Latest news with #DavidSpector
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Scientists discover new cause of aggressive cancer in young people... and a possible treatment
A little-known molecule in the body may be the key to treating aggressive cancer that often strikes young people, a study suggests. Researchers in New York reviewed records from 11,000 cancer patients to evaluate long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a type of RNA molecule that helps regulate gene behavior and distinguish healthy from non-healthy cells. While studying human breast tumor models, they found a specific type of lncRNA called LINC01235, which has previously been linked to stomach cancer, may be feeding breast cancer cells. The team tested their hypothesis using gene editing to 'turn off' LINC01235 in cells from triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive form of the disease that's resistant to standard hormonal treatments. They found cancer cells without LINC01235 grew more slowly and were worse at forming tumors than those with the activated molecule. The experts, from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, believe LINC01235 activates another gene called NFIB, which has been shown to increase the risk of triple-negative breast cancer. NFIB then controls how cells grow and develop, leading to them becoming cancer cells. By turning off the molecule (LINC01235) that encourages the TNBC-linked gene (NFIB) to proliferate, researchers believe it could inhibit tumor growth and spread. Study researcher David Spector believes the findings could also lead to new treatments for triple-negative breast cancer, which accounts for 10 to 15 percent of breast cancer diagnoses and disproportionately is diagnosed in young women. He said: 'Our long-term goal is to try to find an lncRNA or multiple lncRNAs that may eventually be therapeutic targets.' Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, affecting 316,000 per year and killing 42,000 in the US. About to 10 to 15 percent of breast cancers are triple-negative, adding up to as many as 47,000 cases and 6,300 deaths. Triple-negative means cancer cells don't have receptors that respond to the hormones estrogen and progesterone and the protein HER-2. Without these receptors, triple-negative breast cancers don't respond to treatments that target those hormones, making them harder to treat. Though the survival rate is over 90 percent if caught in earlier stages, those figures drop as low as 15 percent when the disease spreads to lymph nodes and other organs. It's most common in Black women and those under 40 and is one of the many forms of the disease on the rise, along with colon and lung cancers. In the new study, published in Molecular Cancer Research, tumor samples were taken from breast cancer patients in New York and used to make organoids, small models of tumors. They were then compared to healthy tissue samples. The researchers found breast cancer tumors had significantly higher expressions of LINC01235 than healthy tissue. LINC01235 was then deactivated with CRISPR, a type of gene editing that has mostly been tested in head, neck, gastrointestinal and brain cancers. Since tumor growth slowed when researchers deactivated LINC01235, the team suspected the molecule increases the growth of breast cancer cells. They suspected LINC01235 activates the gene NFIB, which has most often been tied to triple-negative breast cancer compared to other forms of breast cancer. It's believed NFIB suppresses the expression of p21, a protein that inhibits cell growth. With this protein suppressed, cancer cells can grow unchecked. Lead researcher Wenbo Xu, a graduate student at Stony Brook University, said: 'Our findings demonstrate that LINC01235 positively regulates NFIB transcription.' The team said the findings could be the first step in developing CRISPR technology to treat triple-negative breast cancer.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PMT Q1 Deep Dive: Interest Rate Volatility Pressures Results, Securitization Focus Intensifies
Mortgage REIT PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust (NYSE:PMT) fell short of the market's revenue expectations in Q1 CY2025, with sales falling 40.1% year on year to $44.47 million. Its non-GAAP loss of $0.01 per share was significantly below analysts' consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy PMT? Find out in our full research report (it's free). Revenue: $44.47 million Adjusted EPS: -$0.01 vs analyst estimates of $0.39 (significant miss) Market Capitalization: $1.09 billion PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust's first quarter was marked by significant challenges stemming from interest rate volatility and widening credit spreads, resulting in a non-GAAP net loss and revenue that fell short of Wall Street expectations. Management cited that fair value declines, particularly on mortgage servicing rights (MSRs), were a primary headwind, even as income from core operations remained stable. CEO David Spector noted, 'Strong levels of