1st Quarter Results

RNS Number : 2538U

Prodesse Investment Limited

13 May 2008

 



Prodesse Investment Limited

Results for the Quarter Ended 31 March 2008

Highlights for first quarter 2008:

• Core net income1 per average share2 of US$0.27
• Dividend per share of US$0.22 from net interest income - equates to an annualised dividend yield of 11.36%3 (FTSE All Share annualised dividend yield of 3.76%4)

• Net income per average share of US$0.27

• NAV per share of US$6.91 (31 December 2007: US$7.70)

• Portfolio remains 100% implied 'AAA' mortgage-backed securities.

Ronald Kazel, Managing Director of FIDAC, Investment Manager to Prodesse, commented: 'Prodesse's results reflect the opportunities and challenges of the first quarter market environment. Lower short-term financing rates in the US contributed to the increase in the company's net interest rate spread and thus the first quarter earnings.  However, credit market dislocations, particularly those caused by high profile problems at several investment vehicles specializing in mortgage-backed securities, affected the company's net asset value. We believe the income-producing fundamentals for Prodesse will continue to be positive and that these conditions, along with the continued avoidance of credit risk and the deployment of capital raised in Prodesse's share offering in April, should be beneficial to shareholders.' 

Financial Highlights Q1 2008 Q4 2007 Q3 2007 Q2 2007 Q1 2007 $US Dividend per share   0.22 5  0.21 0.16 0.16 0.14 Core net income per average share 0.27 0.21 0.17 0.17 0.15 Net income per average share 0.27 0.24 0.20 0.18 0.16 Net income 7.7m 6.7m 5.8m 5.0m 4.0m Net asset value per share 6.91 7.70 7.556 7.77 8.22 GBP Sterling7 Dividend per share 11p 11p 8p 8p 7p Core net income per average share 14p 11p 8p 8p 8p Net income per average share 14p 12p 10p 9p 8p Net income   £3.8m £3.4m £2.8m £2.5m £2.0m Net asset value per share 347.8p 388.0p 370.0p6 387.1p 417.6p

1 Core net income is defined as net income excluding realised and unrealised gains and losses on securities.

2 The average share calculation is based on the sum of the shares for the period divided by the number of days in the period.

3 Based on annualisation of Q1 dividend, an exchange rate of 1.9866 US$ per Pound Sterling and a closing price of 390p on 31 March 2008. 

4 Based on closing share prices of the constituents of the FTSE All Share index on 31 March 2008 (JCF Datastream).

5 Disparity in dividend per share and core net income per average share relates to additional shares issued after quarter end 31 March 2008 which are eligible  to receive the Q1 dividend.

6 After deducting dividends declared for the period.

7 Illustration is based upon an exchange rate of 1.9866, 1.9827, 2.0405, 2.0071 and 1.9686 US$ per Pound Sterling at 31 March 2008, 31 December 2007, 28 September 2007, 29 June 2007 and 31 March 2007, respectively. Translation to GBP Sterling is given for illustration purposes only as Prodesse invests only in US$ denominated assets which produce US$ income. Should shareholders choose to receive their dividends in GBP Sterling they may elect to do so.

Enquiries

Investor Relations

Rob Bailhache / Nick Henderson, Financial Dynamics 

Tel: [phone]

Company Secretary and Administrator

Sara Radford / Jean McMillan, BNP Paribas Fund Services (Guernsey) Limited

Tel: [phone]

About Prodesse

Prodesse Investment Limited is a limited liability Guernsey-incorporated closed-end investment company, the investments of which are managed by Fixed Income Discount Advisory Company. The Company's investment policy is to provide net income for distribution from the spread between the interest income earned from a portfolio of residential mortgage-backed securities and the cost of repurchase agreements entered into to finance the acquisition of such residential mortgage-backed securities.

Conference Call

There will be a conference call to discuss the results at 10.00am UK time on 13 May and a live audio webcast and presentation will be available via the Prodesse website, www.prodesse.co.uk. The dial-in number for the conference call is [phone] and the passcode is 45671070.

Company performance

For the quarter ended 31 March 2008, Prodesse reported net income of US$7.7 million (quarter ended 31 December 2007: US$6.7 million) or US$ 0.27 per average share (quarter ended 31 December 2007: US$0.24 per average share).  

