amortized to cost of home and land closings ( 14,548 ) ( 14,550 ) ( 39,685 ) ( 49,026 ) Capitalized interest, end of period $ 62,090 $ 57,293 $ 62,090 $ 57,293 NOTE 3 — VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES AND CONSOLIDATED REAL ESTATE NOT OWNED We enter into purchase and option agreements for land or lots as part of the normal course of business. These purchase and option agreements enable us to acquire properties at one or multiple future dates at pre-determined prices. We believe these acquisition structures allow us to better leverage our balance sheet and reduce our financial risk associated with land acquisitions. In accordance with ASC 810, Consolidation , we evaluate all purchase and option agreements for land to determine whether they are a variable interest entity ("VIE"), and if so, whether we are the primary beneficiary. Although we do not have legal title to the underlying land, if we are the primary beneficiary we are required to consolidate the VIE in our financial statements and reflect such assets and liabilities as Real estate not owned and Liabilities related to real estate not owned, respectively. As a result of our analyses, we determined that as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we were not the primary beneficiary of any VIEs from which we have acquired rights to land or lots under option contracts. 10 The table below presents a summary of our lots under option at September 30, 2022 (dollars in thousands): Projected Number of Lots Purchase Price Option/ Earnest Money Deposits–Cash Purchase and option contracts recorded on balance sheet as Real estate not owned — $ — $ — Option contracts — non-refundable deposits, committed (1) 9,989 558,694 58,154 Purchase contracts — non-refundable deposits, committed (1) 8,427 243,038 19,508 Purchase and option contracts —refundable deposits, committed 2,102 52,787 1,105 Total committed 20,518 854,519 78,767 Purchase and option contracts — refundable deposits, uncommitted (2) 22,524 743,757 9,661 Total lots under contract or option 43,042 $ 1,598,276 $ 88,428 Total purchase and option contracts not recorded on balance sheet (3) 43,042 $ 1,598,276 $ 88,428 (4) (1) Deposits are non-refundable except if certain contractual conditions are not performed by the selling party. (2) Deposits are refundable at our sole discretion. We have not completed our acquisition evaluation process and we have not internally committed to purchase these lots. (3) Except for our specific performance contracts recorded on the accompanying unaudited consolidated balance sheets as Real estate not owned (if any), none of our purchase or option contracts require us to purchase lots. (4) Amount is reflected on the accompanying unaudited consolidated balance sheets in Deposits on real estate under option or contract as of September 30, 2022. Generally, our options to purchase lots remain effective so long as we purchase a pre-established minimum number of lots each month or quarter, as determined by the respective agreement. Although the pre-established number is typically structured to approximate our expected rate of home construction starts, during a weakened homebuilding market, we may purchase lots at an absorption level that exceeds our expected orders and home starts pace to meet the pre-established minimum number of lots or restructure our original contract to terms that more accurately reflect our revised orders pace expectations. During a strong homebuilding market, we may accelerate our pre-established minimum purchases if allowed by the contract. NOTE 4 - INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES We may enter into joint ventures as a means of accessing larger parcels of land, expanding our market opportunities, managing our risk profile, optimizing deal structure for the impacted parties and leveraging our capital. While purchasing land through a joint venture can be beneficial, currently we do not view joint ventures as critical to the success of our homebuilding operations. Our joint venture partners generally are other homebuilders, land sellers or other real estate investors. We generally do not have a controlling interest in these ventures, which means our joint venture partners could cause the venture to take actions we disagree with or fail to take actions we believe should be undertaken, including the sale of the underlying property to repay debt or recoup all or part of the partners' investments. Based on the structure of these joint ventures, they may or may not be consolidated into our results. As of September 30, 2022, we had two active equity-method land joint ventures and one mortgage joint venture, which is engaged in mortgage activities and primarily provides services to our homebuyers. 