GHIV Gores Holdings IV Inc

RISK FACTORS

You should carefully review and consider the following risk factors and the other information contained in this prospectus, including the financial statements and notes to the financial statements included herein. The following risk factors apply to our business and operations. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in these risk factors, alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may adversely affect the ability to complete or realize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, and may have an adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations. You should also carefully consider the following risk factors in addition to the other information included in this prospectus, including matters addressed in the section entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” We may face additional risks and uncertainties that are not presently known to us, or that we currently deem immaterial, which may also impair our business or financial condition. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes to the financial statements included herein.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our wholesale loan origination and servicing revenues are highly dependent on macroeconomic and U.S. residential real estate market conditions.

Our success depends largely on the health of the U.S. residential real estate industry, which is seasonal, cyclical, and affected by changes in general economic conditions beyond our control. Economic factors such as increased interest rates, slow economic growth or recessionary conditions, the pace of home price appreciation or the lack of it, changes in household debt levels, and increased unemployment or stagnant or declining wages affect our borrowers’ income and thus their ability and willingness to make loan payments. National or global events affect all such macroeconomic conditions. Weak or a significant deterioration in economic conditions reduce the amount of disposable income consumers have, which in turn reduces consumer spending and the willingness of qualified potential borrowers to take out loans. Furthermore, several state and local governments in the United States are experiencing, and may continue to experience, budgetary strain. One or more states or significant local governments could default on their debt or seek relief from their debt under the U.S. bankruptcy code or by agreement with their creditors. Any or all of the circumstances described above may lead to further volatility in or disruption of the credit markets at any time and could adversely affect our financial condition. Such economic factors typically affect buyers’ demand for new homes or their willingness or ability to refinance their current mortgages which could adversely affect the wholesale loan origination market and our financial results of operations.

Any uncertainty or deterioration in market conditions that leads to a decrease in loan originations will likely result in lower revenue on loans sold into the secondary market. Lower loan origination volumes generally place downward pressure on margins, thus compounding the effect of the deteriorating market conditions. Moreover, any deterioration in market conditions that leads to an increase in loan delinquencies will result in higher expenses for loans we service for the GSEs and Ginnie Mae. The increased cost to service loans could decrease the estimated value of our MSRs, resulting in recognition of losses when it writes down those values. In addition, an increase in delinquencies lowers the interest income we receive on cash held in collection and other accounts and may increase our obligation to advance certain principal, interest, tax and insurance obligations owed by the delinquent mortgage loan borrower. While increased delinquencies generate higher ancillary revenues, including late fees, these fees are likely not sufficient to offset the increased cost of servicing the loans. An increase in delinquencies could therefore be detrimental to our business.

Any of the circumstances described above, alone or in combination, could lead to volatility in or disruption of the credit markets at any time and have a detrimental effect on our business. For additional information on macroeconomic and U.S. residential real estate market conditions, please consider the matters addressed in the section below entitled “—The COVID-19 pandemic and the actions taken by local, state and federal governments have and are expected to continue to adversely affect the national economy and the macroeconomic environment which could adversely affect our current operations and our ability to continue to grow.”

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Our business is significantly impacted by interest rates. Changes in prevailing interest rates or U.S. monetary policies that affect interest rates may have a detrimental effect on our business.

Our financial performance is directly affected by, and subject to substantial volatility from changes in prevailing interest rates. Due to the unprecedented events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic along with the associated severe market dislocation, there are additional factors that contribute to uncertainty and unpredictability concerning current interest rates, future interest rates and potential negative interest rates.

With regard to the portion of our business that is centered on refinancing existing mortgages, generally, the refinance market experiences more significant fluctuations than the purchase market as a result of interest rate changes. Long-term residential mortgage interest rates are currently at or near record lows, but they may increase in the future. As interest rates rise, refinancing generally becomes a smaller portion of the market as fewer consumers are interested in refinancing their mortgages. With regard to our purchase mortgage loan business, higher interest rates may also reduce demand for purchase mortgages as home ownership becomes more expensive. This could adversely affect our revenues or require it to increase marketing expenditures in an attempt to increase or maintain our volume of mortgages. Decreases in interest rates can also adversely affect our financial condition, the value of our MSR portfolio, and our results of operations. With sustained low interest rates, such as those we have been experiencing, refinancing transactions may decline over time, as many consumers have already taken advantage of the low interest rates.

Changes in interest rates are also a key driver of the performance of our servicing business, particularly because our portfolio includes MSRs, the values of which are highly sensitive to changes in interest rates. Historically, the value of MSRs has increased when interest rates rise as higher interest rates lead to decreased prepayment rates, and has decreased when interest rates decline as lower interest rates lead to increased prepayment rates. In addition, increased prepayment rates may lead to increased amortization expense and a decrease in servicing fees. As a result, decreases in interest rates could have a detrimental effect on our business.

Borrowings under some of our finance and warehouse facilities are at variable rates of interest based on short term rate indexes, whereas our mortgage loans that serve as collateral for such facilities are generally based on long-term interest rates, which also exposes us to interest rate risk. If short term interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on certain of our variable-rate indebtedness will increase and if long-term rates do not increase in kind (i.e., the yield curve flattens or inverts) our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, could correspondingly decrease.

Our business is highly dependent on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and certain U.S. government agencies, and any changes in these entities or their current roles could be detrimental to our business.

We originate loans eligible for sale to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and government insured or guaranteed loans, such as the FHA, the Veteran Affairs (“VA”) and the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) loans eligible for Ginnie Mae securities issuance.

In 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship and, as their conservator, controls and directs their operations. There is significant uncertainty regarding the future of the GSEs, including with respect to how long they will continue to be in existence, the extent of their roles in the market and what forms they will have, and whether they will be government agencies, government-sponsored agencies or private for-profit entities. Since they have been placed into conservatorship, many legislative and administrative plans for GSE reform have been put forth, but all have been met with resistance from various constituencies.

With the change in administrations from the Trump administration, which made a number of recommendations concerning reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the incoming Biden administration, as well as the shift in control of the United States Senate, future government policy toward the GSEs continues to be uncertain.

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The extent and timing of any regulatory reform regarding the GSEs and the U.S. housing finance market, as well as any effect they may have on our business operations and financial results, are uncertain. It is not yet possible to determine whether such proposals will be enacted and, if so, when they will be enacted, what form any final legislation or policies might take or how proposals, legislation or policies may impact the MBS market and our business. Our inability to make the necessary adjustments to respond to these changing market conditions or loss of our approved seller/servicer status with the GSEs could have a material adverse effect on our mortgage origination operations and our mortgage servicing operations. If those agencies cease to exist, wind down, or otherwise significantly change their business operations or if we lose approvals with those agencies or our relationships with those agencies is otherwise adversely affected, we would need to seek alternative secondary market participants to acquire our mortgage loans at a volume sufficient to sustain our business. If such participants are not available or available on reasonably comparable economic terms, the above changes could have a material effect on our ability to profitably sell loans we originate that are securitized through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae.

Changes in the GSEs, FHA, VA, and USDA guidelines or GSE and Ginnie Mae guarantees could adversely affect our business.

We are required to follow specific guidelines and eligibility standards that impact the way we service and originate GSE and U.S. government agency loans, including guidelines and standards with respect to:

These guidelines provide the GSEs and other government agencies with the ability to provide monetary incentives for loan servicers that perform well and to assess penalties for those that do not. At the direction of the FHFA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have aligned their guidelines for servicing delinquent mortgages, which could result in monetary incentives for servicers that perform well and to assess compensatory penalties against servicers in connection with the failure to meet specified timelines relating to delinquent loans and foreclosure proceedings, and other breaches of servicing obligations. We generally cannot negotiate these terms with the agencies and they are subject to change at any time without our specific consent. A significant change in these guidelines, that decreases the fees we charge or requires us to expend additional resources to provide mortgage services, could decrease our revenues or increase our costs.

In addition, changes in the nature or extent of the guarantees provided by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae, the USDA or the VA, or the insurance provided by the FHA, or coverage provided by private mortgage insurers, could also have broad adverse market implications. Any future increases in guarantee fees or changes to their structure or increases in the premiums we are required to pay to the FHA or private mortgage insurers for insurance or to the VA or the USDA for guarantees could increase mortgage origination costs and insurance premiums for our borrowers. These industry changes could negatively affect demand for our mortgage services and consequently our origination volume, which could be detrimental to our business.

To the extent that mortgage loans originated and sold by us do not comply with GSE, FHA or VA guidelines, we are required to repurchase or substitute mortgage loans or indemnify for losses related to our mortgage loans.

Substantially all of our mortgage loans are conforming loans sold to GSEs such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac or insured by FHA or VA and sold into GNMA securities. In connection with such sales and insuring, we

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make representations and warranties to the GSE, FHA or VA that the mortgage loans conform to their respective standards. If a mortgage loan does not comply with the representations and warranties that we made with respect to it at the time of our sale or insuring, we are required to repurchase the loan, replace it with a substitute loan and/or indemnify the applicable agency for losses. In the case of repurchases, we typically repurchase such loan and resell it into a non-conforming market at a discount to the repurchase price. As of September 30, 2020, we had accrued $63.1 million in expenses in connection with our reserve for repurchase and indemnification obligations. Actual repurchase and indemnification obligations could materially exceed the reserves we have recorded in our consolidated financial statements. Any significant repurchases, substitutions, indemnifications or premium recapture could be detrimental to our business.

All of our mortgage loans are originated by third parties, which exposes us to business, competitive and underwriting risks.

As a Wholesale Mortgage Lender, we market and originate mortgage loans exclusively through independent third-parties, comprised of Independent Mortgage Advisors. While we believe using Independent Mortgage Advisors best serves mortgage consumers, our reliance on third parties presents risks and challenges, including the following:

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The conduct of the Independent Mortgage Advisors through whom we originate mortgage loans could subject us to fines or other penalties.

We depend exclusively on Independent Mortgage Advisors for our loan originations. These clients are subject to parallel and separate legal obligations. While these laws may not explicitly hold the originating lenders responsible for the legal violations of such entities, U.S. federal and state agencies increasingly have sought to impose such liability. For example, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), through its use of a disparate impact theory under the Fair Housing Act, is actively holding home loan lenders responsible for the pricing practices of third parties, alleging that the lender is directly responsible for the total fees and charges paid by the borrower even if the lender neither dictated what the third party could charge nor kept the money for its own account. See “—Regulatory agencies and consumer advocacy groups are becoming more aggressive in asserting claims that the practices of lenders and loan servicers result in a disparate impact on protected classes.” In addition, under the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (“TRID”) rule, we may be held responsible for improper disclosures made to borrowers by our clients. While we seek to use technology, such as our loan origination systems (“LOSs”), to monitor whether these clients and their loan officers are complying with their obligations, our ability to enforce such compliance is extremely limited. Consequently, we may be subject to claims for fines or other penalties based upon the conduct of our clients and their loan officers with whom we do business, which could have a material effect on our operating results and financial condition.

