Ellington Financial Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2024 Results

Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE: EFC) ("we," "us," or "our") today reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2024.

Highlights

• Net income attributable to common stockholders of $52.3 million, or $0.62 per common share.1
  • $69.1 million, or $0.81 per common share, from the investment portfolio.
    • $68.0 million, or $0.80 per common share, from the credit strategy.
    • $1.1 million, or $0.01 per common share, from the Agency strategy.
  • $4.2 million, or $0.05 per common share, from Longbridge.
• Adjusted Distributable Earnings2 of $28.3 million, or $0.33 per common share.
• Book value per common share as of June 30, 2024 of $13.92, including the effects of dividends of $0.39 per common share for the quarter.
• Dividend yield of 13.0% based on the August 5, 2024 closing stock price of $12.04 per share, and monthly dividend of $0.13 per common share declared on July 8, 2024.
• Recourse debt-to-equity ratio3 of 1.6:1 as of June 30, 2024, adjusted for unsettled purchases and sales. Including all non-recourse borrowings, which primarily consist of securitization-related liabilities, debt-to-equity ratio of 8.2:14.
• Cash and cash equivalents of $198.5 million as of June 30, 2024, in addition to other unencumbered assets of $565.1 million.

Second Quarter 2024 Results

"Driven by broad-based contributions from our diversified credit and Agency portfolios, as well as from our reverse mortgage platform Longbridge, Ellington Financial generated a non-annualized economic return of 4.5% for the second quarter, and grew adjusted distributable earnings and book value per share sequentially," said Laurence Penn, Chief Executive Officer and President.

"We had notably strong performance in our non-QM loan business, where tight yield spreads in our April securitization helped generate a significant gain in our portfolio, and where continued strong loan demand improved industrywide gain-on-sale margins and origination volumes, driving excellent results at our affiliate loan originators. Longbridge also contributed robust earnings for the quarter, led by the strong performance of proprietary reverse mortgage loans. Following quarter end, we successfully completed our second securitization of proprietary reverse mortgage loans originated by Longbridge, achieving incrementally stronger execution than our inaugural deal in the first quarter. Our second quarter results also significantly benefited from the performance of our residential transition and commercial mortgage loan strategies, as well as non-Agency RMBS.

"During the quarter, we added attractive investments in a wide array of our credit strategies, including HELOCs and closed-end second lien loans, proprietary reverse mortgage loans, commercial mortgage bridge loans, re-performing and non-performing residential mortgage loans, CMBS, and CLOs. At the same time, we continued to cull securities in lower-yielding sectors, including Agency and non-Agency RMBS.

"Looking forward, our investment pipeline across our diversified proprietary loan origination channels remains strong, and the loan originators in which we've invested are not only helping to feed that pipeline, but they're showing strong profitability as well. Combine that with our ability to access compelling term, non-mark-to-market financing in the securitization markets, and I believe Ellington Financial is well positioned for continued portfolio and earnings growth over the remainder of the year."

Financial Results

Investment Portfolio Summary

Our investment portfolio generated net income attributable to common stockholders of $69.1 million, consisting of $68.0 million from the credit strategy and $1.1 million from the Agency strategy.

Credit Performance

Our total long credit portfolio, excluding non-retained tranches of consolidated securitization trusts, decreased to $2.73 billion as of June 30, 2024, from $2.80 billion as of March 31, 2024. The decline was driven by the cumulative impact of a non-QM securitization completed during the second quarter and net sales of non-Agency and retained non-QM RMBS, and non-QM loans, which more than offset net purchases of commercial mortgage bridge loans, home equity lines of credit, or "HELOCs," closed-end second lien loans, re-performing and non-performing residential mortgage loans, CMBS, and CLOs.

Strong net interest income5 and net gains from non-QM loans, retained non-QM RMBS, non-Agency RMBS, and commercial mortgage loans drove the positive results in our credit strategy in the second quarter. We also benefited from mark-to-market gains on our equity investments in the loan originators LendSure and American Heritage Lending, which reflected strong performance at those originators driven by increased origination volumes and strong gain-on-sale margins. With interest rates slightly higher quarter over quarter, we also had net gains on our interest rate hedges. Offsetting a portion of all these gains was a modest net loss in re-performing and non-performing residential mortgage loans.