11 Summarized condensed combined financial information related to unconsolidated joint ventures that are accounted for using the equity method was as follows (in thousands): As of September 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Assets: Cash $ 2,768 $ 7,983 Real estate 17,628 7,989 Other assets 7,844 3,903 Total assets $ 28,240 $ 19,875 Liabilities and equity: Accounts payable and other liabilities $ 6,870 $ 7,899 Equity of: Meritage (1) 10,195 4,752 Other 11,175 7,224 Total liabilities and equity $ 28,240 $ 19,875 Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Revenue $ 12,083 $ 10,070 $ 31,161 $ 29,173 Costs and expenses ( 9,535 ) ( 8,171 ) ( 25,743 ) ( 24,700 ) Net earnings of unconsolidated entities $ 2,548 $ 1,899 $ 5,418 $ 4,473 Meritage’s share of pre-tax earnings (1) (2) $ 1,558 $ 1,071 $ 3,750 $ 2,878 (1) Balance represents Meritage’s interest, as reflected in the financial records of the respective joint ventures. This balance may differ from the balance reported in the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements due to the following reconciling items: (i) timing differences for revenue and distributions recognition, (ii) step-up basis and corresponding amortization, (iii) capitalization of interest on qualified assets, (iv) income deferrals as discussed in Note (2) below and (v) the cessation of allocation of losses from joint ventures in which we have previously written down our investment balance to zero and where we have no commitment to fund additional losses. (2) Our share of pre-tax earnings from our mortgage joint venture is recorded in Earnings from financial services unconsolidated entities and other, net on the accompanying unaudited consolidated income statements. Our share of pre-tax earnings from all other joint ventures is recorded in Other (expense)/income, net on the accompanying unaudited consolidated income statements and excludes joint venture profit related to lots we purchased from the joint ventures, if any. Such profit is deferred until homes are delivered by us and title passes to a homebuyer. NOTE 5 — LOANS PAYABLE AND OTHER BORROWINGS Loans payable and other borrowings consist of the following (in thousands): As of September 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Other borrowings, real estate notes payable (1) $ 12,460 $ 17,552 $ 780.0 million unsecured revolving credit facility — — Total $ 12,460 $ 17,552 (1) Reflects balance of non-recourse notes payable in connection with land purchases . The Company entered into an amended and restated unsecured revolving credit facility ("Credit Facility") in 2014 that has been amended from time to time. In December 2021, the Credit Facility was amended to extend the maturity date to December 22, 2026 and replace LIBOR as the benchmark interest rate with the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") as described below. The Credit Facility's aggregate commitment is $ 780.0 million with an accordion feature permitting the size of the 12 facility to increase to a maximum of $ 880.0 million, subject to certain conditions, including the availability of additional bank commitments. Borrowings under the Credit Facility bear interest at the Company's option, at either (1) term SOFR (based on 1, 3, or 6 month interest periods, as selected by the Company) plus a 10 basis point adjustment plus an applicable margin (ranging from 125 basis points to 175 basis points (the "applicable margin")) based on the Company's leverage ratio as determined in accordance with a pricing grid, (2) the higher of (i) the prime lending rate ("Prime"), (ii) an overnight bank rate plus 50 basis points and (iii) term SOFR (based on a 1 month interest period) plus a 10 basis point adjustment plus 1 %, in each case plus a margin ranging from 25 basis points to 75 basis points based on the Company's leverage in accordance with a pricing grid, or (3) daily simple SOFR plus a 10 basis point adjustment plus the applicable margin. At September 30, 2022, the interest rate on outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility would have been 4.390 % per annum, calculated in accordance with option (1) discussed previously and using the 1 month term SOFR. We are obligated to pay a fee on the undrawn portion of the Credit Facility at a rate equal to the applicable margin then in effect. The Credit Facility also contains certain financial covenants, including (a) a minimum tangible net worth requirement of $ 1.9 billion (which amount is subject to increase over time based on subsequent earnings and proceeds from equity offerings), and (b) a maximum leverage covenant that prohibits the leverage ratio (as defined therein) from exceeding 60 %. In addition, we are required to maintain either (i) an interest coverage ratio (EBITDA to interest expense, as defined therein) of at least 1.50 to 1.00 or (ii) liquidity (as defined therein) of an amount not less than our consolidated interest incurred during the trailing 12 months. We were in compliance with all Credit Facility covenants as of September 30, 2022. We had no outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021. We had $ 40.0 million in borrowings and repayments during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, and no borrowings or repayments during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021. As of September 30, 2022, we had outstanding letters of credit issued under the Credit Facility totaling $ 59.8 million, leaving $ 720.2 million available under the Credit Facility to be drawn. NOTE 6 — SENIOR NOTES, NET Senior notes, net consist of the following (in thousands): As of September 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 6.00 % senior notes due 2025. At September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 there was approximately $ 2,182 and $ 2,795 in net unamortized premium, respectively. 