We may not be able to continue to grow our mortgage loan origination volume or effectively manage significant increases in that volume, both of which could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We originate mortgage loans exclusively through Independent Mortgage Advisors in the wholesale channel. Our loan origination volume is highly dependent on (1) macroeconomic factors, including interest rates, and U.S. residential real estate market conditions, (2) the efforts of third party Independent Mortgage Advisors and loan officers and (3) the market share controlled by the wholesale channel. Any of these factors could negatively affect our mortgage loan origination volume and in turn, adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our ability to continue to grow our mortgage loan origination volume will be greatly influenced by residential real estate market conditions, including seasonality, cyclicality and general economic conditions outside of our control. Furthermore, we market and originate mortgage loans exclusively through Independent Mortgage Advisors who are not contractually obligated to sell or promote our products and who may also sell or promote competitors’ loan products. Our competitors actively compete for the same Independent Mortgage Advisors, and we may not be successful in maintaining our existing relationships or expanding our network of Independent Mortgage Advisors.

Our ability to continue to grow our origination volume will also be significantly impacted by interest rates. For example, higher interest rates may reduce demand for purchase mortgages as home ownership becomes more expensive and reduce demand for refinancing as fewer consumers are interested in refinancing their mortgages. Sustained low interest rates, such as those we have been experiencing, could also decrease demand for refinancing transactions over time.

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Historically, more competitors have focused on “direct-to-the-customer” distribution models, and continued advancements or the perception of efficiency in these models may impact the overall market share controlled by our Independent Mortgage Advisor clients in the wholesale channel and make it more difficult for us to grow our loan origination volume, or require us to establish relationships with, more clients.

On the other hand, we may experience significant growth in our mortgage loan volume. If we do not effectively manage our growth, it could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the actions taken by local, state and federal governments have and are expected to continue to adversely affect the national economy and the macroeconomic environment which could adversely affect our current operations and our ability to continue to grow.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and continues to have, a significant impact on the national economy and the communities in which we operate. While the pandemic’s effect on the macroeconomic environment has yet to be fully determined and could continue for months or years, we expect that the pandemic and governmental programs created as a response to the pandemic, will affect the core aspects of our business and the business of our clients, including the origination of mortgages, our servicing operations, our liquidity and our team members. Such effects, if they continue for a prolonged period, may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operation. These effects may be exacerbated should there be a second wave of infections or if the pandemic otherwise intensifies.

We expect that the COVID-19 pandemic may impact our origination of mortgages. In response to the pandemic, many state and local governments have issued shelter-in-place and other protective orders and have enacted measures requiring closure of businesses and other economically restrictive efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The scope of the orders varies by locality, and the duration of these orders is currently unknown. While the origination of a mortgage is permitted under most shelter-in-place orders as an essential service, the restrictions have affected our business operations and those of our clients that depend on third parties such as appraisers, closing agents and others for loan related verifications. Additionally, the home sales process has been affected, and future growth is uncertain. Furthermore, unemployment levels have increased significantly and may remain at elevated levels or continue to rise. If the COVID-19 pandemic leads to a prolonged economic downturn with sustained high unemployment rates, we anticipate that real estate transactions will decrease. Furthermore, there may be a significant increase in the rate and number of mortgage payment delinquencies, and house sales, home prices, and multifamily fundamentals may be adversely affected, leading to an overall significant decrease in our mortgage origination activities. The impact of any of the foregoing may materially decrease the number and volume of mortgages we originate and adversely affect our ability to continue to expand our operations.

Moreover, the FHFA establishes certain liquidity requirements for agency and Ginnie Mae loan servicers that are generally tied to the unpaid principal balance of loans serviced by such loan servicer for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae, FHA and VA. To the extent that the percentage of seriously delinquent loans (“SDQ”), i.e., loans that are 90 days or more delinquent, exceeds defined thresholds, the liquidity requirements for loan servicers could increase materially. Exceeding such SDQ thresholds would result in substantially higher liquidity requirements, as well as a reduction in the advance rates applicable to our MSR financing structure that are tied to such SDQ thresholds, all of which could materially impact our results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, our business could be disrupted if we are unable to operate due to changing governmental restrictions such as travel bans and quarantines placed on our team members, other measures that ensure the protection of our team members’ health, measures aimed at maintaining our information technology infrastructure given the switch to working remotely, or if an outbreak occurs in our headquarters that prevents us from operating.

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Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to significant volatility and negative pressure in financial markets. We fund substantially all of the mortgage loans it closes through borrowings under our warehouse facilities. Given the broad impact of COVID-19 on the financial markets, our future ability to borrow money to fund our current and future loan origination activities is unknown. Our mortgage origination liquidity could also be affected as our lenders reassess their exposure to the mortgage origination industry and either curtail access to uncommitted mortgage warehouse financing capacity or impose higher costs to access such capacity. In addition, we also periodically sell MSRs in the bulk MSR secondary market. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the major purchasers in the bulk MSR secondary market experienced liquidity constraints; consequently, the liquidity of the bulk MSR market has been, and may continue to be, adversely affected. This market disruption may adversely affect our ability to sell MSRs and the pricing that we are able to achieve, which in turn could adversely affect our liquidity and reduce our margins. If we are unable to access sources of capital or liquidity as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the financial markets, our ability to maintain or grow our business could be limited.

We may not be able to detect or prevent cyberattacks and other data and security breaches, which could adversely affect our business and subject us to liability to third parties.

We are dependent on information technology networks and systems, particularly for our loan origination systems and other technology-driven platforms, designed to provide best-in-class service and experience for clients and to ensure adherence to regulatory compliance, operational governance, training and security. In the ordinary course of our business, it receives, processes, retains and transmits proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data, including the public and non-public personal information of our team members, clients and loan applicants. Despite devoting significant time and resources to ensure the integrity of our information technology systems, we have not always been able to, and may not be able to in the future, anticipate or implement effective preventive measures against all security breaches or unauthorized access of our information technology systems or the information technology systems of third-party vendors that receive, process, retain and transmit electronic information on our behalf.

Cybersecurity risks for lenders have significantly increased in recent years, in part, because of the proliferation of new technologies, the use of the internet and telecommunications technologies to conduct financial transactions, and the increased sophistication and activities of computer hackers, organized crime, terrorists, and other external parties, including foreign state actors. We, our clients, borrowers and loan applicants, regulators and other third parties have been subject to, and are likely to continue to be the target of, cyberattacks and other security breaches. Security breaches, cyberattacks such as computer viruses, malicious or destructive code, phishing attacks, denial of service or information, acts of vandalism, natural disasters, fire, power loss, telecommunication failures, team member misconduct, human error and developments in computer intrusion capabilities could result in a compromise or breach of the technology that we or our third-party vendors use to collect, process, retain, transmit and protect the personal information and transaction data of our team members, clients, borrowers and loan applicants. Similar events outside of our control can also affect the demands us and our vendors may make to respond to any security breaches or similar disruptive events. We invest in industry-standard security technology designed to protect our data and business processes against risk of a data security breach and cyberattack. Our data security management program includes identity, trust, vulnerability and threat management business processes as well as the adoption of standard data protection policies. We measure our data security effectiveness through industry-accepted methods and remediates significant findings. The technology and other controls and processes designed to secure our team member, client, borrower and loan applicant information and to prevent, detect and remedy any unauthorized access to that information were designed to obtain reasonable, but not absolute, assurance that such information is secure and that any unauthorized access is identified and addressed appropriately. Such controls have not always detected, and may in the future fail to prevent or detect, unauthorized access to our team member, client, borrower and loan applicant information.

The techniques used to obtain unauthorized, improper or illegal access to our systems and those of our third-party vendors, our data, our team members’, clients’, borrowers’ and loan applicants’ data or to disable, degrade

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or sabotage service are constantly evolving, and have become increasingly complex and sophisticated. Furthermore, such techniques change frequently and are often not recognized or detected until after they have been launched. Therefore, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques and may not become aware of such a security breach in a timely manner, which could exacerbate any damage it experiences. Security attacks can originate from a wide variety of sources, including third parties such as computer hackers, persons involved with organized crime or associated with external service providers, or foreign state or foreign state-supported actors. Those parties may also attempt to fraudulently induce team members, clients, borrowers and loan applicants or other users of our systems to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our data or that of our team members, clients, borrowers and loan applicants. Our failure to detect or prevent a cyberattack or other data or security breach could adversely affect our business.

The occurrence of any of the foregoing events could subject us to increased costs, litigation, disputes, damages, and other liabilities. In addition, the foregoing events could result in violations of applicable privacy and other laws. If this information is inappropriately accessed and used by a third party or a team member for illegal purposes, such as identity theft, we may be responsible to the affected individuals for any losses they may have incurred as a result of such misappropriation. In such an instance, we may also be subject to regulatory action, investigation or liability to a governmental authority for fines or penalties associated with a lapse in the integrity and security of our team members’, clients’, borrowers’ and loan applicants’ information. We may be required to expend significant capital and other resources to protect against and remedy any potential or existing security breaches and their consequences. In addition, our remediation efforts may not be successful and it may not have adequate insurance to cover these losses. Furthermore, any publicized security problems affecting our businesses and/or those of such third parties may negatively impact the market perception of our products and discourage clients or borrowers from doing business with it.

Technology disruptions or failures, including a failure in our operational or security systems or infrastructure, or those of third parties with whom it does business, could disrupt our business, cause legal or reputational harm and adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.

We are dependent on the secure, efficient, and uninterrupted operation of our technology infrastructure, including computer systems, related software applications and data centers, as well as those of certain third parties and affiliates. Our websites and computer/telecommunication networks must accommodate a high volume of traffic and deliver frequently updated information, the accuracy and timeliness of which is critical to our business. Our technology must be able to facilitate a loan application experience that equals or exceeds the experience provided by our competitors. We have or may in the future experience service disruptions and failures caused by system or software failure, fire, power loss, telecommunications failures, team member misconduct, human error, computer hackers, computer viruses and disabling devices, malicious or destructive code, denial of service or information, as well as natural disasters, health pandemics and other similar events and our disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient for all situations. The implementation of technology changes and upgrades to maintain current and integrate new technology systems may also cause service interruptions. Any such disruption could interrupt or delay our ability to provide services to our clients and could also impair the ability of third parties to provide critical services to our business.

Additionally, the technology and other controls and processes we have created to help it identify misrepresented information in our loan origination operations were designed to obtain reasonable, not absolute, assurance that such information is identified and addressed appropriately. Accordingly, such controls may not have detected, and may fail in the future to detect, all misrepresented information in our loan origination operations. If our operations are disrupted or otherwise negatively affected by a technology disruption or failure, this could result in client dissatisfaction and damage to our reputation and brand, and have a material impact on our business.

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Loss of our key management could result in a material adverse effect on our business.

Our future success depends to a significant extent on the continued services of our senior management, including Mat Ishbia, our President and Chief Executive Officer. The experience of our senior management is a valuable asset to us and would be difficult to replace. The loss of the services of our President and Chief Executive Officer or other members of senior management could disrupt and have a detrimental effect on our business.

Our products rely on software and services from third-party vendors and if any of these services became unavailable or unreliable, it could adversely affect the quality and timeliness of our mortgage origination process.

