FORM 10-Q<del> FOR NOVASTAR FINANCIAL</del>


 
 


  
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
 

 
FORM 10-Q
 

 
x    QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
x
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 1999. March 31, 2000.
 
OR
 
¨     TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
¨
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
For the transition period from                                to                           .
 
Commission File Number: 001-13533
 
NovaStar Financial, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 

 
Maryland
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
74-2830661
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
 
1901 W. 47th Place, Suite 105,
Suite 105, Westwood, KS
(Address of principal executive offices)
74-2830661
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
 
66205
(Zip Code)
 
(913) 362-1090
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
 

 
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes  x      No  ¨
 
The number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding as of November 10, 1999 was 7,585,069.
 
(913) 362-1090
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
 
    
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
 
          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes x        No ¨
 
          The number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding as of May 10, 2000 was 6,983,298.
 


 
NOVASTAR FINANCIAL, INC.
 
FORM 10-Q
 
QUARTER ENDED SEPTEMBER 30,Quarter Ended March 31, 1999
 
INDEX
 
           Page
PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION   FINANCIAL INFORMATION   
 
Item 1. Consolidated Financial Statements:   Consolidated Financial Statements :   
 
           Balance Sheets   Balance Sheets    1
 
           Statements of Operations   Statements of Operations    2
 
           Statements of Cash Flows   Statements of Cash Flows    3
 
           Notes   Notes    4
Item 2.   
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations      65
Item 3.   
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk      4430
 
PART II—OTHER INFORMATION   OTHER INFORMATION    
 
Item 1. Legal Proceedings    35
 
Item 1.2. Changes in Securities      Legal Proceedings  II-135
 
Item 2.3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities      Changes in Securities  II-135
Item 3.   Defaults Upon Senior Securities  II-1
Item 4.  Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders      II-135
 
Item 5. Other Information      Other Information  II-135
Item 6.   
Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K      II-135
  
Signatures      Signatures  II-238
 
NOVASTAR FINANCIAL, INC.
 
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
 
(dollars in thousands, except share amounts)
 
 ASSETS
     September  30, 1999March 31,
2000

     December 31, 1998
1999

        (unaudited)     
Assets
           Cash and cash equivalents      $     2,3472,345        $       —  2,395  
           Mortgage loans net      699,428551,776         620,406 945,798 
           Mortgage securities— available for saleavailable-for-sale      6,9536,775         6,775 —    
           Accrued interest receivable      13,86611,860         12,452 17,608 
           Due from affiliates   22,044    18,521  
           InvestmentAdvances to and investment in NFI Holding Corporation      8,49132,473         29,208 13 
           Assets acquired through foreclosure      15,44318,446         16,891 10,583 
           Other assets      2,5741,856         2,383 5,273 
     
     
  
                      Total assets      $771,146625,531        $997,796690,510  
     
     
  
Liabilities and StockholdersLIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERSEquityEQUITY
     
Liabilities:
           Collateralized mortgage obligations      $656,568520,895        $891,944  
           Residual interest financing586,868   —     18,000  
    
    
  
                      Total borrowings  656,568    909,944 
           Dividends payable      525         2,845525  
           Accounts payable and accrued expensesother liabilities      1,3822,454         1,803 2,157 
     
     
  
                      Total liabilities      658,475523,874         589,196 914,946 
Stockholders’ equity:        
           Capital stock, $0.01 par value, 50,000,000 shares
authorized:
        
           PreferredClass B, convertible preferred stock, 4,285,714 shares of Class B 7% cumulativeissued and outstanding,
                convertible preferred stock issued and outstanding as of
                September 30, 1999 with a redemption and liquidation
                value of $7 per sharerespectively
     43         —   43  
           Common stock, 8,140,698 and 8,130,069 shares issuedissued; 7,212,298 and
                7,460,523 shares outstanding, respectively
     81         81  
           Additional paid-in capital      151,164151,187         151,173 122,180 
           Accumulated deficit      (31,85040,815 )      (32,80441,502 )
           Accumulated other comprehensive income     836     242 
         —    Cost of treasury stock     (2,829)      —   (1,877  )
           Notes receivable from founders      (6,7676,846 )      (6,6076,846 )
     
     
  
                      Total stockholders’ equity      112,671101,657         101,314 82,850 
     
     
  
                      Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity      $771,146625,531        $997,796690,510  
     
     
  
 
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
 
NOVASTAR FINANCIAL, INC.
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
 
(unaudited; in thousands, except per share amounts) thousands)
 
     For the  Nine
Months Ended
September 30,

    For the Three
Months
Ended
September 30,March 31,

       2000
     1999
  1998
  1999
  1998
Interest income:             
           Mortgage loans    $12,812     $19,550 
           Mortgage securities    266     —  
      $52,236
      $56,274    $15,595    $22,312
  
           Mortgage securities            Total interest income      10013,078      19,550 
Interest expense      22,8819,698         13,209 100    6,485 
     
    
    
    
  
Total interest income  52,336       79,155
   15,695    28,797  
Interest expense   36,059    60,948    11,206    22,088  
    
    
    
    
  
Net interest income      16,2773,380      6,341 
Prepayment penalty income      18,207489         656 4,489    6,709 
Provision for credit losses      11,499 (1,579)      (2,299)
Premiums for mortgage loan insurance      3,400(365)     (457)
Loan servicing fees paid to NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.      5,634(696)        (1,115 1,179  )
     
    
    
    
  
Net interest income after provision for credit losses  4,778       14,807    (1,145)  5,530
  
OtherNet portfolio income  3,091     1,229       2,0123,126 
Other income (loss)     (2)      1,091279    919 
Equity in earnings (loss)net income of NFI Holding Corporation      1,518699      551   (2,455)  576    (2,446)
General and administrative expenses:             
           Loan servicingNet fees paid tofor other services provided by NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.      3,0563         1,050 2,672    936    1,184 
           Compensation and benefits.benefits      1,358384         585 1,374    421    478  
           Other loan servicing expenses  1,392    491    446    363 
           Professional and outside services      546130         332 649    181    296  
           Fees for other services provided by (to) NovaStar Mortgage,
                Inc.
  287    1,934    (169)  (1,249)
           Forgiveness of notes receivable from founders  —     812    —     270 
           Office administration      611171         208 681    203    276 
           Other      10326      55   184    41    (9)
     
     
    
    
  
                      Total general and administrative expenses      7,353714         2,230 8,797    2,059    1,609 
     
    
    
    
  
Net income (loss)   $  2,034       $  5,567
  
  $(1,537)Net income      $  2,394 1,212      $  1,726 
     
    
    
    
  
Preferred stock dividends  (1,081)  —       
  
Dividends on preferred shares    $    (525 )      — $      (31  )
     
    
    
    
  
Income (loss) available to common stockholders  $     953       $  5,567
  
  $(2,062)Net income available to common shareholders      $  2,394   687      $  1,695 
     
     
    
    
  
Basic earnings (loss) per share      $     0.120.09        $     0.690.21    $  (0.25 )  $     0.29 
     
     
    
    
  
Diluted earnings (loss) per share      $     0.110.09        $     0.640.20    $  (0.25 )  $     0.29 
     
     
  
Weighted average basic shares outstanding    7,342     8,130 
    
     
  
Weighted average diluted shares outstanding    7,352     8,638 
    
     
  
Dividends declared per common share      $     —          $     1.00    $     —     $     0.35 
     
     
    
    
  
 
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
 
NOVASTAR FINANCIAL, INC.
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
 
(unaudited; in thousands)
 
        For the NineThree Months
Ended
September 30,March 31,

       2000
     1999
  1998
Net cash provided by operating activities      $     23,5045,486        $       9,2246,315   
 
Cash flow from investing activities:          
           Mortgage loan repayments      201,03459,770         61,233 94,608  
           Mortgage loans sold to others  4,900    7,933 
           Sales of assets acquired through foreclosure      17,5426,697      3,757   2,350  
           Investment in NFI Holding Corp.  (7,000)  —   
           Net change in amounts due from affiliates  (8,360)  (265,068)
           Mortgage loans purchased from NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.sold to others      —         (510,267)
           Purchases of available-for-sale securities4,545   —      (375,051 )
           Proceeds from sales of available-for-sale securities  —     323,631 
           Proceeds from paydowns on and maturities of available-for-sale securities     661      —    
           Net change in advance to NFI Holding Corporation      150,018(4,936)     (11,784)
     
     
  
                      Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities      208,11662,192      57,751 
Cash flow from financing activities:         
           Payments on collateralized mortgage obligations     (571,84666,265)    (72,395 )
 
Cash flow from financing activities:          Change in short-term borrowings      —         (18,029
)
           Proceeds from issuance of capital stock and exercise of equity instruments, net of
                net of offering costs of $1,240
     29,02914      28,761   (73)
           Dividends paid on preferred stock      (556525 )      —   
           Dividends paid on commonTreasury stock purchases      (2,845952 )      (6,062—  ) 
           Change in short-term borrowings    (18,029)
   29,783  
  
           Payments on collateralized mortgage obligations           Net cash used in financing activities     (67,728)     (61,663)
    
     
  
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents    (236,872 50 )      (128,8472,403 ) 
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period    2,395     —  
    
    
  
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period    $    2,345     $    2,403 
    
    
  
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:        
           Proceeds from issuing collateralized mortgage obligationsCash paid for interest    $    9,801     $  13,487 
      — 
      665,000
  
           Debt issuance costs paid on collateralized mortgage obligationsIssuance of warrants      $               2,821$      350  
     
    
  
           Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities  (229,273)  562,622  
    
    
  
     
           Net increase in cash and cash equivalents  $       2,347       — 
 
           Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period  —     —   
    
    
  
           Cash and cash equivalents, end of period  $       2,347    $         —   
    
    
  
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:    
  
           Note received in exchange for options exercised by founders  $         —     $       4,350  
    
    
  
           Cash paid for interest   $     36,567    $     60,312  
    
    
  
           Dividends payable      $         525         $       2,8452,876  
     
     
  
           Assets acquired through foreclosure      $     22,5706,935        $       9,5007,270  
     
     
  
 
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
 
NOVASTAR FINANCIAL, INC.
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 (Unaudited)
 
Note 1.    Financial Statement Presentation
 
           The consolidated financial statements as of and for the periods ended September 30,March 31, 2000 and 1999 and 1998 are unaudited. In the opinion of management, all adjustments have been made which were of a normal and recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation of the balance sheets and results of operations. The consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the consolidated financial statements of NovaStar Financial and the notes thereto, included in NovaStar Financial’s annual report to shareholders and annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1998.1999.
 
           NovaStar Financial owns 100 percent of the common stock of three special purpose entitiesNovaStar Assets Corporation, NovaStar Certificates Financing Corporation and NovaStar Mortgage Funding Corporation. NovaStar Financial formed these entities in connection with the issuance of collateralized mortgage obligations. The consolidated financial statements of NovaStar Financial include the accounts of these entities. Significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
 
           NovaStar Financial owns 100 percent of the non-voting preferred stock of NFI Holding Corporation (Holding) for which it receives 99 percent of any dividends paid by NFI Holding. The founders of NovaStar Financial own the voting common stock of NFI Holding and receive 1% of any dividends paid by NFI Holding. NovaStar Mortgage, Inc., and NovaStar Capital, Inc. and NovaStar Home Mortgage, Inc. are wholly owned subsidiaries of NFI Holding. NovaStar Mortgage Funding Corporation II, NovaStar Mortgage Funding Corporation III and NovaStar REMIC Financing Corporation are subsidiaries of NovaStar Mortgage. NovaStar Financial accounts for its investment in NFI Holding using the equity method.
 
Note 2.    Stockholders’ EquityNovaStar Mortgage Funding Trust Series 2000-1
 
           On March 31, 2000, NovaStar Mortgage executed its second securitization transaction that for financial reporting and tax purposes was treated as a sale. As part of this transaction, NovaStar Mortgage sold loans of $230 million, of which $102 million will settle in June 2000, to NovaStar Mortgage Funding Trust Series (NMFT) 2000-1. In return, NMFT 2000-1 issued asset-backed bonds of $226 million. NovaStar Mortgage retained economic residual certificates issued by NMFT 2000-1, with a carrying value of $13.5 million at March 1999,31, 2000, which NovaStar Financial issued 4,285,714 sharespurchased from NovaStar Mortgage in April 2000. Through NovaStar Financial’s indirect ownership of Class B 7% cumulative convertible preferred stock. The preferred shares have no voting rights, are senior to any other classNFI Holding, a gain of NovaStar Financial capital stock and have a stated and liquidation value of $7 per share. Each holder of the preferred stock is entitled to quarterly dividends that accrue at 7% per annum$1.5 million was recognized on the stated value. Holders of the Class B preferred shares have the right, at any time, to convert all or a portion of their preferred stock into an equal number of shares of common stock. NovaStar Financial has the right to redeem the Class B preferred stock at any time on or after March 31, 2002 at a price of $7.00 per share, payable in cash.this transaction.
 
          Comprehensive income includes net income and revenues, expenses, gains and losses that are not included in net income. The net change is unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities in 1999 includes the change in market value of the economic residual interests of the NovaStar Home Equity Series 1999-1 securitization NovaStar Mortgage issued in January 1999. The fair market value of this security approximated its amortized cost as of September 30, 1999. The net change in unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities as of September 30, 1998 includes the change in market value of agency securities. Accordingly, NovaStar Financial did not own any available-for-sale securities as of December 31, 1998. Following is a summary of comprehensive income for the nine and three month periods ended September 30, 1999 and 1998.
 
   For the  Nine Months
Ended
September 30,

  For the  Three Months
Ended
September 30,

   1999
  1998
  1999
  1998
Net income (loss)   $2,034  $  5,567    $(1,537)  $2,394  
Other comprehensive income—net change in
     unrealized
     gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities
  —   (9,130)  (1,860)  (4,828)
    
  
    
    
  
Comprehensive income (loss)  $2,034  $(3,563)  $(3,397)  $2,434  
    
  
    
    
  
 
Note 3.    Earnings Per Share
 
           The computations of basic and diluted EPS for the nine and three month periods ended September 30, 1999 and 1998 are as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts):
 
   For the nine
months ended
September 30,

  For the three
months ended
September 30,

   1999
  1998
  1999
  1998
Numerator:
Net Income (loss)   $2,034    $5,567  $(1,537)  $2,394
Less: Preferred stock dividends  (1,081)  —   (525)  —  
    
    
  
    
Income (loss) available to common
     stockholders—basic and diluted
  $  953    $5,567  $(2,062)  $2,394
    
    
  
    
 
Denominator:         
Weighted average common
     shares outstanding—basic
  8,130    8,033  8,130    8,124
    
    
  
    
Warrants  177    555  —     — 
Stock options   19    51  —     34
    
    
  
    
Weighted average common
     shares outstanding—diluted
  8,326    8,639  8,130    8,158
    
    
  
    
Basic earnings (loss) per share  $  0.12    $  0.69   $  (0.25 )  $  0.29
    
    
  
    
Diluted earnings (loss) per share  $  0.11    $  0.64   $  (0.25 )  $  0.29
    
    
  
    
 
           The convertible preferred stock issued in March 1999 was not included in the earnings per share computations as they are anti-dilutive for the 1999 periods presented. The following stock options and warrants to purchase shares of common stock were outstanding during each period presented, but were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because the options ’ weighted-average exercise price was greater than the average market price of the common shares for the periods presented, therefore, the effect would be antidilutive (in thousands, except per share amounts):
 
   For the nine
months ended
September 30,

  For the three
months ended
September 30,

   1999
  1998
  1999
  1998
Number of stock options and warrants  4,402  224  4,507  256
Weighted average exercise price  $11.51  $18.03  $11.44  $17.92
 
Note 4.    Reclassifications
 
           During 1999, NovaStar Financial reclassified the principal and interest collections received on the securitized mortgage loan portfolio to more closely match the timing of the principal and interest payments made to bondholders of the collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs). Under the terms of NovaStar Financial’s CMOs, the principal and interest collected by NovaStar Mortgage, NovaStar Financial’s servicer, during any given month are held in trust and remitted to bondholders of the CMOs the following month. Prior to the reclassification change in 1999, NovaStar Financial reduced the securitized mortgage loan and accrued interest balances when mortgage loan payments were received by NovaStar Mortgage. Thus at any given month-end, NovaStar Financial’s mortgage loan balance would reflect the principal and interest collected during the month. However, the CMO balances would not reflect these principal and interest payments until the following month-end. In order to better match the collateral principal and interest payments with the CMO principal and interest payments, a reclass was made on NovaStar Financial’s books to gross up mortgage loans and accrued interest and reduce the Due from Affiliates balance. NovaStar Mortgage’s Due to Affiliates and restricted cash were also reduced. Similar adjustments were made to the December 31, 1998 balance sheets of NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage to reflect the current year presentation.
 
           In March 1998, the founders exercised options to acquire 289,332 shares of common stock by executing notes payable to NovaStar Financial. The notes bear interest at one month LIBOR plus 1% are collateralized by the common stock issued, and are non-recourse in nature which means that NovaStar Financial’s recourse is limited to the collateral. Previously, NovaStar Financial had recorded such notes as assets. In September 1999, such amounts, including accrued interest, were reclassified as part of the contra-equity account, notes receivable from founders. A similar reclassification was made in December 31, 1998 for comparability. Unpaid principal on the notes was $4,340,000 as of September 30, 1999 while accrued interest on these notes was $261,000.
 
Item 2.    Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
 
           The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the preceding consolidated financial statements of NovaStar Financial and the accompanying notes thereto as well as NovaStar Financial’s annual report to shareholders and annual report on formForm 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1998.1999.
 
Safe Harbor Statement
 
           “Safe Harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this discussion regarding NovaStar Financial, Inc. and its business, which are not historical facts, are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties. Certain matters discussed in this annual report may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that inherently include certain risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the time of certain events could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including general economic conditions, fluctuations in interest rates, fluctuations in prepayment speeds, fluctuations in losses due to defaults on mortgage loans, the availability of non-conforming residential mortgage loans, the availability and access to financing and liquidity resources, and other risk factors outlined in the annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1999. Other factors not presently identified may also cause actual results to differ. Management continuously updates and revises these estimates and assumptions based on actual conditions experienced. It is not practicable to publish all revisions and, as a result, no one should assume that results projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements will continue to be accurate in the future. Risks and uncertainties, which could cause results to differ from those discussed in the forward-looking statements herein, are listed in the “Risk Management” section of thisthe annual report. In addition, there are many important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated inreport on Form 10-K for the forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, interest rate levels and risk, prepayment speeds, delinquency and loss rates, changes in the asset securitization industry or the REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, demand for services and products offered by NovaStar, the impact of covenants in loan agreements, the degree to which NovaStar Financial is leveraged, the needs for and availability of financing, access to capital and other risks identified in NovaStar Financial’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings. In addition, it should be noted that past financial and operational performance of NovaStar Financial is not necessarily indicative of future financial and operational performance.fiscal year ended December 31, 1999.
 
Information
 
           Management intends to provide extensive information about the financial position and results of operations of NovaStar Financial in a format that is clear and easy to understand. This report and other published documents are designed to provide a framework for understanding NovaStar Financial’s business and the associated risks. The manner in which management conducts business and assesses risks will determine future performance. By providing detailed information to this extent, investors will be able to evaluate NovaStar Financial as an investment option and to compare NovaStar Financial with its competition.
 
Basis of Presentation
 
           NovaStar Financial owns 100% of the common stock of NovaStar Assets Corporation, NovaStar Certificates Financing Corporation and NovaStar Mortgage Funding Corporation. These entities were established as special purpose entities used in issuance of collateralized mortgage obligations. The consolidated financial statements of NovaStar Financial include the financial condition and results of operations of these entities.
 
           NovaStar Financial also owns 100% of the non-voting preferred stock of NFI Holding Corporation for which it receives 99% of any dividends paid by NFI Holding. A significant component of the financial results of NovaStar Financial are derived from the operations of NovaStar Mortgage, Inc. Scott Hartman and Lance Anderson, the founders of NovaStar Financial, own the voting common stock of NFI Holding and receive 1% of any dividends paid by NFI Holding. NovaStar Mortgage, Inc. and NovaStar Capital are wholly owned subsidiaries of NFI Holding. NovaStar Mortgage Funding Corporation II, NovaStar Mortgage Funding Corporation III and NovaStar REMIC Financing Corporation are subsidiaries of NovaStar Mortgage. The business of NovaStar Mortgage is discussed in “Description of Business—Business of NovaStar Mortgage.” NovaStar Capital was formed to focus on acquiring non-conforming residential mortgage loans from banks, thrifts and credit unions. In February 2000, NovaStar Capital discontinued operations.
 
           A significant component of the financial results of NovaStar Financial are derived from the operations of NovaStar Mortgage, Inc. Key officers of NovaStar Financial also serve as officers of NFI Holding, NovaStar Mortgage and NovaStar Capital, Inc. The founders are the only members of the Board of Directors of NFI Holding, NovaStar Mortgage and NovaStar Capital. NovaStar Home Mortgage, Inc. was created in May of 19981999 to provide administrative services to a select group of brokers. NovaStar Mortgage owns 100% of NovaStar Mortgage Funding Corporation II, NovaStar Mortgage Funding Corporation III and NovaStar REMIC Financing Corporation. Both of theseThese special purpose entities were created in January 1999 for the issuance of interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits commonly known as REMICs. NovaStar Financial accounts for its investment in NFI Holding using the equity method.method, meaning the operations of NFI Holding are not consolidated with NovaStar Financial.
 
Recent Developments
 
           Stock repurchase.Federal Tax Legislation. Recently adopted legislation will allow REITs to own directly all of the stock of taxable subsidiaries beginning in the tax year 2001. The value of all taxable subsidiaries of a REIT will be limited to 20% of the total value of the REIT’s assets. Accordingly, NovaStar Financial’s Board expects to acquire all of Directors amended its stock repurchase program to increase the amount of common stock authorized to be acquired up to an aggregate purchase price of $5 million. Stock repurchases may be madeNFI Holding Corporation from Scott Hartman and Lance Anderson in the open market, in block purchase transactions, through put options or through privately negotiated transactions. The timing of repurchases and the number of shares ultimately repurchased will depend upon market conditions and corporate requirements. As of November 10, 1999, NovaStar Financial had repurchased 545,000 shares of its common stock.January 2001.
 
           Servicing. On October 20, 1999,Also, effective beginning with the 2001 tax year, the minimum dividend distributions of a REIT will have to equal 90% of taxable income, down from 95% of taxable income under current law. This provision will also first be effective beginning with the 2001 tax year. These and other federal tax legislation changes and proposals are discussed further in NovaStar Mortgage was notified that its servicing department had received anFinancial’s Annual Report on Form 10-K underAbove Average” Residential Servicer rating from Standard & Poors. An “Above Average” rating signifies a high degree of efficiency and competency in managing portfolios. In addition, Standard & Poors approved NovaStar Mortgage as a designated “Special ServicerFederal Income Tax Consequences”.
 
