Friday, March 02, 2007

Watch NEW on Monday

From their SEC filing this evening:


Cautionary Statements Regarding Restatement, Fourth Quarter Loss and Late Filing of 2006 Form 10-K

The Company currently relies on its 15 short-term repurchase agreements and aggregation credit facilities and an asset-backed commercial paper facility that collectively provide the Company with an aggregate of approximately $13.0 billion of committed and $4.4 billion of uncommitted borrowing capacity to fund mortgage loan originations and purchases pending the pooling and sale of such mortgage loans.

These financing arrangements generally require the Company to deliver timely financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles to its lenders. Because of the previously announced restatement, the Company obtained written waivers from its various lenders with respect to compliance with this delivery requirement through March 15, 2007. If, as may occur, the Company does not file its restated financial statements for the quarters ended March 31, June 30 and September 30, 2006 and the 2006 Form 10-K on or before March 15, 2007, the Company will seek to obtain additional written waivers from its various lenders with respect to this delivery requirement.

In addition, 11 of the Company’s 16 financing arrangements require it to report at least $1 of net income for any rolling two-quarter period. The Company expects that it will not meet this requirement for the two-quarter period ended December 31, 2006. As a result, the Company is seeking to obtain waivers with respect to this covenant.

To date, six of the Company’s 11 financing arrangements whose agreements contain this rolling two-quarter net income covenant have executed waivers. Certain of these waivers will become effective when the Company receives similar waivers from each of the other lenders having the rolling two-quarter net income covenant.

In addition, where applicable, the Company is seeking amendments to its financing arrangements to modify this rolling two-quarter net income covenant for the remainder of 2007. Although there can be no assurance that the Company will receive these amendments and waivers from all of its lenders, the Company is in active dialogue with these lenders and has made progress in this regard.

In the event the Company is unable to obtain satisfactory amendments to and/or waivers of the covenants in its financing arrangements from a sufficient number of its lenders, or obtain alternative funding sources, KPMG has informed the Audit Committee that its report on the Company’s financial statements will include an explanatory paragraph indicating that substantial doubt exists as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.


Cautionary Statements Regarding Litigation and Inquiries

In a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 21, 2007, the Company reported that it had been served with a complaint for a purported securities class action and was aware of nine additional purported class action lawsuits that had been filed against it and certain of its officers and directors alleging certain violations of federal securities laws.

Since that time, the Company has become aware of four related derivative complaints against certain of its directors and officers, making essentially the same allegations as the federal securities cases relating to the Company’s restatements. The Company believes that the derivative cases have been or will be filed in Orange County Superior Court. The Company anticipates that similar actions may be filed in the future and does not undertake, and expressly disclaims, any obligation to update this disclosure for any similar or related claims that may be made in this regard. The Company intends to review the allegations in these complaints and respond appropriately.

The staff of the SEC has requested a meeting with the Company to discuss the events leading up to the announcement of the restatements and the Company intends to comply with the SEC’s request.

On February 22, 2007, the Company received a letter dated February 21, 2007 from the NYSE Regulation Inc. indicating that its Market Trading Analysis Department is reviewing transactions in the Company’s securities prior to the February 7, 2007 announcement of the restatement process and that the Company expected a loss in the fourth quarter of 2006. In that regard, the letter requested certain information from the Company, which the Company has agreed to provide.

On February 28, 2007, the Company received a letter from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California (the “U.S Attorney’s Office”) indicating that it was conducting a criminal inquiry under the federal securities laws in connection with trading in the Company’s securities, as well as accounting errors regarding the Company’s allowance for repurchase losses. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is requesting voluntary assistance by the Company, which the Company has agreed to provide.

14 comments:

Jim in San Marcos said...

If you click on the SEC link, and read. The following quote says it all

In the event the Company is unable to obtain satisfactory amendments to and/or waivers of the covenants in its financing arrangements from a sufficient number of its lenders, or obtain alternative funding sources, KPMG has informed the Audit Committee that its report on the Company’s financial statements will include an explanatory paragraph indicating that substantial doubt exists as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Anonymous said...

With 25 down and more to come, who is on the other side of these losses and how are they managing it?

Bakersfield Bubble said...

"substantial doubt exists as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern."

I worked as a CPA and issued a few of these when I worked as auditor. Once the "going concern opinion" is issued the company is toast. They are sent to the NASADQ bulletin boards with all the other sham stocks.

Perfect Storm said...

With all the liar loan mortgage companies biting the dust the line for applications at the local strip bars is getting longer.

Anonymous said...

It's gonna get scary.

Jim in San Marcos said...

Bakersfield is right they will be going to the pink sheets on the Nasdaq. There is a reason they call the 10k report a "Red Herring." This is a good example!

Perfect Storm said...

To answer one poster's question re: which sub-primers will make it, I would say: New Century (public), Equifirst (Barclays), Option One (HR Block), Decision One (HSBC), First Franklin (Merril Lynch), Encore (Bear Stearns), and Countrywide (Public, soon BofA??) will all make it, plus a few more.

This is what one poster said on Feb 22 2007.

NEW is toast and at least half of these guys will be gone in a couple of months.

Bakersfield Bubble said...

Perfect Storm-

Good find!

Bakersfield Bubble said...

"who is on the other side of these losses"

Merrill, Goldman, Citi, etc...?



"how are they managing it?"

They are shoving the debt back at the orginiators and they are choking on it!

Bakersfield Bubble said...

Dont forget FMT's blowup:

In light of the current operating environment for subprime mortgage lenders and recent legislative and regulatory events, Fremont Investment & Loan, the Company's wholly owned industrial bank subsidiary ("FIL"), intends to exit its subprime residential real estate lending business. Management and the board of directors are engaged in discussions with various parties regarding the sale of the business.

Additionally, the Company expects that it, FIL and the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Fremont General Credit Corporation ("FGCC"), will enter into a voluntary formal agreement, to be designated as a cease and desist order (the "Order"), with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the "FDIC"). Among other things, the Order will require FIL to cease and desist from the following:


http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/38984/000003898407000003/form12b25.txt

Bakersfield Bubble said...

LEND and IMH also delayed made announcements

Perfect Storm said...

dr. busty

Come on brainiac, WMC is owned by GE but couldn't make payroll this month? Give me a break, your source (if you even had one) is incorrect. WMC employees got paid today.

This poster had this to say on Feb 23 2007.

If you think GE would give one single penny from its other operations to save WMC you must be the biggest idiot on earth. GE will discard WMC as the trash it is and all you loan officers will be on the streets trying to loan for food. I am stunned that you think you have any worth to this society. Don't you understand that a loan officer is two steps lower than a carnival barker. At least a carnival barker is entertaining.

Perfect Storm said...

dr. busty

Come on brainiac, WMC is owned by GE but couldn't make payroll this month? Give me a break, your source (if you even had one) is incorrect. WMC employees got paid today.

This poster had this to say on Feb 23 2007.

If you think GE would give one single penny from its other operations to save WMC you must be the biggest idiot on earth. GE will discard WMC as the trash it is and all you loan officers will be on the streets trying to loan for food. I am stunned that you think you have any worth to this society. Don't you understand that a loan officer is two steps lower than a carnival barker. At least a carnival barker is entertaining.

Anonymous said...

Wow Perfect Storm, you're so smart. Considering that WMC doesn't have a retail division, and therefore doesn't employ loan officers, you're reply is outstanding. Good work, but go back to the carnival. Sounds like you know more about that then the mortgage industry.