Friday, January 10, 2014

Best Financial Companies To Watch In Right Now

24/7 Wall St. reviews literally dozens and dozens of Wall Street analyst research reports each morning. Some calls are for stocks to buy and some are for stocks to sell. Some may be oriented to value investors and some may be oriented toward day traders. It has been surprising just how many research calls there are when you consider that this week is historically been one of the most quiet weeks each year.

There are several key upgrades that did not make Monday morning’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades.

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) is up by less than 1% despite being touted in Barron’s over the weekend. The financial publication showed that more good is coming here and that shares could rise by another 30%. The only point we might make is that video game stocks already are�seeing such high gains ahead of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 that we cannot help but wonder if all the good news has been priced in even before the new consoles hit the retail shelves.

Best Financial Companies To Watch In Right Now: Thomas Properties Group Inc.(TPGI)

Thomas Properties Group, Inc. owns, acquires, develops, leases, and manages primarily office, as well as mixed-use and residential properties in the United States. The company focuses on property acquisition and ownership, property development and redevelopment, and property management activities. Its office properties include onsite parking, retail, and storage space, as well as an off-site garage that provides parking services. In addition, the company advises institutional investors on property portfolios. It owns properties in southern California and Sacramento, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; northern Virginia; and Houston and Austin, Texas. As of December 31, 2010, Thomas Properties Group, Inc. owned interests in 27 operating properties with 13.2 million rentable square feet, as well as provided asset and/or property management services on behalf of third parties for an additional 4 operating properties with 2.3 million rentable square feet. It also had a dev elopment pipeline of approximately 7.2 million square feet of primarily office development. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Best Financial Companies To Watch In Right Now: General American Investors Inc. (GAM)

General American Investors Company, Inc. is a self management investment trust. The firm invests in the public equity markets across the globe. It employs a fundamental analysis with a bottom-up stock picking approach. General American Investors Company, Inc. was founded in 1927 and is based in New York, New York.

Top Biotech Companies To Buy For 2014: OMEGA IURANCE HLDGS LTD COM STK USD0.10(OIH.L)

Omega Insurance Holdings Limited operates as an insurance and reinsurance company in Bermuda, London, Chicago, and Cologne. The company primarily underwrites short-tail property insurance and reinsurance accounts, with a focus on small and medium sized insureds and reinsuring smaller insurance companies. It offers property catastrophe treaty reinsurance, property per risk treaty reinsurance, non-marine property insurance, liability insurance and reinsurance, marine insurance and reinsurance, motor insurance and reinsurance, and professional indemnity insurance, as well as satellite, aviation, war, fine art, personal accident, and kidnap and ransom insurance or reinsurance. The company was founded in 1980 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Best Financial Companies To Watch In Right Now: EverBank Financial Corp (EVER.N)

EverBank Financial Corp, incorporated in 2004, is an unitary savings and loan holding company. The Company provides a range of financial products and services directly to customers through multiple business channels. Its operating subsidiary is EverBank. As of December 31, 2011, EverBank had $ 10.3 billion deposits. EverBank offers a range of banking, lending and investing products to consumers and businesses. EverBank provides services to customers through Websites, over the phone, through the mail and at 14 Florida-based Financial Centers. The Company operates in two operating business segments: Banking and Wealth Management, and Mortgage Banking. Its Banking and Wealth Management segment includes earnings generated by and activities related to deposit and investment products and services and portfolio lending and leasing activities. Its Mortgage Banking segment consists of activities related to the origination and servicing of residential mortgage loans. In April 201 2, the Company acquired MetLife Bank�� warehouse finance business. In October 2012, it acquired Business Property Lending, Inc.

Asset Origination and Fee Income Businesses

The Company has a range of asset origination and fee income businesses. The Company generates generate fee income from its mortgage banking activities, which consist of originating and servicing one-to-four family residential mortgage loans. It originates prime residential mortgage loans using a centrally controlled underwriting, processing and fulfillment infrastructure through financial intermediaries (including community banks, credit unions, mortgage bankers and brokers), consumer direct channels and financial centers. Its mortgage origination activities include originating, underwriting, closing, warehousing and selling to investors prime conforming and jumbo residential mortgage loans. From its mortgage origination activities, it earns fee-based income on fees charged to b orrowers and other noninterest income from gains on sales ! fr! om mortgage loans and servicing rights. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it originated six billion dollars of residential loans. It generates mortgage servicing business through the retention of servicing from its origination activities, acquisition of bulk mortgage servicing rights (MSR) and related servicing activities.

The Company�� mortgage servicing business includes collecting loan payments, remitting principal and interest payments to investors, managing escrow funds for the payment of mortgage-related expenses, such as taxes and insurance, responding to customer inquiries, counseling delinquent mortgagors, supervising foreclosures and liquidations of foreclosure properties and otherwise administering its mortgage loan servicing portfolio. It earns mortgage servicing fees and other ancillary fee-based income in connection with these activities. It services a portfolio by both product and investor, including agency and private pools of mortgages secured by properties throughout the United States. As of December 31, 2011, its mortgage servicing business, which services mortgage loans for itself and others, managed loan servicing administrative functions for loans with unpaid principal balance (UPB) of $54.8 billion.

The Company originates originate equipment leases nationwide through relationships with approximately 280 equipment vendors with networks of creditworthy borrowers and provide asset-backed loan facilities to other leasing companies. Its equipment leases and loans finance essential-use health care, office product, technology and other equipment. Its commercial financings range from approximately $25,000 to $1.0 million per transaction, with typical lease terms ranging from 36 to 60 months. Its commercial finance activities provide it with access to approximately 25,000 small business customers nationwide, which creates opportunities to cross-sell its deposit, lending and wealth management pro ducts. It focuses to offer warehouse loans, which are s! hort-! te! rm revo! lving facilities, primarily securitized by agency and government collateral. It provides financial advisory, planning, brokerage, trust and other wealth management services to its mass-affluent and high-net-worth customers through its registered broker dealer and recently-formed registered investment advisor subsidiaries.

Interest-Earning Asset Portfolio

As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� interest-earning assets were $11.7 billion. As of December 31, 2011, its loan and lease held for investment portfolio was $6.5 billion. As of December 31, 2011, the carrying values of its interest-earning assets are: residential, government-insured (residential), securities, commercial and commercial real estate, Bank of Florida (covered), lease financing receivables, and other.

Residential includes primarily prime loans originated and retained from its mortgage banking activities, acquired from third parties or held for sale to other investors. government-insured (residential) includes Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) pool buyouts with government insurance, sourced from its mortgage banking segment and third-party sources. Securities include non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and collateralized mortgage obligation (CMO) purchased at significant discounts. This portfolio includes protection against credit losses from purchase discounts, subordination in the securities structures and borrower equity. Commercial and commercial real estate includes a range of commercial loans, including owner-occupied commercial real estate, commercial investment property and small business commercial loans. As of December 31, 2011, Bank of Florida (Covered) includes commercial, multi-family and commercial real estate loans with $71.3 million of purchase discounts. Lease financing receivables include covered lease financing receivables. As of December 31, 2011, the lease portfolio had $64.7 million of total discounts. Other includes home equity loan! s and lin! ! es of cre! dit, consumer and credit card loans and other investments.

Deposit Generation

As of December 31, 2011, the Company had approximately $10.3 billion in deposits. Its market-based deposit products, consisting of its WorldCurrency, MarketSafe and EverBank Metals Select products, provide investment capabilities for customers seeking portfolio diversification with respect to foreign currencies, commodities and other indices. Its financial portal includes online bill-pay, account aggregation, direct deposit, single sign-on for all customer accounts and other features. Its Website and mobile device applications provide information on its product offerings, financial tools and calculators, newsletters, financial reporting services and other applications for customers to interact with it and manages all of their EverBank accounts on a single integrated platform. Its new mobile applications allow customers using iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry devices to view account balances, conduct real time balance transfers between EverBank accounts, administer billpay, review account activity detail and remotely deposit checks.

The Company generates deposit customer relationships through its consumer direct, financial center and financial intermediary distribution channels. Its consumer direct channel includes Internet, e-mail, telephone and mobile device access to product and customer support offerings. Its direct distribution with a network of 14 financial centers in Florida metropolitan areas, include Jacksonville, Naples, Ft. Myers, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa Bay and Clearwater. As of December 31, 2011, its financial centers had average deposits of $130.5 million, which is approximately double the industry average. In addition, it generates noninterest-bearing escrow deposits from its mortgage servicing business.

Best Financial Companies To Watch In Right Now: FNB United Corp.(FNBN)

FNB United Corp. operates as the bank holding company for CommunityONE Bank, National Association that provides consumer, mortgage, and business banking services to individual and business customers in North Carolina. Its deposit products include checking accounts, interest checking accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts. The company?s loan products portfolio comprises commercial and agricultural loans, real estate construction loans, real estate residential loans, and consumer loans. It also offers debit cards, credit cards, online and mobile banking, cash management, investment management, and trust services, as well as operates automated teller machines. In addition, it originates, underwrites, and closes loans for sale into the secondary market. FNB United operates through 45 offices. The company was formerly known as FNB Corp. and changed its name to FNB United Corp. in April 2006. FNB United Cor p. was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Asheboro, North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Holly LaFon]

    The second stock, FNB United Corp. (FNBN), is 95.4% off of its three-year high, but it has also had a stock split in that time. It has also seen greater insider activity. Five unique insiders bought shares of the company, for a total number of six insider buy transactions in the past month.

Best Financial Companies To Watch In Right Now: Federal National Mortgage Association Fannie Mae (FNMAT)

Federal National Mortgage Association Fannie Mae is a government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) chartered by the United States Congress to support liquidity and stability in the secondary mortgage market, where mortgage-related assets are purchased and sold. The Company�� activities include providing market liquidity by securitizing mortgage loans originated by lenders in the primary mortgage market into Fannie Mae mortgage-backed securities (Fannie Mae MBS), and purchasing mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities in the secondary market for its mortgage portfolio. Fannie Mae operates in three business segments: Single-Family business, Multifamily Business (formerly Housing and Community Development (HCD)) and Capital Markets group. Its Single-Family Credit Guaranty and Multifamily businesses work with its lender customers to purchase and securitize mortgage loans customers deliver to the Company into Fannie Mae MBS.

The Company obtains funds to support its business activities by issuing a variety of debt securities in the domestic and international capital markets. Fannie Mae acquires funds to purchase mortgage-related assets for its mortgage portfolio by issuing a variety of debt securities in the domestic and international capital markets. It also makes other investments. Fannie Mae conducts its business in the United States residential mortgage market and the global securities market. It conducts business in the United States residential mortgage market and the global securities market. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company��

Single-Family Business

Single-Family business includes mortgage securitizations, mortgage acquisitions, credit risk management and credit loss management. Single-Family business works with the Company�� lender customers to provide funds to the mortgage market by securitizing single-family mortgage loans into Fannie Mae MBS. Its Single-Family business also works with its Capital Markets group to facilitate the purc! hase of single-family mortgage loans for the Company�� mortgage portfolio. Fannie Mae�� Single-Family business prices and manages the credit risk on its single-family guaranty book of business, which consists of single-family mortgage loans underlying Fannie Mae MBS and single-family loans held in its mortgage portfolio. Single-Family business and Capital Markets group securitize and purchase primarily single-family fixed-rate or adjustable-rate, first lien mortgage loans, or mortgage-related securities backed by these types of loans.

The Company securitizes or purchases loans insured by Federal Housing Administration (FHA), loans guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and loans guaranteed by the Rural Development Housing and Community Facilities Program of the Department of Agriculture, manufactured housing loans, reverse mortgage loans, multifamily mortgage loans, subordinate lien mortgage loans and other mortgage-related securities. Its Single-Family business securitizes single-family mortgage loans and issues single-class Fannie Mae MBS. Fannie Mae�� Single-Family business securitizes loans solely in lender swap transactions, in which lenders deliver pools of mortgage loans to the Company, which are placed immediately in a trust, in exchange for Fannie Mae MBS backed by these loans. Generally, the servicing of the mortgage loans held in its mortgage portfolio or that backs its Fannie Mae MBS is performed by mortgage servicers on the Company�� behalf. Lenders who sell single-family mortgage loans to Fannie Mae service these loans for the Company. For loans it owns or guarantees, the lender or servicer must obtain its approval before selling servicing rights to another servicer.

Fannie Mae�� mortgage servicers collect and deliver principal and interest payments, administer escrow accounts, monitor and report delinquencies, perform default prevention activities, evaluate transfers of ownership interests, respond to requests for partial releases of sec! urity, an! d handle proceeds from casualty and condemnation losses. Its mortgage servicers are the primary point of contact for borrowers and perform implementation of its homeownership assistance initiatives, negotiation of workouts of troubled loans, and loss mitigation activities. Mortgage servicers also inspect and preserve properties and process foreclosures and bankruptcies.

Multifamily Mortgage Business

Multifamily business works with the Company�� lender customers to provide funds to the mortgage market by securitizing multifamily mortgage loans into Fannie Mae MBS. Through its Multifamily business, Fannie Mae provides liquidity and support to the United States multifamily housing market principally by purchasing or securitizing loans that finance multifamily rental housing properties. It also provides some limited debt financing for other acquisition, development, construction and rehabilitation activity related to projects that complement this business. Fannie Mae�� Multifamily business also works with its Capital Markets group to facilitate the purchase and securitization of multifamily mortgage loans and securities for Fannie Mae�� portfolio, as well as to facilitate portfolio securitization and resecuritization activities.

The Company�� multifamily guaranty book of business consists of multifamily mortgage loans underlying Fannie Mae MBS and multifamily loans and securities held in Fannie Mae�� mortgage portfolio. Revenues for Fannie Mae�� Multifamily business are derived from a variety of sources, including guaranty fees received as compensation for assuming the credit risk on the mortgage loans underlying multifamily Fannie Mae MBS and on the multifamily mortgage loans held in its portfolio and on other mortgage-related securities; transaction fees associated with the multifamily business, and other bond credit enhancement related fees. As with the servicing of single-family mortgages, multifamily mortgage servicing is performed by the lenders who s! ell the m! ortgages to the Company. Fannie Mae�� Multifamily business is organized and operated as an integrated commercial real estate finance business.

