Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

REAL ESTATE RELATED LOANS, RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE LOANS, SUBPRIME MORTGAGE LOANS AND SERVICING RIGHTS

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REAL ESTATE RELATED LOANS, RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE LOANS, SUBPRIME MORTGAGE LOANS AND SERVICING RIGHTS
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
REAL ESTATE RELATED LOANS, RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE LOANS, SUBPRIME MORTGAGE LOANS AND SERVICING RIGHTS

4. REAL ESTATE RELATED LOANS, RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE LOANS, SUBPRIME MORTGAGE LOANS AND SERVICING RIGHTS

All of Newcastle’s loan investments, other than the Manufactured Housing Loans Portfolios I and II as described below, were classified as held for sale as of June 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010 and marked to the lower of carrying value or fair value. Manufactured Housing Loan Portfolios I and II were refinanced in April 2010 and May 2011, respectively, through securitizations and were reclassified from held for sale to held for investment since April 2010 and May 2011, respectively. In connection with the securitization transactions, Newcastle gave representations and warranties with respect to the manufactured housing loans sold to the securitization trusts. To the extent a breach of any such representations and warranties materially and adversely affects the value or enforceability of the related loans, Newcastle will be required to repurchase such loans from the respective securitization trusts.

The following is a summary of real estate related loans, residential mortgage loans and subprime mortgage loans at June 30, 2011. The loans contain various terms, including fixed and floating rates, self-amortizing and interest only. They are generally subject to prepayment.

 

Loan Type

  Outstanding
Face Amount
    Carrying
Value (A)
    Loan
Count
    Wtd. Avg.
Yield
    Weighted
Average
Coupon
    Weighted
Average
Maturity
(Years) (B)
    Floating Rate
Loans as a %
of Face
Amount
    Delinquent
Face Amount
(C)
 

Mezzanine Loans

  $ 529,882      $ 413,007        16        11.08     6.48     2.3        71.2   $ 51,615   

Corporate Bank Loans

    272,558        168,502        6        18.46     9.04     3.3        53.8     —     

B-Notes

    255,147        187,436        9        14.03     4.43     2.0        76.4     45,091   

Whole Loans

    30,772        30,772        3        4.79     3.87     2.8        94.6     —     
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Real Estate Related Loans Held for Sale, Net

  $ 1,088,359      $ 799,717        34        13.08     6.57     2.5        68.7   $ 96,706   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Manufactured Housing Loan Portfolio I

  $ 143,255      $ 118,788        3,739        9.54     8.70     7.7        1.1   $ 1,910   

Manufactured Housing Loan Portfolio II

    191,009        187,717        6,461        7.59     9.67     6.1        17.4     1,091   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Residential Mortgage Loans Held for Investment, Net (D)

  $ 334,264      $ 306,505        10,200        8.35     9.25     6.8        10.4   $ 3,001   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Residential Loans

  $ 62,167      $ 47,305        219        5.58     2.41     7.3        100.0   $ 7,055   

Manufactured Housing Loans I

    972        254        24        47.94     8.54     0.7        0.0     328   

Manufactured Housing Loans II

    6,594        3,117        204        15.69     10.27     4.7        8.3     2,735   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Residential Mortgage Loans Held for Sale, Net

  $ 69,733      $ 50,676        447        6.41     3.24     7.0        89.9   $ 10,118   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Subprime Mortgage Loans Subject to Call Option

  $ 406,217      $ 404,239               
 

 

 

   

 

 

             

 

(A) Carrying value includes interest receivable of $0.1 million for the residential housing loans and principal and interest receivable of $5.5 million for the manufactured housing loans.
(B) The weighted average maturity is based on the timing of expected principal reduction on the assets.
(C) Includes loans that are 60 or more days past due, in foreclosure, under bankruptcy, or considered real estate owned. As of June 30, 2011, $134.6 million face amount of real estate related loans was on non-accrual status.
(D) The following is an aging analysis of past due residential loans held-for-investment as of June 30, 2011:

 

    30-59 Days
Past Due
    60-89 Days
Past Due
    Over 90 Days Past
Due
    Repossessed     Total Past
Due
    Current     Total Outstanding
Face Amount
 

Manufactured Housing Loan Portoflio I

  $ 849      $ 679      $ 528      $ 703      $ 2,759      $ 140,496      $ 143,255   

Manufactured Housing Loan Portoflio II

  $ 957      $ 488      $ 278      $ 325      $ 2,048      $ 188,961      $ 191,009   

Newcastle’s management monitors the credit qualities of the Manufactured Housing Loan Portfolios I and II primarily by using aging analyses, current trends in delinquencies and actual loss incurrence rates.

  

The following is a summary of real estate related loans by maturities at June 30, 2011:

 

Year of Maturity (1)

   Outstanding
Face Amount
     Carrying Value      Number of
Loans
 

Delinquent (2)

   $ 96,706       $ 45,486         4   

Period from July 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011

     131,168         108,745         4   

2012

     123,073         56,152         4   

2013

     29,414         21,368         3   

2014

     295,273         218,989         8   

2015

     210,591         168,362         6   

2016

     184,525         164,817         4   

Thereafter

     17,609         15,798         1   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 1,088,359       $ 799,717         34   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) Based on the final extended maturity date of each loan investment as of June 30, 2011.
(2) Includes loans that are non-performing, in foreclosure, or under bankruptcy.

