You should read the following discussion in conjunction with the unaudited consolidated interim financial statements, and related notes and the section entitled "Forward-Looking Statements" included herein.

Overview



Through our Structured Business, we invest in a diversified portfolio of
structured finance assets in the multifamily, SFR and commercial real estate
markets, primarily consisting of bridge and mezzanine loans, including junior
participating interests in first mortgages and preferred and direct equity. We
also invest in real estate-related joint ventures and may directly acquire real
property and invest in real estate-related notes and certain mortgage-related
securities.

Through our Agency Business, we originate, sell and service a range of
multifamily finance products through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae, FHA
and HUD. We retain the servicing rights and asset management responsibilities on
substantially all loans we originate and sell under the GSE and HUD programs. We
are an approved Fannie Mae DUS lender nationally, a Freddie Mac Multifamily
Conventional Loan lender, seller/servicer, in New York, New Jersey and
Connecticut, a Freddie Mac affordable, manufactured housing, senior housing and
SBL lender, seller/servicer, nationally and a HUD MAP and LEAN senior
housing/healthcare lender nationally. We also originate and service permanent
financing loans underwritten using the guidelines of our existing agency loans
sold to the GSEs, which we refer to as "Private Label" loans and originate and
sell finance products through CMBS programs. We pool and securitize the Private
Label loans and sell certificates in the securitizations to third-party
investors, while retaining the servicing rights and APL certificates.

We conduct our operations to qualify as a REIT. A REIT is generally not subject to federal income tax on its REIT-taxable income that is distributed to its stockholders, provided that at least 90% of its REIT-taxable income is distributed and provided that certain other requirements are met.

Our operating performance is primarily driven by the following factors:



Net interest income earned on our investments. Net interest income represents
the amount by which the interest income earned on our assets exceeds the
interest expense incurred on our borrowings. If the yield on our assets
increases or the cost of borrowings decreases, this will have a positive impact
on earnings. However, if the yield earned on our assets decreases or the cost of
borrowings increases, this will have a negative impact on earnings. Net interest
income is also directly impacted by the size and performance of our asset
portfolio. We recognize the bulk of our net interest income from our Structured
Business. Additionally, we recognize net interest income from loans originated
through our Agency Business, which are generally sold within 60 days of
origination.

Fees and other revenues recognized from originating, selling and servicing
mortgage loans through the GSE and HUD programs. Revenue recognized from the
origination and sale of mortgage loans consists of gains on sale of loans (net
of any direct loan origination costs incurred), commitment fees, broker fees,
loan assumption fees and loan origination fees. These gains and fees are
collectively referred to as gain on sales, including fee-based services, net. We
record income from MSRs at the time of commitment to the borrower, which
represents the fair value of the expected net future cash flows associated with
the rights to service mortgage loans that we originate, with the recognition of
a corresponding asset upon sale. We also record servicing revenue which consists
of fees received for servicing mortgage loans, net of amortization on the MSR
assets recorded. Although we have long-established relationships with the GSE
and HUD agencies, our operating performance would be negatively impacted if our
business relationships with these agencies deteriorate. Additionally, we also
recognize revenue from originating, selling and servicing our Private Label
loans.

Income earned from our structured transactions. Our structured transactions are
primarily comprised of investments in equity affiliates, which represent
unconsolidated joint venture investments formed to acquire, develop and/or sell
real estate-related assets. Operating results from these investments can be
difficult to predict and can vary significantly period-to-period. If interest
rates were to rise, it is likely that income from these investments would be
significantly and negatively impacted, particularly from our investment in a
residential mortgage banking business, since rising interest rates generally
decrease the demand for residential real estate loans and the number of loan
originations. In addition, we periodically receive distributions from our equity
investments. It is difficult to forecast the timing of such payments, which can
be substantial in any given quarter. We account for structured transactions
within our Structured Business.

                                       43

Table of Contents



Credit quality of our loans and investments, including our servicing portfolio.
Effective portfolio management is essential to maximize the performance and
value of our loan and investment and servicing portfolios.  Maintaining the
credit quality of the loans in our portfolios is of critical importance.  Loans
that do not perform in accordance with their terms may have a negative impact on
earnings and liquidity.

COVID-19 Impact. The global outbreak of COVID-19, has forced many countries,
including the U.S., to declare national emergencies, to institute "stay-at-home"
orders, to close financial markets and to restrict operations of non-essential
businesses. Such actions have created significant disruptions in global supply
chains, and adversely impacted many industries. COVID-19 could have a continued
and prolonged adverse impact on economic and market conditions, which could
continue a period of global economic slowdown. Although we have not been
significantly impacted by COVID-19 to-date, the impact of COVID-19 on companies
continues to evolve, and the extent and duration of the economic fallout from
this pandemic, both globally and to our business, remain unclear and present
risk with respect to our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity,
and ability to pay distributions.