In addition to our proprietary software, we license third-party software and depend on services from various third parties for use in our products. For example, we rely on third-party vendors for our online mortgage application services, to generate the documents required for closing the document, to generate flood certifications and to confirm employment. While there are other providers of these services in the market, any loss of the right to use any of the software or services could result in decreased functionality of our products until equivalent technology is either developed by us or, if available from another provider, is identified, obtained and integrated, which could adversely affect our reputation and our future financial results of operations.

Furthermore, we remain responsible for ensuring our loans are originated in compliance with applicable laws. Despite our efforts to monitor such compliance, any errors or failures of such third-party vendors or their software to perform in the manner intended could result in loan defects potentially requiring repurchase. In addition, any errors or defects in or failures of the other software or services we rely on, whether maintained by us or by third parties, could result in errors or defects in our products or cause our products to fail, which could adversely affect our business and be costly to correct. Many of our third-party vendors attempt to impose limitations on their liability for such errors, defects or failures, and if enforceable, we may have additional liability to our clients, borrowers or other third parties that could harm our reputation and increase our operating costs. Any failure to do so could adversely affect our ability to deliver effective products to our clients, borrowers and loan applicants and adversely affect our business.

If our clients are dissatisfied with our services or their compensation, we may lose a number of our clients which would have a negative impact on our business and financial results.

Our business and financial performance is dependent, in large part, on our ability to maintain relationships with a sufficient number of Independent Mortgage Advisors to originate mortgage loans. If we are unable to attract Independent Mortgage Advisors to join our network and to provide a level of service such that our clients remain with the network, our ability to originate loans will be significantly impaired. Our ability to attract Independent Mortgage Advisors is dependent on customer service, as well as the rates that our clients can offer borrowers for mortgage loans. In determining with whom to partner, Independent Mortgage Advisors are also focused on the technological services and platforms we can provide so that the Independent Mortgage Advisors can best attract and serve consumers. If our clients are dissatisfied with our services or platform or technological capabilities, or they cannot offer prospective borrowers competitive rates, we could lose a number of clients which would have a negative impact on our business, operating results and financial condition.

We rely on third party sub-servicers who service all the mortgage loans on which we hold MSRs, and our financial performance may be adversely affected by their inability to adequately perform their servicing functions.

We contract with third party sub-servicers for the servicing of the portion of the mortgage loans in our portfolio for which we retain MSRs. Although we use third-party servicers, we, as master servicer, retain primary responsibility to ensure these loans are serviced in accordance with the contractual and regulatory requirements.

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Therefore, the failure of our sub-servicers to adequately perform their servicing obligations may subject it to liability for their improper acts or omissions and adversely affect our financial performance. Specifically, we may be adversely affected:

Furthermore, we utilize two nationally-recognized sub-servicers to service all of our mortgage loans for which we have retained MSRs. This sub-servicer counterparty concentration subjects us to a potentially greater impact if any of the risks described above were to occur, and any delay in transferring servicing to a new sub-servicer could further adversely affect servicing performance and cause financial losses. Any of these risks could adversely affect our results of operations, including our loan servicing income and the cash flow generated by our MSR portfolio. Any of these risks may be further exacerbated to the extent we materially increase our MSR portfolio in the future.

We are required to make servicing advances that can be subject to delays in recovery or may not be recoverable in certain circumstances and could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, business and financial condition.

During any period in which one of our borrowers is not making payments on a loan we service, we are required under most of our servicing agreements to advance our own funds to meet some combination of contractual principal and interest remittance requirements, pay property taxes and insurance premiums, legal expenses and other protective advances. We also advance funds to maintain, repair and market real estate properties. In certain situations, our contractual obligations may require us to make certain advances for which we may not be reimbursed. In addition, in the event a loan serviced by us defaults or becomes delinquent, or the mortgagee is allowed to enter into a forbearance, the repayment of advances may be delayed, which may adversely affect our liquidity. Any significant increase in required servicing advances or delinquent loan repurchases, could have an adverse impact on our cash flows, even if they are reimbursable.

With delinquent VA guaranteed loans, the VA guarantee may not make us whole on losses or advances we may have made on the loan. In addition, for certain loans sold to Ginnie Mae, we, as the servicer, have the unilateral right to repurchase any individual loan in a Ginnie Mae securitization pool if that loan meets defined

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criteria, including being delinquent for longer than 90 days. Once we have the unilateral right to repurchase the delinquent loan, we have effectively regained control over the loan and we must recognize the loan on our balance sheet and recognize a corresponding financial liability. Any significant increase in seriously delinquent Ginnie Mae loans could have an adverse impact on our balance sheet, as well as our borrowing covenants that are based on balance sheet ratios.

As part of the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CARES Act allows borrowers to request a mortgage forbearance. Nevertheless, servicers of mortgage loans are often times contractually bound to advance monthly payments to investors, insurers and taxing authorities regardless of whether the borrower actually makes those payments. We expect, however, that such payments may continue to increase throughout the duration of the pandemic. While Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac recently issued guidance limiting the number of payments a servicer must advance in the case of a forbearance, we expect that a borrower who has experienced a loss of employment or a reduction of income may not repay the forborne payments at the end of the forbearance period. Additionally, we are prohibited from collecting certain servicing related fees, such as late fees, and initiating foreclosure proceedings. Furthermore, there is no assurance that we will be successful in utilizing prepayments and mortgage payoffs from other borrowers to fund principal and interest advances relating to forborne loans in the coming months and we will ultimately have to replace such funds to make payments in respect of such prepayments and mortgage payoffs. As a result, we may have to use our cash, including borrowings under our debt agreements, to make the payments required under our servicing operation. Moreover, even though delinquencies generate higher ancillary revenues, including late fees, it is not clear if we will be able to collect such ancillary fees for delinquencies relating to the COVID-19 pandemic as the federal and state legislation and regulations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to evolve. Approximately 5.5% of our serviced loans are in forbearance as of September 30, 2020.

Much like what has occurred in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, government intervention also occurs periodically as a result of natural disasters or other events that cause widespread borrower harm. Similar challenges and risks to servicers, including us, will likely occur when such events transpire in the future.

We face intense competition that could adversely affect our business.

Competition in the mortgage lending space is intense. In addition, the mortgage business has experienced substantial consolidation. As we depend solely on third-parties to deliver us mortgage loans, we may be at a competitive disadvantage to financial institutions or direct-to-consumer mortgage lenders that market to, and have a direct relationship with, the borrower. In addition, some of our competitors may have greater financial and other resources than we have (including access to capital) while other of our competitors, such as financial institutions who originate mortgage loans using their own funds, may have more flexibility in holding loans. Additionally, we operate at a competitive disadvantage to U.S. federal banks and thrifts and their subsidiaries because they enjoy federal preemption and, as a result, conduct their business under relatively uniform U.S. federal rules and standards and are generally not subject to the laws of the states in which they do business (including state “predatory lending” laws). Unlike our federally chartered competitors, we are generally subject to all state and local laws applicable to lenders in each jurisdiction in which we originate and service loans. To compete effectively, we must have a very high level of operational, technological and managerial expertise, as well as access to capital at a competitive cost.

Competition in our industry can take many forms, including the variety of loan programs being made available, interest rates and fees charged for a loan, convenience in obtaining a loan, client service levels, the amount and term of a loan, and marketing and distribution channels. Fluctuations in interest rates and general economic conditions may also affect our competitive position. During periods of rising rates, competitors that have locked in low borrowing costs may have a competitive advantage. Furthermore, a cyclical decline in the industry’s overall level of originations, or decreased demand for loans due to a higher interest rate environment, may lead to increased competition for the remaining loans. Any increase in these competitive pressures could be detrimental to our business.

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The success and growth of our business will depend upon our ability to be a leader in technological innovation in our industry.

We operate in an industry experiencing rapid technological change and frequent product introductions. In order to succeed, we must lead our peers in designing, innovating and introducing new technology and product offerings. The process of developing new technologies and products is complex, and if we are unable to successfully innovate and continue to deliver a superior client experience, the demand for our products and services may decrease, we may lose market share and our growth and operations may be harmed.

The origination process is increasingly dependent on technology, and our business relies on our continued ability to process loan applications over the internet, accept electronic signatures, provide instant process status updates and other client- and loan applicant-expected conveniences. Our proprietary and exclusively licensed technology is integrated into all steps of the loan origination process, from the original submission, to the underwriting to the closing. Our dedication to incorporating technological advancements into our loan origination and servicing platforms requires significant financial and personnel resources. For example, we have, and will continue to, expend significant capital expenditures on our proprietary technology platforms. Maintaining and improving this technology will require significant capital expenditures.

To the extent we are dependent on any particular technology or technological solution, we may be harmed if such technology or technological solution becomes non-compliant with existing industry standards, fails to meet or exceed the capabilities of our competitors’ equivalent technologies or technological solutions, becomes increasingly expensive to service, retain and update, becomes subject to third-party claims of intellectual property infringement, misappropriation or other violation, or malfunctions or functions in a way it did not anticipate that results in loan defects potentially requiring repurchase. Additionally, new technologies and technological solutions are continually being released. As such, it is difficult to predict the problems we may encounter in improving our websites’ and other technologies’ functionality.

We could be adversely affected if we do not inadequately obtain, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property and proprietary rights and may encounter disputes from time to time relating to our use of the intellectual property of third parties.

Our proprietary technology platforms and other proprietary rights are important to our success and our competitive position. We rely on intellectual property to protect our proprietary rights. Despite these measures, third parties may attempt to disclose, obtain, copy or use intellectual property rights owned or licensed by us and these measures may not prevent misappropriation, infringement, reverse engineering or other violation of intellectual property or proprietary rights owned or licensed by it. Furthermore, confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions can be difficult to enforce and, even if successfully enforced, may not be entirely effective. In addition, we cannot guarantee that we have entered into confidentiality agreements with all team members, partners, independent contractors or consultants that have or may have had access to our trade secrets and other proprietary information. Any issued or registered intellectual property rights owned by or licensed to us may be challenged, invalidated, held unenforceable or circumvented in litigation or other proceedings, and such intellectual property rights may be lost or no longer provide us meaningful competitive advantages. Third parties may also independently develop products, services and technology similar to or duplicative of our products and services.

Our success and ability to compete also depends in part on our ability to operate without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property or proprietary rights of third parties. We may encounter disputes from time to time concerning intellectual property rights of others, including our competitors, and we may not prevail in these disputes. Third parties may raise claims against us alleging an infringement, misappropriation or other violation of their intellectual property rights, including trademarks, copyrights, patents, trade secrets or other intellectual property or proprietary rights. An assertion of an intellectual property infringement, misappropriation or other violation claim against us could result in adverse judgments, settlement

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on unfavorable terms or cause us to spend significant amounts to defend the claim, even if we ultimately prevail and we may have to pay significant money damages, lose significant revenues, be prohibited from using the relevant systems, processes, technologies or other intellectual property, cease offering certain products or services, or incur significant license, royalty or technology development expenses.

Fraud could result in significant financial losses and harm to our reputation.

We use automated underwriting engines from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to assist us in determining if a loan applicant is creditworthy, as well as other proprietary and third-party tools and safeguards to detect and prevent fraud. We are unable, however, to prevent every instance of fraud that may be engaged in by our clients, borrowers or team members, and any seller, real estate broker, notary, settlement agent, appraiser, title agent, or third-party originator that misrepresents facts about a loan, including the information contained in the loan application, property valuation, title information and employment and income stated on the loan application. If any of this information was intentionally or negligently misrepresented and such misrepresentation was not detected prior to the acquisition or closing of the loan, the value of the loan could be significantly lower than expected, resulting in a loan being approved in circumstances where it would not have been, had we been provided with accurate data. A loan subject to a material misrepresentation is typically unsalable or subject to repurchase if it is sold before detection of the misrepresentation. In addition, the persons and entities making a misrepresentation are often difficult to locate and it is often difficult to collect from them any monetary losses we have suffered.

High profile fraudulent activity also could negatively impact our brand and reputation, which could impact our business. In addition, significant increases in fraudulent activity could lead to regulatory intervention, which could increase our costs and also negatively impact our business.

Our counterparties may terminate our servicing rights, which could have a material adverse effect on our revenues.

The majority of the mortgage loans we service are serviced on behalf of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. These entities establish the base service fee to compensate us for servicing loans as well as the assessment of fines and penalties that may be imposed upon us for failing to meet servicing standards.

As is standard in the industry, under the terms of our master servicing agreements with the GSEs, the GSEs have the right to terminate us as servicer of the loans we service on their behalf at any time and also have the right to cause us to sell the MSRs to a third party. In addition, failure to comply with servicing standards could result in termination of our agreements with the GSEs with little or no notice and without any compensation. If any of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae were to terminate us as a servicer, or increase our costs related to such servicing by way of additional fees, fines or penalties, such changes could have a material adverse effect on the revenue we derive from servicing activity, as well as the value of the related MSRs. These agreements, and other servicing agreements under which we service mortgage loans for non-GSE loan purchasers, also require that we service in accordance with GSE servicing guidelines and contain financial covenants. If we were to have our servicing rights terminated on a material portion of our servicing portfolio, this could adversely affect our business.

We may become subject to legal actions that if decided adversely, could be detrimental to our business.

We operate in an industry that is highly sensitive to consumer protection, and we and our clients are subject to numerous local, state and federal laws that are continuously changing. Remediation for non-compliance with these laws can be costly and significant fines may be incurred. We are routinely involved in consumer complaints, regulatory actions and legal proceedings in the ordinary course of our business and may become subject to class action suits alleging non-compliance with these laws. We are also routinely involved in state regulatory audits and examinations, and occasionally involved in other governmental proceedings arising in

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connection with our respective businesses. We are also subject to various other laws, regulations and rules that are not industry specific, including employment laws related to employee hiring and termination practices, health and safety laws, environmental laws and other federal, state and local laws, regulations and rules in the jurisdictions in which we operate, and we may become subject to legal actions with respect to these other laws, regulations and rules. We may incur costs, fines and legal expenses in connection with these matters.

If we are unable to hire, train and retain qualified personnel to support our growth, it could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our ability to deliver superior customer service and long-term growth.

As of December 31, 2020 we had approximately 7,500 team members and our ability to continue to grow and succeed will depend on our ability to continue to hire, integrate, develop and retain highly-qualified personnel for all areas of our organization. Any talent acquisition and retention challenges could reduce our operating efficiency, increase our costs of operations and harm our overall financial condition. We could face these challenges if competition for qualified personnel intensifies or the pool of qualified candidates becomes more limited. Additionally, we invest heavily in training our team members, which increases their value to competitors who may seek to recruit them. The inability to attract or retain qualified personnel could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our ability to deliver superior customer service and our long-term growth.

If we cannot maintain our corporate culture, we could lose the innovation, collaboration and focus on the mission that contribute to our business.

We believe that a critical component of our success is our corporate culture and our deep commitment to our mission. We believe this mission-based culture fosters innovation, encourages teamwork and cultivates creativity. Our mission defines our business philosophy as well as the emphasis that it places on our clients, our people and our culture and is consistently reinforced to and by our team members. As a result of COVID-19, a significant portion of our team members are working remotely and there is a risk that over time such remote operations may decrease the cohesiveness of our teams and our ability to maintain our culture, both of which are integral to our success. If we are unable to preserve our culture, this could negatively impact our future success, including our ability to attract and retain team members, encourage innovation and teamwork, and effectively focus on and pursue our mission and corporate objectives.

Substantially all of our operations are housed in one location, and if the facilities are damaged or rendered inoperable by natural or man-made disasters, our business may be negatively impacted.

Substantially all of our operations are housed on one campus in Pontiac, Michigan. Our campus could be harmed or rendered inoperable by natural or man-made disasters, including earthquakes, fires, power shortages, telecommunications failures, water shortages, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, extreme weather conditions, medical epidemics, and other natural or man-made disasters, pandemics, epidemics, or other business interruptions, including as a result of COVID-19. If due to such disaster a significant portion of our team members must work remotely for an extended period of time, our business may be negatively impacted. See “—If we cannot maintain our corporate culture, we could lose the innovation, collaboration and focus on the mission that contribute to our business.” In addition, it could be costly and time-consuming to repair or replace our campus.

In certain circumstances, UWM Holdings, LLC will be required to make distributions to us and SFS Corp. and the distributions that UWM Holdings, LLC will be required to make may be substantial and in excess of our tax liabilities and obligations under the tax receivable agreement. To the extent we do not distribute such excess cash, SFS Corp. would benefit from any value attributable to such cash balances as a result of their ownership of Class B common stock (or Class A common stock, as applicable) following an exchange of UWM Common Units and the stapled shares of Common Stock.

UWM Holdings, LLC will continue to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, will not be subject to any entity-level U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income will be allocated

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to us and SFS Corp., as holders of membership interests in UWM Holdings, LLC (the “UWM Common Units”). Accordingly, we will incur income taxes on our allocable share of any net taxable income of UWM Holdings, LLC. Under the UWM Holdings, LLC’s First Amended & Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement (the “UWM LLC A&R Company Agreement”), UWM Holdings, LLC will generally be required from time to time to make pro rata distributions in cash to its equityholders, SFS Corp. and us, in amounts sufficient to cover the taxes on their allocable share of the taxable income of UWM Holdings, LLC. As a result of (i) potential non pro rata allocations of net taxable income allocable to us and SFS Corp., (ii) the lower tax rate applicable to corporations as compared to individuals and (iii) the favorable tax benefits that we anticipate receiving from (a) the exchange of UWM Common Units from SFS Corp. and (b) payments under the tax receivable agreement, we expect that these tax distributions will be in amounts that exceed our tax liabilities and obligations to make payments under the tax receivable agreement. Our Board of directors will determine the appropriate uses for any excess cash so accumulated, which may include, among other uses, any potential dividends, stock buybacks, the payment obligations under the tax receivable agreement and the payment of other expenses. We will have no obligation to distribute such cash (or other available cash other than any declared dividend) to our stockholders. No adjustments to the exchange ratio for UWM Common Units and the stapled shares of Common Stock will be made as a result of (x) any cash distribution by UWM Holdings, LLC or (y) any cash that we retain and do not distribute to our stockholders, and in any event the ratio will remain one-to-one.

We are required to pay SFS Corp. for certain tax benefits we may claim, and the amounts we may pay could be significant.

We entered into a tax receivable agreement with SFS Corp. that provides for the payment by us to SFS Corp. (or its transferees or other assignees) of 85% of the amount of cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state and local income tax or franchise tax that we actually realize as a result of (i) certain increases in tax basis resulting from exchanges of UWM Common Units; (ii) imputed interest deemed to be paid by the Company as a result of payments it makes under the tax receivable agreement; (iii) certain increases in tax basis resulting from payments the Company makes under the tax receivable agreement; and (iv) disproportionate allocations (if any) of tax benefits to the Company as a result of section 704(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”) (the tax attributes in clauses “(i)” through “(iv)” collectively referred to as the “Covered Tax Attributes”). The tax receivable agreement will make certain simplifying assumptions regarding the determination of the cash savings that we realize or are deemed to realize from the Covered Tax Attributes, which may result in payments pursuant to the tax receivable agreement in excess of those that would result if such assumptions were not made.

The actual tax benefit, as well as the amount and timing of any payments under the tax receivable agreement, will vary depending upon a number of factors, including, among others, the timing of exchanges by or purchases from SFS Corp., the price of our Class A common stock at the time of the exchanges or purchases, the extent to which such exchanges are taxable, the amount and timing of the taxable income we generate in the future and the tax rate then applicable, and the portion of our payments under the tax receivable agreement constituting imputed interest.

Future payments under the tax receivable agreement could be substantial. Assuming that all UWM Class B Common Units currently outstanding are exchanged for Class A common stock by SFS Corp. and that we will have sufficient taxable income to utilize all of the tax attributes covered by the tax receivable agreement when they are first available to be utilized under applicable law, we estimate that payments to SFS Corp. under the tax receivable agreement would aggregate to approximately $3.6 billion over the next 25 years and for yearly payments over that time to range between approximately $15.8 million to $304.1 million per year, based on an assumed price per share of Class A common stock of $10. The payments under the tax receivable agreement are not conditioned upon SFS Corp.’s continued ownership of us.

We are not required to make a payment of the 85% applicable tax savings to SFS Corp. unless and until at least one of the payment conditions has been satisfied (the “Payment Conditions”). One condition is a

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requirement that we have received a tax opinion that provides that the applicable assets of UWM Holdings, LLC giving rise to the payment are “more likely than not” amortizable (the “Indemnifiable Condition”). If we determine that none of the Payment Conditions have been satisfied with respect to all or a portion of such applicable tax savings, we will pay such applicable tax savings (or portion thereof) at the time we reasonably determine a Payment Condition has been satisfied.

If we make a payment and the applicable tax savings are subsequently disallowed, we may deposit future payments due under the tax receivable agreement in an escrow account up to an amount necessary to cover 85% of the estimated additional taxes due by us as a result of the disallowance until such time as there has been a conclusive determination as to the validity of the disallowance. Upon a conclusive determination of the validity of the disallowance, we may recover from the escrow account any excess payments paid to SFS Corp. (or its transferees or assignees), and to the extent the amounts in the escrow account are insufficient, we may net any additional excess payments paid to SFS Corp. (or its transferees or assignees) against future payments that would otherwise be made under the tax receivable agreement. In addition, if we make a payment pursuant to the satisfaction of the Indemnifiable Condition and the applicable tax savings are subsequently disallowed, SFS Corp. will be required to indemnify us for 85% of the taxes and any additional losses attributable to the disallowance. At our election, SFS Corp. may satisfy all or a portion of this indemnity by transferring UWM Common Units held by it. There is no guarantee that SFS Corp. will hold UWM Common Units with a value sufficient to satisfy this indemnity or that the escrow account will hold sufficient funds to cover the cost of any disallowed tax savings. We could make payments to SFS Corp. under the tax receivable agreement that are greater than our actual cash tax savings and may not be able to recoup those payments, which could negatively impact our liquidity.

