Subject to Completion
Preliminary Prospectus dated January 20, 2012

 

PROSPECTUS

 

Shares

 

 

Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc.

Common Stock

 

 

 

 

This is an initial public offering of common stock of Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. We are selling           shares of our common stock, and the Initial Stockholder identified in this prospectus is selling an additional           shares of our common stock. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock by the Initial Stockholder. After this offering, the Initial Stockholder, an entity owned primarily by certain private equity funds managed by an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC, will own approximately     % of our common stock or          % if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is fully exercised.

 

The estimated initial public offering price is between $      and $      per share. Our common stock has been authorized for listing on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “          ”, subject to official notice of issuance.

 

Investing in our common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 15.

 

 

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

We have granted the underwriters the right to purchase up to           additional shares of common stock, and the Initial Stockholder has granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to           additional shares of common stock, in each case at the public offering price less underwriting discounts and commissions, for the purpose of covering over-allotments.

 

The underwriters expect to deliver the shares of common stock to investors on or about     , 2012.

 

 

 

 

BofA Merrill Lynch

 

 

 

 

The date of this prospectus is          , 2012.

 

We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus and in any related free-writing prospectus we may prepare or authorize to be delivered to you. We have not authorized anyone to give you any other information, and we take no responsibility for any other information that others may give you. We are not, and the Initial Stockholder and underwriters are not, making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

	•	As of December 2011, a GSE ranked us in the top 5 out of over 1,000 approved servicers in foreclosure prevention workouts.

	•	In 2011, we were in the top tier of rankings for Federal Housing Administration-(“FHA”) and Housing and Urban Development-approved servicers, with a Tier 1 ranking (out of four possible tiers).

	•	As of November 30, 2011, our delinquency and default rates on non-prime mortgages we service on behalf of third party investors in asset-backed securities (“ABS”) were each 40% lower than the peer group average.

Adjacent Businesses

 

We operate or have investments in several adjacent businesses which provide mortgage-related services that are complementary to our servicing and originations businesses. These businesses offer an array of ancillary services, including providing services for delinquent loans, managing loans in the foreclosure/real estate owned (“REO”) process and providing title insurance agency, loan settlement and valuation services on newly originated and re-originated loans. We offer these adjacent services in connection with loans we currently service, as well as on a third party basis in exchange for base and/or incentive fees. In addition to enhancing our core businesses, these adjacent services present an opportunity to increase future earnings with minimal capital investment, including by expanding the services we provide to large banks and other financial institutions seeking to outsource these functions to a third party.

 

Originations

 

We are one of only a few non-bank servicers with a fully integrated loan originations platform to complement and enhance our servicing business. Through September 30, 2011, we originated approximately $2.3 billion of loans, up from $2.0 billion for the comparable period in 2010. We originate primarily conventional agency (GSE) and government-insured residential mortgage loans and, to mitigate risk, typically sell these loans within 30 days while retaining the associated servicing rights.

 

A key determinant of the profitability of our primary servicing portfolio is the longevity of the servicing cash flows before a loan is repaid or liquidates. Our originations efforts are primarily focused on “re-origination,” which involves actively working with existing borrowers to refinance their mortgage loans. By re-originating loans for existing borrowers, we retain the servicing rights, thereby extending the longevity of the servicing cash flows, which we refer to as “recapture.” We recaptured 30% and 37% of the loans we service that were refinanced or repaid by the borrower during the nine months and three months ended September 30, 2011, respectively, and our goal for 2012 is to achieve a recapture rate of over 55%. Because the refinanced loans typically have lower interest rates or lower monthly payments, and, in general, subsequently refinance

Our Principal Stockholder

 

Following the completion of this offering, our Initial Stockholder, an entity owned primarily by certain private equity funds managed by an affiliate of Fortress, a leading global investment manager that offers alternative and traditional investment products, will own approximately     % of our outstanding common stock or     % if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is fully exercised. After this offering, the Initial Stockholder will own shares sufficient for the majority vote over fundamental and significant corporate matters and transactions. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Organization and Structure.”

 

Ownership Structure

 

Set forth below is the ownership structure of Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries upon consummation of the Restructuring and this offering.

 

The Offering

 

Common stock we are offering		shares
Common stock offered by the Initial Stockholder		shares
Common stock to be issued and outstanding after this offering		shares

 

Use of proceeds by us		We estimate that the net proceeds to us from the sale of shares in this offering, after deducting offering expenses payable by us, will be approximately $      million, assuming the shares are offered at $      per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including servicing acquisitions, which may include acquisitions from one or more affiliates of the underwriters in this offering. See “Use of Proceeds.” We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock by the Initial Stockholder, including any proceeds the Initial Stockholder may receive from the exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option.

Dividend policy		We do not expect to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. Instead, we anticipate that all of our earnings in the foreseeable future will be used for the operation and growth of our business.

		Any future determination to pay dividends on our common stock will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon many factors, including our financial position, results of operations, liquidity, legal requirements and restrictions that may be imposed by the indenture governing our 10.875% senior notes due 2015 (the “senior notes”). See “Dividend Policy.”

Risk factors		Please read the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 15 for a discussion of some of the factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in our common stock.

Proposed NYSE symbol

	•	assumes an initial public offering price of $      per share, the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus;

	•	assumes no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase an additional           shares of common stock from us and an additional           shares of common stock from the Initial Stockholder to cover over-allotments; and

	•	assumes           shares will be issued to certain of our directors after          , 2012 but prior to completion of this offering.

														Nine Months Ended
		Year Ended December 31,												September 30,
		2008				2009				2010				2010				2011
														(unaudited)
		(in thousands, except per share data)
Statement of Operations Data—Consolidated
Revenues:
Total fee income			$74,007				$100,218				$184,084				$122,770				$184,754
Gain/(loss) on mortgage loans held for sale			(86,663	)			(21,349	)			77,344				51,754				73,560
Total revenues			(12,656	)			78,869				261,428				174,524				258,314
Total expenses and impairments			147,777				142,367				220,976				145,622				219,717
Other income (expense):
Interest income			92,060				52,518				98,895				82,019				51,246
Interest expense			(65,548	)			(69,883	)			(116,163	)			(89,298	)			(76,929	)
Loss on interest rate swaps and caps			(23,689	)			(14	)			(9,801	)			(9,917	)			—
Fair value changes in ABS securitizations			—				—				(23,297	)			(19,115	)			(6,919	)
Total other income (expense)			2,823				(17,379	)			(50,366	)			(36,311	)			(32,602	)
Net (loss) income			$(157,610	)			$(80,877	)			$(9,914	)			$(7,409	)			$5,995
Pro Forma Information (unaudited)
Historical net income (loss) before taxes											$(9,914	)							$5,995
Pro forma adjustment for taxes (1)											—								—
Pro forma net income (loss)											$(9,914	)							$5,995
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic
Diluted
Number of shares outstanding (2) :
Basic
Diluted

(1)		Our pro forma effective tax rate for 2010 is 0%. The pro forma tax provision (benefit), before valuation allowance, is ($3,612) on pre-tax loss of ($9,914). We have determined that recognizing a tax benefit and corresponding deferred tax asset is not appropriate as management believes it is more likely than not the deferred tax asset will not be realized. We will also assume certain tax attributes of certain parent entities of our Initial Stockholder as a result of the Restructuring, including approximately $200 million of net operating loss carry forwards as of December 31, 2010. We expect to record a full valuation allowance against any resulting deferred tax asset. The utilization of these tax attributes will be limited pursuant to Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code.

(2)		Represents the number of shares issued and outstanding after giving effect to our sale of common stock in this offering and does not include common stock that may be issued and sold upon exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

		December 31,												September 30,
		2008				2009				2010				2011
		(in thousands)
Balance Sheet Data—Consolidated
Cash and cash equivalents			$9,357				$41,645				$21,223				$24,005
Mortgage servicing rights			110,808				114,605				145,062				246,916
Total assets			1,122,001				1,280,185				1,947,181				2,004,325
Notes payable (1)			810,041				771,857				709,758				738,783
Unsecured senior notes (2)			—				—				244,061				245,109
Legacy assets securitized debt (3)			—				177,675				138,662				116,200
ABS nonrecourse debt (at fair value)			—				—				496,692				434,326
Total liabilities			866,079				1,016,362				1,690,809				1,739,537
Total members’ equity			255,922				263,823				256,372				264,788

(1)		A summary of notes payable as of September 30, 2011 follows:

Notes Payable		September 30, 2011
		(in thousands)
Servicing
2009-ABS Advance Financing Facility			$203,596
MBS Advance Financing Facility			175,733
MSR Note			11,568
Originations
$300 Million Warehouse Facility			259,593
$100 Million Warehouse Facility			22,328
$175 Million Warehouse Facility			41,801
$50 Million Warehouse Facility			10,587
ASAP+ Short-Term Financing Facility			13,577
			$738,783

(2)		On December 19, 2011, Nationstar Mortgage LLC and Nationstar Capital Corporation, as co-issuers, completed a further issuance of $35.0 million aggregate principal amount of 10.875% senior notes due 2015 on terms identical to those of the existing senior notes, other than the issue date and offering price. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Contractual Obligations—Description of Certain Indebtedness—Senior Notes.”

(3)		In November 2009, we completed the securitization of our legacy assets, which is a non-recourse term financing. See “Note 10 to Consolidated Financial Statements—Indebtedness.”

