_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
___________________________
FORM 10-K
þ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014
OR
¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from _____ to _____
Commission File No. 001-35674
REALOGY HOLDINGS CORP.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
20-8050955
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)
Commission File No. 333-148153
REALOGY GROUP LLC
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
20-4381990
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)
Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
175 Park Avenue
Madison, NJ 07940
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(973) 407-2000
(Registrants' telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: | |||
Title of each class | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
Realogy Holdings Corp. | Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share | New York Stock Exchange | |
Realogy Group LLC | None | None | |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
___________________________
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
Realogy Holdings Corp. Yes þ No ¨ Realogy Group LLC Yes ¨ No þ
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
Realogy Holdings Corp. Yes ¨ No þ Realogy Group LLC Yes þ No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Realogy Holdings Corp. Yes þ No ¨ Realogy Group LLC Yes ¨ No þ
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit and post such files).
Realogy Holdings Corp. Yes þ No ¨ Realogy Group LLC Yes þ No ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filer pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.
Realogy Holdings Corp. þ Realogy Group LLC þ
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, accelerated filer, non-accelerated filer, or smaller reporting company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | Accelerated filer | Non-accelerated filer | Smaller reporting company | ||||
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | |||||||
Realogy Holdings Corp. | þ | ¨ | ¨ | ¨ | |||
Realogy Group LLC | ¨ | ¨ | þ | ¨ | |||
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Realogy Holdings Corp. Yes ¨ No þ Realogy Group LLC Yes ¨ No þ
The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity of Realogy Holdings Corp. held by non-affiliates as of the close of business on June 30, 2014 was $5.5 billion. There were 146,396,713 shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value, of Realogy Holdings Corp. outstanding as of February 23, 2015.
Realogy Group LLC meets the conditions set forth in General Instruction I(1)(a) and (b) of Form 10-K and is therefore filing this Form with the reduced disclosure format applicable to Realogy Group LLC.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the Proxy Statement prepared for the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.
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PART I | ||
Item 1. | ||
Item 1A. | ||
Item 2. | ||
Item 3. | ||
Item 4. | ||
PART II | ||
Item 5. | ||
Item 6. | ||
Item 7. | ||
Item 7A. | ||
Item 8. | ||
Item 9. | ||
Item 9A. | ||
Item 9B. | ||
PART III | ||
Item 10. | ||
Item 11. | ||
Item 12. | ||
Item 13. | ||
Item 14. | ||
PART IV | ||
Item 15. | ||
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report and our other public filings or other public statements that we make from time to time are based on various facts and derived utilizing numerous important assumptions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include the information concerning our future financial performance, business strategy, projected plans and objectives, as well as projections of macroeconomic and industry trends, which are inherently unreliable due to the multiple factors that impact economic trends, and any such variations may be material. Statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "projects," "estimates," "plans," and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "should," "would," "may" and "could" are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical facts. You should understand that the following important factors could affect our future results and cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements:
• | risks related to general business, economic, employment and political conditions and the U.S. residential real estate markets, either regionally or nationally, including but not limited to: |
◦ | a lack of improvement or a decline in the number of homesales, stagnant or declining home prices and/or a deterioration in other economic factors that particularly impact the residential real estate market and the business segments in which we operate; |
◦ | a decrease in consumer confidence; |
◦ | the impact of recessions, slow economic growth, disruptions in the U.S. government or banking system and high levels of unemployment in the U.S. and abroad; |
◦ | increasing mortgage rates and/or constraints on the availability of mortgage financing; |
◦ | legislative, tax or regulatory changes that would adversely impact the residential real estate market, including potential reforms of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and potential tax code reform, which could reduce or eliminate the amount that taxpayers would be allowed to deduct for home mortgage interest; |
◦ | a decrease in housing affordability; |
◦ | high levels of foreclosure activity; |
◦ | insufficient or excessive home inventory levels by market; |
◦ | changing attitudes towards home ownership, particularly among potential first-time homebuyers who may delay, or decide not to, purchase a home; and |
◦ | the inability or unwillingness of current homeowners to purchase their next home due to various factors, including limited or negative equity in their current home, difficult mortgage underwriting standards, attractive rates on existing mortgages and the lack of available inventory; |
• | our geographic and high-end market concentration, particularly with respect to our company owned brokerage operations; |
• | our inability to enter into franchise agreements with new franchisees at current royalty rates or at all, or to realize royalty revenue growth from them; |
• | our inability to renew existing franchise agreements at current royalty rates or at all, or to maintain or enhance our value proposition to franchisees; |
• | the lack of revenue growth or declining profitability of our franchisees; |
• | disputes or issues with entities that license us their tradenames for use in our business that could impede our franchising of those brands; |
• | our inability to realize the benefits from acquisitions, including the 2014 acquisition of ZipRealty, due to the loss of key personnel of the acquired companies, as well as the possibility that expected benefits and synergies of the transactions may not be achieved in a timely manner or at all; |
• | actions by our franchisees that could harm our business or reputation, non-performance of our franchisees, controversies with our franchisees or actions against us by third parties with which our franchisees have business relationships; |
• | competition in our existing and future lines of business whether through traditional competitors or competitors with alternative business models, competition for our independent sales associates; |
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• | the general impact of emerging technologies on our business; |
• | our failure to comply with laws, regulations and regulatory interpretations and any changes in laws, regulations and regulatory interpretations, including but not limited to (1) state or federal employment laws or regulations that would require classification of independent contractor sales associates to employee status for prior and future periods, the application of wage and hour regulations and the provision of employee benefits mandated by law; and (2) challenges to certain of our business arrangements under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act or state consumer protection or similar laws; |
• | any adverse resolution of litigation, governmental or regulatory proceedings or arbitration awards; |
• | our inability to obtain new technologies and systems, to replace or introduce new technologies and systems as quickly as our competitors and in a cost-effective manner or to achieve the benefits anticipated from new technologies or systems; |