income, excluding market driven value changes, were offset by net fair value declines due to interest rate volatility and credit spread widening.' The team emphasized that risk management practices, including hedging and unique financing structures, helped limit further downside in a turbulent market. Looking ahead, management remains focused on leveraging its private-label securitization platform and expanding credit-sensitive investments as the mortgage market adapts to ongoing rate fluctuations. CEO David Spector highlighted anticipated growth opportunities from increased non-owner-occupied and jumbo loan volumes, stating, 'The increased volume of non-owner-occupied and jumbo loans underscores the potential for future investments.' While the yield curve's shape continues to influence returns, management expects stability in the dividend and sees disciplined capital allocation into higher-yielding strategies as key to navigating industry uncertainty. Management pointed to several factors shaping the quarter, with a pronounced focus on risk management, portfolio mix, and the dynamics of the mortgage origination landscape. Interest Rate Volatility Impact: The quarter's results were pressured by fair value declines on MSR assets, which management attributed to falling mortgage rates and revised prepayment assumptions. This was partially offset by gains in mortgage-backed securities (MBS), but the overall environment remained challenging for interest rate-sensitive strategies. Credit-Sensitive Strategy Growth: PMT increased its focus on credit-sensitive strategies, particularly through retaining subordinate bonds in private-label securitizations. Management emphasized that recent credit spread widening has raised potential returns on these investments, with expected yields in the mid-teens. Securitization Activity: The company completed three securitizations of investor loans totaling $1 billion in unpaid principal balance, retaining $94 million in new investments. Management plans to maintain a cadence of approximately one non-owner-occupied securitization per month and one jumbo loan securitization per quarter going forward. Stable Underlying Credit Quality: Despite market turbulence, management noted that delinquency rates on underlying mortgages remain low, supported by high borrower equity and strong consumer credit profiles. The seasoned nature of the portfolio, with many loans originated during low-rate periods, further underpins stability. Dividend Policy and Capital Structure: CFO Dan Perotti reaffirmed the company's commitment to dividend stability, explaining that the run rate decline reflects yield curve dynamics rather than credit deterioration. He also highlighted the advantages of PMT's non-mark-to-market financing, which shields the company from forced asset sales during periods of spread widening. Management's outlook emphasizes disciplined capital allocation into credit-sensitive strategies and a sustained focus on private-label securitization as drivers of returns amid ongoing market volatility. Shift Toward Credit Investments: The company intends to direct more capital toward credit-sensitive strategies, capitalizing on higher yields from subordinate bonds in private-label securitizations as credit spreads remain wide. Management believes this approach will enhance return potential in a market where traditional interest rate-sensitive investments face pressure. Origination and Securitization Pipeline: Anticipated growth in non-owner-occupied and jumbo loan volumes is expected to feed a robust pipeline for future securitizations. Management plans to maintain a steady pace of new securitizations, leveraging its origination platform for consistent investment opportunities. Dividend Stability and Yield Curve Dynamics: While run rate earnings have declined due to a flatter yield curve, management expects the dividend to remain stable. Any steepening of the yield curve or decline in short-term rates could improve returns on interest rate-sensitive assets, providing upside to earnings if market conditions shift. In the coming quarters, our analysts will monitor (1) the pace and profitability of new private-label securitizations, (2) the impact of yield curve movements on both credit and interest rate-sensitive strategies, and (3) trends in mortgage origination volumes, especially for non-owner-occupied and jumbo loans. Execution on capital allocation and dividend stability will remain key indicators of management's ability to deliver risk-adjusted returns. PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust currently trades at $12.58, down from $13.14 just before the earnings. Is the company at an inflection point that warrants a buy or sell? The answer lies in our full research report (it's free). The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump's presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we're homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver's seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 6 Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.
Fox News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Children's YouTube star 'Ms. Rachel' talks to anti-Israel reporter about Gaza posts
Print Close By David Spector Published May 13, 2025 Children's YouTube star "Ms. Rachel" appeared on anti-Israel journalist Mehdi Hasan's Zeteo news Monday to explain why she has been so outspoken about Israel's war against Hamas. Rachel Griffin Accurso, who goes by "Ms. Rachel" on her popular YouTube channel, which has 14.7 million subscribers, has shared several posts about the war's effects on Palestinian children. "Over 14,000 precious children have been un-alived in Gaza. Gaza has the largest number of child amputees in history. We can't be silent about these kinds of conditions for children," Accurso posted to her TikTok channel in Dec. 2024, echoing the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry's casualty statistics. UN REVISES GAZA DEATH TOLL, ALMOST 50% LESS WOMEN AND CHILDREN KILLED THAN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED Last month, the Hamas-controlled agency's numbers were revised down by thousands and an analysis of those numbers found that 72% of those killed between the ages of 13 and 55 were males. "As a teacher, you care about all kids. And I think with so many years of teaching, you just see them all as so similar. They all love to laugh, and they love to learn, and they love to play, and they deserve to play," Accurso told Hasan, who previously worked for Qatar-funded Al Jazeera and MSNBC. Hasan has been a harsh critic of the Jewish State, accusing the IDF of killing "hungry people" and comparing it to the regimes of Russia's Vladimir Putin and ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. In 2021, Hasan rushed to defend Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who suggested the U.S. and Israel were just as guilty of "war crimes" as terrorist groups like Hamas and the Taliban. He also defended Omar after allegations of antisemitic rhetoric online in 2019. CONSERVATIVE PARENTS CALL TO BOYCOTT 'MS. RACHEL' OVER LATEST PRIDE MONTH VIDEO: 'KIDS LOOK UP TO' HER Critics have asserted that the "Songs for Littles" crooner is not merely speaking out for vulnerable children, but is in fact trying to indoctrinate kids into a far-left, anti-Israel ideology. Accurso allegedly did not immediately speak out against Hamas' horrific Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, which saw 38 children killed, seven of whom were between zero and six years old, and 42 children taken hostage. Instead, she waited until after Israel began its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip 12 days later to issue a statement, according to a column in the New York Post. FUNERAL HELD FOR SHIRI BIBAS AND HER SONS AFTER THEIR REMAINS HANDED OVER BY HAMAS "Her increasingly politicized online presence should concern parents. Ms. Rachel has a moral compass — but it only points leftward," New York Post columnist Bethany Mandel wrote. The group StopAntisemitism last month urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to open an investigation into Accurso to probe whether she is being paid to spread Hamas propaganda, the New York Post also reported. Ms. Rachel denied the accusations as "absurd" and "completely false," in a statement to Fox News Digital. "It's sad that someone would take compassion for children suffering immeasurably and try to make it controversial. All of my work grows from my care for all children and wanting them to have everything they need to grow and thrive. They can't do that if they are denied food, safety, medical care or the love and care of their families. In a time of so much division, the more we can see the humanity of people who are different from us, the better," she told Fox News Digital. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Accurso defended her advocacy for children impacted by the war in Gaza to Hasan, saying that as a mother herself, she couldn't stay silent. "It's sad that people try to make it controversial when you speak out for children that are facing immeasurable suffering. I think it should be controversial to not say anything," Accurso said. "The idea that caring for a group of children in an emergency situation means you don't care about other children is false." Print Close URL
Fox News
04-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Trump blasts 'dishonest interview' during contentious debate on tariffs
Print Close By David Spector Published May 04, 2025 President Donald Trump and "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker sparred over tariffs and the economy Sunday, with the president blasting the "dishonest interview" to the host's face. "This is such a dishonest interview already. Prices are down on groceries. Prices are down for oil prices are down for oil. Energy prices are down at tremendous numbers for gasoline," Trump said when pressed on his tariff policies. When pressed by Welker about rising costs on items such as tires and strollers, he dismissed price increases on such goods as "peanuts compared to energy," which the president claimed his policies have made cheaper. Gas prices hit their peak during Biden's sole term in office at an average of $5.06 per gallon in June 2022, the highest on record. The price of gas has steadily dropped since then, and the average national price of gas today is roughly $3.16 a gallon, according to AAA. VANCE BREAKS KEY TIE AFTER SENATE FAILS TO REJECT TRUMP'S NATIONAL EMERGENCY ON TARIFFS "Strollers are going up. What kind of a thing? I'm saying that gasoline is going down. Gasoline is thousands of times more important than a stroller or something," Trump said. Trump made headlines during his cabinet meeting on Wednesday when he remarked that "maybe children will have two dolls instead of thirty dolls, and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more" as a result of his tariff policies. He denied the tariffs would result in empty store shelves, but did acknowledge that some Americans may need to cut down on their purchases. "The don't need to have 250 pencils, they can have five… I'm basically saying we don't have to waste money on a trade deficit with China for things we don't need, for junk that we don't need." LIBERATION DAY AND TRUMP TARIFFS ARE NOT THE END OF TRADE. IT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING Trump announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs on virtually every country America does business with on April 2, on what he refers to as "Liberation Day," in addition to a 10% global tariff. The levies applied to friend and foe alike, with Vietnam being slapped with a 46% tariff and Israel receiving 17% tariffs on goods exported to the United States. Trump swiftly reversed course a few days later in the face of a stock market nosedive and bond market worries, pausing the reciprocal tariffs. He maintained the 10% global tariff as well as a 145% tariff on Chinese goods, however. Mexico and Canada are facing separate 25% tariffs related to the fentanyl crisis. Trump maintained that his tariffs would "make us rich" and that the country was already profiting from them. He said that Americans were already feeling economic relief due to declining mortgage rates and energy prices. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE "Mortgage rates are going down, despite the fact that we have a stubborn fed… I can tell you that we're making a lot of money. We're doing great. Again, we're losing more than $5 billion a day, $5 billion a day. You don't talk about that. And right now we're going to be at a point very soon where we're making money every day," Trump said. Trump shot down Welker's claim, saying that Wall Street insiders were worried about a recession, and said he has spoken to many on Wall Street who are saying that his tariffs will be a boon for the economy. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Print Close URL
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Q4 2024 PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust Earnings Call
David Spector; Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer; PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust Daniel Perotti; Chief Financial Officer, Senior Managing Director; PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust Bose George; Analyst; KBW Matthew Erdner; Analyst; Jones Trading Trevor Cranston; Analyst; Citizens JMP Jake Katsikas; Analyst; BTIG Douglas Harter; Analyst; UBS Operator Good afternoon, and welcome to PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 earnings call. Additional earnings materials, including the presentation slides that will be referred to in this call are available on PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust website at Before we begin, let me remind you that this call may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks identified on slide 2 of the earnings presentation that could cause the company's actual results to differ materially, as well as non-GAAP measures that have filed their GAAP equivalent to the earnings materials. Now, I'd like to introduce David Spector PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; and Dan Perotti, PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust's Chief Financial Officer. You may begin. David Spector Thank you, operator. PMT produced very strong results in the fourth quarter, generating a 10% return on equity, driven by strong levels of income, excluding market-driven value changes and excellent performance across all three investment strategies. Net income to common shareholders was $36 million or diluted earnings per share of $0.41, and PMT declared a fourth quarter common dividend of $0.40 per share. Book value per share at year-end was $15.87, up from the end of the prior quarter. Importantly, the fourth quarter marked a return to the organic creation of credit investments for PMT, which I will expand on later. Turning to slide 4, for the full year, PMT produced a return on common equity of 8% with $119 million of net income attributable to common shareholders and income contributions from all three investment strategies. 2024 was a year characterized by significant interest rate volatility as evidenced by the yield on the 10-year treasury, which range from 3.6% to 4.7%. Even with this volatility, our dividend remained consistent and book value per share was stable throughout the year as the active hedging of mortgage servicing rights offset the majority of fair value changes in the interest rate-sensitive strategies. Also, during 2024, we worked on multiple facets of the business to reposition PMT's balance sheet for success in a higher interest rate environment. This included the opportunistic sale of certain investments as credit spreads tightened, a major re-balance of our agency MBS portfolio, and the issuance of $1.3 billion in term debt to address and extend upcoming maturities, generally a tighter financing spreads. We also renewed PMT's mortgage banking agreement with our manager, an industry leader, PFSI, solidify this unique synergistic partnership between the two companies for another half a decade. All of these activities position PMT with a very strong foundation as we enter 2025. Turning to the origination market, current third-party estimates for total originations in 2025 averaged $2 trillion, reflecting growth in overall volumes. Though mortgage rates are back up into the 7% range, we believe ongoing volatility in rates will present opportunities in the origination market from time to time. PMT's stable performance in recent periods of heightened volatility highlights the strength of the fundamentals underlying its long-term mortgage assets and our expertise managing mortgage-related investments in its changing environment. Turning to slide 6, a key competitive advantage throughout PMT's history has been the ability to organically create MSR and credit investments from its own production volumes. We believe that our position as the producer of the underlying loans is a competitive advantage, providing us with an ability to review and diligence the loans selected for securitization and subsequent investment. Additionally, as the servicer of the underlying loans, we are uniquely positioned with the ability to work directly with borrowers in times of stress to minimize losses as evidenced by the strong historical performance of our unique investments in lender credit risk transfer. In recent periods, volume or pricing limits for the GSEs on certain type of loans, such as nonowner-occupied and second homes, coupled with strong investor demand has driven increased private label securitizations of such loans. This development has created a renewed opportunity for PMT to organically create credit investments from its own production. We leveraged the strength of our correspondent production franchise and securitization expertise to complete two securitizations of agency-eligible investor loans, where we retained $52 million of new investments in credit subordinate bonds. After quarter end, we completed a third securitization of investor loans and thus retain an additional $21 million of new investments in credit subordinate bonds. Return on equity for these investments is expected to be in the low to mid-teens. With a growing pipeline of loans available for private label securitization and a receptive market for these securities, we expect similar levels of activity well into 2025 with the potential for increased investment opportunities through securitization of other loan products such as jumbo loans as the origination market grows. Turning to slide 7, approximately two-thirds of PMT's shareholders' equity is currently invested in a seasoned portfolio of MSRs and the unique GSE lender risk share transactions we invested in from 2015 to 2020. As the majority of mortgages underlying these assets were originated during periods of very low interest rates, we continue to believe these investments will perform well over the foreseeable future as low expected prepayments have extended the expected lives of these assets. Additionally, delinquencies remain low due to the overall strength of the consumer as well as the substantial accumulation of home equity in recent years due to continued home price appreciation. MSR investments account for approximately half of PMT's deployed equity. The majority of the underlying mortgages of these MSRs remain far out of the money, and we expect the MSR asset to continue to producing stable cash flows over the extended period of time. MSR values also continue to benefit from the higher interest rate environment as the placement fee income PMT receives on custodial balances is closely tied to short-term interest rates. Similarly, mortgages underlying PMT's large investment in lender originated risk share have low delinquencies and a low weighted average current loan to valuation of below 50%. These characteristics are expected to support the performance of these assets over the long term, and we continue to expect that realized losses will be limited. Given our expectations for PMT to be a consistent issuer and investor in private label securitization alongside a seasoned portfolio of MSRs and CRT with strong underlying fundamentals, I am confident the company will continue to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns in 2025 and beyond. Now I'll turn it over to Dan, who will review the drivers of PMT's fourth-quarter financial performance and PMT's run rate return potential. Daniel Perotti Thank you, David. PMT earned $36 million in net income to common shareholders in the fourth quarter or $0.41 per diluted common share. The credit-sensitive strategies contributed $20 million in pretax income. The contribution from organically created CRT investments was $20 million, while the contribution from opportunistic investments in CAS and stacker bonds was offset by losses on non-agency subordinate MBS due to increasing interest rates and losses on other credit-sensitive strategies. As David mentioned, the outlook for our current investments in organically created CRT remains favorable, with a low underlying current weighted average loan-to-value ratio below 50% and a 60-day delinquency rate of 1.5%, both as of December 31. The interest rate sensitive strategies contributed pretax income of $25 million. Fair value increases on MSR investments were $184 million as the increase in mortgage rates drove a decrease in future prepayment projections. These fair value increases were offset by the combined impact of changes in the fair value of MBS, interest rate hedges and the related income tax effects. MBS fair value decreased by $140 million due to the increase in mortgage rates. Interest rate hedges decreased by $51 million. Income from correspondent production and gains on MSRs held in PMT's taxable REIT subsidiary were the primary driver of the $9 million tax expense. The fair value of PMT's MSR asset at the end of the quarter was $3.9 billion, up slightly from $3.8 billion at September 30, as fair value gains and newly originated MSR investments were slightly offset by runoff from prepayments. Delinquency rates for borrowers underlying PMT's MSR portfolio remain low, while servicing advances outstanding increased to $105 million from $71 million at September 30, due to seasonal property tax payments. No principal and interest advances are currently outstanding. Total correspondent loan acquisition volume was $28 billion in the fourth quarter, up 9% from the prior quarter, driven by the larger overall market. Correspondent loans acquired for PMT's account totaled $3.5 billion, down 41% from the prior quarter due to PMT retaining a smaller percentage of the conventional conforming correspondent loan production. PMT retained 19% of total conventional correspondent production in the fourth quarter, down from 42% in the third quarter. We expect this percentage to remain between 15% to 25% in the first quarter of 2025 as we continue pursuing investment opportunities in the private label securitization market. Income from PMT's Correspondent Production segment was up from last quarter, driven by increased demand for private label securitization and whole loan execution for investor loans during the quarter. The contribution of pretax income related to the strong execution of our private label securitizations in the quarter was approximately $9 million. Profitability in the segment in recent periods has also benefited from the release of liabilities related to representations and warranties provided at the time of securitization as the high volumes of loans produced from 2020 to 2022, that's the three-year window for violations with minimal repurchase related losses. The weighted average fulfillment fee rate was 18 basis points down from 19 basis points in the prior quarter. Under the renewed mortgage banking services agreement with PFSI, effective July 1, 2025, correspondent loans will initially be acquired by PFSI. However, PMT will retain the right to purchase up to 100% of nongovernment correspondent production from PFSI. In total, PMT reported $51 million of net income across its strategies, excluding market-driven value changes and the related tax impacts, up from $35 million in the prior quarter, driven primarily by decreased realization of MSR cash flows and correspondent production income. Looking ahead, slide 8 outlines the run rate return potential expected from PMT's investment strategies over the next four quarters. PMT's current run rate reflects a quarterly average of $0.37 per share, unchanged from the prior quarter. We see slightly increased return potential for the credit-sensitive strategies as short-term interest rates are expected to remain higher for longer. We also see improvement in the interest-sensitive strategy segment as the yield curve is steepened. The improvements in these segments were somewhat offset by a slightly decreased return potential in correspondent production, given the current expected margin environment. If the yield curve steepens further, we expect PMC's overall run rate would increase, closer to the $0.40 range, driven by higher overall yields in the interest rate-sensitive strategies. Turning to our capital position, we retired $43 million of CRT term notes that were due to mature in October, where the remaining assets were financed via repurchase agreement due to the size of the position. Also, we repaid in full $210 million of exchangeable senior notes that matured in November. Through 2025, we will continue to look for opportunities to raise additional debt capital to address the maturity of our exchangeable note in 2026, as well as to provide additional funding for potential expansion of our securitization efforts. We'll now open it up for questions. Operator? Operator (Operator Instructions) Bose George, KBW. Bose George So you mentioned if the yield curve steepens, that helps the run rate outlook. Again, does that matter if it's -- if we see a sell off on the long end, does that kind of get you there as well? Or do we need the Fed to cut a little bit? David Spector No, that's correct, Bose. If we see the long end go up, basically, if we see differentiation, the greater the spread between really truly short-term rates and longer-dated rates really improves the outlook for the interest rate sensitive strategies to the overall steepness of the curve there. And from that perspective or somewhat ambivalent around whether the longer end goes up, or the shorter end goes down. Bose George Great. And then in terms of your MSR hedge, is your strategy kind of similar at PMT versus PFS? Or is it sort of a tighter hedge here? Or just how would you characterize it? David Spector Generally speaking, we run a tighter hedge at PMT over time where we have run a tighter hedge from a hedge ratio perspective. The composition of the MSR portfolio in PMT versus PFSI is somewhat different at this point since PMT's MSR portfolio given that it has acquired fewer loans. More loans have been going to PFSI through the correspondent channel over the last few years than PMT has retained. It has a greater concentration of lower note rate loans, which are less -- have less sensitivity to interest rates changing and refinance. And also, PMT has less benefit on the other side from origination upticking because although it gets some of the recapture benefit due to its agreement with PFSI, if those loans are refinanced through PFSI, it only retains really a portion of the benefit, not the same amount of benefit that PFSI retains if it refinances its own loans. And so for those reasons because -- for those two reasons, we run generally a tighter hedge at PMT. But I think it's also important to note that the sensitivity at PMT of the MSR portfolio is also lower. Operator Matthew Erdner, Jones Trading. Matthew Erdner I'd like to touch on GSE reform and kind of how you guys are seeing it play out. And then kind of as a follow-up to it with the new FHFA director coming in, what are you guys expecting? And do you expect their footprint to just kind of shrink as a whole? David Spector Well, thank you, Matthew. Look, I think that it's still really early to really have a point of view on what the new FHFA director is going to do via the prior one. I can tell you, we've always had a good relationship with FHFA and the GSEs, and I'm excited to work with the new director. I think my general sense is it's going to be a little bit of a return to the way things were the last time we had this administration in place. I think as a pertinent GSE reform have a similar point of view, that it's still really early to say one way or another how it's going to play out. But I can tell you, since we started the company, number one, always managed to a range of outcomes. So we're very much prepared to operate in an environment where 90% of the production goes to the GSEs like we saw during the Obama administration. Or we see GPs increase or continue to increase, thus removing loans from the GSEs in the private label market. So that's what's really exciting about what's taking place in PMT. Because as we've seen guarantee fees go up, and we've seen credit spreads tighten, the ability to take investor loans and second home loans that we've historically delivered to the GSEs and securitize those has given us the ability to organically create investments for PMT at appropriate returns. And that's how this company was set up to operate. It just took a long time for private label securitization to come back. We're on pace to do a deal a quarter, and I expect that to continue into the future. But obviously, that's subject to things that we can't control. But I think that the investor loan securitization market is one that we're very excited about. Similarly, the organization is looking at other investments as well. Our jumbo loan originations between PFSI and PMT are on pace to be over $1 billion in the first quarter of this year. And a lot of those loans are being sold a long, but they're -- my plan is to do a securitization sometime in the first half of this year. And that will create an investment that has -- call it, low to mid-teens as well. And so as we continue to create investments in the low to mid-teens range, that's going to be very, very important for PMT in its ability to grow. And I'm really -- I've been excited about PMT in a very long time. I just think that we're in a very good position with the work that's been done over the last year and kind of repositioning the assets and the ability to do securitization to play a meaningful role in a market that we would see if the GSE footprint were to continue to shrink. Having said that, we can have status quo, and PMT will be fine. And I don't see guarantee fees decline. So I feel really good about where we're at and I'm generally -- not generally, I'm very bullish about what the opportunity set is for PMT. Operator Trevor Cranston, Citizens JMP. Trevor Cranston A bit of a follow-up to the previous comments on the credit opportunities. When you say on slide 6, you're on track for a securitization per month, can you clarify that specifically just related to investor loans? Or would that incorporate other products such as prime jumbo? And can you guys also maybe talk a little bit about kind of the product set and if there are other things you guys are thinking about for securitization beyond the investor loans and (inaudible)? David Spector Yes. Look, we did two investor loans, second one securitization in Q4. We closed our first one of the year today as a matter of fact. And so I feel really good about maintaining that pace of activity. Having said that, we're also looking, as I said, at jumbo loans, which is another asset class under the residential umbrella that I'm really encouraged about. As I mentioned, we'll do -- my plans to at least do at least one securitization in the first half of this year. I think we also just full disclosure, we PFSI is originating over $300 million a month of closed-end seconds. We've looked at securitizing those loans and retaining investment there. It doesn't quite achieve our return targets. And so there, it's not on the radar yet. I mean, it's not on the radar, obviously, but