NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE: NLY) ("Annaly" or the "Company") today announced its financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2021.

• GAAP net income of $0.27 per average common share for the quarter; $1.60 per average common share for the full year 2021
• Earnings available for distribution (“EAD”) of $0.28 per average common share for the quarter; $1.16 per average common share for the full year 2021 with dividend coverage of +125%
• Economic return and tangible economic return of (2.4%) for the fourth quarter; economic return of (0.8%) and tangible economic return of 0.0% for the full year 2021
• Annualized GAAP return on average equity of 12.4% and annualized EAD return on average equity of 13.1%
• Book value per common share of $7.97
• GAAP leverage of 4.7x, up from 4.4x in the prior quarter; economic leverage of 5.7x, down from 5.8x in the prior quarter
• Declared quarterly common stock cash dividend of $0.22 per share

Fourth Quarter 2021 Highlights

• Total assets of $89.2 billion, including $81.5 billion in highly liquid Agency portfolio(1)
• Capital allocation(2) to credit businesses increased by approximately 200 basis points to 32% during the quarter driven by $2.2 billion of credit originations(3)
• Annaly's Mortgage Servicing Rights ("MSR") platform, which represents 5% of capital(2), grew by 12% in the fourth quarter and successfully executed on its strategy to finish the year as the fifth largest buyer of bulk MSR(4)
• Annaly's Residential Credit Group, which represents 24% of capital(2), settled $1.7 billion of whole loans during the quarter
• Annaly's Residential Credit Group priced four whole loan securitizations totaling $1.8 billion during the fourth quarter with an additional three securitizations totaling $1.4 billion priced 2022 year-to-date(5)
• $9.3 billion of unencumbered assets, including cash and unencumbered Agency MBS of $5.2 billion
• Appointed Ilker Ertas as Chief Investment Officer

Full-Year 2021 Highlights

Investment and Strategy

• Capital allocation(2) to credit businesses increased from 22% to 32% throughout the year driven by credit originations of $6.1 billion, more than double the prior year(3)
• Proactively managed Annaly's Agency portfolio with continued utilization of barbell strategy balancing high-quality specified pools and lower coupon TBA securities
• Efficiently built out MSR platform with assets increasing to $645 million, over 4.5x the size of the portfolio at year-end 2020(4)
• Annaly's Residential Credit Group grew assets by nearly 90% throughout 2021, expanding its whole loan sourcing capabilities through the launch of its residential whole loan correspondent channel in April 2021
• Closed inaugural private closed-end Middle Market Lending fund, raising $371 million of third-party capital that has been fully deployed at approximately $450 million in assets
• Completed the $2.33 billion sale of Annaly’s Commercial Real Estate Business(6)

Financing and Capital

• Prudently managed leverage profile throughout the year, decreasing economic leverage to 5.7x from 6.2x at the end of 2020
• Average GAAP cost of interest bearing liabilities of 0.37% and average economic cost of interest bearing liabilities of 0.79% decreased 72 basis points and 55 basis points, respectively, year-over-year
• Annaly's Residential Credit Group was the fourth largest non-bank issuer of Prime Jumbo & Expanded Credit MBS from 2020-2021 and has priced thirteen residential whole loan securitizations totaling $5.3 billion since the beginning of 2021, inclusive of 2022 year-to-date activity(5)
• Raised $552 million of accretive common equity through Annaly’s at-the-market sales program(7)
• Declared $1.4 billion in common and preferred stock dividends in 2021

Corporate Responsibility & Governance

• Decreased full-year operating expense ratio by 20 basis points to 1.35% driven by savings following the Company's management internalization and disposition of its Commercial Real Estate business(6)(8)
• Published second Corporate Responsibility Report demonstrating Annaly’s continued focus on ESG endeavors and highlighting key accomplishments including additional disclosures under the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board framework
• Elected new Independent Director Eric A. Reeves

“We are proud of our accomplishments throughout 2021 as we strategically enhanced our focus on residential housing finance through the disposition of our Commercial Real Estate business, launch of our Mortgage Servicing Rights platform and expansion of our capabilities within our Residential Credit Group,” remarked David Finkelstein, Annaly’s Chief Executive Officer and President. “In the fourth quarter, we proactively navigated a more challenging marketplace, increasing our capital allocation to our credit businesses with over $2 billion in credit originations.”

“As financial market volatility has increased in anticipation of monetary policy normalization, our portfolio is well prepared for periods of turbulence with historically low leverage, a conservatively hedged portfolio and disciplined asset allocation across the spectrum of housing finance. Despite the volatility, we are encouraged by improving investment returns in Agency MBS and are poised to capitalize on attractive opportunities as they arise.”