Prodesse reported core net income, defined as net income excluding realised and unrealised gains and losses on securities, of

US$7.7 million for the quarter ended 31 March 2008 (quarter ended 31 December 2007: US$6.0 million) or US$0.27 per average share (quarter ended 31 December 2007: US$0.21 per average share).  During the quarter the Company sold US$556.8 million in securities and terminated US$173.8 million notional of interest rate swaps, resulting in a net realised loss of US$54,250.  

The Company delivered an annualised core return on average equity for the quarter ended 31 March 2008 of 15.00% (quarter ended 31 December 2007: 11.16%). For the quarter ended 31 March 2008, the annualised total return on average equity (RoAE) was 14.90% (quarter ended 31 December 2007: 12.51%). For the quarter ended 31 March 2008, the core return and the total return increased over the prior quarter because of the increase in interest rate spreads.

	01 January 2008 to 31 March 2008	01 October 2007 to 31 December 2007	01 July 2007 to 30 September 2007	01 April 2007 to 30 June 2007	01 January 2007 to 31 March 2007
Core net income	US$7.7 million	US$6.0 million	US$4.9 million	US$4.9 million	US$4.0 million
Core net income per average share	US$0.27	US$0.21	US$0.17	US$0.17	US$0.15
Annualised core RoAE	15.00%	11.16%	9.07%	8.75%	7.25%
Reported net income	US$7.7 million	US$6.7 million	US$5.8 million	US$5.0 million	US$4.0 million
Net income per average share	US$0.27	US$0.24	US$0.20	US$0.18	US$0.16
Annualised RoAE	14.90%	12.51%	10.70%	8.82%	7.29%

Portfolio Performance

For the quarter ended 31 March 2008, the annualised yield on average assets, which is calculated based on the annualised interest income for the period divided by the average value of interest earning assets for the period, was 5.57% (quarter ended 31 December 2007: 5.83%) and the annualised cost of funds on the average repurchase balance was 4.35% (quarter ended 31 December 2007: 4.95%) which equates to an interest rate spread of 1.22% (quarter ended 31 December 2007: 0.88%). At 31 March 2008, the annualised yield on assets was 4.91% and the annualised cost of funds with the effect of interest rate swaps on the repurchase balances was 4.11%, which equates to an interest rate spread of 0.80%. For the quarter ended 31 March 2008, the core return and the total return increased over the prior quarter because of the increase in interest rate spreads. The decline in funding cost was only partially offset by the decline in yields, resulting in an increase in interest rate spread of 0.34%.

The Constant Prepayment Rate, or CPR, on the Company's mortgage-backed securities portfolio averaged 13% for the quarter ended 31 March 2008 (quarter ended 31 December 2007: 10%). Prepayment speeds on mortgage-backed securities, as reflected by the CPR, vary according to the type of investment, changes in interest rates, conditions in the financial markets, competition and other factors, none of which can be predicted with any certainty.

	01 January 2008 to 31 March 2008	01 October 2007 to 31 December 2007	01 July 2007 to 30 September 2007	01 April 2007 to 30 June 2007	01 January 2007 to 31 March 2007
Annualised yield on average assets	5.57%	5.83%	5.90%	5.83%	5.81%
Annualised cost of funds on average repurchase balance	4.35%	4.95%	5.18%	5.15%	5.15%
Interest rate spread	1.22%	0.88%	0.72%	0.68%	0.66%
CPR	13%	10%	13%	16%	15%

As at 31 March 2008, all of the assets in the Company's portfolio were Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities, which carry an implied 'AAA' rating. 

	31 March   2008	31 December 2007	30 September 2007	30 June 2007	31 March 2007
Fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities	54%	63%	66%	69%	69%
Adjustable-rate mortgage-backed   securities	16%	15%	12%	11%	8%
Floating-rate mortgage-backed securities	30%	22%	22%	20%	23%

Borrowings

The ratio of average daily repurchase agreements to equity resulted in average leverage of the Company of 9.6:1 during the quarter ended 31 March 2008 (quarter ended 31 December 2007: 9:6:1). The leverage at 31 March 2008 was 8.4:1 (31 December 2007: 9.3:1). 