Description of Business
 
Business of NovaStar Financial:
 
Ÿ
NovaStar Financial was foundedFounded in 1996 as a specialty finance lender to invest in mortgage assets;
 
Ÿ
NovaStar Financial’s assetsAssets have primarily come from the wholesale origination of nonconforming, single-family, nonconformingresidential mortgage loans byof its affiliate, NovaStar Mortgage;
 
Ÿ
NovaStar Financial operatesOperates as a long-term portfolio investor;
 
Ÿ
NovaStar Financial’s loansLoans are financed on a short-term basis through a mortgage loan repurchase facility.various warehouse facilities. Long-term financing is provided through securitization where asset-backed bonds are issued in financing-structured transactions;
 
Ÿ
Earnings are generated from spread income on the mortgage loan portfolio and indirectly by gains associated with the sale of loans to outside parties or through securitization transactions of NovaStar Mortgage.
 
Business of NovaStar Mortgage:
 
Ÿ
NovaStar Mortgage’sPrimary customer is the retail mortgage broker who deals with the borrower. NovaStar Mortgage’s account executives work with overmore than 2,000 brokers to solicit loans.
 
Ÿ
NovaStar Mortgage’s borrowersBorrowers generally are individuals or families who do not qualify for agency/conventional lending programs because of a lack of available documentation or previous credit difficulties. Often, these borrowers have built up high-rate consumer debt and are attempting to use equity in their home to consolidate debt and lower their total monthly payments.
 
Ÿ
NovaStar Mortgage’s loansLoans are financed on a short-term basis through warehouse facilities. Long-term financing is provided through securitization where asset-backed bonds are issued in transactions that are structured as a sale.
 
Ÿ
Loans are held for sale—either to affiliates, third parties for cash or in securitization transactions treated as sales.
 
Notes Receivable from Founders
 
           The founders of NovaStar Financial purchased 216,666 units in the 1996 private placement in exchange for forgivable promissory notes. A unit consisted of one share of convertible preferred stock and one common stock warrant. Principal on these notes is divided into three equal parts, called “tranches”, and will beis forgiven if certain incentive performance targets are achieved. The incentive tests relate to the return generated to investors in the private placement, including the appreciation in stock price, the value of the warrants, and dividends paid. One tranche will be forgiven for each fiscal year NovaStar Financial generates a return of 15% to investors in the private placement. All three tranches will be forgiven if a return of 100% is generated within five years.
 
            During the period from the closing of the private placement through December 31, 1997, NovaStar Financial’s stock price averaged $17.08 per share, dividends of $0.28 were declared and the value of each warrant was $2.08. The combination of these produced a return to investors in the private placement exceeding 15%. As a result, the first tranche of these notes was forgiven resulting in a non-cash charge of $1,083,000 during the fourth quarter of 1997. NovaStar recorded a non-cash charge of $812,000 to earnings during the nine months ended September 30, 1998 in anticipation of the forgiveness of the second tranche. However, this non-cash charge was reversed in the fourth quarter of 1998 as the incentive performance targets were not met in 1998. NovaStar Financial has not recognized any further forgiveness of the second tranche in 1999 because management does not believe thenotes since 1997 as incentive performance targets will behave not been met.
 
           In March 1998, the founders exercised options to acquire 289,332 shares of common stock by executing notes payable to NovaStar Financial. The notes bear interest at one month LIBOR plus 1%, are collateralized by the common stock issued, and are non-recourse in nature which means that NovaStar Financial’s recourse is limited to the collateral. Previously, NovaStar Financial had recorded suchThese notes as assets. In September 1999, such amounts, includingand accrued interest were reclassifiedare classified as part of the contra-equity account, notes receivable from founders. A similar reclassification was made in December 31, 1998 for comparability. Unpaid principal on the notes was $4,340,000 as of September 30, 1999 while accruedMarch 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999. Accrued interest on these notes was $261,000.$339,000 as of March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999.
 
Financial Condition of NovaStar Financial, Inc. as of September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and December 31, 19981999
 
           NovaStar Financial’s balance sheets at September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998consist primarily consist of securitized mortgage loans originated by and purchased from NovaStar Mortgage, which serve as collateral onfor its collateralized mortgage obligations. The carrying value of mortgage loans at September 30, 1999as of March 31, 2000 was $699$552 million versus $946$620 million atas of December 31, 1998.1999. The carrying value of collateralized mortgage obligations at September 30, 1999as of March 31, 2000 was $657$521 million compared with $892$587 million atas of December 31, 1998.1999. The decline in both balance sheet items is primarily a result of principal paydowns that occurred during the first nine months of 1999.quarter 2000.
 
           During 1999, NovaStar Financial reclassified the principal and interest collections received on the securitized mortgage loan portfolio to more closely match the timing of the principal and interest payments made to bondholders of the collateralized mortgage obligations commonly called CMOs. Under the terms of NovaStar Financial’s CMOs, the principal and interest collected by NovaStar Mortgage NovaStar Financial’s servicer, during any given month are held in trust and remitted to bondholders of the CMOs the following month. Prior to the reclassification change in 1999, NovaStar Financial reduced the securitized mortgage loan and accrued interest balances when mortgage loan payments were received by NovaStar Mortgage. Thus at any given month-end, NovaStar Financial’s mortgage loan balance would reflect the principal and interest collected during the month. However, the CMO balances would not reflect these principal and interest payments until the following month. In order to better match the collateral principal and interest payments with the CMO principal and interest payments, a reclass was made on NovaStar Financial’s books to gross up mortgage loans and accrued interest and reduce the Due from Affiliates balance. NovaStar Mortgage’s Due to Affiliates and restricted cash were also reduced. Similar adjustments were made to the December 31, 1998 balance sheets of NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage to reflect the current year presentation.
 
           Loans. Table 1 is a presentation of loans as of September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and December 31, 19981999 and their credit grades. Table 2 is a summary of all mortgage loans owned by NovaStar Financial as of September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and December 31, 19981999 by state. These tables also provide details regarding the collateral outstanding on NovaStar Mortgage’s REMIC transactions, which NovaStar Financial owns the residual interests. The REMIC transactions are discussed further in the “Mortgage Loans—Available for Sale” and “Mortgage Loans Sales” sections of this document.
 
Table 1
 
Mortgage Loans by Credit Grade
(dollars in thousands)
 
 Credit Grade
  
  
  September 30, 1999
  December 31, 1998
Credit
Grade

    Allowed
Mortgage
Lates (A)Lates(A)

     Maximum
Loan-
to-value

    March 31, 2000
    December 31, 1999
   Current
Principal

     Weighted
Average
Coupon

     Weighted
Average
Loan-to-
value

     Current
Principal

     Weighted
Average
Coupon

     Weighted
Average
Loan-to-
value

AARetained loans collateralizing
    asset-backed bonds:
   0 x 30   95(B)  $ 93,139  9.53%  83.4%  $120,427  9.51%  83.4%
A  1 x 30  90    272,177  9.89    80.1    366,913  9.84    79.7  
A  2 x 30  90    166,811  10.33    81.8    220,591  10.31    81.3  
B  3 x 30, 1x 60
5 x 30, 2 x 60,
  85    102,011  10.77    78.2    142,346  10.62    77.9  
C  1 x 90  75    47,069  11.24    72.4    64,529  11.13    72.3  
D  6 x 30, 3 x 60,
2 x 90
  65    9,181  12.05    61.6    13,697  12.14    62.2  
              
  
    
    
  
    
  
Total          $690,388      
          AA    10.200 × 30  95   $ 78,513  9.75 %    79.983.2 %    $928,503  85,476    10.159.50 %    79.583.2 %
          A  1 × 30  90   218,271  10.14   79.9   244,187  10.06   80.1 
          A-  2 × 30  90   131,531  10.60   82.1   149,248  10.45   81.8 
          B  3 × 30, 1 × 60  85   77,274  11.10   78.5   89,477  10.86   78.4 
   5 × 30, 2 × 60              
          C  1 × 90  75   37,809  11.53   72.7   42,766  11.35   72.5 
          D  6 × 30, 3 × 60,  65   6,871  12.43   62.1   7,668  12.16   62.1 
              
 
   
   
 
   
  
   2 × 90              
                    Total on balance sheet    $550,269  10.45%  80.0%  $618,822  10.31%  80.0%
            
    
    
    
    
    
Sold loans collateralizing
    asset-backed bonds(A):
              
          AAA  0 × 30  97(B)  $  52,445  9.51%  80.5%  $    3,474  9.18%  80.7%
          AA  0 × 30  95   59,288  9.79   84.0   27,236  9.47   84.8 
          A  1 × 30  90   61,179  10.00   82.1   43,119  9.86   83.1 
          A-  2 × 30  90   47,283  10.22   82.4   35,311  10.09   79.7 
          B  3 × 30, 1 × 60  85   26,238  10.66   79.7   19,612  10.59   71.9 
   5 × 30, 2 × 60              
          C  1 × 90  75   15,063  11.18   70.8   11,405  11.09   62.1 
          D  6 × 30, 3 × 60,  65   2,931  12.17   62.1   3,171  12.16   81.5 
               
  
     
     
  
     
  
   2 × 90              
                    Total off balance sheet    $264,427  10.05%  81.2%  $143,328  10.08%  81.5%
            
    
    
    
    
    

 
(A)
Represents the number of times NovaStar Financial allows a prospective borrowerbnorrower is allowed to be late more than 30, 60 or 90 days. For instance, a 3x30, 1x603×30, 1×60 category would afford the prospective borrower to be more than 30 days late on three separate occasions and 60 days late no more than one time.
 
(B)
Fixed97% on fixed-rate purchases; all other maximum of 90%95%.
 
Table 2
 
Mortgage Loans by State
Percent of Portfolio
(based
(based on current principal balance)
 
Collateral Location
     September 30, 1999Retained loans collateralizing asset-
backed bonds—on balance sheet

    Sold loans collateralizing asset-
backed bonds—off balance sheet

    March 31, 2000
     December 31, 19981999
    March 31, 2000
    December 31, 1999
California     15%     16 %      189%    7 %
Florida      1314      14       1218      21 
Washington      7         87      4     4 
Texas    5     5     4     6 
Oregon     4      5        2     1 
Tennessee    4     3     6      5  
Michigan    3     3     7     5 
Ohio    3     3     5     4 
All other states      5945      44       5745      47 
       
    
    
    
                      Total      100 %     100%    100%     100 %
       
     
      
    
  
 
            Table 3 provides a summary of NovaStar Financial’s mortgage loans by type and carrying value as of September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1998.1999.
 
Table 3
 
Carrying Value of Loans by Product/Type
September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1998
(in1999
(in thousands)
 
Product/Type
     September  30, 1999March 31, 2000
     December 31, 19981999
Two and three-year fixedRetained loans collateralizing asset-backed bonds—on balance sheet:      $386,298     
           Two and three-year fixed.      $526,044293,789      $343,193 
           Six-month LIBOR and one-year CMT      54,48512,418         43,178 91,430 
           30/15-year fixed and balloon      249,605244,062         232,451 311,029 
     
     
  
           Outstanding principal      690,388550,269         618,822 928,503 
           Premium      14,41011,270         12,689 20,868 
           Allowance for credit losses      (5,3709,763 )      (3,57311,105 )
     
     
  
           Carrying Value      $699,428551,776        $945,798620,406  
     
     
  
           Carrying value as a percent of principal      101.31100.27 %      101.86100.26 %
     
     
  
Sold loans collateralizing asset-backed bonds—off balance sheet:        
           Two and three-year fixed.    $146,026     $  78,237 
           Six-month LIBOR and one-year CMT    4,620     5,052 
           30/15-year fixed and balloon    113,780     60,038 
    
    
  
           Outstanding principal    $264,427     $143,328 
    
    
  
 
           Substantially all mortgage loans are acquired at a premium. Premiums are amortized as a reduction of interest income over the estimated lives of the assets. See Tables 4, 5, and 6 for the impact of principal payments on amortization. To mitigate the effect of prepayments on interest income from mortgage loans, NovaStar Financial generally strives to acquire mortgage loans that have prepayment penalties. During the three months ended March 31, 2000, prepayment penalties collected from borrowers totaled $489,000 in comparison with $656,000 for the same period of 1999. Table 4 is a summaryan analysis of the securities acquired during 1999mortgage loans and 1998 by quarter.prepayment penalties.
 
Table 4
 
Mortgage Security AcquisitionsLoan Prepayment Penalties
Three Months Ended September 30,March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999 and 1998
(dollars in thousands)
 
        Current
Principal

     Premium
     DiscountPercent
with
Prepayment
Penalty

  Net
Price
to Par

    Weighted
Average

     Coupon
    Loan-to-
value

    Remaining
Prepayment Penalty
Period (in years) -
Loans with Penalty

1999:As of March 31, 2000                        
Retained loans collateralizing asset-
backed bonds:
                        
           Third quarter— NovaStar Home Equity Series
                1999-1 residual interestNHES 1997-1
     $     7,24373,555      $  —  3,455      $—  27%     11.23%      — 75.4%      16.5%0.44
           Second quarterNHES 1997-2     82,860    1,626    37     11.04     79.4     0.50
           NHES 1998-1    170,732    2,790    48     10.45     81.0     0.81
           NHES 1998-2    222,739    3,379    73     9.98     81.1     1.33
           All other loans    383    20    —      11.83     79.5     — 
           —  
   $—  
        —     —    
           First quarter           —         —    $—         —     —    
 
1998:
           Fourth quarter  $       —    $  —     $—           —       —   %
           Third quarter   —     —     —      —     —    
           Second quarter— Federal National Mortgage
                     Association
   80,237  823  —      101.0  6.40  
           First quarter:
                      Federal National Mortgage Association  40,929  444  —      101.1  6.12   
                      Government National MortgageTotal on balance sheet    $550,269    $11,270    54%    10.45     80.0%    0.92
    
  
  
    
    
    
Sold loans collateralizing asset-backed
     bonds (A):
                        
           NMFT 1999-1    $136,613    $    —     84%    10.07%    81.6%    1.82
           NMFT 2000-1 (B)    127,814    —     90     10.03     80.7     2.97
    
  
                      
                      Total off balance sheet    $264,427    $    —     79%    10.05%    81.2%    2.37
    
  
  
    
    
    
 
     Current
Principal

    Premium
    Percent
with
Prepayment
Penalty

    Weighted Average
     Coupon
    Loan-to-
value

    Remaining
Prepayment Penalty
Period (in years) -
Loans with Penalty

As of December 31, 1999               
Retained loans collateralizing asset-
backed bonds:
                        
           NHES 1997-1    $  85,015    $  3,942    32%    11.04%    75.5%    0.51
           NHES 1997-2    101,031    1,917    35     10.90     79.3     0.55
           NHES 1998-1    195,170    3,205    63     10.08     81.1     0.93
           NHES 1998-2    237,223    3,606    74     9.97     81.1     1.51
           All other loans    383    19    6     11.96     77.6     0.10
    
  
                      
                      Total on balance sheet    $618,822    $12,689    58%    10.31%    80.0%    1.03
    
  
  
    
    
    
Sold loans collateralizing asset-
     backed bonds (A):
                        
           Off balance sheet NMFT
                           Association1999-1
    $143,328    $    —     84%    10.08%    81.5%    2.03
    
  
  
    229,130  
    3,726 
    (364  )

 
(A)
NovaStar Financial owns economic residual interests. The mortgage loans are not retained on the balance sheet of NovaStar Financial.
 
(B)
The economic residual interests in NMFT 2000-1 were purchased by NovaStar Financial April 1, 2000.
 
            In periods of decreasing interest rates, borrowers are more likely to refinance their mortgages to obtain a better interest rate. Even in rising rate environments, borrowers tend to repay their mortgage principal balances earlier than is required by the terms of their mortgages. Non-conforming borrowers, as they update their credit rating, are more likely to refinance their mortgage loan to obtain a lower interest rate.
 
           Prepayment rates in the table below represent the annualized principal prepayment rate in the most recent one, three and twelve month periods and over the life of the pool of loans.
 
Table 5
 
Prepayment Speeds
 
     Issue Date
    Current
Principal
Balance

    Weighted
Average Age
of Loans at
Inception
(in months)

    Constant Prepayment Rate
(Annual Percent)

     One-
month

    Three-
month

    Twelve-
month

    Life
March 31, 2000    101.5     6.39                 
Retained loans collateralizing
     asset-backed bonds:
                            
           NHES 1997-1    October 1, 1997    $  73,555    7    31    37    49    40
           NHES 1997-2    December 11, 1997    82,860    3    46    47    46    33
           NHES 1998-1    April 30, 1998    170,732    3    49    41    34    25
           NHES 1998-2    August 18, 1998    222,739    3    23    20    23    18
Sold loans collateralizing asset-
backed bonds:
                            
           NMFT 1999-1    January 29, 1999    $136,613    5    24    20    17    15
           NMFT 2000-1    March 31, 2000    127,814    3                
December 31, 1999                     
Retained loans collateralizing
     asset-backed bonds:
                            
           NHES 1997-1.    October 1, 1997    $  85,015    7    44    42    50    40
           NHES 1997-2    December 11, 1997    101,031    3    64    58    42    32
           NHES 1998-1    April 30, 1998    195,170    3    47    36    29    23
           NHES 1998-2    August 18, 1998    237,223    3    26    21    21    18
Sold loans collateralizing asset-
backed bonds:
                            
           NMFT 1999-1.    January 29, 1999    $143,328    5    14    20    14    14
 
           Since April 1998, NovaStar Financial has not purchased any agency securities.Table 6 details the amount of premium as a percent of principal at quarter end for 2000 and 1999.
 
Table 6
 
Premium as a Percent of Principal
 
     Mortgage
Loans

    Mortgage
Securities

    Total
Mortgage
Assets

March 31, 2000.    2.05%    %    2.05%
December 31, 1999    2.05          2.05 
September 30, 1999    2.09          2.09 
June 30, 1999    2.15          2.15 
March 31, 1999.    2.22          2.22 
 
           Mortgage Securities—Available-For-Sale.In September 1999, NovaStar Financial purchased NovaStar Mortgage’s economic residual interestscertificates in the NovaStar Home EquityMortgage Funding Trust Series 1999–01 securitization transaction. The NovaStar Home Equity Series 1999–01 transaction is discussed further under the “Mortgage Loan Sales” section of this document.1999-1. As the owner of the residual certificate,certificates, NovaStar Financial receives the net cash flow of the NovaStar Home Equity 1999–1 securitization,Mortgage Funding Trust Series 1999-1 asset-backed bonds, which representsrepresent the right to receive, over the life of the securitization, the excess of the weighted average coupon on the loans securitizedmortgage loan collateral over the sum of the interest rate on the bonds, a normal servicing fee, a trustee fee, an insurance feepremiums and the credit losses relating to the loans securitized. At September 30,As of March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999, the amortized costcarrying value of the NMFT 1999-1 economic residual interests approximated market value.was $6.8 million. This value represents the present value of the residual cashflows that NovaStar Financial expects to receive over the life of the securitization, taking into consideration estimated prepayment speeds and credit losses, and is discounted at a rate which management believes is an appropriate risk-adjusted market rate of return for the residual asset. The residual cashflows are realized over the life of the securitization as cash distributions are received from the trust. NovaStar Financial believes its residual asset is fairly valued at September 30, 1999as of March 31, 2000, but can provide no assurance that future prepayment and loss experience or changes in the required market discount rate will not require write-downs of the residual asset. Write-downs would reduce the income of future periods and could cause NovaStar Financial to report net losses.
 
           Some keyAs discussed in the “Mortgage Loan Sales” section of this document, NovaStar Mortgage sold mortgage loans of $230 million on March 31, 2000 to a Special Purpose Entity (SPE) and retained the mortgage servicing rights and the economic residual certificates issued in NovaStar Mortgage Funding Trust Series 2000-1. On April 1, 2000, NovaStar Financial purchased these economic residual certificates from NovaStar Mortgage. Methodologies and assumptions used in valuing the economic residual interest are discussed in the “Mortgage Loan Sales” section of this document.
 
           Key statistics, assumptions and characteristics of the NovaStar Home EquityMortgage Funding Trust Series 1999 –11999-1 and 2000-1 mortgage loan collateral at September 30,and bonds as of March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999 are as follows:included in the table below and in Tables 4, 5 and 7 of this document.
 
     March 31, 2000
    December 31, 1999
     1999-1
    2000-1
    1999-1
Principal value (in 000’s)Constant Prepayment Rate    35 to 45     25 to 30     35 to 45 
Annual Constant Default Rate (basis points)    75     100     75 
      $149,841
    
    
  
Weighted average couponDiscount Rate      10.120%    15%    20 %
Constant annualized prepayment rate (life)      11
    
    
  
As a percent of mortgage loan principal            
Delinquent loans (30 days and greater)    4.85%    0.62%    7.03%
    
    
    
  
Loans in foreclosure    4.32          3.22 
    
    
    
  
Real Estate Owned    2.44          1.26 
    
    
    
  
Cumulative losses    $652     $           —     $315 
    
    
    
  
 
           Delinquency statisticsAssets Acquired through Foreclosure. As of the 1999–1 securitization are disclosedMarch 31, 2000, NovaStar Financial had 211 loans in Tables 23 and 24real estate owned with a carrying value of “Financial Condition$18.4 million (principal of NovaStar Mortgage$20.6 million) compared to 192 loans with a carrying value of $16.9 million (principal of $24.4 million) as of September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998. ”1999.
 
           Short-term and Long-term Financing Arrangements.     NovaStar Financial isMortgage loan originations are funded with various financing facilities prior to securitization. Loans originated have typically been funded initially through a co-borrower with NovaStar Mortgage and NovaStar Capital under$75 million committed warehouse lending and master repurchase agreementsline with First Union National Bank under which are scheduled to mature in February 2000. As of September 30, 1999, NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage can borrow up to $75 million under the warehouse lending agreement and $300 million under the master repurchase agreement. As of September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998,are co-borrowers. NovaStar Financial had no borrowings outstanding, and NovaStar Mortgage had borrowingsalso have a $50 million committed warehouse facility with GMAC/RFC. NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage also use repurchase agreements as a means of $22,191,000 and $50,429,000 outstanding, respectively under these arrangements. Borrowings under these arrangements are secured by mortgage loans. The interest rate on borrowings under the warehouse lending arrangement is indexedwarehousing loans prior to the federal funds rate. Under the master repurchase agreement, borrowings are indexed to one-month LIBOR.
 
           On February 12, 1999, two additional one-year agreements were executed withsecuritization. First Union whereby NovaStar Financial and/or NovaStar Mortgage can borrow up to $20provides a $175 million committed facility for such purposes. First Union also provides a $25 million committed facility secured by residual interests in CMOs issued by NovaStar Financial, its affiliates or subsidiaries. Borrowings under these arrangements bear interest at one-month LIBOR plus five percent.asset-backed bonds that is committed through December 2001. As of September 30,March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999, NovaStar Financial had no borrowings under this financing arrangement. In connection with executing the renewals and additional agreements, NovaStar Financial issued warrants to First Union to acquire 350,000 shares of NovaStar common stock for $6.94 per share. In exchange for the new warrants, First Union returned 186,667 warrants that were purchased in NovaStar Financial’s 1996 private placement. The new warrants expire on February 12, 2002.-
 
           All arrangements with First Union require NovaStar Financial andthese facilities. Amounts outstanding under these facilities by NovaStar Mortgage to maintain minimum tangible net worth, meet equity ratio tests and comply with other customary debt covenants.
 