402,182 402,795 5.125 % senior notes due 2027 300,000 300,000 3.875 % senior notes due 2029 450,000 450,000 Net debt issuance costs ( 8,868 ) ( 10,309 ) Total $ 1,143,314 $ 1,142,486 The indentures for all of our senior notes contain non-financial covenants including, among others, limitations on the amount of secured debt we may incur, and limitations on sale and leaseback transactions and mergers. We were in compliance with all such covenants as of September 30, 2022. Obligations to pay principal and interest on the senior notes are guaranteed by substantially all of our wholly-owned subsidiaries (each a “Guarantor” and, collectively, the “Guarantor Subsidiaries”), each of which is directly or indirectly 100% owned by Meritage Homes Corporation. Such guarantees are full and unconditional, and joint and several. In the event of a sale or other disposition of all of the assets of any Guarantor, by way of merger, consolidation or otherwise, or a sale or other disposition of all of the equity interests of any Guarantor then held by Meritage and its subsidiaries, then that Guarantor may be released and relieved of any obligations under its note guarantee. There are no significant restrictions on our ability or the ability of any Guarantor to obtain funds from their respective subsidiaries, as applicable, by dividend or loan. We do not provide separate financial statements of the Guarantor Subsidiaries because Meritage (the parent company) has no independent assets or operations and the guarantees are full and unconditional and joint and several. Subsidiaries of Meritage Homes Corporation that are non-guarantor subsidiaries are, individually and in the aggregate, minor. In April 2021, we completed an offering of $ 450.0 million aggregate principal amount of 3.875 % Senior Notes due 2029. We used a portion of the net proceeds from this offering to redeem all $ 300.0 million aggregate principal outstanding of our 7.00 % Senior Notes due 2022, incurring $ 18.2 million in early debt extinguishment charges in the nine months ended September 30, 2021, reflected as Loss on early extinguishment of debt in the accompanying unaudited consolidated income statements. 13 NOTE 7 — FAIR VALUE DISCLOSURES ASC 820-10, Fair Value Measurement ("ASC 820"), defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and addresses required disclosures about fair value measurements. This standard establishes a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the significant inputs used to determine fair value. Observable inputs are those which are obtained from market participants external to the Company while unobservable inputs are generally developed internally, utilizing management’s estimates, assumptions and specific knowledge of the assets/liabilities and related markets. The three levels are defined as follows: • Level 1 — Valuation is based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. • Level 2 — Valuation is determined from quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active, or by model-based techniques in which all significant inputs are observable in the market. • Level 3 — Valuation is derived from model-based techniques in which at least one significant input is unobservable and based on the company’s own estimates about the assumptions that market participants would use to value the asset or liability. If the only observable inputs are from inactive markets or for transactions which the Company evaluates as “distressed”, the use of Level 1 inputs should be modified by the Company to properly address these factors, or the reliance of such inputs may be limited, with a greater weight attributed to Level 3 inputs. Financial Instruments : The fair value of our fixed-rate debt is derived from quoted market prices by independent dealers (Level 2 inputs as per the discussion above) and is as follows (in thousands): As of September 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Aggregate Principal Estimated Fair Value Aggregate Principal Estimated Fair Value 6.00 % senior notes due 2025 $ 400,000 $ 388,000 $ 400,000 $ 446,520 5.125 % senior notes due 2027 $ 300,000 $ 267,000 $ 300,000 $ 329,640 3.875 % senior notes due 2029 $ 450,000 $ 357,750 $ 450,000 $ 472,500 Due to the short-term nature of other financial assets and liabilities, including our Loans payable and other borrowings, we consider the carrying amounts of our other short-term financial instruments to approximate fair value. NOTE 8 — EARNINGS PER SHARE Basic and diluted earnings per common share were calculated as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Basic