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Chimera Investment Corporation Reports 4th Quarter 2019 Earnings

Chimera Investment Corporation (NYSE:CIM) today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019. The Company’s GAAP net income for the fourth quarter was $112 million or $0.60 per common share and net income was $341 million or $1.82 for the full year ended December 31, 2019. Core earnings(1) for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2019 was $120 million or $0.64 per common share and $421 million or $2.25 per common share respectively. Economic return on book value for the fourth quarter and full year was 1.7%(2) and 14.1%(2) respectively.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200212005158/en/

“During the fourth quarter, we added $1 billion in seasoned re-performing loans to our portfolio increasing our total loan purchases to $2.3 billion for the full year,” said Matthew Lambiase, Chimera’s CEO and President.

(1)

Core earnings is a non-GAAP measure. See additional discussion on page 5.

(2)

Economic return on book value is based on the change in GAAP book value per common share plus the dividend declared per common share

Other Information

Chimera Investment Corporation is a publicly traded real estate investment trust, or REIT, that is primarily engaged in the business of investing directly or indirectly through our subsidiaries, on a leveraged basis, in a diversified portfolio of mortgage assets, including residential mortgage loans, Non-Agency RMBS, Agency CMBS, Agency RMBS, and other real estate related securities.

CHIMERA INVESTMENT CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

(dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

(Unaudited)

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Cash and cash equivalents

$

109,878

$

47,486

Non-Agency RMBS, at fair value

2,614,408

2,486,130

Agency RMBS, at fair value

6,490,293

9,240,057

Agency CMBS, at fair value

2,850,717

2,948,893

Loans held for investment, at fair value

14,292,815

12,572,581

Receivable for investments sold

446,225

Accrued interest receivable

116,423

123,442

Other assets

194,301

252,582

Derivatives, at fair value, net

3,611

37,468

Total assets (1)

$

27,118,671

$

27,708,639

Liabilities:

Repurchase agreements ($15.4 billion and $15.8 billion pledged as collateral,
respectively)

$

13,427,545

$

14,030,465

Securitized debt, collateralized by Non-Agency RMBS ($598 million and $1.0 billion
pledged as collateral, respectively)

133,557

159,955

Securitized debt at fair value, collateralized by loans held for investment ($12.1 billion
and $12.3 billion pledged as collateral, respectively)

8,179,608

8,455,376

Payable for investments purchased

1,256,337

1,136,157

Accrued interest payable

63,600

110,402

Dividends payable

98,568

95,986

Accounts payable and other liabilities

6,163

16,469

Total liabilities (1)

$

23,165,378

$

24,004,810

Stockholders' Equity:

Preferred Stock, par value of $0.01 per share, 100,000,000 shares authorized:

8.00% Series A cumulative redeemable: 5,800,000 shares issued and outstanding,
respectively ($145,000 liquidation preference)

$

58

$

58

8.00% Series B cumulative redeemable: 13,000,000 shares issued and outstanding,
respectively ($325,000 liquidation preference)

130

130

7.75% Series C cumulative redeemable: 10,400,000 shares issued and outstanding,
respectively ($260,000 liquidation preference)

104

104

8.00% Series D cumulative redeemable: 8,000,000 and 0 shares issued and outstanding,
respectively ($200,000 liquidation preference)

80

Common stock: par value $0.01 per share; 500,000,000 and 300,000,000 shares
authorized, 187,226,081 and 187,052,398 shares issued and outstanding, respectively

1,873

1,871

Additional paid-in-capital

4,275,963

4,072,093

Accumulated other comprehensive income

708,336

626,832

Cumulative earnings

3,793,040

3,379,489

Cumulative distributions to stockholders

(4,826,291

)

(4,376,748

)

Total stockholders' equity

$

3,953,293

$

3,703,829

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$

27,118,671

$

27,708,639

(1) The Company's consolidated statements of financial condition include assets of consolidated variable interest entities (“VIEs”) that can only be used to settle obligations and liabilities of the VIE for which creditors do not have recourse to the primary beneficiary (Chimera Investment Corporation). As of December 31, 2019, and December 31, 2018, total assets of consolidated VIEs were $12,544,744 and $13,392,951, respectively, and total liabilities of consolidated VIEs were $8,064,235 and $8,652,158, respectively.