           As of December 31, 1998, NovaStar Financial also had a short-term financing arrangement with GMAC/Residential Funding Corporation (GMAC/RFC) secured by residual interests in NovaStar Financial’s CMOs. In 1998, NovaStar Financial borrowed $15 million from GMAC/RFC, which included a $3 million financing fee. In connection with the agreement, NovaStar Financial issued 812,731 warrants to GMAC/RFC for the purchase of NovaStar Financial’s stock at $4.63 per share and 364,982 tag along warrants to purchase common stock on the terms of the December 9, 1996 warrants which were issued at $15.00 per share. NovaStar Financial had no other short-term borrowings outstanding as of DecemberMarch 31, 1998. In February2000 are detailed in Table 21 of 1999, NovaStar Financial used financing sources at First Union to pay this debt in full.document.
 
            Collateralized mortgage obligations.     On a long-term basis, NovaStar Financial financeshas financed its mortgage loans using collateralized mortgage obligations commonly called CMOs. Investors in CMOs are repaid based on the performance of the mortgage loans collateralizing the CMOs. These non-recourse financing arrangements match the loans with the financing arrangement for long periods of time, as compared to repurchase agreements that mature frequently with interest rates that reset frequently and have liquidity risk in the form of margin calls. Under the terms of its CMOs, NovaStar Financial is entitled to repurchase the mortgage loan collateral and repay the remaining CMO when their aggregate principal balance falls below 35% for issue 97-01 and 25% for issues 97-02, 98-01 and 98-02. SubprimeNon-conforming mortgage loans are not readily obtainable financial assets. As a result, NovaStar Financial retains effective control over the transferred assets as defined in paragraph 9c. of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 125, Accounting for Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishments of Liabilities and further clarified by paragraph 30 of SFAS No. 125. Accordingly, NovaStar Financial records its CMO transactions as secured borrowings, rather than sales of the transferred loans. NovaStar Mortgage’s securitization transactions are treated as sales of the transferred loans.
 
           Under its CMOs, NovaStar Financial retains the mortgage loans and incurs the obligation to pay the CMO bondholders. NovaStar Financial earns the net spread between the interest income on the loans and the interest expense on the bonds. The spread earned also is reduced by credit losses on the portfolio. Prepayments on the mortgage loans serve to reduce the term over which interest spread is earned. The longer the mortgage collateral is outstanding, the longer the period of cash flow. To the extent the borrowers prepay, it shortens the life of the CMO and the period over which cash flow is received. The cash flow will change when interest rates on the bonds fluctuate at amounts or times that are different from the mortgage loan collateral, thereby subjecting NovaStar Financial to interest rate risk. The carrying value of CMOs as of March 31, 2000 was $521 million compared with $587 million as of December 31, 1999. The decline in carrying value is primarily a result of principal paydowns.
 
           Following is a summary of outstandingThe following table provides details regarding NovaStar Financial’s CMOs as of September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1998 (dollars in thousands):1999. This table also provides details regarding the bonds and collateral outstanding underlying NovaStar Financial’s economic residual interests.
 
Table 57
 
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations
September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1998
(dollars1999
(dollars in thousands)
 
        Collateralized
Mortgage
Obligation

     Mortgage Loans
        Remaining
Principal

     Interest
Rate

     Estimated WeightedRemaining
Average MonthsPrincipal
to Call(A)

  (A)
Remaining
Principal

    Weighted
Average
Coupon

    Estimated
Weighted
Average
Months to Call

As of September 30, 1999:March 31, 2000:    
NovaStar Home Equity Series:Retained loans collateralizing asset-backed bonds:
           IssueNHES 1997-1      88,594 67,284        5.626.59 %      $  76,481      $100,17111.23%      10.88%
           IssueNHES 1997-2      117,12676,171      6.38       5.6286,166     11.04       23  126,710  10.41  9
           IssueNHES 1998-1      205,752161,505      6.20       5.45175,705     10.45       36  219,442  10.05  18
           IssueNHES 1998-2      247,883217,870      6.35       5.49229,807     9.98       40  258,830  9.97  26
           Unamortized debt issuance
                costs, net
     (2,787)(1,935 )                    
     
                                
                      Total on balance sheet      $656,568520,895                      
     
                                
As of December 31, 1998:
NovaStar Home Equity Series:Sold loans collateralizing asset-backed bonds:
           Issue 1997-1NMFT 1999-1      $163,419133,994        5.886.46 %      29$136,613      $174,51610.07%      10.56%52
           Issue 1997-2NMFT 2000-1 (B)      164,496226,320      6.53       5.88127,814     10.03       3166  173,858  10.37  
           Issue 1998-1  268,152    5.69    35  277,776  10.01  
           Issue 1998-2  300,161    5.74    38  306,807  9.95  
           Unamortized debt issuance
                costs
  (4,284)        
     
                                
                      Total off balance sheet      $891,944  360,314         
     
                                
     Collateralized
Mortgage
Obligation

    Mortgage Loans
     Remaining
Principal

    Interest
Rate

    Remaining
Principal
(A)

    Weighted
Average
Coupon

    Estimated
Weighted
Average
Months to Call

As of December 31, 1999:
           NHES 1997-1    $  75,580    6.94%    $  87,534    11.04%    
           NHES 1997-2    95,053    6.72     104,851    10.90     12
           NHES 1998-1    186,493    6.55     200,625    10.08     22
           NHES 1998-2    231,969    6.71     244,109    9.97     29
           Unamortized debt issuance costs, net    (2,227)                
    
                    
                      Total on balance sheet    $586,868                
    
                    
Sold loans collateralizing asset-backed bonds:                    
           Off balance sheet NMFT 1999-1    $140,710    6.95%    $143,328    10.08%    49
    
                    

 
(A)
Includes assets acquired through foreclosure.
(B)
NovaStar Financial purchased the residual interests in NMFT 2000-1 on April 1, 2000. Estimated collateral to be included in the NMFT 2000-1 second closing scheduled for June 2000.
 
           Stockholders’ Equity.The increase in NovaStar Financial acquires substantially all’s stockholders’ equity as of its mortgage assets atMarch 31, 2000 compared with December 31, 1999 is a premium. Premiums are amortized as a reduction of interest income over the estimated livesresult of the assets. See Tables 6, 7, 8 and 9following:
 
Ÿ
$1.2 million increase due to net income recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2000.
 
Ÿ
$952,000 decrease as a result of repurchases of common stock. NovaStar Financial’s Board of Directors amended its stock repurchase program during the third quarter of 1999 to increase the amount of common stock authorized to be acquired up to an aggregate purchase price of $5 million. Stock repurchases may be made in the open market, in block purchase transactions, through put options or through privately negotiated transactions. The timing of repurchases and the number of shares ultimately repurchased will depend upon market conditions and corporate requirements. As of March 31, 2000, NovaStar Financial had repurchased 928,400 shares of its common stock. The number of shares repurchased by NovaStar Financial has increased to 1,157,400 through May 10, 2000 for an aggregate purchase price of $3.7 million.
 
Ÿ
$594,000 increase in unrealized gain of economic residual interests in NovaStar Mortgage’s NMFT 1999-1 and 2000-1 asset backed bond transactions that for tax and accounting purposes were treated as sales. The residual interests in those transactions have been classified as available-for-sale securities and the unrealized gain is recognized as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income. As of March 31, 2000, NovaStar Financial owns the NMFT 1999-1 residual and NovaStar Mortgage owns the 2000-1 residual. The unrealized gain of the NMFT 2000-1 economic residual asset is appropriately reflected on NovaStar Financial’s balance sheet through its indirect ownership of NovaStar Mortgage through NFI Holding.
 
Ÿ
$525,000 decrease due to dividends on Class B 7% cumulative convertible preferred stock in 2000.
 
Results of Operations of NovaStar Financial, Inc.—Three Months Ended March 31, 2000 Compared to the Three Months Ended March 31, 1999
 
Net Income
 
           During the three months ended March 31, 2000, NovaStar Financial recorded net income of $1.2 million, $0.09 per diluted share, compared with net income of $1.7 million, $0.20 per diluted share, for the impact of principal payments on amortization. To mitigate the effect of prepayments on interest income from mortgage loans, NovaStar Financial generally strives to acquire mortgage loans that have some form of prepayment penalty. During the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999,March 31, 1999.
 
           NovaStar Financial collected $2.4 million in prepayment penalties from borrowers compared with $1.3 million during the same period’s primary sources of 1998. Table 6 is an analysis ofrevenue are interest earned on its securitized mortgage loansloan portfolio and prepayment penalties.penalty income. In addition, results indirectly reflect gains from the sale of whole loans to third parties and securitization transactions executed by NovaStar Mortgage.
 
Net Interest Income
 
           Table 8 presents a summary of the average interest-earning assets, average interest-bearing liabilities and the related yields and rates thereon for the three months ended March 31, 2000 and 1999.
 
Table 68
 
Interest Analysis
Mortgage Loan Prepayment Penalties
September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998 (dollars(dollars in thousands)
 

     Current
PrincipalMortgage Loans

     PremiumMortgage Securities
     Percent  with
Prepayment
PenaltyTotal

  Weighted Average
 Three months ended
March 31, 2000

     CouponAverage
Balance

     Loan-to-Interest
value
Income/
Expense

     RemainingAnnual
Prepayment PenaltyYield/
Period (in years) -Rate

    Average
Loans with PenaltyBalance

    Interest
Income/
Expense

    Annual
Yield/
Rate

    Average
Balance

    Interest
Income/

Expense

    Annual
Yield/
Rate

As of September 30, 1999Interest-earning mortgage assets     
Loans collateralizing NovaStar
     Home Equity Series (CMO):$532,962
               
           1997-1$12,812      $  97,067   $  4,505   339.61 %      10.88$6,450    $266    16.50 %      75.4%$539,412      0.58$13,078
           1997-2   9.70 123,247  2,412  50    10.41    79.4    0.63
           1998-1  214,782  3,605  73    10.05    81.2    1.11
           1998-2  254,908  3,869  74    9.97    81.1    1.67
All other loans   384  19  10    11.83    77.6    0.13%
     
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
Interest-bearing liabilities
        Collateralized mortgage
             obligations
    $557,299    $  9,397    6.74%    —     —     —      $557,299    $  9,397    6.74%
        Other borrowings    —     —     —      —     —     —      —     —     —  
    
                                
Total      $690,388  $14,410
   63%      10.20%     
80.0%        Cost of derivative financial
             Instruments hedging
             liabilities
         1.16301                        301    
     
  
  
    
    
    
 
 

  Current
Principal

  Premium
  Percent  with
Prepayment
Penalty

  Weighted Average
   Coupon
  Loan-to-
value

  Remaining
Prepayment Penalty
Period (in years) -
Loans with Penalty

As of December 31, 1998  
Loans collateralizing NovaStar
     Home Equity Series (CMO):
           1997-1  $170,118  $  7,975   65%  10.57%  75.1%  0.89
           1997-2  170,363  3,403  72      10.37
   78.5    1.10
           1998-1  275,673  4,651  69    10.01    81.1    1.51
           1998-2  306,586  4,703  71    9.95    81.1    2.09
All other loans   5,763  136  65    9.91    80.0    1.59
    
  
                                
Total  $928,503  $20,868  70%  10.15%  79.5%  1.52
    
  
  
    
    
    
 
           In periods of decreasing interest rates, borrowers are more likely to refinance their mortgages to obtain a better interest rate. Even in rising rate environments, borrowers tend to collectively repay their mortgage principal balances earlier than is required by the terms of their mortgages. This is particularly true for non-conforming borrowers who are seeking to upgrade their credit rating to obtain a lower interest rate.
 
            Prepayment rates in the table below represent the annualized principal prepayment rate in the most recent one, three and twelve month periods and over the life of the pool of loans.
 
Table 7
Prepayment Speeds
 
   Issue Date
  Current
Principal
Balance

  Weighted
Average Age
of Loans at
Inception
(in months)

  Constant Prepayment Rate
(Annual Percent)


  One-
month

  Three-
month

  Twelve-
month

  Life
As of September 30, 1999  
NovaStar Home Equity
     Series:
  
           1997-1  October 1, 1997   $  97,067   7  44  56  48  39
           1997-2  December 11, 1997   123,247  3  50  46  34  27
           1998-1  April 30, 1998   214,782  3  31  29  25  20
           1998-2  August 18, 1998   254,908  3  30  27  18  17
As of December 31, 1998  
NovaStar Home Equity
     Series:
  
           1997-1  October 1, 1997   $170,118  7  44  36  33  31
           1997-2  December 11, 1997   170,363  3  42  32  22  21
           1998-1  April 30, 1998   275,673  3  20  17  —     12
           1998-2  August 18, 1998   306,586  3  18  10  —     9
 
            Table 8 summarizes mortgage asset activity during 1999 and 1998 and Table 9 details the amount of premium as a percent of principal at quarter end for 1999 and 1998.
 
Table 8
Mortgage Assets Activity
(in thousands)
 
   Mortgage Loans
  Mortgage Securities
  Total
   Principal  Premium  Principal  Premium  Principal  Premium
Balance, December 31, 1997  $559,436       $17,861
     $   504,847    $  8,205    $1,064,283    $26,066  
Acquisitions  207,976    3,758    270,059    3,806    478,035    7,564  
Principal repayments and
     amortization
  (27,224)  (1,160)  (63,892)  (731)  (91,116)  (1,891)
Dispositions           (310,113 )   (5,294)  (310,113)  (5,294)
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Balance, March 31, 1998  740,188    20,459    400,901    5,986    1,141,089    26,445  
Acquisitions  290,350    5,148    80,237    823    370,587    5,971  
Principal repayments and
     amortization
  (43,849)  (1,506)  (47,201)  (451)  (91,050)  (1,957)
Dispositions  (2,843)  (53)          (2,843)  (53)
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Balance, June 30, 1998  983,846    24,048    433,937    6,358     1,417,783    30,406  
Acquisitions                        
Principal repayments and
     amortization
  (54,745)  (1,442)  (38,925)  (493)  (93,670)  (1,935)
Dispositions  (4,666)  (56)  (7,781)  (107)  (12,447)  (163)
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Balance, September 30, 1998  924,435    22,550    387,231    5,758    1,311,666    28,308  
Acquisitions  42,298    458            42,298    458  
Principal repayments and
     amortization
  (62,953)  (2,135)  (15,215)  (173)  (78,168)  (2,308)
Adjustment(A)   25,101                25,101      
Dispositions  (378)  (5)  (372,016)  (5,585)  (372,394)  (5,590)
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Balance, December 31, 1998  $928,503    $20,868    $           —    $       —    $     928,503    $20,868  
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Acquisitions                        
Principal repayments and
     amortization
  (70,883)  (1,830)          (70,883)  (1,830)
Dispositions  (4,446)  (79)          (4,446)  (79)
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Balance, March 31, 1999    853,174      18,959    $          —    $      —           853,174      18,959  
Acquisitions                        
Principal repayments and
     amortization
  (77,650)  (2,289)          (77,650)  (2,289)
Dispositions  (364)  (12)          (364)  (12)
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Balance, June 30, 1999    775,160      16,658                 —             —           775,160      16,658  
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Acquisitions          7,243        7,243      
Principal repayments and
     amortization
  (84,772)  (2,248)  (290)      (85,062)  (2,248)
Dispositions                        
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Balance, September 30, 1999  $690,388    $14,410    $       6,953    $       —    $     697,341    $14,410  
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

(A)
Adjustment due to balance sheet reclassifications that were made in 1999 and 1998. See the “Financial Condition of NovaStar Financial as of September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998” section of this document for a description of the reclassifications that were made to better match the timing of principal and interest payments of NovaStar Financial’s securitized mortgage loan portfolio with the principal and interest payments of collateralized mortgage obligations.
 
Table 9
Premium as a Percent of Principal
 
   Mortgage
Loans

  Mortgage
Securities

  Total
Mortgage
Assets

As of:      
           September 30, 1999  2.09%  %  2.09%
           June 30, 1999  2.15        2.15   
           March 31, 1999  2.22      Total borrowings     $557,299      $  9,698      2.22  
           December 31, 1998  2.25        2.25  
           September 30, 1998  2.44    1.49    2.16  
           June 30, 1998  2.44    1.47    2.14  
           March 31, 1998  2.76    1.49    2.32  
           December 31, 1997  3.19    1.63    2.45  
 
           Stockholders’ equity.     During the first nine months of 1999, NovaStar Financial increased its equity from $83 million at December 31, 1998 to $113 million at September 30, 1999. This was primarily a result of the issuance of 4,285,714 shares of Class B 7% cumulative convertible preferred stock in March 1999. Gross proceeds on the issuance aggregated $30 million. The issuance of these preferred shares will have an impact on future earnings per share as discussed under “ Net Income” below.
 
           Also, included in the accumulated other comprehensive income component of stockholders’ equity as of September 30, 1999 is the unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities. NovaStar Mortgage sold its first asset backed bonds in January 1999, which for accounting and tax purposes was treated as a sale. The economic residual interests in those transactions have been classified as available-for-sale securities. In September 1999, NovaStar Financial purchased this security from NovaStar Mortgage. The amortized cost of the economic residual interests approximated fair value at September 30, 1999.
 
Results of Operations of NovaStar Financial, Inc.—Nine Months Ended September 30, 1999 Compared to the Nine Months Ended September 30, 1998
 
Net Income
 
           During the nine months ended September 30, 1999, NovaStar Financial recorded net income of $2.0 million, $0.11 per diluted share, compared with net income of $5.6 million, $0.64 per diluted share, for the nine months ended September 30, 1998. In computing earnings per share, shares issued during the period are weighted for the portion of the period they are outstanding. If the preferred shares would have been outstanding for the entire nine months of 1999, NovaStar Financial’s pro forma diluted earnings per share for the nine months ended September 30, 1999 would have been the same as diluted earnings per share for the nine months ended September 30, 1999 as the preferred shares are considered anti-dilutive for the nine months ended September 30, 1999.
 
           NovaStar Financial’s main sources of revenue are interest earned on its securitized mortgage loan portfolio and prepayment penalty income. In addition, results indirectly reflect gains from the sale of whole loan packages to third parties and securitizations of NovaStar Mortgage.
 
Net Interest Income
 
           Table 10 presents a summary of the average interest-earning assets, average interest-bearing liabilities and the related yields and rates thereon for the nine months ended September 30, 1999 and 1998.
 
Table 10
Interest Analysis
(dollars in thousands)
 
   Mortgage Loans
  Mortgage Securities
  Total
    
Nine months ended September 30, 1999
  Average
Balance

  Interest
Income/
Expense

  Annual
Yield/
Rate

  Average
Balance

  Interest
Income/
Expense

  Annual
Yield/
Rate

  Average
Balance

  Interest
Income/
Expense

  Annual
Yield/
Rate

Interest-earning mortgage assets  $765,073  $52,236  9.106.96 %   $       808    $     100—       16.50$—     —  %      $     765,845557,299      $52,336  9,698      9.116.96 %
     
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
Interest-bearing liabilities                  
         Repurchase agreements    $         —
   $       —  %  $         —  $       —  %  $             —  $       —  %
         Collateralized mortgage obligations   785,547  33,782  5.73
     
  
  
      785,547
   33,782
   5.73
  
         Other borrowingsNet interest income          5,623$  3,114              541$266              12.83$  3,380                 5,623  541  12.83  
     
  
  
                    
    
    
      
  
         Cost of derivative financial                  
         Instruments hedging liabilities     1,736            1,736  
        
  
    
  
  
        
  
  
                  Total borrowings  $791,170  $36,059  6.08%  $         —  $       —  %  $     791,170  $36,059  6.08%
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
         Net interest income    $16,177      $     100      $16,277  
        
                 
      
Net interest spread            2.65%            16.50%            2.74%
            
                 
      
         Net interest spread      3.02%      16.50%      3.03%
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
         Net yield      2.82%      16.50%      2.83%
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
         Provisions for credit losses    $11,499  2.00    $         —  $       —  %    $11,499  2.00  
        
  
        
                 
  
  
         Net interest income after provision for credit
             lossesyield
    $  4,678     $         —  $     100                 $  4,778 2.34%              16.50%            2.51%
                
                 
                 
  
 

    Mortgage Loans
    Mortgage Securities
    Total
Three months ended
March 31, 1999

    Average
Balance

    Interest
Income/
Expense

    Annual
Yield/
Rate

    Average
Balance

    Interest
Income/
Expense

    Annual
Yield/
Rate

    Average
Balance

    Interest
Income/

Expense

    Annual
Yield/
Rate

Interest-earning mortgage assets    $830,558    $19,550    9.42%    $—     $—     — %    $830,558    $19,550    9.42%
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
Interest-bearing liabilities
        Repurchase agreements
    $      —      $    —      %    $—     $—     — %    $      —      $    —     — %
         Collateralized mortgage
             obligations
    862,559    12,139    5.63     —     —     —      862,559    12,139    5.63 
        Other borrowings    17,051    490    11.49     —     —     —      17,051    490    11.49 
    
            
            
             
         Net interest spread after provision for creditCost of derivative financial
             losses
      1.02%      16.50%      1.03%
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
      
  
         Net yield after provision for credit losses      0.82%      16.50%      0.83%
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
 
   Mortgage Loans
  Mortgage Securities
  Total
Nine months ended September 30, 1998
  Average
Balance

  Interest
Income/
Expense

  Annual
Yield/
Rate

  Average
Balance

  Interest
Income/
Expense

  Annual
Yield/
Rate

  Average
Balance

  Interest
Income/
Expense

  Annual
Yield/
Rate

Interest-earning mortgage assets  $781,786  $56,274  9.60%  $478,125   $22,881  6.38%  $1,259,911   $79,155  8.38%
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
Interest-bearing liabilities
         Repurchase agreements  $156,854  $  7,643   6.50%  $511,460  $20,785  5.42%  $     668,314  $28,428  5.67%
         Collateralized mortgage obligations   626,960  29,659  6.31            626,960  29,659  6.31  
         Other borrowings  20,043  647  4.30            20,043  647  4.30  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
         Cost of derivative financial                  
         Instruments hedging liabilities     1,637      577        2,214  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
                  Total borrowings  $803,857  $39,586  6.57%  $511,460  21,362  5.57%  $1,315,317  $60,948  6.18%
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
         Net interest income    $16,688        $  1,519         $18,207    
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
      
         Net interest spread      3.03%      0.81%      2.20%
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
         Net yield      2.85%      0.42%      1.93%
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
         Provision for credit losses    $  3,400   0.58    $         —          $ 3,400  0.36  
        
  
    
      
        
  
  
         Net interest income after provision for credit
             lossesliabilities
         580   $13,288             $             $1,519              $14,807580     
           
           
  
  
  
                
        
         Net interest spread after provision for credit
             losses        Total borrowings
     $879,610      $13,209      2.456.01 %      $—       —       0.81—  %      $879,610      $13,209      1.846.01 %
     
  
  
     
  
  
     
  
  
  
Net interest income        $  6,341            $—             $  6,341    
           
            
            
       
         Net yield after provision for credit lossesinterest spread                2.273.41 %                0.42—  %                1.573.41 %
     
  
  
    
  
  
    
        
            
            
  
Net yield.            3.05%            — %            3.05%
            
            
            
  
 
           Interest incomeIncome. .     NovaStar Financial’s average interest-earning assets consist primarily ofDuring 2000, mortgage loans for the nine months ended September 30, 1999. For the nine months ended September 30, 1998, NovaStar Financial’s average interest assets included 60% mortgage loans and 40% of lower-yielding agency securities. As discussed in “ Financial Condition of NovaStar Financial, Inc. as of September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998”, NovaStar Financial sold all of its agency securities in October 1998 to meet short-term liquidity needs faced in the fourth quarter of 1998. Agency securities earned $22.9$12.8 million, for the nine months ended September 30, 1998, or a yield of 6.4%.9.6%, compared with $19.6 million, or a yield of 9.4% for the same period of 1999. Mortgage securities income for the nine months ended September 30, 1999 consist2000 consists of earnings on economic residual interests that NovaStar Financial purchased from NovaStar Mortgage in September 1999. During the nine months ended September 30, 1999, mortgage loansIn total, assets earned $52.2$13.1 million, or a yield of 9.1%, compared with $56.3 million, or a yield of 9.6%9.7% for the same period of 1998. In total, assets earned $52.3 million, or a yield of 9.1% for the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999.March 31, 2000. During the same period of 1998,1999, assets earned $79.2$19.6 million or an 8.4%a 9.4% yield.
 