	01 January 2008 to 31 March 2008	01 October 2007 to 31 December 2007	01 July 2007 to 30 September 2007	01 April 2007 to 30 June 2007	01 January 2007 to 31 March 2007
Average leverage for period	9.6:1	9.6:1	9.4:1	9.3:1	9.3:1
Leverage at period end	8.4:1	9.3:1	9.0:1	9.3:1	8.1:1

As of 31 March 2008, the Company had entered into interest rate swap agreements totalling US$588 million notional in which the Company will pay an average rate of 5.14% and receive 1 month LIBOR on a monthly basis. As of 31 December 2007, the Company had entered into interest rate swap agreements totalling US$778 million notional in which the Company would pay an average rate of 5.15% and receive 1 month LIBOR on a monthly basis.  

	31 March 2008	31 December 2007	30 September 2007	30 June 2007	31 March 2007
Notional amount	US$588 million	US$778 million	US$817 million	US$821 million	US$811 million
Average pay rate	5.14%	5.15%	5.16%	5.16%	5.17%
Average receive rate	2.84%	5.06%	5.57%	5.32%	5.32%

Capital

At 31 March 2008, the Company had a net asset value per share of US$6.67 (31 December 2007: US$7.49) after deducting the current dividends declared for the quarter of US$6,816,051 (for the quarter 31 December 2007: US$5,914,766). The NAV per share declined during the quarter as a result of volatility in the Mortgage-Backed Securities market during the quarter ended 31 March 2008. The decline in value of these securities is solely due to market conditions related to the credit market dislocations mentioned earlier and not the quality of the assets. All of the Mortgage-Backed Securities are 'AAA' rated or carry an implied 'AAA' rating.

	01 January 2008 to 31 March 2008	01 October 2007 to 31 December 2007	01 July 2007 to 30 September 2007	01 April 2007 to  30 June 2007	01 January 2007 to 31 March 2007
NAV per share	US$6.91	US$7.70	US$7.551	US$7.77	US$8.22
Dividends declared for the period	US$6,816,051	US$5,914,766	US$4,506,488	US$4,506,488	US$3,943,177
NAV per share after deducting dividends declared	US$6.67	US$7.49	US$7.55	US$7.61	US$8.08

1After deducting dividends declared for the period. Dividends for the third quarter were declared 20 September 2007.  

Following quarter end 31 March 2008, the Company issued 2,816,500 shares raising US$19.8 million in net offering proceeds.

Dividend

The Company has declared a dividend for the quarter ended 31 March 2008 of US$0.22 per share that is payable on 6 June 2008 to holders on the register on 23 May 2008. Dividends are calculated and paid in US dollars.  

	01 January 2008 to 31 March 2008	01 October 2007 to 31 December 2007	01 July 2007 to 30 September 2007	01 April 2007 to 30 June 2007	01 January 2007 to 31 March 2007
Core net income per average share	US$0.27	US$0.21	US$0.17	US$0.17	US$0.15
Net income per average share	US$0.27	US$0.24	US$0.20	US$0.18	US$0.16
Dividends per share	US$0.22	US$0.21	US$0.16	US$0.16	US$0.14

Outlook

'We believe the first quarter of 2008 was one of the most eventful in US economic history,,' said Kristopher Konrad, Managing Director and Co-head of Portfolio Management for Prodesse's Investment Manager, FIDAC, 'and policymakers, both in the US and abroad, have taken extraordinary steps to address the situation, including introducing new liquidity facilities, expanding the GSE's buying capacity and lowering the Federal Funds target rate. We continue to monitor the housing market, the financial markets and the overall US economy to assess the effectiveness of these policies. We have begun to see a stabilization of the market and expect a 

continuation of this trend to have a positive effect on asset values. In this environment, we believe Prodesse's portfolio of short duration, high credit-quality assets has been and will continue to be positioned to perform.' 