Capital Markets

Capital Markets group's primary business activities include mortgage and other investments, mortgage securitizations, structured mortgage securitizations and other customer services, and interest rate risk management. Capital Markets group manages the Company�� investment activity in mortgage-related assets and other interest-earning, non-mortgage investments. It funds its investments primarily through proceeds the Company receives from the issuance of debt securities in the domestic and international capital markets. Its business activity is focused on making short-term use of its balance sheet rather than long-term investments. Activities Fannie Mae is undertaking to provide liquidity to the mortgage market include whole loan conduit, early funding, real estate mortgage investment conduit (REMICs) and other structured securitizations and dollar roll transactions. Whole loan conduit activities include its purchase of both single-family and multifamily loans principally for the purpose of securitizing them. During the year ended December 31, 2010, it was engaged in dollar roll activity. A dollar roll transaction is a commitment to purchase a mortgage-related security with a concurrent agreement to re-sell a similar security at a later date or vice versa.

Fannie Mae�� Capital Markets group is engaged in issuing both single-class and multi-class Fannie Mae MBS through both portfolio securitizations and structured securitizations involving third party assets. Its Capital Markets group creates single-class and multi-class Fannie Mae MBS from mortgage-related assets held in its mortgage portfolio. Fannie Mae�� Capital Markets group may sell these Fannie Mae MBS into the secondary market or may retain the Fannie Mae MBS in its investment portfolio. The Company�� Capital Markets group creates single-class ! and multi! -class structured Fannie Mae MBS, for its lender customers or securities dealer customers, in exchange for a transaction fee. The Company�� Capital Markets group provides its lender customers and their affiliates with services that include offering to purchase a range of mortgage assets, including non-standard mortgage loan products; segregating customer portfolios to obtain optimal pricing for their mortgage loans, and assisting customers with hedging their mortgage business.

Although the Company�� Capital Markets group�� business activities are focused on short-term financing and investing, revenue from its Capital Markets group is derived primarily from the difference, or spread, between the interests it earns on its mortgage and non-mortgage investments and the interest it incurs on the debt the Company issues to fund these assets. Its Capital Markets revenues are primarily derived from the Company�� mortgage asset portfolio. Capital Markets group funds its investments primarily through the issuance of a variety of debt securities in a range of maturities in the domestic and international capital markets. Investors in the Company�� debt securities include commercial bank portfolios and trust departments, investment fund managers, insurance companies, pension funds, state and local governments, and central banks.

The Company competes with Freddie Mac, FHA and Ginnie Mae.

Best Financial Companies To Watch In Right Now: U.S. Dollar Index(DX)

Dynex Capital, Inc. operates as a mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT). It invests in residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by a federally chartered corporation, non-agency mortgage-backed securities, and securitized mortgage loans, as well as unsecuritized single-family and commercial mortgage loans. The company finances its investments through a combination of repurchase agreements, and non-recourse collateralized financing, such as securitization financing Dynex Capital, Inc. has qualified as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, it would not be subject to federal income tax, provided it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. The company was founded in 1987 and is based in Glen Allen, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jon C. Ogg]

    Dynex Capital Inc. (NYSE: DX) is rated as Buy, with a price target of $9.00, versus a recent price of $8.02. The book value was $8.94 at the end of last quarter and was projected to be $8.91 by the end of August.

  • [By Eric Volkman]

    Dynex Capital (NYSE: DX  ) is maintaining its dividend. The company on Thursday declared a Q2 common stock distribution of $0.29 per share to be paid on July 31 to shareholders of record as of June 28.

Best Financial Companies To Watch In Right Now: Heritage Oaks Bancorp(HEOP)

Heritage Oaks Bancorp operates as the holding company for Heritage Oaks Bank that provides commercial banking services to retail customers, and small to medium-sized businesses in California. The company offers various deposit products, including interest bearing and non-interest bearing demand deposits, checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, NOW accounts, and time deposits. Its loan products comprise commercial and industrial, small business administration, agricultural, credit card, and consumer loans; real estate secured loans for multi-family residential, residential 1 to 4 family, and farmland properties, as well as home equity line of credit and commercial real estate loans; and construction loans for single family residential, tract, multi-family, hospitality, and commercial properties. In addition, the company offers residential mortgage banking, installment note collection, bank-by-mail, night depository, safe deposit boxes, online banking, and other customary banking services, as well as issues cashier?s checks and money orders, and sells travelers checks. It operates 15 branches in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Paso Robles, California.

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