• | the failure or significant disruption of our operations from various causes related to our critical information technologies and systems including cybersecurity threats to our data and customer/franchisee data as well as reputational or financial risks associated with a loss of any such data; |
• | adverse effects of natural disasters or environmental catastrophes that affect local housing markets in which we operate; |
• | risks related to our international operations, including compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar anti-corruption laws as well as risks relating to the master franchisor model that we deploy internationally; |
• | risks associated with our substantial indebtedness and interest obligations and restrictions contained in our debt agreements, including risks relating to having to dedicate a significant portion of our cash flows from operations to service our debt; |
• | risks relating to our ability to refinance our indebtedness or incur additional debt; |
• | changes in corporate relocation practices resulting in fewer employee relocations or reduced relocation benefits; |
• | an increase in the claims rate of our title underwriter and an increase in mortgage rates could adversely impact the revenue stream of our title and settlement services segment; |
• | our inability to securitize certain assets of our relocation business, which would require us to find an alternative source of liquidity that may not be available, or if available, may not be on favorable terms; |
• | risks that could materially adversely impact our equity investment in PHH Home Loans LLC, our joint venture with PHH Corporation ("PHH"), including increases in mortgage interest rates, the impact of regulatory changes, litigation, investigations and inquiries or a change in control of PHH; |
• | any remaining resolutions or outcomes with respect to Cendant Corporation's contingent liabilities under the Separation and Distribution Agreement and the Tax Sharing Agreement, including any adverse impact on our future cash flows; and |
• | new types of taxes or increases in state, local or federal taxes that could diminish profitability or liquidity. |
Other factors not identified above, including those described under "Item 1A.—Risk Factors" and "Item 7.—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of this Annual Report, may also cause actual results to differ materially from those described in our forward-looking statements. Most of these factors are difficult to anticipate and are generally beyond our control. You should consider these factors in connection with considering any forward-looking statements that may be made by us and our businesses generally.
Except for our ongoing obligations to disclose material information under the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements, to report events or to report the occurrence of unanticipated events unless we are required to do so by law. For any forward-looking statement contained in this Annual Report, our public filings or other public statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
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TRADEMARKS AND SERVICE MARKS
We own or have rights to use the trademarks, service marks and trade names that we use in conjunction with the operation of our business. Some of the more important trademarks that we own or have rights to use that appear in this Annual Report include the CENTURY 21®, COLDWELL BANKER®, ERA®, THE CORCORAN GROUP®, COLDWELL BANKER COMMERCIAL®, SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY®, BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS® and ZIPREALTY® marks, which are registered in the United States and/or registered or pending registration in other jurisdictions, as appropriate, to the needs of our relevant business. Each trademark, trade name or service mark of any other company appearing in this Annual Report is owned by such company.
MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA AND FORECASTS
This Annual Report includes data, forecasts and information obtained from independent trade associations, industry publications and surveys and other information available to us. Some data is also based on our good faith estimates, which are derived from management’s knowledge of the industry and independent sources. As noted in this Annual Report, the National Association of Realtors ("NAR"), the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac") were the primary sources for third-party industry data and forecasts. While data provided by NAR and Fannie Mae are two indicators of the direction of the residential housing market, we believe that homesale statistics will continue to vary between us and NAR and Fannie Mae because they use survey data in their historical reports and forecasting models whereas we use data based on actual reported results. In addition to the differences in calculation methodologies, there are geographical differences and concentrations in the markets in which we operate versus the national market. For instance, comparability is hindered due to NAR’s utilization of seasonally adjusted annualized rates whereas we report actual period over period changes and their use of median price for their forecasts compared to our use of average price for historical periods. Additionally, NAR historical data is subject to periodic review and revision and these revisions could be material. NAR and Fannie Mae generally update their forecasts on a monthly basis and subsequent forecasts may change materially from those previously issued. While we believe that the industry data presented herein is derived from the most widely recognized sources for reporting U.S. residential housing market statistical data, we do not endorse or suggest reliance on this data alone.
Forecasts regarding rates of home ownership, median sales price, volume of homesales, and other metrics included in this Annual Report to describe the housing industry are inherently uncertain or speculative in nature and actual results for any period could materially differ. Industry publications, surveys and forecasts generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but such information may not be accurate or complete. We have not independently verified any of the data from third-party sources nor have we ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon therein. Statements as to our market position are based on market data currently available to us. While we are not aware of any misstatements regarding industry data provided herein, our estimates involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based upon various factors, including those discussed under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements." Similarly, we believe our internal research is reliable, even though such research has not been verified by any independent sources.
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PART I
Except as otherwise indicated or unless the context otherwise requires, the terms "we," "us," "our," "our company," "Realogy," "Realogy Holdings" and the "Company" refer to Realogy Holdings Corp., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries, including Realogy Intermediate Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company ("Realogy Intermediate"), and Realogy Group LLC, a Delaware limited liability company ("Realogy Group"), and its consolidated subsidiaries. Neither Realogy Holdings, the indirect parent of Realogy Group, nor Realogy Intermediate, the direct parent company of Realogy Group, conducts any operations other than with respect to its respective direct or indirect ownership of Realogy Group. As a result, the consolidated financial positions, results of operations and cash flows of Realogy Holdings, Realogy Intermediate and Realogy Group are the same.
Realogy Holdings is not a party to the senior secured credit facility and certain references in this report to our consolidated indebtedness exclude Realogy Holdings with respect to indebtedness under the senior secured credit facility. In addition, while Realogy Holdings is a guarantor of Realogy Group's obligations under its secured and unsecured notes, Realogy Holdings is not subject to the restrictive covenants in the indentures governing such indebtedness.