Prodesse Investment Limited
Balance Sheet
	Note	31-Mar-08 US$'000 (Unaudited)	31-Dec-07 US$'000	30-Sep-07 US $'000  (Unaudited)	30-Jun-07 US $'000  (Unaudited)	31-Mar-07 US $'000 (Unaudited)
ASSETS
Current assets
Available for sale investments	3	1,802,505	2,280,046	2,227,999	2,235,571	2,237,709
Accrued income receivable		7,878	10,541	10,131	10,236	9,302
Receivable for principal paydowns		3,583	2,839	2,977	6,613	5,409
Receivable for securities sold		52,668	-	-	-	-
Hedging instruments	4	-	-	-	4,603	-
Cash and cash equivalents		31	48	205	11	30
Prepaid expenses		6	77	154	236	34
Total assets		1,866,671	2,293,551	2,241,466	2,257,270	2,252,484
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
Capital and reserves
Share capital:
28,165,550 at 31 March 2008, 31 December 2007, 30 September 2007, 30 June 2007 and 31 March 2007 at US$ 0.01		282	282	282	282	282
Capital redemption reserve		30	30	30	30	30
Share premium		71,680	71,680	71,680	71,680	71,759
Distributable reserve		141,513	141,513	141,513	141,513	198,681
Accumulated profits		9,022	7,220	1,229	5,347	4,361
Capital Reserve-Realised gain / (loss) and impairment on available for sale investments		1,546	1,600	875	-	(57,206)
Revaluation reserve /(deficit) Cash flow hedge reserve /(deficit)	4	3,800 (33,168)	16,411 (21,966)	5,578 (8,486)	(4,505) 4,603	18,198 (4,557)
Total shareholders' equity		194,705	216,770	212,701	218,950	231,548
Current liabilities
Securities purchased payable		-	31,882	92,122	-	136,626
Repurchase agreements	5	1,628,689	2,011,384	1,915,579	2,030,082	1,872,007
Accrued interest expense		5,523	9,823	6,475	6,706	6,068
Accrued expenses payable		1,586	1,726	1,597	1,532	1,678
Swap termination expense payable		3,000	-	-	-	-
Dividend payable		-	-	4,506	-	-
Hedging instruments	4	33,168	21,966	8,486	-	4,557
Total liabilities		1,671,966	2,076,781	2,028,765	2,038,320	2,020,936
Total equity and liabilities		1,866,671	2,293,551	2,241,466	2,257,270	2,252,484
Net Assets		194,705	216,770	212,701	218,950	231,548
Net Asset Value per share	6	6.91	7.70	7.55	7.77	8.22

Prodesse Investment Limited
(unaudited) Income Statement
	01 January 2008 to 31 March 2008	01 October 2007 to 31 December 2007	01 July 2007 to 30 September 2007	01 April 2007 to 30 June 2007	01 January 2007 to 31 March 2007
	US $'000	US $'000	US $'000	US $'000	US $'000
Income
Interest income	31,451	33,048	32,604	33,602	30,895
Interest expense	(22,302)	(25,381)	(26,087)	(26,898)	(24,971)
Net interest income	9,149	7,667	6,517	6,704	5,924
Net realised (loss)/ gain on sale of available  for sale investments and interest rate swaps	(54)	725	875	38	25
Total income	9,095	8,392	7,392	6,742	5,949
Expenses
Management, custodian and  administration fees	1,124	1,362	1,301	1,453	1,297
Other operating expenses	308	314	322	323	654
Total expenses	1,432	1,676	1,623	1,776	1,951
Net income for the period	7,663	6,716	5,769	4,966	3,998
Net income per average share for the period	0.27	0.24	0.20	0.18	0.16
Dividend declared per share for the period	0.22	0.21	0.16	0.16	0.14
Average shares   Outstanding	28,165,550	28,165,550	28,165,550	28,165,550	25,766,661

Prodesse Investment Limited
(unaudited) Cash Flow Statement
	01 January 2008 to 31 March 2008		01 October 2007 to 31 December 2007	01 July 2007 to    30 September 2007	01 April 2007 to 30 June 2007	01 January 2007 to 31 March 2007
	US $'000		US $'000	US $'000	US $'000	US $'000
Net cash inflow/(outflow) from operating  activities (Note 1)	388,593		(91,456)	119,203	(154,072)	(36,709)
Financing
Borrowings under reverse repurchase agreements	5,683,953		4,993,525	5,772,535	6,197,781	5,771,019
Repayments under reverse repurchase agreements	(6,066,648)		(4,897,720)	(5,887,038)	(6,039,706)	(5,752,769)
New shares issued	-		-	-	-	21,863
Issue costs	-		-	-	(79)	(78)
Dividends paid	(5,915)		(4,506)	(4,506)	(3,943)	(3,331)
Net cash (outflow)/inflow from financing activities	(388,610)		91,299	(119,009)	154,053	36,704
(Decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents	(17)		(157)	194	(19)	(5)
Cash and cash equivalents, at beginning of period	48		205	11	30	35
Cash and cash equivalents, at end of period	31		48	205	11	30
Note 1
Net income for the period	7,663		6,716	5,769	4,966	3,998
Net accretion/amortisation of premiums on available for sale investments	(102)		180	139	(35)	(14)
Net realised loss/(gain) on sale of available for sale investments and termination of interest rate swaps	54		(725)	(875)	(38)	(25)
Purchases of investments	(210,825)		(215,290)	(93,321)	(328,449)	(207,840)
Proceeds from sale of investments	507,078		53,110	108,812	33,493	34,168
Principal paydowns	86,431		61,409	98,658	136,635	132,739
Receivables
Decrease/(increase) in accrued income receivable	2,663		(410)	105	(934)	(528)
Decrease/ (increase) in prepaid expenses	71		77	82	(202)	(7)
Liabilities
(Decrease)/increase in accrued interest expense	(4,300)		3,348	(231)	638	505
(Decrease)/increase in accrued expenses payable	(140)		129	65	(146)	295
Net cash inflow/(outflow) from operating activities	388,593		(91,456)	119,203	(154,072)	(36,709)

