Arbor Realty Trust Reports Third Quarter 2018 Results and Increases Quarterly Dividend to $0.27 per Share

Company Highlights:

  • GAAP net income of {$content}.36 per diluted common share; AFFO of {$content}.37, or {$content}.42 per diluted common share excluding a one-time loss from the early repayment of debt1
  • Declares a cash dividend on common stock of {$content}.27 per share, a 42% increase in our dividend from a year ago and 8% higher than last quarter
  • Issued 4.5 million of 5.25% convertible senior notes due in 2021 primarily to exchange our 6.50% and 5.375% convertible senior notes

Agency Business

  • Segment income of .3 million
  • Loan originations of .41 billion, a 36% increase from 2Q18
  • Servicing portfolio of .79 billion, up 4% from 2Q18

Structured Business

  • Segment income of .2 million
  • Loan originations of 7.5 million
  • Recognized a million gain from the settlement of a litigation

UNIONDALE, N.Y., Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ABR), today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2018.  Arbor reported net income for the quarter of .7 million, or {$content}.36 per diluted common share, compared to .4 million, or {$content}.26 per diluted common share for the quarter ended September 30, 2017.  Adjusted funds from operations (“AFFO”) for the quarter was .4 million, or {$content}.37 per diluted common share, compared to .0 million, or {$content}.25 per diluted common share for the quarter ended September 30, 2017.1

Agency Business

Loan Origination Platform

Agency Loan Volume  (in thousands)
  Quarter Ended
  September 30,
2018
  June 30,
2018
Fannie Mae $ 995,662   $ 606,287
Freddie Mac   317,516     434,789
FHA   77,236    
CMBS/Conduit   20,650    
Total Originations $ 1,411,064   $ 1,041,076
       
Total Loan Sales $ 1,190,004   $ 1,018,283
       
Total Loan Commitments $ 1,376,376   $ 1,079,478
       

For the quarter ended September 30, 2018, the Agency Business generated revenues of .8 million, compared to .0 million for the second quarter of 2018.  Gain on sales, including fee-based services, net was .5 million for the quarter, reflecting a margin of 1.47% on loan sales, compared to .6 million and 1.53% for the second quarter of 2018. Income from mortgage servicing rights was .2 million for the quarter, reflecting a rate of 1.83% as a percentage of loan commitments, compared to .9 million and 1.66% for the second quarter of 2018. 

At September 30, 2018, loans held-for-sale was 0.3 million which was primarily comprised of unpaid principal balances totaling 3.0 million, with financing associated with these loans totaling 2.6 million.

Fee-Based Servicing Portfolio

Our fee-based servicing portfolio totaled .79 billion at September 30, 2018, an increase of 4% from June 30, 2018, primarily a result of .41 billion of new loan originations, net of 6.0 million in portfolio runoff during the quarter. Servicing revenue, net was .2 million for the quarter and consists of servicing revenue of .1 million, net of amortization of mortgage servicing rights totaling .9 million.

    Fee-Based Servicing Portfolio ($ in thousands)
    As of September 30, 2018   As of June 30, 2018
    UPB Wtd. Avg.
Fee
Wtd. Avg.
Life (in years)
  UPB Wtd. Avg.
Fee
Wtd. Avg.
Life (in years)
Fannie Mae   $ 13,195,643 0.523 % 7.7   $ 12,794,277 0.530 % 7.3
Freddie Mac     3,977,619 0.308 % 11.0     3,730,980 0.308 % 11.0
FHA     621,419 0.157 % 20.1     585,017 0.159 % 20.1
Total   $ 17,794,681 0.462 % 8.8   $ 17,110,274 0.469 % 8.6
                 

Loans sold under the Fannie Mae program contain an obligation to partially guarantee the performance of the loan (“loss-sharing obligations”). At September 30, 2018, the Company’s allowance for loss-sharing obligations was .4 million, representing 0.25% of the Fannie Mae servicing portfolio.

Structured Business

Portfolio and Investment Activity

  • 18 new loan originations totaling 7.5 million, of which 17 were bridge loans for 3.5 million
  • Payoffs and pay downs on 14 loans totaling 5.6 million

At September 30, 2018, the loan and investment portfolio’s unpaid principal balance, excluding loan loss reserves, was .17 billion, with a weighted average current interest pay rate of 6.88%, compared to .14 billion and 6.76% at June 30, 2018.  Including certain fees earned and costs associated with the loan and investment portfolio, the weighted average current interest pay rate was 7.52% at September 30, 2018, compared to 7.40% at June 30, 2018. The increase in average costs was primarily due to an increase in LIBOR.