weighted average number of shares outstanding 36,569 37,647 36,736 37,703 Effect of dilutive securities: Unvested restricted stock 377 582 400 582 Diluted average shares outstanding 36,946 38,229 37,136 38,285 Net earnings $ 262,489 $ 200,752 $ 729,827 $ 499,984 Basic earnings per share $ 7.18 $ 5.33 $ 19.87 $ 13.26 Diluted earnings per share $ 7.10 $ 5.25 $ 19.65 $ 13.06 14 NOTE 9 — ACQUISITIONS AND GOODWILL Goodwill. In prior years, we have entered new markets through the acquisition of the homebuilding assets and operations of local/regional homebuilders in Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. As a result of these transactions, we recorded approximately $ 33.0 million of goodwill. Goodwill represents the excess purchase price of our acquisitions over the fair value of the net assets acquired. Our acquisitions were recorded in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations , and ASC 820, using the acquisition method of accounting. The purchase price for acquisitions was allocated based on estimated fair value of the assets and liabilities at the date of the acquisition. The combined excess purchase price of our acquisitions over the fair value of the net assets is classified as goodwill and is included in our unaudited consolidated balance sheets in Prepaids, other assets and goodwill. In accordance with ASC 350, we assess the recoverability of goodwill annually, or more frequently, if impairment indicators are present. A summary of the carrying amount of goodwill follows (in thousands): West Central East Financial Services Corporate Total Balance at December 31, 2021 $ — $ — $ 32,962 $ — $ — $ 32,962 Additions — — — — — — Balance at September 30, 2022 $ — $ — $ 32,962 $ — $ — $ 32,962 NOTE 10 — STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY A summary of changes in stockholders’ equity is presented below (in thousands): Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 (In thousands) Number of Shares Common Stock Additional Paid-In Capital Retained Earnings Total Balance at December 31, 2021 37,341 $ 373 $ 414,841 $ 2,629,175 $ 3,044,389 Net earnings — — — 217,254 217,254 Stock-based compensation expense — — 5,975 — 5,975 Issuance of stock 392 4 ( 4 ) — — Share repurchases ( 1,038 ) ( 10 ) ( 99,293 ) — ( 99,303 ) Balance at March 31, 2022 36,695 $ 367 $ 321,519 $ 2,846,429 $ 3,168,315 Net earnings — — — 250,084 250,084 Stock-based compensation expense — — 4,070 — 4,070 Share repurchases ( 128 ) ( 1 ) ( 9,999 ) — ( 10,000 ) Balance at June 30, 2022 36,567 $ 366 $ 315,590 $ 3,096,513 $ 3,412,469 Net earnings — — — 262,489 262,489 Stock-based compensation expense — — 6,852 — 6,852 Issuance of stock 4 — — — — Share repurchases — — — — — Balance at September 30, 2022 36,571 $ 366 $ 322,442 $ 3,359,002 $ 3,681,810 15 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021 (In thousands) Number of Shares Common Stock Additional Paid-In Capital Retained Earnings Total Balance at December 31, 2020 37,512 $ 375 $ 455,762 $ 1,891,731 $ 2,347,868 Net earnings — — — 131,843 131,843 Stock-based compensation expense — — 5,367 — 5,367 Issuance of stock 435 4 ( 4 ) — — Share repurchases ( 100 ) ( 1 ) ( 8,384 ) — ( 8,385 ) Balance at March 31, 2021 37,847 $ 378 $ 452,741 $ 2,023,574 $ 2,476,693 Net earnings — — — 167,389 167,389 Stock-based compensation expense — — 3,223 — 3,223 Share repurchases ( 200 ) ( 2 ) ( 19,159 ) — ( 19,161 ) Balance at June 30, 2021 37,647 — 376 — 436,805 — 2,190,963 — 2,628,144 Net earnings — — — 200,752 200,752 Stock-based compensation expense — — 5,845 — 5,845 Issuance of stock 3 — — — — Share repurchases ( 95 ) — ( 9,471 ) — ( 9,471 ) Balance at September 30, 2021 37,555 $ 376 $ 433,179 $ 2,391,715 $ 2,825,270 NOTE 11 — STOCK BASED AND DEFERRED COMPENSATION We have a stock compensation plan, the Meritage Homes Corporation 2018 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan"), that was approved by our Board of Directors and our stockholders and adopted in May 2018. The 2018 Plan is administered by our Board of Directors and allows for the grant of stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, performance share awards and performance-based awards in addition to non-qualified and incentive stock options. All available shares from expired, terminated, or forfeited awards that remained under prior plans were merged into and became available for grant under the 2018 Plan. The 2018 Plan authorizes awards to officers, key employees, non-employee directors and consultants. The 2018 Plan authorizes 6,600,000 shares of stock to be awarded, of which 731,405 shares remain available for grant at September 30, 2022. We believe that such awards provide a means of performance-based compensation to attract and retain qualified employees and better align the interests of our employees with those of our stockholders. Non-vested stock awards are usually granted with a five-year ratable vesting period for employees, a three-year cliff vesting for both restricted stock and performance-based awards granted to senior executive officers and either a