Significant Developments During the First Quarter of 2022

Financing and Capital Markets Activity.

Closed a collateralized securitization vehicle (CLO 18) totaling $2.05 billion,

? of which $1.65 billion of investment grade notes were issued to third-party

investors and $210.1 million of below investment-grade notes and a $187.1

million equity interest in the portfolio were retained by us;

Unwound CLO 10, redeeming $441.0 million of outstanding notes, which were

? repaid from refinancing the remaining assets within CLO 18 and cash held by CLO

10;

? Closed a Private Label securitization totaling $489.3 million and retained the

most subordinate certificates totaling $43.4 million;

Raised $214.7 million of capital from the issuances of common stock through a

? public offering and our "At-The-Market" equity offering sales agreement and an

additional issuance of our Series F preferred stock; and

? Increased our Structured Business warehouse capacity by $400.0 million.

Structured Business Activity.

Grew our structured loan and investment portfolio 17% to $14.17 billion on loan

? originations totaling $2.83 billion, partially offset by loan runoff totaling

$666.6 million; and

Recorded income of $5.0 million and received a $7.5 million cash distribution

? from our residential mortgage business joint venture and received a $2.6

million equity participation interest from a preferred equity loan that


   previously paid-off.


Agency Business Activity.

? Loan originations and sales totaled $838.5 million and $1.59 billion,

respectively; and

Our fee-based servicing portfolio remained flat at $26.96 billion, as loan

? originations and loans from the Private Label securitization were offset by

loan maturities and prepayments.

Dividend. We raised our quarterly common dividend to $0.38 per share, our 8th consecutive quarterly increase.



                                       44

Table of Contents

Current Market Conditions, Risks and Recent Trends



As discussed throughout this report, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact
the global economy in unprecedented ways, swiftly halting activity across many
industries, and continuing to cause significant disruption and liquidity
constraints in many market segments, including the financial services, real
estate and credit markets. The impact of COVID-19 on companies continues to
evolve, the full extent of which will depend on future developments, including,
among other factors, the emergence of new variants in the US and abroad, the
recovery time of the disrupted supply chains and industries, the impact of labor
market interruptions, the impact of government interventions and the
effectiveness of vaccination programs. COVID-19 could have a continued and
prolonged adverse impact on economic and market conditions, which could continue
a period of global economic slowdown. Although we have not been significantly
impacted by COVID-19 to-date, adverse economic conditions have resulted, and may
continue to result, in declining real estate values of certain asset classes,
increased payment delinquencies and defaults and increased loan modifications
and foreclosures, all of which could have a significant impact on our future
results of operations, financial condition, business prospects and our ability
to make distributions to our stockholders.

The Federal Reserve has started raising interest rates in 2022 to combat
inflation and restore price stability and it is expected that rates will
continue to rise throughout the remainder of 2022. Currently, rising interest
rates will positively impact our net interest income since our structured loan
portfolio exceeds our corresponding debt balances and the vast majority of our
loan portfolio is floating-rate based on LIBOR or SOFR. Additionally, a greater
portion of our debt is fixed-rate, as compared to our structured loan portfolio,
and will not reset as interest rates rise. Therefore, increases in interest
income due to rising interest rates is likely to be greater than the
corresponding increase in interest expense on our variable rate debt. See
"Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk" below for
additional details. Conversely, rising interest rates could negatively impact
real estate values and limit a borrower's ability to make debt service payments,
which may limit new mortgage loan originations and increase the likelihood of
incurring losses from defaulted loans if the reduction in the collateral value
is insufficient to repay their loans in full.

We have been very successful in raising capital through various vehicles to grow
our business. The anticipated continual rise in interest rates and unpredictable
geopolitical landscape may cause a further dislocation in the capital markets
resulting in a general reduction of available liquidity and an increase in
borrowing costs. Since our Structured Business is more reliant on the capital
markets to grow, a lack of liquidity for a prolonged period of time could limit
our ability to grow this business. However, our Agency Business requires limited
capital to grow, as originations are financed through warehouse facilities for
generally up to 60 days before the loans are sold, therefore a lack of liquidity
should not impact our ability to grow this business.

