MORTGAGE LOANS

Mortgage Loans Held for Sale

Mortgage loans held for sale consist primarily of single-family residential loans collateralized by the underlying property. At September 30, 2016, mortgage loans held for sale had an aggregate fair value of $654.0 million and an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $624.9 million. At September 30, 2015, mortgage loans held for sale had an aggregate fair value of $631.0 million and an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $608.9 million. During the years ended September 30, 2016, 2015 and 2014, mortgage loans originated totaled $5.9 billion, $5.1 billion and $3.7 billion, respectively, and mortgage loans sold totaled $5.9 billion, $5.0 billion and $3.6 billion, respectively. The Company had gains on sales of loans and servicing rights of $207.5 million, $182.8 million and $101.8 million during the years ended September 30, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Net gains on sales of loans and servicing rights are included in financial services revenues in the consolidated statements of operations. Approximately 92% of the mortgage loans sold by DHI Mortgage during fiscal 2016 were sold to four financial entities, one of which purchased 27% of the total loans sold.

To manage the interest rate risk inherent in its mortgage operations, the Company hedges its risk using derivative instruments, generally forward sales of mortgage-backed securities (MBS), which are referred to as “hedging instruments” in the following discussion. The Company does not enter into or hold derivatives for trading or speculative purposes.

Newly originated loans that have been closed but not committed to third-party purchasers are hedged to mitigate the risk of changes in their fair value. Hedged loans are committed to third-party purchasers typically within three days after origination. The notional amounts of the hedging instruments used to hedge mortgage loans held for sale vary in relationship to the underlying loan amounts, depending on the movements in the value of each hedging instrument relative to the value of the underlying mortgage loans. The fair value change related to the hedging instruments generally offsets the fair value change in the mortgage loans held for sale. The net fair value change, which for the years ended September 30, 2016, 2015 and 2014 was not significant, is recognized in financial services revenues in the consolidated statements of operations. At September 30, 2016 and 2015, the Company’s mortgage loans held for sale that were not committed to third-party purchasers totaled $284.5 million and $385.3 million, respectively, and the notional amounts of the hedging instruments related to those loans totaled $284.5 million and $383.8 million, respectively.

Other Mortgage Loans and Loss Reserves

Mortgage loans are sold with limited recourse provisions derived from industry-standard representations and warranties in the relevant agreements. These representations and warranties primarily involve the absence of misrepresentations by the borrower or other parties, the appropriate underwriting of the loan and in some cases, a required minimum number of payments to be made by the borrower. The Company generally does not retain any other continuing interest related to mortgage loans sold in the secondary market. The majority of other mortgage loans consists of loans repurchased due to these limited recourse obligations. Typically, these loans are impaired and some become real estate owned through the foreclosure process. At September 30, 2016 and 2015, the Company’s total other mortgage loans and real estate owned, before loss reserves, were as follows:



	September 30,
	2016		2015
	(In millions)
Other mortgage loans	$	15.6	$	49.0
Real estate owned	0.8		0.6
	$	16.4	$	49.6

The Company has recorded reserves for estimated losses on other mortgage loans, real estate owned and future loan repurchase obligations due to the limited recourse provisions, all of which are recorded as reductions of financial services revenue. The loss reserve for loan repurchase and settlement obligations is estimated based on analysis of the volume of mortgages originated, loan repurchase requests received, actual repurchases and losses through the disposition of such loans or requests and discussions with mortgage purchasers. The reserve balances at September 30, 2016 and 2015 were as follows:



	September 30,
	2016		2015
	(In millions)
Loss reserves related to:
Other mortgage loans	$	1.8	$	1.5
Real estate owned	0.1		0.1
Loan repurchase and settlement obligations - known and expected	6.8		9.8
	$	8.7	$	11.4

Other mortgage loans and real estate owned net of the related loss reserves are included in other assets, while loan repurchase obligations are included in accounts payable and other liabilities, both of which are in the financial services and other section of the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

Loan Commitments and Related Derivatives

The Company is party to interest rate lock commitments (IRLCs), which are extended to borrowers who have applied for loan funding and meet defined credit and underwriting criteria. At September 30, 2016 and 2015, the notional amount of IRLCs, which are accounted for as derivative instruments recorded at fair value, totaled $467.6 million and $370.9 million, respectively.

The Company manages interest rate risk related to its IRLCs through the use of best-efforts whole loan delivery commitments and hedging instruments. These instruments are considered derivatives in an economic hedge and are accounted for at fair value with gains and losses recognized in financial services revenues in the consolidated statements of operations. At September 30, 2016 and 2015, the notional amount of best-efforts whole loan delivery commitments totaled $37.2 million and $37.7 million, respectively, and the notional amount of hedging instruments related to IRLCs not yet committed to purchasers totaled $385.5 million and $297.2 million, respectively.