As used in this report, the term "3.375% Senior Notes" refers to our 3.375% Senior Notes due 2016. The term "4.50% Senior Notes" refers to our 4.50% Senior Notes due 2019. The term "5.25% Senior Notes" refers to our 5.25% Senior Notes due 2021. The term "7.875% First and a Half Lien Notes" refers to the 7.875% Senior Secured Note due 2019, which were retired in 2014. The term "9.00% First and a Half Lien Notes" refers to our 9.00% Senior Secured Notes due 2020. The term "7.625% First Lien Notes" refers to our 7.625 Senior Secured Notes due 2020. The term "Unsecured Notes" refers to our 3.375% Senior Notes, our 4.50% Senior Notes and our 5.25% Senior Notes. The term "First and a Half Lien Notes" refers to our 7.875% First and a Half Lien Notes and our 9.00% First and a Half Lien Notes. The term "Secured Notes" refers to our 7.625% First Lien Notes and our 9.00% First and a Half Lien Notes.
Item 1. Business.
Our Company
We are the preeminent and most integrated provider of residential real estate services in the U.S. We are the world's largest franchisor of residential real estate brokerages with some of the most recognized brands in the real estate industry, the largest owner of U.S. residential real estate brokerage offices, the largest U.S. and a leading global provider of outsourced employee relocation services and a significant provider of title and settlement services. Our owned and franchised brokerage businesses are more than two and a half times larger than their nearest competitor and in 2014. We were involved in approximately 27% of domestic existing homesale transaction volume that involved a real estate brokerage firm. Our revenue is derived on a fee-for-service basis, and given our breadth of complementary service offerings, we are able to generate fees from multiple aspects of a residential real estate transaction. Our operating platform is supported by our portfolio of industry leading franchise brokerage brands, including Century 21®, Coldwell Banker®, Coldwell Banker Commercial®, ERA®, Sotheby's International Realty® and Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate and we also own and operate The Corcoran Group® and Citi Habitats brands. Our multiple brands and operations allow us to derive revenue from many different segments of the residential real estate market, in many different geographies and at varying price points.
Segment Overview
We report our operations in four segments, each of which receives fees based upon services performed for our customers: Real Estate Franchise Services ("RFG"), Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services ("NRT"), Relocation Services ("Cartus®") and Title and Settlement Services ("TRG"). See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the financial statements, including the notes thereto, included elsewhere in this Annual Report, for further information on our reportable segments.
Real Estate Franchise Services. We are the largest franchisor of residential real estate brokerages in the world through our portfolio of well-known brokerage brands, including Century 21®, Coldwell Banker®, Coldwell Banker Commercial®, ERA®, Sotheby's International Realty® and Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate. At December 31, 2014, our real estate franchise systems (inclusive of our company owned brokerage operations) had approximately 13,500 offices worldwide in 104 countries and territories. This included approximately 6,000 brokerage offices in the U.S. and approximately 251,300 independent sales associates worldwide, including approximately 174,600 independent sales associates operating under our franchise and proprietary brands in the U.S. The average tenure among U.S. franchisees is approximately 20 years as of December 31, 2014. Our franchisees pay us fees for the right to operate under one of our trademarks and to enjoy the benefits of the systems and business enhancing tools provided by our real estate franchise operations. In addition to highly
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competitive brands that provide unique offerings to our franchisees, we support our franchisees with dedicated national marketing and servicing programs, technology, training and education to facilitate our franchisees in growing their business and increasing their revenue and profitability. We believe that one of our strengths is the strong relationships that we have with our franchisees, as evidenced by our 98% retention rate through December 31, 2014. Our retention rate represents the annual gross commission income as of December 31 of the previous year generated by our franchisees that remain in the franchise systems one year later, measured against the annual gross commission income of all franchisees as of December 31 of the previous year. In 2014, we acquired ZipRealty, an innovative residential real estate brokerage and developer of proprietary technology platforms for real estate brokerages, independent sales associates and customers. During 2015, we expect to introduce ZipRealty's comprehensive, turnkey integrated "Zap" technology platform to certain of our franchisees, ahead of a broader rollout of these tools that we believe will increase the value proposition to our franchisees, their independent sales associates and their customers.
Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services. We own and operate the largest residential real estate brokerage business in the U.S. under the Coldwell Banker®, Corcoran Group®, Sotheby's International Realty®, ZipRealty® and Citi Habitats brand names. We offer full-service residential brokerage services through more than 725 company owned brokerage offices with approximately 45,000 independent sales agents in more than 45 of the 100 largest metropolitan areas of the U.S. As a result of our attractive geographic and market positioning, the average sales price of an NRT transaction is approximately twice the national average. NRT, as the broker for a home buyer or seller, derives revenues primarily from gross commission income received at the closing of real estate transactions. In addition, we participate in the mortgage process through our 49.9% ownership of PHH Home Loans LLC ("PHH Home Loans"), our home mortgage venture with PHH. To complement its residential brokerage services, NRT offers home ownership services that include comprehensive single-family residential property management in many of the nation's largest rental markets.
Relocation Services. We are a leading global provider of outsourced employee relocation services. We are the largest provider of such services in the U.S. and also operate in key international relocation destinations. We offer a broad range of world-class employee relocation services designed to manage all aspects of an employee's move to facilitate a smooth transition in what otherwise may be a complex and difficult process for the employee and employer. Our relocation services business serves corporations, including 56% of the Fortune 50 companies. We also service affinity organizations such as insurance companies and credit unions that provide our services to their members. In 2014, we assisted in over 171,000 corporate and affinity relocations in nearly 150 countries for approximately 1,100 active clients. As of December 31, 2014, our top 25 relocation clients had an average tenure of approximately 19 years with us.
Title and Settlement Services. We assist with the closing of real estate transactions by providing full-service title and settlement (i.e., closing and escrow) services to customers, real estate companies, including our company owned real estate brokerage and relocation services businesses, as well as a targeted channel of large financial institution clients, including PHH. In 2014, TRG was involved in the closing of approximately 141,000 transactions of which approximately 58,000 related to NRT. In addition to our own title and settlement services, we also coordinate a nationwide network of attorneys, title agents and notaries to service financial institution clients on a national basis. We also serve as an underwriter of title insurance policies in connection with residential and commercial real estate transactions.