In our residential mortgage loan portfolio, after excluding the impacts of the purchase of one non-performing loan portfolio and the consolidation of another non-performing loan portfolio, our percentage of delinquent loans increased only slightly quarter over quarter. In our commercial mortgage loan portfolio (including loans accounted for as equity method investments) the delinquency percentage ticked down sequentially. Both of these portfolios continue to experience low levels of realized credit losses and strong overall credit performance, though we are monitoring developments closely and diligently working out a handful of non-performing commercial mortgage assets.

The net interest margin6 on our credit portfolio decreased quarter over quarter, to 2.76% from 2.86%. We continued to benefit from positive carry on our interest rate swap hedges, where we overall receive a higher floating rate and pay a lower fixed rate.

Agency Performance

Our total long Agency RMBS portfolio decreased by 31% quarter over quarter to $457.7 million, driven primarily by net sales.

In April, interest rates and volatility increased over renewed concerns about inflation and a more hawkish Federal Reserve, which pushed Agency RMBS yield spreads wider. In May and June, however, interest rates and volatility generally declined, and Agency RMBS yield spreads reversed most of their April widening. Overall for the second quarter, the U.S. Agency MBS Index generated a negative excess return of (0.08)%. Nevertheless, our Agency RMBS strategy generated positive results for the quarter, as net gains on interest rate hedges and net interest income exceeded net losses on Agency RMBS.

Average pay-ups on our specified pools increased modestly to 0.91% as of June 30, 2024, as compared to 0.89% as of March 31, 2024.

During the quarter, our Agency RMBS asset yields and our borrowing costs both declined, and we received a larger benefit from positive carry on our interest rate swap hedges, where we overall receive a higher floating rate and pay a lower fixed rate. As a result, the net interest margin6 on our Agency RMBS, excluding the Catch-up Amortization Adjustment, increased to 1.99% from 1.50% quarter over quarter.

Longbridge Summary

Our Longbridge segment generated net income attributable to common stockholders of $4.2 million for the second quarter, driven by net interest income and net gains on proprietary reverse mortgage loans, along with positive results from servicing. In HECM originations, higher volumes were mostly offset by a decline in gain-on-sale margins, driven by wider yield spreads on newly originated HMBS. In servicing, tighter yield spreads on more seasoned HMBS led to improved execution on tail securitizations, which contributed to the positive results from servicing.

Our Longbridge portfolio, excluding non-retained tranches of a consolidated securitization trust, increased by 18% sequentially to $520.8 million as of June 30, 2024, driven primarily by proprietary reverse mortgage loan originations.

Corporate/Other Summary

In addition to expenses not allocated to either the investment portfolio or Longbridge segments, our results for the quarter also reflect a net gain, driven by the increase in interest rates, on our senior notes. This gain was partially offset by a net loss, also driven by the increase in interest rates, on the fixed receiver interest rate swaps that we use to hedge the fixed payments on both our unsecured long-term debt and our preferred equity.

1 Includes $(21.0) million of preferred dividends accrued and certain corporate/other income and expense items not attributed to either the investment portfolio or Longbridge segments.

2 Adjusted Distributable Earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure. See "Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted Distributable Earnings" below for an explanation regarding the calculation of Adjusted Distributable Earnings.

3 Excludes U.S. Treasury securities and repo borrowings at certain unconsolidated entities that are recourse to us. Including such borrowings, our debt-to-equity ratio, adjusted for unsettled purchases and sales, based on total recourse borrowings was 1.9:1 as of June 30, 2024.

4 Excludes U.S. Treasury securities and repo borrowings at certain unconsolidated entities.

5 Excludes any interest income and interest expense items from interest rate hedges, net credit hedges and other activities, net.