Prodesse Investment Limited

Statement of Changes in Shareholders' Equity

(unaudited) 01 January 2008 to 31 March 2008

	Share capital	Capital redemption reserve	Share premium	Distributable reserve	Capital Reserve - realised gain on sales and impairment of available for sale investments	Revaluation reserve	Accumulated profits	Cash flow hedge reserve	Total
	US $'000	US $'000	US $'000	US $'000	US $'000	US $'000	US $'000	US $'000	US $'000
Balance at 31 December 2007	282	30	71,680	141,513	1,600	16,411	7,220	(21,966)	216,770
Net income for the quarter	-	-	-	-	-	-	7,663		7,663
Hedge reserve revalued	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	(11,202)	(11,202)
Transfer of realised gain to capital reserve	-	-	-	-	(54)		54	-	-
Movement in unrealised gain on revaluation taken to equity	-	-	-	-	-	(12,611)	-	-	(12,611)
Total recognised income and expense	-	-	-	-	(54)	(12,611)	7,717	(11,202)	(16,150)
Dividends Paid	-	-	-	-	-	-	(5,915)	-	(5,915)
Balance at 31 March 2008	282	30	71,680	141,513	1,546	3,800	9,022	(33,168)	194,705

Notes to the financial statements

• General Information

Prodesse Investment Limited (the 'Company') is a limited liability Guernsey-incorporated closed-end investment company, the investments of which are managed by Fixed Income Discount Advisory Company ('the Investment Manager'). The Company's share capital structure consists solely of Ordinary Shares. The Company has a listing on the London Stock Exchange and a listing on the Channel Islands Stock Exchange. The Company will have an indefinite life but Shareholders will have the opportunity to vote on its continuation at the Annual General Meeting to be held in 2010.  

The Company invests in a portfolio consisting of implied 'AAA' rated mortgage-backed securities on a leveraged basis. The Company's investment strategy is to generate net income for distribution from the spread between the interest income from the portfolio and the cost of borrowing pursuant to reverse repurchase agreements used to finance the portfolio. The Investment Manager will seek to enhance returns through what it considers an appropriate amount of leverage.

2.    Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Accounting

This quarterly press release has been prepared using accounting policies consistent with International Financial Reporting Standards ('IFRS').  The same accounting policies, presentation and methods of
computation are followed in the quarterly press release as applied in the Company's latest annual audited financial statements except for the change in reclassification of the net borrowings under repurchase
agreements in the cash flow statement.

The financial statements are presented in US Dollars because that is the currency of the primary economic environment in which the Company operates. The functional currency of the Company is also considered to be US Dollars.

Investments 

The Company invests in securities issued by the United States Government Sponsored Enterprises such as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ('Freddie Mac'), Federal National Mortgage Association ('Fannie Mae') and the Federal Home Loan Banks ('FHLB') as well as the Government National Mortgage Association ('Ginnie Mae'), a US Government Corporation. Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and FHLB, although chartered and sponsored by Congress, are not companies funded by congressional appropriations and the debt and mortgage-backed securities issued by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and FHLB are neither guaranteed nor insured by the United States Government.

The payment of principal and interest on the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae mortgage-backed securities are backed by those respective agencies, the payment of principal and interest on the Ginnie Mae mortgage backed securities are backed by the full-faith-and-credit of the US Government.  Although the Company generally intends to hold most of its securities until maturity, it may, from time to time, sell any of its mortgage-backed securities as part of its overall management strategy. Accordingly the Company classifies all its mortgage-backed securities as available for sale and these are reported at fair value.  Expenses incidental to the acquisition of available for sale investments are included within the cost of that investment.