* * *
Our headquarters is located at 175 Park Avenue, Madison, New Jersey 07940. Our general telephone number is (973) 407-2000. We were incorporated on December 14, 2006 in the State of Delaware. The Company files electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") required reports on Form 8-K, Form 10-Q and Form 10-K; proxy materials; ownership reports for insiders as required by Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; registration statements and other forms or reports as required. Certain of the Company's officers and directors also file statements of changes in beneficial ownership on Form 4 with the SEC. The public may read and copy any materials that the Company has filed with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room located at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 800-SEC-0330. Such materials may also be accessed electronically on the SEC's Internet site (www.sec.gov). We maintain an Internet website at http://www.realogy.com and make available free of charge on or through our website our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, Section 16 reports and any amendments to these reports in the Investor Relations section of our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Our website address is provided as an inactive textual reference. The contents of our website are not incorporated by reference herein or otherwise a part of this Annual Report.
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Industry Trends
Industry definition. We primarily operate in the U.S. residential real estate industry, which is approximately a $1.4 trillion industry based on 2014 transaction volume (i.e. average homesale price times number of new and existing homesale transactions), as compared to $2.1 trillion in 2006, and derive substantially all of our revenues from serving the needs of buyers and sellers of existing homes rather than those of new homes. Residential real estate brokerage companies typically realize revenues in the form of a commission that is based on a percentage of the price of each home sold. As a result, the real estate industry generally benefits from rising home prices and increasing homesale transactions (and conversely is adversely impacted by falling prices and lower homesale transactions). We believe that existing homesale transactions and the services associated with these transactions, such as mortgage origination, title services and relocation services, represent the most attractive segment of the residential real estate industry for the following reasons:
• | the existing homesales segment represents a significantly larger addressable market than new homesales. Of the approximately 5.4 million homesales in the U.S. in 2014, NAR estimates that approximately 4.9 million were existing homesales, representing approximately 92% of the overall sales as measured in units; |
• | existing homesales afford us the opportunity to represent either the buyer or the seller and in some cases both the buyer and the seller; and |
• | we are able to generate revenues from ancillary services provided to our customers. |
We also believe that the traditional broker-assisted business model compares favorably to alternative channels of the residential brokerage industry, such as discount brokers and "for sale by owner" for the following reasons:
• | a real estate transaction has certain characteristics that we believe are best suited for full-service brokerages, such as: |
◦ | the average homesale transaction size is very high and generally is the largest transaction one does in a lifetime; |
◦ | homesale transactions occur infrequently; |
◦ | there is a high variance in price, depending on neighborhood, floor plan, architecture, fixtures, and outdoor space; |
◦ | there is a compelling need for personal service as home preferences are unique to each buyer; |
◦ | a high level of support is required given the complexity associated with the process; and |
◦ | there is a need for specific marketing and technology services and support given the complexity of the transaction. |
• | while substantially all homebuyers start their search for a home using the internet, according to NAR, 88% of homes were sold using an agent or broker in 2014 compared to 79% in 2001. We believe that the enhanced service and value offered by a traditional agent or broker is such that using a traditional agent or broker will continue to be the primary method of buying and selling a home in the long term. |
Cyclical nature of industry. The U.S. residential real estate industry is cyclical in nature and has historically shown strong growth. Based on information published by NAR, existing homesale units increased at a compound annual growth rate, or CAGR, of 1.8% from 1972 through 2014, with 26 annual increases, versus 16 annual decreases. During that same period, median existing homesale prices increased at a CAGR of 4.9% (not adjusted for inflation) from 1972 through 2014, a period that included four economic recessions. According to NAR, the existing homesale transaction volume (median homesale price times existing homesale transactions) was approximately $1 trillion in 2014 and grew at a CAGR of 6.8% from 1972 through 2014 period.
Commencing in the second half of 2005 and continuing through 2011, the U.S. residential real estate industry was in a significant and lengthy downturn. Based upon data published by NAR from 2005 to 2011, the number of annual U.S. existing homesale units declined by 40% and the median existing homesale price declined by 24%. Based upon data published by NAR from 2011 to 2014, the number of annual U.S. existing homesale units and the median existing homesale price improved by 16% and 26%, respectively.
According to NAR, beginning in 2012, the U.S. residential real estate industry began its recovery. In the first two years of the current housing recovery—2012 and 2013—homesale transaction volume (average homesale price multiplied by homesale transactions) improved 15% and 19%, respectively. We believe that the improvement in 2012 and 2013 was driven by high affordability of home ownership and demand that built up during an extended period of economic
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uncertainty, as well as historically low interest rates and lower home inventory levels leading to increases in homesale prices.
According to NAR, homesale transaction volume growth slowed to 1% in 2014 compared to 2013. The small homesale transaction volume gain in 2014 was primarily driven by recovering home prices. In fact, the number of homesale transactions in 2014 declined year-over-year which we believe is due to continued economic uncertainty, lower inventory levels, an increase in mortgage rates and home prices, continuing tight mortgage underwriting standards which are significantly impacting first time homebuyers and other financial obstacles for various homebuyers.
According to Fannie Mae, in 2014, refinancing originations significantly declined to $506 billion resulting in a 55% decline from 2013 levels. The reduction in refinancing activity in 2014 adversely impacted our share of earnings from our PHH Home Loans venture as well as refinancing related revenue and profitability at our title and settlement services operations.
As of their most recent releases, Fannie Mae and NAR are forecasting a 5% and 7% increase in existing homesale transactions in 2015 compared to 2014, respectively. With respect to homesale prices, Fannie Mae and NAR are forecasting a 4% and 5% increase in median existing homesale prices for 2015 compared to 2014, respectively. For 2016, Fannie Mae and NAR are forecasting a 2% and 4% increase in homesale transactions compared to 2015, respectively. With respect to homesale prices, Fannie Mae and NAR are both forecasting a 4% increase in median existing homesale prices in 2016 compared to 2015. NAR believes that the improvement in the number of homesale transactions in 2015 will be due to a strengthening economy and solid job gains.