three-year cliff vesting or one-year vesting for non-employee directors, dependent on their start date. Compensation cost related to time-based restricted stock awards is measured as of the closing price on the date of grant and is expensed, less forfeitures, on a straight-line basis over the vesting period of the award. Compensation cost related to performance-based restricted stock awards is also measured as of the closing price on the date of grant but is expensed in accordance with ASC 718-10-25-20, Compensation – Stock Compensation ("ASC 718"), which requires an assessment of probability of attainment of the performance target. As our performance targets are dependent on performance over a specified measurement period, once we determine that the performance target outcome is probable, the cumulative expense is recorded immediately with the remaining expense recorded on a straight-line basis through the end of the award vesting period. A portion of the performance-based restricted stock awards granted to our executive officers contain market conditions as defined by ASC 718. ASC 718 requires that compensation expense for stock awards with market conditions be expensed based on a derived grant date fair value and expensed over the service period. We engage a third party to perform a valuation analysis on the awards containing market conditions and our associated expense with those awards is based on the derived fair value from that analysis and is expensed straight-line over the service period of the awards. Below is a summary of stock-based 16 compensation expense and stock award activity (dollars in thousands): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Stock-based compensation expense $ 6,852 $ 5,845 $ 16,897 $ 14,435 Non-vested shares granted 13,478 4,114 278,340 225,666 Performance-based non-vested shares granted 3,322 — 43,326 46,593 Performance-based shares issued in excess of target shares granted (1) — — 37,146 37,425 Restricted stock awards vested (includes performance-based awards) 4,418 3,615 396,578 438,344 (1) Performance-based shares that vested and were issued as a result of performance achievement exceeding the originally established targeted number of shares related to respective performance metrics. The following table includes additional information regarding our stock compensation plan (dollars in thousands): As of September 30, 2022 December 31, 2021 Unrecognized stock-based compensation cost $ 33,823 $ 25,007 Weighted average years expense recognition period 2.02 1.97 Total equity awards outstanding (1) 803,769 883,280 (1) Includes unvested restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and performance-based awards (assuming 100 %/target payout). We also offer a non-qualified deferred compensation plan ("deferred compensation plan") to highly compensated employees in order to allow them additional pre-tax income deferrals above and beyond the limits that qualified plans, such as 401(k) plans, impose on highly compensated employees. We do not currently offer a contribution match on the deferred compensation plan. All contributions to the plan to date have been funded by the employees and, therefore, we have no associated expense related to the deferred compensation plan for the three or nine months ended September 30, 2022 or 2021, other than minor administrative costs. NOTE 12 — INCOME TAXES Components of the income tax provision are as follows (in thousands): Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Federal $ 54,114 $ 47,955 $ 177,577 $ 115,781 State 12,888 13,002 39,665 27,572 Total $ 67,002 $ 60,957 $ 217,242 $ 143,353 The effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 was 20.3 % and 22.9 %, and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 was 23.3 % and 22.3 %, respectively. The lower tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021 is due to the retroactive extension of the new energy-efficient homes credits for homes closed in the first half of 2022, described below. The 2021 rates benefited from the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act that was passed in December 2019 and expired on December 31, 2021. On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 ("the IRA") was signed into law. The IRA retroactively extended the Internal Revenue Code ("IRC") §45L new energy-efficient homes federal tax credit to homes delivered from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2032, and also modifies the energy standards required to qualify for the tax credit and increases the per-home credit amount starting in 2023. As a result of the adoption of the IRA, the effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 reflect the benefit of the new energy-efficient homes credits on qualifying homes we delivered during 2022. The IRA, among other provisions, also creates a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax on certain profits and a 1% excise tax on stock repurchases, which will be effective for us on January 1, 2023, and we do not expect to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. 