The average balance of the Company’s loan and investment portfolio during the third quarter of 2018, excluding loan loss reserves, was .26 billion with a weighted average yield on these assets of 7.37%, compared to .91 billion and 7.40% for the second quarter of 2018.

At September 30, 2018, the Company’s total loan loss reserves were .0 million on five loans with an aggregate carrying value before loan loss reserves of 1.9 million. The Company also had two non-performing loans with a carrying value of .5 million, net of related loan loss reserves of .7 million.

The Company recognized a net gain of approximately million from the settlement of a litigation related to a prior investment.

Financing Activity

The balance of debt that finances the Company’s loan and investment portfolio at September 30, 2018 was .92 billion with a weighted average interest rate including fees of 5.03% as compared to .81 billion and a rate of 4.93% at June 30, 2018. The average balance of debt that finances the Company’s loan and investment portfolio for the third quarter of 2018 was .86 billion, as compared to .54 billion for the second quarter of 2018. The average cost of borrowings for the third quarter was 4.93%, compared to 5.46% for the second quarter of 2018. The decrease in average costs was primarily due to the acceleration of .9 million in fees related to the early repayment of debt in the second quarter of 2018.

The Company is subject to various financial covenants and restrictions under the terms of its collateralized securitization vehicles and financing facilities. The Company believes it was in compliance with all financial covenants and restrictions as of September 30, 2018 and as of the most recent collateralized securitization vehicle determination dates in October 2018.

Capital Markets

The Company issued 4.5 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.25% convertible senior notes due 2021 (the “Notes”) through two private placements, including .5 million of the initial purchaser’s over-allotment options. The Company received proceeds totaling 6.1 million, net of the underwriter’s discount and fees from these offerings. The Company used the net proceeds to exchange .8 million in aggregate principal amount of its 6.50% convertible senior notes due 2019 and 7.6 million in aggregate principal amount of its 5.375% convertible senior notes due 2020 for a combination of 9.8 million in cash and 6.8 million shares of the Company’s common stock to settle such exchanges. The remaining net proceeds were used for general corporate purposes. As a result of these exchanges, the Company recorded a .0 million loss on extinguishment of debt. 

Dividends

The Company announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of {$content}.27 per share of common stock for the quarter ended September 30, 2018, representing an increase of 42% from a year ago and 8% over the prior quarter dividend of {$content}.25 per share. The dividend is payable on November 30, 2018 to common stockholders of record on November 15, 2018. The ex-dividend date is November 14, 2018.

The Company also announced today that its Board of Directors has declared cash dividends on the Company’s Series A, Series B and Series C cumulative redeemable preferred stock reflecting accrued dividends from September 1, 2018 through November 30, 2018. The dividends are payable on November 30, 2018 to preferred stockholders of record on November 15, 2018. The Company will pay total dividends of {$content}.515625, {$content}.484375 and {$content}.53125 per share on the Series A, Series B and Series C preferred stock, respectively.

Earnings Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A live webcast of the conference call will be available at www.arbor.com in the investor relations area of the website. Those without web access should access the call telephonically at least ten minutes prior to the conference call. The dial-in numbers are (866) 516-5034 for domestic callers and (678) 509-7613 for international callers. Please use participant passcode 8190269.

After the live webcast, the call will remain available on the Company’s website through November 30, 2018.  In addition, a telephonic replay of the call will be available until November 9, 2018. The replay dial-in numbers are (855) 859-2056 for domestic callers and (404) 537-3406 for international callers. Please use passcode 8190269.

About Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:ABR) is a nationwide real estate investment trust and direct lender, providing loan origination and servicing for multifamily, seniors housing, healthcare, and other diverse commercial real estate assets. Headquartered in Uniondale, New York, Arbor manages a multibillion-dollar servicing portfolio, specializing in Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and other government-sponsored enterprises, as well as CMBS, bridge, mezzanine, and preferred equity lending. Rated by Standard and Poor’s and Fitch Ratings, Arbor is committed to building on its reputation for service, quality, and flexibility, and dedicated to providing our clients excellence over the entire life of a loan.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain items in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Arbor can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained.  Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Arbor’s expectations include, but are not limited to, continued ability to source new investments, changes in interest rates and/or credit spreads, changes in the real estate markets, and other risks detailed in Arbor’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and its other reports filed with the SEC. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Arbor expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in Arbor’s expectations with regard thereto or change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

1. Non-GAAP Financial Measures

During the quarterly earnings conference call, the Company may discuss non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC Regulation G. In addition, the Company has used non-GAAP financial measures in this press release. A supplemental schedule of non-GAAP financial measures and the comparable GAAP financial measure can be found on page 11 of this release.