Realised and Unrealised Gains and Losses on Investments

Unrealised gains or losses arising on the revaluation of investments are included in equity. Unrealised losses on investment securities that are considered other than temporary, as measured by the amount of decline in fair value attributable to factors other than temporary, are recognised as an impairment loss in the income statement and the cost basis of the mortgage-backed securities is adjusted. The impairment loss is then transferred to a non-distributable capital reserve in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company.

Realised gains or losses arising on the sale of investments are recognised in the income statement but will be transferred to a non-distributable capital reserve in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company.

When-Issued/Delayed Securities

The Company may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, including 'TBA' securities. TBA Securities are mortgage-backed securities for which details about the underlying mortgages have not yet been announced. Securities traded on a when-issued basis are traded for delivery beyond the normal settlement date at a stated price and yield, and no income accrues to the purchaser prior to delivery. 

Purchasing or selling securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis involves the risk that the market price at the time of delivery may be lower or higher than the agreed upon price, in which case an unrealised loss may be incurred.

Security Transactions and Investment Income Recognition

Security transactions are recorded on the trade date. Realised and unrealised gains and losses are calculated based on specific identified cost. Interest income is recorded as earned. Interest income and expense includes accretion and amortisation of market discount and premium as calculated using a hybrid methodology utilising the principles of the effective interest method.  

Other Receivables

Other receivables do not carry any interest and are short-term in nature and are accordingly stated at their nominal value as reduced by appropriate allowances for estimated irrecoverable amounts.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash includes amounts held in interest bearing overnight accounts.  

Financial Liabilities and Equity

Financial liabilities and equity are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the Company after deducting all of its liabilities. Financial liabilities and equity are recorded at the proceeds received, net of issue costs.

Other Accruals and Payables

Other accruals and payables are not interest-bearing and are stated at their nominal value.

Repurchase Agreements

The Company enters into repurchase agreements with qualified third party financial institutions to finance its investment in mortgage-backed securities. The agreements are secured by the value of the Company's mortgage-backed securities. A repurchase agreement involves the sale by the Company of securities that it holds with an agreement by the Company to repurchase the same securities at an agreed price and date.  Such an agreement involves the risk that the value of the securities sold by the Company may decline in value below the price of the securities.  

Interest on the principal value of repurchase agreements issued and outstanding is based upon competitive market rates at the time of issuance. When the Company enters into a repurchase agreement, it establishes and maintains a segregated account with the lender containing securities having a value not less than the repurchase price, including accrued interest, of the repurchase agreement.

Repurchase agreements are treated as collateralised financing transactions and are carried at their contractual amounts, including accrued interest, as specified in the repurchase agreements. Accrued interest is recorded as a separate line item.

Securities sold subject to repurchase agreements are retained in the financial statements as available for sale securities and the counterparty liability is included in liabilities under repurchase agreements.

Derivative Financial Instruments and Hedge Accounting

The Company's activities expose it primarily to the financial risks associated with changes in interest rates. The Company uses interest rate swap contracts to hedge these exposures. The Company does not use derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes.

The use of financial derivatives is governed by the Company's policies approved by the board of directors, which provide written principles on the use of financial derivatives.

Changes in the fair value of derivative financial instruments that are designated and effective as hedges of future cash flows are recognised directly in equity and any ineffective portion is recognised immediately in the income statement. The amount in equity is released to income when the forecast transaction impacts profit or loss.

Hedge accounting is discontinued when the hedging instrument expires or is sold, terminated, or exercised, or no longer qualified for hedge accounting. At that time, any cumulative gain or loss on the hedging instrument recognised in equity for cash flow hedges is retained in equity until the forecasted transaction occurs. If a hedged transaction is no longer expected to occur, the net cumulative gain or loss recognised in equity is transferred to net profit or loss in the period.

Taxes

The Company is exempt from Guernsey taxation under the Income Tax (Exempt Bodies) (Guernsey) Ordinance 1989 for which it pays an annual fee of £600.

Set-up and Issue Costs

The preliminary expenses of the Company directly attributable to the equity transaction and costs associated with the establishment of the Company that would otherwise have been avoided are taken to the share premium account.

Costs directly attributable to the issue of Ordinary Shares are expensed against the share premium account as allowed by with The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 1994.

