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8-K - FORM 8-K - CYS Investments, Inc.d8k.htm

Exhibit 99.1

Cypress Sharpridge Investments, Inc. Announces Fourth Quarter 2010 Financial Results

For Immediate Release

NEW YORK, NY – February 2, 2011 – Cypress Sharpridge Investments, Inc. (NYSE: CYS) (“CYS” or the “Company”) today announced financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2010.

Fourth Quarter 2010 Highlights

 

   

Raised approximately $166.9 million of net proceeds through a public offering of common stock that closed on December 15, 2010.

 

   

GAAP net loss of $(17.3) million, or $(0.38) per diluted share.

 

   

Core Earnings of $12.4 million, or $0.25 per diluted share.

 

   

A component of the Company’s net income (loss) for the quarter was $16.9 million, or $0.36 per diluted share, of appreciation on forward settling purchases (also referred to as “drop income”) that was accounted for as net gain (loss) from investments on our statement of operations and therefore excluded from our Core Earnings.

 

   

December 31, 2010 net asset value of $11.59 per share after declaring a $0.60 dividend per share on December 3, 2010 and recognizing the accretive impact of the December public offering.

 

   

Interest rate spread net of hedge of 1.74%.

 

   

Weighted average amortized cost of Agency RMBS of $102.5.

 

   

Operating expenses as a percentage of net assets of 2.28%.

Public Offering

On December 15, 2010, the Company successfully completed a public offering of 13,972,500 shares of common stock, raising approximately $166.9 million of net proceeds, bringing the total number of shares of common stock outstanding to 59,550,836 at December 31, 2010. As part of the Company’s plan to invest the net proceeds of the offering, the Company entered into several forward settling purchases. In addition to forward settling purchases made in connection with the December 15, 2010 offering, as of December 31, 2010, the Company also had forward settling purchases, which had not yet settled, in connection with the September 24, 2010 public offering and forward settling purchases made in the ordinary course of business. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had the following forward settling purchases:

 

Forward Settling Purchases

   Settle Date      Par Value      Payable  

FNMA - 15 Year 3.5% Fixed

     1/19/2011       $ 150,000,000       $ 154,621,875   

FNMA - 15 Year 4.0% Fixed

     1/19/2011         31,095,699         32,008,162   

FNMA - 30 Year 3.25% Hybrid ARM

     1/25/2011         49,645,982         51,432,879   

FNMA - 30 Year 5.5% Fixed

     2/10/2011         200,000,000         212,556,250   

FNMA - 15 Year 3.5% Fixed

     2/15/2011         550,000,000         563,951,736   

FNMA - 15 Year 4.0% Fixed

     2/15/2011         100,000,000         103,835,243   

FNMA - 15 Year 4.5% Fixed

     2/15/2011         300,000,000         313,626,563   

FNMA - 15 Year 3.5% Fixed

     3/16/2011         150,000,000         150,933,594   

FHLMC - 15 Year 3.5% Fixed

     3/16/2011         200,000,000         200,260,417   

FNMA - 15 Year 3.5% Fixed

     4/18/2011         400,000,000         399,661,112   

FNMA - 15 Year 4.0% Fixed

     4/18/2011         50,444,143         51,512,841   
                    

Total

      $ 2,181,185,824       $ 2,234,400,672   
                    

 

1


Fourth Quarter 2010 Results

The Company had net loss of $17.3 million during the fourth quarter of 2010, or $0.38 per diluted share, compared to net income of $1.9 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2010. During the fourth quarter of 2010, the Company had Core Earnings of $12.4 million, or $0.25 per diluted share, compared to $7.7 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2010. Core Earnings represents a non-GAAP financial measure and is defined as net income (loss) excluding (i) net realized gain (loss) on investments and termination of swap contracts and (ii) net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments and swap and cap contracts. The quarter-over-quarter increase in Core Earnings was generally the result of the increase in net interest income due to the increase in net assets. However, the increase in net interest income was partially offset by the reduction in our net interest margin. For the fourth quarter of 2010, our net interest margin decreased to 1.74% from 1.91% for the third quarter of 2010. During the fourth quarter of 2010, we had $2,970.2 million of average Agency RMBS compared to $1,736.6 million during the third quarter of 2010.

