NorthStar business model re-evaluation

Any lending operation currently are re-evaluating their going concern and the future of their business model. Any financing operation without a stable deposit base is at risk and have a bleak future. That's why the investment bank have disappeared from wall Street. But this change will affect many other operations depending on leverage,like leasing companies, mezzanie funds, commercial real estate reits..etc. One of my holdings NorthStar realty is one of those affected as it is a commercial financing company.

The entire sector of REITs specializing in financing commercial-property transactions are facing headwinds. Companies like NRF, Gramercy, CBRE Realty Finance Inc. and Arbor Realty Trust Inc., have seen their access to capital severely reduced by the credit crunch. They are also suffering from a dearth of property transactions and rising defaults.

The business model of traditional commercial-mortgage REITs -- which act like leveraged bond funds, making money only if the yields on their investments exceed the cost of their borrowings -- has been rendered obsolete by the credit crisis. Early this year, Gramercy bought a REIT that owns real estate to help diversify its business.

from the Wall Street Journal:

The reason: These companies have depended heavily on the ability to sell securities stuffed with the loans they originated, called collateralized debt obligations, or CDOs, in order to lock in financing for a longer period of time to match their mortgage portfolios with long-term maturities.

Today, with the CDO market all but shuttered, there is a lack of long-term debt financing that they can rely on to fund the acquisitions of assets.

"While I expect further loan impairments, the real focus will be on liquidity and any potential violation of their credit facility and bond covenants,"

NorthStar already has diversified away from the mortgage reit model into operating commercial real estate business before the credit crises. NRF has diversified into Net-lease operations through two joint ventures, Wakefield Capital, LLC, owning medical facilities and another venture, LandCap partners, with Goldman Sachs to buy distressed land rom home builders.

They have just reported their earnings and I have to say the report looked really good. Here are some highlights:

• continue to buy back their own CDOs at 50% discount; mark-to-market works on both sides of the balance sheet.
• The have no non performing loans (NPL).
  
• Book value increased to $15 per share from $12 in Q2 2008
• Management owns better than 10% of the company
  and is managing for the long term.
• very good liquidity and cash position.
• reaffirmed their dividends.
  

Despite an excellent report this quarter, management did indicate some
potential problems:

• There are very uncertain loans on their watch list which very easily can become NPL; of especial significance is the WaMu tenant lease which brings over $5 million in revenue per year. JPM after taking over WaMu from the FDC has 90 days from acquisition to decide what to do with the leases.
  
• NRF is accumulating cash and not doing much loan origination, which will impact future earning
• also management said their earnings will be less if LIBOR continues to decrease which is what they expect, again hindering their net income and dividend.
  

I think at this point I will keep my investment in this business as the fundamentals and the reasoning that I bought NRF are still valid. NRF has a favorable chances of surviving this episode of the crises and emerging as a commercial real estate company. Yes the price have dropped significantly, and chances are it may drop further, from my cost basis but I think I will hold this one.