Contacts:
Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.
Paul Elenio, Chief Financial Officer
516-506-4422         
[email protected]
Investors:
The Ruth Group
Lee Roth
646-536-7012
[email protected]
   
Media:
Bonnie Habyan, EVP of Marketing
516-506-4615
[email protected]
 

 ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME – (Unaudited)
($ in thousands—except share and per share data)
                   
      Quarter Ended   Nine Months Ended
      September 30,   September 30,
      2018   2017   2018   2017
                   
Interest income   $ 67,500     $ 42,140     $ 178,408     $ 110,133  
Interest expense     39,548       23,850       110,819       63,698  
  Net interest income     27,952       18,290       67,589       46,435  
                   
Other revenue:                
Gain on sales, including fee-based services, net     17,451       17,126       51,266       55,127  
Mortgage servicing rights     25,216       18,897       62,787       56,182  
Servicing revenue, net     14,244       8,520       34,662       19,923  
Property operating income     2,651       2,668       8,525       8,755  
Other income, net     (3,982 )     778       (1,574 )     (931 )
  Total other revenue     55,580       47,989       155,666       139,056  
                   
Other expenses:                
Employee compensation and benefits     27,775       25,194       84,084       66,861  
Selling and administrative     9,994       7,607       27,783       23,136  
Property operating expenses     2,437       2,583       8,089       7,843  
Depreciation and amortization     1,848       1,829       5,539       5,542  
Impairment loss on real estate owned                 2,000       2,700  
Provision for loss sharing  (net of recoveries)     2,019       (2,617 )     2,840       (405 )
Provision for loan losses (net of recoveries)     836       2,000       (967 )     (457 )
Litigation settlement gain     (10,170 )           (10,170 )      
Management fee – related party                       6,673  
  Total other expenses     34,739       36,596       119,198       111,893  
                   
Income before extinguishment of debt, (loss) income                
  from equity affiliates and income taxes     48,793       29,683       104,057       73,598  
(Loss) gain on extinguishment of debt     (4,960 )           (4,960 )     7,116  
(Loss) income from equity affiliates     (1,028 )     996       1,104       1,756  
Provision for income taxes     (5,381 )     (6,708 )     (1,096 )     (16,244 )
                   
Net income     37,424       23,971       99,105       66,226  
                   
Preferred stock dividends     1,888       1,888       5,665       5,665  
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest     7,799       5,662       22,347       16,597  
Net income attributable to common stockholders    $ 27,737     $ 16,421     $ 71,093     $ 43,964  
                   
Basic earnings per common share   $ 0.37     $ 0.27     $ 1.05     $ 0.78  
Diluted earnings per common share   $ 0.36     $ 0.26     $ 1.03     $ 0.77  
                   
Weighted average shares outstanding:                
  Basic     74,802,582       61,582,796       67,490,132       56,602,504  
  Diluted     98,435,964       83,918,117       91,133,607       78,942,919  
                   
Dividends declared per common share   $ 0.25     $ 0.18     $ 0.71     $ 0.53  
                   

 

 ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
               
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
($ in thousands—except share and per share data)
               
               
          September 30, 
2018
  December 31, 
2017
          (Unaudited)    
Assets:        
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 92,598     $ 104,374  
Restricted cash     202,736       139,398  
Loans and investments, net     3,097,689       2,579,127  
Loans held-for-sale, net     500,281       297,443  
Capitalized mortgage servicing rights, net     259,401       252,608  
Securities held to maturity, net     50,520       27,837  
Investments in equity affiliates     22,101       23,653  
Real estate owned, net     14,563       16,787  
Due from related party     97,505       688  
Goodwill and other intangible assets     117,565       121,766  
Other assets     79,301       62,264  
Total assets   $ 4,534,260     $ 3,625,945  
               