          As noted in Table 10,8, interest income is a function of volume and rates. Increasing the volume of assets will cause future increases in interest income, while declining balances will reduce interest income. Market interest rates will also affect future interest income.
 
           Interest expenseExpense. .    The cost of borrowed funds for mortgage loans was $9.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2000, or 7.0% of average borrowings compared with $13.2 million, or 6.0% for the same period of 1999. Average interest-bearing liabilities for the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 consisted primarily of financing costs on collateralized mortgage loans, while average interest bearing liabilities for the nine months ended September 30, 1998 consisted of 60% mortgage loans and 40% agency securities. During the fourth quarter of 1998, NovaStar Financial sold all of its agency securities. Mortgage loan cost of borrowed funds was $36.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 1999, or 6.1% of average mortgage loan borrowings compared with $39.6 million for the same period of 1998, or 6.6% of average mortgage loan borrowings. Agency security cost of borrowed funds was $21.4 million during the nine months ended September 30, 1998, or 5.6% of average agency security borrowings. The composition of interest expense is significantly different for the nine months ended September 30, 1999obligations compared with the same period of 1998. This is due1999, which also included a short-term financing arrangement with GMAC/RFC secured by residual interests in NovaStar Financial’s CMOs. In 1998, NovaStar Financial borrowed $15 million from GMAC/RFC, which included a $3 million financing fee. In February 1999, NovaStar Financial used the First Union residual facility to pay this debt in full. In March 1999, proceeds from the following factors:convertible preferred stock offering repaid all the outstanding debt on the residual facility.
 
Ÿ
The majority of mortgage loans serve as collateral on collateralized mortgage obligations at September 30, 1999. During 1998, the mortgage loans served as collateral on collateralized mortgage obligations, warehouse and repurchase facility debt. The change in financing composition is primarily due to the fact that NovaStar Financial discontinued purchasing mortgage loans from NovaStar Mortgage during the last half of 1998. Prior to that point in time, NovaStar Financial had purchased 100% of NovaStar Mortgage ’s loan production. Loans held in portfolio prior to securitization were financed by repurchase facilities. Under agreements with NovaStar Mortgage, NovaStar Financial reimbursed NovaStar Mortgage for its warehousing costs incurred prior to sale. Repurchase and warehouse facility costs for the nine months ended September 30, 1998 are included under repurchase agreements and other borrowings in Table 10.
 
Ÿ
NovaStar sold all of its agency securities in October 1998 and paid off all related financing on these assets. No agency securities have been purchased since that time.
 
Ÿ
Due to the liquidity crisis faced in the last quarter of 1998, GMAC/Residential Funding Corporation provided additional financing under a residual line that was secured by mortgage interests in NovaStar’s asset-backed bonds. This facility carried a substantially higher interest cost than other borrowing arrangements. This debt was paid off in February 1999 with funds from a similar facility provided by First Union National Bank. The interest on this facility during the nine months ended September 30, 1999 is included as a component of other borrowings in Table 10.
 
           Advances under the warehouse line of credit bear interest based on the federal funds rate plus a spread. NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage receive credits’s collateralized mortgage obligations are indexed to warehouse line interest based on cash balances maintained with First Union. Advances under the master repurchase agreement bear interest at rates based on LIBOR, plus a spread.LIBOR. During the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999,March 31, 2000, one-month LIBOR averaged 5.07 percent5.92% compared with 5.66 percent4.95% for the nine months ended September 30, 1998.same period of 1999. Because the Federal Reserve Board increased the targeted Federal Fundsfederal funds interest rate in Junethe latter part of 1999, management expects effective borrowing costs to behave been higher for the second half of 1999.in 2000. As with interest income, the cost of funds in the future will largely depend on market conditions, most notably levels of short-term interest rates. Rates on other borrowings generally fluctuate with short-term market interest rates, such as LIBOR or the federal funds rate.
 
           Net interest incomeInterest Income and spread.    Spread. Net interest income on mortgage loans duringfor the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 was $16.2$3.1 million, or 2.8%2.3% of average interest-earning mortgage loans, compared with $16.7$6.3 million, or 2.9%3.1% for the nine months ended September 30, 1998.same period of 1999. Net interest spread on mortgage loans was 3.0%2.7% and 3.4%, respectively, for the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and 1998.1999. Net interest income on economic residual interests, classified as mortgage securities (economic residual interests) during the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 was $100,000,$266,000, or 16.5% of average interest-earning mortgage securities compared withand net interest income on agency securities classified as mortgage securities of $1.5 million, or 0.4% of average interest-earning agency securities for the same period of 1998. Net interest spread on mortgage securities was 16.5% for the nine months ended September 30, 1999 compared with 0.8% for the nine months ended September 30, 1998. The significant increase in net margin and spread for the nine months ended September 30, 1999 compared with the nine months ended September 30, 1998 is due to the change in NovaStar Financial’s asset and liability composition. During the latter part of 1998, NovaStar Financial sold all agency securities and paid off related financing. NovaStar Financial has not purchased any more of these lower-yielding mortgage assets. Net interest income and the spread are functions of asset yields relative to its costs of funds.spread. The volume of assets and liabilities and how well the spread between earnings on assets and the cost of funds is managed will dictate future net interest income.
 
           Impact of interest rate agreements.    Interest Rate Agreements. NovaStar Financial has entered into interest rate agreements designed to mitigate exposure to interest rate risk. Interest rate cap agreements require NovaStar Financial to pay a monthly fixed premium while allowing it to receive a rate that adjusts with LIBOR, when rates rise above a certain agreed-upon rate. These agreements are used to alter, in effect, the interest rates on funding costs to more closely match the yield on interest-earning assets.
 
           As part of the NMFT 2000-1 asset-backed bond transaction discussed under “Mortgage Securities—Available-For-Sale” and “Mortgage Loan Sales” sections of this document, NovaStar Financial sold a cap with a carrying value of $480,000 to NovaStar Mortgage recognizing a deferred gain of $880,000. The cap was hedging liabilities of the mortgage loans sold to NMFT 2000-1 and the deferred gain will be amortized over the remaining cap term. During the ninethree months ended September 30,March 31, 2000 and 1999, and 1998, net interest expense incurred on hedging agreements was $1.7 million$301,000 and $2.2 million,$580,000, respectively, which is included as a component of interest expense. The following table provides details of the interest rate agreements as of September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998.
 
Table 11
Interest Rate Agreements
September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998
(dollars in thousands)
 
   Notional
Value

  Unrealized
  Weighted
Days to
Maturity

   Weighted
Average
Cap Rate

   Gains
  Losses
As of September 30, 1999:          
Interest rate cap agreements  $530,000  $376  $  813   544  6.32%
    
  
  
  
  
  
As of December 31, 1998:
Interest rate cap agreements  $625,000  $—     $2,483  734  6.27%
    
  
  
  
  
  
 
OtherPrepayment Penalty Income
 
           Other incomeNovaStar Financial strives to purchase loans that have some form of prepayment penalty fee to mitigate exposure to prepayment risk. During the three months ended March 31, 2000, 93% of the mortgage loans originated by NovaStar Mortgage had prepayment penalties compared with 89% during the ninesame period of 1999. As of March 31, 2000, 54% of NovaStar Financial’s mortgage loan portfolio had prepayment penalties compared with 58% as of December 31, 1999. Prepayment penalties totaled $489,000 during the three months ended September 30, 1999 primarily consists of prepayment penalties of $2.4 million, net gains recognized on the sale of real estate owned of $74,000, interest earned on securitization funds held in trust of $173,000, and interest earned on notes receivable from founders of $368,000. Other incomeMarch 31, 2000 compared with $656,000 for the same period of 1999. The decrease is due to the seasoning of the portfolio and prepayment penalty windows expiring in 2000 compared with 1999.
 
Premiums for Mortgage Loan Insurance
 
           In August of 1998, consistedNovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage executed an agreement whereby lender-paid mortgage insurance coverage is purchased on selected mortgage loans. The use of prepayment penaltiesmortgage insurance is one method of $1.1 million,managing the credit risk in the mortgage asset portfolio. Going forward, management expects that it will evaluate the cost-benefit of securing lender paid mortgage insurance for each securitization transaction.
 
           As of March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999, approximately 50% and 39% of the loans owned by NovaStar Financial are covered under this agreement, including loans serving as collateral for NMFT 1999-1 and 2000-1. The loans collateralizing NMFT 1999-1 and 2000-1 are not recorded as loans of NovaStar Financial, but the performance of NovaStar’s investment in the residual interests of NMFT 1999-1 and 2000-1 is dependent on the credit losses of the underlying collateral. NovaStar Financial purchased the economic residual interest earnedin NMFT 2000-1 on notes receivable from foundersApril 1, 2000.
 
           Premiums for mortgage insurance on loans maintained on the balance sheet of $241,000, gainsNovaStar Financial are recorded as a portfolio cost and included in the income statement under the caption “Premiums for Mortgage Loan Insurance.” During the three months ended March 31, 2000, total premiums paid by NovaStar Financial totaled $365,000 compared with $457,000 for the same period of 1999. The monthly premiums paid on mortgage loan salesloans serving as collateral for NMFT 1999-1 and NMFT 2000-1 reduce NovaStar Financial’s monthly residual cashflow receipt and are not included in the amount of $315,000, net gains on mortgage security sales of $16,000 and interest earned on securitization funds held in trust of $337,000.total premiums paid set forth above.
 
Provisions for Credit Losses
 
           NovaStar Financial makes provisionsowns loans where the borrower possesses credit risk higher than that of conforming borrowers. Delinquent loans and losses are expected to occur. Most of the loans owned by NovaStar Financial were underwritten and funded by NovaStar Mortgage. NovaStar Mortgage uses several different techniques to mitigate the credit losses, including pre-funding audits by quality control personnel and in-depth appraisal reviews. Another loss mitigation technique allows a borrower to sell their property for less than the outstanding loan balance prior to foreclosure in transactions known as short sales, when it is believed that the resulting loss is less than what would be realized through foreclosure. Loans are charged off in full when the cost of pursuing foreclosure and liquidation exceed recorded balances. While short sales have served to reduce the overall severity of losses incurred, they also accelerate the timing of losses.
 
            As discussed further under the caption “Premiums for Mortgage Loan Insurance”, lender paid mortgage insurance is also used as a means of managing credit risk exposure. Generally, the exposure to credit loss on insured loans is considered minimal. Management also believes aggressive servicing is an important element to managing credit risk.
 
           Provisions for credit losses are made in amounts considered necessary to maintain allowancesthe allowance at levelsa level sufficient to cover probable losses inherent in the loan portfolioportfolio. Charge-offs are recognized at the reporting date. The leveltime of probableforeclosure by recording the value of real estate owned property at its estimated realizable value. Subsequent gains or losses on dispositions, if any, are recorded in operations. One of the principal methods used to estimate expected losses is estimated usinga delinquency migration analysis. TheThis analysis takes into consideration historical information about actualregarding foreclosure and loss severity experience and applies that information to the portfolio at the reporting date. Chargeoffs are recognized at the time of foreclosure by recording the value of repossessed property at its realizable value. Subsequent gains or losses on dispositions, if any, are recorded in operations.
 
           NovaStar Financial uses several different loss mitigation techniques, including targeted pre-funding audits by quality control personnel and increased appraisal reviews. Borrowers are allowed to sell property for less than the outstanding loan balance prior to foreclosure otherwise known as short sales, when it is believed resulting losses are less than those that would be realized through foreclosure.
 
           In August of 1998, NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage executed an agreement with, Radian Guaranty, Inc. (Radian), formerly Commonwealth Mortgage Acceptance Corporation (CMAC), whereby Radian will provide insurance coverage on mortgage loans. As of September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998, approximately 29% and 26% of the loans owned by NovaStar Financial and substantially all of the loans owned by NovaStar Mortgage are covered under this agreement. During the nine months ended September 30, 1999, total premiums paid to Radian totaled $1.3 million and are included as a component of loan servicing expense in the financial statements. Management believes that its exposure to credit loss on loans insured by Radian is minimal. Management expects that a substantial portion of loans originated in future periods will be covered under similar insurance arrangements.
 
           During the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999,March 31, 2000, NovaStar Financial made provisions for losses of $11.5$1.6 million and incurred net chargeoffscharge-offs of $9.7$2.9 million, compared to provisions of $3.4$2.3 million and net chargeoffs of $3.0$2.4 million forduring the same period of 1998. Chargeoffs in 19991999. Charge-offs during the first quarter of 2000 include $1.6 million$191,000 resulting from short salessale transactions and loans fully charged off prior to foreclosure. While management believesin full compared with $224,000 during the short sales have served to reduce NovaStar Financial ’s overall losses, they led to higher levelssame period of losses1999.
 
           The level and trend of charge-offs in 1999 than expected. Notwithstanding the short sale activity, the higher level of chargeoffs in 1999 has led management to conclude that total losses on securitized mortgage loans will be higher, and will occur earlier, in the life of the loan portfolio, than originally projected. As a result,The provisions during 1999 provisions have been substantially higher than prior years. Management believes thatand resulting allowance as of December 31, 1999 reflect the increased loss migration techniques employed, including those described above, will reduce the overall losses to be incurred.activity. In the opinion of management, the allowance for credit losses at September 30, 1999as of March 31, 2000 is adequate to cover losses inherent in the portfolio at that date. If losses do not develop as the migration analysis indicates,in accordance with current expectations, future provisions will be increased or decreased as necessary.-
 
           Asnecessary. Management also believes that internal processes involving quality control, appraisal review and servicing that have been made as a result of September 30, 1999, NovaStar Financial had 174experience to-date will result in lower losses being incurred on loans in real estate owned with a carrying value of $15.4 million compared to 126 loans with a carrying value of $10.6 million as of December 31, 1998.currently being originated.
 
           Table 129 is a rollforward of the activity in the allowance for credit losses during 19992000 and 1998.1999.
 
Table 129
 
Rollforward of Allowance for Credit Losses
(in thousands)
 

 
    2000
     1999
  1998
       March 31
    December 31
     September 30
     June 30
     March 31
  December 31
  September  30
  June 30
  March 31
Beginning balance     $11,105      $  3,5735,370      $3,573       $  3,492        $  3,573    $  2,757    $  3,341    $2,871    $2,313 
Provision for credit losses     1,579     10,579      5,634         3,566         2,299    4,030    1,179    1,145    1,076 
Amounts charged off, net
     of recoveries
   (3,837)   (3,485)   (2,380)   (3,214)   (1,763)    (6752,921 )      (5184,844)    (3,837)    (3,485)    (2,380 )
     
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Ending Balance   $  5,370       $  3,573
      $  3,492
      $  3,573
      $  2,757
  
Ending Balance.     $3,341  9,763      $11,105       $2,8715,370      $3,573     $3,492 
     
     
     
     
     
    
    
  
 
            Loans owned by NovaStar Financial are serviced by NovaStar Mortgage. DetailsThe following tables provide details regarding the delinquencies, defaults, and loss statistics of NovaStar Financial’s mortgage loan portfolio.
 
Table 10
 
Loan Delinquencies (90 days and greater) (A)
2000 and 1999
 
     2000
    1999
     March 31
    December 31
    September 30
    June 30
    March 31
Mortgage loans Collateralizing
NovaStar Home Equity Series
(CMO):
           1997-1 Issued October 1, 1997    4.59%    5.63%    6.32%    5.13%    4.37%
           1997-2 Issued December 11, 1997    7.66     6.24     4.92     4.03     5.38 
           1998-1 Issued April 30, 1998    3.58     4.42     5.32     4.13     4.64 
           1998-2 Issued August 18, 1998    5.10     5.38     4.06     3.94     3.72 

 
(A)
Includes loans in foreclosure or bankruptcy.
 
Table 11
 
Delinquencies, Defaults and Losses
March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999
(dollars in thousands)
 
     NovaStar Home Equity Series
     1997-1
    1997-2
    1998-1
    1998-2
    Warehouse
    All Loans
March 31, 2000                        
Allowance for Credit Losses:                        
           Balance, January 1, 2000    $ 2,335     $ 2,861     $ 4,214     $ 1,685     $        10     $ 11,105 
           Provision for credit losses    225     672     286     396     —      1,579 
           Amounts charged off, net of recoveries    (629)    (708)    (982)    (602)    —      (2,921)
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
           Balance, March 31, 2000    $  1,931     $  2,825     $  3,518     $  1,479     $         10     $    9,763 
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Defaults as a percent of loan balance                        
           Delinquent loans (A)    6.89%    9.38%    4.02%    4.40%    32.62%    5.40%
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
           Loans in foreclosure    3.23     4.82     2.73     4.09     11.69     3.68 
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
           Real estate owned    4.91     4.85     3.75     2.90     34.75     3.76 
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Cumulative losses    $  5,990     $  6,691     $  6,621     $  2,564         
    
    
    
    
          
 
     NovaStar Home Equity Series
     1997-1
    1997-2
    1998-1
    1998-2
    Warehouse
    All Loans
December 31, 1999                        
Allowance for Credit Losses:                        
           Balance, January 1, 1999    $    816     $  1,049     $  1,163     $    346     $      199     $    3,573 
           Provision for credit losses    4,317     5,436     8,194     4,065     66     22,078 
           Amounts charged off, net of recoveries    (2,798)    (3,624)    (5,143)    (2,726)    (255)    (14,546)
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
           Balance, December 31, 1999    $  2,335     $  2,861     $  4,214     $  1,685     $         10     $  11,105 
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Defaults as a percent of loan balance                        
           Delinquent loans (A)    8.03%    9.89%    6.38%    7.50%    35.27%    7.63%
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
           Loans in foreclosure    4.73     4.32     3.75     4.02     9.48     4.09 
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
           Real estate owned    3.85     4.88     3.61     2.62     47.00     3.51 
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Cumulative losses    $  5,416     $  5,698     $  4,996     $  2,251         
    
    
    
    
          

 
(A)
Includes loans delinquent 30 days or greater
 
Loan Servicing Fees Paid to NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.
 
           Loan servicing fees paid to NovaStar Mortgage, Inc. include the 50 basis point fee charged by NovaStar Mortgage for servicing the loans owned by NovaStar Financial serving as collateral on CMOs. The fee charged is based on the loan principal balance of the mortgage loans serviced. The decline in the loan servicing portfolio are presented in Tables 23 and 24, in “Financial Condition of NovaStar Mortgage as of September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998”.fee is due to principal paydowns between the two periods.
 
General and Administrative Expenses
 
           General and administrative expenses for the ninethree months ended September 30,March 31, 2000 and 1999 and 1998 are provided in Table 13.12. Table 1413 displays the relationship of portfolio expenses to net interest incomestockholders’ equity during 19992000 and 19981999 by quarter.
 
Table 1312
 
General and Administrative Expenses
(dollars in thousands)
 
        NineThree Months Ended September 30,March 31,

 
    2000
     1999
  1998
               Percent of
Net InterestStockholders’
IncomeEquity

              Percent of
Net InterestStockholders’
IncomeEquity

Compensation and benefits      $1,358384      8.30.36 %      $1,374  585      7.50.49 %
Loan servicing   1,392  8.6    491  2.7  
Professional and outside services      546130      3.40.12      332      6490.28   3.6 
Office administration      611171      3.80.16      208      6810.17   3.7 
Other      10326      0.60.02      55      1840.05   1.0 
     
  
     
  
  
                      Total portfolio-relatedgeneral and administrative expenses before
                           intercompany fees
     4,010711      24.70.66 %      3,3791,180      18.50.99 %
           
           
  
Forgiveness of notes receivable from founders   —       812  
Fees for services provided by NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.      3,3433           4,6061,050     
     
           
        
                      Total general and administrative expenses      $7,353714          $2,230         $8,797    
     
           
        
Efficiency Ratio(A)     38.0%    43.5%
        
        
  

 
(A)
The efficiency ratio is calculated by dividing general and administrative expenses by the sum of net interest income and other income.
 
Table 1413
 
Portfolio Related Expenses as a
Percent of Net Interest IncomeStockholders’ Equity
19992000 and 19981999
 
        Percent of  Net
Interest IncomeStockholders’
Equity

2000:    
Efficiency
Ratio
           First quarter

    0.66
1999:       
Third           Fourth quarter      28.7%  36.9%0.91
Second           Third quarter      19.8    22.9  0.76
First           Second quarter      25.8    52.3  0.52
1998:    
1998           First quarter      25.6    5,747.0  
Fourth quarter   89.7    (14.1)
Third quarter   22.3    21.1  
Second quarter   19.3    58.9  
First quarter   14.8    55.0  0.99
 
           Compensation and benefits includes employee base salaries, benefit costs and incentive compensation awardsawards. The decrease in compensation and has remained relatively consistentbenefits for the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 compared with the same period of 1998.
 
            Loan servicing for the nine months ended September 30, 1999 consists principally of the fees paidis due to Radian as discussed under the “Provisions for Credit Losses.” This line-item also includes the direct costs associated with the mortgage loan servicing operation that are paid directlystaff reductions and employee cost allocations to independent third parties for such things as property appraisals and borrower location services. NovaStar loans were not covered by insurance until the third quarter of 1998, which caused the increase in loan servicing costs from 1998 to 1999.Mortgage.
 
           Professional and outside services include fees for legal and accounting services and annual and quarterly reports.services. In the normal course of business, fees are incurred for professional services related to general corporate matters and specific transactions. The first quarter 2000 decline is a result of legal fees incurred on the structuring of various financing arrangements and general company growth experienced during the first three months of 1999. Office administration includes items such as rent, depreciation, telephone, office supplies, postage, delivery, maintenance and repairs.
 
           The following is a summary of the fees, in thousands, paid to (received from) NovaStar Mortgage for the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and 1998:1999.
 

 
     NineThree Months
Ended
September 30,March 31,

       2000
     1999
  1998
Amounts paid to NovaStar Mortgage:
      Loan servicing fees      $3,056    $2,672  
      Administrative     Loan servicing fees      1,263$696         5,700  $1,115
     
     
Administrative fees, net of guaranty fees     $117     $1,050
Amounts received from NovaStar Mortgage:          
      Purchase commitment fee  —     (3,766)
      Interest     Intercompany interest income       (976114 )        
     
     
Net fees for other services provided by Novastar Mortgage, Inc.     $    3     $1,050
      $3,343
      $4,606
 
    
    
  
 
The fees for services provided by NovaStar Mortgage represent the following:
 
Ÿ
Administrative fees for services, including the development of loan products, underwriting, funding, and quality control.
 