We are a national originator with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the GSEs
remain the most significant providers of capital to the multifamily market. In
October 2021, the Federal Housing Finance Agency ("FHFA") announced that its
2022 loan origination caps for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be $78 billion
for each enterprise for a total opportunity of $156 billion (the "2022 Caps"),
which is an increase from its 2021 origination caps of $70 billion for each
enterprise. The 2022 Caps will continue to apply to all multifamily business,
have no exclusions and mandate that 50% be directed towards mission driven,
affordable housing. The FHFA will also require at least 25% be affordable to
residents at or below 60% of area median income for 2022, up from 20% in 2021.
Our originations with the GSEs are highly profitable executions as they provide
significant gains from the sale of our loans, non-cash gains related to MSRs and
servicing revenues. Therefore, a decline in our GSE originations could
negatively impact our financial results. We are unsure whether the FHFA will
impose stricter limitations on GSE multifamily production volume in the future.

Changes in Financial Condition

Assets - Comparison of balances at March 31, 2022 to December 31, 2021:

Our Structured loan and investment portfolio balance was $14.17 billion and $12.16 billion at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. This increase was primarily due to loan originations exceeding loan payoffs and paydowns by $2.16 billion. See below for details.


Our portfolio had a weighted average current interest pay rate of 4.38% and
4.26% at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. Including certain
fees earned and costs associated with the structured portfolio, the weighted
average current interest rate was 4.74% and 4.62% at March 31, 2022 and December
31, 2021, respectively. Our debt that finances our loans and investment
portfolio totaled $12.86 billion and $11.17 billion at March 31, 2022 and
December 31, 2021, respectively, with a weighted average

                                       45

Table of Contents



funding cost of 2.57% and 2.33%, respectively, which excludes financing costs.
Including financing costs, the weighted average funding rate was 2.81% and 2.61%
at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.

Activity from our Structured Business portfolio is comprised of the following ($
in thousands):

                                                                    Three Months Ended
                                                                      March 31, 2022
Loans originated (1)                                               $          2,828,855
Number of loans                                                                     125

Weighted average interest rate                                             

4.46 %

(1) We committed to fund SFR loans totaling $83.3 million.


Loans paid-off / paid-down                                         $       

666,551


Number of loans                                                            

36


Weighted average interest rate                                             

       5.86 %

Loans extended                                                     $            421,072
Number of loans                                                                      11


Loans held-for-sale from the Agency Business decreased $756.7 million, primarily
from loan sales exceeding originations by $748.2 million as noted in the
following table (in thousands). Loan sales includes $489.3 million of Private
Label loans which were sold in a Private Label loan securitization in the first
quarter of 2022. Our GSE loans are generally sold within 60 days, while our
Private Label loans are generally expected to be sold and securitized within 180
days from the loan origination date. Activity from our Agency Business portfolio
is comprised of the following ($ in thousands):

                         Three Months Ended
                           March 31, 2022
                         Loan
                     Originations     Loan Sales
Fannie Mae          $      449,680    $   666,544
Freddie Mac                299,072        359,086
Private Label               72,896        489,269
FHA                         11,990         71,816
SFR - Fixed Rate             4,871              -
Total               $      838,509    $ 1,586,715


Securities held-to-maturity increased $21.2 million, primarily due to the
purchase, at a discount, of APL certificates in connection with a Private Label
securitization, partially offset by principal payments received from underlying
loan payoffs from our B Piece bonds.

Investments in equity affiliates increased $7.2 million, primarily due to
additional fundings totaling $9.7 million on our AMAC III and Fifth Wall equity
investments, along with $5.0 million of income from our investment in a
residential mortgage banking business, partially offset by $7.5 million in cash
distributions received from the same investment.

Other assets increased $21.9 million, primarily due to increases in unsecured loan fundings and interest receivables from portfolio growth.

Liabilities - Comparison of balances at March 31, 2022 to December 31, 2021:



Collateralized loan obligations increased $1.21 billion, primarily due to the
issuance of a new CLO, where we issued $1.65 billion of notes to third party
investors, partially offset by the unwind of a CLO totaling $441.0 million.

Other liabilities decreased $14.9 million primarily due to the payment of incentive compensation during the first quarter of 2022, related to 2021 performance.



                                       46

  Table of Contents

Equity

During the first quarter of 2022, we completed a public offering of an additional 3,292,000 shares of our Series F preferred stock generating net proceeds of $77.1 million.



During the first quarter of 2022, we sold 8,225,750 shares of our common stock
through a public offering and our "At-The-Market" equity agreement, raising net
proceeds totaling $137.8 million.

See Note 15 for the details of our dividends declared and our deferred compensation transactions during the three months ended March 31, 2022.