3.   Available for Sale Investments

At 31 March 2008	Amortised Cost	Gross Unrealised Gain	Gross  Unrealised Loss	Estimated  Fair Value
	US $'000	US $'000	US $'000	US $'000
Adjustable rate	823,014	1,963	(14,929)	810,048
Fixed rate	975,691	16,873	(107)	992,457
Total	1,798,705	18,836	(15,036)	1,802,505

As at 31 March 2008, all of the assets in the Company's portfolio were Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities, which carry a 'AAA' or implied 'AAA' rating. During the quarter ended 31 March 2008, the Company did not have any securities that it deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired.

Mortgage-backed securities are created when mortgages and their attendant streams of interest and principal payments are pooled to serve as collateral for the issuance of securities to investors. Interests in mortgage-backed securities differ from other forms of traditional debt securities, which normally provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts with principal payments at maturity or specified call dates. Instead, mortgage-backed securities typically provide irregular cash flows consisting of both interest and principal. 

An investment consideration of any mortgage-backed security is the structure of the payment of the cash flow streams from the underlying mortgages to the holders of the mortgage-backed securities. The cash flows can be simply passed from the mortgage holder to the investor or they can be structured in a number of different ways. The fair values of the various structures will vary in different interest rate or prepayment environments, with the more derivative or complex structures (e.g., interest-only or principal-only securities) being more sensitive to movements in interest rates or rates of prepayment. 

Beyond the basic security of the mortgages and properties that underlie mortgage-backed securities, a critical attribute of mortgage-backed securities issued by the US Agencies is the credit enhancement that the US Agencies provide. The holder of mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by the US Agencies is guaranteed the timely payment of principal and interest. Ginnie Mae is the principal governmental (i.e., backed by the full credit of the US Government) guarantor of mortgage-backed securities. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the principal US Government-related (i.e. not backed by the full credit of the US Government) guarantors.

Adjustable-rate and floating-rate mortgage-backed securities in which the Company may invest include pass-through mortgage-backed securities issued by the US Agencies backed by adjustable-rate mortgages and Floaters. The interest rates on adjustable-rate and floating rate mortgage-backed securities are reset at periodic intervals to an increment over some predetermined reference interest rate. There are two main categories of reference rates: (i) those based on US Treasury securities and (ii) those derived from a calculated measure such as a cost of funds index or a moving average of mortgage rates. Commonly utilised reference rates include the one-year Treasury Bill rate or one-month US dollar LIBOR. Some reference rates, such as the one-year Treasury Bill rate or LIBOR, closely mirror changes in market interest rate levels. Others tend to lag changes in market rate levels and tend to be somewhat less volatile.

Adjustable-rate mortgages frequently have upper and lower limits on the interest rates to which a residential borrower may be subject (i) in any reset or adjustment interval and (ii) over the life of the loan. These upper and lower limits are commonly known as ''caps'' and ''floors'' respectively. 

4.   Hedging Instruments 

The Company uses interest rate swaps to manage its exposure to interest rate movements.  When the Company enters into an interest rate swap, it agrees to pay a fixed rate of interest and to receive a variable interest rate, generally based on the London Interbank Offered Rate ('LIBOR'). The Company's swaps are designated as cash flow hedges against the benchmark interest rate risk associated with the Company's borrowings.  

At 31 March 2008, the Company had interest rate swap agreements of US$588 million notional amount in which the Company will pay a weighted average rate of 5.14% and have a weighted average receive rate of 2.84%.  

5.   Repurchase Agreements

At 31 March 2008 the aggregate value of securities pledged by the Company under repurchase agreements exceeds the liability under such agreements by approximately US$48.9 million (approximately 3% of such liability). The interest rates on the repurchase agreements at 31 March 2008 range from 2.60% to 4.57% and have maturity dates ranging from 1 day to 1429 days.

The Company has entered into repurchase agreements which provide the counterparty with the right to call the balance prior to maturity date. These repurchase agreements totalled US$300 million.

6.   Net Asset Value 

The net asset value per Ordinary Share is based on net assets at 31 March 2008 and on 28,165,550 Ordinary Shares, being the number of Ordinary Shares in issue at the period end.

At 31 March 2008, the reported net asset value per Ordinary Share (before excluding the dividend declared for the quarter ended 31 March 2008) is US$6.91

At 31 March 2008, the Company had a net asset value per Ordinary Share of US$6.67, after including the effect of the dividend declared for the quarter ended 31 March 2008 of US$0.22.  

 

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