Any instability in the real estate sector or an adverse change in economic conditions in Canada could result in declines in the value of real property securing the Corporations investments. There have been significant increases in real estate values in various sectors of the Canadian market over the past few years. A correction or revaluation of real estate in such sectors will result in a reduction in values of the real estate securing mortgage loans that comprise the Corporations investment portfolio. This could result in impairments in the mortgage loans or loan losses in the event the real estate security has to be realized upon by the lender. The Corporation’s maximum exposure to credit risk is represented by the fair values of amounts receivable and the investment portfolio.
Under various federal, provincial, and municipal laws, an owner or operator of real property could become liable for the cost of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances released on or in its properties or disposed of at other locations. The existence of such liability can have a negative impact on the value of the underlying real property securing a mortgage. The Corporation does not own the real property securing its Investment Portfolio and thus would not attract the environmental liability that an owner would be exposed to. In rare circumstances where a mortgage is in default, the Corporation may take possession of real property and may become liable for environmental issues as a mortgagee in possession. The Corporation obtains phase 1 environmental reports for mortgages where the Mortgage Banker determines that such reports would be prudent given the nature of the underlying property.
The inability to obtain borrowings and leverage, thus reducing yield enhancement.
Dependence on the Corporation Manager and Mortgage Banker. The Corporation’s earnings are impacted by the Mortgage Banker’s ability to source and generate appropriate investments that provide sufficient yields while maintaining pre-determined risk parameters. The Corporation has also entered into long-term contracts with the Mortgage Banker and the Corporation Manager, as more particularly described in the AlF. The Corporation is exposed to adverse developments in the business and affairs of the Corporation Manager and Mortgage Banker, since the day to day activities of the Corporation are run by the Corporation Manager and since all of the Corporation’s investments are originated by the Mortgage Banker.
The interest rate earned on the Corporation’s Investment Portfolio fluctuates given that (i) it continually revolves given that it is short term in nature; and (ii) the portfolio is predominately floating rate interest with floors.
Interest rate risk is the risk that fair value of future cash flows of financial assets or financial liabilities will fluctuate because of changes in market interest rates.
There is no guarantee as to the return that an investment in Shares of the Corporation will earn.
Although the Corporation intends to quality at all times as a mortgage investment corporation, no assurance can be provided in this regard. If for any reason the Corporation does not maintain its qualification as a mortgage investment corporation under the Tax Act, dividends paid by the Corporation on the Shares will cease to be deductible by the Corporation in computing its income and will no longer be deemed by the rules in the Tax Act that apply to mortgage investment corporations to have been received by shareholders as bond interest or a capital gain, as the case may be. In consequence, the rules in the Tax Act regarding the taxation of public corporations and their shareholders should apply, with the result that the combined corporate and shareholder tax may be significantly greater.
Our ability to make investments in accordance with our objectives and investment policies depends upon the availability of suitable investments and the general economy and marketplace. Increased competition in the lending market place in which the Corporation operates from chartered banks or other public or private lending entities may impact the availability of suitable investments and achievable investment yields for the Corporation.
The Canadian financial marketplace is characterized as having a limited number of financial institutions that provide credit to entities such as ours. The limited availability of sources of credit may limit our ability to take advantage of leveraging opportunities to enhance the yield on our mortgage investments.
Non-conventional and second mortgage investments attract higher loan loss risk due to their subordinate ranking to other mortgage charges and sometimes high loan to value ratio. Consequently, this higher risk is compensated for by a higher rate of return. In order to mitigate risk and maintain a well-diversified investment portfolio, the operating policies of the Corporation generally limit the amount of Conventional Non-First Mortgage investments to a maximum of 30% of the Corporation’s capital, subject to the Board of Directors’ approval for any modifications to the operating policies.
Land mortgages pose a unique risk in the event of default in that the work-out period can be lengthy while the asset has no capacity to generate cash flow.
After the funding of an investment, we rely on borrowers to maintain adequate insurance and proper adherence to environmental regulations during the ongoing management of their properties.
The Investment portfolio is exposed to credit risk. Credit risk is the risk that a counterparty to a financial investment will fail to fulfill its obligations or Commitment, resulting in a financial loss to the corporation.
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