Agency Servicing Portfolio



The following table sets forth the characteristics of our loan servicing
portfolio collateralizing our mortgage servicing rights and servicing revenue ($
in thousands):

                                                                           March 31, 2022
                                              Wtd. Avg.    Wtd. Avg.                                            Annualized
                     Servicing                 Age of      Portfolio                                           Prepayments        Delinquencies
                     Portfolio       Loan     Portfolio    Maturity      Interest Rate Type     Wtd. Avg.    as a Percentage     as a Percentage
Product                 UPB         Count      (years)      (years)    

Fixed Adjustable Note Rate of Portfolio (1) of Portfolio (2) Fannie Mae $ 18,781,611 2,647 3.1 8.7 98 %

           2 %       3.97 %             12.58 %              0.19 %
Freddie Mac            4,792,764     1,234          2.8         10.7        86 %          14 %       3.80 %             34.22 %              0.42 %
Private Label          2,200,206       132          1.2          8.5       100 %           - %       3.61 %                 - %                 - %
FHA                      999,446        89          2.2         33.7       100 %           - %       3.01 %              0.42 %                 - %
SFR - Fixed Rate         190,590        45          1.1          6.5       100 %           - %       4.53 %                 - %                 - %
Total               $ 26,964,617     4,147          2.8          9.9        96 %           4 %       3.88 %             12.50 %              0.21 %


                                                December 31, 2021

Fannie Mae $ 19,127,397 2,710 3.0 8.8 98 % 2 % 3.99 % 12.00 % 0.20 % Freddie Mac

            4,943,905    1,317    2.8    10.9     86 %  14 %  3.82 %  17.01 %  0.79 %
Private Label          1,711,326      102    1.2     8.6    100 %   - %  3.64 %      - %     - %
FHA                      985,063       90    2.0    33.9    100 %   - %  3.01 %  23.69 %     - %
SFR - Fixed Rate         191,698       45    0.9     6.7    100 %   - %  4.54 %      - %     - %
Total               $ 26,959,389    4,264    2.8    10.1     96 %   4 %  3.90 %  12.50 %  0.29 %


Prepayments reflect loans repaid prior to six months from the loan maturity. (1) The majority of our loan servicing portfolio has a prepayment protection term


    and therefore, we may collect a prepayment fee which is included as a
    component of servicing revenue, net. See Note 5 for details.

Delinquent loans reflect loans that are contractually 60 days or more past

due. At March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, delinquent loans totaled $55.6 (2) million and $77.6 million, respectively, of which $9.8 million were in the

foreclosure process for both periods. No loans were in bankruptcy at March

31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.




Our Agency Business servicing portfolio represents commercial real estate loans,
which are generally transferred or sold within 60 days from the date the loan is
funded. Primarily all of the loans in our servicing portfolio are collateralized
by multifamily properties. In addition, we are generally required to share in
the risk of any losses associated with loans sold under the Fannie Mae DUS

program, see Note 10.

                                       47

  Table of Contents

Comparison of Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 and 2021



The following table provides our consolidated operating results ($ in
thousands):

                                                   Three Months Ended March 31,          Increase / (Decrease)
                                                     2022                 2021             Amount        Percent

Interest income                                 $      166,698      $         91,144    $      75,554         83 %
Interest expense                                        82,559                42,184           40,375         96 %
Net interest income                                     84,139                48,960           35,179         72 %
Other revenue:
Gain on sales, including fee-based services,
net                                                      1,656                28,867         (27,211)       (94) %
Mortgage servicing rights                               15,312                36,936         (21,624)       (59) %
Servicing revenue, net                                  21,054                15,536            5,518         36 %
Property operating income                                  295                     -              295         nm %

Gain (loss) on derivative instruments, net              17,386             

 (3,220)           20,606         nm %
Other income, net                                        3,200                   681            2,519         nm %
Total other revenue                                     58,903                78,800         (19,897)       (25) %
Other expenses:

Employee compensation and benefits                      42,025             

  42,974            (949)        (2) %
Selling and administrative                              14,548                10,818            3,730         34 %
Property operating expenses                                535                   143              392         nm %
Depreciation and amortization                            1,983                 1,755              228         13 %
Provision for loss sharing (net of
recoveries)                                              (662)                 1,652          (2,314)         nm %
Provision for credit losses (net of
recoveries)                                              2,358               (1,075)            3,433         nm %
Total other expenses                                    60,787                56,267            4,520          8 %
Income before extinguishment of debt, gain
on real estate,
income from equity affiliates and income
taxes                                                   82,255                71,493           10,762         15 %
Loss on extinguishment of debt                         (1,350)               (1,370)               20        (1) %
Gain on real estate                                          -                 1,228          (1,228)         nm %
Income from equity affiliates                            7,212             