In addition, the tax receivable agreement will provide that in the case of a change in control of the Company or a material breach of our obligations under the tax receivable agreement, we will be required to make a payment to SFS Corp. in an amount equal to the present value of future payments (calculated using a discount rate equal to the lesser of 6.50% or LIBOR plus 100 basis points, which may differ from our, or a potential acquirer’s, then-current cost of capital) under the tax receivable agreement, which payment would be based on certain assumptions, including those relating to our future taxable income. For additional discussion of LIBOR, see “—Risks Related to our Financing—We are exposed to risk relating to the transition from LIBOR and the volatility of LIBOR or any replacement reference rate, which can result in higher than market interest rates and may have a detrimental effect on our business.” In these situations, our obligations under the tax receivable agreement could have a substantial negative impact on our, or a potential acquirer’s, liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring, modifying or preventing certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combinations or other changes of control. These provisions of the tax receivable agreement may result in situations where SFS Corp. has interests that differ from or are in addition to those of our other stockholders. In addition, we could be required to make payments under the tax receivable agreement that are substantial, significantly in advance of any potential actual realization of such further tax benefits, and in excess of our, or a potential acquirer’s, actual cash savings in income tax.

Decisions we make in the course of running our business, such as with respect to mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combinations or other changes in control, may influence the timing and amount of payments made under the tax receivable agreement. For example, the earlier disposition of assets following an exchange or purchase of UWM Common Units (along with the stapled shares of Class D common stock or Class C common stock) may accelerate payments under the tax receivable agreement and increase the present value of such payments, and the disposition of assets before such an exchange or purchase may increase the tax liability of SFS Corp. (or its direct or indirect owners) without giving rise to any rights to receive payments under the tax receivable agreement. Such effects may result in differences or conflicts of interest between the interests of SFS Corp. and the interests of other stockholders.

Finally, because we are a holding company with no operations of our own, our ability to make payments under the tax receivable agreement is dependent on the ability of our subsidiaries to make distributions to us. Our

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debt agreements restrict the ability of our subsidiaries to make distributions to us, which could affect our ability to make payments under the tax receivable agreement. To the extent that we are unable to make payments under the tax receivable agreement as a result of restrictions in our debt agreements, such payments will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid, which could negatively impact our results of operations and could also affect our liquidity in periods in which such payments are made.

Risks Related to our Financing

We rely on our short-term warehouse facilities to finance our loan originations and our inability to access such funding could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and business.

We fund substantially all of the mortgage loans we originate through borrowings under our short-term warehouse facilities and funds generated by our operations. Our ability to fund our loan originations may be impacted by our ability to secure further such borrowings on acceptable terms. As of September 30, 2020, $10.3 billion of our warehouse facilities generally provide financing for one to two years, with maturities staggered in 2020 and 2021, and $9.8 billion of our warehouse facilities are uncommitted and can be terminated by the applicable lender at any time. Our use of this short-term financing exposes it to the risk that our lenders may respond to market conditions by making it more difficult for us to renew or replace on a continuous basis our maturing short-term warehouse facility borrowings. If we are not able to renew our then existing warehouse facilities or arrange for new financing on terms acceptable to us, or if we default on our covenants or are otherwise unable to access funds under this type of financing, we may have to curtail our loan origination activities and/or dispose of assets.

It is possible that the warehouse lenders that will provide us with financing could experience changes in their ability to advance funds to us, independent of our performance or the performance of our portfolio of assets. Further, if many of our potential warehouse lenders are unwilling or unable to provide us with financing, we could be forced to sell our assets at an inopportune time when prices are depressed. In addition, if the regulatory capital requirements imposed on our warehouse lenders change, they may be required to significantly increase the cost of the financing that they provide to us.

Our warehouse lenders also may revise their eligibility requirements for the types of assets they are willing to finance or the terms of such financings, based on, among other factors, the regulatory environment and their management of perceived risk, particularly with respect to assignee liability. Moreover, the amount of financing we receive under our warehouse facilities will be directly related to the lenders’ valuation of our assets that cover the outstanding borrowings.

In the event that any of our warehouse facilities is terminated or is not renewed, or if the principal amount that may be drawn under our funding agreements that provide for immediate funding at closing were to significantly decrease, it may be unable to find replacement financing on commercially favorable terms, or at all, which could be detrimental to our business. Further, if we are unable to obtain additional funds for borrowing, our ability to maintain or grow our business could be limited.

In addition, our ability to refinance existing debt and borrow additional funds is affected by a variety of factors including (1) limitations imposed on us under the indenture governing our 5.500% Senior Notes due 2025 and other existing and future financing facilities that contain restrictive covenants and borrowing conditions that may limit our ability to raise additional debt, (2) a decline in liquidity in the credit markets, (3) prevailing interest rates, (4) the financial strength of the lenders from whom we borrow, and (5) the decision of lenders from whom we borrow to reduce their exposure to mortgage loans due to a change in such lenders’ strategic plan, future lines of business or otherwise.

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We depend on our ability to sell loans in the secondary market to a limited number of investors and to the GSEs, and to securitize our loans into MBS through the GSEs and Ginnie Mae. If our ability to sell or securitize mortgage loans is impaired, we may not be able to originate mortgage loans, and if the GSEs and Ginnie Mae become less competitive, it could affect our volume and margins.

Substantially all of our loan originations are sold into the secondary market. We securitize loans into MBS through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. Loans originated outside of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the guidelines of the FHA, USDA, or VA (for loans securitized with Ginnie Mae) are sold to private investors and mortgage conduits.

The gain recognized from sales in the secondary market represents a significant portion of our revenues and net earnings. A decrease in the prices paid to us upon sale of our loans could be detrimental to our business, as we are dependent on the cash generated from such sales to fund our future loan closings and repay borrowings under our warehouse facilities. If it is not possible or economical for us to complete the sale or securitization of certain of our mortgage loans, we may lack liquidity to continue to fund such loans and our revenues and margins on new loan originations could be materially and negatively impacted. The severity of the impact would be most significant to the extent we were unable to sell conforming home loans to the GSEs or securitize such loans pursuant to the GSEs and government agency-sponsored programs. We also derive other material financial benefits from these relationships, including the assumption of credit risk on securitized loans in exchange for our payment of guarantee fees and the ability to avoid certain loan inventory finance costs through streamlined loan funding and sale procedures, which benefits we would lose if we were unable to complete the sale or securitization of our loans.

Further, there may be shifts in the marketplace such that the GSEs or Ginnie Mae are less competitive than private label securitization or other forms of mortgage finance which may lead to delays in our ability to sell future mortgage loans which we originate. These market shifts can be caused by factors outside of our control, including, but not limited to, market shifts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that affect investor appetite for such non-GSE products. To the extent that happens, we may need to change our business model to accommodate such shifts and our origination volume and margins would likely be adversely affected.

The value of our MSRs can be highly variable and these changes in value, or inaccuracies in the estimates of their value, could adversely affect our financial condition.

The value of our MSRs is based on the cash flows projected to result from the servicing of the related mortgage loans and continually fluctuates due to a number of factors. The primary factor driving the value of MSRs is interest rates, which impact the likelihood of loan prepayments through refinancing. In periods of rising interest rates, the fair value of the MSRs generally increases as prepayment expectations decrease, consequently extending the estimated life of the MSRs resulting in expected increases in cash flows. In a declining interest rate environment, the fair value of MSRs generally decreases as prepayment expectations increase consequently truncating the estimated life of the MSRs resulting in expected decreases in cash flows. Other market conditions also affect the number of loans that are refinanced and thus no longer result in cash flows, and the number of loans that become delinquent.

A substantial portion of our assets are measured at fair value, and if our estimates with respect to the determination of the fair value of those assets prove to be incorrect, we may be required to write down the value of such assets, which could adversely affect our earnings, financial condition and liquidity.

We measure the fair value of our mortgage loans and derivatives on a recurring basis and it measures the fair value of other assets on a nonrecurring basis. Fair value determinations require many assumptions, especially to the extent there are not active markets for identical assets. For example, we generally estimate the fair value of loans at fair value based on quoted market prices for securities backed by similar types of loans. If quoted market prices are not available, fair value is estimated based on other relevant factors, including dealer price quotations

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and prices available for similar instruments, to approximate the amounts that would be received from a third party. In addition, the fair value of IRLCs are measured based upon the difference between the current fair value of similar loans (as determined generally for mortgages at fair value) and the price at which we have committed to originate the loans, subject to the pull-through factor. If our estimates of fair value prove to be incorrect, we may be required to write down the value of such assets, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Our hedging strategies may not be successful in mitigating our risks associated with changes in interest rates.

Our profitability is directly affected by changes in interest rates. The market value of closed mortgage loans and interest rate locks generally change along with interest rates. The value of such assets moves opposite of interest rate changes. For example, as interest rates rise, the value of existing mortgage assets falls.

We employ various economic hedging strategies to mitigate the interest rate and the anticipated loan financing probability or “pull-through risk” inherent in such mortgage assets. Our use of these hedge instruments may expose us to counterparty risk as they are not traded on regulated exchanges or guaranteed by an exchange or our clearinghouse and, consequently, there may not be the same level of protections with respect to margin requirements and positions and other requirements designed to protect both us and our counterparties. Furthermore, the enforceability of agreements underlying hedging transactions may depend on compliance with applicable statutory, commodity and other regulatory requirements and, depending on the domicile of the counterparty, applicable international requirements. Consequently, if a counterparty fails to perform under a derivative agreement we could incur a significant loss.

Our hedge instruments are accounted for as free-standing derivatives and are included on our consolidated balance sheet at fair market value. Our operating results could be negatively affected because the losses on the hedge instruments it enters into may not be offset by a change in the fair value of the related hedged transaction.

Our hedging strategies also require us to provide cash margin to our hedging counterparties from time to time. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) requires us to provide daily cash margin to (or receive daily cash margin from, depending on the daily value of related MBS) our hedging counterparties from time to time. The collection of daily margins between us and our hedging counterparties could, under certain MBS market conditions, adversely affect our short-term liquidity and cash-on-hand. Additionally, our hedge instruments may expose us to counterparty risk—the possibility that a loss may occur from the failure of another party to perform in accordance with the terms of the contract, which loss exceeds the value of existing collateral, if any.

Our hedging activities in the future may include entering into interest rate swaps, caps and floors, options to purchase these items, purchasing or selling U.S. Treasury securities, and/or other tools and strategies. These hedging decisions will be determined in light of the facts and circumstances existing at the time and may differ from our current hedging strategy. These hedging strategies may be less effective than our current hedging strategies in mitigating the risks described above, which could be detrimental to our business and financial condition.

Substantially all of our warehouse facilities are structured as repurchase agreements, which operate differently and subject us to various risks different from other types of credit facilities, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

Our warehouse facilities are generally structured in the form of repurchase agreements. We currently leverage and, to the extent available, intend to continue to leverage the mortgage loans we originate with borrowings under these repurchase agreements. When we enter into repurchase agreements, we sell mortgage loans to other lenders, which are the repurchase agreement counterparties, and receive cash from these lenders. These lenders are obligated to resell the same assets back to us at the end of the term of the transaction, which

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typically ranges from 30 to 90 days, but which may have terms of up to 364 days or longer. These repurchase agreements subject us to various risks:

We may in the future utilize other sources of borrowings, including term loans, bank credit facilities and structured financing arrangements, among others. The amount of leverage we employ will vary depending on the asset class being financed, our available capital, our ability to obtain and access financing arrangements with lenders and the lenders’ and rating agencies’ estimate of, among other things, the stability of our cash flows. We can provide no assurance that we will have access to any debt or equity capital on favorable terms or at the desired times, or at all. Our inability to raise such capital or obtain financing on favorable terms could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

Our rights under our repurchase agreements may be subject to the effects of bankruptcy laws in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of us or our lenders under the repurchase agreements, which may allow our lenders to repudiate our repurchase agreements.

