BUSINESS, BASIS OF PRESENTATION, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies) |
3 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Mar. 31, 2023 | |
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
| Basis of Presentation |
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applicable to interim financial statements. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results of the interim period. The condensed consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2022 was derived from audited financial statements but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company's consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. The Company follows the same accounting policies for preparing quarterly and annual reports.
|
| Principles of Consolidation |
Principles of Consolidation
The Company's condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, Guild Mortgage Company LLC ("GMC"), and their consolidated subsidiaries and those variable interest entities ("VIE") of which the Company is the primary beneficiary.
Generally, a VIE is a legal entity in which the equity investors do not have the characteristics of a controlling financial interest or lack sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support. In determining whether the Company is the primary beneficiary of a VIE, the Company considers qualitative and quantitative factors, including, but not limited to: which activities most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and which party controls such activities; the amount and characteristics of the Company's investment; the obligation or likelihood for the Company or other investors to provide financial support; and the similarity with and significance to the Company's business activities and the business activities of the other investors.
The Company consolidates one VIE. At March 31, 2023, the VIE had minimal assets and liabilities.
All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
|
| Use of Estimates |
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Although management is not currently aware of any factors that would significantly change its estimates and assumptions, actual results could materially differ from those estimates.
|
| Escrow and Fiduciary Funds | Escrow and Fiduciary FundsAs a loan servicer, the Company maintains segregated bank accounts in trust for investors and escrow balances for mortgagors, which are excluded from the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. |
| Recent Accounting Standards |
Recent Accounting Standards
In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2020-4, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting ("ASU 2020-04"), which provides temporary optional expedients and exceptions to the US GAAP guidance on contract modifications and hedge accounting to ease the financial reporting burdens of the expected market transition from the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") and other interbank offered rates to alternative reference rates. ASU 2020-04 generally considers contract modifications related to reference rate reform to be an event that does not require contract remeasurement at the modification date nor a reassessment of a previous accounting determination. In January 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-01, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Scope, which clarifies that the practical expedients in ASU 2020-04 apply to derivatives impacted by changes in the interest rate used for margining, discounting, or contract price alignment. The guidance in ASU 2020-04 is optional and may be elected over time, through December 31, 2022, as reference rate reform activities occur. In December 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-06, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848, to extend the temporary accounting rules from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2024. Once ASU 2020-04 is elected, the guidance must be applied prospectively for all eligible contract modifications. The Company is in the process of transitioning its funding facilities and financing facilities that utilize LIBOR as the reference rate. For contracts to which ASC Topic 470, Debt applies, the Company has applied the optional expedients available from ASU 2020-04 and accounted for the contract modifications related to reference rate reform prospectively. Of the contracts that have been adjusted for the new reference rate, there has not been a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. The Company expects to amend the remaining borrowings before the June 30, 2023 LIBOR cessation date.
|
| Fair Value Measurements |
Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Inputs used to measure fair value are prioritized within a three-level fair value hierarchy. This hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The categorization of assets and liabilities measured at fair value within the valuation hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:
•Level One - Level One inputs are unadjusted, quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access at the measurement date.
•Level Two - Level Two inputs are observable for that asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, and include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, observable inputs for the asset or liability other than quoted prices and inputs derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means. If the asset or liability has a specified contractual term, the inputs must be observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.
•Level Three - Level Three inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability that reflect the Company’s assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk, and are developed based on the best information available.
The Company updates the valuation of each instrument recorded at fair value on a monthly or quarterly basis, evaluating all available observable information, which may include current market prices or bids, recent trade activity, changes in the levels of market activity and benchmarking of industry data. The assessment also includes consideration of identifying the valuation approach that would be used currently by market participants. If it is determined that a change in valuation technique or its application is appropriate, or if there are other changes in availability of observable data or market activity, the current methodology will be analyzed to determine if a transfer between levels of the valuation hierarchy is appropriate. Such reclassifications are reported as transfers into or out of a level as of the beginning of the quarter that the change occurs.
Fair value is based on quoted market prices, when available. If quoted prices are not available, fair value is estimated based upon other observable inputs. Unobservable inputs are used when observable inputs are not available and are based upon judgments and assumptions, which are the Company’s assessment of the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. These inputs may include assumptions about risk, counterparty credit quality, the Company’s creditworthiness and liquidity and are developed based on the best information available. When a determination is made to classify an asset or liability within Level Three of the valuation hierarchy, the determination is based upon the significance of the unobservable factors to the overall fair value measurement of the asset or liability. The fair value of assets and liabilities classified within Level Three of the valuation hierarchy also typically includes observable factors and the realized or unrealized gain or loss recorded from the valuation of these instruments would also include amounts determined by observable factors.