  22,251         (15,039)       (68) %
Provision for income taxes                             (8,188)              (12,492)            4,304       (34) %
Net income                                              79,929                81,110          (1,181)        (1) %
Preferred stock dividends                                9,056                 1,888            7,168         nm %
Net income attributable to noncontrolling
interest                                                 6,816                 9,743          (2,927)       (30) %
Net income attributable to common
stockholders                                    $       64,057      $         69,479    $     (5,422)        (8) %


nm - not meaningful

                                       48

  Table of Contents

The following table presents the average balance of our Structured Business
interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, associated interest
income (expense) and the corresponding weighted average yields ($ in thousands):

                                                                      Three Months Ended March 31,
                                                            2022                                          2021
                                            Average       Interest     W/A Yield /         Average      Interest     W/A Yield /
                                            Carrying      Income /      Financing         Carrying      Income /      Financing
                                           Value (1)       Expense     

Cost (2) Value (1) Expense Cost (2) Structured Business interest-earning assets:


Bridge loans                              $ 12,506,401    $ 143,483           4.65 %     $ 5,472,765    $  73,643           5.46 %
Mezzanine / junior participation loans         222,758        5,078        

  9.25 %         166,517        3,533           8.60 %
Preferred equity investments                   152,761        2,660           7.06 %         224,898        5,563          10.03 %
Other                                          140,666        4,926          14.20 %          28,216          322           4.63 %
Core interest-earning assets                13,022,586      156,147           4.86 %       5,892,397       83,061           5.72 %
Cash equivalents                               758,362          113           0.06 %         283,653          149           0.21 %
Total interest-earning assets             $ 13,780,948    $ 156,260           4.60 %     $ 6,176,050    $  83,210           5.46 %


Structured Business
interest-bearing liabilities:

CLO                                   $  6,604,069    $ 31,723      1.95 %     $ 2,598,470    $ 12,135     1.89 %

Credit and repurchase facilities         3,668,456      24,121      2.67 % 

     1,479,612      10,677     2.93 %
Unsecured debt                           1,559,751      21,153      5.50 %         949,050      14,220     6.08 %
Trust preferred                            154,336       1,205      3.17 %         154,336       1,192     3.13 %

Total interest-bearing liabilities    $ 11,986,612      78,202      2.65 % 
$ 5,181,467      38,224     2.99 %
Net interest income                                   $ 78,058                                $ 44,986

(1) Based on UPB for loans, amortized cost for securities and principal amount of

debt.

(2) Weighted average yield calculated based on annualized interest income or

expense divided by average carrying value.

Net Interest Income


The increase in interest income was mainly due to a $73.1 million increase from
our Structured Business, primarily due to an increase in our average core
interest-earning assets from loan originations exceeding loan runoff, partially
offset by a decrease in the average yield on core interest-earning assets. The
decrease in the average yield was due to lower rates on originations as compared
to loan runoff, largely offset by higher fees on early runoff.

The increase in interest expense was mainly due to a $40.0 million increase from
our Structured Business, primarily due to an increase in the average balance of
our interest-bearing liabilities, due to growth in our loan portfolio and the
issuance of additional unsecured debt. This was partially offset by a decrease
in the average cost of our interest-bearing liabilities, mainly from more
favorable terms on credit and repurchase facilities and CLOs.

Agency Business Revenue



The decrease in gain on sales, including fee-based services, net was primarily
due to a 38% decrease ($681.1 million) in GSE loan sales volume , along with a
25% decrease in the sales margin from 1.57% to 1.18%. The decrease in the sales
margin was primarily due to lower margins received on our Private Label loan
sales.

The decrease in income from MSRs was primarily due to a 38% decrease in the MSR
rate from 2.53% to 1.57% and a 33% decrease ($485.0 million) in loan commitment
volume. The decrease in the MSR rate was primarily due to lower Fannie Mae loan
commitments, which carry a higher servicing fee.

The increase in servicing revenue, net was primarily due to an increase in prepayment penalties received the first quarter of 2022 and growth in our servicing portfolio.



                                       49

  Table of Contents

Other Income

The gains and losses on derivative instruments in 2022 and 2021, respectively,
were primarily related to changes in the fair value of our Swaps held by our
Agency Business in connection with our Private Label loans.

The increase in other income, net was primarily due to higher loan origination volume in our Structured Business.

Other Expenses



The decrease in employee compensation and benefits expense was primarily due to
a decrease in commissions from lower GSE/Agency loan sales volume, substantially
offset by an increase in headcount as a result of the portfolio growth in both
business segments.

The increase in selling and administrative expenses was primarily due to higher
professional fees (legal and consulting) in both business segments.
Administrative expenses were also higher in 2022 as a result of increases in
travel and events as travel restrictions subside from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The net increase in our CECL reserves of $1.1 million was primarily due to the
growth in our structured portfolio and the impact of rising interest rates in
our CECL models for our Structured Business, which predominantly consists of
variable rate loans. This was partially offset by improvements in general market
conditions and expected future forecasts in our CECL models for both business
segments, including lower unemployment rates and increased property values.