During the third and fourth quarters of 2010, the Company utilized forward settling purchases to deploy the majority of the proceeds from its September and December 2010 public offerings. The benefit of purchasing assets in forward settling transactions is that the Company can obtain an asset at a discount (also referred to as “drop”) to its current market value; however, the Company does not receive any interest income on the asset until the forward transaction settles. Obtaining the asset at a discount to market value reduces the impact of prepayments and is accretive to net asset value.

Drop income is a component of our net income accounted for as net gain (loss) from investments on our statement of operations and therefore excluded from our Core Earnings. During the fourth quarter of 2010, the Company generated drop income of approximately $16.9 million, or $0.36 per diluted share, compared to approximately $11.3 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, during the third quarter of 2010. During the fourth quarter of 2010, the Company made forward purchases of approximately $2.7 billion of Agency RMBS with a weighted average drop of approximately $0.28 per $100.00 par value per month compared to approximately $2.6 billion of Agency RMBS with a weighted average drop of approximately $0.24 per $100.00 par value per month during the third quarter of 2010.

The Company’s interest rate spread net of hedge decreased to 1.74% for the fourth quarter of 2010 from 1.91% in the third quarter of 2010. This decrease is primarily due to the impact of hedging the forward settling purchases. During the fourth quarter of 2010, the average cost basis of the Company’s settled Agency RMBS was $2,970.2 million, average unsettled Agency RMBS was $2,180.3 million and average total Agency RMBS was $5,150.5 million. By applying total net swap and cap interest expense of $7.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2010 pro rata over settled and unsettled Agency RMBS positions, swap and cap interest expense was $4.2 million relating to our settled Agency RMBS. The result is an adjusted interest rate spread net of hedge of approximately 2.24% compared to 2.55% in the third quarter of 2010. We believe that this spread is generally more reflective of the economic return of our assets as well as what we expect our interest rate spread net of hedge to be once the forward purchases settle.

The Company received $1.7 million of distributions from CLOs during the fourth quarter of 2010, of which $0.9 million were accounted for as a reduction of their cost basis and thereby excluded from our interest income and Core Earnings. This compared to distributions of $1.4 million from CLOs during the third quarter of 2010, of which $0.8 million were accounted for as a reduction of their cost basis.

The Company’s net asset value per share on December 31, 2010 was $11.59 after declaring a $0.60 dividend per share on December 3, 2010 and recognizing the accretive impact of the December public offering, compared with $12.53 at September 30, 2010. The decrease was primarily the result of the net unrealized depreciation on investments of $71.8 million during the fourth quarter of 2010.

The Company’s operating expenses as a percentage of net assets were 2.28% for the fourth quarter of 2010, compared to 2.64% for the third quarter of 2010. This decrease was primarily the result of the impact of the increase in net assets. During the fourth quarter of 2010, average net assets were $597.4 million compared to $409.0 million for the third quarter of 2010.

 

     Three Months Ended  
Key Portfolio Statistics*    December 31,
2010
     September 30,
2010
 

Average Agency RMBS(1)

   $ 2,970,168,030       $ 1,736,623,107   

Average repurchase agreements

     2,443,024,174         1,406,199,944   

 

2


     Three Months Ended  
Key Portfolio Statistics*    December 31,
2010
    September 30,
2010
 

Average net assets

     597,413,317        409,020,468   

Average yield on Agency RMBS (2)

     3.23     3.58

Average cost of funds and hedge (3)

     1.49     1.67

Interest rate spread net of hedge (4)

     1.74     1.91

Operating expense ratio (5)

     2.28     2.64

Leverage ratio (at period end) (6)

     8.3:1        7.5:1   

 

(1)

Our average Agency RMBS for the period was calculated by averaging the cost basis of our settled Agency RMBS during the period.

(2)

Our average yield on Agency RMBS for the period was calculated by dividing our interest income from Agency RMBS by our average Agency RMBS.

(3)

Our average cost of funds and hedge for the period was calculated by dividing our total interest expense, including our net swap and cap interest income (expense), by our average repurchase agreements.

(4)

Our interest rate spread net of hedge for the period was calculated by subtracting our average cost of funds and hedge from our average yield on Agency RMBS.