6 Net interest margin represents the weighted average asset yield less the weighted average secured financing cost of funds on such assets. It also includes the effect of actual and accrued periodic payments on interest rate swaps used to hedge the assets.

Credit Portfolio(1)

The following table summarizes our credit portfolio holdings as of June 30, 2024 and March 31, 2024:

Agency RMBS Portfolio

The following table(1) summarizes our Agency RMBS portfolio holdings as of June 30, 2024 and March 31, 2024:

Longbridge Portfolio

Longbridge originates reverse mortgage loans, including home equity conversion mortgage loans, or "HECMs," which are insured by the FHA and which are eligible for inclusion in GNMA-guaranteed HECM-backed MBS, or "HMBS." Upon securitization, the HECMs remain on our balance sheet under GAAP, and Longbridge retains the mortgage servicing rights associated with the HMBS, or the "HMBS MSR Equivalent." Longbridge also originates "proprietary reverse mortgage loans," which are not insured by the FHA, and Longbridge has typically retained the associated MSRs. We have securitized some of the proprietary reverse mortgage loans originated by Longbridge, and we have retained certain of the securitization tranches in compliance with credit risk retention rules. The following table(1) summarizes loan-related assets in the Longbridge segment as of June 30, 2024 and March 31, 2024:

The following table summarizes Longbridge's origination volumes by channel for the three-month periods ended June 30, 2024 and March 31, 2024:

Financing

Our recourse debt-to-equity ratio3, adjusted for unsettled purchases and sales, decreased to 1.6:1 at June 30, 2024from 1.8:1 at March 31, 2024. The decline was primarily driven by the completion of a non-QM securitization in the second quarter, a decline in borrowings on our smaller Agency RMBS portfolio, and an increase in shareholders' equity. Our overall debt-to-equity ratio4, adjusted for unsettled purchases and sales, also decreased during the quarter, to 8.2:1 as of June 30, 2024, as compared to 8.3:1 as of March 31, 2024.

The following table summarizes our outstanding borrowings and debt-to-equity ratios as of June 30, 2024 and March 31, 2024:

The following table summarizes our operating results by strategy for the three-month period ended June 30, 2024:

The following table summarizes our operating results by strategy for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024:

About Ellington Financial

Ellington Financial invests in a diverse array of financial assets, including residential and commercial mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities, reverse mortgage loans, mortgage servicing rights and related investments, consumer loans, asset-backed securities, collateralized loan obligations, non-mortgage and mortgage-related derivatives, debt and equity investments in loan origination companies, and other strategic investments. Ellington Financial is externally managed and advised by Ellington Financial Management LLC, an affiliate of Ellington Management Group, L.L.C.

Conference Call

We will host a conference call at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, to discuss our financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2024. To participate in the event by telephone, please dial (800) 579-2543 at least 10 minutes prior to the start time and reference the conference ID EFCQ224. International callers should dial (785) 424-1789 and reference the same conference ID. The conference call will also be webcast live over the Internet and can be accessed via the "For Investors" section of our web site at www.ellingtonfinancial.com. To listen to the live webcast, please visit www.ellingtonfinancial.com at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call to register, download, and install necessary audio software. In connection with the release of these financial results, we also posted an investor presentation, that will accompany the conference call, on our website at www.ellingtonfinancial.com under "For Investors—Presentations."

A dial-in replay of the conference call will be available on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, at approximately 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time through Wednesday, August 14, 2024 at approximately 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. To access this replay, please dial (800) 695-0974. International callers should dial (402) 220-1459. A replay of the conference call will also be archived on our web site at www.ellingtonfinancial.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ from our beliefs, expectations, estimates, and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Forward-looking statements are not historical in nature and can be identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "would," "could," "goal," "objective," "will," "may," "seek" or similar expressions or their negative forms, or by references to strategy, plans, or intentions. Forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future operations, business strategies, performance, financial condition, liquidity and prospects, taking into account 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. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and strategies may vary materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements. The following factors are examples of those that could cause actual results to vary from our forward-looking statements: changes in interest rates and the market value of our investments, market volatility, changes in mortgage default rates and prepayment rates, our ability to borrow to finance our assets, changes in government regulations affecting our business, our ability to maintain our exclusion from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, our ability to maintain our qualification as a real estate investment trust, or "REIT," and other changes in market conditions and economic trends, such as changes to fiscal or monetary policy, heightened inflation, slower growth or recession, and currency fluctuations. Furthermore, forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, among other things, those described under Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which can be accessed through our website at www.ellingtonfinancial.com or at the SEC's website (www.sec.gov). Other risks, uncertainties, and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected may be described from time to time in reports we file with the SEC, including reports on Forms 10-Q, 10-K and 8-K. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted Distributable Earnings