Liabilities and Equity:        
Credit facilities and repurchase agreements     1,169,586       528,573  
Collateralized loan obligations     1,592,089       1,418,422  
Debt fund     68,099       68,084  
Senior unsecured notes     122,358       95,280  
Convertible senior unsecured notes, net     263,653       231,287  
Junior subordinated notes to subsidiary trust issuing preferred securities     140,084       139,590  
Related party financing           50,000  
Due to related party     538        
Due to borrowers     77,006       99,829  
Allowance for loss-sharing obligations     33,405       30,511  
Other liabilities     100,970       99,813  
Total liabilities     3,567,788       2,761,389  
               
Equity:        
  Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. stockholders’ equity:        
    Preferred stock, cumulative, redeemable, {$content}.01 par value: 100,000,000        
      shares authorized; special voting preferred shares; 20,653,584 and 21,230,769 shares    
      issued and outstanding, respectively; 8.25% Series A, ,787,500 aggregate    
      liquidation preference; 1,551,500 shares issued and outstanding;        
      7.75% Series B, ,500,000 aggregate liquidation preference;        
      1,260,000 shares issued and outstanding; 8.50% Series C, ,500,000        
      aggregate liquidation preference; 900,000 shares issued and outstanding   89,508       89,508  
    Common stock, {$content}.01 par value: 500,000,000 shares authorized; 75,684,964      
      and 61,723,387 shares issued and outstanding, respectively     757       617  
    Additional paid-in capital     785,364       707,450  
    Accumulated deficit     (78,316 )     (101,926 )
    Accumulated other comprehensive income           176  
Total Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. stockholders’ equity     797,313       695,825  
               
Noncontrolling interest     169,159       168,731  
Total equity     966,472       864,556  
               
Total liabilities and equity   $ 4,534,260     $ 3,625,945  
               

 

ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
               
STATEMENT OF INCOME SEGMENT INFORMATION – (Unaudited)
(in thousands)
                   
                   
      Quarter Ended September 30, 2018
                   
      Structured
Business
  Agency
Business
  Other /
Eliminations (1)
  Consolidated
                   
Interest income   $ 61,232     $ 6,268     $     $ 67,500  
Interest expense     35,508       4,040             39,548  
  Net interest income     25,724       2,228             27,952  
                   
Other revenue:                
Gain on sales, including fee-based services, net           17,451             17,451  
Mortgage servicing rights           25,216             25,216  
Servicing revenue           26,082             26,082  
Amortization of MSRs           (11,838 )           (11,838 )
Property operating income     2,651                   2,651  
Other income, net     406       (4,388 )           (3,982 )
  Total other revenue     3,057       52,523             55,580  
                   
Other expenses:                
Employee compensation and benefits     6,683       21,092             27,775  
Selling and administrative     4,465       5,529             9,994  
Property operating expenses     2,437                   2,437  
Depreciation and amortization     447       1,401             1,848  
Provision for loss sharing (net of recoveries)           2,019             2,019  
Provision for loan losses (net of recoveries)     836                   836  
Litigation settlement gain     (10,170 )                 (10,170 )
  Total other expenses     4,698       30,041             34,739  
                   
Income before extinguishment of debt, loss from                
  equity affiliates and income taxes     24,083       24,710             48,793  
Loss on extinguishment of debt     (4,960 )                 (4,960 )
Loss from equity affiliates     (1,028 )                 (1,028 )
Provision for income taxes           (5,381 )           (5,381 )
                   
Net income   $ 18,095     $ 19,329     $     $ 37,424  
                   
Preferred stock dividends     1,888                   1,888  
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest                 7,799       7,799  
Net income attributable to common stockholders   $ 16,207     $ 19,329     $ (7,799 )   $ 27,737  
                   
(1) Includes certain income or expenses not allocated to the two reportable segments. Amount reflects income attributable
to the noncontrolling interest holders.                
                   