Loss on Extinguishment of Debt

The loss on extinguishment of debt in both periods was deferred financing fees recognized in connection with the unwind of CLOs.

Gain on Real Estate

The gain recorded in the first quarter of 2021 was from the sale of a repurchased Fannie Mae loan.

Income from Equity Affiliates



Income from equity affiliates in the first quarter of 2022 and 2021 primarily
reflects income from our investment in a residential mortgage banking business
of $5.0 million and $22.5 million, respectively, as well as $2.6 million in 2022
from an equity participation interest on a property that was sold. The income
from our investment in a residential mortgage banking business was driven by the
historically low interest rates and strength in the residential housing market
during COVID-19.

Provision for Income Taxes

In the three months ended March 31, 2022, we recorded a tax provision of $8.2
million, which consisted of a current tax provision of $9.9 million and a
deferred tax benefit of $1.7 million. In the three months ended March 31, 2021,
we recorded a tax provision of $12.5 million, which consisted of current and
deferred tax provisions of $8.0 million and $4.5 million, respectively. The
decrease in the tax provision was primarily due to lower income generated from
our investment in a residential banking business and a decrease in the pre-tax
income from our Agency Business.

Preferred Stock Dividends

The increase in preferred stock dividends was due to the issuances of our Series D, E and F preferred stock, which included a significantly larger number of shares than our Series A, B and C preferred stock that were redeemed in the second quarter of 2021.



                                       50

  Table of Contents

Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest



The noncontrolling interest relates to the outstanding OP Units issued as part
of the Acquisition. There were 16,325,095 OP Units and 17,560,633 OP Units
outstanding as of March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, which represented 9.2%
and 11.6% of our outstanding stock at March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Liquidity and Capital Resources



Sources of Liquidity. Liquidity is a measure of our ability to meet our
potential cash requirements, including ongoing commitments to repay borrowings,
satisfaction of collateral requirements under the Fannie Mae DUS risk-sharing
agreement and, as an approved designated seller/servicer of Freddie Mac's SBL
program, operational liquidity requirements of the GSE agencies, fund new loans
and investments, fund operating costs and distributions to our stockholders, as
well as other general business needs. Our primary sources of funds for liquidity
consist of proceeds from equity and debt offerings, proceeds from CLOs and
securitizations, debt facilities and cash flows from operations. We closely
monitor our liquidity position and believe our existing sources of funds and
access to additional liquidity will be adequate to meet our liquidity needs.

We are monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our financing sources,
borrowers and their tenants, and the economy as a whole. The magnitude and
duration of the pandemic, and its impact on our operations and liquidity, are
uncertain and continue to evolve. To the extent that our financing sources,
borrowers and their tenants continue to be impacted by the pandemic, or by the
other risks disclosed in our filings with the SEC, it would have a material
adverse effect on our liquidity and capital resources.

We had $12.86 billion in total structured debt outstanding at March 31, 2022. Of
this total, $8.85 billion, or 69%, does not contain mark-to-market provisions
and is comprised of non-recourse CLO vehicles, senior unsecured debt and junior
subordinated notes, the majority of which have maturity dates in 2023, or later.
The remaining $4.01 billion of debt is in credit and repurchase facilities with
several different banks that we have long-standing relationships with. While we
expect to extend or renew all of our facilities as they mature, we cannot
provide assurance that they will be extended or renewed on as favorable terms.

In addition to our ability to extend our credit and repurchase facilities and
raise funds from equity and debt offerings, we have approximately $800 million
in cash and available liquidity as well as other liquidity sources, including
our $26.96 billion agency servicing portfolio, which is mostly prepayment
protected and generates approximately $120 million per year in recurring cash
flow.

At March 31, 2022, we had $52.3 million of securities financed with $29.6 million of debt that was subject to margin calls related to changes in interest spreads.



To maintain our status as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code, we must
distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT-taxable income. These distribution
requirements limit our ability to retain earnings and thereby replenish or
increase capital for operations. However, we believe that our capital resources
and access to financing will provide us with financial flexibility and market
responsiveness at levels sufficient to meet current and anticipated capital and
liquidity requirements.

Cash Flows. Cash flows provided by operating activities totaled $836.8 million
during the three months ended March 31, 2022 and consisted primarily of net cash
inflows of $741.1 million as a result of loan sales exceeding loan originations
in our Agency Business and net income of $79.9 million, as well as certain other
non-cash net income adjustments.