														Nine Months Ended
		Year Ended December 31,												September 30,
		2008				2009				2010				2010				2011
		(in thousands)
Statement of Operations Data—Operating Segments Information
Revenues:
Total fee income			$75,190				$101,289				$189,884				$125,346				$186,224
Gain on mortgage loans held for sale			21,985				54,437				77,498				51,887				73,832
Total revenues			97,175				155,726				267,382				177,233				260,056
Total expenses and impairments			85,832				118,429				194,203				134,099				199,581
Other income (expense):
Interest income			12,792				8,404				12,111				8,684				11,089
Interest expense			(17,007	)			(29,315	)			(60,597	)			(44,767	)			(48,589	)
Loss on interest rate swaps and caps			—				—				(9,801	)			(9,917	)			—
Total other income (expense)			(4,215	)			(20,911	)			(58,287	)			(46,000	)			(37,500	)
Net income (loss)			$7,128				$16,386				$14,892				$(2,866	)			$22,975

														Nine Months Ended
		Year Ended December 31,												September 30,
		2008				2009				2010				2010				2011
		(in thousands)
Net Income (loss) from Operating Segments to Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation:
Net income (loss) from Operating Segments			$7,128				$16,386				$14,892				$(2,866	)			$22,975
Adjust for:
Interest expense from unsecured senior notes			—				—				24,628				17,084				22,622
Depreciation and amortization			1,172				1,542				1,873				1,291				2,187
Change in fair value of MSRs			11,701				27,915				6,043				11,499				30,757
Share-based compensation			1,633				579				8,999				5,222				12,152
Fair value changes on interest rate swaps (1)			—				—				9,801				9,917				—
Ineffective portion of cash flow hedge			—				—				(930	)			—				(2,032	)
Adjusted EBITDA (2)			$21,634				$46,422				$65,306				$42,147				$88,661

(1)		Relates to an interest rate swap agreement which was treated as an economic hedge under Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 815, Derivatives and Hedging,  since trade execution to September 30, 2010.

(2)		Adjusted EBITDA is a key performance measure used by management in evaluating the performance of our segments. Adjusted EBITDA represents our Operating Segments’ income (loss), and excludes income and expenses that relate to the financing of the senior notes, depreciable (or amortizable) asset base of the business, income taxes (if any), exit costs from our restructuring and certain non-cash items. Adjusted EBITDA also excludes results from our legacy asset portfolio and certain securitization trusts that were consolidated upon adoption of the new accounting guidance eliminating the concept of a qualifying special purpose entity (“QSPE”).

		Adjusted EBITDA provides us with a key measure of our Operating Segments’ performance as it assists us in comparing our Operating Segments’ performance on a consistent basis. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is useful in assessing the profitability of our core business and uses Adjusted EBITDA in evaluating our operating performance as follows:

	•	Financing arrangements for our Operating Segments are secured by assets that are allocated to these segments. Interest expense that relates to the financing of the senior notes is not considered in evaluating our operating performance because this obligation is serviced by the excess earnings from our Operating Segments after the debt obligations that are secured by their assets.

	•	To monitor operating costs of each Operating Segment excluding the impact from depreciation, amortization and fair value change of the asset base, exit costs from our restructuring and non-cash operating expense, such as share-based compensation. Operating costs are analyzed to manage costs per our operating plan and to assess staffing levels, implementation of technology-based solutions, rent and other general and administrative costs.

		Management does not assess the growth prospects and the profitability of our legacy asset portfolio and certain securitization trusts that were consolidated upon adoption of the new accounting guidance, except to the extent necessary to assess whether cash flows from the assets in the legacy asset portfolio are sufficient to service its debt obligations.

		We also use Adjusted EBITDA (with additional adjustments) to measure our compliance with covenants such as leverage coverage ratios for our senior notes.

		Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are:

	•	Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;

	•	Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;

	•	Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the cash requirements necessary to service principal payments related to the financing of the business;

	•	Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the interest expense or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our corporate debt;

	•	although depreciation and amortization and changes in fair value of MSRs are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future and Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements; and

	•	other companies in our industry may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.

		Because of these and other limitations, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as a measure of discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business. Adjusted EBITDA is presented to provide additional information about our operations. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure and should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for or superior to, operating income, net income, operating cash flow and other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using Adjusted EBITDA only supplementally.

 

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risk factors, as well as other information contained in this prospectus, before deciding to invest in our common stock. The occurrence of any of the following risks could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow, in which case, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

 

Our foreclosure proceedings in certain states have been delayed due to inquiries by certain state Attorneys General, court administrators and state and federal governmental agencies, the outcome of which could have a negative effect on our operations, earnings or liquidity.

 

Allegations of irregularities in foreclosure processes, including so-called “robo-signing” by mortgage loan servicers, have gained the attention of the Department of Justice, regulatory agencies, state Attorneys General and the media, among other parties. On December 1, 2011, the Massachusetts Attorney General filed a lawsuit against five large mortgage providers alleging unfair and deceptive business practices, including the use of so-called “robo-signers.” In response, one of the mortgage providers has halted most lending in Massachusetts. Certain state Attorneys General, court administrators and governmental agencies, as well as representatives of the federal government, have issued letters of inquiry to mortgage servicers, including us, requesting written responses to questions regarding policies and procedures, especially with respect to notarization and affidavit procedures. These requests or any subsequent administrative, judicial or legislative actions taken by these regulators, court administrators or other governmental entities may subject us to fines and other sanctions, including a foreclosure moratorium or suspension. Additionally, because we do business in all fifty states, our operations may be affected by regulatory actions or court decisions that are taken at the individual state level.

 

In addition to these inquiries, several state Attorneys General have requested that certain mortgage servicers, including us, suspend foreclosure proceedings pending internal review to ensure compliance with applicable law, and we have received requests from four such state Attorneys General. Pursuant to these requests and in light of industry-wide press coverage regarding mortgage foreclosure documentation practices, we, as a precaution, had already delayed foreclosure proceedings in 23 states, so that we may evaluate our foreclosure practices and underlying documentation. Upon completion of our internal review and after responding to such inquiries, we resumed these previously delayed proceedings. Such inquiries, however, as well as continued court backlog and emerging court processes may cause an extended delay in the foreclosure process in certain states.

 

Even in states where we have not suspended foreclosure proceedings or where we have lifted or will soon lift any such delayed foreclosures, we have faced, and may continue to face, increased delays and costs in the foreclosure process. For example, we have incurred, and may continue to incur, additional costs related to the re-execution and re-filing of certain documents. We may also be required to take other action in our capacity as a mortgage servicer in connection with pending foreclosures. In addition, the current legislative and regulatory climate could lead borrowers to contest foreclosures that they would not otherwise have contested under ordinary circumstances, and we may incur increased litigation costs if the validity of a foreclosure action is challenged by a borrower. Delays in foreclosure proceedings could also require us to make additional servicing advances by drawing on our servicing advance facilities, or delay the recovery of advances, all or any of which could materially affect our earnings and liquidity and increase our need for capital.

 

The Dodd-Frank Act could increase our regulatory compliance burden and associated costs, limit our future capital raising strategies, and place restrictions on certain originations and servicing operations all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

On July 21, 2010, President Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) into law. The Dodd-Frank Act represents a comprehensive overhaul of the financial services industry in the United States. The Dodd-Frank Act includes, among other things: (i) the creation of a Financial Stability Oversight Council to identify emerging systemic risks posed by financial firms, activities and practices, and to improve cooperation among federal agencies; (ii) the creation of a Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (“CFPB”) authorized to promulgate and enforce consumer protection regulations relating to financial products; (iii) the establishment of strengthened capital and prudential standards for banks and bank holding companies; (iv) enhanced regulation of financial markets, including the derivatives and securitization markets; and (v) amendments to the Truth in Lending Act aimed at improving consumer protections with respect to mortgage originations, including originator compensation, minimum repayment standards and prepayment considerations. On July 21, 2011, the CFPB obtained enforcement authority pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act and began official operations. On October 13, 2011, the CFPB issued guidelines governing how it supervises mortgage transactions, which involves sending examiners to banks and other institutions that service mortgages to assess whether consumers’ interests are protected. On January 11, 2012, the CFPB issued guidelines governing examination procedures for bank and non-bank mortgage originators. The exact scope and applicability of many of these requirements to us are currently unknown as the regulations to implement the Dodd-Frank Act generally have not yet been finalized. These provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act and actions by the CFPB could increase our regulatory compliance burden and associated costs and place restrictions on certain originations and servicing operations, all of which could in turn adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The enforcement consent orders by, and agreements with, certain federal and state agencies against the largest mortgage servicers related to foreclosure practices could impose additional compliance costs on our servicing business, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

 

On April 13, 2011, the federal agencies overseeing certain aspects of the mortgage market, the OCC, the Federal Reserve and the FDIC, entered into enforcement consent orders with 14 of the largest mortgage servicers in the United States regarding foreclosure practices. The enforcement consent orders require the servicers, among other things to: (i) promptly correct deficiencies in residential mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure practices; (ii) make significant modifications in practices for residential mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure processing, including communications with borrowers and limitations on dual-tracking, which occurs when servicers continue to pursue foreclosure during the loan modification process; (iii) ensure that foreclosures are not pursued once a mortgage has been approved for modification and establish a single point of contact for borrowers throughout the loan modification and foreclosure processes; and (iv) establish robust oversight and controls pertaining to their third party vendors, including outside legal counsel, that provide default management or foreclosure services. While these enforcement consent orders are considered not to be preemptive of the state actions, it is currently unclear how state actions and proceedings will be affected by the federal consents.

 

Although we are not a party to the above enforcement consent orders, we could become subject to the terms of the consent orders if (i) we subservice loans for the mortgage servicers that are parties to the enforcement consent orders; (ii) the agencies begin to enforce the consent orders by looking downstream to our arrangement with certain mortgage servicers; (iii) the mortgage servicers for which we subservice loans request that we comply with certain aspects of the consent orders, or (iv) we otherwise find it prudent to comply with certain aspects of the consent orders. In addition, the practices set forth in such consent orders may be adopted by the industry as a whole, forcing us to comply with them in order to follow standard industry practices, or may become required by our servicing agreements. While we have made and continue to make changes to our operating policies and procedures in light of the consent orders, further changes could be required and changes to our servicing practices will increase compliance costs for our servicing business, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.