it's not something that I see as an opportunity in the first half of this year. And the only asset class, that we're starting to look at a little bit as non-QM, particularly the prime non-QM where we kind of are intrigued about the returns there, but there's a lot of work to be done there before we do anything in that market. But it's really -- it's a testament to the organization that in PMT, that they've built out this enterprise that can value and price and understand all of the different assets that they can invest in, and it's something that as we see more and more opportunities we're going to seize upon. As it pertains to agency loans in particular, I mean, look, obviously, if we see guarantee fees go up or low level price adjustments go up, or I don't -- if they don't like high balance loans and they want to put an LLPA on that, obviously, we're going to use our capabilities and our robust best execution engines to optimize for the best execution for PMT. Operator Eric Hagen, BTIG. Jake Katsikas You have Jake Katsikas on here for Eric. Can you guys share how much liquidity you currently have, including the room you have to borrow more against the MSRs? And what is your most readily available source of liquidity to draw upon as you get closer to the maturity of the unsecured? Daniel Perotti Sure. So if you look at the balance sheet in terms of the liquidity that we had, the direct liquidity that we had outstanding at the end of the quarter was about $430 million. In terms of our financing facilities, we have a few hundred million dollars also available to be able to draw against the current collateral that we have outstanding at the end of the quarter. As we're moving toward the maturity upcoming of -- or the maturity early next year in 2026 of the convertible, we are looking at opportunities as I mentioned in the prepared remarks to access the capital markets to potentially replace that that debt or replace portion of that debt. So we -- a couple of years back, had done a baby bond issuance, that's an area that we would look at, again, potentially accessing the convertible debt markets as we did last year is also something that's available to us. But as we move through 2025, we will actively be looking at opportunities to add us to the market to offset some of that or to replace some of that maturity that's upcoming next year. Operator Doug Harter, UBS. Douglas Harter I appreciate you giving us some details around the gain from the non-agency securitization. How should we think about the profitability of that business compared to the traditional conventional correspondent business? Daniel Perotti So the gains overall in the correspondent section in terms of the aggregation gains are generally a bit better or help influence the margin of the correspondent business upwards. However, we have been engaged in that business. And although not necessarily securitizing, selling those loans through whole loan channels for the past few or several quarters, and although that business has been building over time, it's not necessarily going to significantly impact upward versus our historical performance prior to this quarter, the overall margin in the correspondent channel. And I think if you look at our run rate sort of it reflects that. What we did see in this quarter was actually an improvement in the spreads at which those loans could execute over typical GSE execution. And that was true both in terms of whole loan as well as securitization. And so given that we have been aggregating over a period of time to be able to execute these deals that we've been doing on a month for the past three months that did have a benefit on our overall aggregation pipeline. That's what led to that improvement that we saw or that contribution that we saw to the correspondent channel in this quarter. But as you can see from our run rate, we don't necessarily expect that same level of contribution in each of the future quarters was a bit more specific to the tightening in that market that we saw in this quarter as we were aggregating. David Spector Doug, the really nice part of the investor loans in second homes is that right now, the securitization execution is really strong. But having said that, the bid for home loans is very deep. And many of those investors are holding the loans and not securitizing them. So there's is a pretty robust market away from securitization if you were to see an event in the private label markets that caused spreads to widen rather dramatically. And then finally, those loans are deliverable to the GSE. And so there is that third avenue. And so it's not like other private label product that we've seen in the past where it's solely reliant on securitization. There's multiple avenues and pads for that product to be delivered. Operator And we have no further questions at this time. I would like to turn it back to David Spector for closing remarks. David Spector Well, I want to thank everyone for joining us this afternoon. I want to encourage any of you with any additional questions to contact our Investor Relations team by an e-mail or phone, and they're available all every day. And I suppose if you want to follow up with me or Dan, please don't hesitate to reach out. Thank you all for joining. Bye-bye. Operator Thank you, presenters. And this concludes today's conference call. Thank you all for participating. You may now disconnect. Sign in to access your portfolio