(5)

Our operating expense ratio is calculated by dividing operating expenses by average net assets.

(6)

Our leverage ratio was calculated by dividing total liabilities by net assets.

*

All percentages are annualized.

Prepayments

The portfolio recorded $162.5 million in scheduled and unscheduled principal repayments and prepayments, which equated to a constant prepayment rate (“CPR”) of approximately 21.7%, and net amortization of premium (including paydown losses) of $4.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2010. This compared to $114.9 million in scheduled and unscheduled principal repayments and prepayments, which equated to a CPR of approximately 26.5% and net amortization of premium (including paydown losses) of $2.0 million for the third quarter of 2010.

Dividend

The Company declared a common dividend of $0.60 per share with respect to the fourth quarter of 2010, the same as the $0.60 per share for the third quarter of 2010. Using the closing share price of $12.91 on December 31, 2010, the fourth quarter dividend equates to an annualized dividend yield of 18.6%.

Portfolio

At December 31, 2010, the Company’s $6.3 billion portfolio of Agency RMBS was backed by fixed-rate mortgages and hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages (“ARMs”) with 0 to 84 months to reset (“Hybrid ARMs”). Additional information about our Agency RMBS portfolio at December 31, 2010 is summarized below:

 

     Par Value      Fair Value      Weighted Average  

Asset Type

   (in thousands)      Cost/Par      Fair
Value/Par
     MTR(1)     Coupon     CPR(2)  

15-Year Fixed Rate

   $ 3,549,194       $ 3,622,862       $ 102.16       $ 102.08         N/A        3.87     23.1

20-Year Fixed Rate

     647,360         660,237         102.38         101.99         N/A        4.14     6.9

30-Year Fixed Rate

     223,047         238,549         105.60         106.95         N/A        5.55     28.2

Hybrid ARMs

     1,737,307         1,788,922         102.70         102.97         63.2        3.43     18.4
                                                            

Total/Weighted Average

   $ 6,156,908       $ 6,310,570       $ 102.46       $ 102.50         63.2 (3)      3.83     18.9
                                                            

 

(1)

“Months to Reset” is the number of months remaining before the fixed rate on a hybrid ARM becomes a variable rate. At the end of the fixed period, the variable rate will be determined by the margin and the pre-specified caps of the ARM.

(2)

CPR is a method of expressing the prepayment rate for a mortgage pool that assumes that a constant fraction of the remaining principal is prepaid each month or year. Specifically, the constant prepayment rate is an annualized version of the prior three month prepayment rate. Securities with no prepayment history are excluded from this calculation.

(3)

Weighted average months to reset of our Hybrid ARM portfolio.

 

3


Financing, Leverage & Liquidity

At December 31, 2010, the Company had financed its portfolio with approximately $3.4 billion of borrowings under repurchase agreements with a weighted average interest rate of 0.32% and a weighted average maturity of approximately 39.3 days. In addition, the Company had payable for securities purchased of $2,234.4 million. The Company’s leverage ratio at December 31, 2010 was 8.3 to 1. At December 31, 2010, the Company’s liquidity position was approximately $423.4 million, consisting of unpledged Agency RMBS, U.S. Treasury securities and cash and cash equivalents. Below is a list of outstanding repurchase agreements at December 31, 2010.

 

Counterparty

   Total
Outstanding
Borrowings
     % of Total     Amount at
Risk (1)
     Weighted
Average
Maturity in
Days
 

Bank of America Securities LLC

   $ 162,617,000         4.7   $ 9,755,834         18   

Barclays Capital, Inc.

     275,315,864         8.0        18,522,578         29   

BNP Paribas

     210,840,000         6.1        13,885,256         75   

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

     317,137,000         9.2        19,619,850         49   

Citigroup Global Markets, Inc.

     58,587,000         1.7        2,777,830         20   

Credit Suisse First Boston

     199,352,323         5.8        16,299,135         41   

Daiwa Securities America, Inc.

     80,058,000         2.3        3,974,676         7   

Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc.

     292,920,000         8.5        17,829,800         45   

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

     395,995,623         11.5        26,487,308         57   

Greenwich Capital Markets, Inc.

     221,347,815         6.4        15,879,464         7   

Guggenheim Liquidity Services, LLC

     151,671,000         4.4        9,413,736         46   

ING Financial Markets LLC

     82,701,000         2.4        4,516,639         74   

Jefferies & Company, Inc.

     35,937,000         1.1        1,835,103         11   

LBBW Securities LLC

     157,277,000         4.6        11,607,275         45   

MF Global, Ltd

     135,766,020         4.0        6,140,674         30   

Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA), Inc.

     120,487,000         3.5        6,450,632         20   

Mizuho Securities USA, Inc.

     145,028,000         4.2        9,189,738         18   

Nomura Securities International, Inc.

     167,506,649         4.9        10,791,081         34   

South Street Securities LLC

     159,807,000         4.6        14,001,666         46   

UBS AG

     73,492,000         2.1        4,736,281         46   
                            

Total

   $ 3,443,843,294         100.0   $ 223,714,556      
                            

 

(1)

Equal to the fair value of pledged securities plus accrued interest income, minus the sum of repurchase agreement liabilities and accrued interest expense.

Hedging

The Company utilizes interest rate swap and cap contracts to hedge the interest rate risk associated with the financed portion of its Agency RMBS portfolio. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had entered into 12 interest rate swap contracts with an aggregate notional amount of $3.7 billion, a weighted average fixed rate of 1.354% and a weighted average expiration of 3.1 years. At December 31, 2010, the Company had entered into three interest rate cap contracts with a notional amount of $0.7 billion, a weighted average cap rate of 1.593% and a weighted average expiration of 4.6 years. These interest rate swap and cap contracts are described below:

 

Interest Rate Swaps    Expiration                 Notional      Fair  

Counterparty

   Date    Pay Rate     Receive Rate      Amount      Value  

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc

   May 2013      1.6000     3-Month LIBOR       $ 100,000,000       $ (1,495,761

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc

   June 2013      1.3775     3-Month LIBOR         300,000,000         (2,718,389

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc

   July 2013      1.3650     3-Month LIBOR         300,000,000         (2,484,208

Goldman Sachs

   December 2013      1.3088     3-Month LIBOR         400,000,000         (776,014

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc

   December 2013      1.2813     3-Month LIBOR         500,000,000         (539,051

Goldman Sachs

   December 2013      1.2640     3-Month LIBOR         400,000,000         (255,360

Deutsche Bank Group

   December 2013      1.3225     3-Month LIBOR         400,000,000         (904,287

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc

   July 2014      1.7200     3-Month LIBOR         100,000,000         (732,908

Nomura Global Financial Products, Inc.

   July 2014      1.7325     3-Month LIBOR         250,000,000         (1,786,556

 

4


Interest Rate Swaps

Counterparty

   Expiration
Date
     Pay Rate     Receive Rate      Notional
Amount
     Fair
Value
 

Deutsche Bank Group

     August 2014         1.3530     3-Month LIBOR         200,000,000         1,529,006   

Goldman Sachs

     September 2014         1.3120     3-Month LIBOR         500,000,000         5,460,027   

Deutsche Bank Group

     October 2014         1.1725     3-Month LIBOR         240,000,000         4,059,533   
                         

Total

           $ 3,690,000,000       $ (643,968
                         

 

Interest Rate Caps

Counterparty

   Expiration
Date
     Cap Rate     Notional
Amount
     Fair
Value
 

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc

     December 2014         2.0725   $ 200,000,000       $ 4,752,395   

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc

     October 2015         1.4275     300,000,000         15,339,727   

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc

     November 2015         1.3600     200,000,000         10,891,514   
                      

Total

        $ 700,000,000       $ 30,983,636   
                      

Twelve Months Results

The Company had net income of $22.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2010, or $0.73 per diluted share, compared to $63.8 million, or $4.75 per diluted share, in 2009. During the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company had Core Earnings of $41.5 million, or $1.40 per diluted share, compared to $26.4 million, or $1.96 per diluted share, in 2009. The year-over-year decrease in Core Earnings per diluted share was primarily due to the decrease in interest rate spread net of hedge caused by lower yields on Agency RMBS and the impact of hedging the forward settling purchases described in “Fourth Quarter 2010 Results” above. During the year ended December 31, 2010, we had an interest rate spread net of hedge of 2.15% compared to 3.01% in 2009.