Ÿ
Servicing fees to NovaStar Mortgage. NovaStar Mortgage receives 50 basis points on the collected principal balance of NovaStar Financial loans serving as collateral on CMOs.
 
Ÿ
Purchase commitment fee. A fee NovaStar Mortgage pays to NovaStar Financial, if it chooses to retain the mortgage loans it originates or sells them to third parties.
 
Ÿ
Interest income. Interest payments NovaStar Mortgage pays to NovaStar Financial for financing loan fundings and various operating costs of NovaStar Mortgage.
 
           The increasesignificant decline in loan servicingthese fees paid to NovaStar Mortgage for the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 compared with the nine months ended September 30, 19981999 is due to the increase in NovaStar Financial’s average securitized mortgage loan portfolio serviced by NovaStar Mortgage.
 
           The decline incancellation of the administrative fees paid to NovaStar Mortgage during these same periods is partly a result of the reduction in NovaStar Mortgage’s production volumes as indicated in Table 21. The decline in 1999 originations reflect decisions made by management as a result of constrained liquidity circumstances the subprime mortgage industry faced during the latter part of 1998. Accordingly, the administrative fees NovaStar Financial paid to NovaStar Mortgage during this same period were reduced. Thisintercompany agreement was cancelled on April 1, 1999, since NovaStar Financial is no longer purchasing loans from NovaStar Mortgage. Accordingly,This agreement was replaced with an intercompany loan and guarantee agreement with NovaStar Mortgage. Under the terms of this agreement, Novastar Mortgage pays interest on amounts it borrows from Novastar Financial. Interest on the borrowings accrues at the federal funds rate plus 1.75%. In addition, Novastar Mortgage is required to pay guaranty fees in the amount 0.25% of the loans sold by Novastar Mortgage for which NovaStar Financial is no longer utilizinghas guaranteed the services as outlined in the agreement.performance of NovaStar Mortgage.
 
           The decrease in purchase commitment fees for the nine months ended September 30, 1999 compared with the same period of 1998 is due to the discontinuance of this intercompany agreement beginning January 1, 1999.
 
           The increase in interest income for the nine months ended September 30, 1999 compared with the same period of 1998 is due to this intercompany agreement that went into effect April 1, 1999.
 
Equity in Earnings (Loss) of NFI Holding Corporation
 
           For the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999,March 31, 2000, NFI Holding recorded net income of $1.5 million$706,000 compared with a net lossincome of $2.5 million$557,000 for the same period of 1998.1999. NovaStar Financial records its portion of the lossearnings as equity in net lossearnings of NFI Holding in its income statement. NFI Holding’s net loss includesearnings include the net earnings of NovaStar Mortgage, and NovaStar Capital, subsidiariesa subsidiary of NFI Holding as discussed under “Basis of Presentation”. NFI Holding’s financial position and results of operation for the nine month periodthree months ended September 30,March 31, 2000 and 1999 and 1998 are discussed further under the heading “NFI Holding Corporation”.
 
Results of Operations of NovaStar Financial, Inc. —Three Months Ended September 30, 1999 Compared to the Three Months Ended September 30, 1998.
 
Net Income
 
           During the three months ended September 30, 1999, NovaStar Financial recorded a net loss of $1.5 million, $0.25 per diluted share, compared with net income of $2.4 million, $0.29 per diluted share, for the three months ended September 30, 1998.
 
Net Interest Income
 
           Table 15 presents a summary of the average interest-earnings assets, average interest-bearing liabilities and the related yields and rates thereon for the three months ended September 30, 1999 and 1998.
 
Table 15
Interest Analysis
 
Three Months Ended September 30, 1999 and 1998
(dollars in thousands)
 
   Mortgage Loans
  Mortgage Securities
  Total
September 30, 1999
  Average
Balance

  Interest
Income/
Expense

  Annual
Yield/
Rate

  Average
Balance

  Interest
Income/
Expense

  Annual
Yield/
Rate

  Average
Balance

  Interest
Income/
Expense

  Annual
Yield/
Rate

Interest-earning mortgage assets  $690,323  $15,595    9.04%  $2,424  $100  16.50%  $692,747  $15,695    9.06%
              
        
  
              
  
Interest-bearing liabilities                            
Repurchase agreements  $      —   $     —      — %  $  —    $         — %  $       —   $     —     — %
Collateralized mortgage obligations  706,685  10,626    6.01    —     —     —     706,685  10,626    6.01
Other borrowings   —   —     —     —     —     —     —   —     —   
    
                            
            
Cost of derivative financial Instruments
    hedging liabilities
           580    0.33        —                       $     580    0.33  
        
    
            
        
    
  
                  Total borrowings  $706,685  $11,206    6.34%  $  —    $—    — %  $706,685  $11,206    6.34%
              
    
  
  
              
  
Net interest income     $  4,389          $100                                           
                                                
Net interest spread         2.70%      16.50%                    $  4,489    2.72%
              
            
              
  
Net yield                      2.54%      16.50%                     2.59%
              
            
              
  
 
Provision for credit losses    $  5,634    3.26%    $—          $  5,634    3.25%
        
    
        
            
    
  
Net interest income after provisions for
    credit losses
    $(1,245)        $100        $(1,145)    
        
              
            
        
Net interest spread after provision for
    credit losses
        (0.56)%      16.50%                     (0.53)%
              
            
              
  
Net yield after provision for credit
    losses
        (0.72)%      16.50%                     (0.66)%
              
            
              
  
           
   Mortgage Loans
  Mortgage Securities
  Total
September 30, 1998
  Average
Balance

  Interest
Income/
Expense

  Annual
Yield/
Rate

  Average
Balance

  Interest
Income/
Expense

  Annual
Yield/
Rate

  Average
Balance

  Interest
Income/
Expense

  Annual
Yield/Rate

Interest-earning mortgage assets  $927,132  $22,312  9.63%  $412,335  $6,483  6.29%  $1,339,467  $28,797  8.60%
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
Interest-bearing liabilities                  
         Repurchase agreements  $144,041  $  2,303   6.40%  $419,901  $6,121  5.83%  $     563,942  $  8,424   5.98%
         Collateralized mortgage obligations   821,739  12,734  6.20            821,739  12,734  6.20  
         Other borrowings  10,446  111  4.25            10,446  111  4.25  
    
            
      
    
          
         Cost of derivative financial Instruments
             hedging liabilities
    638      181      819  
        
  
        
            
  
  
                  Total borrowings  $976,226  $15,786  6.47%  $419,901  $6,302  6.00%  $1,396,127  $22,088  6.33%
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
         Net interest income    $  6,528       $  181       $  6,709   
        
            
            
      
         Net interest spread      3.16%      0.29%      2.27%
            
            
            
  
         Net yield      2.82%      0.18%      2.00%
            
            
            
  
         Provision for credit losses    $  1,179   (0.51)%    $     —      $  1,179   (0.35)%
        
  
        
            
  
  
         Net interest income after provision for
             credit losses
    $  5,349       $  181       $  5,530   
        
            
            
      
         Net interest spread after provision for
             credit losses
      2.65%      0.18%      1.92%
            
            
            
  
         Net yield after provision for credit
             losses
      2.31%      0.18%      1.65%
            
            
            
  
 
           Average interest-earning assets for the three months ended September 30, 1999 primarily consisted of mortgage loans, while average interest-bearing assets for the three months ended September 30, 1998 consisted of 70% mortgage loans and 30% agency securities. During the fourth quarter of 1998, NovaStar Financial sold all of its agency securities. Mortgage loan interest income was $15.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 1999, or a yield of 9.0% compared with $22.3 million for the same period of 1998, or a yield of 9.6%. For the three months ended September 30, 1999, interest earned on economic residual interests was $100,000, or a yield of 16.5%. Agency securities earned $6.5 million, or a yield of 6.3% during the three months ended September 30, 1998.
 
           Average interest-bearing liabilities for the three months ended September 30, 1999 consisted of financing costs on mortgage loans, while average interest-bearing liabilities for the three months ended September 30, 1998 was a mix of mortgage loans and agency security financings. Mortgage loan financing costs were $11.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 1999, or 6.3% of average mortgage loan borrowings compared with $15.8 million for the same period of 1998, or 6.5% or average mortgage loan borrowings. Agency security financing costs were $6.3 million during the three months ended September 30, 1998, or 6.0% of average agency security borrowings.
 
           Net interest income on mortgage loans during the three months ended September 30, 1999 was $4.4 million, or 2.5% of average interest-earning mortgage loans, compared with $6.5 million or 2.8% of average interest-earning mortgage loans for the three months ended September 30, 1998. Net interest spread on mortgage loans was 2.7% for the three months ended September 30, 1999 compared with 3.2% for the same period of 1998. Net interest income on economic residual interests, classified as mortgage securities during the three months ended September 30, 1999 was $100,000, or 16.5% of average interest-mortgage securities compared with net interest income on agency securities classified as mortgage securities of $181,000 million, or 0.2% of average interest-earning agency securities for the same period of 1998. Net interest spread on mortgage securities was 16.5% for the three months ended September 30, 1999 compared with 0.3% for the three months ended September 30, 1998. The increase in net margin and spread for the three months ended September 30, 1999 compared with the three months ended September 30, 1998 is due to the change in NovaStar Financial’s asset and liability composition as discussed under “Results of Operations—Nine Months Ended September 30, 1999 Compared to Nine Months Ended September 30, 1998”.
 
            During the three months ended September 30, 1999 and 1998, net interest expense was incurred on hedging agreements of $580,000 and $819,000, respectively, which is included as a component of interest expense.
 
Other Income
 
           Other income during the three months ended September 30, 1999 primarily consists of prepayment penalties of $769,000, net gains recognized on the sale of real estate owned properties of $91,000, interest earned on securitization funds held in trust of $62,000, and interest earned on notes receivable from founders of $126,000. Other income for the same period of 1998 primarily consisted of prepayment penalties of $426,000, net gains on mortgage asset sales of $108,000 and interest earned on notes receivable from founders of $72,000.
 
Provisions for Credit Losses
 
           During the three months ended September 30, 1999, NovaStar Financial provided $5.6 million to the allowance for credit losses, compared with $1.2 million during the same period of 1998. Charge-offs during the three months ended September 30, 1999 were $3.8 million compared with $1.8 million during the same period of 1998. See discussion of “Provisions for Credit Losses” under “Results of Operations of NovaStar Financial, Inc.— Nine Months Ended September 30, 1999 Compared to the Nine Months Ended September 30, 1998.”
 
General and Administrative Expenses
 
           General and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 30, 1999 and 1998 are provided in Table 16.
 
Table 16
General and Administrative Expenses
(dollars in thousands)
 
   Three Months Ended September 30,
   1999
  1998
       Percent
of Net
Interest
Income

     Percent
of Net
Interest
Income

Compensation and benefits  $  421   9.4%  $  478    10.6%
Professional and outside services  181  4.0    296    6.6  
Other loan servicing  446  9.9    363    8.1  
Office administration  203  4.5    276    6.1  
Other  41  0.9    (9)  (0.2)
    
  
    
    
  
Total portfolio-related expenses  $1,292  28.7%  $1,404    31.2%
        
          
  
Forgiveness of notes receivable from founders      270    
Fees for services provided by NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.  767    (65)  
    
        
        
           Total general and administrative expenses  $2,059    $1,609    
    
        
        
Efficiency Ratio (A)    36.9%    28.8%
        
          
  

(A)
The efficiency ratio is calculated by dividing general and administrative expenses by the sum of net interest income and other income.
 
           Compensation and benefits remained relatively stable, totaling $421,000 for the three months ended September 30, 1999 compared with $478,000 for the same period of 1998.
 
            Professional and outside services for the three months ended September 30, 1999 was $181,000 compared with $296,000 for the three months ended September 30, 1998. Professional and outside services include fees for legal and accounting services, costs of contract laborers, costs to publish annual and quarterly reports, etc. The amount of and variance in these costs is dependent on the timing of services performed.
 
           Other loan servicing for the three months ended September 30, 1999 was $446,000 compared with $363,000 for the three months ended September 30, 1998. Other loan servicing in 1999 consists principally of the fees paid to Radian as discussed under the “ Provisions for Credit Losses.” This line-item also includes the direct costs associated with the mortgage loan servicing operation that are paid directly to independent third parties for such things as property appraisals and borrower location services. NovaStar loans were not covered by insurance until the third quarter of 1998, which caused the increase in loan servicing costs from 1998 to 1999.
 
           The following is a summary of the fees, in thousands, paid to NovaStar Mortgage for the three months ended September 30, 1999 and 1998:
 
   Three Months
Ended
September 30,

   1999
  1998
Amounts paid to NovaStar Mortgage:    
           Loan servicing fees   $936    $1,184  
           Administrative fees   115    2,100  
    
    
  
Amounts paid to NovaStar Mortgage:    
           Purchase commitment fee   —     (3,349)
           Interest income  (284)  —   
    
    
  
   $767    $     (65)
    
    
  
 
           The decrease in loan servicing fees paid to NovaStar Mortgage for the three months ended September 30, 1999 compared with the three months ended September 30, 1998 is due to the decline in NovaStar Financial’s mortgage loan portfolio collateralizing CMOs.
 
           The decline in the administrative fees paid to NovaStar Mortgage during these same periods is a result of NovaStar Financial discontinued paying these fees to NovaStar Mortgage in April 1999.
 
           The decrease in purchase commitment fees for the three months ended September 30, 1999 compared with the same period of 1998 is due to the discontinuance of this intercompany agreement beginning January 1, 1999. This line-item still includes NovaStar Financial ’s portion of system departmental costs.
 
           The increase in interest income for the three months ended September 30, 1999 compared with the same period of 1998 is due to this intercompany agreement went into effect April 1, 1999.
 
Equity in Earnings (Loss) of NFI Holding Corporation
 
           For the three months ended September 30, 1999, NFI Holding recorded net income of $583,000 compared with a net loss of $2.5 million for the same period of 1998. NFI Holding’s financial position and results of operation for the three month periods ended September 30, 1999 and 1998 are discussed further under the heading “NFI Holding Corporation.”-
 
Taxable Income (Loss)
 
           Income reported for financial reporting purposes as calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) differs from income computed for income tax purposes. This distinction is important as dividends paid are based on taxable income. Table 1714 is a summary of the differences between net income or loss reported for GAAP and taxable income for 1999three months ended March 31, 2000 and 1998. 1999.
 
Table 1714
 
Taxable Income (Loss)
1999Three Months Ended March 31, 2000 and 1998 (in1999
(in thousands)
 

 
    March 31,
     2000
     1999
  1998
   Third
Quarter

  Second
Quarter

  First
Quarter

  Fourth
Quarter

  Third
Quarter

  Second
Quarter

  First
Quarter

Net income (loss)      $(1,537 1,212 )        1,845 1,726    $  1,726    $(27,388)  $  2,394    $1,894    $1,279 
Use of net operating loss
     carryforward
     —      (1,153)    (1,475 )  —     —     —     —   
Results of NFI Holding and
     subsidiaries
     (577)(699 )   674      (551 )  320    2,447    —      271  
Provision for credit losses      5,6341,579      3,566      2,299     4,030    1,179    1,145    1,076  
Loans charged-off      (3,8362,921 )    (3,484)   (2,380)    (3,214)   (1,763)  (675)  (5182,380 )
Capital losses Other, net      — 239     —     —      14,963    —      —      —    
Other, net  397    397      381     (370)  96    208    (2)
     
     
    
    
    
    
    
  
Estimated taxable income
     (loss)
     $       81(590    $  1,845    $     —     $(11,659 )      $  4,353  —     $2,572    $2,106 
     
     
    
    
    
    
    
  
 
           The net loss realized during the 1998 fourth quarter resulted in NovaStar Financial incurring a net loss for both financial reporting and income tax purposes for the 1998 fiscal year. NovaStar Financial has a net operating loss carryforward of approximately $2.6$3.1 million available to offset taxable income in 1999,2000, and thereby reduce the amount of required distributions under REIT guidelines. In addition, the $0.35 per common share, $2.8 million dividenddividends paid on April 15, 1999 andconvertible preferred stock serve to reduce the $556,000amount of preferred dividends paid in May and August 1999 representrequired distributions of 1999 taxable income. Consequently, NovaStar Financial does not anticipate declaring any further dividends onto common stock for 1999. NovaStar Financial expects the common stock dividend paid in April 1999 to be designated as a return of capital. NovaStar Financial anticipates that it will return to its previous policy of declaring dividends on common stock in 2000.shareholders.
 
NFI Holding Corporation
 
           Since NovaStar Financial discontinued purchasing loans from NovaStar Mortgage and holding them in portfolio in the latter part of 1998, NovaStar Mortgage has had a larger impact on NovaStar Financial’s operational results. Instead of selling loans to NovaStar Financial, NovaStar Mortgage has sold loans to outside third parties. Through its indirect equity ownership of NFI Holding, NovaStar Financial has shared in the profits of NovaStar Mortgage’s loan sales.
 
           The following table presents NFI Holding’s consolidated financial statements as of September 30,March 31, 2000 and 1999, and 1998, which consists primarily consist of the assets, liabilities, and operational results of NovaStar Mortgage. Accordingly, the discussion that follows focuses on NovaStar Mortgage.
 
Table 18
NFI Holding Corporation
 
Condensed Consolidated BalanceBalances Sheets
(in
(dollars in thousands)
 
        September  30,March 31,
 19992000

     December 31,
19981999

   (unaudited)
Assets          
           Cash and cash equivalents.equivalents     $  2,219     $      947  $     5,7591,466
           Mortgage loans.  103,258loans      216,83961,489    107,916
           Mortgage securities—available for sale    13,500    — 
Other assets      8,64911,881      4,49210,061
     
  
                      Total assets      $112,85489,089      $227,090119,443
     
  
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity          
Liabilities:        
           Borrowings     $38,746     $  72,620 78,448  $203,341
           Due to NovaStar Financial, Inc.      22,04424,721      18,52122,161
           Accounts payable and other liabilities      9,69917,870      5,215
           Stockholders’ equity   8,491  1311,787
     
  
                      Total liabilities    81,337    112,396
Stockholders’ equity    7,752    7,047
    
  
                      Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity      $112,854  $227,090
  89,089   
  
 
NFI Holding Corporation
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(unaudited; in thousands)
 
   For the Nine
Months Ended
September 30,

  For the Three
Months Ended
September 30,

   1999
  1998
  1999
  1998
Interest income     $  8,542   $     6,539    $3,122    $  3,745  
Interest expense.   4,358  4,809    1,543    2,391  119,443
     
  
 
NFI Holding Corporation
 
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(dollars in thousands)
 
     Three Months
Ended
March 31,

     2000
    1999
Interest income    $3,675     $2,746
Interest expense    2,039     1,561
    
     
    
  
                      Net interest income      4,1841,636     1,185
Provision for credit losses    (149)    170
      1,730
      1,579
Net interest income after provision for credit losses     1,785       1,354  1,015
Other income:               
           Administrative servicing fees received from NovaStar
                Financial
  3,343  4,606    767    (65)
           Fees from third parties      707706       2,305341
           Fees received from, net of paid to, NovaStar Financial, Inc.     699       152    687  2,165
           Net gain on sales of mortgage loansassets      9,1892,725       1,209    3,101    798  2,847
     
  
     
    
  
                      Total other income      13,2394,130       8,120    4,020    1,420  5,353
General and administrative expenses       15,889  5,209  12,330       5,250    5,246  5,811
     
  
    
    
  
Income (loss) before taxes  1,534  (2,480)  349       (2,472
Net income before taxes )    706     557
Income tax expense      —    —     (234)        
     
  
    
    
  
Net income or (loss)  $  1,534   $ (2,480)  $  583       $(2,472
Net income )    $  706     $  557
     
  
     
    
  
 
Financial Condition of NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.NFI Holding Corporation as of September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and December 31, 19981999
 
           Mortgage Loan Originations.    NovaStar MortgageNFI Holding originated 3,100 subprime1,232 non-conforming residential mortgage loans during the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 with an aggregate principal amount of $313$132 million. Virtually all of NovaStar MortgageNFI Holding’s mortgage assets at September 30, 1999as of March 31, 2000 and December 31, 19981999 consist of subprimenon-conforming mortgage loans that will be sold directly to independent buyers of whole loans or through securitization transactions that are treated for tax and accounting purposes as sales.
 
           Table 1915 is a summary of NFI Holding’s wholesale loan originations for 2000 and 1999. Table 16 presents a summary of mortgage loan transfers of NFI Holding during 2000 and 1999. Table 17 is a summary of wholesale loan originations for 1999 and 1998. Table 20 presents a summaryorigination costs of mortgage loan sales of NovaStar Mortgage during 1999 and 1998. Table 21 is a summary of loan costs for NovaStar Mortgage relative to its wholesale loan originations.production.
 
Table 1915
 
19992000 and 19981999 Quarterly Wholesale Loan Originations —NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.
(dollars in thousands)thousands, except for average loan balance)
 
        Number
of Loans

     Principal
     Average
Loan
Balance

     Price Paid
to
Broker

     Weighted Average
     Percent with
Prepayment
Penalty

       Loan to
Value

     Credit
Rating (A)

     Coupon
1999:2000:                                        
           Third quarter  1,139  $118,379  $104  100.8  82%  5.29  9.87%  91%
           Second quarter  1,120    111,952     100   100.9  82  5.16  9.80  89
           First quarter      8651,232      82,495$132,072      95$107,201      100.5101.1      80    4.95  9.87    89  
    
  
  
  
  
    
  
    
  
1999 total  3,124  $312,826  $100  100.7  82 %      5.155.45      9.8410.16 %      9093 %
     
  
  
  
  
     
  
     
  
 
1998:1999:                                        
           Fourth quarter      1,5011,265      $133,739  $  89 130,288      100.8$102,994      81101.0    82 %      4.755.30      9.7810.04 %      8891 %
           Third quarter      2,6551,204      240,498125,140      90103,937      101.4100.8      8182      5.28      4.379.87       10.1191    79 
           Second quarter      3,1331,161      294,303114,631      9498,735      101.3101.1      8182      5.14      4.439.82       9.9389    71 
           First quarter      2,033865      207,97682,495       102  101.495,370      81100.5     80       4.454.95      9.939.85         89 65 
     
  
  
  
  
     
  
     
  
1998                      1999 total  9,322      $876,516  $  94 4,495      101.3$452,554      81$100,679    100.9    82 %      4.475.19      9.969.90 %      7490 %
     
  
  
  
  
     
  
     
  

 
(A)
AAA=7, AA=6, A=5, A-=4, B=3, C=2, D=1
 
Table 2016
Mortgage Loan Sales to Third Parties—NovaStar Mortgage, Inc. 
Nine Months Ended September 30, 1999 and Year Ended December 31, 1998Quarterly Mortgage Loan Transfers
(dollars in thousands)
 
       Mortgage Loan Sales to Third Parties
    Mortgage Loans
Transferred in
Securitizations

      Principal
Amount

     Net Gain
Recognized

     Weighted
Average
Price To
Par

     PercentPrincipal
Amount

    Net Gain of
PrincipalRecognized

1999:2000:              
           Third quarter  $106,759  $2,969  104.2  2.79%
           Second quarter  97,281  2,875  104.4  2.96  
           First quarter      73,743$    48,548      1,576$    1,166      103.6104.0%      2.14$  128,171     $  1,544
     
  
  
  
  
           1999 total    $277,783  $7,420
   104.1  2.80%
    
  
  
  
  
1998:          
    
1999:                      
           Fourth quarter      $108,800  $1,985 109,443      103.6$    2,583      1.82104.1 %    $         —     $    — 
           Third quarter      18,133110,512      8263,075      106.0104.2       4.56—       
           Second quarter      6,74298,048      1732,911      106.0104.4       2.57—       
           First quarter      —   72,824      —   1,593      —  103.6       —   138,847     1,250
     
  
  
     
  
           1998           1999 total      $133,675  $2,984  390,827      104.0$ 10,162      2.23104.1 %     $ 138,847    $ 1,250
     
  
  
  
  
 
Table 21
Costs of Loan Production—NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 1999 and Year Ended December 31, 1998
(dollars in thousands)
 
   1999
  1998
   Third
Quarter

  Second
Quarter

  First
Quarter

  Fourth
Quarter

  Third
Quarter

  Second
Quarter

  First
Quarter

Gross costs  of loan production (A)    $     4,972
  
      $     4,487
     
 
Table 17
 
Wholesale Loan Costs of Production
 
     Gross Loan
Production

    Premium paid
to broker,
net of
fees collected

    Total
Acquisition
Cost

$  5,062 Costs as a percent of principal:           $     7,109        $     5,606    $     4,783    $     3,853  
Fees collected 2000:      (556     )    
           First quarter      (374)3.3%      (284)0.5%      (386)  (631)  (946)  (774)3.8%
     
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Net costs of loan production    $     4,416
     $     4,113    $  4,778    $     6,723    $     4,975    $     3,837    $     3,079  
Wholesale loan origination—
principal1999:
     118,379           111,952    82,495    133,739    240,498    294,303    207,974  
Premium paid to broker           Fourth quarter      9213.1%     0.5%      948    441    1,043    3,439    3,679    2,935  3.6%
     
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Total acquisition cost (B)    $123,716  
   $117,013
           Third quarter      $87,7143.8%     0.4%      $141,505    $248,912    $301,819    $213,988  4.2%
     
     

     
    
    
    
    
  
Costs as a percent of principal:
           Gross loan production Second quarter      4.2%4.2%      4.0%0.5%      6.1%  5.3%  2.3%  1.6%  1.9%4.7%
     
     

     
    
    
    
    
  
           Fees collected (C)  (0.5)%First quarter      (0.3)%6.2%      (0.3)%0.2%      (0.3)%  (0.2)%  (0.3)%  (0.4)%6.4%
     
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
           Net loan production    3.7%
   3.7%  5.8%  5.0%  2.1%  1.3%  1.5%
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
           Premium paid to broker   0.8%  0.8%  0.5%  0.8%  1.4%  1.3%  1.4%
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
           Total acquisition cost   4.5%  4.5%  6.3%  5.8%  3.5%  2.6%  2.9%
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

(A)
Loan production general and administrative expenses as reported for GAAP, plus deferred loan costs.
 
(B)
Principal, premium and general and administrative expenses associated with loan production.
 
(C)
During the second quarter of 1999, NovaStar Mortgage gave brokers the option on all original full package submissions to 1) have the underwriting fee NovaStar Mortgage charged waived or 2) pay the underwriting fee and receive an extra 50 basis points in premium from NovaStar Mortgage. Prior to this point in time, the underwriting fee charged by NovaStar Mortgage was waived on all original full package submissions.
 
            Table 22 is a summary of loans originated by NovaStar Mortgage by state for 1999 and 1998 by quarter. As of September 30, 1999, NovaStar Mortgage had 41 account executives covering 44 states.
 
Table 22
Mortgage Loan Originations by State—NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.
1999 and 1998
 
   Percent of  Total Originations during Quarter
(based on original principal balance)

   1999
  1998
Collateral Location
  Third
  Second
  First
  Fourth
  Third
  Second
  First
Florida  15%  12%  15%  24%  17%  16%  12%
Michigan  10    10    12    6    5    5    5  
Ohio  12    10    8    9    4    5    2  
California  10    8    6    2    6    9    15  
Arizona  5    7    4    2    3    3    3  
Tennessee  4    6    9    6    4    4    4  
Washington  4    5    3    3    5    6    7  
Pennsylvania  4    4    4    5    4    3    2  
North Carolina   1    1    2    4    5    3    2  
Texas  2    1    2    3    5    3    3  
All other states   33    36    35    36    42    43    45  
 
           As noted in the table above, NovaStar Mortgage’s quarter-to-quarter 1999 wholesale loan production costs steadily declined as a result of increased efficiencies in the mortgage lending operation. During the third quarter of 1999, NovaStar Mortgage introduced Internet Underwriter, “IU”, a web-based origination system that has allowed NovaStar Mortgage to increase production volumes without adding infrastructure. First quarter 2000 production costs were slightly higher than fourth quarter 1999 due in part to more expense allocations from NovaStar Financial. In addition, NovaStar Mortgage hired more account executives during the first three months of 2000. Account executive costs typically are higher in the first few months of employment and are expected to decline as the sales force becomes more productive with added experience and exposure to NovaStar Mortgage’s whole loan origination products and markets.
 
            Table 18 is a summary of loans originated by state for 2000 and 1999 by quarter. As of March 31, 2000, NovaStar Mortgage had 56 account executives 47 covering states.
 
Table 18
 
Mortgage Loan Originations by State
2000 and 1999
 
     Percent of Total Originations
during Quarter
(based on original principal balance)

     2000
    1999
Collateral Location
    First
    Fourth
    Third
    Second
    First
Florida    14%    12%    15%    12%    15%
Michigan    11     12     10     10     12 
California    10     10     10     8     6 
Arizona    5     8     5     7     4 
Ohio    7     8     12     10     8 
Tennessee    7     6     4     6     9 
Washington    5     4     4     5     3 
All other states    41     40     40     42     43 
 
           NFI Holding’s loan originations are funded through warehouse and repurchase facilities at First Union and are discussed further inGMAC/RFC. Table 21 of theFinancial ConditionLiquidity Resources and Capital” section of NovaStar Financialthis document detail borrowings outstanding under these financing arrangements as of September 30, 1999 and DecemberMarch 31, 1998” and “Results of Operations of NovaStar Financial, Inc.—Nine Months Ended September 30, 1999 Compared to the Nine Months Ended September 30, 1998”.2000.
 
           Mortgage Loan Sales.    In aits second securitization executed by NovaStar Mortgage during the first quarter of 1999, $1652000, $230 million in loans were sold to a Special Purpose Entity (SPE), of which $26$102 million settledis to settle in April 1999. ProceedsJune 2000. A gain of bonds$1.5 million was recognized on the transaction. Bonds issued by the SPE $160were $226 million and proceeds received on the first close were used to pay for thedown warehouse and mortgage loans acquired fromloan repurchase facilities of NovaStar Mortgage. The loans were sold without recourse byto NovaStar Mortgage.Mortgage Funding Trust Series 2000-1. NovaStar Mortgage retained a residual certificatecertificates issued by the SPE. In September 1999,April 2000, NovaStar Financial purchased the economic residual interests. NovaStar Mortgage also retained loan servicing rights for the loans sold to the SPE. The value of the retained interests inand the mortgage servicing rights hashave been recorded as an asset and the loans sold have been removed from the balance sheet of NovaStar Mortgage.
 
           NovaStar Mortgage allocated its basis in the mortgage loans between the portion of the mortgage loans sold and the retained assets based on the relative fair values of those portions at the time of sale. The values of these assets wereare determined by discounting estimated future cash flows using the cash out method. Following are
 
           The following table details the significant values and assumptions used in determiningto determine the values of the assets sold and valuesvalue of the resulting retained assets.assets in NMFT 2000-1.
 
     Constant
Prepayment
Rate

    Annual
Constant
Default Rate
(basis points)

    Discount
Rate

Estimated average value of mortgage loans sold2000-1      103.025 to 30%
           Assumptions used in determining future cash flow:100   
                      Estimated prepayment speeds     30 to 35 CPR  
                      Estimated rate of default   70 CDR  
           Discount rate  16.5%
           Value of residual certificate  $       9,700,000  
           Value of mortgage servicing rights  $           646,000  
           Aggregate gain  $       1,605,000  15%
 
           OfDetails regarding the aggregate gain recognizedNMFT 1999-1 and NMFT 2000-1 collateral as of March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999 are included in the securitization, $355,000 was recorded upon the April closing.Tables 4, 5 and 7 of this document.
 
            NovaStar MortgageNFI Holding also sold $278$48.5 million of its whole loan portfolio to unrelated third parties for cash at a net gain of $7.4$1.2 million at an average price to par of 104104.0 during the nine months ended September 30, 1999.2000. Table 2016 of “Financial Condition of NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.NFI Holding Corporation as of September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and December 31, 19981999” provides a quarterly analysis of NovaStar MortgageNFI Holding’s mortgage loan sales to third parties.
 
           Mortgage loan servicing.    Loan Servicing. Loan servicing is a critical part of NovaStar Mortgage’s business. The majority of the loans serviced by NovaStar Mortgage are owned by NovaStar Financial. In the opinion of management, maintaining contact with borrowers is vital in managing credit risk and in borrower retention. SubprimeNon-conforming borrowers are prone to late payments and are more likely to default on their obligations than conventional borrowers. NovaStar Mortgage strives to identify issues and trends with borrowers early and take quick action to address such matters.
 
           Table 23 is a summary of delinquent loans in NovaStar Mortgage ’s servicing portfolio as of September 30, 1999 and 1998 by quarter. Table 2419 provides summaries of delinquencies defaults, and lossdefault statistics as of September 30,NovaStar Mortgage’s mortgage loan portfolio in 2000 and 1999 and 1998 by quarter. The information presented in both tables include mortgage loans owned by NovaStar Financial and its affiliates. Other information regarding the credit quality of NovaStar Financial’s mortgage loans is provided in Table 1.
 
Table 2319
Loan Delinquencies (90 days and greater) (A) 
1999Delinquencies and 1998Defaults
 
       2000
     1999
  1998
       March 31
    December 31
     September 30
     June 30
     March 31
  December 31
  September  30
  June 30
  March 31
Mortgage loans collateralizing NovaStar
     Home Equity series (CMO):Loan servicing portfolio
    $872,693     $894,572     $969,343     $1,032,065     $1,072,393 
    
    
    
    
    
  
Total defaults:                    
           1997-1
                (Issued October 1, 1997)Delinquent loans (A)
     6.325.58 %      5.136.28 %      4.374.75 %      5.455.21 %      5.97%  5.86%  4.394.12 %
           1997-2
                (Issued December 11, 1997)
   4.92
      4.03
      5.38
      5.62
      4.97    4.72    2.23
  
           1998-1
                (Issued April 30, 1998)Loans in foreclosure
    3.55     3.62     3.79     3.36     3.39 
      5.32
      4.13
      4.64
      4.44
      2.06    —      —  
  
           1998-2
                (Issued August 18, 1998)Real estate owned
     4.062.65      2.71       3.942.24      2.20       3.721.66    2.35    0.40    —      —    
           1999-1
                (Issued January 29, 1999) (B)
  3.41    3.39    2.35    —      —      —      —    
All loans in servicing portfolio  5.80    5.15    5.00    3.35    2.45    2.53    2.28  

(A)
Includes loans in foreclosure or bankruptcy.
(B)
This securitization was treated as a sale under SFAS 125 and accordingly the mortgage loans and related liability are not included on NovaStar’s balance sheet.
Table 24
Delinquencies, Defaults and Losses
September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998
(dollars in thousands)
 
   NovaStar Home Equity Series (A)
   
September 30, 1999
  1997-1
  1997-2
  1998-1
  1998-2
  1999-1
  Other  (C)
  All
Loans

Loan servicing portfolio (B)  $  96,399    $120,542    $214,518    $252,359    $149,942    $     135,583    $969,343 
     
     
     
     
     
  

 
(A)
Includes loans delinquent 30 days or greater
 
           The following table presents a summary of the mortgage loan activity of NFI Holding for 2000 and 1999 as a percent of the respective quarter’s beginning principal of mortgage loans held in portfolio and loan origination principal.
 
Table 20
 
Mortgage Loan Activity—NFI Holding Corporation
 
     Percent Sold
to NovaStar
Financial, Inc.

    Percent
Sold to
Third
Parties

    Percent Sold
in
Securitizations

    Percent
Held in
Portfolio

    Percent of
Prepayments

    Total
2000      
    
  
Allowance for Credit Losses:                   
          Balance, January 1, 1999 First quarter      $       816—     20%    53%    26%    1%    100%
1999      $     1,049    $     1,163    $       346    $       —      $           353    $     3,727  
          Provision for credit losses   2,250    2,649    3,099    2,444    —      1,020    11,462  
          Amounts charged off, net of
              recoveries
  (1,705)  (2,438)  (3,264)  (2,039)  —      (243)  (9,689)
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
          Balance, September 30, 1999   $     1,361    $     1,260    $       998    $       751    $       —      $         1,130    $     5,500  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
 
Defaults as a percent of loan servicing                   
          Delinquent loans (D)  7.43% Fourth quarter      6.14%—       4.4852 %       5.66—  %       4.9246 %       0.152 %       4.75100 %
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
          Loans in foreclosure  5.56 Third quarter     —       4.3354      —        4.6644      2       3.50100    3.23    1.86    3.79  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
          Real estate owned Second quarter      3.91—      32       3.8313      54       3.091         100 1.84    0.80    0.65    2.24  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
 
   NovaStar Home Equity Series (A)
   
December 31, 1998
  1997-1
  1997-2
  1998-1
  1998-2
  Other  (C)
  All Loans
  
Loan servicing portfolio (B)  $168,255    $167,685    $273,583    $301,857    $268,587    $1,179,967    
    
    
    
    
    
    
        
Allowance for Credit Losses:              
          Balance, January 1, 1998  $     1,063    $       967    $       —      $       —      $      283    $         2,313    
          Provision for credit losses   1,895    2,257    1,878    222    1,388    7,640    
          Amounts charged off, net of
              recoveries
  (2,142)  (2,175)  (715)  124    (1,318)  (6,226)  
    
    
    
    
    
    
        
          Balance, December 31, 1998  First quarter      $       816—      25       $     1,04945      29       $     1,1631         100 $       346    $       353    $         3,727    
    
    
    
    
    
    
        
 
Defaults as a percent of loan servicing              
          Delinquent loans (D)  6.45%  5.95%  4.89%  4.06%  2.01%  4.40%  
    
    
    
    
    
    
        
          Loans in foreclosure  2.63    2.96    3.60    2.06    0.40    2.25    
    
    
    
    
    
    
        
          Real estate owned  3.54    2.76    1.01    0.09    0.23    1.21    
    
    
    
    
    
    
        
 
   
Results of Operations of NFI Holding Corporation—Three Months Ended March 31, 2000 Compared to the three months ended March 31, 1999
  1998
   September  30
  June 30
  March 31
  December 31
  September 30
  June 30
  March 31
Total defaults:               
          Delinquent
              loans
  4.75%  5.21%  4.12%  4.40%  2.95%  1.95%  1.92%
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
          Loans in
              foreclosure
  3.79    3.36  3.39    2.25    2.02    2.28    2.29  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
          Real estate
              owned
  2.24    2.20  1.66    1.21    0.81    0.52    0.24  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

(A)
Loans owned by NovaStar Financial
 
           For the three months ended March 31, 2000, NFI Holding recorded net income of $706,000 compared with a net income of $557,000 during the same period of 1999. A summarized income statement of NFI Holding is presented in the “NFI Holding Corporation” section of this document.
(B)
Includes assets acquired through foreclosure
(C)
Includes loans owned by NovaStar Financial, NovaStar Mortgage and NovaStar Capital
(D)
Includes loans delinquent 30 days or greater
 
            The following table presents a summarysummarizes reasons impacting operating results of the mortgage loan activity of NovaStar Mortgage for 1999 and 1998.
 
Table 25
Mortgage Loan Activity—NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.
(dollars in thousands)
 
   1999
  1998
   Principal
  Premium
  Principal
  Premium
Balance, January 1  $   206,495    $  3,114    $         —      $     —    
Originations  82,495    997    207,976    3,758  
Sales to NovaStar Financial, Inc.  —      —      (207,976)  (3,758)
Sales to third parties   (71,829 )   (649)  —      —    
Sales in securitization transactions  (132,451)  (2,109)  —     —   
Principal repayments and amortization  (1,963)  (45)  —      —    
    
    
    
    
  
Balance, March 31  $     82,747    $  1,308    $         —      $     —    
Originations  111,952    1,641    294,303    5,207  
Sales to NovaStar Financial, Inc.  —     —     (290,350)  (5,148)
Sales to third parties  (64,225)  (1,368)  (3,953)  (59)
Sales in securitization transactions  (25,436)  (259)  —     —   
Principal repayments and amortization  (1,703)  (46)  —      —    
    
    
    
    
  
Balance, June 30   $   103,335    $  1,276    $         —      $     —    
Originations  118,379    1,865    240,498    4,035  
Sales to NovaStar Financial, Inc.  —     —     —      —    
Sales to third parties   (127,080 )   (1,992)  (12,836)  (517)
Principal repayments and amortization  (2,828)  (37)  (1,567)  (7)
    
    
    
    
  
Balance, September 30  $     91,806    $  1,112    $   226,095    $  3,511  
    
    
              
Originations      133,739    1,821  
Sales to NovaStar Financial, Inc.      —      —    
Sales to third parties      (116,886)  (2,156)
Principal repayments and amortization      (36,453)  (62)
      
  
Balance, December 31      $ 206,495    $ 3,114  
      
  
 
Results of Operations of NovaStar Mortgage, Inc. —Nine Months Ended September 30, 1999 Compared to the Nine Months Ended September 30, 1998
 
           The following table presents a summarized income statement of NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.NFI Holding for the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999 and 1998:
 
Table 26
NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.—Statements of Operations
Nine Months Ended September 30 (dollars in thousands)
 
   1999
  1998
Net interest income   $4,096  $  1,691  
Services provided to NovaStar Financial, Inc.  3,343   4,606  
Fees from third parties  676  2,302  
Gains on sale of mortgage assets  9,042  1,209  
Expenses:
           Production  6,745  6,118  
           Servicing  3,508  2,145  
           Other  4,595  3,863  
    
  
  
Net income (loss)   $2,309  $(2,318)
    
  
  
 
           The following summarizes changes in net earnings of NovaStar Mortgage for the nine months ended September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 compared with the same period of 1998:1999:
 
Ÿ
Beginning July 1, 1998, NovaStar Mortgage retained its mortgage loan production to sell to third parties or securitize versus selling them directly to NovaStar Financial. Prior to this pointIncrease in time, NovaStar Financial acquired 100% of NovaStar MortgageNFI Holding’s wholesale loan production. Accordingly, NovaStar Mortgage recognized $4.1 million in net interest income on these loansduring the three months ended March 31, 2000 from $1.2 million to $1.6 million. The increase is twofold; higher average loan volume and interest spread for the nine months ended September 30,first quarter of 2000 compared with 1999. The net interest income NovaStar Mortgage recognized in 1998 also includes net interest earned on agency securities. NovaStar Mortgage sold allNFI Holding’s weighted average loan volume for the first quarter of its agency securities during the latter part of 1998.
 
Ÿ
The administrative fee agreement between NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage2000 was cancelled on April 1, 1999. These fees are included in services provided to NovaStar Financial, Inc. The other components of this financial statement line-item are discussed further in the “Results of Operations of NovaStar Financial, Inc.—Nine Months Ended September 30, 1999$136 million compared to the Nine Months Ended September 30, 1998.”
 
Ÿ
During the nine months ended September 30, 1999, NovaStar Mortgage recognized net gains of $9.0with $120 million on mortgage loan sales. $1.6 million of the gains recognized was a result of the closing of NovaStar Mortgage’s first securitization transaction. The remainder of the gain is due to various mortgage loan sales to independent third parties. NovaStar Mortgage recognized $211,000 and $998,000 on sales of mortgage securities and mortgage loans, respectively, duringfor the same period of 1998.
 
Ÿ
NovaStar Mortgage’s wholesale origination operation1999. Spread income was not operating at full capacity during3.3% for the ninethree months ended September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 compared with 2.7% for the ninethree months ended September 30, 1998. NovaStar Mortgage’s costs of loan production as a percent of principal averaged 4.3% for the first nine months of 1999 versus 1.6% during the first nine months of 1998 as detailed in Table 19. Accordingly, in 1999 NovaStar Mortgage capitalized a lower percentage of its origination costs—which under GAAP are amortized as an adjustment of the yield over the life of the loan versus expensed in the period incurred. Management estimates that if the wholesale origination channel was operating at full capacity, NovaStar Mortgage’s costs of loan production would be 2.25–2.50%.-
 
Ÿ
NovaStar Mortgage’s servicing staff increased from September 30, 1998 to September 30, 1999. This increase is due to growth in the loan servicing portfolio, which averaged $900 million for the nine months ended September 30, 1998 compared with $1.1 billion for the nine months ended September 30,March 31, 1999.
 
Ÿ
Decline in fees received from, net of paid to, Novastar Financial, Inc. from $2.2 million in the first quarter of 1999 to $699,000 for the same period of 2000 due to the cancellation of the administrative fee agreement between NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage remitted $231,000on April 1, 1999. A breakdown of the intercompany fees by type is included in premium paymentsthe “Results of Operations of NovaStar Financial, Inc.—Three Months Ended March 31, 2000 Compared to Radian during the nine months ended September 30,Three Months Ended March 31, 1999 which are included as a component” section of other expenses. The agreement with CMAC was executed during the third quarter of 1998.this document.
 
Ÿ
Other departments of NovaStar Mortgage, including systems, quality control, and administration added staff from September 30, 1998 to September 30, 1999 to compensate for general company growth.
 
Ÿ
Other expense for the nine months ended September 30, 1999 also includes the development and design costs incurred for NovaStar Mortgage ’s portion of the automated underwriting and origination system, Internet Underwriter, which was introduced during the third quarter of 1999.
 
Results of Operations of NovaStar Mortgage, Inc. —Three Months Ended September 30, 1999 Compared to the Three Months Ended September 30, 1998.
 
           The following table presents a summarized income statement of NovaStar Mortgage, Inc. for the three months ended September 30, 1999 and 1998:
 
Table 27
NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.—Statements of Operations
Three Months Ended September 30 (dollars in thousands)
 
   1999
  1998
Net interest income   $1,493    $  1,314  
Services provided to NovaStar Financial, Inc.  768    (65)
Fees from third parties  131    685  
Gains on sale of mortgage assets  2,998    798  
Expenses:    
      Production  2,077     2,556  
      Servicing  1,171    839  
      Other  1,601    1,647  
    
    
  
Income before taxes   541    (2,310)
Income tax expense   (234)  —   
    
    
  
Net income  $  775    $(2,310)
    
    
  
 
           The following summarizes the explanation for the increase in net earnings of NovaStar Mortgage for the three months ended September 30, 1999 compared with the same period of 1998:
 
Ÿ
Net interest income forDuring the three months ended September 30, 1999March 31, 2000, NovaStar Mortgage recognized net gains of $2.7 million on the sale of whole loans. Of that amount, $1.5 million was generated fromrecognized as a result of the closing of NovaStar Mortgage’s mortgagesecond securitization transaction. The remainder of the gain was due to various whole loan portfolio. Forsales to third parties for cash. During the same period of 1998, net interest income was also generated from lower-yielding agency security investments. The change in portfolio composition between the two periods is discussed under “Results of Operations of1999, NovaStar Mortgage Inc.—Nine Months Ended September 30, 1999 Compared torecognized gains of $2.8 million on the Nine Months Ended September 30, 1998.”transfer of whole loans, including $1.3 million on the first close of the NMFT 1999-1 asset-backed bond transaction.
 