The following table summarizes certain key performance indicators as of and for the quarters ended December 31, 2021, September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020:

Commencing with the Company’s financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 and for subsequent reporting periods, the Company has relabeled “Core Earnings (excluding PAA)” as “Earnings Available for Distribution” (“EAD”). Earnings Available for Distribution, which is a non-GAAP financial measure intended to supplement the Company’s financial results computed in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), has replaced the Company’s prior presentation of Core Earnings (excluding PAA). In addition, Core Earnings (excluding PAA) results from prior reporting periods have been relabeled Earnings Available for Distribution. In line with evolving industry practices, the Company believes the term Earnings Available for Distribution more accurately reflects the principal purpose of the measure than the term Core Earnings (excluding PAA) and serves as a useful indicator for investors in evaluating the Company’s performance and its ability to pay dividends.

The definition of Earnings Available for Distribution is identical to the definition of Core Earning (excluding PAA) from prior reporting periods. As such, Earnings Available for Distribution is defined as the sum of (a) economic net interest income, (b) TBA dollar roll income and CMBX coupon income, (c) realized amortization of MSR, (d) other income (loss) (excluding depreciation expense related to commercial real estate and amortization of intangibles, non-EAD income allocated to equity method investments and other non-EAD components of other income (loss)), (e) general and administrative expenses (excluding transaction expenses and non-recurring items) and (f) income taxes (excluding the income tax effect of non-EAD income (loss) items) and excludes (g) the premium amortization adjustment ("PAA") representing the cumulative impact on prior periods, but not the current period, of quarter-over-quarter changes in estimated long-term prepayment speeds related to the Company’s Agency mortgage-backed securities.

Earnings Available for Distribution should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP net income. Please refer to the "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section for a detailed discussion of Earnings Available for Distribution.

In addition, beginning with the quarter ended June 30, 2021, the Company began classifying certain portfolio activity- or volume-related expenses (including but not limited to brokerage and commission fees, due diligence costs and securitization expenses) as Other income (loss) rather than Other general and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) to better reflect the nature of the items. As such, prior periods have been conformed to the current presentation.

This news release and our public documents to which we refer contain or incorporate by reference certain forward-looking statements which are based on various assumptions (some of which are beyond our control) and may be identified by reference to a future period or periods or by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as "may," "will," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "continue," or similar terms or variations on those terms or the negative of those terms. Actual results could differ materially from those set forth in forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including as related to adverse economic conditions on real estate-related assets and financing conditions; changes in interest rates; changes in the yield curve; changes in prepayment rates; the availability of mortgage-backed securities and other securities for purchase; the availability of financing and, if available, the terms of any financing; changes in the market value of our assets; changes in business conditions and the general economy; operational risks or risk management failures by us or critical third parties, including cybersecurity incidents; our ability to grow our residential credit business; our ability to grow our middle market lending business; credit risks related to our investments in credit risk transfer securities, residential mortgage-backed securities and related residential mortgage credit assets and corporate debt; risks related to investments in mortgage servicing rights; our ability to consummate any contemplated investment opportunities; changes in government regulations or policy affecting our business; our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes; and our ability to maintain our exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act. For a discussion of the risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to publicly release the result of any revisions which may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements, except as required by law.

Annaly is a leading diversified capital manager with investment strategies across mortgage finance and corporate middle market lending. Annaly’s principal business objective is to generate net income for distribution to its stockholders and to optimize its returns through prudent management of its diversified investment strategies. Annaly is internally managed and has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, for federal income tax purposes. Additional information on the company can be found at www.annaly.com.

Annaly routinely posts important information for investors on the Company’s website, www.annaly.com. Annaly intends to use this webpage as a means of disclosing material, non-public information, for complying with the Company’s disclosure obligations under Regulation FD and to post and update investor presentations and similar materials on a regular basis. Annaly encourages investors, analysts, the media and others interested in Annaly to monitor the Company’s website, in addition to following Annaly’s press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations, webcasts and other information it posts from time to time on its website. To sign-up for email-notifications, please visit the "Investors" section of our website, www.annaly.com, then click on "Investor Resources" and select "Email Alerts" to complete the email notification form. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, the Company’s webpage is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this document.

The Company prepares a supplemental investor presentation and a financial summary for the benefit of its shareholders. Both the Fourth Quarter 2021 Investor Presentation and the Fourth Quarter 2021 Financial Summary can be found at the Company’s website (www.annaly.com) in the Investors section under Investor Presentations.

