Municipal Mortgage (NYSE:MMA)
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Municipal Mortgage & Equity, LLC (“MuniMae”
or “the Company,”
NYSE: MMA) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a
dividend distribution of $0.33 per common share payable on February 15,
2008 to shareholders of record as of February 5, 2008. The Company also
announced that while it expects to have completed by the end of
February, its substantive work required to prepare its 2006 financial
statements and its restated audited financial statements for 2005 and
2004, the Company does not expect to be able to file its audited
financial statements by its previously announced goal of March 3, 2008.
Based on work done to date, the Company does not believe the results of
the restatement will materially change the previously recorded cash
balances of the Company and its subsidiaries.
The reduction in the dividend distribution from $0.5250 to $0.33 per
share is due to the cost of the Company’s
ongoing restatement of its financial statements, the decision by the
Company to conserve capital to protect the long-term prospects of the
business given the current volatility in the credit and capital markets,
and the desire to dedicate additional capital to the high-growth
Renewable Energy Finance business, an increasingly important part of the
Company’s business. A portion of this dividend
will be paid from sources other than cash generated from operations. The
Board of Directors will continue to review the Company’s
dividend payout on a quarterly basis based, among other factors, on the
Company’s net cash generation and the
strategic needs of the business.
“Knowing the importance of the dividend to our
shareholders, it was a difficult decision to reduce the dividend,”
stated Michael L. Falcone, Chief Executive Officer. “However,
we believe that in this market it is important to be cautious in our
approach to finding the balance between retaining capital to grow and to
protect against uncertainty on the one hand, and distributing capital to
shareholders as a dividend on the other. For 2007, our production
numbers were solid, especially in our MMA Renewable Ventures unit which
finished the year with a strong pipeline of additional solar and other
renewable and clean energy opportunities. We believe the diversity of
our various businesses helps us to succeed even in a tough marketplace.
In these uncertain times, we will continue to be prudent in our
management of the business, while remaining watchful for the
opportunities that such markets usually present. We hope in the future
to grow the dividend as we complete our restatement and as market
conditions allow.”
Update on 2007 Production
Overall, 2007 production was $4.2 billion, compared to $3.7 billion in
the prior year period. Production in the Company’s
affordable housing business included approximately $813 million in tax
credit equity placements, compared to $1.16 billion in the prior year,
approximately $115 million in construction loan originations, compared
with $53 million in the prior year, $225 million in permanent loan
originations, compared with $72 million in the prior year, and $296
million of tax exempt bond originations, compared with $267 million in
the prior year. MMA Realty Capital production included approximately
$679 million in Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and other agency originations,
and approximately $1.6 billion in non-agency originations, approximately
$706 million of which is attributable to an acquisition the Company made
in 2007, compared to $829 million and $983 million, respectively, in the
prior year period. Production in the Company’s
MMA Renewable Ventures unit, which commenced operations in mid-2006,
more than quadrupled, as the Company developed and financed
approximately $234 million in solar electricity facilities. The Company’s
margins have held up well across the majority of its business lines with
the exception of the low income housing tax credit business, which has
experienced margin compression. Capital market conditions make it
difficult to predict 2008 production at this time.
Update on Restatement
The Company also announced that it is filing with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (“SEC”)
a Form 8-K, available at www.sec.gov,
which discusses the nature of the changes in the Company’s
accounting policies that are being made as a result of the Company’s
ongoing restatement efforts covering its 2006 results. The overall
impact of the restatement and the changes in the Company’s
accounting policies are still being quantified; however, the Company
believes that the final result of the restatement will not materially
change the previously recorded corporate cash balances of the Company
and its subsidiaries. However, work on the restatement and the 2006
financial statements has not been completed and further work on the
restatement or the audit of the 2006 financial statements could change
these results.
The ultimate impact of the restatement is dependent on management
finalizing all areas of the restatement and the completion of the
external audit. Although the Company continues to work to file its
restated financial statements at the earliest possible time, the Company
does not expect to meet the previously announced March 3, 2008, New York
Stock Exchange (“NYSE”)
deadline for filing its 2006 Form 10-K. As a result, the Company expects
that the NYSE will suspend trading shortly and commence delisting
procedures. Upon suspension of trading on the NYSE, the Company’s
shares will begin to trade on the over the counter market pending a
possible appeal and a final determination on the delisting. If the
Company is delisted from the NYSE, the Company will be able to apply for
relisting on the NYSE when all its filings with the SEC are current.
The Company currently expects to complete its unaudited financial
statements for 2006 and its unaudited restated financial statements for
2005 and 2004 no later than mid-March 2008, and to file its Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, by May 30,
2008. The delay in completing the restatement and filing the Form 10-K
is not expected to have any impact on the issuance of K-1’s
to shareholders in time for inclusion in their 2007 tax returns.
Michael Falcone concluded, “Thanks to the
hard work of our employees and outside consultants and the support of
the Board, we are making substantial progress on our restatement efforts
and are able to report to the marketplace this preliminary information.
Accounting for our business is complex; this combined with our
previously announced change in auditors, necessitated a top-to-bottom
review to ensure that our financial information is completely accurate.
Going forward we are dedicated to making sure that we have the policies,
systems and people in place to meet our reporting obligations.”
Conference Call Information
Management will host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday,
January 29, 2008, to discuss this announcement and the Company's
performance for the fourth quarter of 2007.
All interested parties are welcome to attend the live webcast, which can
be accessed through the “Investor Relations”
section of our website (www.munimae.com).
You can also join the conference call by dialing (866) 272-9941
(passcode: 19124093).
An archived replay of the event will be available through March 1, 2008,
at (888) 286-8010 (passcode: 49521279). The conference call transcript
will also be archived on our website through March 1, 2008.
About MuniMae
MuniMae and its subsidiaries arrange debt and equity financing for
developers and owners of real estate and clean energy projects. The
Company also provides investment management and advisory services for
institutional investors. Assets under management exceed $19 billion
including investments in approximately 3,000 multifamily properties,
containing more than 323,000 units in 49 states, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
MuniMae is organized as a limited liability company, which allows it to
combine the limited liability, governance and management characteristics
of a corporation with the pass-through features of a partnership. As a
result, the tax-exempt income derived from certain investments remains
tax-exempt when passed through to shareholders. MuniMae also conducts
activities through wholly owned taxable corporate subsidiaries.
Distributions to shareholders are normally declared quarterly.
Statements in this press release or on MuniMae's website that
are not historical fact may be deemed 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.
Examples of forward looking statements include such matters as future
Board actions concerning our dividend. Although the Company believes the
expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on
reasonable assumptions, the Company can give no assurance that its
expectations will be attained. The Company undertakes no obligation to
revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements contained
herein for any reason. Factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from the Company's expectations include completion of the
audit of our financial statements, completion of pending investments,
continued ability to originate new investments, the mix of business
between tax-exempt and taxable activities, the availability and cost of
capital for future investments, competition within the finance and real
estate industries, economic conditions, loss experience and other risks
detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports. This press
release does not constitute an offer to sell any securities of the
Company or any other entity.
MUNIMAE: INTEGRITY. INNOVATION. SERVICE.
www.MuniMae.com