Recurring Fair Value Measurements
The Company’s fair value measurements are evaluated within the fair value hierarchy, based on the nature of the inputs used to determine the fair value at the measurement date. At March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had the following assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis:
Trading Securities — Trading securities are classified within Level One of the valuation hierarchy. Valuation is based upon quoted prices for identical instruments traded in active markets. Level One trading securities include securities traded on active exchange markets, such as the New York Stock Exchange. Trading securities are included within other assets in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Derivative Instruments — Derivative instruments are classified within Level Two and Level Three of the valuation hierarchy, and include the following:
Interest Rate Lock Commitments — "IRLCs" are classified within Level Three of the valuation hierarchy. IRLCs represent an agreement to extend credit to a mortgage loan applicant, or an agreement to purchase a loan from a third-party originator, whereby the interest rate on the loan is set prior to funding. The fair value of IRLCs is based upon the estimated fair value of the underlying mortgage loan, including the expected net future cash flows related to servicing the mortgage loan, net of estimated incentive compensation expenses, and adjusted for: (i) estimated costs to complete and originate the loan and (ii) an adjustment to reflect the estimated percentage of IRLCs that will result in a closed mortgage loan under the original terms of the agreement (pull-through rate). The pull-through rate is considered a significant unobservable input and is estimated based on changes in pricing and actual borrower behavior using a historical analysis of loan closing and fallout data. The average pull-through rate used to calculate the fair value of IRLCs as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, was 84.0% and 93.4%, respectively. On a quarterly basis, actual loan pull-through rates are compared to the modeled estimates to confirm the assumptions are reflective of current trends. Generally, a change in interest rates is accompanied by a directionally opposite change in the assumption used for the pull-through percentage, and the impact to fair value of a change in pull-through would be partially offset by the related change in price.
Forward Delivery Commitments — Forward delivery commitments are classified within Level Two of the valuation hierarchy. Forward delivery commitments fix the forward sales price that will be realized upon the sale of mortgage loans into the secondary market. The fair value of forward delivery commitments is primarily based upon the current agency mortgage-backed security market to-be-announced pricing specific to the loan program, delivery coupon and delivery date of the trade. Best efforts sales commitments are also entered into for certain loans at the time the borrower commitment is made. These best-efforts sales commitments are valued using the committed price to the counterparty against the current market price of the IRLC or mortgage loan held for sale.
Option contracts are a type of forward commitment that represents the rights to buy or sell mortgage-backed securities at specified prices in the future. Their value is based upon the underlying current to-be-announced pricing of the agency mortgage-backed security market, and market-based volatility. See Note 6 for additional information on the derivative instruments.
Mortgage Loans Held for Sale — "MLHS" are carried at fair value. The fair value of MLHS is based on secondary market pricing for loans with similar characteristics, and as such, is classified as a Level Two measurement. Fair value is estimated through a market approach by using either: (i) the fair value of securities backed by similar mortgage loans, adjusted for certain factors to approximate the fair value of a whole mortgage loan, including the value attributable to servicing rights and credit risk, (ii) current commitments to purchase loans or (iii) recent observable market trades for similar loans, adjusted for credit risk and other individual loan characteristics. The agency mortgage-backed security market is a highly liquid and active secondary market for conforming conventional loans whereby quoted prices exist for securities at the pass-through level and are published on a regular basis. The Company has the ability to access this market and it is the market into which conforming mortgage loans are typically sold.
Mortgage Servicing Rights — "MSRs" are classified within Level Three of the valuation hierarchy due to the use of significant unobservable inputs and the lack of an active market for such assets. The fair value of MSRs is estimated based upon projections of expected future cash flows considering prepayment estimates, the Company’s historical prepayment rates, portfolio characteristics, interest rates based on interest rate yield curves, implied volatility, costs to service and other economic factors. The Company obtains valuations from an independent third party on a monthly basis, and records an adjustment based on this third-party valuation. See Note 7 for additional information on the Company's MSRs.
Investment in Warrants — The Company was a party to a joint marketing agreement with a private independent insurance carrier whereby the Company marketed their products and submitted leads for borrowers needing insurance. In connection with satisfying the conditions set forth under such agreement, the Company received warrants that may be exercised to purchase shares of common stock of the private company. The Company’s equity investment in the warrants is carried at its estimated fair value, which was determined using the price per share paid by an investor in an equity sale transaction completed by the private company, resulting in a Level Three classification. The warrants are exercisable until June 2025. The Company’s investment in the warrants will be revalued at each balance sheet date with changes in the fair value reported in other income, net in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income each reporting period. The Company's investment in warrants is included within other assets in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Contingent Liabilities due to acquisitions — Contingent liabilities represent future obligations of the Company to make payments to the former owners of its acquired companies. The Company determines the fair value of its contingent liabilities using a discounted cash flow approach whereby the Company forecasts the cash outflows related to the future payments, which are based on a percentage of net income specified in the purchase agreements. The Company then discounts these expected payment amounts to calculate the present value, or fair value, as of the valuation date. The Company’s management evaluates the underlying projections used in determining fair value each period and makes updates to these underlying projections.
The Company uses a risk-adjusted discount rate to value the contingent liabilities, which is considered a significant unobservable input, and as such, the liabilities are classified as a Level Three measurement. Management’s underlying projections adjust for market penetration and other economic expectations, and the discount rate is risk-adjusted for key factors such as uncertainty in the mortgage banking industry due to its reliance on external influences (interest rates, regulatory changes, etc.), upfront payments, and credit risk. An increase in the discount rate will result in a decrease in the fair value of the contingent liabilities. Conversely, a decrease in the discount rate will result in an increase in the fair value of the contingent liabilities.
|