Activities relating to the carrying value of our real estate loans and residential mortgage loans are as follows:

 

     Held for Sale     Held for Investment  
     Real Estate Related
Loans
    Residential Mortgage
Loans
    Residential Mortgage
Loans
 

December 31, 2010

   $ 782,605      $ 253,213      $ 124,974   

Purchases / additional fundings

     269,850        —          —     

Interest accrued to principal balance

     9,298        —          —     

Principal paydowns

     (233,874     (7,482     (12,199

Sales

     (86,349     —          —     

Transfer to held for investment

     —          (194,515     194,515   

Valuation (allowance) reversal on loans

     57,334        (444     (1,028

Accretion of loan discount and other amortization

     —          —          781   

Other

     853        (96     (538
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

June 30, 2011

   $ 799,717      $ 50,676      $ 306,505   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The following is a rollforward of the related loss allowance.

 

     Held For Sale     Held For Investment  
     Real Estate
Related Loans
    Residential Mortgage
Loans
    Residential Mortgage
Loans (B)
 

Balance at December 31, 2010

   $ (321,591   $ (25,193   $ (21,350

Transfer to held for investment

     —          2,677        (2,677

Charge-offs (A)

     26,657        2,514        2,430   

Valuation (allowance) reversal on loans

     57,334        (444     (1,028
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at June 30, 2011

   $ (237,600   $ (20,446   $ (22,625
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(A) The charge-offs for real estate related loans represent two loans which were written off or sold during the period.
(B) The allowance for credit losses was determined based on the guidance for loans acquired with deteriorated credit quality.

Securitization of Subprime Mortgage Loans

The following table presents information on the retained interests in Newcastle’s securitizations of subprime mortgage loans at June 30, 2011:

 

     Subprime Portfolio         
     I      II      Total  

Total securitized loans (unpaid principal balance) (A)

   $ 499,374       $ 655,607       $ 1,154,981   

Loans subject to call option (carrying value)

   $ 299,176       $ 105,063       $ 404,239   

Retained interests (fair value) (B)

   $ 1,010       $ —         $ 1,010   

 

(A) Average loan seasoning of 71 months and 53 months for Subprime Portfolios I and II, respectively, at June 30, 2011.
(B) The retained interests include retained bonds of the securitizations. Their fair value is estimated based on pricing models. Newcastle’s residual interests were written off in the first quarter of 2010. The weighted average yield of the retained bonds was 7.68% as of June 30, 2011.

Newcastle has no obligation to repurchase any loans from either of its subprime securitizations. Therefore, it is expected that its exposure to loss is limited to the carrying amount of its retained interests in the securitization entities, as described above. A subsidiary of Newcastle gave limited representations and warranties with respect to Subprime Portfolio II and is required to pay the difference, if any, between the repurchase price of any loan in such portfolio and the price required to be paid by a third party originator for such loan. Such subsidiary, however, has no assets and does not have recourse to the general credit of Newcastle.

The following table summarizes certain characteristics of the underlying subprime mortgage loans, and related financing, in the securitizations as of June 30, 2011:

 

     Subprime Portfolio  
     I     II  

Loan unpaid principal balance (UPB)

   $ 499,374      $ 655,607   

Weighted average coupon rate of loans

     5.64     5.09

Delinquencies of 60 or more days (UPB) (A)

   $ 107,958      $ 179,471   

Net credit losses for the six months ended June 30, 2011

   $ 16,843      $ 29,447   

Cumulative net credit losses

   $ 180,252      $ 197,083   

Cumulative net credit losses as a % of original UPB

     12.0     18.1

Percentage of ARM loans (B)

     52.7     65.4

Percentage of loans with original loan-to-value ratio >90%

     10.6     17.3

Percentage of interest-only loans

     22.3     4.1

Face amount of debt (C)

   $ 495,258      $ 655,607   

Weighted average funding cost of debt (D)

     1.27     1.37

 

(A) Delinquencies include loans 60 or more days past due, in foreclosure, under bankruptcy filing or real estate owned.
(B) ARM loans are adjustable-rate mortgage loans. An option ARM is an adjustable-rate mortgage that provides the borrower with an option to choose from several payment amounts each month for a specified period of the loan term. None of the loans in the subprime portfolios are option ARMs.
(C) Excludes face amount of $4.0 million of retained notes for Subprime Portfolio I at June 30, 2011.
(D) Includes the effect of applicable hedges.

Newcastle received negligible cash inflows from the retained interests of Subprime Portfolios I and II during the six months ended June 30, 2011 and $0.2 million and $0.4 million from Subprime Portfolios I and II, respectively, during the six months ended June 30, 2010.

The loans subject to call option and the corresponding financing recognize interest income and expense based on the expected weighted average coupons of the loans subject to call option at the call date of 9.24% and 8.68% for Subprime Portfolio’s I and II, respectively.

Servicing Rights

In February 2011, Newcastle, through one of its subsidiaries, purchased the management rights with respect to certain CBASS Investment Management LLC (“C-BASS”) CDOs pursuant to a bankruptcy proceeding for $2.2 million. Newcastle initially recorded the cost of acquiring the collateral management rights as a servicing asset and subsequently amortizes this asset in proportion to, and over the period of, estimated net servicing income. Servicing assets are assessed for impairment on a quarterly basis, with impairment recognized as a valuation allowance. Key economic assumptions used in measuring any potential impairment of the servicing assets include the prepayment speeds of the underlying loans, default rates, loss severities and discount rates. During the six months ended June 30, 2011, Newcastle recorded $0.1 million of servicing rights amortization and no servicing rights impairment. As of June 30, 2011, Newcastle’s servicing asset had a carrying value of $2.2 million recorded in Receivables and Other Assets.