Income Taxes

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Income Taxes [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Note 15 — Income Taxes

The Company elected to be taxed as a REIT under Code Sections 856 through 860 beginning with its short taxable year ended December 31, 2013. As a REIT, the Company generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax to the extent that it distributes its taxable income to its stockholders. To maintain qualification as a REIT, the Company must distribute at least 90% of its annual REIT taxable income to its stockholders and meet certain other requirements such as assets it may hold, income it may generate and its stockholder composition. It is the Company’s policy to distribute all or substantially all of its REIT taxable income. To the extent there is any undistributed REIT taxable income at the end of a year, the Company can elect to distribute such shortfall within the next year as permitted by the Code.

Effective January 1, 2014, CHMI Solutions elected to be taxed as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes; prior to this date, CHMI Solutions was a disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. CHMI Solutions has jointly elected with the Company, the ultimate beneficial owner of CHMI Sub-REIT, to be treated as a TRS of the Company, and all activities conducted through CHMI Solutions and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Aurora, are subject to federal and state income taxes. CHMI Solutions files a consolidated tax return with Aurora and is fully taxed as a U.S. C-Corporation.

The state and local tax jurisdictions for which the Company is subject to tax filing obligations recognize the Company’s status as a REIT, and therefore, the Company generally does not pay income tax in such jurisdictions. CHMI Solutions and Aurora are subject to U.S. federal, state and local income taxes. All of the Company’s pre-tax book income is from U.S. domestic sources.

The components of the Company’s income tax expense (benefit) are as follows for the periods indicated below (dollars in thousands):

	Year Ended December 31,
	2023		2022		2021
Current federal income tax benefit	$	-	$	-	$	(127	)
Deferred federal income tax expense		280		4,116		1,180
Deferred state income tax expense		243		954		(272	)
Provision for Corporate Business Taxes	$	523	$	5,070	$	781

The following is a reconciliation of the statutory federal rate to the effective rate, for the periods indicated below (dollars in thousands):

	Year Ended December 31,
	2023					2022					2021
Computed income tax expense (benefit) at federal rate	$	(7,336	)	21.0	%	$	5,724		21.0	%	$	2,795		21.0	%
State tax expense, net of federal tax, if applicable		30		(0.1	)%		494		1.8	%		120		0.9	%
Tax provision due to state tax rate change		206		(0.6	)%		329		1.2	%		(413	)	(3.1	)%
Permanent differences in taxable income from GAAP pre-tax income		-		-	%		-		-	%		185		1.4	%
Provision to return adjustment		(7	)	-	%		(7	)	-	%		(6	)	-	%
REIT income not subject to tax expense (benefit)		7,630		(21.8	)%		(1,470	)	(5.4	)%		(1,900	)	(14.3	)%
Provision for Corporate Business Taxes/Effective Tax Rate(A)	$	523		(1.5	)%	$	5,070		18.6	%	$	781		5.9	%

 (A) The provision for income taxes is recorded at the TRS level.

The Company’s consolidated balance sheets contain the following income taxes recoverable and deferred tax assets, which are recorded at the TRS level (dollars in thousands):

	Year Ended December 31,
	2023		2022		2021
Income taxes recoverable
Federal income taxes recoverable	$	-	$	128	$	128
Income taxes recoverable	$	-	$	128	$	128

Deferred tax assets
Deferred tax - mortgage servicing rights	$	(1,789	)	$	1,082	$	10,539
Deferred tax - net operating loss		16,811			13,844		10,075
Deferred tax - other		-			619		-
Total net deferred tax assets	$	15,022		$	15,545	$	20,614

In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, the Company considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences become deductible. The Company had net operating losses (“NOLs”) of $72.6 million as of December 31, 2023, which were created subsequent to 2017 and can be carried forward indefinitely. As of December 31, 2023, the Company believes it is more likely than not that it will fully realize its deferred tax assets. Deferred tax assets are included in “Receivables and other assets” in the consolidated balance sheets.

Based on the Company’s evaluation, the Company has concluded that there are no significant liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits required to be reported in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Additionally, there were no amounts accrued for penalties or interest as of or during the periods presented in these consolidated financial statements.

The Company’s 2022, 2021 and 2020 federal, state and local income tax returns remain open for examination by the relevant authorities.

Distributions to stockholders generally will be primarily taxable as ordinary income, although a portion of such distributions may be designated as qualified dividend income or may constitute a return of capital. The Company furnishes annually to each stockholder a statement setting forth distributions paid during the preceding year and their U.S. federal income tax treatment.

Common Stock distributions for the years indicated below were taxable as follows:

	Year Ended December 31,
	2023			2022			2021
Dividends per share	$	0.84	(A)	$	1.08	(B)	$	1.08	(C)
Ordinary income		95	%		60%	%		-
Long-term capital gain		-	%		-	%		-	%
Return of capital		5	%		40	%		100	%

(A) The entire $0.15 per share dividend declared in December 2023 and paid in January 2024 is treated as received by stockholders in 2024

(B) The entire $0.27 per share dividend declared in December 2022 and paid in January 2023 is treated as received by stockholders in 2023

(C) The entire $0.27 per share dividend declared in December 2021 and paid in January 2022 is treated as received by stockholders in 2022

Series A Preferred Stock distributions for the years indicated below were taxable as follows:

	Year Ended December 31,
	2023			2022			2021
Dividends per share	$	2.05	(A)	$	2.05	(B)	$	2.05	(C)
Ordinary income		100	%		100	%		10	%
Long-term capital gain		-	%		-	%		-	%
Return of capital		-	%		-	%		90	%

(A) The entire $0.51 per share dividend declared in December 2023 and paid in January 2024 is treated as received by stockholders in 2024

(B) The entire $0.51 per share dividend declared in December 2022 and paid in January 2023 is treated as received by stockholders in 2023

(C) The entire $0.51 per share dividend declared in December 2021 and paid in January 2022 is treated as received by stockholders in 2022

Series B Preferred Stock distributions for the years indicated below were taxable as follows:

	Year Ended December 31,
	2023			2022			2021
Dividends per share	$	2.06	(A)	$	2.06	(B)	$	2.06	(C)
Ordinary income		100	%		100	%		10	%
Long-term capital gain		-	%		-	%		-	%
Return of capital		-	%		-	%		90	%

(A) The entire $0.52 per share dividend declared in December 2023 and paid in January 2024 is treated as received by stockholders in 2024

(B) The entire $0.52 per share dividend declared in December 2022 and paid in January 2023 is treated as received by stockholders in 2023

(C) The entire $0.52 per share dividend declared in December 2021 and paid in January 2022 is treated as received by stockholders in 2022