Organization and Basis of Presentation (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Segment Reporting

The Company operates in two segments, correspondent production and investment activities:

• The correspondent production segment represents the Company’s operations aimed at serving as an intermediary between mortgage lenders and the capital markets by purchasing, pooling and reselling newly originated prime credit quality mortgage loans either directly or in the form of mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), using the services of PNMAC Capital Management, LLC (“PCM” or the “Manager”) and PennyMac Loan Services, LLC (“PLS”), both indirect controlled subsidiaries of PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. (“PFSI”).

Most of the mortgage loans the Company has acquired in its correspondent production activities have been eligible for sale to government-sponsored entities such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) or through government agencies such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”). Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae are each referred to as an “Agency” and, collectively, as the “Agencies.”

• The investment activities segment represents the Company’s investments in mortgage-related assets, which include mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), distressed mortgage loans, excess servicing spread (“ESS”), credit risk transfer agreements (“CRT Agreements”), real estate acquired in settlement of loans (“REO”), real estate held for investment, mortgage servicing rights (“MSRs”), and small balance commercial real estate loans.

Basis of Accounting

The Company conducts substantially all of its operations and makes substantially all of its investments through its subsidiary, PennyMac Operating Partnership, L.P. (the “Operating Partnership”), and the Operating Partnership’s subsidiaries. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company is the sole general partner, and the Company is the sole limited partner, of the Operating Partnership.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in compliance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) as codified in the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification(“ASC”) for interim financial information and with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, these financial statements and notes do not include all of the information required by GAAP for complete financial statements. The interim consolidated information should be read together with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position, income, and cash flows for the interim periods, but are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations that may be anticipated for the full year. Intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Concentration Risk

Due to the nature of the Company’s investments, PMT is exposed, to a greater extent than traditional mortgage investors, to the risks that borrowers may be in economic distress and/or may have become unemployed, bankrupt or otherwise unable or unwilling to make payments when due, and to the effects of fluctuations in the residential real estate market on the performance of its investments. Factors influencing these risks include, but are not limited to:

• changes in the overall economy, unemployment rates and residential real estate values in the markets where the properties securing the Company’s mortgage loans are located;

• PCM’s ability to identify and PLS’ ability to execute optimal resolutions of certain mortgage loans;

• the accuracy of valuation information obtained during the Company’s due diligence activities;

• PCM’s ability to effectively model, and to develop appropriate model inputs that properly anticipate, future outcomes;

• the level of government support for resolution of certain mortgage loans and the effect of current and future proposed and enacted legislative and regulatory changes on the Company’s ability to effect cures or resolutions to distressed mortgage loans; and

• regulatory, judicial and legislative support of the foreclosure process, and the resulting effect on the Company’s ability to acquire and liquidate the real estate securing its portfolio of distressed mortgage loans in a timely manner or at all.

Due to these uncertainties, there can be no assurance that risk management activities identified and executed on PMT’s behalf will prevent significant losses arising from the Company’s investments in real estate-related assets.

Earnings Per Share

The Company grants restricted share units which entitle the recipients to receive dividend equivalents during the vesting period on a basis equivalent to the dividends paid to holders of common shares. Unvested share-based compensation awards containing non-forfeitable rights to receive dividends or dividend equivalents (collectively, “dividends”) are classified as “participating securities” and are included in the basic earnings per share calculation using the two-class method.

Under the two-class method, all earnings (distributed and undistributed) are allocated to common shares and participating securities, based on their respective rights to receive dividends. Basic earnings per share is determined by dividing net income, reduced by income attributable to the participating securities, by the weighted-average common shares outstanding during the period.

Diluted earnings per share is determined by dividing net income attributable to diluted shareholders, which adds back to net income the interest expense, net of applicable income taxes, on the Company’s exchangeable senior notes (the “Exchangeable Notes”), by the weighted-average common shares outstanding, assuming all potentially dilutive securities were issued. In periods in which the Company records a loss, potentially dilutive securities are excluded from the diluted loss per share calculation, as their effect on loss per share is anti-dilutive.

Fair Value Measurement

The Company’s consolidated financial statements include assets and liabilities that are measured based on their fair values. Measurement at fair value may be on a recurring or nonrecurring basis depending on the accounting principles applicable to the specific asset or liability and whether the Manager has elected to carry the item at its fair value as discussed in the following paragraphs.

The Company groups its assets and liabilities at fair value in three levels, based on the markets in which the assets and liabilities are traded and the observability of the inputs used to determine fair value. These levels are:

• Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

• Level 2—Prices determined or determinable using other significant observable inputs. Observable inputs are inputs that other market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company. These may include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk and other inputs.

• Level 3—Prices determined using significant unobservable inputs. In situations where significant observable inputs are unavailable (for example, when there is little or no market activity for an investment at the end of the period) unobservable inputs may be used. Unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s own judgments about the factors that market participants use in pricing an asset or liability, and are based on the best information available in the circumstances.

As a result of the difficulty in observing certain significant valuation inputs affecting “Level 3” fair value financial statement items, the Manager is required to make judgments regarding these items’ fair values. Different persons in possession of the same facts may reasonably arrive at different conclusions as to the inputs to be applied in valuing these financial statement items and their fair values. Likewise, due to the general illiquidity of some of these financial statement items, subsequent transactions may be at values significantly different from those reported.

