Accredited Home Lenders to Sell $2.7 Billion of Loans (Update1)
By Kevin Foley
March 16 (Bloomberg) --
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aLfC9tg0qyrY&refer=home
Accredited Home Lenders Holding Co., a U.S. lender to people with poor credit, agreed to sell $2.7 billion of loans to help repay creditors after mortgage delinquencies surged.
The loans will be sold at a ``substantial discount'' to alleviate pressure from margin calls, the San Diego, California- based lender said in a statement distributed by Business Wire today. Accredited didn't say who was buying the loans.
The company is exploring strategic options, including raising additional capital, it said. The discounted loan sale will result in a pretax charge of $150 million and Accredited will not file its annual report by today, the company said.
U.S. subprime borrowers fell behind on their mortgages at the highest rate in four years during the fourth quarter, the Mortgage Bankers Association said this week, and foreclosures on all types of home loans rose to a record. Yesterday, U.S.-based Bear Stearns Cos., the biggest underwriter of mortgage-backed bonds, said it's shopping for distressed debt, including subprime home loans that have soured.
Accredited has determined that changes are required to the amount of goodwill established in its acquisition of Aames Investment Corp. last year, Accredited said.