Cash flows used in investing activities totaled $2.02 billion during the three
months ended March 31, 2022. Loan and investment activity (originations and
payoffs/paydowns) comprise the majority of our investing activities. Loan
originations from our Structured Business totaling $2.66 billion, net of payoffs
and paydowns of $668.4 million, resulted in net cash outflows of $1.99 billion.

Cash flows provided by financing activities totaled $1.16 billion during the
three months ended March 31, 2022 and consisted primarily of net proceeds of
$1.21 billion from CLO activity and $215.4 million of proceeds from the issuance
of common and preferred stock, partially offset by net cash outflows of $178.3
million from debt facility activities (facility paydowns were greater than
financed loan originations) and $72.1 million of distributions to our
stockholders and OP Unit holders.

                                       51

Table of Contents


Agency Business Requirements. The Agency Business is subject to supervision by
certain regulatory agencies. Among other things, these agencies require us to
meet certain minimum net worth, operational liquidity and restricted liquidity
collateral requirements, purchase and loss obligations and compliance with
reporting requirements. Our adjusted net worth and operational liquidity
exceeded the agencies' requirements at March 31, 2022. Our restricted liquidity
and purchase and loss obligations were satisfied with letters of credit totaling
$50.0 million and $18.7 million of cash collateral. See Note 13 for details
about our performance regarding these requirements.

We also enter into contractual commitments with borrowers providing rate lock
commitments while simultaneously entering into forward sale commitments with
investors. These commitments are outstanding for short periods of time
(generally less than 60 days) and are described in Note 11.

Debt Facilities. We maintain various forms of short-term and long-term financing
arrangements. Borrowings underlying these arrangements are primarily secured by
a significant amount of our loans and investments and substantially all of our
loans held-for-sale. The following is a summary of our debt facilities (in

thousands):

                                                                      March 31, 2022
                                                                                                 Maturity
Debt Instruments                                 Commitment       UPB (1)         Available      Dates (2)
Structured Business
Credit and repurchase facilities                $  5,313,186    $  4,010,071    $  1,303,115    2022 - 2024
Collateralized loan obligations (3)                7,136,517       7,136,517               -    2022 - 2027
Senior unsecured notes                             1,295,750       1,295,750               -    2023 - 2028
Convertible senior unsecured notes                   264,000         264,000               -       2022
Junior subordinated notes                            154,336         154,336               -    2034 - 2037
Structured Business total                         14,163,789      

12,860,674 1,303,115



Agency Business
Credit and repurchase facilities (4)               2,150,844         305,317       1,845,527    2022 - 2024
Consolidated total                              $ 16,314,633    $ 

13,165,991 $ 3,148,642

(1) Excludes the impact of deferred financing costs.

(2) See Note 13 for a breakdown of debt maturities by year.

(3) Maturity dates represent the weighted average remaining maturity based on the

underlying collateral at March 31, 2022.

(4) The ASAP agreement we have with Fannie Mae has no expiration date.




We utilize our credit and repurchase facilities primarily to finance our loan
originations on a short-term basis prior to loan securitizations, including
through CLOs. The timing, size and frequency of our securitizations impact the
balances of these borrowings and produce some fluctuations. The following table
provides additional information regarding the balances of our borrowings (in
thousands):

                       Quarterly                          Maximum
                        Average       End of Period     UPB at Any
Quarter Ended             UPB              UPB           Month-End

March 31, 2022 $ 4,224,503 $ 4,315,388 $ 4,842,785 December 31, 2021 3,771,684 4,493,699 4,493,699 September 30, 2021 3,191,129 3,409,598 3,409,598 June 30, 2021

           2,327,114          2,021,412      2,588,456

March 31, 2021 2,177,350 2,220,307 2,262,160

Our debt facilities, including their restrictive covenants, are described in Note 9.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements. At March 31, 2022, we had no off-balance sheet arrangements.



Inflation. The Federal Reserve has started raising interest rates in 2022 to
combat inflation and restore price stability and it is expected that rates will
continue to rise throughout the remainder of 2022. Currently, rising interest
rates will positively impact our net interest

                                       52

Table of Contents



income since our structured loan portfolio exceeds our corresponding debt
balances and the vast majority of our loan portfolio is floating-rate based on
LIBOR or SOFR. Additionally, a greater portion of our debt is fixed-rate, as
compared to our structured loan portfolio, and will not reset as interest rates
rise. Therefore, increases in interest income due to rising interest rates is
likely to be greater than the corresponding increase in interest expense on our
variable rate debt. See "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market
Risk" below for additional details.