Fair Value Accounting Elections

The Manager identified all of the Company’s non-cash financial assets and MSRs relating to loans with initial interest rates of more than 4.5%, to be accounted for at fair value. The Manager has elected to account for these financial statement items at fair value so such changes in fair value will be reflected in income as they occur and more timely reflect the results of the Company’s performance. Originated MSRs backed by mortgage loans with initial interest rates of less than or equal to 4.5% are accounted for using the amortization method.

The Manager has also identified the Company’s CRT financing and asset-backed financing of a VIE to be accounted for at fair value to reflect the generally offsetting changes in fair value of these borrowings to changes in fair value of mortgage loans at fair value collateralizing these financings.

For assets sold under agreements to repurchase and the Exchangeable Notes, the Manager has determined that historical cost accounting is more appropriate because under this method debt issuance costs are amortized over the term of the debt, thereby matching the debt issuance cost to the periods benefiting from the availability of the debt.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810): Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis (“ASU 2015-02”). ASU 2015-02 affects reporting entities that are required to evaluate whether they should consolidate certain legal entities. ASU 2015-02 modifies the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are VIEs or voting interest entities, eliminates the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership and affects the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with VIEs, particularly those that have fee arrangements and related party relationships. ASU 2015-02 is effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. The Company adopted ASU 2015-02 effective January 1, 2016. The adoption of ASU 2015-02 had no effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

On January 5, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments–Overall: Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (“ASU 2016-01”). ASU 2016-01 affects the accounting for equity investments, financial liabilities under the fair value option, the presentation and disclosure requirements for financial instruments, and the valuation allowance assessment when recognizing deferred tax assets resulting from unrealized losses on available-for-sale debt securities.

ASU 2016-01 requires that:

• All equity investments in unconsolidated entities (other than those accounted for using the equity method of accounting) with readily determinable fair values will generally be measured at fair value through earnings.

• When the fair value option has been elected for financial liabilities, changes in fair value due to instrument-specific credit risk will be recognized separately in other comprehensive income. The accumulated gains and losses due to these changes will be reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to earnings if the financial liability is settled before maturity.

• For financial instruments measured at amortized cost, public business entities will be required to use the exit price when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes.

• Financial assets and financial liabilities shall be presented separately in the notes to the financial statements, grouped by measurement category (e.g., fair value, amortized cost, lower of cost or fair value) and form of financial asset (e.g., loans, securities).

• Public business entities will no longer be required to disclose the methods and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value of financial instruments carried at amortized cost.

• Entities will have to assess the realizability of a deferred tax asset related to a debt security classified as available for sale in combination with the entity’s other deferred tax assets.

The classification and measurement guidance will be effective for public business entities in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption of the provision to record fair value changes for financial liabilities under the fair value option resulting from instrument-specific credit risk in other comprehensive income is permitted and can be elected for all financial statements of fiscal years and interim periods that have not yet been issued or that have not yet been made available for issuance. The Company is currently assessing the potential effect that the adoption of ASU 2016-01 will have on its consolidated financial statements.

In March of 2016, The FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2016-09”). ASU 2016-09 simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment award transactions, including:

• Modifies the accounting for income taxes relating to share-based payments. All excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies (including tax benefits of dividends on share-based payment awards) will be recognized as income tax expense or benefit in the consolidated income statement. The tax effects of exercised or vested awards will be treated as discrete items in the reporting period in which they occur. An entity will recognize excess tax benefits regardless of whether the benefit reduces taxes payable in the current period. Under current GAAP, excess tax benefits are recognized in additional paid-in capital; tax deficiencies are recognized either as an offset to accumulated excess tax benefits, if any, or in the consolidated income statement in the period they reduce income taxes payable.

• Changes the classification of excess tax benefits on the consolidated statement of cash flows. In the consolidated statement of cash flows, excess tax benefits will be classified along with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity. Under current GAAP, excess tax benefits are separated from other income tax cash flows and classified as a financing activity.

• Changes the requirement to estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest. Under ASC 2016-09, an entity can make an entity-wide accounting policy election to either estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest as presently required or account for forfeitures when they occur. Under current GAAP, accruals of compensation cost are based on the number of awards that are expected to vest.

• Changes the tax withholding requirements for share-based payment awards to qualify for equity accounting. The threshold to qualify for equity classification permits withholding up to the maximum statutory tax rates in the applicable jurisdictions. Under current GAAP, for an award to qualify for equity classification is that an entity cannot partially settle the award in cash in excess of the employer’s minimum statutory withholding requirements.

• Establishes GAAP for the classification of employee taxes paid when an employer withholds shares for tax withholding purposes. Cash paid by an employer when directly withholding shares for tax- withholding purposes should be classified as a financing activity. This guidance establishes GAAP related to the classification of withholding taxes in the statement of cash flows as there is no such guidance under current GAAP.

ASU 2016-09 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted for any organization in any interim or annual period. The Company is currently assessing the potential effect that the adoption of ASU 2016-09 will have on its consolidated financial statements.