17 At September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we have no unrecognized tax benefits. We believe our current income tax filing positions and deductions will be sustained on audit and do not anticipate any adjustments that will result in a material change. Our policy is to accrue interest and penalties on unrecognized tax benefits and include them in the provision for income taxes. We determine our deferred tax assets and liabilities in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes . We evaluate our deferred tax assets, including the benefit from net operating losses ("NOLs"), by jurisdiction to determine if a valuation allowance is required. Companies must assess whether a valuation allowance should be established based on the consideration of all available evidence using a “more likely than not” standard with significant weight being given to evidence that can be objectively verified. This assessment considers, among other matters, the nature, frequency and severity of cumulative losses, forecasts of future profitability, the length of statutory carry forward periods, experiences with operating losses and experiences of utilizing tax credit carry forwards and tax planning alternatives. We have no valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets and no NOL carryovers at September 30, 2022. At September 30, 2022, we have income taxes receivable of $ 3.7 million and no incomes tax payable. The income taxes receivable primarily consists of estimated tax payments, net of current federal and state tax accruals and current energy tax credits. This amount is recorded in Other receivables on the accompanying unaudited consolidated balance sheets at September 30, 2022. We conduct business and are subject to tax in the U.S. both federally and in several states. With few exceptions, we are no longer subject to U.S. federal, state, or local income tax examinations by taxing authorities for years prior to 2017. We have no federal or state income tax examinations being conducted at this time. NOTE 13 — SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION The following table presents certain supplemental cash flow information (in thousands): Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 Cash paid during the year for: Interest, net of interest capitalized $ ( 16,119 ) $ ( 14,451 ) Income taxes paid $ 242,994 $ 152,843 Non-cash operating activities: Real estate acquired through notes payable $ 9,861 $ 2,199 NOTE 14 — OPERATING AND REPORTING SEGMENTS We operate with two principal business segments: homebuilding and financial services. As defined in ASC 280-10, Segment Reporting , we have ten homebuilding operating segments. The homebuilding segments are engaged in the business of acquiring and developing land, constructing homes, marketing and selling those homes and providing warranty and customer services. We aggregate our homebuilding operating segments into reporting segments based on similar long-term economic characteristics and geographical proximity. Our current reportable homebuilding segments are as follows: West: Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah Central: Texas East: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee Management’s evaluation of segment performance is based on segment operating income, which we define as home and land closing revenue less cost of home and land closings, including land development and other land sales costs, commissions and other sales costs, and other general and administrative costs incurred by or allocated to each segment, including impairments. Each reportable segment follows the same accounting policies described in Note 1, “Organization and Basis of Presentation.” Operating results for each segment may not be indicative of the results for such segment had it been an independent, stand-alone entity for the periods presented. 18 The following segment information is in thousands: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Homebuilding revenue (1) : West $ 598,147 $ 460,089 $ 1,580,456 $ 1,305,684 Central 500,582 383,206 1,280,242 1,109,228 East 479,292 416,610 1,416,638 1,206,373 Consolidated total $ 1,578,021 $ 1,259,905 $ 4,277,336 $ 3,621,285 Homebuilding segment operating income: West $ 121,060 $ 95,167 $ 357,319 $ 238,356 Central 112,141 90,579 287,604 232,537 East 104,872 83,853 317,815 207,509 Total homebuilding segment operating income 338,073 269,599 962,738 678,402 Financial services segment profit 4,842 4,224 12,255 12,599 Corporate and unallocated costs (2) ( 13,350 ) ( 13,303 ) ( 27,034 ) ( 32,673 ) Interest expense — ( 79 ) ( 41 ) ( 246 ) Other (expense)/ income, net ( 74 ) 1,268 ( 849 ) 3,443 Loss on early extinguishment of debt — — — ( 18,188 ) Earnings before income taxes $ 329,491 $ 261,709 $ 947,069 $ 643,337 (1) Homebuilding revenue includes the following land closing revenue, by segment: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 2021 2022 2021 Land closing revenue: West $ 8,120 $ 8,470 $ 40,927 $ 21,426 Central 869 — 10,374 3,799 East — — 2,600 — Total $ 