We calculate Adjusted Distributable Earnings as U.S. GAAP net income (loss) as adjusted for: (i) realized and unrealized gain (loss) on securities and loans, REO, mortgage servicing rights, financial derivatives (excluding periodic settlements on interest rate swaps), any borrowings carried at fair value, and foreign currency transactions; (ii) incentive fee to affiliate; (iii) Catch-up Amortization Adjustment (as defined below); (iv) non-cash equity compensation expense; (v) provision for income taxes; (vi) certain non-capitalized transaction costs; and (vii) other income or loss items that are of a non-recurring nature. For certain investments in unconsolidated entities, we include the relevant components of net operating income in Adjusted Distributable Earnings. The Catch-up Amortization Adjustment is a quarterly adjustment to premium amortization or discount accretion triggered by changes in actual and projected prepayments on our Agency RMBS (accompanied by a corresponding offsetting adjustment to realized and unrealized gains and losses). The adjustment is calculated as of the beginning of each quarter based on our then-current assumptions about cashflows and prepayments, and can vary significantly from quarter to quarter. Non-capitalized transaction costs include expenses, generally professional fees, incurred in connection with the acquisition of an investment or issuance of long-term debt. For the contribution to Adjusted Distributable Earnings from Longbridge, we adjust Longbridge's contribution to our net income in a similar manner, but we include in Adjusted Distributable Earnings certain realized and unrealized gains (losses) from Longbridge's origination business ("gain-on-sale income").

Adjusted Distributable Earnings is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure. We believe that the presentation of Adjusted Distributable Earnings provides information useful to investors, because: (i) we believe that it is a useful indicator of both current and projected long-term financial performance, in that it excludes the impact of certain current-period earnings components that we believe are less useful in forecasting long-term performance and dividend-paying ability; (ii) we use it to evaluate the effective net yield provided by our investment portfolio, after the effects of financial leverage and by Longbridge, to reflect the earnings from its reverse mortgage origination and servicing operations; and (iii) we believe that presenting Adjusted Distributable Earnings assists investors in measuring and evaluating our operating performance, and comparing our operating performance to that of our residential mortgage REIT and mortgage originator peers. Please note, however, that: (I) our calculation of Adjusted Distributable Earnings may differ from the calculation of similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures by our peers, with the result that these non-GAAP financial measures might not be directly comparable; and (II) Adjusted Distributable Earnings excludes certain items that may impact the amount of cash that is actually available for distribution.

In addition, because Adjusted Distributable Earnings is an incomplete measure of our financial results and differs from net income (loss) computed in accordance with U.S. GAAP, it should be considered supplementary to, and not as a substitute for, net income (loss) computed in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Furthermore, Adjusted Distributable Earnings is different from REIT taxable income. As a result, the determination of whether we have met the requirement to distribute at least 90% of our annual REIT taxable income (subject to certain adjustments) to our stockholders, in order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, is not based on whether we distributed 90% of our Adjusted Distributable Earnings.

In setting our dividends, our Board of Directors considers our earnings, liquidity, financial condition, REIT distribution requirements, and financial covenants, along with other factors that the Board of Directors may deem relevant from time to time.

The following table reconciles, for the three-month periods ended June 30, 2024 and March 31, 2024, our Adjusted Distributable Earnings to the line on our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations entitled Net Income (Loss), which we believe is the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure:

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