Contractual Obligations. During the three months ended March 31, 2022, the
following significant changes were made to our contractual obligations disclosed
in our 2021 Annual Report: (1) closed a CLO issuing $1.65 billion of investment
grade notes and unwound a CLO redeeming $441.0 million of outstanding notes; (2)
closed a Private Label securitization totaling $489.3 million; and (3) entered
into new and modified existing debt facilities.

Refer to Note 13 for a description of our debt maturities by year and unfunded commitments at March 31, 2022.

Derivative Financial Instruments



We enter into derivative financial instruments in the normal course of business
to manage the potential loss exposure caused by fluctuations of interest rates.
See Note 11 for details.

Critical Accounting Policies


Please refer to Note 2 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our
2021 Annual Report for a discussion of our critical accounting policies. During
the three months ended March 31, 2022, there were no material changes to these
policies, except for the adoption of ASU 2020-06 described in Note 2.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures



Distributable Earnings.  We are presenting distributable earnings because we
believe it is an important supplemental measure of our operating performance and
is useful to investors, analysts and other parties in the evaluation of REITs
and their ability to provide dividends to stockholders. Dividends are one of the
principal reasons investors invest in REITs. To maintain REIT status, REITs are
required to distribute at least 90% of their REIT-taxable income. We consider
distributable earnings in determining our quarterly dividend and believe that,
over time, distributable earnings are a useful indicator of our dividends per
share.

We define distributable earnings as net income (loss) attributable to common
stockholders computed in accordance with GAAP, adjusted for accounting items
such as depreciation and amortization (adjusted for unconsolidated joint
ventures), non-cash stock-based compensation expense, income from MSRs,
amortization and write-offs of MSRs, gains/losses on derivative instruments
primarily associated with Private Label loans not yet sold and securitized, the
tax impact on cumulative gains/losses on derivative instruments associated with
Private Label loans sold during the periods presented, changes in fair value of
GSE-related derivatives that temporarily flow through earnings, deferred tax
provision (benefit), CECL provisions for credit losses (adjusted for realized
losses as described below), amortization of the convertible senior notes
conversion option (in comparative periods prior to 2022) and gains/losses on the
receipt of real estate from the settlement of loans (prior to the sale of the
real estate). We also add back one-time charges such as acquisition costs and
one-time gains/losses on the early extinguishment of debt and redemption of
preferred stock.

We reduce distributable earnings for realized losses in the period we determine
that a loan is deemed nonrecoverable in whole or in part. Loans are deemed
nonrecoverable upon the earlier of: (1) when the loan receivable is settled
(i.e., when the loan is repaid, or in the case of foreclosure, when the
underlying asset is sold); or (2) when we determine that it is nearly certain
that all amounts due will not be collected. The realized loss amount is equal to
the difference between the cash received, or expected to be received, and the
book value of the asset.

Distributable earnings are not intended to be an indication of our cash flows
from operating activities (determined in accordance with GAAP) or a measure of
our liquidity, nor is it entirely indicative of funding our cash needs,
including our ability to make cash distributions. Our calculation of
distributable earnings may be different from the calculations used by other
companies and, therefore, comparability may be limited.

                                       53

Table of Contents



Distributable earnings is as follows ($ in thousands, except share and per share
data):

                                                          Three Months Ended March 31,
                                                              2022              2021

Net income attributable to common stockholders          $         64,057    $      69,479
Adjustments:
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest                 6,816   

9,743


Income from mortgage servicing rights                           (15,312)   

(36,936)


Deferred tax (benefit) provision                                 (1,720)   

4,486


Amortization and write-offs of MSRs                               27,669   

18,032


Depreciation and amortization                                      2,569   

2,700


Loss on extinguishment of debt                                     1,350   

1,370


Provision for credit losses, net                                   1,696   

(277)


(Gain) loss on derivative instruments, net                         (298)   

        3,220
Stock-based compensation                                           6,092            3,330
Distributable earnings (1)                              $         92,919    $      75,147

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding - GAAP
(1)                                                          185,431,404   

143,958,433


Less: Convertible notes dilution (2)                        (15,068,383)                -
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding -
distributable earnings (1)                                   170,363,021   

143,958,433


Diluted distributable earnings per share (1)            $           0.55   

$ 0.52

Amounts are attributable to common stockholders and OP Unit holders. The OP (1) Units are redeemable for cash, or at our option for shares of our common

stock on a one-for-one basis.

Beginning in the first quarter of 2022, the diluted weighted average shares

outstanding were adjusted to exclude the potential shares issuable upon (2) conversion and settlement of our convertible senior notes principal balance.

Excluding the effect of a potential conversion in shares until a conversion

occurs is consistent with past treatment and other unrealized adjustments to

distributable earnings.

© Edgar Online, source Glimpses