8,989 $ 8,470 $ 53,901 $ 25,225 (2) Balance consists primarily of corporate costs and numerous shared service functions such as finance and treasury that are not allocated to the homebuilding or financial services reporting segments. At September 30, 2022 West Central East Financial Services Corporate and Unallocated Total Deposits on real estate under option or contract $ 25,211 $ 9,223 $ 53,994 $ — $ — $ 88,428 Real estate 1,910,289 1,409,875 1,406,098 — — 4,726,262 Investments in unconsolidated entities 110 2,897 7,381 — 968 11,356 Other assets 72,913 (1) 217,266 (2) 96,315 (3) 610 357,940 (4) 745,044 Total assets $ 2,008,523 $ 1,639,261 $ 1,563,788 $ 610 $ 358,908 $ 5,571,090 (1) Balance consists primarily of cash and cash equivalents, prepaids and other assets and property and equipment, net . (2) Balance consists primarily of cash and cash equivalents, development reimbursements from local municipalities and prepaids and other assets. (3) Balance consists primarily of cash and cash equivalents, goodwill (see Note 9), prepaids and other assets and property and equipment, net. 19 (4) Balance consists primarily of cash and cash equivalents, deferred tax assets and prepaids and other assets. At December 31, 2021 West Central East Financial Services Corporate and Unallocated Total Deposits on real estate under option or contract $ 26,687 $ 11,132 $ 52,860 $ — $ — $ 90,679 Real estate 1,571,477 1,076,300 1,086,631 — — 3,734,408 Investments in unconsolidated entities 87 2,974 1,707 — 996 5,764 Other assets 66,897 (1) 199,791 (2) 102,073 (3) 610 607,311 (4) 976,682 Total assets $ 1,665,148 $ 1,290,197 $ 1,243,271 $ 610 $ 608,307 $ 4,807,533 (1) Balance consists primarily of cash and cash equivalents, development reimbursements from local municipalities and property and equipment, net . (2) Balance consists primarily of cash and cash equivalents, development reimbursements from local municipalities and prepaids and other assets. (3) Balance consists primarily of cash and cash equivalents, real estate not owned, goodwill, prepaids and other assets and property and equipment, net. (4) Balance consists primarily of cash and cash equivalents, deferred tax assets and prepaids and other assets. NOTE 15 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES We are involved in various routine legal and regulatory proceedings, including, without limitation, claims and litigation alleging construction defects. In general, the proceedings are incidental to our business, and most exposure is subject to and should be covered by warranty and indemnity obligations of our consultants and subcontractors. Additionally, some such claims are also covered by insurance. With respect to the majority of pending litigation matters, our ultimate legal and financial responsibility, if any, cannot be estimated with certainty and, in most cases, any potential losses related to these matters are not considered probable. Historically, most disputes regarding warranty claims are resolved prior to litigation. We believe there are no pending legal or warranty matters as of September 30, 2022 that could have a material adverse impact upon our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows that have not been sufficiently reserved. As discussed in Note 1 under the heading “Warranty Reserves”, we have case specific reserves within our $ 31.7 million of total warranty reserves related to alleged stucco defects in certain homes we constructed predominantly between 2006 and 2017. Our review and handling of this matter is ongoing and our estimate of and reserves for resolving this matter is based on internal data, our judgment and various assumptions and estimates. Due to the degree of judgment and the potential for variability in our underlying assumptions and data, as we obtain additional information, we may revise our estimate and thus our related reserves. As of September 30, 2022, after considering potential recoveries from the consultants and contractors involved and their insurers and the potential recovery under our general liability insurance policies, we believe our reserves are sufficient to cover the above mentioned matter. See Note 1 for information related to our warranty obligations. 20 Special Note of Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements In passing the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“PSLRA”), Congress encouraged public companies to make “forward-looking statements” by creating a safe-harbor to protect companies from securities law liability in connection with forward-looking statements. We intend to qualify both our written and oral forward-looking statements for protection under the PSLRA. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “forecast,” “plan,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “estimate,” "target," and “project” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statement was made. All statements we make other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"). Forward-looking statements in this Annual Report include statements concerning our belief that we have ample liquidity; our goals, strategies and strategic initiatives including our all-spec strategy for entry-level homes and the anticipated benefits relating thereto; our intentions and the expected benefits and advantages of our product and land positioning strategies, including with respect to our focus on the first-time and first move-up buyer and housing demand for affordable homes; the benefits of and our intentions to use options to acquire land; our delivery of substantially all of our backlog existing as of period end; our positions and our expected outcome relating to litigation and regulatory proceedings in general; our intentions to not pay dividends; that we may repurchase our debt and equity securities; our non-use of derivative financial instruments; expectations regarding our industry and our business for the remainder of 2022 and beyond, including our all-spec strategy for entry-level homes; the demand for and the pricing of our homes; our land and lot acquisition strategy (including that we will redeploy cash to acquire well-positioned finished lots and that we may participate in joint ventures or opportunities outside of our existing markets if opportunities arise and the benefits relating thereto); that we may expand into new markets; the availability of labor and materials for our operations; that we may seek additional debt or equity capital; our expectation that existing guarantees, letters of credit and performance and surety bonds will not be drawn on; the sufficiency of our insurance coverage and warranty reserves; the sufficiency of our capital resources to support our business strategy; the sufficiency of our land pipeline; the impact of new accounting standards and changes in accounting estimates; trends and expectations concerning future demand for homes, sales prices, sales orders, cancellations, construction and materials costs and availability, gross margins, land costs, community counts and profitability and future home supply and inventories; our future cash needs and sources; the impact of seasonality; and our future compliance with debt covenants. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, and that could negatively affect our business include, but are not limited to, the following: increases in mortgage interest rates and the availability and pricing of residential mortgages and the potential benefits of rate locks; inflation in the cost of materials used to develop communities and construct homes; supply chain and labor constraints; our ability to acquire and develop lots may be negatively impacted if we are unable to obtain performance and surety bonds; the ability of our potential buyers to sell their existing homes; legislation related to tariffs; the adverse effect of slow absorption rates; impairments of our real estate inventory; cancellation rates; competition; home warranty and construction defect claims; failures in health and safety performance; fluctuations in quarterly operating results; our level of indebtedness; our ability to obtain financing if our credit ratings are downgraded; our potential exposure to and impacts from natural disasters or severe weather conditions; the availability and cost of finished lots and undeveloped land; the success of our strategy to offer and market entry-level and first move-up homes; a change to the feasibility of projects under option or contract that could result in the write-down or write-off of earnest or option deposits; our limited geographic diversification; the replication of our energy-efficient technologies by our competitors; shortages in the availability and cost of subcontract labor; our exposure to information technology failures and security breaches and the impact thereof; the loss of key personnel; changes in tax laws that adversely impact us or our homebuyers; our inability to prevail on contested tax positions; failure of our employees and representatives to comply with laws and regulations; our compliance with government regulations related to our financial services operations; negative publicity that affects our reputation; potential disruptions to our business by an epidemic or pandemic (such as COVID-19), and measures that federal, state and local governments and/or health authorities implement to address it; and other factors identified in documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those set forth in this Form 10-Q and our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 under the caption "Risk Factors." Forward-looking statements express expectations of future events. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, as they are based on various expectations and assumptions concerning future events and they are subject to numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected. Due to these inherent uncertainties, the investment community is urged not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. In addition, we disclaim and undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to projections over time, except as required by law. 21