In the event of insolvency or bankruptcy, repurchase agreements normally qualify for special treatment under the U.S. bankruptcy code, the effect of which, among other things, would be to allow the lender under the applicable repurchase agreement to avoid the automatic stay provisions of the U.S. bankruptcy code and to foreclose on the collateral agreement without delay. In the event of the insolvency or bankruptcy of a lender during the term of a repurchase agreement, the lender may be permitted, under applicable insolvency laws, to repudiate the contract, and our claim against the lender for damages may be treated simply as an unsecured

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creditor. In addition, if the lender is a broker or dealer subject to the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970, or an insured depository institution subject to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, our ability to exercise our rights to recover our securities under a repurchase agreement or to be compensated for any damages resulting from the lender’s insolvency may be further limited by those statutes. These claims would be subject to significant delay and, if and when received, may be substantially less than the damages we actually incur.

We leverage certain of our MSRs secured financing arrangements, which exposes us to risks and may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

We currently leverage certain of our MSRs under secured financing arrangements, which we refer to as MSR facilities. Similar to our repurchase agreements, the cash that we receive under these MSR facilities is less than the fair value of the assets and a decrease in the fair value of the pledged collateral can result in a margin call. The MSR facilities are further subject to the terms of an acknowledgement agreement with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae, as applicable, pursuant to which our and the secured parties’ rights are subordinate in all respects to the rights of the applicable agency. Accordingly, the exercise by any of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae of its rights under the applicable acknowledgment agreement could result in the extinguishment of our and the secured parties’ rights in the related collateral and result in significant losses to us.

Our financing arrangements contain, and the government agencies impose, certain financial and restrictive covenants that limit our ability to operate our business and a default under such agreements or requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Our warehouse facilities and MSR facilities contain, and our other current or future debt agreements may contain, covenants imposing operating and financial restrictions on our business, including requirements to maintain a certain minimum tangible net worth, minimum liquidity, maximum total debt or liabilities to net worth ratio, pre-tax net income requirements, litigation judgment thresholds, and other customary debt covenants. We are also subject to minimum financial eligibility requirements established by the FHA, VA, GSEs and Ginnie Mae, including net worth, capital ratio and/or liquidity criteria in order to set a minimum level of capital needed to adequately absorb potential losses and a minimum amount of liquidity needed to service such agency mortgage loans and MBS and cover the associated financial obligations and risks. In addition, the indenture governing our 5.500% Senior Notes due 2025 contains covenants imposing operating and financial restrictions on our business. As a result, we may not be able to leverage our assets as fully as it would choose, which could reduce our return on equity, and could significantly impede it from growing our business and place it at a competitive disadvantage in relation to federally chartered banks and certain other financial institutions.

A breach of the covenants under our warehouse facilities and MSR facilities can result in an event of default under these facilities and as such allow the lenders to pursue certain remedies. In addition, each of these facilities includes cross default or cross acceleration provisions that could result in most, if not all, facilities terminating if an event of default or acceleration of maturity occurs under any facility. To the extent that the minimum financial requirements imposed by the agencies are not met, the agencies may suspend or terminate our agency approvals or agreements, which could cause us to cross default under our warehouse facilities arrangements, could have adversely affect our ability to access these markets and could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and future growth.

In addition, the covenants and restrictions in our warehouse facilities, MSR facilities and our indenture governing our 5.500% Senior Notes due 2025 may restrict our ability to, among other things:

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These restrictions may interfere with our ability to obtain financings or to engage in other business activities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. In addition, if we are unable to meet or maintain the necessary covenant requirements or satisfy, or obtain waivers for, the continuing covenants, it may lose the ability to borrow under all of our financing facilities, which could be detrimental to our business. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” for more information about our financing arrangements.

We are exposed to risk relating to the transition from LIBOR and the volatility of LIBOR or any replacement reference rate, which can result in higher than market interest rates and may have a detrimental effect on our business.

The interest rate of our variable-rate indebtedness and the interest rate on the adjustable rate loans we originate and service is based on the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). In July 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority announced that it intends to stop collecting LIBOR rates from banks after 2021. The announcement indicates that LIBOR will not continue to exist on the current basis. U.S.-dollar LIBOR is expected to be replaced with the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), a new index calculated by reference to short-term repurchase agreements for U.S. Treasury securities. Although there have been a few issuances utilizing SOFR or the Sterling Over Night Index Average, an alternative reference rate that is based on transactions, it is unknown whether any of these alternative reference rates will attain market acceptance as replacements for LIBOR. There is currently no definitive successor reference rate to LIBOR and various industry organizations are still working to develop workable transition mechanisms. As part of this industry transition, we will be required to migrate any current adjustable rate loans it services to any such successor reference rate. Until a successor rate is determined, we cannot implement the transition away from LIBOR for the adjustable rate loans it services. As such, we are unable to predict the effect of any changes to LIBOR, the establishment and success of any alternative reference rates, or any other reforms to LIBOR or any replacement of LIBOR that may be enacted in the United States or elsewhere. Such changes, reforms or replacements relating to LIBOR could have an adverse impact on the market for or value of any LIBOR-linked securities, loans, derivatives or other financial instruments or extensions of credit held by us. LIBOR-related changes could affect our overall results of operations and financial condition.

Risks Related to our Regulatory Environment

We operate in a heavily regulated industry, and our mortgage loan origination and servicing activities expose us to risks of noncompliance with an increasing and inconsistent body of complex laws and regulations at the U.S. federal, state and local levels.

Due to the heavily regulated nature of the mortgage industry, we and our clients are required to comply with a wide array of U.S. federal, state and local laws and regulations that regulate, among other things, the manner in which we conduct our loan origination and servicing businesses and the fees that it may charge, and the collection, use, retention, protection, disclosure, transfer and other processing of personal information by us and our clients. Governmental authorities and various U.S. federal and state agencies have broad oversight and supervisory authority over our business.

Because we originate mortgage loans and provides servicing activities nationwide, we must be licensed in all relevant jurisdictions that require licensure and comply with each such jurisdiction’s respective laws and

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regulations, as well as with judicial and administrative decisions applicable to us. Such licensing requirements also generally require the submission of information regarding any person who has 10% or more of the combined voting power of our outstanding equity interests. In addition, we and our clients are currently subject to a variety of, and may in the future become subject to additional U.S. federal, state and local laws that are continuously evolving and developing, including laws on advertising, as well as privacy laws, including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), the CAN-SPAM Act, and the recently enacted and newly effective California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). We expect more states to enact legislation similar to the CCPA, which provides consumers with new privacy rights such as the right to request deletion of their data, the right to receive data on record for them and the right to know what categories of data (generally) are maintained about them, and increases the privacy and security obligations of entities handling certain personal information of such consumers. These regulations directly impact our business and require ongoing compliance, monitoring and internal and external audits as they continue to evolve, and may result in ever-increasing public scrutiny and escalating levels of enforcement and sanctions. Subsequent changes to data protection and privacy laws could also impact how we processes personal information, and therefore limit the effectiveness of our products or services or our ability to operate or expand our business, including limiting strategic partnerships that may involve the sharing of personal information.

We and our clients must also comply with a number of federal, state and local consumer protection laws including, among others, the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”), the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (“RESPA”), the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Housing Act, the TCPA, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, the Homeowners Protection Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the SAFE Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, the TRID rules, the Dodd-Frank Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, U.S. federal and state laws prohibiting unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices, and state foreclosure laws. These statutes apply to loan origination, marketing, use of credit reports, safeguarding of non-public, personally identifiable information about borrowers, foreclosure and claims handling, investment of and interest payments on escrow balances and escrow payment features, and mandate certain disclosures and notices to borrowers.

In particular, various federal, state and local laws have been enacted that are designed to discourage predatory lending and servicing practices. The Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act of 1994 (“HOEPA”) prohibits inclusion of certain provisions in residential loans that have mortgage rates or origination costs in excess of prescribed levels and requires that borrowers be given certain disclosures prior to origination. Some states have enacted, or may enact, similar laws or regulations, which in some cases impose restrictions and requirements greater than those in HOEPA. In addition, under the anti-predatory lending laws of some states, the origination of certain residential loans, including loans that are not classified as “high cost” loans under applicable law, must satisfy a net tangible benefits test with respect to the related borrower. This test may be highly subjective and open to interpretation. As a result, a court may determine that a residential loan, for example, does not meet the test even if the related originator reasonably believed that the test was satisfied. Our failure to comply with these laws, or the failure of residential loan originators or servicers to comply with these laws, to the extent any of their residential loans are or become part of our mortgage-related assets, could subject us, as an originator or a servicer, as applicable, or, in the case of acquired loans, as an assignee or purchaser, to monetary penalties and could result in the borrowers rescinding the affected loans. Lawsuits have been brought in various states making claims against originators, servicers, assignees and purchasers of high cost loans for violations of state law. Named defendants in these cases have included numerous participants within the secondary mortgage market. If our loans are found to have been originated in violation of predatory or abusive lending laws, we could be subject to lawsuits or governmental actions, or could be fined or incur losses.

Both the scope of the laws and regulations and the intensity of the supervision to which our business is subject have increased over time, in response to the financial crisis as well as other factors such as technological and market changes. Regulatory enforcement and fines have also increased across the banking and financial services sector. We expects that our business and that of our clients will remain subject to extensive regulation and supervision. These regulatory changes could result in an increase in our regulatory compliance burden and

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associated costs and place restrictions on our origination and servicing operations. Our failure to comply with applicable U.S. federal, state and local consumer protection and data privacy laws could lead to:

As these U.S. federal, state and local laws evolve, it may be more difficult for us to identify these developments comprehensively, to interpret changes accurately and to train our team members effectively with respect to these laws and regulations. These difficulties potentially increase our exposure to the risks of noncompliance with these laws and regulations, which could be detrimental to our business. In addition, our failure to comply with these laws, regulations and rules may result in reduced payments by borrowers, modification of the original terms of loans, permanent forgiveness of debt, delays in the foreclosure process, increased servicing advances, litigation, enforcement actions, and repurchase and indemnification obligations. A failure to adequately supervise our clients, service providers and vendors, including outside foreclosure counsel, may also have these negative results.

The laws and regulations applicable to us are subject to administrative or judicial interpretation, but some of these laws and regulations have been enacted only recently and may not yet have been interpreted or may be interpreted infrequently. Ambiguities in applicable laws and regulations may leave uncertainty with respect to permitted or restricted conduct and may make compliance with laws, and risk assessment decisions with respect to compliance with laws difficult and uncertain. In addition, ambiguities make it difficult, in certain circumstances, to determine if, and how, compliance violations may be cured. The adoption by industry participants of different interpretations of these statutes and regulations has added uncertainty and complexity to compliance. We may fail to comply with applicable statutes and regulations even if acting in good faith due to a lack of clarity regarding the interpretation of such statutes and regulations, which may lead to regulatory investigations, governmental enforcement actions or private causes of action with respect to our compliance.