 

On September 1, 2011 and November 10, 2011, the New York Department of Financial Services entered into agreements regarding mortgage servicing practices with seven financial institutions. The additional requirements provided for in these agreements will increase operational complexity and the cost of servicing loans in New York. Other servicers, including us, could be required to enter into similar agreements. In addition, other states may also require mortgage servicers to enter into similar agreements. These additional costs could also materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Legal proceedings, state or federal governmental examinations or enforcement actions and related costs could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial position and results of operations.

 

We are routinely and currently involved in legal proceedings concerning matters that arise in the ordinary course of our business. These legal proceedings range from actions involving a single plaintiff to class action lawsuits with potentially tens of thousands of class members. An adverse result in governmental investigations or examinations or private lawsuits, including purported class action lawsuits, may adversely affect our financial results. In addition, a number of participants in our industry, including us, have been the subject of purported class action lawsuits and regulatory actions by state regulators, and other industry participants have been the subject of actions by state Attorneys General. Although we believe we have meritorious legal and factual defenses to the lawsuits in which we are currently involved, the ultimate outcomes with respect to these matters remain uncertain. Litigation and other proceedings may require that we pay settlement costs, legal fees, damages, penalties or other charges, any or all of which could adversely affect our financial results. In particular, ongoing and other legal proceedings brought under state consumer protection statutes may result in a separate fine for each violation of the statute, which, particularly in the case of class action lawsuits, could result in damages substantially in excess of the amounts we earned from the underlying activities and that could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial position and results of operations.

 

Governmental investigations, both state and federal, can be either formal or informal. The costs of responding to the investigations can be substantial. In addition, government-mandated changes to servicing practices could lead to higher costs and additional administrative burdens, in particular regarding record retention and informational obligations.

 

The continued deterioration of the residential mortgage market may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Since mid-2007, adverse economic conditions, including high unemployment, have impacted the residential mortgage market, resulting in unprecedented delinquency, default and foreclosure rates, all of which have led to increased loss severities on all types of residential mortgage loans due to sharp declines in residential real estate values. Falling home prices have resulted in higher loan-to-value ratios (“LTVs”), lower recoveries in foreclosure and an increase in loss severities above those that would have been realized had property values remained the same or continued to increase. As LTVs increase, borrowers are left with equity in their homes that is not sufficient to permit them to refinance their existing loans. This may also provide borrowers an incentive to default on their mortgage loan even if they have the ability to make principal and interest payments, which we refer to as strategic defaults. Increased mortgage defaults negatively impact our Servicing Segment because they reduce the number of mortgages we service.

 

Adverse economic conditions may also impact our Originations Segment. Declining home prices and increasing LTVs may preclude many potential borrowers, including borrowers whose existing loans we service, from refinancing their existing loans. An increase in prevailing interest rates could decrease our originations volume through our Consumer Direct Retail originations channel, our largest originations channel by volume from December 31, 2006 to September 30, 2011, because this channel focuses predominantly on refinancing existing mortgage loans.

 

A continued deterioration or a delay in any recovery in the residential mortgage market may reduce the number of mortgages we service or new mortgages that we originate, reduce the profitability of mortgages currently serviced by us, adversely affect our ability to sell mortgage loans originated by us or increase delinquency rates. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may experience serious financial difficulties as some mortgage servicers and originators have experienced, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Since late 2006, a number of mortgage servicers and originators of residential mortgage loans have experienced serious financial difficulties and, in some cases, have gone out of business. These difficulties have resulted, in part, from declining markets for their mortgage loans as well as from claims for repurchases of mortgage loans previously sold under provisions requiring repurchase in the event of early payment defaults or breaches of representations and warranties regarding loan quality and certain other loan characteristics. Higher delinquencies and defaults may contribute to these difficulties by reducing the value of mortgage loan portfolios and requiring originators to sell their portfolios at greater discounts to par. In addition, the cost of servicing an increasingly delinquent mortgage loan portfolio may rise without a corresponding increase in servicing compensation. The value of many residual interests retained by sellers of mortgage loans in the securitization market has also been declining. Overall originations volumes are down significantly in the current economic environment. According to Inside Mortgage Finance, total U.S. residential mortgage originations volume decreased from $3.0 trillion in 2006 to $1.3 trillion for the nine months ended September 30, 2011. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We service reverse mortgages, which subjects us to additional risks and could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In December 2011, we signed an agreement to purchase the servicing rights to certain reverse mortgages (the “Reverse Mortgage Acquisition”) from Bank of America, N.A. (“BANA”), an affiliate of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, one of the underwriters of this offering. The reverse mortgage business is subject to substantial risks, including market, credit, interest rate, liquidity, operational and legal risks. A reverse mortgage is a loan available to seniors aged 62 or older that allows homeowners to borrow money against the value of their home. No repayment of the mortgage is required until the borrower dies or the home is sold. A deterioration of the market for reverse mortgages may reduce the number of reverse mortgages we service, reduce the profitability of reverse mortgages currently serviced by us and adversely affect our ability to sell reverse mortgages in the market. Although foreclosures involving reverse mortgages generally occur less frequently than forward mortgages, loan defaults on reverse mortgages leading to foreclosures may occur if borrowers fail to meet maintenance obligations, such as payment of taxes or home insurance premiums. An increase in foreclosure rates may increase our cost of servicing. As a reverse mortgage servicer, we will also be responsible for funding any payments due to borrowers in a timely manner, remitting to investors interest accrued, and paying for interest shortfalls. Advances on reverse mortgages are typically greater than advances on forward residential mortgages. They are typically recovered upon weekly or monthly reimbursement. In the event we receive requests for advances in excess of amounts we are able to fund, we may not be able to fund these advance requests, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity. Finally, we are subject to negative headline risk in the event that loan defaults on reverse mortgages lead to foreclosures or even evictions of elderly homeowners. All of the above factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Borrowers with adjustable rate mortgage loans are especially exposed to increases in monthly payments and they may not be able to refinance their loans, which could cause delinquency, default and foreclosure and therefore adversely affect our business.

 

Borrowers with adjustable rate mortgage loans are exposed to increased monthly payments when the related mortgage loan’s interest rate adjusts upward from an initial fixed rate or a low introductory rate, as

applicable, to the rate computed in accordance with the applicable index and margin. Borrowers with adjustable rate mortgage loans seeking to refinance their mortgage loans to avoid increased monthly payments as a result of an upwards adjustment of the mortgage loan’s interest rate may no longer be able to find available replacement loans at comparably low interest rates. This increase in borrowers’ monthly payments, together with any increase in prevailing market interest rates, may result in significantly increased monthly payments for borrowers with adjustable rate mortgage loans, which may cause delinquency, default and foreclosure. Increased mortgage defaults and foreclosures may adversely affect our business as they reduce the number of mortgages we service.

 

We principally service higher risk loans, which exposes us to a number of different risks.

 

A significant percentage of the mortgage loans we service are higher risk loans, meaning that the loans are to less creditworthy borrowers or for properties the value of which has decreased. These loans are more expensive to service because they require more frequent interaction with customers and greater monitoring and oversight. As a result, these loans tend to have higher delinquency and default rates, which can have a significant impact on our revenues, expenses and the valuation of our MSRs. It may also be more difficult for us to recover advances we are required to make with respect to higher risk loans. In connection with the ongoing mortgage market reform and regulatory developments, servicers of higher risk loans may be subject to increased scrutiny by state and federal regulators or may experience higher compliance costs, which could result in higher servicing costs. We may not be able to pass along any incremental costs we incur to our servicing clients. All of the foregoing factors could therefore adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

A significant change in delinquencies for the loans we service could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Delinquency rates have a significant impact on our revenues, our expenses and on the valuation of our MSRs as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

A further increase in delinquency rates could therefore adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Decreasing property values have caused an increase in LTVs, resulting in borrowers having little or negative equity in their property, which may reduce new loan originations and provide incentive to borrowers to strategically default on their loans.

 

According to CoreLogic, from December 2006 to September 2011, the percentage of borrowers who owe more on a related mortgage loan than the property is worth, or have negative equity in their property, increased from 7% to 22%. We believe that borrowers with negative equity in their properties are more likely to strategically default on mortgage loans, which could materially affect our business. Also, with the exception of loans modified under the Making Home Affordable plan (“MHA”), we are unable to refinance loans with high LTVs. Increased LTVs could reduce our ability to originate loans for borrowers with low or negative equity and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The industry in which we operate is highly competitive and our inability to compete successfully could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We operate in a highly competitive industry that could become even more competitive as a result of economic, legislative, regulatory and technological changes. In the servicing industry, we face competition in areas such as fees and performance in reducing delinquencies and entering successful modifications. Competition to service mortgage loans comes primarily from large commercial banks and savings institutions. These financial institutions generally have significantly greater resources and access to capital than we do, which gives them the benefit of a lower cost of funds. Additionally, our servicing competitors may decide to modify their servicing model to compete more directly with our servicing model, or our servicing model may generate lower margins as a result of competition or as overall economic conditions improve.

 

In the mortgage loan originations industry, we face competition in such areas as mortgage loan offerings, rates, fees and customer service. Competition to originate mortgage loans comes primarily from large commercial banks and savings institutions. These financial institutions generally have significantly greater resources and access to capital than we do, which gives them the benefit of a lower cost of funds.

 

In addition, technological advances and heightened e-commerce activities have increased consumers’ accessibility to products and services. This has intensified competition among banks and non-banks in offering mortgage loans and loan servicing.

 

We may be unable to compete successfully in our industries and this could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may not be able to maintain or grow our business if we cannot identify and acquire MSRs or enter into additional subservicing agreements on favorable terms.