Ÿ
TheDecline in general administrative fee agreement between NovaStar Financial andexpenses from $5.8 million to $5.2 million is due to increased efficiencies in NovaStar Mortgage was cancelled on April 1,’s wholesale origination operation during the first quarter of 2000 compared with the same period of 1999. These feesThe cost of loan production as a percent of principal averaged 3.8% during the first quarter of 2000 versus 6.4% during the first quarter of 1999, the details of which are includedpresented in services provided to NovaStar Financial, Inc. The other components of this financial statement line-item are discussed further in the “Results of Operations of NovaStar Financial, Inc.—Nine Months Ended September 30, 1999 compared to the Nine Months Ended September 30, 1998.”Table 17.
 
Ÿ
DuringNo income tax expense has been recorded in the three months ended September 30, 1999, NovaStar Mortgage recognizedfirst quarter of 2000 because of the existence of substantial net gains of $3.0 million on mortgage loan sales. NovaStar Mortgage recognized net gains of $823,000 on mortgage loan sales during the three months ended June 30, 1998. Also includedoperating loss carryforwards, which are expected to offset pre-tax income in this line-item for the three months ended September 30, 1998 are agency securities losses of $25,000.2000.
 
 
NovaStar Capital, Inc.
 
           NovaStar Capital, Inc. was formed to focus on acquiring nonconforming residential mortgage loans from banks, thrifts and credit unions. Management is building a sales force of account executives to develop a nationwide network of financial institutions to complement the wholesale origination operation of NovaStar Mortgage. Management believes this is another effective means of acquiring mortgage loans at a low-cost versus secondary market purchases. The short-term intent is to treat these loans similar to NovaStar Mortgage’s wholesale loan originations—to hold in portfolio to be sold either to independent third parties or in securitizations. NovaStar Capital originated 116 mortgage loans with a principal value of $10.4 million during the nine months ended September 30, 1999. At September 30, 1999, NovaStar Capital had total assets of $10.6 million, which include primarily mortgage loans.
 
           During the nine months ended September 30, 1999 and the three months ended September 30, 1999, NovaStar Capital incurred net losses of $760,000 and $397,000, respectively. NovaStar Capital’ s operations for these periods primarily consist of compensation costs. NovaStar Capital also sold $4.7 million of mortgage loans recognizing net gains of $146,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 1999. During the third quarter of 1999, NovaStar Capital sold $3.8 million of mortgage loans for a net gain of $103,000.
 
Value of Mortgages Added through Wholesale Operations
 
           By establishing a wholesale lending operation to originate subprime residential mortgage loans, NovaStar developed a process to add mortgage assets to its balance sheet at amounts management believes are below what it would generally cost, in most market environments, to acquire the same assets in bulk through open market purchases. While this lower cost generation has not been possible during most of 1999, for the reasons described below, management believes that improvements in the efficiency of the wholesale lending operation will permit value creation for shareholders in future periods.
 
           Management estimates the weighted-average value of its mortgage loan portfolio as of September 30, 1999 to be between 101 and 104 in terms of price to par, based upon certain return assumptions and secondary market prices. The values presented in Tables 28 and 29 are management’s estimates based on market conditions as of September 30, 1999. Management believes the inherent returns in the mortgage loans it is originating should warrant a value of 105. Any value assigned to September 30, 1999 loans should take into consideration at what value the loans could be sold in the open market. During the first nine months of 1999, NovaStar Financial sold a number of whole loan packages at a weighted average price of 104.11. Tables 28 and 29 provide management ’s estimates of the value of the mortgage loans in its portfolio and 1999 third quarter production and the assumptions used for estimating fair value. Because any estimated value can vary dramatically based upon the assumptions used, a range of assumptions is used to determine the estimated value.
 
           During 1999, NovaStar Mortgage originated mortgage loans at an all-in cost of 105.0% of principal, including direct costs of acquisition, such as broker premiums, and general overhead expenses. Table 21 displays costs of production for each quarter. The cost of production during the first nine months of 1999 and 1998 third and fourth quarters is higher than previous quarters as a result of lower production levels. NovaStar Mortgage operated at less than full capacity during the second half of 1998, partly by design. If NovaStar Mortgage had operated at or near full capacity, the all-in cost would be more in the range of 3.0 to 3.5. Direct costs of acquisition are capitalized as premium and amortized as an adjustment of yield over the life of the loan.
 
           As of September 30, 1999, the weighted average premium on mortgage loans outstanding is 2.1% of principal. Depending on which assumptions are used, the estimated fair value of loans generally ranges from 102–104% of principal, implying inherent gains of up to 2%. These amounts would be generally consistent with current whole loan prices being up to 2%. These amounts would be generally consistent with current whole loan prices being realized in secondary market sales transactions. Management has performed extensive analysis regarding the value of its securitized loan portfolio, using both whole loan prices and discounted cash flow scenarios. Depending on which scenario is used, management believes that NovaStar Financial’s mark-to-market equity ranges from $106 million to $120 million. This equates to an estimated fair value per diluted share that ranges from $8.80 to $10.00.
 
Table 28
Estimated Market Price on Entire Loan Portfolio
As of September 30, 1999
 

  Estimated Market Price
        
Two- and Three-year
Fixed Loan Products

Bond Equivalent Yield  9.71%  9.96%  10.21%
Spread to Index   3.75%  4.00%  4.25%
Assumed Prepayment
     Speed (CPR)
35  103.9%  103.6%  103.3%
40  103.5%  103.2%  103.0%
45  103.0%  102.8%  102.6%

  Estimated Market Price

  30/15-year Fixed and
Balloon Loan Products
(Three-year Treasury)

Bond Equivalent Yield  9.42%  9.67%  9.92%
Spread to Index   3.75%  4.00%  4.25%
Assumed Prepayment
     Speed (CPR)
25  102.7%  102.6%  102.6%
30  102.1%  102.1%  102.1%
35  101.5%  101.6%  101.7%
 
   One-year CMT Loan
Products

Bond Equivalent Yield  9.68%  9.93%  10.18%
Spread to Index   4.50%  4.75%  5.00%
Assumed Prepayment
     Speed (CPR)
50  101.9%  101.9%  101.9%
55  101.6%  101.6%  101.6%
60  101.8%  101.3%  101.4%
   Six-month LIBOR Loan
Products

Bond  Equivalent Yield  9.71%  9.96%  10.21%  
Spread to Index   3.75%  4.00%   4.25%
Assumed Prepayment
     Speed (CPR)
50  104.0%  103.8%  103.6%  
55  103.7%  103.5%  103.3%  
60  103.3%  103.2%  103.1%  
 
Table 29
Estimated Market Price of Loans Originated in Third Quarter of 1999
 
   Estimated Market Price
   Two- and Three-year
Fixed Loan Products

Bond Equivalent Yield  9.21%  9.46%  9.71%
Spread to Index   3.25%  3.50%  3.75%
Assumed Prepayment
     Speed (CPR)
25  105.7%  104.9%  104.4%
30  105.0%  104.4%  103.9%
35  104.4%  103.8%  103.4%
   Estimated Market Price
   30/15-year Fixed and
Balloon Loan Products

Bond  Equivalent Yield  8.92%  9.17%  9.42%
Spread to Index   3.25%  3.50%  3.75%
Assumed Prepayment
     Speed (CPR)
15  104.9%  104.5%  104.2%
20  104.1%  103.8%  103.6%
25  103.2%  103.1%  103.0%
 
Liquidity and Capital Resources
 
           Liquidity means the need for, access to and uses of cash. The primary needs for cash include the acquisition of mortgage loans, principal repayment and interest on borrowings, operating expenses and dividend payments. Substantial cash is required to support the operating activities of the business, especially the mortgage origination operation. Principal,Mortgage asset sales, principal, interest and fees receivedcollected on mortgage assets and residual interests on CMOs will serve to support cash needs. Drawing upon various borrowing arrangements typically satisfies major cash requirements. During the first nine months of 1999, NovaStar Financial also improved its equity and liquidity positions significantly by:
 
Ÿ
Increasing borrowing capacitySecuring lending facilities with First Union National Bank to $395 million in February 1999.and GMAC/RFC.
 
Ÿ
Raising additional capital through the issuance of 4 million shares of Class B 7% cumulative convertible preferred stock in March 1999; gross proceeds aggregating $30 million.
 
           Historically, NovaStar Financial demonstrated the ability to access public capital markets as a source of long-term cash resources. The events in early October 1998 changed the liquidity position of NovaStar Financial and many other subprime companies and REITs. The number of options available to NovaStar Financial with regard to financing and capital resources have been restricted.
 
           The actions taken by management in the fourth quarter of 1998 to restore liquidity and mitigate additional margin call risk have significantly reduced cash requirements. The mortgage loans owned by NovaStar Financial have minimal liquidity risk as they are financed with non-recourse CMOs. Management expects that interest income on the loans will generate sufficient cash to meet financing and operating costs.
 
           NovaStar Mortgage requires substantial cash to fund loan originations and operating costs. As of September 30, 1999, NovaStar MortgageMarch 31, 2000, NFI Holding owned $92.8$61.5 million of subprimenon-conforming mortgage loans. NovaStar Mortgage providesNFI Holding provided financing for these loans through warehouse and repurchase credit facilities at First Union.Union and GMAC/RFC. Loans financed with warehouse and repurchase credit facilities are subject to changing market valuation and margin calls. Management expects to continue selling loans originated by NovaStar Mortgage or securitizing those loans at a profit to meet the significant cash needs of the wholesale loan operation. Management believes NovaStar Financial can operate indefinitely in this manner, provided that the level of loan originations areis at or near the capacity of its production infrastructure.
 
           Table 3021 is a summary of cash, financing arrangements and available borrowing capacity under those arrangementsfor NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage, on a combined basis, as of September 30, 1999: March 31, 2000:
 
Table 3021
 
Liquidity Resources
September 30, 1999
(dollars March 31, 2000
(in thousands)
 
        Maximum
Borrowing
Limit

     Lending
Value of
Collateral

     Borrowings
     Availability
Resource        
Cash             $  3,294  
First Union National Bank (A):   
           Committed warehouse line of creditCash                  $75,000  $43,650    $22,191  21,459    4,564
           Committed secured whole loan repurchase
                agreementFirst Union National Bank (A):
  300,000  50,429    50,429  —    
           Committed residual financing available under
                CMOs
  20,000  (B)  —     20,000  
             
    
                      Total.Committed warehouse line of credit     $  75,000    $44,373     $25,250    $19,123
                      Committed secured whole loan repurchase agreement    $175,000    $  6,600     $  6,600    $    — 
                      Committed residual financing available    $  25,000    (B)    $    —     $25,000
           GMAC/Residential Funding Corporation (A):               $72,620    
                      Committed warehouse line of credit      $44,753  50,000     $  6,896     $  6,896    $    — 
        
  
        
  
  
  
Total availability as a percent of:
                                 Total assets      $325,000      $57,869        $38,746      6%$48,687
        
  
        
       
  
           Total stockholders’ equity        40%
                  
  

 
(A)
Value of collateral and borrowings include amounts for both NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage, as they are co-borrowers under the arrangements with First Union National Bank.Bank and GMAC/RFC.
 
(B)
Management estimates the value of the residuals range from $60$55 to $75$70 million and does not include the value of mortgage servicing rights.
 
           The warehouse line of credit and whole loan repurchase agreements with First Union National Bank expire on June 1, 2000. Management is negotiating with First Union and anticipates extending those agreements under similar terms as those that are currently included in the agreements. In the opinion of management available liquidity resources are sufficient to cover expected future production of NovaStar Mortgage.
 
           Cash activity during the ninethree months ended September 30,March 31, 2000 and 1999 and 1998 are presented in the consolidated statement of cash flows.
 
           Capital allocation guidelines.     Management’s goal is to balance between the under-utilization of leverage, which reduces returns to stockholders, and the over-utilization of leverage, which could reduce the abilityThe capital of NovaStar to meet its obligations during adverse market conditions. Capital allocation guidelines have been approved by the Board of Directors. The guidelines are intended to keep NovaStar properly leveraged by:Financial has come from
 
Ÿ
Matching the amounta private placement offering of leverage allowed to the riskiness on return and liquiditypreferred stock, raising net proceeds of $47 million.
 
Ÿ
an asset;initial public offering of common stock, raising net proceeds of $67 million, and
 
Ÿ
Monitoring the credit and prepayment performancea private offering of each investment to adjust the required capital.convertible preferred stock, raising net proceeds of $29 million.
 
           This analysis takes into account hedging instruments and other risk programs discussed below. Balance sheet leverage is controlled by monitoringNovaStar Financial uses capital allocation. Following presentswhen financing loans on a summarylong-term basis. Under short-term financing arrangements, NovaStar can borrow up to the lessor of 98% of the capital allocation guidelines for the following levels of capital for various types of assets it owns.
 
Capital Allocation Guidelines
September 30, 1999
Asset Category
  (A)
Minimum
Lender
Haircut

  (B)
Estimated
Price
Duration

  (C)
Duration
Spread
Cushion

  (D)
Liquidity
Spread
Cushion

  (E)
(c + d)
Total
Spread
Cushion

  (F)
(b x e)
Equity
Cushion
(% of
MV)

  (F)
(a + f)
CAG
Equity
Required

Agency-issued:
          Conventional ARMs  3.00%  3.50%  50    50  1.75%  4.75%
          GNMA ARMs  3.00    4.50    50    50  2.25    5.25  
          GNMA Fixed Rates  3.00    5.00    50    50  2.50    5.50  
Mortgage loans:   
          Collateral for warehouse
              financing
  2.00    3.00    100  50  150  4.50    7.50  
          Collateral for
              Securitizations (H)
  5.00    —      —       —     —      5.00  
          Delinquent  100.00    —      —       —     —      100.00  
Hedging  —      —      —       —     —      5.45  
Other  100.00    —      —       —     —      100.00  

(A)
Indicates the minimum amount of equity a typical lender would require with an asset from the applicable asset category. There is some variation in haircut levels among lenders. From the lender perspective, this is a “cushion” to protect capital in case the borrower is unable to meet a margin call. The sizeface amount or 95% of the haircut depends on the liquidity and price volatility of the asset. Agency securities are very liquid, with price volatility in line with the fixed income markets, which means a lender requires a smaller haircut. On the other extreme, “B” rated securities and securities not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission are substantially less liquid, and have more price volatility than agency securities, which results in a lender requiring a larger haircut. Particular securities that are performing below expectations would also typically require a larger haircut.
(B)
Duration is the price-weighted average term to maturity of financial instruments’ cash flows.
(C)
Estimated cushion need to protect against investors requiring a higher return compared to treasury securities, assuming constant interest rates.
(D)
Estimated cushion required due to a potential imbalance of supply and demand resulting in a wider bid/ask spread.
(E)
Sum of duration (C) and liquidity (D) spread cushions.
(F)
Product of estimated price duration (B) and total spread cushion. The additional equity, as determined by management, to reasonably protect the NovaStar Financial from lender margin calls. The size of each cushion is based on management’s experience with the price volatility and liquidity in the various asset categories. Individual assets that have exposure to substantial credit risk will be measured individually and the leverage adjusted as actual delinquencies, defaults and losses differ with management’s expectations.
(H)
Capital allocation guidelines for economic residuals evaluated similarly as whole loans.
 
            Implementation of the capital allocation guidelines —mark to market.    Each month, assets are marked to market. Market values of the mortgage loan portfolio are calculated internally using assumptions for losses, prepayments and discount rates. Mortgage securities are valued using independent market quotes. The face amount of all financing used for securities and mortgage loans is subtracted from the current market value of the assets and hedges. This isloans it owns. In long-term financing (i.e. in the currentform of asset-backed bonds) NovaStar can finance approximately 95% of the market value of equity. This number is comparedthe loans. NovaStar must use its own capital resources to “finance” the required capital as determined bydifference between the capital allocation guidelines. Iffinanced portion and the actual equity falls below the capital required by the capital allocation guidelines, NovaStar Financial must prepare a plan to bring the actual capital above the level required by the capital allocation guidelines.full loan cost.
 
           Each quarter, management presents to the Board of Directors the resultsDuring 1999 and 2000, most of the loans originated by NovaStar Mortgage were sold to third parties and in securitization transactions treated as sales for tax and financial reporting purposes. In doing so, NovaStar does not use capital. In fact, if the sales prices are above the full cost to originate loans, this method of operation will generate capital allocation guidelines compared to actual equity. Management may propose changing the capital required for a class of investments or for an individual investment based on its prepayment and credit performance relative to the market and the ability of the management to predict or hedge the risk of the asset. NovaStar.
 
           Table 31 is a summaryDuring 2000, management expects to finance half of the loans produced by NovaStar Mortgage. The remainder will be sold to third parties. NovaStar currently has excess capital allocation foravailable to support this mode of operation during 2000. When NovaStar Financial as they applyfully deploys its capital, management expects to mortgage assets and hedging instruments during 1999 and 1998.either raise more equity from the capital markets or sell enough loans so that it operates without the need for additional capital.
 
Table 31
Required Equity
 
   1999
  1998
   September  30
  June 30
  March 31
  December 31
  September  30
  June 30
  March 31
Category  
Mortgage loans:   
           Current
                unsecuritized
                loans
  $  5,278    $     4,397    $     3,823    $12,648    $  14,567    $  21,566    $  23,628  
           Delinquent
                unsecuritized
                loans
  2,329    868    1,197    1,685    452    601    1,200  
           Securitized
                loans
  41,587    47,000    49,894    64,548    55,822    37,766    23,478  
Mortgage
     securities
  —     —     —      —      19,514    24,904    27,426  
Other assets  13,878    13,501    13,861    12,536    20,682    13,782    10,733  
Hedging
     instruments
  (24)    (35)  (100)  (179)  (688)  (232)  (203)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Required equity   63,048    65,731    68,675    91,238     110,349    98,387    86,262  
Stockholders’
     equity
  112,671     121,237     119,712    87,204    109,848     114,875    115,798  
Market value in
          excess of the
          carrying value
          of assets and
          hedges
  (9,949)  8,536    1,482    5,961    2,331    31,999    20,685  
          
  
  
  
  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
Excess equity   $39,674    $  64,042    $  52,519    $  1,927    $     1,830    $  48,487    $ 50,221  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  
 
Inflation
 
           Virtually all assets and liabilities of NovaStar Financial are financial in nature. As a result, interest rates and other factors drive company performance far more than does inflation. Changes in interest rates do not necessarily correlate with inflation rates or changes in inflation rates. The financial statements of NovaStar Financial are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and the dividends are based on taxable income. In each case, financial activities and balance sheet are measured with reference to historical cost or fair market value without considering inflation.
 
Impact of Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
 
           Note 1 toof the consolidated financial statements ofcontained in the annual report to shareholders and annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 19981999 describes certain recently issued accounting pronouncements. Management believes the implementation of these pronouncements and others that have gone into effect since the date of these reports will not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.
 
The Year 2000
 
           NovaStar Financial, NovaStar Mortgage and NovaStar Capital, collectively, NovaStar Financial and affiliates are highly dependent on purchased and leased computer software to conduct business. In addition, NovaStar Financial and affiliates are highly dependent on computer software used by market counterparties and vendors, including banks, in conducting business. Management recognizes that some computer software may not have the ability to correctly identify dates beyond December 31, 1999. Successful modification of computer software, or the vendors’ successful modification of their programs, to be year 2000 compliant is critical to the viability of NovaStar Financial and affiliates.
 
           NovaStar Financial and affiliates use three major, and a number of smaller, internal automation solutions to conduct its business operations. The three computer systems considered the most significant to operations are as follows:
 
           Ÿ The internally developed loan origination and database system
 
           Ÿ The externally provided loan servicing system
 
           Ÿ The purchased accounting system
 
           In addition, NovaStar Financial and affiliates integrate with a number of outside entities in normal business transactions. Interfaces with other businesses and third party solution providers are used to conduct some business processes. Other processes are supported by systems created internally.
 
           NovaStar Financial and affiliates are using the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council’s (FFIEC) “Year 2000 Project Management Awareness” document to guide year 2000 readiness efforts. Each program/system interface used by NovaStar Financial and affiliates are being reviewed and tested for year 2000 compliance. The FFIEC guide calls for a three-phase approach to assess year 2000 compliance. Based on this three-phase approach NovaStar Financial’s and affiliates’ projected timeline is as follows:
 
[Chart of timeline]
 
            In the assessment phase, management determined which business processes/interfaces rely on dates and date arithmetic. Most business processes/interfaces rely on dates and date arithmetic. All internally developed business processes/interfaces have been tested for compliance. Based on these tests, all software and automation solutions created by NovaStar Financial and affiliates are year 2000 compliant. NovaStar Financial and affiliates have updated all internal operating systems and software with year 2000 compliant versions. NovaStar Financial and affiliates are still working with market counterparties and vendors to document that they have assessed software for year 2000 compliance.
 
           Solution updates to non-compliant Year 2000 software were made in the correction phase. Corrections on NovaStar Financial and affiliates developed software were made internally and were insignificant. NovaStar Financial and affiliates are requiring all market counterparties and vendors to document they have made all corrections.-
 
           NovaStar Financial and affiliates staff conducted “mock ” business as if it was in the year 2000 during the second quarter of 1999—the validation phase of NovaStar Financial’ s and affiliates’ year 2000 readiness efforts. During this phase, NovaStar Financial and affiliates tested all internally developed software.-
 
           NovaStar Financial and affiliates have contacted all significant outside market counterparties and vendors to obtain documentation regarding their process and status for assuring year 2000 compliance. Management has asked that each party adhere to the same FFIEC guidelines and to provide documents of progress during each phase. NovaStar Financial and affiliates have received written confirmation from Alltel Residential Lending Solutions, vendor of NovaStar Mortgage’s servicing system and Baan/CODA, vendor of NovaStar Financial’s and affiliates’ accounting system stating that the versions currently used are fully year 2000 compliant. The Baan/CODA accounting system was successfully tested internally for Year 2000 compliance.
 
           All internally developed software was designed to be year 2000 compliant. In addition, management has contacted its significant financial counterparty, First Union National Bank, who has completed their internal review of year 2000 compliance. NovaStar Financial and affiliates have received written confirmation that First Union National Bank is Year 2000 compliant.
 