To resolve issues raised in examinations or other governmental actions, we may be required to take various corrective actions, including changing certain business practices, making refunds or taking other actions that could be financially or competitively detrimental to us. We expect to continue to incur costs to comply with governmental regulations. In addition, certain legislative actions and judicial decisions can give rise to the initiation of lawsuits against us for activities we conducted in the past. Furthermore, provisions in our mortgage

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loan documentation, including but not limited to the mortgage and promissory notes we use in loan originations, could be construed as unenforceable by a court. We have been, and expect to continue to be, subject to regulatory enforcement actions and private causes of action from time to time with respect to our compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

The recent influx of new laws, regulations, and other directives adopted in response to the recent COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies the ever-changing and increasingly complex regulatory landscape we operate in. While some regulatory reactions to COVID-19 relaxed certain compliance obligations, the forbearance requirements imposed on mortgages servicers in the recently passed CARES Act added new regulatory responsibilities. The GSEs and the FHFA, Ginnie Mae, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”), various investors and others have also issued guidance relating to COVID-19. Future regulatory scrutiny and enforcement resulting from COVID-19 is unknown.

Although we have systems and procedures directed to comply with these legal and regulatory requirements, we cannot assure you that more restrictive laws and regulations will not be adopted in the future, or that governmental bodies or courts will not interpret existing laws or regulations in a more restrictive manner, which could render our current business practices non-compliant or which could make compliance more difficult or expensive. Any of these, or other, changes in laws or regulations could have a detrimental effect on our business.

The CFPB continues to be active in its monitoring of the loan origination and servicing sectors, and its recently issued rules increase our regulatory compliance burden and associated costs.

We are subject to the regulatory, supervisory and examination authority of the CFPB, which has oversight of federal and state non-depository lending and servicing institutions, including residential mortgage originators and loan servicers. The CFPB has rulemaking authority with respect to many of the federal consumer protection laws applicable to mortgage lenders and servicers, including TILA and RESPA and the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. The CFPB has issued a number of regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act relating to loan origination and servicing activities, including ability-to-repay and “Qualified Mortgage” standards and other origination standards and practices as well as servicing requirements that address, among other things, periodic billing statements, certain notices and acknowledgements, prompt crediting of borrowers’ accounts for payments received, additional notice, review and timing requirements with respect to delinquent borrowers, loss mitigation, prompt investigation of complaints by borrowers, and lender-placed insurance notices. The CFPB has also amended provisions of HOEPA regarding the determination of high-cost mortgages, and of Regulation B, to implement additional requirements under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act with respect to valuations, including appraisals and automated valuation models. The CFPB has also issued guidance to loan servicers to address potential risks to borrowers that may arise in connection with transfers of servicing. Additionally, through bulletins 2012-03 and 2016-02, the CFPB has increased the focus on lender liability and vendor management across the mortgage and settlement services industries, which may vary depending on the services being performed.

For example, the CFPB iteratively adopted rules over the course of several years regarding mortgage servicing practices that required us to make modifications and enhancements to our mortgage servicing processes and systems. While the CFPB recently announced its flexible supervisory and enforcement approach during the COVID-19 pandemic on certain consumer communications required by the mortgage servicing rules, managing to the CFPB’s loss mitigation rules with mounting CARES Act forbearance requests is particularly challenging. The intersection of the CFPB’s mortgage servicing rules and COVID-19 is evolving and will pose new challenges to the servicing industry. The CFPB’s recent publication of COVID-19-related FAQs did not resolve potential conflicts between the CARES Act with respect to reporting of consumer credit information mandated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. There are conflicting interpretations of the CARES Act amendment of the Fair Credit Reporting Act with regards to delinquent loans entering a forbearance.

The CFPB’s examinations have increased, and will likely continue to increase, our administrative and compliance costs. They could also greatly influence the availability and cost of residential mortgage credit and

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increase servicing costs and risks. These increased costs of compliance, the effect of these rules on the lending industry and loan servicing, and any failure in our ability, or our clients’ ability, to comply with the new rules by their effective dates, could be detrimental to our business. The CFPB also issued guidelines on sending examiners to banks and other institutions that service and/or originate mortgages to assess whether consumers’ interests are protected. The CFPB has conducted routine examinations of our business and will conduct future examinations.

The CFPB also has broad enforcement powers, and can order, among other things, rescission or reformation of contracts, the refund of moneys or the return of real property, restitution, disgorgement or compensation for unjust enrichment, the payment of damages or other monetary relief, public notifications regarding violations, limits on activities or functions, remediation of practices, external compliance monitoring and civil money penalties. The CFPB has been active in investigations and enforcement actions and, when necessary, has issued civil money penalties to parties the CFPB determines has violated the laws and regulations it enforces. Our failure to comply with the federal consumer protection laws, rules and regulations to which we are subject, whether actual or alleged, could expose us to enforcement actions or potential litigation liabilities.

In addition, the occurrence of one or more of the foregoing events or a determination by any court or regulatory agency that our policies and procedures do not comply with applicable law could impact our business operations. For example, if the violation is related to our servicing operations it could lead to a transfer of our servicing responsibilities, increased delinquencies on mortgage loans we service or any combination of these events. Such a determination could also require us to modify our servicing standards. The expense of complying with new or modified servicing standards may be substantial. Any such changes or revisions may have a material impact on our servicing operations, which could be detrimental to our business.

We are required to hold various agency approvals in order to conduct our business and there is no assurance that we will be able to obtain or maintain those agency approvals or that changes in agency guidelines will not materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

We are required to hold certain agency approvals in order to sell mortgage loans to GSEs and service such mortgage loans on their behalf. Our failure to satisfy the various requirements necessary to obtain and maintain such agency approvals over time would restrict our direct business activities and could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

We are also required to follow specific guidelines that impact the way that we originate and service such agency loans. A significant change in these guidelines that has the effect of decreasing the fees we charge or require us to expend additional resources in providing mortgage services could decrease our revenues or increase our costs, which would also adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

In addition, the FHFA has directed the GSEs to align their guidelines for servicing delinquent mortgages and assess compensatory penalties against servicers in connection with the failure to meet specified timelines relating to delinquent loans and foreclosure proceedings, and other breaches of servicing obligations. Our failure to operate efficiently and effectively within the prevailing regulatory framework and in accordance with the applicable origination and servicing guidelines and/or the loss of our seller/servicer license approval or approved issuer status with the agencies could result in our failure to benefit from available monetary incentives and/or expose us to monetary penalties and curtailments, all of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

The executive, legislative and regulatory reaction to COVID-19, including the passage of the CARES Act, poses new and quickly evolving compliance obligations on our business, and we may experience unfavorable changes in or failure to comply with existing or future regulations and laws adopted in response to COVID-19.

Due to the unprecedented pause of major sectors of the U.S. economy from COVID-19, numerous states and the federal government adopted measures requiring mortgage servicers to work with consumers negatively

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impacted by COVID-19. The CARES Act imposes several new compliance obligations on our mortgage servicing activities, including, but not limited to mandatory forbearance offerings, altered credit reporting obligations, and moratoriums on foreclosure actions and late fee assessments. Many states have taken similar measures to provide mortgage payment and other relief to consumers, which create additional complexity around our mortgage servicing compliance activities.

With the urgency to help consumers, the expedient passage of the CARES Act increases the likelihood of unintended consequences from the legislation. An example of such unintended consequences is the liquidity pressure placed on mortgage servicers given our contractual obligation to continue to advance payments to investors on loans in forbearance where consumers are not making their typical monthly mortgage payments. Moreover, certain provisions of the CARES Act are subject to interpretation given the existing ambiguities in the legislation, which creates class action and other litigation risk.

Although much of the executive, legislative and regulatory actions stemming from COVID-19 are servicing-centric, regulators are adjusting compliance obligations impacting our mortgage origination activities. Many states have adopted temporary measures allowing for otherwise prohibited remote mortgage loan origination activities. While these temporary measures allow us to continue to do business remotely, they impose notice, procedural, and other compliance obligations on our origination activity.

Federal, state, and local executive, legislative and regulatory responses to COVID-19 are rapidly evolving, not consistent in scope or application, and subject to change without advance notice. Such efforts may impose additional compliance obligations, which may negatively impact our mortgage origination and servicing business. Any additional legal or regulatory responses to COVID-19 may unfavorably restrict our business, our established business practices, and otherwise raise our compliance costs.

The state regulatory agencies continue to be active in their supervision of the loan origination and servicing sectors and the results of these examinations may be detrimental to our business.

We are also supervised by regulatory agencies under state law. State attorneys general, state licensing regulators, and state and local consumer financial protection offices have authority to examine and/or investigate consumer complaints and to commence investigations and other formal and informal proceedings regarding our operations and activities. In addition, the GSEs and the FHFA, Ginnie Mae, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), HUD, various investors, non-agency securitization trustees and others subject us to periodic reviews and audits. A determination of our failure to comply with applicable law could lead to enforcement action, administrative fines and penalties, or other administrative action.

If we do not obtain and maintain the appropriate state licenses, we will not be allowed to originate or service loans in some states, which would adversely affect our operations.

Our operations are subject to regulation, supervision and licensing under various federal, state and local statutes, ordinances and regulations. In most states in which we operate, a regulatory agency regulates and enforces laws relating to mortgage lenders and mortgage loan servicing companies such as us. In most states, we are subject to periodic examination by state regulatory authorities. Some states in which we operate require special licensing or provide extensive regulation of our business.

As part of licensing requirements, we are typically required to designate individual licensees of record. We cannot ensure that we are, and will always remain, in full compliance with all state licensing laws and regulations, and we may be subject to fines or penalties, including license revocation, for any non-compliance. If we lose a license or are otherwise found to be in violation of a law or regulation, our business operations in that state may be suspended until we obtain the license or otherwise remedy the compliance issue.

We may not be able to maintain all requisite licenses and permits, and the failure to satisfy those and other regulatory requirements could restrict our ability to originate, purchase, sell or service loans. In addition, our

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failure to satisfy any such requirements relating to servicing of loans could result in a default under our servicing agreements and have a material adverse effect on our operations. Those states that currently do not provide extensive regulation of our business may later choose to do so, and if such states so act, we may not be able to obtain or maintain all requisite licenses and permits. The failure to satisfy those and other regulatory requirements could limit our ability to originate, purchase, sell or service loans in a certain state, or could result in a default under our financing and servicing agreements and have a material adverse effect on our operations. Furthermore, the adoption of additional, or the revision of existing, rules and regulations could have a detrimental effect on our business.

If new laws and regulations lengthen foreclosure times or introduce new regulatory requirements regarding foreclosure procedures, our operating costs could increase and it could be subject to regulatory action.