CHIMERA INVESTMENT CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

(Unaudited)

For the Year Ended

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

December 31, 2017

Net interest income:

Interest income (1)

$

1,361,110

$

1,273,316

$

1,138,758

Interest expense (2)

758,814

679,108

532,748

Net interest income

602,296

594,208

606,010

Other-than-temporary impairments:

Total other-than-temporary impairment losses

(801

)

(2,556

)

(5,169

)

Portion of loss recognized in other comprehensive income

(4,052

)

(19,235

)

(56,687

)

Net other-than-temporary credit impairment losses

(4,853

)

(21,791

)

(61,856

)

Other investment gains (losses):

Net unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives

(106,209

)

(141,162

)

47,976

Realized gains (losses) on terminations of interest rate swaps

(359,726

)

(16,143

)

Net realized gains (losses) on derivatives

(34,423

)

18,369

(25,645

)

Net gains (losses) on derivatives

(500,358

)

(122,793

)

6,188

Net unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments at fair value

409,634

46,632

111,410

Net realized gains (losses) on sales of investments

20,360

(2,743

)

9,123

Gains (losses) on extinguishment of debt

9,318

26,376

(35,274

)

Total other gains (losses)

(61,046

)

(52,528

)

91,447

Other expenses:

Compensation and benefits

48,880

35,114

30,212

General and administrative expenses

26,555

22,664

17,650

Servicing fees

36,290

40,773

41,690

Transaction expenses

10,928

9,610

21,273

Total other expenses

122,653

108,161

110,825

Income (loss) before income taxes

413,744

411,728

524,776

Income taxes

193

91

108

Net income (loss)

$

413,551

$

411,637

$

524,668

Dividends on preferred stock

72,704

43,197

33,484

Net income (loss) available to common shareholders

$

340,847

$

368,440

$

491,184

Net income (loss) per share available to common shareholders:

Basic

$

1.82

$

1.97

$

2.62

Diluted

$

1.81

$

1.96

$

2.61

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding:

Basic

187,156,990

187,146,170

187,780,355

Diluted

188,406,444

187,748,862

188,287,320

(1) Includes interest income of consolidated VIEs of $780,746, $904,830 and $914,022 for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 respectively.

(2) Includes interest expense of consolidated VIEs of $337,387, $395,255 and $390,858 for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

CHIMERA INVESTMENT CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

(Unaudited)

For the Year Ended

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

December 31, 2017

Comprehensive income (loss):

Net income (loss)

$

413,551

$

411,637

$

524,668

Other comprehensive income:

Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities, net

70,855

(185,570

)

24,218

Reclassification adjustment for net losses included in net income for
other-than-temporary credit impairment losses

4,853

21,791

61,856

Reclassification adjustment for net realized losses (gains) included in
net income

5,796

(6,291

)

(7,278

)

Other comprehensive income (loss)

81,504

(170,070

)

78,796

Comprehensive income (loss) before preferred stock dividends

$

495,055

$

241,567

$

603,464

Dividends on preferred stock

$

72,704

$

43,197

$

33,484

Comprehensive income (loss) available to common stock
shareholders

$

422,351

$

198,370

$

569,980

Core earnings

Core earnings is a non-GAAP measure and is defined as GAAP net income excluding unrealized gains on the aggregate portfolio, impairment losses, realized gains on sales of investments, realized gains or losses on futures, realized gains or losses on swap terminations, gain on deconsolidation, extinguishment of debt and expenses incurred in relation to securitizations. In addition, stock compensation expense charges incurred on awards to retirement eligible employees is reflected as an expense over a vesting period (36 months) rather than reported as an immediate expense.

As defined, core earnings include interest income and expense as well as periodic cash settlements on interest rate swaps used to hedge interest rate risk and other expenses. Core earnings is inclusive of preferred dividend charges, compensation and benefits (adjusted for awards to retirement eligible employees), general and administrative expenses, servicing fees, as well as income tax expenses incurred during the period. Management believes that the presentation of core earnings provides investors with a useful measure, but has important limitations. We believe core earnings as described above helps us evaluate our financial performance period over period without the impact of certain transactions but is of limited usefulness as an analytical tool. Therefore, core earnings should not be viewed in isolation and is not a substitute for net income or net income per basic share computed in accordance with GAAP. In addition, our methodology for calculating core earnings may differ from the methodologies employed by other REITs to calculate the same or similar supplemental performance measures, and accordingly, our reported core earnings may not be comparable to the core earnings reported by other REITs.

The following table provides GAAP measures of net income and net income per basic share available to common stockholders for the periods presented and details with respect to reconciling the line items to core earnings and related per average basic common share amounts. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period's presentation.

For the Quarters Ended

December 31, 2019

September 30, 2019

June 30, 2019

March 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

(dollars in thousands, except per share data)

GAAP Net income available to common
stockholders

$

111,881

$

87,888

$

40,322

$

100,755

$

(117,235

)

Adjustments:

Net other-than-temporary credit impairment
losses

4,853

4,269

Net unrealized (gains) losses on derivatives

(83,656

)

(31,620

)

132,171

89,315

319,673

Net unrealized (gains) losses on financial
instruments at fair value

112,751

(130,825

)

(190,748

)

(200,812

)

(84,836

)

Net realized (gains) losses on sales of
investments

(17,687

)

(1,596

)

7,526

(8,603

)

(1,213

)

(Gains) losses on extinguishment of debt

(9,926

)

608

(7,055

)

Realized (gains) losses on terminations of
interest rate swaps

8,353

148,114

95,211

108,046

Net realized (gains) losses on Futures (1)

(8,229

)

19,138

13,544

12,579

(4,320

)

Transaction expenses

6,639

3,415

812

62

4,441

Stock Compensation expense for retirement
eligible awards

(45

)

(145

)

(144

)

1,533

99

Core Earnings

$

120,081

$

94,369

$

99,302

$

107,728

$

113,823

GAAP net income per basic common share

$

0.60

$

0.47

$

0.22

$

0.54

$

(0.63

)

Core earnings per basic common share (2)

$

0.64

$

0.50

$

0.53

$

0.58

$

0.61

(1) Included in net realized gains (losses) on derivatives in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

(2) We note that core and taxable earnings will typically differ, and may materially differ, due to differences on realized gains and losses on investments and related hedges, credit loss recognition, timing differences in premium amortization, accretion of discounts, equity compensation and other items.

The following tables provide a summary of the Company’s MBS portfolio at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018.

December 31, 2019

Principal or
Notional Value
at Period-End
(dollars in
thousands)

Weighted
Average
Amortized
Cost Basis

Weighted
Average
Fair Value

Weighted
Average
Coupon

Weighted
Average Yield at
Period-End (1)

Non-Agency RMBS

Senior

$

2,024,564

$

52.98

84.01

5.0

%

20.8

%

Subordinated

876,592

63.15

71.25

3.7

%

6.9

%

Interest-only

7,458,653

4.04

3.87

1.1

%

8.4

%

Agency RMBS

Pass-through

6,080,547

102.15

104.64

4.0

%

3.4

%

Interest-only

1,539,941

9.06

8.29

1.6

%

4.0

%

Agency CMBS

Project loans

2,621,938

101.82

106.86

3.7

%

3.6

%

Interest-only

1,817,246

2.81

2.70

0.7

%

4.7

%

 

December 31, 2018

Principal or
Notional Value
at Period-End
(dollars in
thousands)

Weighted
Average
Amortized
Cost Basis

Weighted
Average
Fair Value

Weighted
Average
Coupon

Weighted
Average Yield at
Period-End (1)

Non-Agency RMBS

Senior

$

2,386,049

$

53.40

$

81.44

5.0

%

19.5

%

Subordinated

394,037

56.60

70.16

4.0

%

9.9

%

Interest-only

5,888,747

5.04

4.53

1.2

%

8.7

%

Agency RMBS

Pass-through

8,984,249

102.47

102.12

4.0

%

3.6

%

Interest-only

578,284

11.10

11.36

1.5

%

5.5

%

Agency CMBS

Project loans

2,895,679

101.98

99.50

3.6

%

3.4

%

Interest-only

2,450,288

2.93

2.76

0.6

%

3.2

%

 

At December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the repurchase agreements collateralized by MBS and Loans held for investment had the following remaining maturities.

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

(dollars in thousands)

Overnight

$

$

1 to 29 days

9,709,387

6,326,232

30 to 59 days

800,648

4,620,656

60 to 89 days

608,520

1,504,695

90 to 119 days

169,244

Greater than or equal to 120 days

2,308,990

1,409,638

Total

$

13,427,545

$

14,030,465

The following table summarizes certain characteristics of our portfolio at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018.

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Interest earning assets at period-end (1)

$

26,248,233

$

27,247,661

Interest bearing liabilities at period-end

$

21,740,710

$

22,645,796

GAAP Leverage at period-end

5.5:1

6.1:1

GAAP Leverage at period-end (recourse)

3.4:1

3.8:1

Portfolio Composition, at amortized cost

Non-Agency RMBS

7.9

%

6.8

%

Senior

4.5

%

4.9

%

Subordinated

2.2

%

0.8

%

Interest-only

1.2

%

1.1

%

Agency RMBS

25.7

%

35.2

%

Pass-through

25.1

%

35.0

%

Interest-only

0.6

%

0.2

%

Agency CMBS

11.0

%

11.5

%

Project loans

10.8

%

11.2

%

Interest-only

0.2

%

0.3

%

Loans held for investment

55.4

%

46.5

%

Fixed-rate percentage of portfolio

95.9

%

95.8

%

Adjustable-rate percentage of portfolio

4.1

%

4.2

%

(1) Excludes cash and cash equivalents.

Economic Net Interest Income

Our “Economic net interest income” is a non-GAAP financial measure, that equals interest income, less interest expense and realized losses on our interest rate swaps. Realized losses on our interest rate swaps are the periodic net settlement payments made or received. For the purpose of computing economic net interest income and ratios relating to cost of funds measures throughout this section, interest expense includes net payments on our interest rate swaps, which is presented as a part of Realized gains (losses) on derivatives in our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income. Interest rate swaps are used to manage the increase in interest paid on repurchase agreements in a rising rate environment. Presenting the net contractual interest payments on interest rate swaps with the interest paid on interest-bearing liabilities reflects our total contractual interest payments. We believe this presentation is useful to investors because it depicts the economic value of our investment strategy by showing actual interest expense and net interest income. Where indicated, interest expense, including interest payments on interest rate swaps, is referred to as economic interest expense. Where indicated, net interest income reflecting interest payments on interest rate swaps, is referred to as economic net interest income.

The following table reconciles the GAAP and non-GAAP measurements reflected in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

GAAP
Interest
Income

GAAP
Interest
Expense

Net
Realized
(Gains)
Losses on
Interest
Rate Swaps

Economic
Interest
Expense

GAAP Net
Interest
Income

Net
Realized
Gains
(Losses) on
Interest
Rate Swaps

Other (1)

Economic
Net
Interest
Income

For the Year Ended December 31, 2019

$

1,361,110

$

758,814

$

(3,012

)

$

755,802

$

602,296

$

3,012

$

(7,938

)

$

597,370

For the Year Ended December 31, 2018

$

1,273,316

$

679,108

$

1,488

$

680,596

$

594,208

$

(1,488

)

$

760

$

593,480

For the Year Ended December 31, 2017

$

1,138,758

$

532,748

$

15,450

$

548,198

$

606,010

$

(15,450

)

$

(1,097

)

$

589,463

For the Quarter Ended December 31, 2019

$

340,662

$

169,203

$

5,409

$

174,612

$

171,459

$

(5,409

)

$

(1,664

)

$

164,386

For the Quarter Ended September 30, 2019

$

330,144

$

188,551

$

963

$

189,514

$

141,593

$

(963

)

$

(2,465

)

$

138,165

For the Quarter Ended June 30, 2019

$

339,914

$

198,110

$

(3,923

)

$

194,187

$

141,804

$

3,923

$

(2,237

)

$

143,490

For the Quarter Ended March 31, 2019

$

350,389

$

202,950

$

(5,462

)

$

197,488

$

147,439

$

5,462

$

(1,571

)

$

151,330

(1) Primarily interest expense/(income) on cash and cash equivalents.

The table below shows our average earning assets held, interest earned on assets, yield on average interest earning assets, average debt balance, economic interest expense, economic average cost of funds, economic net interest income, and net interest rate spread for the periods presented.

For the Quarter Ended

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

(dollars in thousands)

(dollars in thousands)

Average
Balance

Interest

Average
Yield/Cost

Average
Balance

Interest

Average
Yield/Cost

Assets:

Interest-earning assets (1):

Agency RMBS

$

7,417,646

$

63,108

3.4

%

$

8,753,062

$

80,131

3.7

%

Agency CMBS

2,298,601

24,856

4.3

%

1,824,176

15,810

3.5

%

Non-Agency RMBS

1,976,632

81,429

16.5

%

1,808,020

72,628

16.1

%

Loans held for investment

12,851,351

169,605

5.3

%

12,228,206

179,323

5.9

%

Total

$

24,544,230

$

338,998

5.5

%

$

24,613,464

$

347,892

5.7

%

Liabilities and stockholders' equity:

Interest-bearing liabilities:

Repurchase agreements collateralized by:

Agency RMBS

$

7,015,513

$

37,949

2.2

%

$

7,989,603

$

52,942

2.7

%

Agency CMBS

2,272,069

14,819

2.6

%

1,545,695

9,845

2.5

%

Non-Agency RMBS

1,404,981

11,466

3.3

%

1,111,030

11,540

4.2

%

Loans held for investment

3,786,840

33,781

3.6

%

2,435,931

23,445

3.8

%

Securitized debt

7,758,406

76,597

3.9

%

8,695,152

96,511

4.4

%

Total

$

22,237,809

$

174,612

3.1

%

$

21,777,411

$

194,283

3.6

%

Economic net interest income/net interest rate spread

$

164,386

2.4

%

$

153,609

2.1

%

Net interest-earning assets/net interest margin

$

2,306,421

2.7

%

$

2,836,053

2.5

%

Ratio of interest-earning assets to interest bearing liabilities

1.10

1.13

(1) Interest-earning assets at amortized cost

(2) Interest includes net cash paid/received on swaps

The table below shows our Net Income and Economic Net Interest Income as a percentage of average stockholders' equity and Core Earnings as a percentage of average common stockholders' equity. Return on average equity is defined as our GAAP net income (loss) as a percentage of average equity. Average equity is defined as the average of our beginning and ending stockholders' equity balance for the period reported. Economic Net Interest Income and Core Earnings are non-GAAP measures as defined in previous sections.

Return on
Average Equity

Economic Net
Interest
Income/Average
Equity *

Core
Earnings/Average
Common
Equity

(Ratios have been annualized)

For the Year Ended December 31, 2019

10.56

%

15.26

%

13.93

%

For the Year Ended December 31, 2018

11.08

%

15.98

%

14.31

%

For the Year Ended December 31, 2017

15.00

%

16.85

%

14.91

%

For the Quarter Ended December 31, 2019

13.12

%

16.55

%

15.78

%

For the Quarter Ended September 30, 2019

10.68

%

13.88

%

12.37

%

For the Quarter Ended June 30, 2019

5.93

%

14.49

%

13.10

%

For the Quarter Ended March 31, 2019

12.34

%

15.81

%

14.37

%

* Includes effect of realized losses on interest rate swaps.

The following table presents changes to Accretable Discount (net of premiums) as it pertains to our Non-Agency RMBS portfolio, excluding premiums on IOs, during the previous five quarters.

For the Quarters Ended

Accretable Discount (Net of Premiums)

December 31, 2019

September 30, 2019

June 30, 2019

March 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

(dollars in thousands)

Balance, beginning of period

$

494,780

$

514,095

$

485,040

$

505,763

$

539,020

Accretion of discount

(44,342

)

(33,256

)

(35,964

)

(35,551

)

(36,287

)

Purchases

(12,541

)

(13,772

)

48,736

6,638

4,589

Sales and deconsolidation

(786

)

1,536

409

127

(625

)

Transfers from/(to) credit reserve, net

57,144

26,177

15,874

8,063

(934

)

Balance, end of period

$

494,255

$

494,780

$

514,095

$

485,040

$

505,763

Disclaimer

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ from expectations, estimates and projections and, consequently, readers should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect,” “target,” “assume,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believe,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results, including, among other things, those described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, under the caption “Risk Factors.” Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to: the state of credit markets and general economic conditions; changes in interest rates and the market value of our assets; the rates of default or decreased recovery on the mortgages underlying our target assets; the occurrence, extent and timing of credit losses within our portfolio; the credit risk in our underlying assets; declines in home prices; our ability to establish, adjust and maintain appropriate hedges for the risks in our portfolio; the availability and cost of our target assets; our ability to borrow to finance our assets and the associated costs; changes in the competitive landscape within our industry; our ability to manage various operational risks and costs associated with our business; interruptions in or impairments to our communications and information technology systems; our ability to acquire residential mortgage loans and successfully securitize the residential mortgage loans we acquire; our ability to oversee our third party sub-servicers; the impact of any deficiencies in the servicing or foreclosure practices of third parties and related delays in the foreclosure process; our exposure to legal and regulatory claims; legislative and regulatory actions affecting our business; the impact of new or modified government mortgage refinance or principal reduction programs; our ability to maintain our REIT qualification; and limitations imposed on our business due to our REIT status and our exempt status under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Chimera does not undertake or accept any obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors is contained in Chimera’s most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning Chimera or matters attributable to Chimera or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above.

Readers are advised that the financial information in this press release is based on company data available at the time of this presentation and, in certain circumstances, may not have been audited by the Company’s independent auditors.

Contacts:

Investor Relations
888-895-6557
www.chimerareit.com

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