FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
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CONTACTS:
Martin S. Hughes
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Redwood
Trust, Inc.
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President
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Wednesday,
April, 28 2010
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(415)
389-7373
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Mike
McMahon
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Managing
Director
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(415)
384-3805
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REDWOOD
TRUST ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF PRIME RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE
SECURITIZATION
MILL VALLEY,
CA – Wednesday, April 28, 2010 – Redwood Trust, Inc.
(NYSE:RWT) today announced the closing of a $238 million prime jumbo residential
mortgage loan securitization sponsored by its wholly-owned subsidiary, RWT
Holdings, Inc. The mortgage loans underlying the securitization were
originated during 2009 by CitiMortgage, Inc. The securities that
were publically offered in the securitization were sold to institutional
investors by the underwriters of the offering, who were Citigroup Global Markets
Inc. and JPMorgan Securities Inc., with Citigroup Global Markets acting as
the lead managing underwriter. The most senior securities issued in the
securitization, representing 93.5% of the principal amount of the
securitization, were rated “Aaa” by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
“This
transaction has broken the ice in the private mortgage securitization market,
which has been essentially frozen since 2008,” said Brett Nicholas, Chief
Investment Officer and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Redwood
Trust. “While we take some satisfaction from completing this
transaction and re-engaging Redwood in a key aspect of its core business of
structuring and investing in residential credit risk, there is still more to do
to fully reopen this market. Reopening this market is an important step in
restoring a reliable flow of capital from the private sector to the jumbo
mortgage market, directly benefiting homeowners and home buyers.”
“This
securitization would not have been possible without the extensive collaboration
of the numerous parties that were involved, not only in this transaction, but
also in the broader effort to restore a functioning private securitization
market for prime mortgage loans,” said George E. Bull, III, Chairman
and CEO of Redwood Trust. “CitiMortgage shared our goal of revitalizing this
market, and their commitment and efforts along with those of Citigroup Global
Markets, JPMorgan Securities, and Moody’s, were all critically important to
successfully completing this transaction.”
Mr. Bull
continued, “Redwood appreciates the support provided by the triple-A investor
community and the efforts of the American Securitization Forum and its members,
including through the ASF’s ‘Project Restart,’ all of which were important to
the return of this securitization market. Redwood would like to acknowledge the
input and contributions to this process made by legislators, regulators, and
other policymakers. We look forward to continuing to work with all of these
stakeholders as this market continues to re-emerge. Finally, I thank
Redwood’s employees, who have worked diligently for almost a year on this
transaction, and our shareholders for their patience over the last several
quarters as we prepared to re-enter this market.”
“The
execution on this securitization exceeded our expectations, which is significant
given that the market has been closed for nearly two years,” said Martin S.
Hughes, President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Redwood Trust.
“Private-sector securitizations of prime mortgages can supply credit to
thousands of borrowers, help stabilize housing values, and ultimately enable the
government to step back from its current role of supporting more than 90% of new
mortgage originations.”
About
Redwood Trust, Inc. and RWT Holdings, Inc.
Redwood
Trust, Inc. (NYSE:RWT) is a publicly traded company structured as a real estate
investment trust. RWT Holdings, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Redwood Trust, Inc., is the sponsor of the securitization described above and
has been a sponsor of securitization transactions since 2002.
Other
Information
The
offering is being conducted as a public offering registered under the Securities
Act of 1933 and the regulations promulgated thereunder by the Securities and
Exchange Commission, or SEC. Further information regarding the
offering is contained in the prospectus referred to below.
The
offering is being made by means of a prospectus. This announcement does not
constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities,
nor shall there be any sale of these securities, in any state or jurisdiction in
which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to
registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or
jurisdiction.
SEQUOIA
RESIDENTIAL FUNDING, INC., THE DEPOSITOR WITH RESPECT TO SEQUOIA MORTGAGE TRUST
2010-H1, HAS FILED A REGISTRATION STATEMENT (INCLUDING A BASE PROSPECTUS) WITH
THE SEC FOR THE OFFERING TO WHICH THIS COMMUNICATION RELATES. BEFORE YOU INVEST,
YOU SHOULD READ THE BASE PROSPECTUS IN THAT REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND OTHER
DOCUMENTS THE DEPOSITOR HAS FILED WITH THE SEC FOR MORE COMPLETE INFORMATION
ABOUT THE DEPOSITOR AND THE OFFERING. YOU MAY GET THESE DOCUMENTS AT NO CHARGE
BY VISITING EDGAR ON THE SEC WEB SITE AT WWW.SEC.GOV. ALTERNATIVELY, THE
DEPOSITOR, ANY UNDERWRITER OR ANY DEALER PARTICIPATING IN THE OFFERING WILL
ARRANGE TO SEND YOU THE BASE PROSPECTUS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS THE DEPOSITOR HAS
FILED WITH THE SEC AT NO CHARGE IF YOU REQUEST THEM BY CALLING THE INVESTOR
RELATIONS DEPARTMENT AT 1(877) 858-5407.
The
registration statement to which the offering relates is Commission File Numbers
333-159791 and 333-159791-01.
CAUTIONARY
STATEMENT: This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995, including statements related to the future of the private
mortgage securitization market and the future role of Redwood Trust and its
subsidiaries in that market. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks
and uncertainties. Actual events may differ from current expectations
and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as
predictions of future events. These forward-looking statements are
subject to risks and uncertainties, including, among other things, those
described in Redwood Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2009, under the caption "Risk Factors." Other risks, uncertainties,
and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
projected are described below and may be described from time to time in reports
Redwood Trust files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including
reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. We undertake no obligation to update or revise
any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events, or otherwise.