When a mortgage loan we service is in foreclosure, it is generally required to continue to advance delinquent principal and interest to the securitization trust and to make advances for delinquent taxes and insurance and foreclosure costs and the upkeep of vacant property in foreclosure to the extent that it determines that such amounts are recoverable. These servicing advances are generally recovered when the delinquency is resolved. Regulatory actions that lengthen the foreclosure process will increase the amount of servicing advances that we are required to make, lengthen the time it takes for us to be reimbursed for such advances and increase the costs incurred during the foreclosure process.

The CARES Act paused all foreclosures from March 18, 2020 until May 17, 2020. Many state governors issued orders, directives, guidance or recommendations halting foreclosure activity including evictions. In addition, on August 8, 2020, President Trump issued an executive order setting forth recommendations and instructions for government agencies to assist borrowers facing foreclosure as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have an impact on foreclosure and eviction activity. These regulatory actions and similar actions that may be passed in the future could increase our operating costs and negatively impact our liquidity, as they may extend the period for which we are required to make advances for delinquent principal and interest, taxes and insurance, and could delay our ability to seek reimbursement from the investor to recoup some or all of the advances.

Increased regulatory scrutiny and new laws and procedures could cause us to adopt additional compliance measures and incur additional compliance costs in connection with our foreclosure processes. We may incur legal and other costs responding to regulatory inquiries or any allegation that we improperly foreclosed on a borrower. We could also suffer reputational damage and could be fined or otherwise penalized if we are found to have breached regulatory requirements.

Our servicing policies and procedures are subject to examination by our regulators, and the results of these examinations may be detrimental to our business.

As a loan servicer, we are examined for compliance with U.S. federal, state and local laws, rules and guidelines by numerous regulatory agencies. It is possible that any of these regulators will inquire about our servicing practices, policies or procedures and require us to revise them in the future. The occurrence of one or more of the foregoing events or a determination by any court or regulatory agency that our servicing policies and procedures do not comply with applicable law could lead to a transfer of our servicing responsibilities, increased delinquencies on mortgage loans we service or any combination of these events. Such a determination could also require us to modify our servicing standards.

Regulatory agencies and consumer advocacy groups are becoming more aggressive in asserting claims that the practices of lenders and loan servicers result in a disparate impact on protected classes.

Antidiscrimination statutes, such as the FHA and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, prohibit creditors from discriminating against loan applicants and borrowers based on certain characteristics, such as race, religion and

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national origin. Various federal regulatory agencies and departments, including the DOJ and CFPB, take the position that these laws apply not only to intentional discrimination, but also to neutral practices that have a disparate impact on a group that shares a characteristic that a creditor may not consider in making credit decisions (i.e., creditor or servicing practices that have a disproportionate negative effect on a protected class of individuals).

These regulatory agencies, as well as consumer advocacy groups and plaintiffs’ attorneys, are focusing greater attention on “disparate impact” claims. The U.S. Supreme Court recently confirmed that the “disparate impact” theory applies to cases brought under the FHA, while emphasizing that a causal relationship must be shown between a specific policy of the defendant and a discriminatory result that is not justified by a legitimate objective of the defendant. Although it is still unclear whether the theory applies under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, regulatory agencies and private plaintiffs can be expected to continue to apply it to both the FHA and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in the context of home loan lending and servicing. To extent that the “disparate impact” theory continues to apply, we may be faced with significant administrative burdens and potential liability for failures to comply.

Furthermore, many industry observers believe that the “ability to repay” rule issued by the CFPB, discussed above, will have the unintended consequence of having a disparate impact on protected classes. Specifically, it is possible that lenders that make only qualified mortgages may be exposed to discrimination claims under a disparate impact theory.

In addition to reputational harm, violations of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act can result in actual damages, punitive damages, injunctive or equitable relief, attorneys’ fees and civil money penalties.

We are controlled by SFS Corp., whose interests may conflict with our interests and the interests of other stockholders.

SFS Corp. holds all of our issued and outstanding Class D common stock, which has ten votes per share, and will control approximately 79% of the combined voting power of our Common Stock due to the Voting Limitation. Without the Voting Limitation, SFS Corp. would have 99% of the combined voting power of our capital stock. As long as SFS Corp. owns at least 10% of the outstanding Common Stock, SFS Corp. will have the ability to determine all corporate actions requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors and the size of our Board, any amendment to our certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or the approval of any merger or other significant corporate transaction, including a sale of substantially all of our assets. This could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control or otherwise discouraging a potential acquirer from attempting to obtain control of us, which could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline or prevent stockholders from realizing a premium over the market price for our Class A common stock. SFS Corp.’s interests may conflict with our interests as a company or the interests of our other stockholders.

Resales of the shares of Class A common stock issued in connection with the Private Placement or in connection with future UWM Unit Exchanges could depress the market price of our Class A common stock.

Immediately following the Business Combination and Private Placement, there were 103,104,205 shares of our Class A common stock outstanding. In addition, 1,502,069,787 shares of Class A common stock (or approximately 1,592,831,471 shares of Class A common stock if the full 90,761,684 of the additional UWM Common Units and shares of Class D Stock that SFS Corp. will be entitled to receive under the Business Combination Agreement if the volume weighted average closing sale price of one share of Class A Stock on the NYSE exceeds certain thresholds for a period of at least 10 days out of 30 consecutive trading days at any time during the five-year period following the closing of the Business Combination (the “Earn-Out Shares”) are issued) may be issued to SFS Corp. or its transferees or assignees in connection with future UWM Unit

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Exchanges. The shares held by our Public Stockholders are freely tradable, and the shares of Class A common stock held by certain qualified institutional investors and accredited investors (as defined in Rules 144A and the Securities Act) (the “Private Placement Investors”) will be freely tradable following effectiveness of this registration statement that we have agreed to file within 30 days after the completion of the Business Combination covering the resales of such shares. In addition, the Restricted Stockholders will be able to sell shares of Class A common stock following the effectiveness of this registration statement that we have agreed to file within 30 days after the completion of the Business Combination covering the resales of such shares, subject to the lock-up periods applicable to the such Restricted Stockholders. Also, the Restricted Stockholders will also be able to make a demand request at any time, subject to certain conditions, that a registration statement be filed covering the resales of shares of Class A common stock held by such Restricted Stockholders. We also expect that the Restricted Stockholders and Private Placement Investors will also be able to resell shares of our Class A common stock held by them under Rule 144 once one year has elapsed from the date that we filed the Current Report on Form 8-K following the closing of the Business Combination that included the required Form 10 information that reflected we are no longer a shell company.

Such sales of shares of Class A common stock or the perception of such sales may depress the market price of our Class A common stock.

As a “controlled company” within the meaning of NYSE listing rules, we qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. We have the opportunity to elect any of the exemptions afforded a controlled company.

Because SFS Corp. controls more than a majority of our total voting power, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of NYSE listing rules. Under NYSE rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by another person or group of persons acting together is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with the following NYSE rules regarding corporate governance:

Three of our nine directors are independent directors and our Board has an independent audit committee. However, our Board does not have a majority of independent directors, or a compensation committee comprised of solely independent directors or a nominating committee. Rather, actions with respect to executive compensation will be taken by the compensation committee on which Mr. Mat Ishbia sits, and compensation decisions with respect to Mr. Ishbia’s compensation will be taken by a special subcommittee, and director nominations will be made by our full Board. Our Board has determined that Kelly Czubak, Isiah Thomas and Robert Verdun are “independent directors,” as defined in the NYSE listing rules and applicable SEC rules.

If the Business Combination’s benefits do not meet the expectations of investors, stockholders or financial analysts, the market price of our securities may decline.

If the benefits of the Business Combination do not meet the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the market price of our securities may decline.

In addition, fluctuations in the price of our securities could contribute to the loss of all or part of your investment. Prior to the Business Combination, trading in the shares of our Class A common stock has not been

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active. Accordingly, the valuation ascribed to us and our Class A common may not be indicative of the price of that will prevail in the trading market in the future. If an active market for our securities develops and continues, the trading price of our securities could be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. Any of the factors listed below could have a material adverse effect on your investment in our securities and our securities may trade at prices significantly below the price you paid for them. In such circumstances, the trading price of our securities may not recover and may experience a further decline.

Factors affecting the trading price of our securities may include:

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Broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our securities irrespective of our operating performance. The stock market in general and NYSE have experienced price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the particular companies affected. The trading prices and valuations of these stocks, and of our securities, may not be predictable. A loss of investor confidence in the market for the stocks of other companies that investors perceive to be similar to our business could depress our stock price regardless of our business, prospects, financial conditions or results of operations. A decline in the market price of our securities also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional securities and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future.

In the past, securities class action litigation has often been initiated against companies following periods of volatility in their stock price. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources, and could also require us to make substantial payments to satisfy judgments or to settle litigation.

Warrants will become exercisable for our Class A common stock, which would increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.

We currently have outstanding Warrants to purchase 15,874,987 shares of Class A common stock with a strike price of $11.50 per share. The shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of our Warrants may result in dilution to the then existing holders of our Class A common stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market could adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

Anti-takeover provisions contained in our Charter and Amended and Restated Bylaws, as well as provisions of Delaware law, could impair a takeover attempt.

Our Charter contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together, these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities. These provisions will include:

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Our Charter contains a provision renouncing our interest and expectancy in certain corporate opportunities.

Our Charter provides that we have no interests or expectancy in, or being offered an opportunity to participate in any corporate opportunity, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, with respect to any lines of business or business activity or business venture conducted by any UWM Related Persons as of the date of the filing of our Charter with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware or received by, presented to or originated by UWM Related Persons after the date of the filing of our Charter with the Secretary of State of the

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State of Delaware in such UWM Related Person’s capacity as a UWM Related Person (and not in his, her or its capacity as a director, officer or employee of ours), in each case, other than any corporate opportunity with respect to residential mortgage lending. These provisions of our Charter create the possibility that a corporate opportunity of ours may be used for the benefit of the UWM Related Persons.

The provision of our Charter requiring exclusive forum in the state courts in the State of Michigan or the State of Delaware for certain types of lawsuits may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.

Our Charter will require that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, (i) any derivative action brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, or employee of our business to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our Charter or Amended and Restated Bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine of the State of Delaware, in each case, to be filed in either (x) the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Oakland County, Michigan (or, if the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Oakland County, Michigan lacks jurisdiction over any such action or proceeding, then another state court of the State of Michigan, or if no state court of the State of Michigan has jurisdiction over any such action or proceeding, then the United Stated District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan) or (y) the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware lacks jurisdiction over any such action or proceeding, then the Superior Court of the State of Delaware, or, if the Superior Court of the State of Delaware lacks jurisdiction then the United States District Court for the District of Delaware). The exclusive forum provision described above does not apply to actions arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, and Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

Although we believe these exclusive forum provisions benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law, the exclusive forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Further, in the event a court finds the exclusive forum provision contained in our Charter to be unenforceable or inapplicable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Testing and maintaining these controls can divert our management’s attention from other matters that are important to the operation of our business. If we identify material weaknesses in the internal control over our financial reporting or are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 or assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our Common Stock could be negatively affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.

Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to income taxes in the United States and other jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:

In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales and other transaction taxes by taxing authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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