 

 ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
           
BALANCE SHEET SEGMENT INFORMATION – (Unaudited)
(in thousands)
             
             
    September 30, 2018
    Structured
Business
  Agency
Business
  Consolidated
Assets:            
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 45,001   $ 47,597   $ 92,598
Restricted cash     202,736         202,736
Loans and investments, net     3,097,689         3,097,689
Loans held-for-sale, net         500,281     500,281
Capitalized mortgage servicing rights, net       259,401     259,401
Securities held to maturity, net         50,520     50,520
Investments in equity affiliates     22,101         22,101
Goodwill and other intangible assets     12,500     105,065     117,565
Other assets     172,078     19,291     191,369
Total assets   $ 3,552,105   $ 982,155   $ 4,534,260
             
Liabilities:            
Debt obligations     2,863,267     492,603     3,355,870
Allowance for loss-sharing obligations       33,405     33,405
Other liabilities     140,661     37,852     178,513
Total liabilities   $ 3,003,928   $ 563,860   $ 3,567,788
             

 

ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
               
Supplemental Schedule of Non-GAAP Financial Measures – (Unaudited)
Funds from Operations (“FFO”) and Adjusted Funds from Operations (“AFFO”)
($ in thousands—except share and per share data)
 
               
  Quarter Ended   Nine Months Ended
  September 30, September 30,
  2018   2017 2018   2017
Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 27,737     $ 16,421     $ 71,093     $ 43,964  
               
Adjustments:              
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest   7,799       5,661       22,347       16,596  
Impairment loss on real estate owned               2,000       2,700  
Depreciation – real estate owned   177       173       533       592  
Depreciation – investments in equity affiliates   125       101       374       305  
               
Funds from operations  (1) $ 35,838     $ 22,356     $ 96,347     $ 64,157  
               
Adjustments:              
Income from mortgage servicing rights   (25,216 )     (18,897 )     (62,787 )     (56,182 )
Impairment loss on real estate owned               (2,000 )     (2,700 )
Deferred tax (benefit) provision   (1,319 )     (922 )     (14,454 )     15  
Amortization and write-offs of MSRs   18,989       15,927       52,868       46,140  
Depreciation and amortization   2,525       1,883       7,035       5,623  
Net loss (gain) on changes in fair value of derivatives   4,388       (237 )     2,331       2,313  
Stock-based compensation   1,192       847       4,838       3,833  
               
Adjusted funds from operations  (1) (2) $ 36,397     $ 20,957     $ 84,178     $ 63,199  
               
Diluted FFO per share  (1) $ 0.36     $ 0.27     $ 1.06     $ 0.81  
               
Diluted AFFO per share  (1) (2) $ 0.37     $ 0.25     $ 0.92     $ 0.80  
               
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding  (1)   98,435,964       83,918,117       91,133,607       78,942,919  
               
(1) Amounts are attributable to common stockholders and OP Unit holders. The OP Units are redeemable for cash, or at the Company’s option for shares of the Company’s common stock on a one-for-one basis.
               
(2) Excluding the impact of a .0 million loss on extinguishment of debt related to the exchange of our 6.50% and 5.375% convertible senior notes, AFFO for the third quarter of 2018 was .4 million, or {$content}.42 per diluted common share.
               
The Company is presenting FFO and AFFO because management believes they are important supplemental measures of the Company’s operating performance in that they are frequently used by analysts, investors and other parties in the evaluation of REITs.  The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, or NAREIT, defines FFO as net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders (computed in accordance with GAAP), excluding gains (losses) from sales of depreciated real properties, plus impairments of depreciated real properties and real estate related depreciation and amortization, and after adjustments for unconsolidated ventures.
 
The Company defines AFFO as funds from operations adjusted for accounting items such as non-cash stock-based compensation expense, income from mortgage servicing rights (“MSRs”), changes in fair value of certain derivatives that temporarily flow through earnings, amortization and write-offs of MSRs, deferred tax (benefit) provision and the amortization of the convertible senior notes conversion option. The Company also adds back one-time charges such as acquisition costs and impairment losses on real estate and gains (losses) on sales of real estate. The Company is generally not in the business of operating real estate property and has obtained real estate by foreclosure or through partial or full settlement of mortgage debt related to the Company’s loans to maximize the value of the collateral and minimize the Company’s exposure.  Therefore, the Company deems such impairment and gains (losses) on real estate as an extension of the asset management of its loans, thus a recovery of principal or additional loss on the Company’s initial investment.
 
FFO and AFFO are not intended to be an indication of the Company’s cash flow from operating activities (determined in accordance with GAAP) or a measure of its liquidity, nor is it entirely indicative of funding the Company’s cash needs, including its ability to make cash distributions.  The Company’s calculation of FFO and AFFO may be different from the calculations used by other companies and, therefore, comparability may be limited.