The Company will hold the fourth quarter 2021 earnings conference call on February 10, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Participants are encouraged to pre-register for the conference call to receive a unique PIN to gain immediate access to the call and bypass the live operator. Pre-registration may be completed by accessing the pre-registration link found on the homepage or "Investors" section of the Company's website at www.annaly.com, or by using the following link: https://dpregister.com/sreg/10163240/f0e0ffdd78. Pre-registration may be completed at any time, including up to and after the call start time.

For participants who would like to join the call but have not pre-registered, access is available by dialing 844-735-3317 within the U.S., or 412-317-5703 internationally, and requesting the "Annaly Earnings Call."

There will also be an audio webcast of the call on www.annaly.com. A replay of the call will be available for one week following the conference call. The replay number is 877-344-7529 for domestic calls and 412-317-0088 for international calls and the conference passcode is 5498603. If you would like to be added to the e-mail distribution list, please visit www.annaly.com, click on Investors, then select Email Alerts and complete the email notification form.

The following table presents key metrics of the Company’s portfolio, liabilities and hedging positions, and performance as of and for the quarters ended December 31, 2021, September 30, 2021, and December 31, 2020:

The following table contains additional information on our investment portfolio as of the dates presented:

To supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"), the Company provides the following non-GAAP measures:

These measures should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures computed in accordance with GAAP. While intended to offer a fuller understanding of the Company’s results and operations, non-GAAP financial measures also have limitations. For example, the Company may calculate its non-GAAP metrics, such as earnings available for distribution, or the PAA, differently than its peers making comparative analysis difficult. Additionally, in the case of non-GAAP measures that exclude the PAA, the amount of amortization expense excluding the PAA is not necessarily representative of the amount of future periodic amortization nor is it indicative of the term over which the Company will amortize the remaining unamortized premium. Changes to actual and estimated prepayments will impact the timing and amount of premium amortization and, as such, both GAAP and non-GAAP results.

These non-GAAP measures provide additional detail to enhance investor understanding of the Company’s period-over-period operating performance and business trends, as well as for assessing the Company’s performance versus that of industry peers. Additional information pertaining to the Company’s use of these non-GAAP financial measures, including discussion of how each such measure may be useful to investors, and reconciliations to their most directly comparable GAAP results are provided below.

Earnings available for distribution, earnings available for distribution attributable to common stockholders, earnings available for distribution per average common share and annualized EAD return on average equity

The Company's principal business objective is to generate net income for distribution to its stockholders and to preserve capital through prudent selection of investments and continuous management of its portfolio. The Company generates net income by earning a net interest spread on its investment portfolio, which is a function of interest income from its investment portfolio less financing, hedging and operating costs. Earnings available for distribution, which is defined as the sum of (a) economic net interest income, (b) TBA dollar roll income and CMBX coupon income, (c) realized amortization of MSR, (d) other income (loss) (excluding depreciation expense related to commercial real estate and amortization of intangibles, non-EAD income allocated to equity method investments and other non-EAD components of other income (loss)), (e) general and administrative expenses (excluding transaction expenses and non-recurring items), and (f) income taxes (excluding the income tax effect of non-EAD income (loss) items) and excludes (g) the premium amortization adjustment ("PAA") representing the cumulative impact on prior periods, but not the current period, of quarter-over-quarter changes in estimated long-term prepayment speeds related to the Company’s Agency mortgage-backed securities is used by the Company's management and, the Company believes, used by analysts and investors to measure its progress in achieving its principal business objective.

The Company seeks to fulfill this objective through a variety of factors including portfolio construction, the degree of market risk exposure and related hedge profile, and the use and forms of leverage, all while operating within the parameters of the Company's capital allocation policy and risk governance framework.

The Company believes these non-GAAP measures provide management and investors with additional details regarding the Company’s underlying operating results and investment portfolio trends by (i) making adjustments to account for the disparate reporting of changes in fair value where certain instruments are reflected in GAAP net income (loss) while others are reflected in other comprehensive income (loss) and (ii) by excluding certain unrealized, non-cash or episodic components of GAAP net income (loss) in order to provide additional transparency into the operating performance of the Company’s portfolio. In addition, EAD serves as a useful indicator for investors in evaluating the Company's performance and ability to pay dividends. Annualized EAD return on average equity, which is calculated by dividing earnings available for distribution over average stockholders’ equity, provides investors with additional detail on the earnings available for distribution generated by the Company’s invested equity capital.