Favorable long-term demographics. We believe that long-term demand for housing and the growth of our industry is primarily driven by affordability, the economic health of the U.S. economy, positive demographic trends such as population growth, increases in the number of U.S. households, low interest rates, increases in renters that qualify as homebuyers and locally based factors. We believe that the residential real estate market will benefit over the long term from expected positive fundamentals, including the following factors:
• | based on U.S. Census data and NAR, from 1991 through 2014, the average number of existing homesale transactions as a percentage of U.S. households was approximately 4.4%, compared to an average of approximately 3.8% from 2007 through 2014. During the same period, the number of U.S. households grew from 94 million in 1991 to 123 million in 2014, increasing at a 1% CAGR. We believe that as the U.S. economy stabilizes, the number of existing homesale transactions as a percentage of U.S. households will progress to the 4.4% mean level and the number of annual existing homesale transactions will increase; |
• | according to the 2014 State of the Nation's Housing Report compiled by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies: |
◦ | the number of U.S. households is projected to grow between 11.6 million and 13.2 million by 2025 depending on immigration trends; and |
◦ | the millennial generation is expected to account for 24 million new households in the next decade, thus driving up demand for housing; and |
• | we believe that buying a home will be less expensive than renting a home due to rising rents vs. increases in home equity over the long term. |
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Participation in Multiple Aspects of the Residential Real Estate Market
We participate in services associated with many aspects of the residential real estate market. Our four complementary businesses and mortgage joint venture work together, allowing us to generate revenue at various points in a residential real estate transaction, including listing of homes, assisting buyers in home searches, corporate relocation and affinity services, settlement and title services, and franchising of our brands. The businesses each benefit from our deep understanding of the industry, strong relationships with real estate brokers, sale associates and other real estate professionals and expertise across the transactional process. Unlike other industry participants who offer only one or two services, we can offer homeowners, our franchisees and our corporate and affinity clients ready access to numerous associated services that facilitate and simplify the home purchase and sale process. These services provide further revenue opportunities for our owned businesses and those of our franchisees. Specifically, our brokerage offices and those of our franchisees participate in purchases and sales of homes involving relocations of corporate transferees and affinity members using Cartus® relocation services and we offer customers (purchasers and sellers) of both our owned and franchised brokerage businesses convenient title and settlement services. These services produce incremental revenues for our businesses and franchisees. In addition, we participate in the mortgage process through our 49.9% ownership of PHH Home Loans. All four of our businesses and our mortgage joint venture can derive revenue from the same real estate transaction.
Our Brands
Our brands are among the most well-known and established real estate brokerage brands in the real estate industry. In 2014, based on NAR's historical survey data and our own results, we were involved, either through our franchise operations or our company owned brokerages, in approximately 27% of all existing homesale transaction volume (sides times average price) for domestic transactions involving a real estate brokerage firm.
Our real estate franchise brands are listed in the following chart, which includes information as of December 31, 2014 for both our franchised and company owned offices:
Franchise Brands (1) |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||
Worldwide Offices (2) | 6,900 | 3,000 | 2,300 | 760 | 280 | 150 | ||||||||||||
Worldwide Brokers and Sales Associates (2) | 101,200 | 86,000 | 33,400 | 16,600 | 9,150 | 2,200 | ||||||||||||
U.S. Annual Sides | 394,989 | 705,322 | 116,533 | 87,420 | 57,335 | N/A | ||||||||||||
# of Countries with Owned or Franchised Operations | 78 | 43 | 35 | 60 | 2 | 43 | ||||||||||||
Characteristics | World's largest residential real estate sales organization Identified by consumers as the most recognized name in real estate Significant international office footprint | Longest running national real estate brand in the U.S. (since 1906) Known for innovative consumer services, marketing and technology | Driving value through innovation and collaboration Highest percentage of international offices among international brands | Synonymous with luxury Strong ties to auction house established in 1744 Rapid international growth | Growing real estate brand launched in July 2008 Unique relationship with a leading media company, including largest lifestyle magazine in the U.S. | A commercial real estate franchise organization Serves a wide range of clients from corporations to small businesses to individual clients and investors | ||||||||||||
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(1) | Does not include The Corcoran Group®, ZipRealty® and Citi Habitats. |
(2) Includes offices and related brokers and sales associates of franchisees of master franchisors.
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Real Estate Franchise Services
Our primary objectives as the largest franchisor of residential real estate brokerages in the world are to sell new franchises, retain existing franchises, create or acquire new brands and, most importantly, provide branding and support to our franchisees. At December 31, 2014, our real estate franchise systems had approximately 13,500 offices worldwide in 104 countries and territories in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Australia, including approximately 6,000 brokerage offices in the U.S.
We derive substantially all of our real estate franchising revenues from royalties received under long-term franchise agreements with our domestic franchisees (typically ten years in duration) and NRT. These royalties are based on a percentage of the franchisees' sales commission earned from closed homesale sides (either the "buy" side or the "sell" side of a real estate transaction), which we refer to as gross commission income. Our franchisees pay us royalties, net of volume incentives achieved (other than NRT), for the right to operate under one of our trademarks and to utilize the benefits of the franchise systems. We provide our franchisees with certain systems and tools that are designed to help our franchisees serve their customers and attract new or retain existing independent sales associates, and support our franchisees with servicing programs, technology, education and market information, as well as branding-related marketing which is funded through contributions by our franchisees and us (including our company owned brokerage offices). We operate and maintain an Internet-based reporting system for our domestic franchisees which generally allows them to electronically transmit listing information and other relevant reporting data to our websites. We also own and operate websites for each of our brands for the benefit of our franchisees.
The 2014 acquisition of ZipRealty reflects the Company's ongoing commitment to enhancing the value proposition we provide to our franchisees, including technology-enabled solutions. Its Zap platform, when rolled out to franchisees, is expected to aid in generating additional business opportunities for our franchisees and their independent sales associates, connect those associates to a predictive customer relationship management (CRM) tool and inform them with valuable client insight to help those associates increase their productivity. ZipRealty has developed the Zap platform from a real estate brokerage perspective to enhance the real estate transaction experience for customers, independent sales associates and our franchisees.
RFG's domestic annual net royalty revenues from franchisees other than our company owned brokerages are calculated by multiplying (1) that year's total number of closed homesale sides in which those franchisees participated by (2) the average sale price of those homesales by (3) the average brokerage commission rate charged by these franchisees by (4) RFG's net effective royalty rate. The net effective royalty rate represents the average percentage of our franchisees' commission revenues paid to us as a royalty, net of volume incentives achieved. The net effective royalty rate does not include the effect of non-standard incentives granted to some franchisees. The domestic royalty revenue from NRT is also calculated by multiplying homesale sides by average sale price by average brokerage commission rate by 6% royalty rate. NRT does not get volume incentives. In addition to domestic royalty revenue, RFG earns royalty revenue from international affiliates, marketing fees, upfront international fees and preferred alliance program and other revenue. The following chart illustrates the key drivers for revenue earned by RFG:
We believe one of our strengths is the strong relationships that we have with our franchisees as evidenced by the franchisee retention rate of 98% through December 31, 2014. Our retention rate represents the annual gross commission income as of December 31 of the previous year generated by our franchisees that remain in the franchise systems on an annual basis, measured against the annual gross commission income of all franchisees as of December 31 of the previous year. On average, our domestic franchisees' tenure with our brands was approximately 20 years as of December 31, 2014. During 2014, none of our franchisees (other than our company owned brokerage operations) generated more than 1% of our real estate franchise business revenues.
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The franchise agreements impose restrictions on the business and operations of the franchisees and require them to comply with the operating and identity standards set forth in each brand's policy and procedures manuals. A franchisee's failure to comply with these restrictions and standards could result in a termination of the franchise agreement. The franchisees generally are not permitted to terminate the franchise agreements prior to their expiration, and in those cases where termination rights do exist, they are very limited (e.g., if the franchisee retires, becomes disabled or dies). Generally, new domestic franchise agreements have a term of ten years and require the franchisees to pay us an initial franchise fee for the franchisee's principal office plus, upon the receipt of any commission income, a royalty fee in most cases equal to 6% of their commission income. Each of our franchise systems (other than Coldwell Banker Commercial®) offers a volume incentive program, whereby each franchisee is eligible to receive a refund of a portion of the royalties paid upon the satisfaction of certain conditions. The amount of the volume incentive varies depending upon the franchisee's annual gross revenue subject to royalty payments for each calendar year. Under the current form of the franchise agreements, the volume incentive varies for each franchise system, and ranges from zero to 3% of gross revenues. We provide a detailed table to each franchisee that describes the gross revenue thresholds required to achieve a volume incentive and the corresponding incentive amounts. We reserve the right to increase or decrease the percentage and/or dollar amounts in the table on an annual basis, subject to certain limitations. Our company owned brokerage offices do not participate in the volume incentive program.
Each franchise system requires all franchisees and company owned offices to make monthly contributions to marketing funds maintained by each brand. These contributions are required to be used for the development, implementation, production, placement and payment of national and regional advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations and/or other programs to promote and further the recognition of each brand and its independent franchisees. We cannot use these contributions for other purposes and, as a result, marketing revenue is generally offset by an equal amount of marketing expense. In addition to the contributions from franchisees and company owned offices, the Real Estate Franchise Services group is required to make contributions to one of the marketing funds and may make discretionary contributions (at its option) to any of the marketing funds.
Under certain circumstances, we extend conversion notes (development advance notes were issued prior to 2009) to eligible franchisees for the purpose of providing an incentive to join the brand, to renew their franchise agreements, or to facilitate their growth opportunities. Growth opportunities include the expansion of franchisees' existing businesses by opening additional offices, through the consolidation of operations of other franchisees, as well as through the acquisition of independent sales agents and offices operated by independent brokerages. Many franchisees use the proceeds from the conversion notes to change stationery, signage and marketing materials, upgrade technology and websites, or to assist in acquiring companies. The notes are not funded until appropriate credit checks and other due diligence matters are completed and the business is opened and operating under one of our brands. Upon satisfaction of certain performance based thresholds, the notes are forgiven over the term of the franchise agreement.
In addition to offices owned and operated by our franchisees, we, through NRT, own and operate more than 725 offices primarily under the Coldwell Banker®, Coldwell Banker Commercial® and Sotheby's International Realty® brand names. NRT pays intercompany royalty fees and marketing fees to our Real Estate Franchise Services Segment in connection with its operation of these offices. These fees are recognized as income or expense by the applicable segment level and eliminated in the consolidation of our businesses. NRT is not eligible for any volume incentives.
In the U.S., we employ a direct franchising model whereby we contract with and provide services directly to independent owner-operators. Elsewhere, for all brands other than Sotheby's International Realty, we employ a master franchise model (with limited exceptions in Canada), whereby we contract with a qualified third party to build a franchise network in the country or region in which franchising rights have been granted. In the case of Sotheby's International Realty, a direct franchising model is generally utilized. Under both the direct and the master franchise model, we typically enter into long-term franchise agreements (often 25 years in duration) and receive an initial area development fee and ongoing royalties. Under the master franchise model, the ongoing royalties we receive are generally a percentage of the royalties received by the master franchisor from its franchisees with which it contracts. Under the direct franchise model, a royalty fee is paid to us on transactions conducted by our franchisees in the applicable country or region.
We also offer third-party service providers an opportunity to market their products to our franchisees and their independent sales associates and customers through our preferred alliance program. To participate in this program, service providers generally agree to provide preferred pricing to our franchisees and/or their independent sales associates and to pay us some combination of an initial licensing or access fee, subsequent marketing fees and commissions based upon our franchisees' or independent sales associates' usage of the preferred alliance vendors. In connection with the spin-off of PHH, Cendant's former mortgage business, PHH Mortgage Corporation, the subsidiary of PHH that conducts mortgage
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financing, is the only provider of mortgages for customers of our franchisees that we endorse. We receive a fee from PHH for licensing our brands and an advertising fee for allowing PHH promotional opportunities on websites, in offices and at periodic group events.
We own the trademarks Century 21®, Coldwell Banker®, Coldwell Banker Commercial®, ERA® and related trademarks and logos, and such trademarks and logos are material to the businesses that are part of our real estate franchise segment. Our franchisees and our subsidiaries actively use these trademarks, and all of the material trademarks are registered (or have applications pending) with the United States Patent and Trademark Office as well as with corresponding trademark offices in major countries worldwide where these businesses have significant operations.
We have an exclusive license to own, operate and franchise the Sotheby's International Realty® brand to qualified residential real estate brokerage offices and individuals operating in eligible markets pursuant to a license agreement with SPTC Delaware LLC, a subsidiary of Sotheby's ("Sotheby's"). Such license agreement has a 100-year term, which consists of an initial 50-year term ending February 16, 2054 and a 50-year renewal option. In connection with our acquisition of such license, we also acquired the domestic residential real estate brokerage operations of Sotheby's which are now operated by NRT. We pay a licensing fee to Sotheby's for the use of the Sotheby's International Realty® name equal to 9.5% of the net royalties earned by our Real Estate Franchise Services Segment attributable to franchisees affiliated with the Sotheby's International Realty® brand, including our company owned offices.
In October 2007, we entered into a long-term license agreement to own, operate and franchise the Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate brand from Meredith. The license agreement between Realogy and Meredith is for a 50-year term, with a renewal option for another 50 years at our option. We pay an annual minimum licensing fee which began in 2009 at $0.5 million and has gradually increased on an annual basis to $4 million in 2014 and will generally remain the same hereafter. At December 31, 2014, we had approximately 280 offices with approximately 9,150 independent sales associates operating under the Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate brand name in the U.S. and Canada.
Each of our brands has a consumer website that offers real estate listings, contacts and services. Century21.com, coldwellbanker.com, coldwellbankercommercial.com, sothebysrealty.com, era.com and bhgrealestate.com are the official websites for the Century 21®, Coldwell Banker®, Coldwell Banker Commercial®, Sotheby's International Realty®, ERA® and Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate franchise systems, respectively. The contents of these websites are not incorporated by reference herein or otherwise a part of this Annual Report.
Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services
Through our subsidiary, NRT, we own and operate a full-service real estate brokerage business in more than 45 of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. Our company owned real estate brokerage business operates under the Coldwell Banker® and Sotheby's International Realty® franchised brands as well as proprietary brands that we own, but do not currently franchise, such as The Corcoran Group®, ZipRealty® and Citi Habitats. As of December 31, 2014, we had more than 725 company owned brokerage offices, approximately 4,900 employees and approximately 45,000 independent sales associates working with these company owned offices.
Our company owned real estate brokerage business derives revenue primarily from gross commission income received serving as the broker at the closing of real estate transactions. For the year ended December 31, 2014, our average homesale broker commission rate was 2.47% which represents the average commission rate earned on either the "buy" side or the "sell" side of a homesale transaction. Gross commission income is also earned on non-sale transactions such as home rentals. NRT, as a franchisee of RFG, pays a royalty fee of 6% per transaction to RFG from the commission earned on a real estate transaction. The following chart illustrates the key drivers for revenue earned by NRT:
In addition, as a full-service real estate brokerage company, we promote the complementary services of our relocation and title and settlement services businesses, in addition to PHH Home Loans. We believe we provide integrated services that enhance the customer experience.
When we assist the seller in a real estate transaction, independent sales associates generally provide the seller with a full service marketing program, which may include developing a direct marketing plan for the property, assisting the seller in pricing the property and preparing it for sale, listing it on multiple listing services, advertising the property (including on websites), showing the property to prospective buyers, assisting the seller in sale negotiations, and assisting the seller in preparing for closing the transaction. When we assist the buyer in a real estate transaction, independent sales associates generally help the buyer in locating specific properties that meet the buyer's personal and financial specifications, show properties to the buyer, assist the buyer in negotiating (where permissible) and in preparing for closing the transaction.
At December 31, 2014, we operated approximately 90% of our offices under the Coldwell Banker® brand name, 5% of our offices under the Sotheby's International Realty® brand name and 5% of our offices under The Corcoran Group®, Citi Habitats and ZipRealty® brand names. Our offices are geographically diverse with a strong presence in the east and west coast areas, where home prices are generally higher. We operate our Coldwell Banker® offices in numerous regions throughout the U.S., our Sotheby's International Realty® offices in several regions throughout the U.S, and The Corcoran Group® offices in New York City, the Hamptons (New York), and Palm Beach, Florida.
We intend to grow our business both organically and through strategic acquisitions. To grow organically, we will focus on working with office managers to attract, retain and effectively coordinate with independent sales associates who can successfully engage and promote transactions from new and existing clients.
We have a dedicated group of professionals whose function is to identify, evaluate and complete acquisitions. We are continuously evaluating acquisitions that will allow us to enter into new markets and to profitably expand our existing markets through "tuck-in" acquisitions. Following the completion of an acquisition, we consolidate the newly acquired operations with our existing operations. By consolidating operations, we reduce or eliminate duplicative costs, such as advertising, rent and administrative support. By utilizing our existing infrastructure to coordinate with a broader network of independent sales associates and revenue base, we can enhance the profitability of our operations. We also seek to enhance the profitability of newly acquired operations by strategies that increase the productivity of the newly affiliated independent sales associates. We offer these independent sales associates supplemental tools, marketing information that are often unavailable at smaller firms, such as access to sophisticated information technology and ongoing technical support, increased brand advertising and brand marketing support, relocation referrals, and a wide offering of brokerage-related services.