 

Our servicing portfolio is subject to “run off,” meaning that mortgage loans serviced by us may be repaid at maturity, prepaid prior to maturity, refinanced with a mortgage not serviced by us or liquidated through foreclosure, deed-in-lieu of foreclosure or other liquidation process or repaid through standard amortization of principal. As a result, our ability to maintain the size of our servicing portfolio depends on our ability to originate additional mortgages and to acquire the right to service additional pools of residential mortgages. We may not be able to acquire MSRs or enter into additional subservicing agreements on terms favorable to us or at all, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In determining the purchase price for MSRs and subservicing agreements, management makes certain assumptions, many of which are beyond our control, including, among other things:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We may not be able to recover our significant investments in personnel and our technology platform if we cannot identify and acquire MSRs or enter into additional subservicing agreements on favorable terms, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We have made, and expect to continue to make, significant investments in personnel and our technology platform to allow us to service additional loans. In particular, prior to acquiring a large portfolio of MSRs or entering into a large subservicing contract, we invest significant resources in recruiting, training, technology and systems. We may not realize the expected benefits of these investments to the extent we are unable to increase the pool of residential mortgages serviced, we are delayed in obtaining the right to service such loans or we do not appropriately value the MSRs that we do purchase or the subservicing agreements we enter into. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may not realize all of the anticipated benefits of potential future acquisitions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of potential future acquisitions of servicing portfolios, originations platforms or companies will depend, in part, on our ability to scale-up to appropriately service any such assets, and integrate the businesses of such acquired companies with our business. The process of acquiring assets or companies may disrupt our business and may not result in the full benefits expected. The risks associated with acquisitions include, among others:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moreover, the success of any acquisition will depend upon our ability to effectively integrate the acquired servicing portfolios, originations platforms or businesses. The acquired servicing portfolios, originations platforms or businesses may not contribute to our revenues or earnings to any material extent, and cost savings and synergies we expect at the time of an acquisition may not be realized once the acquisition has been completed. If we inappropriately value the assets we acquire or the value of the assets we acquire declines after we acquire them, the resulting charges may negatively affect the carrying value of the assets on our balance sheet and our earnings. See “—We use financial models and estimates in determining the fair value of certain assets, such as MSRs and investments in debt securities. If our estimates or assumptions prove to be incorrect, we may be required to record impairment charges, which could adversely affect our earnings.” Furthermore, if we incur additional indebtedness to finance an acquisition, the acquired business may not be able to generate sufficient cash flow to service that additional indebtedness. Unsuitable or unsuccessful acquisitions could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may be unable to obtain sufficient capital to meet the financing requirements of our business.

 

Our financing strategy includes the use of significant leverage. Accordingly, our ability to finance our operations and repay maturing obligations rests in large part on our ability to borrow money. We are generally required to renew our financing arrangements each year, which exposes us to refinancing and interest rate risks. In addition, a large portion of our outstanding debt matures prior to March 31, 2012. See “Note 10 to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements—Indebtedness.” Our ability to refinance existing debt and borrow additional funds is affected by a variety of factors including:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the ordinary course of our business, we periodically borrow money or sell newly-originated loans to fund our servicing and originations operations. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.” Our ability to fund current operations and meet our service advance obligations depends on our ability to secure these types of financings on acceptable terms and to renew or replace existing financings as they expire. Such financings may not be available with the GSEs or other counterparties on acceptable terms or at all.

 

An event of default, a negative ratings action by a rating agency, an adverse action by a regulatory authority or a general deterioration in the economy that constricts the availability of credit—similar to the market conditions that we have experienced during the last three years—may increase our cost of funds and make it difficult for us to renew existing credit facilities or obtain new lines of credit. We intend to continue to pursue opportunities to acquire loan servicing portfolios, originations platforms and businesses that engage in loan servicing and loan originations. Our liquidity and capital resources may be diminished by any such transactions. Additionally, we believe that a significant acquisition may require us to raise additional capital to facilitate such a transaction, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all.

 

In June 2011, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision of the Bank of International Settlements announced the final framework for strengthening capital requirements, known as Basel III, which if implemented by U.S. bank regulatory agencies, will increase the cost of funding on banking institutions that we rely on for financing. Such Basel III requirements on banking institutions could reduce our sources of funding and increase the costs of originating and servicing mortgage loans. If we are unable to obtain sufficient capital on acceptable terms for any of the foregoing reasons, this could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

We may not be able to continue to grow our loan originations volume, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our loan originations business consists primarily of refinancing existing loans. While we intend to use sales lead aggregators and Internet marketing to reach new borrowers, our Consumer Direct Retail

originations platform may not succeed because of the referral-driven nature of our industry. Further, our largest customer base consists of borrowers whose existing loans we service. Because we primarily service credit-sensitive loans, many of our existing servicing customers may not be able to qualify for conventional mortgage loans with us or may pose a higher credit risk than other consumers. Furthermore, our Consumer Direct Retail originations platform focuses predominantly on refinancing existing mortgage loans. This type of originations activity is sensitive to increases in interest rates.

 

Our loan originations business also consists of providing purchase money loans to homebuyers. The origination of purchase money mortgage loans is greatly influenced by traditional business clients in the home buying process such as realtors and builders. As a result, our ability to secure relationships with such traditional business clients will influence our ability to grow our purchase money mortgage loan volume and, thus, our loan originations business.

 

Our wholesale originations business operates largely through third party mortgage brokers who are not contractually obligated to do business with us. Further, our competitors also have relationships with our brokers and actively compete with us in our efforts to expand our broker networks. Accordingly, we may not be successful in maintaining our existing relationships or expanding our broker networks.

 

If we are unable to continue to grow our loan originations business, this could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our counterparties may terminate our servicing rights and subservicing contracts, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The owners of the loans we service and the primary servicers of the loans we subservice, may, under certain circumstances, terminate our MSRs or subservicing contracts, respectively.

 

As is standard in the industry, under the terms of our master servicing agreement with GSEs, GSEs have the right to terminate us as servicer of the loans we service on their behalf at any time and also have the right to cause us to sell the MSRs to a third party. In addition, some GSEs may also have the right to require us to assign the MSRs to a subsidiary and sell our equity interest in the subsidiary to a third party. Under our subservicing contracts, the primary servicers for which we conduct subservicing activities have the right to terminate our subservicing rights with or without cause, with little notice and little to no compensation. In November and December 2010, through our relationship with the same GSE, we boarded subservicing rights totaling approximately $25 billion in UPB. We expect to continue to acquire subservicing rights, which could exacerbate these risks.

 

If we were to have our servicing or subservicing rights terminated on a material portion of our servicing portfolio, this could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Federal, state and local laws and regulations could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Federal, state and local governments have recently proposed or enacted numerous laws, regulations and rules related to mortgage loans generally and foreclosure actions in particular. These laws, regulations and rules may result in delays in the foreclosure process, reduced payments by borrowers, modification of the original terms of mortgage loans, permanent forgiveness of debt and increased servicing advances. In some cases, local governments have ordered moratoriums on foreclosure activity, which prevent a servicer or trustee, as applicable, from exercising any remedies they might have in respect of liquidating a severely delinquent mortgage loan. Several courts also have taken unprecedented steps to slow the foreclosure process or prevent foreclosure altogether.

 

In addition, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (the “FHFA”) recently proposed changes to mortgage servicing compensation structures, including cutting servicing fees and channeling funds toward reserve accounts for delinquent loans.

 

Due to the highly regulated nature of the residential mortgage industry, we are required to comply with a wide array of federal, state and local laws and regulations that regulate, among other things, the manner in which we conduct our servicing and originations business and the fees we may charge. These regulations directly impact our business and require constant compliance, monitoring and internal and external audits. A material failure to comply with any of these laws or regulations could subject us to lawsuits or governmental action, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In addition, there continue to be changes in legislation and licensing in an effort to simplify the consumer mortgage experience, which require technology changes and additional implementation costs for loan originators. We expect legislative changes will continue in the foreseeable future, which may increase our operating expenses.

 

Any of these changes in the law could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Unlike competitors that are banks, we are subject to state licensing and operational requirements that result in substantial compliance costs.

 

Because we are not a depository institution, we do not benefit from a federal exemption to state mortgage banking, loan servicing or debt collection licensing and regulatory requirements. We must comply with state licensing requirements and varying compliance requirements in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, and we are sensitive to regulatory changes that may increase our costs through stricter licensing laws, disclosure laws or increased fees or that may impose conditions to licensing that we or our personnel are unable to meet. In addition, we are subject to periodic examinations by state regulators, which can result in refunds to borrowers of certain fees earned by us, and we may be required to pay substantial penalties imposed by state regulators due to compliance errors. Future state legislation and changes in existing regulation may significantly increase our compliance costs or reduce the amount of ancillary fees, including late fees, that we may charge to borrowers. This could make our business cost-prohibitive in the affected state or states and could materially affect our business.

 

Federal and state legislative and agency initiatives in mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) and securitization may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

 

There are federal and state legislative and agency initiatives that could, once fully implemented, adversely affect our business. For instance, the risk retention requirement under the Dodd-Frank Act requires securitizers to retain a minimum beneficial interest in MBS they sell through a securitization, absent certain qualified residential mortgage (“QRM”) exemptions. Once implemented, the risk retention requirement may result in higher costs of certain originations operations and impose on us additional compliance requirements to meet servicing and originations criteria for QRMs. Additionally, the amendments to Regulation AB relating to the registration statement required to be filed by ABS issuers recently adopted by the SEC pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act would increase compliance costs for ABS issuers, which could in turn increase our cost of funding and operations. Lastly, certain proposed federal legislation would permit borrowers in bankruptcy to restructure mortgage loans secured by primary residences. Bankruptcy courts could, if this legislation is enacted, reduce the principal balance of a mortgage loan that is secured by a lien on mortgaged property, reduce the mortgage interest rate, extend the term to maturity or otherwise modify the terms of a bankrupt borrower’s mortgage loan. Any of the foregoing could materially affect our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our business would be adversely affected if we lose our licenses.

 

Our operations are subject to regulation, supervision and licensing under various federal, state and local statutes, ordinances and regulations. In most states in which we operate, a regulatory agency regulates and enforces laws relating to mortgage servicing companies and mortgage originations companies such as us. These rules and regulations generally provide for licensing as a mortgage servicing company, mortgage originations company or third party debt default specialist, requirements as to the form and content of contracts and other documentation, licensing of our employees and employee hiring background checks, licensing of independent contractors with which we contract, restrictions on collection practices, disclosure and record-keeping requirements and enforcement of borrowers’ rights. In certain states, we are subject to periodic examination by state regulatory authorities. Some states in which we operate require special licensing or provide extensive regulation of our business.

 

We believe that we maintain all material licenses and permits required for our current operations and are in substantial compliance with all applicable federal, state and local regulations. We may not be able to maintain all requisite licenses and permits, and the failure to satisfy those and other regulatory requirements could result in a default under our servicing agreements and have a material adverse effect on our operations. The states that currently do not provide extensive regulation of our business may later choose to do so, and if such states so act, we may not be able to obtain or maintain all requisite licenses and permits. The failure to satisfy those and other regulatory requirements could result in a default under our servicing agreements and have a material adverse effect on our operations. Furthermore, the adoption of additional, or the revision of existing, rules and regulations could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may be required to indemnify or repurchase loans we originated, or will originate, if our loans fail to meet certain criteria or characteristics or under other circumstances.

 

The indentures governing our securitized pools of loans and our contracts with purchasers of our whole loans contain provisions that require us to indemnify or repurchase the related loans under certain circumstances. While our contracts vary, they contain provisions that require us to repurchase loans if:

 

 

 

 

 

We believe that, as a result of the current market environment, many purchasers of residential mortgage loans are particularly aware of the conditions under which originators must indemnify or repurchase loans and would benefit from enforcing any repurchase remedies they may have. We believe that our exposure to repurchases under our representations and warranties includes the current unpaid balance of all loans we have sold. In the nine months ended September 30, 2011 and three years ended December 31, 2008, 2009, and 2010, we sold an aggregate of $6.4 billion of loans. To recognize the potential loan repurchase or indemnification losses, we have recorded a reserve of $7.4 million as of September 30, 2011. Such reserve, however, may not be adequate to cover actual losses. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Analysis of Items on Consolidated Balance Sheet—As of September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010—Liabilities and Members’ Equity.” If we are required to indemnify or repurchase loans that we originate and sell or securitize that result in losses that exceed our reserve, this could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may incur increased litigation costs and related losses if a borrower challenges the validity of a foreclosure action or if a court overturns a foreclosure, which could adversely affect our liquidity, business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may incur costs if we are required to, or if we elect to, execute or re-file documents or take other action in our capacity as a servicer in connection with pending or completed foreclosures. We may incur litigation costs if the validity of a foreclosure action is challenged by a borrower. If a court overturns a foreclosure because of errors or deficiencies in the foreclosure process, we may have liability to a title insurer or the purchaser of the property sold in foreclosure. These costs and liabilities may not be legally or otherwise reimbursable to us, particularly to the extent they relate to securitized mortgage loans. In addition, if certain documents required for a foreclosure action are missing or defective, we could be obligated to cure the defect or repurchase the loan. A significant increase in litigation costs could adversely affect our liquidity, and our inability to be reimbursed for an advance could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Because we are required to follow the guidelines of the GSEs with which we do business and are not able to negotiate our fees with these entities for the purchase of our loans, our competitors may be able to sell their loans to GSEs on more favorable terms.

 

Even though we currently originate conventional agency and government conforming loans, because we previously originated non-prime mortgage loans, we believe we are required to pay a higher fee to access the secondary market for selling our loans to GSEs. We believe that because many of our competitors have always originated conventional loans, they are able to sell newly originated loans on more favorable terms than us. As a result, these competitors are able to earn higher margins than we earn on originated loans, which could materially impact our business.

 

In our transactions with the GSEs, we are required to follow specific guidelines that impact the way we service and originate mortgage loans including:

 

 

 

 

 

In particular, the FHFA has directed GSEs to align their guidelines for servicing delinquent mortgages they own or guarantee, which can result in monetary incentives for servicers that perform well and penalties for those that do not. In addition, FHFA has directed Fannie Mae to assess compensatory fees against servicers in connection with delinquent loans, foreclosure delays, and other breaches of servicing obligations.

 

We cannot negotiate these terms with the GSEs and they are subject to change at any time. A significant change in these guidelines that has the effect of decreasing our fees or requires us to expend additional resources in providing mortgage services could decrease our revenues or increase our costs, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We are required to make servicing advances that can be subject to delays in recovery or may not be recoverable in certain circumstances, which could adversely affect our liquidity, business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

During any period in which a borrower is not making payments, we are required under most of our servicing agreements to advance our own funds to meet contractual principal and interest remittance

requirements for investors, pay property taxes and insurance premiums, legal expenses and other protective advances. We also advance funds to maintain, repair and market real estate properties on behalf of investors. As home values change, we may have to reconsider certain of the assumptions underlying our decisions to make advances and, in certain situations, our contractual obligations may require us to make certain advances for which we may not be reimbursed. In addition, in the event a mortgage loan serviced by us defaults or becomes delinquent, the repayment to us of the advance may be delayed until the mortgage loan is repaid or refinanced or a liquidation occurs. A delay in our ability to collect an advance may adversely affect our liquidity, and our inability to be reimbursed for an advance could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Changes to government mortgage modification programs could adversely affect future incremental revenues.

 

Under HAMP and similar government programs, a participating servicer may be entitled to receive financial incentives in connection with any modification plans it enters into with eligible borrowers and subsequent success fees to the extent that a borrower remains current in any agreed upon loan modification. While we participate in and dedicate numerous resources to HAMP, we may not continue to participate in or realize future revenues from HAMP or any other government mortgage modification program. Changes in legislation or regulation regarding HAMP that result in the modification of outstanding mortgage loans and changes in the requirements necessary to qualify for refinancing mortgage loans may impact the extent to which we participate in and receive financial benefits from such programs, or may increase the expense of our participation in such programs. Changes in governmental loan modification programs could also result in an increase to our costs.

 

HAMP is currently scheduled to expire on December 31, 2012. If HAMP is not extended, this could decrease our revenues, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Under the MHA, a participating servicer may receive a financial incentive to modify qualifying loans, in accordance with the plan’s guidelines and requirements. The MHA also allows us to refinance loans with a high LTV of up to 125%. This allows us to refinance loans to existing borrowers who have little or negative equity in their homes. Changes in legislation or regulations regarding the MHA could reduce our volume of refinancing originations to borrowers with little or negative equity in their homes. Changes to HAMP, the MHA and other similar programs could adversely affect future incremental revenues.

 

We are highly dependent upon programs administered by GSEs such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to generate revenues through mortgage loan sales to institutional investors. Any changes in existing U.S. government-sponsored mortgage programs could materially and adversely affect our business, liquidity, financial position and results of operations.

 

In February 2011, the Obama Administration delivered a report to Congress regarding a proposal to reform the housing finance markets in the United States. The report, among other things, outlined various potential proposals to wind down the GSEs and reduce or eliminate over time the role of the GSEs in guaranteeing mortgages and providing funding for mortgage loans, as well as proposals to implement reforms relating to borrowers, lenders and investors in the mortgage market, including reducing the maximum size of loans that the GSEs can guarantee, phasing in a minimum down payment requirement for borrowers, improving underwriting standards and increasing accountability and transparency in the securitization process.

 

Our ability to generate revenues through mortgage loan sales to institutional investors depends to a significant degree on programs administered by the GSEs, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, a government agency, Ginnie Mae, and others that facilitate the issuance of MBS in the secondary market. These GSEs play a critical role in the residential mortgage industry and we have significant business relationships with many of them. Almost all of the conforming loans we originate qualify under existing standards for inclusion in guaranteed mortgage securities backed by GSEs. We also derive other material financial benefits from these relationships, including the assumption of credit risk by these GSEs on loans

included in such mortgage securities in exchange for our payment of guarantee fees and the ability to avoid certain loan inventory finance costs through streamlined loan funding and sale procedures.

 

Any discontinuation of, or significant reduction in, the operation of these GSEs or any significant adverse change in the level of activity in the secondary mortgage market or the underwriting criteria of these GSEs could materially and adversely affect our business, liquidity, financial position and results of operations.

 

The conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and related efforts, along with any changes in laws and regulations affecting the relationship between Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the U.S. federal government, could adversely affect our business and prospects.

 

Due to increased market concerns about the ability of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to withstand future credit losses associated with securities held in their investment portfolios, and on which they provide guarantees without the direct support of the U.S. federal government, on July 30, 2008, the U.S. government passed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. On September 7, 2008, the FHFA, placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship and, together with the U.S. Treasury, established a program designed to boost investor confidence in their respective debt and MBS. As the conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the FHFA controls and directs the operations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and may (i) take over the assets and operations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with all the powers of the shareholders, the directors and the officers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and conduct all business of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; (ii) collect all obligations and money due to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; (iii) perform all functions of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which are consistent with the conservator’s appointment; (iv) preserve and conserve the assets and property of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; and (v) contract for assistance in fulfilling any function, activity, action or duty of the conservator.

 

In addition to the FHFA becoming the conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the U.S. Treasury and the FHFA have entered into preferred stock purchase agreements among the U.S. Treasury, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pursuant to which the U.S. Treasury will ensure that each of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac maintains a positive net worth.

 

Although the U.S. Treasury has committed capital to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, these actions may not be adequate for their needs. If these actions are inadequate, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could continue to suffer losses and could fail to honor their guarantees and other obligations. The future roles of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could be significantly reduced and the nature of their guarantees could be considerably limited relative to historical measurements. Any changes to the nature of the guarantees provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could redefine what constitute agency and government conforming MBS and could have broad adverse market implications. Such market implications could adversely affect our business and prospects.

 

The geographic concentration of our servicing portfolio may result in a higher rate of delinquencies, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

As of September 30, 2011, approximately 19%, 12% and 5% of the aggregate outstanding loan balance in our servicing portfolio was secured by properties located in California, Florida and Texas, respectively. Some of these states have experienced severe declines in property values and are experiencing a disproportionately high rate of delinquencies and foreclosures relative to other states. To the extent these states continue to experience weaker economic conditions or greater rates of decline in real estate values than the United States generally, the concentration of loans we service in those regions may increase the effect of the risks listed in this “Risk Factors” section. The impact of property value declines may increase in magnitude and it may continue for a long period of time. Additionally, if states in which we have greater concentrations of business were to change their licensing or other regulatory requirements to make our business cost-prohibitive, we may be required to stop doing business in those states or may be subject to higher cost of

doing business in those states, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We use financial models and estimates in determining the fair value of certain assets, such as MSRs and investments in debt securities. If our estimates or assumptions prove to be incorrect, we may be required to record impairment charges, which could adversely affect our earnings.

 

We use internal financial models that utilize, wherever possible, market participant data to value certain of our assets, including our MSRs, newly originated loans held for sale and investments in debt securities for purposes of financial reporting. These models are complex and use asset-specific collateral data and market inputs for interest and discount rates. In addition, the modeling requirements of MSRs are complex because of the high number of variables that drive cash flows associated with MSRs. Even if the general accuracy of our valuation models is validated, valuations are highly dependent upon the reasonableness of our assumptions and the predictability of the relationships that drive the results of the models. If loan loss levels are higher than anticipated, due to an increase in delinquencies or prepayment speeds, or financial market illiquidity continues beyond our estimate, the value of certain of our assets may decrease. We may be required to record impairment charges, which could impact our ability to satisfy minimum net worth covenants of $175.0 million and borrowing conditions in our debt agreements and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Errors in our financial models or changes in assumptions could adversely affect our earnings. See “—We may not realize all of the anticipated benefits of potential future acquisitions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

 

Our earnings may decrease because of changes in prevailing interest rates.

 

Our profitability is directly affected by changes in prevailing interest rates. The following are the material risks we face related to changes in prevailing interest rates:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our hedging strategies may not be successful in mitigating our risks associated with interest rates.

 

From time to time, we have used various derivative financial instruments to provide a level of protection against interest rate risks, but no hedging strategy can protect us completely. The derivative financial instruments that we select may not have the effect of reducing our interest rate risks. In addition, the nature and timing of hedging transactions may influence the effectiveness of these strategies. Poorly designed strategies, improperly executed and documented transactions or inaccurate assumptions could actually increase our risks and losses. In addition, hedging strategies involve transaction and other costs. Our hedging strategies and the derivatives that we use may not be able to adequately offset the risks of interest rate volatility and our

hedging transactions may result in or magnify losses. Furthermore, interest rate derivatives may not be available on favorable terms or at all, particularly during economic downturns. Any of the foregoing risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

A downgrade in our servicer ratings could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

Standard & Poor’s and Fitch rate us as a residential loan servicer. Our current favorable ratings from the rating agencies are important to the conduct of our loan servicing business. These ratings may be downgraded in the future. Any such downgrade could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We depend on the accuracy and completeness of information about borrowers and counterparties and any misrepresented information could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In deciding whether to extend credit or to enter into other transactions with borrowers and counterparties, we may rely on information furnished to us by or on behalf of borrowers and counterparties, including financial statements and other financial information. We also may rely on representations of borrowers and counterparties as to the accuracy and completeness of that information and, with respect to financial statements, on reports of independent auditors. We additionally rely on representations from public officials concerning the licensing and good standing of the third party mortgage brokers through which we do business. While we have a practice of independently verifying the borrower information that we use in deciding whether to extend credit or to agree to a loan modification, including employment, assets, income and credit score, if any of this information is intentionally or negligently misrepresented and such misrepresentation is not detected prior to loan funding, the value of the loan may be significantly lower than expected. Whether a misrepresentation is made by the loan applicant, the mortgage broker, another third party or one of our employees, we generally bear the risk of loss associated with the misrepresentation. We have controls and processes designed to help us identify misrepresented information in our loan originations operations. We, however, may not have detected or may not detect all misrepresented information in our loan originations or from our business clients. Any such misrepresented information could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Technology failures could damage our business operations and increase our costs, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The financial services industry as a whole is characterized by rapidly changing technologies, and system disruptions and failures caused by fire, power loss, telecommunications failures, unauthorized intrusion, computer viruses and disabling devices, natural disasters and other similar events may interrupt or delay our ability to provide services to our borrowers. Security breaches, acts of vandalism and developments in computer capabilities could result in a compromise or breach of the technology that we use to protect our borrowers’ personal information and transaction data. Systems failures could cause us to incur significant costs and this could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The success and growth of our business will depend upon our ability to adapt to and implement technological changes.

 

Our mortgage loan originations business is currently dependent upon our ability to effectively interface with our brokers, borrowers and other third parties and to efficiently process loan applications and closings. The originations process is becoming more dependent upon technological advancement, such as our continued ability to process applications over the Internet, accept electronic signatures, provide process status updates instantly and other borrower-expected conveniences. Maintaining and improving this new technology and becoming proficient with it may also require significant capital expenditures. As these requirements

increase in the future, we will have to fully develop these technological capabilities to remain competitive and any failure to do so could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Any failure of our internal security measures or breach of our privacy protections could cause harm to our reputation and subject us to liability, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In the ordinary course of our business, we receive and store certain confidential information concerning borrowers. Additionally, we enter into third party relationships to assist with various aspects of our business, some of which require the exchange of confidential borrower information. If a third party were to compromise or breach our security measures or those of the vendors, through electronic, physical or other means, and misappropriate such information, it could cause interruptions in our operations and expose us to significant liabilities, reporting obligations, remediation costs and damage to our reputation. Any of the foregoing risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our vendor relationships subject us to a variety of risks.

 

We have significant vendors that, among other things, provide us with financial, technology and other services to support our servicing and originations businesses. With respect to vendors engaged to perform activities required by servicing criteria, we have elected to take responsibility for assessing compliance with the applicable servicing criteria for the applicable vendor and are required to have procedures in place to provide reasonable assurance that the vendor’s activities comply in all material respects with servicing criteria applicable to the vendor. In the event that a vendor’s activities do not comply with the servicing criteria, it could negatively impact our servicing agreements. In addition, if our current vendors were to stop providing services to us on acceptable terms, including as a result of one or more vendor bankruptcies due to poor economic conditions, we may be unable to procure alternatives from other vendors in a timely and efficient manner and on acceptable terms, or at all. Further, we may incur significant costs to resolve any such disruptions in service and this could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The loss of the services of our senior managers could adversely affect our business.

 

The experience of our senior managers is a valuable asset to us. Our management team has significant experience in the residential mortgage originations and servicing industry. We do not maintain key life insurance policies relating to our senior managers. The loss of the services of our senior managers could adversely affect our business.

 

Our business could suffer if we fail to attract and retain a highly skilled workforce.

 

Our future success will depend on our ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate and retain highly qualified personnel for all areas of our organization, in particular skilled managers, loan servicers, debt default specialists, loan officers and underwriters. Trained and experienced personnel are in high demand and may be in short supply in some areas. Many of the companies with which we compete for experienced employees have greater resources than we have and may be able to offer more attractive terms of employment. In addition, we invest significant time and expense in training our employees, which increases their value to competitors who may seek to recruit them. We may not be able to attract, develop and maintain an adequate skilled workforce necessary to operate our businesses and labor expenses may increase as a result of a shortage in the supply of qualified personnel. If we are unable to attract and retain such personnel, we may not be able to take advantage of acquisitions and other growth opportunities that may be presented to us and this could materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Negative public opinion could damage our reputation and adversely affect our earnings.

 

Reputation risk, or the risk to our business, earnings and capital from negative public opinion, is inherent in our business. Negative public opinion can result from our actual or alleged conduct in any number of activities, including lending and debt collection practices, corporate governance, and actions taken by government regulators and community organizations in response to those activities. Negative public opinion can also result from media coverage, whether accurate or not. Negative public opinion can adversely affect our ability to attract and retain customers, trading counterparties and employees and can expose us to litigation and regulatory action. Although we take steps to minimize reputation risk in dealing with our customers and communities, this risk will always be present in our organization.

 

Risks Related to Our Organization and Structure

 

If the ownership of our common stock continues to be highly concentrated, it may prevent you and other minority stockholders from influencing significant corporate decisions and may result in conflicts of interest.

 

Following the completion of this offering, the Initial Stockholder, which is primarily owned by certain private equity funds managed by an affiliate of Fortress, will own approximately     % of our outstanding common stock or     % if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is fully exercised. As a result, the Initial Stockholder will own shares sufficient for the majority vote over all matters requiring a stockholder vote, including: the election of directors; mergers, consolidations and acquisitions; the sale of all or substantially all of our assets and other decisions affecting our capital structure; the amendment of our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws; and our winding up and dissolution. This concentration of ownership may delay, deter or prevent acts that would be favored by our other stockholders. The interests of the Initial Stockholder may not always coincide with our interests or the interests of our other stockholders. This concentration of ownership may also have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change in control of us. Also, the Initial Stockholder may seek to cause us to take courses of action that, in its judgment, could enhance its investment in us, but which might involve risks to our other stockholders or adversely affect us or our other stockholders, including investors in this offering. As a result, the market price of our common stock could decline or stockholders might not receive a premium over the then-current market price of our common stock upon a change in control. In addition, this concentration of share ownership may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock because investors may perceive disadvantages in owning shares in a company with significant stockholders. See “Principal and Selling Stockholders” and “Description of Capital Stock—Anti-Takeover Effects of Delaware Law, Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws.”

 

We are a holding company with no operations and will rely on our operating subsidiaries to provide us with funds necessary to meet our financial obligations and to pay dividends.

 

We are a holding company with no material direct operations. Our principal assets are the equity interests we directly or indirectly hold in our operating subsidiaries, which own our operating assets. As a result, we will be dependent on loans, dividends and other payments from our subsidiaries to generate the funds necessary to meet our financial obligations and to pay dividends on our common stock. Our subsidiaries are legally distinct from us and may be prohibited or restricted from paying dividends or otherwise making funds available to us under certain conditions. If we are unable to obtain funds from our subsidiaries, we may be unable to, or our board may exercise its discretion not to, pay dividends.

 

We do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

 

We do not expect to declare or pay any cash or other dividends in the foreseeable future on our common stock because we intend to use cash flow generated by operations to grow our business. The indenture governing our senior notes restricts our ability to pay cash dividends on our common stock. We may

also enter into credit agreements or other borrowing arrangements in the future that restrict or limit our ability to pay cash dividends on our common stock. See “Dividend Policy.”

 

Certain provisions of the Stockholders Agreement, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws could hinder, delay or prevent a change in control of us, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock.

 

Certain provisions of our Stockholders Agreement with our Initial Stockholder (the “Stockholders Agreement”), our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws will contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us without the consent of our board of directors or the Initial Stockholder. These provisions provide for:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, these provisions may make it difficult and expensive for a third party to pursue a tender offer, change in control or takeover attempt that is opposed by our Initial Stockholder, our management or our board of directors. Public stockholders who might desire to participate in these types of transactions may not have an opportunity to do so, even if the transaction is favorable to stockholders. These anti-takeover provisions could substantially impede the ability of public stockholders to benefit from a change in control or change our management and board of directors and, as a result, may adversely affect the market price of our common stock and your ability to realize any potential change of control premium. See “Description of Capital Stock—Anti-Takeover Effects of Delaware Law, Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws.”

 

Certain of our stockholders have the right to engage or invest in the same or similar businesses as us.

 

The Fortress Stockholders have other investments and business activities in addition to their ownership of us. Under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the Fortress Stockholders have the right, and have no duty to abstain from exercising such right, to engage or invest in the same or similar businesses as us, do business with any of our clients, customers or vendors or employ or otherwise engage any of our officers, directors or employees. If the Fortress Stockholders or any of their officers, directors or employees acquire knowledge of a potential transaction that could be a corporate opportunity, they have no duty, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to offer such corporate opportunity to us, our stockholders or our affiliates.

 

In the event that any of our directors and officers who is also a director, officer or employee of any of the Fortress Stockholders acquires knowledge of a corporate opportunity or is offered a corporate opportunity, provided that this knowledge was not acquired solely in such person’s capacity as our director or officer and such person acts in good faith, then to the fullest extent permitted by law such person is deemed to have fully satisfied such person’s fiduciary duties owed to us and is not liable to us, if the Fortress Stockholder pursues or acquires the corporate opportunity or if the Fortress Stockholder does not present the corporate opportunity to us. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Stockholders Agreement.”

 

Risks Related to this Offering

 

An active trading market for our common stock may never develop or be sustained.

 

Although we have applied to have our common stock approved for listing on the NYSE, an active trading market for our common stock may not develop on that exchange or elsewhere or, if developed, that market may not be sustained. Accordingly, if an active trading market for our common stock does not develop or is not maintained, the liquidity of our common stock, your ability to sell your shares of common stock when desired and the prices that you may obtain for your shares of common stock will be adversely affected.

 

The market price and trading volume of our common stock may be volatile, which could result in rapid and substantial losses for our stockholders.

 

Even if an active trading market develops, the market price of our common stock may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations. In addition, the trading volume in our common stock may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. The initial public offering price of our common stock will be determined by negotiation between us, the Initial Stockholder and the representatives of the underwriters based on a number of factors and may not be indicative of prices that will prevail in the open market following completion of this offering. If the market price of our common stock declines significantly, you may be unable to resell your shares at or above your purchase price, if at all. The market price of our

common stock may fluctuate or decline significantly in the future. Some of the factors that could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the price or trading volume of our common stock include:

 

 

These broad market and industry factors may decrease the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. The stock market in general has from time to time experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations, including in recent months. In addition, in the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies. This litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources.

 

Future offerings of debt or equity securities by us may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

 

In the future, we may attempt to obtain financing or to further increase our capital resources by issuing additional shares of our common stock or offering debt or other equity securities, including commercial paper, medium-term notes, senior or subordinated notes, debt securities convertible into equity or shares of preferred stock. Issuing additional shares of our common stock or other equity securities or securities convertible into equity may dilute the economic and voting rights of our existing stockholders or reduce the market price of our common stock or both. Upon liquidation, holders of such debt securities and preferred shares, if issued, and lenders with respect to other borrowings would receive a distribution of our available assets prior to the holders of our common stock. Debt securities convertible into equity could be subject to adjustments in the conversion ratio pursuant to which certain events may increase the number of equity

securities issuable upon conversion. Preferred shares, if issued, could have a preference with respect to liquidating distributions or a preference with respect to dividend payments that could limit our ability to pay dividends to the holders of our common stock. Our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, which may adversely affect the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, holders of our common stock bear the risk that our future offerings may reduce the market price of our common stock and dilute their stockholdings in us. See “Description of Capital Stock.”

 

The market price of our common stock could be negatively affected by sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public markets.

 

After this offering, there will be           shares of common stock outstanding or           shares outstanding if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full. Of our issued and outstanding shares, all the common stock sold in this offering will be freely transferable, except for any shares held by our “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Following completion of the offering, approximately     % of our outstanding common stock (or     % if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held by the Initial Stockholder and members of our management and employees and can be resold into the public markets in the future in accordance with the requirements of Rule 144. See “Shares Eligible For Future Sale.”

 

We and our executive officers, directors and the Initial Stockholder (who will hold in the aggregate approximately     % of our outstanding common stock immediately after the completion of this offering or     % if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) have agreed with the underwriters that, subject to limited exceptions, for a period of           days after the date of this prospectus, we and they will not directly or indirectly offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase or otherwise dispose of any common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common stock, or in any manner transfer all or a portion of the economic consequences associated with the ownership of common stock, or cause a registration statement covering any common stock to be filed, without the prior written consent of the designated representatives. The designated representatives may waive these restrictions at their discretion. Shares of common stock held by our employees, other than our officers who are subject to the lockup provisions referred to above, representing     % of our issued and outstanding common stock immediately after the completion of this offering or     % if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, are not subject to these restrictions and may be sold without restriction at any time.

 

Pursuant to the Stockholders Agreement, the Initial Stockholder and certain of its affiliates and permitted third party transferees will have the right, in certain circumstances, to require us to register their approximately           shares of our common stock under the Securities Act for sale into the public markets. Upon the effectiveness of such a registration statement, all shares covered by the registration statement will be freely transferable. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Stockholders Agreement.”

 

The market price of our common stock may decline significantly when the restrictions on resale by our existing stockholders lapse. A decline in the price of our common stock might impede our ability to raise capital through the issuance of additional common stock or other equity securities.

 

The future issuance of additional common stock in connection with our incentive plans, acquisitions or otherwise will dilute all other stockholdings.

 

After this offering, assuming the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, we will have an aggregate of           shares of common stock authorized but unissued and not reserved for issuance under our incentive plans. We may issue all of these shares of common stock without any action or approval by our stockholders, subject to certain exceptions. We also intend to continue to evaluate acquisition opportunities and may issue common stock in connection with these acquisitions. Any common stock issued in

connection with our incentive plans, acquisitions, the exercise of outstanding stock options or otherwise would dilute the percentage ownership held by the investors who purchase common stock in this offering.

 

Investors in this offering will suffer immediate and substantial dilution.

 

The initial public offering price of our common stock will be substantially higher than the as adjusted net tangible book value per share issued and outstanding immediately after this offering. Our net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2011 was approximately $      and represents the amount of book value of our total tangible assets minus the book value of our total liabilities, excluding deferred gains, divided by the number of our shares of common stock then issued and outstanding. Investors who purchase common stock in this offering will pay a price per share that substantially exceeds the net tangible book value per share of common stock. If you purchase shares of our common stock in this offering, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution of $      in the net tangible book value per share, based upon the initial public offering price of $      per share (the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus). Investors that purchase common stock in this offering will have purchased     % of the shares issued and outstanding immediately after the offering, but will have paid     % of the total consideration for those shares.

 

Conflicts of interest may exist with respect to certain underwriters of this offering.

 

BANA, an affiliate of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, one of the underwriters of this offering, is the lender under our $175 Million Warehouse Facility and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated was an initial purchaser in connection with the offering in March 2010 of our senior notes. In addition, in December 2011, we entered into the Reverse Mortgage Acquisition with BANA. BANA is obligated among other things, under certain circumstances and subject to various terms and conditions, to repurchase certain of the loans associated with the servicing rights that were sold to us and, for a limited time, to make certain advances, including principal advances, with respect to the underlying mortgage loans to the borrower, and we are obligated to reimburse BANA monthly for these advances for one year. Also, in September 2011, we purchased certain MSRs relating to residential mortgage loans with an aggregate UPB of approximately $10 billion as of December 31, 2011 from BANA for approximately $69.6 million. Additionally, we intend to make further purchases of servicing rights from third parties in the future, which could include our underwriters or their affiliates, and it is possible that we may use a portion of the proceeds of this offering to fund such future acquisitions. Therefore, conflicts of interest could exist because underwriters or their affiliates could receive proceeds from this offering in addition to the underwriting discounts and commissions described in this prospectus. See “Underwriting—Other Relationships.”

 

We will have broad discretion in the use of a significant part of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively.

 

Our management currently intends to use the net proceeds from this offering in the manner described in “Use of Proceeds” and will have broad discretion in the application of a significant part of the net proceeds from this offering. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could affect our ability to operate and grow our business.

 

As a public company, we will incur additional costs and face increased demands on our management.