           Management believes the greatest risk in regard to year 2000 compliance is the software and systems used to service its subprime mortgage loans. NovaStar Mortgage services the loans owned by NovaStar Financial. NovaStar Mortgage uses systems developed by Alltel for loan servicing. If these systems fail, NovaStar Mortgage will not be able to continue on a manual basis. In this worst case scenario, loans would not be serviced until the failed system could be remedied. If the loans go “unserviced” for an extended period of
time—several weeks—the result could have a material adverse impact to NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage.-
 
           NovaStar Financial and affiliates are also at significant risk in the event the systems of financial institutions, on which NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage are relying for financing and cash management fail. In a worst case scenario, NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage may not be able to meet financial obligations during the period of failure - an unknown timeframe. The result could have a material adverse impact on NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage.
 
           NovaStar Financial and affiliates are exposed to smaller risks in the event other systems, including those developed internally, fail to perform beyond December 31, 1999. However, management believes functions, other than servicing, can be maintained on a manual basis should systems fail. Although processing and performance would be slow, risk of material adverse impact to NovaStar Financial and affiliates for these systems’ failure is expected to be minimal.-
 
           Management expects, through the completion of its year 2000 plan, the likelihood of a material business disruption is not significant. The major risks presented above involve year 2000 remediation efforts of third party vendors used by NovaStar Financial and NovaStar Mortgage. Based on the information provided, management believes these vendors will meet their obligation for resolution of year 2000 issues.-
 
            Management estimates it has incurred less than $75,000 in costs to date in carrying out its year 2000 compliance plan and estimates it will spend less than $100,000 in completing the plan. However, the costs could increase dramatically if management determines that any market counterparty will not be year 2000 compliant.
 
Item 3.    Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
 
Interest Rate/Market Risk
 
           The investment policy for NovaStar Financial sets the following general goals:
 
           (1) Maintain the net interest margin between assets and liabilities, and
 
           (2) Diminish the effect of changes in interest rate levels on the market value of NovaStar Financial.
 
           Loan Price volatilityVolatility.     Under its current mode of operation, NovaStar Financial depends heavily on the market for wholesale subprimenon-conforming mortgage loans. To conserve capital, NovaStar Mortgage and NovaStar Capital may sell loans it originates. The financial results of NovaStar Financial will depend, in part, on the ability to find purchasers for the loans at prices that cover origination expenses. Exposure to loan price volatility will be reduced as NovaStar Financial resumes acquisition and retention of its subprime mortgage loans.
 
           Interest rate risk.    Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that the market value of assets will increase or decrease at different rates than that of the liabilities. Expressed another way, this is the risk that NovaStar Financial’s net asset value will experience an adverse change when interest rates change. When interest rates on the assets do not adjust at the same rates as ourthe liabilities or when the assets are fixed rates and the liabilities are adjusting, future earnings potential is affected. Management primarily uses financing sources where the interest rate resets frequently. As of September 30, 1999,March 31, 2000 borrowings under all financing arrangements adjust daily, monthly, or quarterly. On the other hand, very few of the mortgage assets owned by NovaStar Financial, as of September 30, 1999,March 31, 2000, adjust on a monthly or daily basis. Most of the mortgage loans contain features where their rates are fixed for some period of time and then adjust frequently thereafter. For example, one of our loan products is the “ 2/ 2/28” loan. This loan is fixed for its first two years and then adjusts every six months thereafter.
 
           While short-term borrowing rates are low and long-term asset rates are high, this portfolio structure produces good results. However, if short-term interest rates rise rapidly, earning potential could beis significantly affected, as the asset rate resets would lag the borrowing rate resets. The converse can be true when sharp declines in short-term interest rates cause interest costs to fall faster than asset rate resets, thereby increasing earnings.-earnings.
 
           In its assessment of the interest sensitivity and as an indication of exposure to interest rate risk, management relies on models of financial information in a variety of interest rate scenarios. Using these models, the fair value and interest rate sensitivity of each financial instrument, or groups of similar instruments is estimated, and then aggregated to form a comprehensive picture of the risk characteristics of the balance sheet. The risks are analyzed on both an income and market value basis.
 
            Table 32 is a summaryThe following are summaries of the analysis as of September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1998.1999.
 
Table 22
 
Table 32Interest Rate Sensitivity—Income
Interest Rate Sensitivity-IncomeMarch 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999
September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998(dollars in thousands)
 
As of September 30, 1999 
     Basis Point Increase (Decrease)
in Interest Rate(A)

 As of March 31, 2000
     (100)
     Base(B)Base
     100
Income from:
           Assets    $71,842     $74,250     $76,294 
           Liabilities (B)    48,989     55,254     61,654 
           Interest rate agreements    (1,861)    (549)    2,884 
     
    
    
  
           Net spread income    $20,992     $18,447     $17,524 
    
    
    
  
           Cumulative change in income from base (C)    $  2,545     —      $    (923)
    
    
    
  
           Percent change from base spread income (D)    13.8%    —      (5.0)%
    
    
    
  
           Percent change of capital (E)    2.5%    —      (0.9)%
    
    
    
  
 
As of December 31, 1999
    (100)
    Base
    100
Income from:
           Assets      $68,71961,610     $64,419     $66,954 
           Liabilities (B)    42,173     47,803     53,442 
           Interest rate agreements    (1,379)    (1,379)    1,122 
    
      $71,435
      $73,953
  
           LiabilitiesNet spread income    $18,058     $15,237     $14,634 
      45,618
      52,079
      58,386
  
           Interest rate agreements Cumulative change in income from base (C)      (1,433$  2,821 )       (1,433—  )       221$    (603  )
     
    
    
  
Net spread income   $21,668       $17,923
      $15,788
  
    
    
    
  
Cumulative change in income from base (B)  $  3,745    —      $(2,135)
         Percent change from base spread income (C)(D)      20.918.5 %      —          (11.94.0 )%
     
    
    
  
Percent change of capital(D)  3.3%  —        
    
  
           Percent change of capital (E)    2.8%    —      (1.90.6 )%
     
     
     
  

 
(A)
Income of asset, liability or interest rate agreement in a parallel shift in the yield curve, up and down 1%.
 
(B)
Includes deal expenses, loan premium amortization, mortgage insurance premiums and provisions for credit losses.
 
(C)
Total change in estimated spread income, in dollars, from “base.” “Base” is the estimated spread income
at September 30,as of March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999.
 
(C)(D)
Total change in estimated spread income, as a percent, from base.
 
(D)(E)
Total change in estimated spread income as a percent of total stockholders’ equity at September 30,as of March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999.
 
Table 23
 
Interest Rate Sensitivity—Market Value
March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1999
(dollars in thousands)
 

     Basis Point Increase
(Decrease)
in Interest Rate(F)
Rate(A)

As of DecemberMarch 31, 19982000
  (100)
  Base(G)
    100
    100
Income from:Change in market values of:  
           Assets      $80,507 9,564        $82,310(12,220    $83,966  )
           Liabilities      47,546(1,876)        2,176 55,259    63,233 
           Interest rate agreements      (2,2443,825 )      (2,2445,677 )  107 
     
    
    
  
Net spread income   $30,717       $24,807
  
Cumulative change in market value     $20,840  3,863      $  (4,367)
     
    
    
  
Cumulative change in income from base (G)  $  5,910       —      $  3,967
  
Percent change from base spread income (H)of market value portfolio equity (B).      23.83.9 %   —        (16.04.4 )%
     
     
  
 
As of December 31, 1999
Change in market values of:
           Assets    $ 9,112     $(11,340)
           Liabilities    (2,068)    2,376 
           Interest rate agreements    (2,809)    4,723 
    
     
  
Cumulative change in market value    $  4,235     $  (4,241)
    
    
  
Percent change of capital(I)market value portfolio equity (B).      6.774.4 %   —        (4.544.4 )%
     
    
    
  

(F)
Income of asset, liability or interest rate agreement in a parallel shift in the yield curve, up and down 1%.
(G)
Total change in estimated spread income, in dollars, from “base. ” “Base” is the estimated spread income at December 31, 1998.
(H)
Total change in estimated spread income, as a percent, from base.
(I)
Total change in estimated spread income as a percent of total stockholders’ equity at December 31, 1998.
 
Table 33
Interest Rate Sensitivity—Market Value
September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998
 

  Basis Point Increase (Decrease)
in Interest Rate(A)

As of September 30, 1999
  (100)
  Base(B)
  100
Market values of:   
           Assets  $826,686    $818,438  $808,062  
           Liabilities  780,922       778,810
  776,414  
           Interest rate agreements   378    1,725  5,232  
    
    
  
  
Net market value   $  46,142    $  41,353   $  36,878  
    
    
  
  
Cumulative change in market value from base (B)  $     4,789    —     $  (4,475 )
Percent change of market value portfolio
     equity (C)
  4.5%  $       —    (4.2)%
    
    
  
  

 
(A)
MarketChange in market value of assets, liabilities or interest rate agreements in a parallel shift in the yield curve, up and down 1%.
 
(B)
Total change in estimated market value, in dollars, from “base. ” “Base” is the estimated market value at September 30, 1999.
(C)
Total change in estimated market value as a percent of market value portfolio equity at September 30, 1999.
 

  Basis Point Increase (Decrease)
in Interest Rate(D)

Asas of March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1998
  (100)
  Base(E)
  100
Market values of:   
           Assets  $933,171    $919,955  $905,059  
           Liabilities  883,706    882,992  882,279  
           Interest rate agreements   271    1,194  3,969  
    
    
  
  
Net market value   $  49,736    $  38,157   $  26,749  
    
    
  
  
Cumulative change in market value from base (E)  $  11,579    —     $(11,408)
Percent change of market value portfolio equity (F)  12.4%  —     (12.2)%
    
    
  
  

(D)
Market value of assets, liabilities or interest rate agreements in a parallel shift in the yield curve, up and down 1%.
(E)
Total change in estimated market value, in dollars, from “base. ” “Base” is the estimated market value at December 31, 1998.
(F)
Total change in estimated market value as a percent of market value portfolio equity at December 31, 1998.1999.
 
           Interest rate sensitivity analysis.Rate Sensitivity Analysis.     The values under the heading “Base” are management’s estimates of spread income and market value for assets, liabilities and interest rate agreements on September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1998.1999. The values under the headings “100” and “(100)” are management’s estimates of the income and change in market value of those same assets, liabilities and interest rate agreements assuming that interest rates were 100 basis points, or 1 percent higher and lower. The cumulative change in income or market value represents the change in income or market value of assets, from base, net of the change in income or market value of liabilities and interest rate agreements from base. agreements.
 
           The interest sensitivity analysis is prepared monthly. If the analysis demonstrates that a 100 basis point shift, up or down, in interest rates would result in 25 percent or more cumulative decrease in income from base, or a 10% cumulative decrease in market value from base, policy requires management to adjust the portfolio by adding or removing interest rate cap or swap agreements. The Board of Directors reviews and approves NovaStar Financial’s interest rate sensitivity and hedged position quarterly. Although management also evaluates the portfolio using interest rate increases and decreases less than and greater than one percent, management focuses on the one percent increase.
 
           Assumptions usedUsed in interest rate sensitivity analysis.     Interest Rate Sensitivity Analysis. Management uses a variety of estimates and assumptions in determining the income and market value of assets, liabilities and interest rate agreements. The estimation process is dependent upon a variety of assumptions, especially in determining the income and market value of its subprime mortgage loan holdings. The estimates and assumptions have a significant impact on the results of the interest rate sensitivity analysis, the results of which are shown as of September 30, 1999March 31, 2000 and December 31, 1998.1999.
 
           Management’s analysis for assessing interest rate sensitivity on its subprime mortgage loans relies significantly on estimates for prepayment speeds. A prepayment model has been internally developed based upon four main factors:
 
Ÿ
Refinancing incentives (the interest rate of the mortgage compared with the current mortgage rates available to the borrower)
 
Ÿ
Borrower credit grades
 
Ÿ
Loan-to-value ratios
 
Ÿ
Prepayment penalties, if any
 
           Generally speaking, when market interest rates decline, borrowers are more likely to refinance their mortgages. The higher the interest rate a borrower currently has on his or her mortgage the more incentive he or she has to refinance the mortgage when rates decline. In addition, the higher the credit grade, the more incentive there is to refinance when credit ratings improve. When a borrower has a low loan-to-value ratio, he or she is more likely to do a “cash-out” refinance. Each of these factors presumably increases the chance for higher prepayment speeds during the term of the loan. On the other hand, prepayment penalties serve to mitigate the risk that loans will prepay under the assumption thatbecause the penalty is a deterrent to refinancing.-refinancing.
 
           These factors are weighted based on management’s experience and an evaluation of the important trends observed in the subprimenon-conforming mortgage origination industry. Actual results may differ from the estimates and assumptions used in the model and the projected results as shown in the above table.sensitivity analyses.
 
           NovaStar Financial’s projected prepayment rates in each interest rate scenario start at a prepayment speed less than 5% in month one and increase to a long-term prepayment speed in nine to 18 months, to account for the seasoning of the loans. The long-term prepayment speed ranges from 20% to 40% and depends on the characteristics of the loan which include type of product (ARM or fixed rate), note rate, credit grade, LTV, gross margin, weighted average maturity and lifetime and periodic caps and floors. This prepayment curve is also multiplied by a factor of 60% on average for periods when a prepayment penalty is in effect on the loan. Prepayment assumptions are also multiplied by a factor of greater than 100% during periods around rate resets and prepayment penalty expirations. These assumptions change with levels of interest rates. The actual historical speeds experienced on NovaStar Financial’s loans shown in Table 75 are weighted average speeds of all loans in each deal.
 
           As shown in Table 7,5, actual prepayment rates on loans that have been held in portfolio for shorter periods are slower than long term prepayment rates used in the interest rate sensitivity analysis. However, thisThis table also indicates that as pools of loans held in portfolio season, the actual prepayment rates are more consistent with the long term prepayment rates used in the interest sensitivity analysis.
 
           The investment policy for NovaStar Financial sets the following general goals:
 
(1)
Maintain the net interest margin between assets and liabilities, and
 
(2)
Diminish the effect of changes in interest rate levels on the market value of assets.
 
           Although management evaluates the portfolio using interest rate increases and decreases greater than one percent, management focuses on the one percent increase. The investment policy for NovaStar Financial allows for no more than a 25 percent decrease in the spread income of the portfolio and for no more than a 10% decrease in the market value of the portfolio when interest rates rise or fall by one percent.
 
            Sensitivity as of September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998.    As shown in the above table, if interest rates were to decrease one percent (-100 basis points), the spread income would increase by an estimated 3.3% and 6.8% as of September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998, respectively. If interest rates rise by one percent (+100 basis points), the spread income would decrease by an estimated 1.9% and 4.5% as of September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998, respectively. If interest rates were to decrease one percent, the market value of portfolio equity would increase by an estimated 4.5% and 12.4% as of September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998, respectively. If interest rates rise by one percent, the market value of portfolio equity would decrease by an estimated 4.2% and 12.2% as of September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998, respectively.
 
           Hedging with off-balance-sheet financial instruments.     Off-Balance-Sheet Financial Instruments. In order to address a mismatch of assets and liabilities, the hedging section of the investment policy is followed, as approved by the Board. Specifically, the interest rate risk management program is formulated with the intent to offset the potential adverse effects resulting from rate adjustment limitations on its mortgage assets and the differences between interest rate adjustment indices and interest rate adjustment periods of its adjustable-rate mortgage loans and related borrowings.
 
           NovaStar Financial uses interest rate cap and swap agreements and financial futures contracts to mitigate the risk of the cost of its variable rate liabilities increasing at a faster rate than the earnings on its assets during a period of rising rates. In this way, management intends generally to hedge as much of the interest rate risk as determined to be in the best interest of NovaStar Financial, given the cost of hedging transactions and the need to maintain REIT status.
 
           NovaStar Financial seeks to build a balance sheet and undertake an interest rate risk management program that is likely, in managementsmanagement’s view, to enable NovaStar Financial to maintain an equity liquidation value sufficient to maintain operations given a variety of potentially adverse circumstances. Accordingly, the hedging program addresses both income preservation, as discussed in the first part of this section, and capital preservation concerns.
 
            Interest rate cap agreements are legal contracts between NovaStar Financial and a third party firm or “counter-party”. The counter-party agrees to make payments to NovaStar Financial in the future should the one- orone-or three-month LIBOR interest rate rise above the strike rate specified in the contract. NovaStar Financial either makes quarterly premium payments or has chosen to pay the premiums upfront to the counterparties under contract. Each contract has a fixed notional face amount on which the interest is computed, and a set term to maturity. ShouldWhen the referencereferenced LIBOR interest rate riserises above the contractual strike rate, NovaStar Financial will earnearns cap income. Payments on an annualized basis equal the contractual notional face amount times the difference between actual LIBOR and the strike rate.
 
PART II.
 
OTHER INFORMATION
 
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
 
           As of March 31, 2000, there were no material legal proceedings pending to which NovaStar Financial was a party or of which any of its property was subject.
 
Item 2. Changes in Securities
 
           Not applicable
 
Item 3. Defaults upon Senior Securities
 
           Not applicable
 
Item 4. Submission of Matters of Vote of Security Holders
 
           Not applicable
 
Item 5. Other Information
 
           None
 
Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K
 
           (a) Exhibit Listing
 
Exhibit No.
  Description of Document
   
3.1*  Articles of Amendment and Restatement of the Registrant.  
 
3.2*  Articles Supplementary of the Registrant.  
 
3.3*  Bylaws of the Registrant.  
 
3.3a*****  Amendment to Bylaws of the Registrant, adopted February 2, 2000.  
 
3.4****  Articles Supplementary of NovaStar Financial, Inc. dated as of March 24, 1999, as filed
with the Maryland Department of Assessment and Taxation.
  
 
4.1*  Specimen Common Stock Certificate.  
 
4.2*  Specimen Warrant Certificate.  
 
4.3****  Specimen certificate for Preferred Stock.  
 
10.1*  Purchase Terms Agreement, dated December 6, 1996, between the Registrant and the
Placement Agent.
  
 
10.2*  Registration Rights Agreement, dated December 9, 1996, between the Registrant and the
Placement Agent.
  
 
10.3*  Warrant Agreement, dated December 9, 1996, between the Registrant and the Holders of
the Warrants Acting Through the Registrant as the Initial Warrant Agent.
  
 
10.4*  Founders’ Registration Rights Agreement, dated December 9, 1996, between the Registrant
and the original holders of Common Stock of the Registrant.
  
 
Exhibit No.
  Description of Document
   
10.5*  Commitment Letter dated October 3, 1996 from General Electric Capital Group accepted
by the Registrant.
  
 
10.6*  Form of Master Repurchase Agreement for mortgage loan financing.  
 
10.7*  Mortgage Loan Warehousing Agreement dated as of November 24, 1997 between First
Union National Bank of North Carolina, NovaStar Mortgage, Inc. and the Registrant.
  
 
10.7a***  Amendment No. 6 dated as of February 12, 1999 to Mortgage Loan Warehousing
Agreement dated as of February 20, 1997 between First Union National Bank and
Registrant.
  
 
10.7b*****  Amendment No. 7 dated as of December 17, 1999 to Mortgage Loan Warehousing
Agreement dated as of February 20, 1997 between First Union National Bank and
Registrant.
  
 
10.8*  Employment Agreement, dated September 30, 1996, between the Registrant and
Scott F. Hartman.
  
 
10.9*  Employment Agreement, dated September 30, 1996, between the Registrant and
W. Lance Anderson.
  
 
10.10*  Promissory Note by Scott F. Hartman to the Registrant, dated December 9, 1996.  
 
10.11*  Promissory Note by W. Lance Anderson to the Registrant, dated December 9, 1996.  
 
10.12*  Stock Pledge Agreement between Scott F. Hartman and the Registrant, dated
December 9, 1996.
  
 
10.13*  Stock Pledge Agreement between W. Lance Anderson and the Registrant, dated December
9, 1996.
 
10.14*  1996 Executive and Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan, as last amended
December 6, 1996. December 6, 1996.
 
10.15*  Administrative Services Outsourcing Agreement, dated June 30, 1997, between the
Registrant and NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.
 
10.16*  Mortgage Loan Sale and Purchase Agreement, dated as of June 30, 1997, between the
Registrant and NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.
 
10.17*  Flow Loan Subservicing Agreement, dated as of June 30, 1997, between the Registrant
and NovaStar Mortgage, Inc.
 
10.18*  Certificate of Incorporation of NFI Holding Corporation.
 
10.19*  Agreement of Shareholders of Common Stock NFI Holding Corporation.
 
10.20**  Term Loan and Security Agreement between NovaStar Certificates Financing Corporation
and Reliance Funding Corporation dated as of October 13, 1998 and related agreements
including Guaranty of even date by Registrant.
 
10.21***  Addendum to Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of February 12, 1999 among
NovaStar Financial, Inc., NovaStar Capital, Inc. and NovaStar Mortgage, Inc., as sellers,
and First Union National Bank, as buyer.
 
10.22***  Form of Addendum to Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of February 12, 1999
between Registrant’s taxable affiliate, as seller, and First Union Bank, as buyer, with
respect to the residual interest on certain asset-backed bonds.
 
10.23***  Warrant Agreement dated as of February 12, 1999 between the Registrant and First Union
National Bank.
Exhibit No.
  Description of Document
   
 
10.24****  Warrant Agreement, dated as of March 10, 1999, by and between NovaStar Financial, Inc.
and Residential Funding Corporation, and related Guaranty Warrant, Tag Along Warrant
and Registration Rights Agreement as filed with April 6, 1999 8-K of NovaStar Financial,
Inc.
 
10.25****  Registration Rights Agreement, dated March 25, 1999 among NovaStar Financial and
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated.
 
10.26*****  Warehousing Credit and Security Agreement, dated as of December 29, 1999, between
NovaStar Financial, Inc., NovaStar Mortgage, Inc., NovaStar Capital, Inc. and Residential
Funding Corporation.
 
11.1  Statement regarding computation of per share earnings.
 
21.1  Subsidiaries of the Registrant.
 
27.1  Financial Data Schedule.

 
*
Incorporated by reference to the correspondingly numbered exhibit to the Registration Statement on Form S-11 (373-32327) filed by the Registrant with the SEC on July 29 1997, as amended.
**
Incorporated by reference to the correspondingly numbered exhibit to Form 8-K filed by the Registrant with the SEC on December 22, 1998.
***
Incorporated by reference to the correspondingly numbered exhibit to Form 8-K filed by the Registrant with the SEC on February 23, 1999.
****
Incorporated by reference to the correspondingly numbered exhibit to Form 8-K filed by the Registrant with the SEC on April 5, 1999.
*****Incorporated by reference to the correspondingly numbered exhibit to Annual Report on Form 10K filed by the Registrant with the SEC on March 20, 2000.
 
           (b) NovaStar Financial has filed the following Form 8-K’s:
 
Ÿ
NovaStar Financial filed no Form 8-K’s during the quarterly period ended March 31, 2000.
 
NOVASTAR FINANCIAL, INC.
 
SIGNATURES
 
           Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.-authorized.
 
NOVASTAR FINANCIAL, INC.NOVASTAR FINANCIAL , INC .
 
DATE: November 12, 1999
/S /    SCOTT F. HARTMAN

Scott F. Hartman
Chairman of the Board, Secretary and
Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
 
DATE: NovemberMay 12, 19992000
 
/S /    RODNEY E. SCHWATKEN

Rodney E. Schwatken
Vice President, Treasurer and Controller and
Assistant Treasurer
(Principal Accounting Officer)
 
DATE: May 12, 2000