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call at 9:00 AM Eastern Time on Thursday, February 3, 2011, to discuss its financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2010. To participate in the event by telephone, please dial 866.730.5771 at least 10 minutes prior to the start time and reference the conference passcode 88728064. International callers should dial 857.350.1595 and reference the same passcode. The conference call will also be webcast live over the Internet and can be accessed at the Company’s Web site at www.cysinv.com. To listen to the live webcast, please visit www.cysinv.com at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call to register, download, and install necessary audio software. A dial-in replay will be available on Thursday, February 3, 2011, at approximately 12:00 PM Eastern Time through Thursday, February 17, 2011, at approximately 11:00 AM Eastern Time. To access this replay, please dial 888.286.8010 and enter the conference ID number 96823221. International callers should dial 617.801.6888 and enter the same conference ID number. A replay of the conference call will also be archived on the Company’s website at www.cysinv.com.

About Cypress Sharpridge Investments, Inc.

Cypress Sharpridge Investments, Inc. is a specialty finance company that invests on a leveraged basis in residential mortgage pass-through certificates for which the principal and interest payments are guaranteed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae. The Company refers to these securities as Agency RMBS. Cypress Sharpridge Investments, Inc. has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust for federal income tax purposes.

Forward Looking Statements Disclaimer

This press release contains statements that are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements relate to our interest rate spread, net of hedge. Forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account all information currently available to us. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations are subject to risks and uncertainties and can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us, including those described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2010, each of which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If a change occurs, these forward-looking statements may vary materially from those expressed in this release. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. Except as required by law, we are not obligated to, and do not intend to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

5


CYPRESS SHARPRIDGE INVESTMENTS, INC.

STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

 

     December 31, 2010
(Unaudited)
    December 31, 2009*  

ASSETS:

    

Investments in securities, at fair value (including net pledged assets of $3,671,582,721 and $1,464,713,648, respectively)

   $ 6,331,048,543      $ 1,853,251,613   

Interest rate cap, at fair value

     30,983,636        —     

Interest rate swap contracts, at fair value

     9,112,905        1,131,487   

Cash and cash equivalents

     1,510,378        1,889,667   

Receivable for securities sold

     —          2,724,805   

Interest receivable

     16,182,862        6,886,816   

Other assets

     428,904        311,908   
                

Total assets

     6,389,267,228        1,866,196,296   
                

LIABILITIES:

    

Repurchase agreements

     3,443,843,294        1,372,707,572   

Interest rate swap contracts, at fair value

     9,756,873        4,925,333   

Payable for securities purchased

     2,234,400,672        229,838,772   

Distribution payable

     —          10,316,082   

Accrued interest payable (including accrued interest on repurchase agreements of $1,084,400 and $353,856, respectively)

     9,412,301        3,387,431   

Related party management fee payable

     799,413        356,873   

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

     715,358        373,251   
                

Total liabilities

     5,698,927,911        1,621,905,314   
                

NET ASSETS

   $ 690,339,317      $ 244,290,982   
                

Net Assets consist of:

    

Common Stock, $0.01 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized (59,550,836 and 18,756,512 shares issued and outstanding, respectively)

   $ 595,508      $ 187,565   

Additional paid in capital

     739,005,614        309,368,569   

Accumulated net realized gain (loss) on investments

     (138,681,783     (87,363,976

Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments

     14,203,977        2,462,487   

Undistributed (distributions in excess of) net investment income

     75,216,001        19,636,337   
                

NET ASSETS

   $ 690,339,317      $ 244,290,982   
                

NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE

   $ 11.59      $ 13.02   
                

 

* Derived from audited financial statements.

 

6


CYPRESS SHARPRIDGE INVESTMENTS, INC.