 

As a public company with shares listed on a U.S. exchange, we will need to comply with an extensive body of regulations that did not apply to us previously, including provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), regulations of the SEC and requirements of the NYSE. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, as a result of becoming a public company, we intend to add independent directors, create additional board committees and adopt certain policies regarding internal controls

and disclosure controls and procedures. In addition, we will incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements and maintaining directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules, which may impose additional costs on us and materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We will be required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal controls by the end of our fiscal year ending December 31, 2013, and the outcome of that effort may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

As a U.S.-listed public company, we will be required to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act by December 31, 2013. Section 404 will require that we evaluate our internal control over financial reporting to enable management to report on, and our independent auditors to audit as of the end of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, the effectiveness of those controls. While we have begun the lengthy process of evaluating our internal controls, we are in the early phases of our review and will not complete our review until well after this offering is completed. The outcome of our review may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. During the course of our review, we may identify control deficiencies of varying degrees of severity, and we may incur significant costs to remediate those deficiencies or otherwise improve our internal controls. As a public company, we will be required to report control deficiencies that constitute a “material weakness” in our internal control over financial reporting. We would also be required to obtain an audit report from our independent auditors regarding the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. If we fail to implement the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, we may be subject to sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, including the SEC or the NYSE. Furthermore, if we discover a material weakness or our auditor does not provide an unqualified audit report, our share price could decline and our ability to raise capital could be impaired.

 

Risks Related to Taxation

 

Our ability to use net operating loss and tax credit carryovers and certain built-in losses to reduce future tax payments is limited by provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, and may be subject to further limitation as a result of the transactions contemplated by this offering.

 

Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code contain rules that limit the ability of a company that undergoes an ownership change, which is generally any change in ownership of more than 50% of its stock over a three-year period, to utilize its net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards and certain built-in losses recognized in years after the ownership change. These rules generally operate by focusing on ownership changes involving stockholders owning directly or indirectly 5% or more of the stock of a company and any change in ownership arising from a new issuance of stock by the company. Generally, if an ownership change occurs, the yearly taxable income limitation on the use of net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards and certain built-in losses is equal to the product of the applicable long-term tax exempt rate and the value of the company’s stock immediately before the ownership change. As a result of the Restructuring, we will assume the net operating losses, tax credit carryovers and built-in losses of certain parent entities of our Initial Stockholder. However, our use of the $      million of federal net operating losses, the $      million of tax credits and certain built-in losses that we will assume in the Restructuring will be subject to annual taxable income limitations. As a result, we may be unable to offset our taxable income with losses, or our tax liability with credits, before such losses and credits expire and therefore would incur larger federal income tax liability.

 

In addition, it is possible that the transactions described in this offering, either on a standalone basis or when combined with future transactions (including issuances of new shares of our common stock and sales of shares of our common stock), will cause us to undergo one or more ownership changes. In that event, we generally would not be able to use our pre-change loss or credit carryovers or certain built-in losses prior to such ownership change to offset future taxable income in excess of the annual limitations imposed by Sections 382 and 383 and those attributes already subject to limitations (as a result of prior ownership changes) may be subject to more stringent limitations.

 

Some of the statements under “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Industry,” “Business” and elsewhere in this prospectus may contain forward-looking statements that reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, future events and financial performance. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking words such as “outlook,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates” or the negative version of those words or other comparable words. Any forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based upon our historical performance and on our current plans, estimates and expectations in light of information currently available to us. The inclusion of this forward-looking information should not be regarded as a representation by us, Fortress, the Initial Stockholder, the underwriters or any other person that the future plans, estimates or expectations contemplated by us will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, financial results, financial condition, business, prospects, growth strategy and liquidity. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. We believe that these factors include, but are not limited to:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this prospectus. The forward-looking statements made in this prospectus relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement except as required by law, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

 

If one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, our actual results may vary materially from what we may have expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We caution that you should not place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements. You should specifically consider the factors identified in this prospectus that could cause actual results to differ before making an investment decision to purchase our common stock. Furthermore, new risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict those events or how they may affect us.

 

The net proceeds to us from the sale of the           shares of common stock offered hereby are estimated to be approximately $     , assuming an initial public offering price of $      per share (the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus) and after deducting the offering expenses payable by us. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock by the Initial Stockholder, including any shares sold by the Initial Stockholder pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including servicing acquisitions, which may include acquisitions from one or more affiliates of the underwriters in this offering.

 

A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $      per share (the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus) would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering by $      million, assuming the number of shares of common stock offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

We do not expect to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. Instead, we anticipate that all of our earnings in the foreseeable future will be used for the operation and growth of our business. Our ability to pay dividends to holders of our common stock is limited as a practical matter by the terms of some of our debt, including the indenture governing the senior notes and other indebtedness. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Description of Certain Indebtedness.”

 

Any future determination to pay dividends on our common stock will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon many factors, including our financial position, results of operations, liquidity, legal requirements, restrictions that may be imposed by the terms in current and future financing instruments and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors.

 

The following sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of September 30, 2011:

 

 

 

You should read this table in conjunction with “Use of Proceeds,” “Selected Consolidated Historical Financial Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes and other financial information included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

 

 

If you invest in our common stock, your ownership interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price in this offering per share of our common stock and the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock upon consummation of this offering. Net tangible book value per share represents the book value of our total tangible assets less the book value of our total liabilities divided by the number of shares of common stock then issued and outstanding.

 

Our net tangible book value as of September 30, 2011 was approximately $264.8 million, or approximately $      per share based on the           shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of such date. After giving effect to our sale of common stock in this offering at the initial public offering price of $      per share (the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus), and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of           would have been $      million, or $      per share (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option). This represents an immediate and substantial dilution of $      per share to new investors purchasing common stock in this offering. Sales of shares by the Initial Stockholder in this offering do not affect our net tangible book value. The following table illustrates this dilution per share:

 

 

A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $      per share (the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus) would increase (decrease) our net tangible book value by $      million, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering by $      per share and the dilution to new investors in this offering by $      per share, assuming the number of shares of common stock offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

The following table summarizes, on a pro forma basis as of September 30, 2011, the differences between the number of shares of common stock purchased from us, the total price and the average price per share paid by existing stockholders and by the new investors in this offering, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, at an assumed initial public offering price of $      per share (the midpoint of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus).

 

 

The sale of           shares of our common shares to be sold by the Initial Stockholder in this offering will reduce the number of shares of common stock held by existing stockholders to           shares,

or     % of the total shares outstanding, and will increase the number of shares of common stock held by new investors to           shares, or     % of the total common shares outstanding.

 

A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial offering price would increase (decrease) total consideration paid by new investors and average price per share paid by new investors by $      million and $      per share, respectively. An increase (decrease) of 1.0 million in the number of shares offered by us would increase (decrease) total consideration paid by new investors and average price per share paid by new investors by $      million and $      per share, respectively.

 

If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is fully exercised, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering as of September 30, 2011 would be approximately $      per share and the dilution to new investors per share after this offering would be $      per share. Furthermore, the percentage of our shares held by existing equity owners after the sale of shares by the Initial Stockholder would decrease to approximately     % and the percentage of our shares held by new investors would increase to approximately     %, based on           shares of common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2011.

 

The following tables present selected consolidated financial information of Nationstar Mortgage LLC, our predecessor company, as well as pro forma information that reflects the impact of our conversion to a taxable entity from a disregarded entity for tax purposes. We were formed on May 9, 2011 and have not, to date, conducted any activities other than those incident to our formation and the preparation of this registration statement. We were formed solely for the purpose of reorganizing the organizational structure of the Initial Stockholder and Nationstar Mortgage LLC, so that the issuer is a corporation rather than a limited liability company and our existing investors will own common stock rather than equity interests in a limited liability company.

 

This prospectus does not include financial statements of Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc., as it has only been recently incorporated for the purpose of effecting this offering and currently holds no material assets and does not engage in any operations. Prior to the completion of this offering, all of the equity interests in Nationstar Mortgage LLC will be transferred from our Initial Stockholder to two direct, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc., pursuant to the Restructuring. We anticipate this transaction will be accounted for as a reorganization of entities under common control. Accordingly, there will be no change in the basis of the underlying assets and liabilities.

 

You should read these tables along with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Business” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

We have not presented selected consolidated statement of operations and balance sheet data for periods prior to the Acquisition. The entity that we acquired, CHEC, was a consolidated subsidiary of Centex Financial Services (“CFS”), and we did not receive separate audited or unaudited financial statements of CHEC in connection with the Acquisition. We only received consolidated financial statements of CFS. In 2009, CFS was subsequently acquired by a third party. We do not have, nor do we have the right to obtain, financial statements for CHEC prior to the date of the Acquisition. Therefore, because the information is not available to us, it cannot be created without unreasonable effort and expense. We also believe that financial information for the period from April 1, 2006 to July 10, 2006 does not contribute to an investor’s understanding of our historical financial performance and financial condition because, before the Acquisition, CHEC had historically operated as a subprime mortgage lender. After the Acquisition, in the third fiscal quarter of 2007, we transformed the business from a subprime mortgage lender to a mortgage servicer and conforming loan originator. As a result, financial information with respect to the business conducted before the Acquisition would not provide useful information to investors about trends in our financial condition and results of operation.

 

The selected consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2009 and 2010 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2009 and 2010 have been derived from our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The selected consolidated statement of operations data for the year ended December 31, 2007 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2008 have been derived from our audited financial statements that are not included in this prospectus. The selected consolidated statement of operations data for the period from July 11, 2006 to December 31, 2006 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2006 and 2007 have been derived from our unaudited financial statements, which are not included in this prospectus.

 

The selected consolidated statement of operations data for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2011 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of September 30, 2011 have been derived from our unaudited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The unaudited financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the audited financial statements and, in the opinion of our management, include all material adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the information set forth herein. Operating results for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2011 or for any future period.