The following table presents a reconciliation of GAAP financial results to non-GAAP earnings available for distribution for the periods presented:

From time to time, the Company enters into TBA forward contracts as an alternate means of investing in and financing Agency mortgage-backed securities. A TBA contract is an agreement to purchase or sell, for future delivery, an Agency mortgage-backed security with a specified issuer, term and coupon. A TBA dollar roll represents a transaction where TBA contracts with the same terms but different settlement dates are simultaneously bought and sold. The TBA contract settling in the later month typically prices at a discount to the earlier month contract with the difference in price commonly referred to as the "drop". The drop is a reflection of the expected net interest income from an investment in similar Agency mortgage-backed securities, net of an implied financing cost, that would be foregone as a result of settling the contract in the later month rather than in the earlier month. The drop between the current settlement month price and the forward settlement month price occurs because in the TBA dollar roll market, the party providing the financing is the party that would retain all principal and interest payments accrued during the financing period. Accordingly, TBA dollar roll income generally represents the economic equivalent of the net interest income earned on the underlying Agency mortgage-backed security less an implied financing cost.

TBA dollar roll transactions are accounted for under GAAP as a series of derivatives transactions. The fair value of TBA derivatives is based on methods similar to those used to value Agency mortgage-backed securities. The Company records TBA derivatives at fair value on its Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition and recognizes periodic changes in fair value in Net gains (losses) on other derivatives and financial instruments in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss), which includes both unrealized and realized gains and losses on derivatives (excluding interest rate swaps).

TBA dollar roll income is calculated as the difference in price between two TBA contracts with the same terms but different settlement dates multiplied by the notional amount of the TBA contract. Although accounted for as derivatives, TBA dollar rolls capture the economic equivalent of net interest income, or carry, on the underlying Agency mortgage-backed security (interest income less an implied cost of financing). TBA dollar roll income is reported as a component of Net gains (losses) on other derivatives and financial instruments in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

The CMBX index is a synthetic tradable index referencing a basket of 25 commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS") of a particular rating and vintage. The CMBX index allows investors to take a long exposure (referred to as selling protection) or short exposure (referred to as buying protection) on the respective basket of CMBS securities and is structured as a "pay-as-you-go" contract whereby the protection buyer pays to the protection seller a standardized running coupon on the contracted notional amount. The Company reports income (expense) on CMBX positions in Net gains (losses) on other derivatives and financial instruments in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). The coupon payments received or paid on CMBX positions are equivalent to interest income (expense) and therefore included in earnings available for distribution.

Premium Amortization Expense

In accordance with GAAP, the Company amortizes or accretes premiums or discounts into interest income for its Agency mortgage-backed securities, excluding interest-only securities, multifamily and reverse mortgages, taking into account estimates of future principal prepayments in the calculation of the effective yield. The Company recalculates the effective yield as differences between anticipated and actual prepayments occur. Using third-party model and market information to project future cash flows and expected remaining lives of securities, the effective interest rate determined for each security is applied as if it had been in place from the date of the security’s acquisition. The amortized cost of the security is then adjusted to the amount that would have existed had the new effective yield been applied since the acquisition date. The adjustment to amortized cost is offset with a charge or credit to interest income. Changes in interest rates and other market factors will impact prepayment speed projections and the amount of premium amortization recognized in any given period.

The Company’s GAAP metrics include the unadjusted impact of amortization and accretion associated with this method. Certain of the Company’s non-GAAP metrics exclude the effect of the PAA, which quantifies the component of premium amortization representing the cumulative impact on prior periods, but not the current period, of quarter-over-quarter changes in estimated long-term CPR.

The following table illustrates the impact of the PAA on premium amortization expense for the Company’s Residential Securities portfolio and residential securities transferred or pledged to securitization vehicles, for the quarters ended December 31, 2021, September 30, 2021, and December 31, 2020:

Economic leverage and economic capital ratios

The Company uses capital coupled with borrowed funds to invest primarily in real estate related investments, earning the spread between the yield on its assets and the cost of its borrowings and hedging activities. The Company’s capital structure is designed to offer an efficient complement of funding sources to generate positive risk-adjusted returns for its stockholders while maintaining appropriate liquidity to support its business and meet the Company’s financial obligations under periods of market stress. To maintain its desired capital profile, the Company utilizes a mix of debt and equity funding. Debt funding may include the use of repurchase agreements, loans, securitizations, participations issued, lines of credit, asset backed lending facilities, corporate bond issuance, convertible bonds, mortgages payable or other liabilities. Equity capital primarily consists of common and preferred stock.

The Company’s economic leverage ratio is computed as the sum of recourse debt, cost basis of TBA and CMBX derivatives outstanding, and net forward purchases (sales) of investments divided by total equity. Recourse debt consists of repurchase agreements and other secured financing (excluding certain non-recourse credit facilities). Certain credit facilities (included within other secured financing), debt issued by securitization vehicles, participations issued, and mortgages payable are non-recourse to the Company and are excluded from economic leverage.

The following table presents a reconciliation of GAAP debt to economic debt for purposes of calculating the Company’s economic leverage ratio for the periods presented: