Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

FAIR VALUE

v3.4.0.3
FAIR VALUE
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]  
FAIR VALUE
FAIR VALUE

Fair Value Summary Table

The following table summarizes the carrying values and estimated fair values of Newcastle’s financial instruments at March 31, 2016
 
Carrying
Value
 
Estimated
Fair Value
 
Fair Value Method (A)
Assets
 

 
 

 
 
Real estate securities, available-for-sale
$
12,638

 
$
12,638

 
Broker/counterparty quotations, pricing services,  pricing models
Real estate securities, pledged as collateral
381,206

 
381,206

 
Broker/counterparty quotations, pricing services
Real estate related and other loans, held-for-sale, net
155,075

 
171,147

 
Broker/counterparty quotations, pricing services,  pricing models
Residential mortgage loans, held-for-sale, net
446

 
482

 
Broker/counterparty quotations, pricing models
Subprime mortgage loans subject to call option (B)
372,874

 
372,874

 
(B)
Restricted cash
3,898

 
3,898

 
 
Cash and cash equivalents
32,126

 
32,126

 
 
Non-hedge derivative assets (C)
165

 
165

 
Counterparty quotations, pricing services
 
 
 
 
 
 
Liabilities
 
 
 
 
 
Other bonds and notes payable (D)
$
11,575

 
$
11,660

 
Counterparty quotations, market comparables
Repurchase agreements
420,374

 
420,549

 
Counterparty quotations, market comparables
Credit facilities and obligations under capital leases
11,324

 
11,324

 
Pricing models
Financing of subprime mortgage loans subject to call option (B)
372,874

 
372,874

 
(B)
Junior subordinated notes payable
51,223

 
22,265

 
Pricing models
Non-hedge derivative liabilities (C)
1,063

 
1,063

 
Counterparty quotations, pricing services
(A)
Methods are listed in order of priority. In the case of real estate securities and real estate related and other loans, broker quotations are obtained if available and practicable, otherwise counterparty quotations or pricing service valuations are obtained or, finally, internal pricing models are used. Internal pricing models are only used for (i) securities and loans that are not traded in an active market, and, therefore, have little or no price transparency, and for which significant unobservable inputs must be used in estimating fair value, or (ii) loans or debt obligations which are private and untraded.
(B)
Represents an option, not an obligation, to repurchase loans from Newcastle’s subprime mortgage loan securitizations (Note 6).  
(C)
Represents derivative assets and liabilities including TBA forward contracts (Note 12).
(D)
Newcastle notes that the unrealized gain on the liabilities within such structures cannot be fully realized. Assets held within non-recourse structures are generally not available to satisfy obligations outside of such financings, except to the extent Newcastle receives net cash flow distributions from such structures. Furthermore, creditors or beneficial interest holders of these structures have no recourse to the general credit of Newcastle. Therefore, Newcastle’s exposure to the economic losses from such structures is limited to its invested equity in them and economically their book value cannot be less than zero. As a result, the fair value of Newcastle’s net investments in these non-recourse financing structures is equal to the present value of their expected future net cash flows.

Fair Value Measurements

Valuation Hierarchy
The fair value of financial instruments is categorized based on the priority of the inputs to the valuation technique and categorized into a three-level fair value hierarchy. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). Newcastle follows this hierarchy for its financial instruments measured at fair value.

Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical instruments.
Level 2 - Valuations based principally on observable market parameters, including
quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets,
inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability (such as interest rates and yield curves observable at commonly quoted intervals, implied volatilities and credit spreads), and
market corroborated inputs (derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data).
Level 3 - Valuations determined using unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity, and that are significant to the overall fair value measurement. Level 3 assets and liabilities include financial instruments whose value is determined using non-binding market quotations, pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques where significant inputs are unobservable, as well as instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation.

Fair value may be based upon broker quotations, counterparty quotations or pricing services quotations, which provide valuation estimates based upon reasonable market order indications or management’s good faith estimate, and are subject to significant variability based on market conditions, such as interest rates, credit spreads and market liquidity. A significant portion of Newcastle’s loans, securities and debt obligations are currently not traded in active markets and therefore have little or no price transparency. As a result, Newcastle has estimated the fair value of these illiquid instruments based on internal pricing models or quotations subject to Newcastle’s controls described below.

Newcastle has various processes and controls in place to ensure that fair value measurements are reasonably estimated. With respect to broker and pricing service quotations, and in order to ensure these quotes represent a reasonable estimate of fair value, Newcastle’s quarterly procedures include a comparison of such quotations to quotations from different sources, outputs generated from its internal pricing models and transactions completed, as well as on its knowledge and experience of these markets. With respect to fair value estimates generated based on Newcastle’s internal pricing models, Newcastle’s management validates the inputs and outputs of the internal pricing models by comparing them to available independent third party market parameters and models, where available, for reasonableness. Newcastle believes its valuation methods and the assumptions used are appropriate and consistent with other market participants.
Fair value measurements categorized within Level 3 are sensitive to changes in the assumptions or methodology used to determine fair value and such changes could result in a significant increase or decrease in the fair value. For Newcastle’s investments in real estate securities, real estate related and other loans and residential mortgage loans categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy, the significant unobservable inputs include the discount rates, assumptions relating to prepayments, default rates and loss severities. Significant increases (decreases) in any of the discount rates, default rates or loss severities in isolation would result in a significantly lower (higher) fair value measurement. The impact of changes in prepayment speeds would have differing impacts on fair value, depending on the seniority of the investment. Generally, a change in the default assumption is accompanied by directionally similar changes in the assumptions used for the loss severity and the prepayment speed.
Recurring Fair Value Measurements - Real Estate Securities and Derivatives

The following table summarizes financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis at March 31, 2016:
 
 
 
Fair Value
 
Carrying Value
 
Level 2
 
Level 3
 
Total
 
 
 
Market Quotations (Observable)
 
Market Quotations (Unobservable)
 
Internal Pricing Models
 
 
Assets
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

Real estate securities, available-for-sale:
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

CMBS
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

Non-Agency RMBS
2,847

 

 
2,847

 

 
2,847

CDO (A)
9,791

 

 

 
9,791

 
9,791

Real estate securities, available-for-sale total
$
12,638

 
$

 
$
2,847

 
$
9,791

 
$
12,638

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Real estate securities, pledged as collateral:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FNMA/FHLMC
$
381,206

 
$
381,206

 
$

 
$

 
$
381,206

Real estate securities, pledged as collateral total
$
381,206

 
$
381,206

 
$

 
$

 
$
381,206

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Derivative assets:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TBAs, not treated as hedges
$
165

 
$
165

 
$

 
$

 
$
165

Derivative assets total
$
165

 
$
165

 
$

 
$

 
$
165

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Liabilities
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

Derivative liabilities:
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

TBAs, not treated as hedges
$
1,063

 
$
1,063

 
$

 
$

 
$
1,063

Derivative liabilities total
$
1,063

 
$
1,063

 
$

 
$

 
$
1,063

 
(A)
Represents non-consolidated CDO securities, excluding 13 securities with zero value, which had an aggregate face amount of $192.0 million as of March 31, 2016.

Significant Unobservable Inputs
The following table provides quantitative information regarding the significant unobservable inputs used by Newcastle for assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2016. This table excludes inputs used to measure fair value that are not developed by Newcastle, such as broker prices and other third-party pricing service valuations.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Weighted Average Significant Input
Asset Type
 
Amortized
Cost
Basis
 
Fair Value
 
Discount
Rate
 
Prepayment
Speed
 
Cumulative
Default
Rate
 
Loss
Severity
CDO
 
$

 
$
9,791

 
12.4
%
 
4.6
%
 
18.1
%
 
32.3
%
Total
 
$

 
$
9,791

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


All of the inputs used in the table have some degree of market observability, based on Newcastle’s knowledge of the market, relationships with market participants, and use of common market data sources. Collateral prepayment, default and loss severity projections are in the form of “curves” or “vectors” that vary for each monthly collateral cash flow projection. Methods used to develop these projections vary by asset class (e.g., CMBS projections are developed differently than home equity ABS projections)but conform to industry conventions.  Newcastle uses assumptions that generate its best estimate of future cash flows of each respective security.

The prepayment speed vector specifies the percentage of the collateral balance that is expected to voluntarily pay off at each point in the future. The prepayment speed vector is based on projections from a widely published investment bank model which considers factors such as collateral FICO score, loan-to-value ratio, debt-to-income ratio, and vintage on a loan level basis. This vector is scaled up or down to match recent collateral-specific prepayment experience, as obtained from remittance reports and market data services.
 
Loss severities are based on recent collateral-specific experience with additional consideration given to collateral characteristics. Collateral age is taken into consideration because severities tend to initially increase with collateral age before eventually stabilizing. Newcastle typically uses projected severities that are higher than the historic experience for collateral that is relatively new to account for this effect. Collateral characteristics such as loan size, lien position, and location (state) also affect loss severity. Newcastle considers whether a collateral pool has experienced a significant change in its composition with respect to these factors when assigning severity projections.

Default rates are determined from the current “pipeline” of loans that are more than 90 days delinquent, in foreclosure, or are REO. These significantly delinquent loans determine the first 24 months of the default vector. Beyond month 24, the default vector transitions to a steady-state value that is generally equal to or greater than that given by the widely published investment bank model.

The discount rates Newcastle uses are derived from a range of observable pricing on securities backed by similar collateral and offered in a live market. As the markets in which Newcastle transacts have become less liquid, Newcastle has had to rely on fewer data points in this analysis.

Newcastle’s investments in instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis using Level 3 inputs changed during the three months ended March 31, 2016 as follows:
 
CMBS
 
Non-Agency RMBS
 
Equity/Other Securities
 
Total
Balance at December 31, 2015
$
39,684

 
$
9,619

 
$
9,731

 
$
59,034

Transfers
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Transfers into Level 3

 

 

 

CDO VI deconsolidation
(37,179
)
 
(6,710
)
 

 
(43,889
)
Total gains (losses) (A)
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Included in net income (B)
(110
)
 

 

 
(110
)
Included in other comprehensive income (loss)
(658
)
 
(23
)
 
60

 
(621
)
Amortization included in interest income
879

 
123

 

 
1,002

Purchases, sales and repayments
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Purchases

 

 

 

Proceeds from sales

 

 

 

Proceeds from repayments
(2,616
)
 
(162
)
 

 
(2,778
)
Balance at March 31, 2016
$

 
$
2,847

 
$
9,791

 
$
12,638


(A)
None of the gains (losses) recorded in earnings during the period is attributable to the change in unrealized gains (losses) relating to Level 3 assets still held at the reporting dates.
(B)
These gains (losses) are recorded in the following line items in the Consolidated Statements of Operations:
 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2016
Gain (loss) on settlement of investments, net
$

OTTI
(110
)
Total
$
(110
)


Non-Recurring Fair Value Measurements - Loans

Loans which Newcastle does not have the ability or intent to hold into the foreseeable future are classified as held-for-sale. Held-for-sale loans are carried at the lower of amortized cost or fair value and are therefore recorded at fair value on a non-recurring basis. These loans were written down to fair value at the time of the impairment, based on broker quotations, pricing service quotations or internal pricing models. All the loans were within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. For real estate related and other loans, the most significant inputs used in the valuations are the amount and timing of expected future cash flows, market yields and the estimated collateral value of such loan investments.  For residential mortgage loans, significant inputs include management’s expectations of prepayment speeds, default rates, loss severities and discount rates that market participants would use in determining the fair values of similar pools of residential mortgage loans.
 
The following tables summarize certain information for real estate related and other loans as of March 31, 2016:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Significant Input
 
 
 
 
 
 
Range
 
Weighted Average
Loan Type
 
Carrying Value
 
Fair Value
 
Discount Rate
 
Loss Severity
 
Discount Rate
 
Loss Severity
Mezzanine
 
$
19,433

 
$
19,433

 
0.0%-8.0%
 
0%-100%
 
8.0
%
 
47.8
%
Bank Loan
 
135,642

 
151,714

 
0.0%-22.5%
 
0%-100%
 
22.5
%
 
21.8
%
Total Real Estate Related and Other Loans Held-for-Sale, Net
 
$
155,075

 
$
171,147

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

Liabilities for Which Fair Value is Only Disclosed
 
The following table summarizes the level of the fair value hierarchy, valuation techniques and inputs used for estimating each class of liabilities not measured at fair value in the statement of financial position but for which fair value is disclosed:
Type of Liabilities Not Measured At Fair Value for Which Fair Value Is Disclosed
 
Fair Value Hierarchy
 
 
Valuation Techniques and Significant Inputs
Other bonds and notes payable
 
Level 3
 
Valuation technique is based on discounted cash flows.
Significant inputs include:
 
 
 
 
l
Amount and timing of expected future cash flows
 
 
 
 
l
Interest rates
 
 
 
 
l
Broker quotations
 
 
 
 
l
Market yields and credit spreads implied by comparisons to transactions of similar tranches of securitized debt by the varying levels of subordination
 
 
 
 
 
 
Repurchase agreements
 
Level 2
 
Valuation technique is based on market comparables. 
Significant variables include:
 
 
 
 
l
Amount and timing of expected future cash flows
 
 
 
 
l
Interest rates
 
 
 
 
l
Collateral funding spreads
 
 
 
 
 
 
Golf credit facilities
 
Level 3
 
Valuation technique is based on discounted cash flows. 
Significant inputs include:
 
 
 
 
l
Amount and timing of expected future cash flows
 
 
 
 
l
Interest rates
 
 
 
 
 
 
Junior subordinated notes payable
 
Level 3
 
Valuation technique is based on discounted cash flows.
Significant inputs include:
 
 
 
 
l
Amount and timing of expected future cash flows
 
 
 
 
l
Interest rates
 
 
 
 
l
Market yields and the credit spread of Newcastle