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)

 

     Year ended December 31,     Three months ended  
     2010     2009*     December 31, 2010     September 30, 2010  

INVESTMENT INCOME - Interest income

   $ 75,538,957      $ 45,526,149      $ 25,025,293      $ 16,311,419   
                                

EXPENSES:

        

Interest

     5,055,584        4,461,432        1,879,176        1,108,985   

Management fees

     6,088,277        3,633,005        2,165,498        1,695,256   

Related party management compensation

     1,459,445        985,053        424,751        389,349   

General, administrative and other

     2,913,376        2,395,611        836,239        632,473   
                                

Total expenses

     15,516,682        11,475,101        5,305,664        3,826,063   
                                

Net investment income

     60,022,275        34,051,048        19,719,629        12,485,356   
                                

GAINS AND (LOSSES) FROM INVESTMENTS:

        

Net realized gain (loss) on investments

     6,114,983        (48,338     5,626,362        9,909,103   

Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments

     (4,832,051     39,561,355        (71,751,425     18,666,913   
                                

Net gain (loss) from investments

     1,282,932        39,513,017        (66,125,063     28,576,016   
                                

GAINS AND (LOSSES) FROM SWAP AND CAP CONTRACTS:

        

Net swap & cap interest income (expense)

     (18,563,320     (7,623,821     (7,322,442     (4,808,635

Net gain (loss) on termination of swap contracts

     (36,925,072     (10,804,123     (13,427,325     (6,292,250

Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on swap and cap contracts

     16,573,541        8,709,674        49,887,687        (28,051,326
                                

Net gain (loss) from swap and cap contracts

     (38,914,851     (9,718,270     29,137,920        (39,152,211
                                

NET INCOME (LOSS)

   $ 22,390,356      $ 63,845,795      $ (17,267,514   $ 1,909,161   
                                

NET INCOME (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE - DILUTED

   $ 0.73      $ 4.75      $ (0.38   $ 0.05   
                                

 

* Derived from audited financial statements.

 

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Core Earnings:

Core Earnings represents a non-GAAP financial measure and is defined as net income (loss) excluding net realized gain (loss) on investments, net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments, net realized gain (loss) on termination of swap contracts and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on swap and cap contracts. In order to evaluate the effective yield of the portfolio, management uses Core Earnings to reflect the net investment income of our portfolio as adjusted to include the net swap and cap interest income (expense). Core Earnings allows management to isolate the interest income (expense) associated with our swaps and caps in order to monitor and project our borrowing costs and interest rate spread. In addition, management utilizes Core Earnings as a key metric in conjunction with other portfolio and market factors to determine the appropriate leverage and hedging ratios, as well as the overall structure of the portfolio.

The Company adopted Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 946, Clarification of the Scope of Audit and Accounting Guide Investment Companies (“ASC 946”), prior to its deferral in February 2008, while most, if not all, other public companies that invest only in Agency RMBS have not adopted ASC 946. Under ASC 946, the Company uses financial reporting specified for investment companies, and accordingly, its investments are carried at fair value with changes in fair value included in earnings. Most other public companies that invest only in Agency RMBS include most changes in the fair value of their investments within shareholders’ equity, not in earnings. As a result, investors are not able to readily compare the Company’s results of operations to those of most of its competitors. The Company believes that the presentation of its Core Earnings is useful to investors because it provides a means of comparing its Core Earnings to those of its competitors. In addition, because Core Earnings isolates the net swap and cap interest income (expense) it provides investors with an additional metric to identify trends in the Company’s portfolio as they relate to the interest rate environment.

The primary limitation associated with Core Earnings as a measure of the Company’s financial performance over any period is that it excludes the effects of net realized gain (loss) from investments. In addition, the Company’s presentation of Core Earnings may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures of other companies, who may use different calculations. As a result, Core Earnings should not be considered as a substitute for the Company’s GAAP net income (loss) as a measure of our financial performance or any measure of our liquidity under GAAP.

 

     Year ended December 31,     Three months ended  
     2010     2009     December 31, 2010     September 30, 2010  

NET INCOME (LOSS)

   $ 22,390,356      $ 63,845,795      $ (17,267,514   $ 1,909,161   

Net (gain) loss from investments

     (1,282,932     (39,513,017     66,125,063        (28,576,016

Net (gain) loss on termination of swap contracts

     36,925,072        10,804,123        13,427,325        6,292,250   

Net unrealized (appreciation) depreciation on swap and cap contracts

     (16,573,541     (8,709,674     (49,887,687     28,051,326   
                                

Core Earnings

   $ 41,458,955      $ 26,427,227      $ 12,397,187      $ 7,676,721   
                                

 

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