Our real estate brokerage business has a contract with Cartus under which the brokerage business provides brokerage services to relocating employees of the clients of Cartus. When receiving a referral from Cartus, our brokerage business seeks to assist the buyer in completing a homesale or home purchase. Upon completion of a homesale or home purchase, our brokerage business receives a commission on the purchase or sale of the property and is obligated to pay Cartus a portion of such commission as a referral fee. We believe that these fees are comparable to the fees charged by other relocation companies.
PHH Home Loans, our home mortgage venture with PHH, a publicly traded company, has a 50-year term, subject to earlier termination. We own 49.9% of the home mortgage venture and PHH owns the remaining 50.1%. Either party has the right to terminate the joint venture upon the occurrence of certain events, such as a material breach or the insolvency of the other party. In addition, we may terminate the joint venture upon a change of control of PHH involving certain entities enumerated by us (and which may be updated by us once every two years) or any competitor of ours. Upon any termination of the joint venture by us as a result of any of the events described in this paragraph, we may require that PHH purchase our interest or sell its interest to a buyer designated by us. If we terminate the venture pursuant to any of the events described in this paragraph, we are entitled to receive a termination fee.
In addition, we may terminate the joint venture at our election by providing two years' prior notice to PHH at any time after January 31, 2015, and PHH may terminate the venture at its election effective January 31, 2030, by notice delivered no earlier than three years, but not later than two years, before such date. If we exercise our two-year termination right, we may require that PHH purchase our interest or sell its interest to a buyer designated by us. The purchase price of the joint venture interest being sold by Realogy or PHH, as the case may be, will be the fair value of such interest determined through a valuation process and in the case of Realogy putting its shares to PHH, taking into account the automatic termination of all of the joint venture agreements.
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All mortgage loans originated by the venture are sold to PHH or other third-party investors after a hold period, and PHH Home Loans does not hold any mortgage loans for investment purposes or perform servicing functions for any loans it originates. Accordingly, we have no mortgage servicing rights asset risk.
Relocation Services
Through our subsidiary, Cartus, we are a leading global provider of outsourced employee relocation services.
We primarily offer corporate clients employee relocation services, such as:
• | homesale assistance, including the valuation, inspection, purchasing and selling of a transferee's home; the issuance of home equity advances to transferees permitting them to purchase a new home before selling their current home (these advances are generally guaranteed by the client); certain home management services; assistance in locating a new home; and closing on the sale of the old home, generally at the instruction of the client; |
• | expense processing, relocation policy counseling, relocation-related accounting, including international assignment compensation services, and other consulting services; |
• | arranging household goods moving services, approximately 60,000 domestic and international shipments in 2014, and providing support for all aspects of moving a transferee's household goods, including the handling of insurance and claim assistance, invoice auditing and quality control; |
• | coordinating visa and immigration support, intercultural and language training, and expatriation/repatriation counseling and destination services; and |
• | group move management services providing coordination for moves involving a large number of transferees to or from a specific regional area over a short period of time. |
The wide range of our services allows our clients to outsource their entire relocation programs to us.
In 2014, we assisted in over 171,000 corporate and affinity relocations in nearly 150 countries for approximately 1,100 active clients, including 56% of the Fortune 50 companies as well as affinity organizations. Cartus has operations in the U.S. as well as internationally in the United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, India, Brazil, Germany, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Substantially all of our homesale service transactions that we provide to our clients are classified as "no risk." Under "no risk" business, the client is responsible for reimbursement of all direct expenses associated with the homesale. Such expenses include, but are not limited to, appraisal, inspection and real estate brokerage commissions. The client also bears the risk of loss on the resale of the transferee's home. Clients are responsible for reimbursement of all other direct costs associated with the relocation, including, but not limited to, costs to move household goods, mortgage origination points, temporary living and travel expenses. Generally, we fund the direct expenses associated with the homesale as well as those associated with the relocation on behalf of the client and the client then reimburses us for these costs plus interest charges on the advanced money. This limits our exposure on "no risk" homesale services to the credit risk of our clients rather than to the potential fluctuations in the real estate market or to the creditworthiness of the individual transferring employee. Historically, due to the credit quality of our clients, we have had minimal losses with respect to these "no risk" homesale services.
The "at risk" business that we conduct is minimal. In "at risk" homesale service transactions, we acquire the home being sold by relocating employees, pay for all direct expenses (acquisition, carrying and selling costs) associated with the homesale and bear any loss on the sale of the home.
Substantially all of our contracts with our relocation clients are terminable at any time at the option of the client and are non-exclusive. If a client terminates its contract, we will be compensated for all services performed up to the time of termination and reimbursed for all expenses incurred to the time of termination.
There are a number of different revenue streams associated with relocation services. We earn referral commissions primarily from real estate brokers and household goods moving companies that provide services to the transferee. Clients may also pay transactional fees for the services performed. We also earn net interest income which represents interest earned from clients on the funds we advance on behalf of the transferring employee net of costs associated with the securitization obligations used to finance these payments. Cartus measures operating performance based on initiations,
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which represent the total number of transferees and affinity members we serve, and referrals, which represent the number of referrals from which we earn revenue from real estate brokers.
About 12% of our relocation revenue in 2014 was derived from our affinity services, which provide real estate services, including home buying and selling assistance, as well as mortgage assistance to organizations such as insurance companies and credit unions that have established members who are buying or selling a home. Often these organizations offer our affinity services to their members at no cost and, where permitted, provide their members with a financial incentive for using these services. These member benefits and services help the organizations attract new members and retain current members.
The following chart illustrates the key drivers for revenue generated by Cartus:
We also manage the Cartus Broker Network, which is a network of real estate brokers consisting of our company owned brokerage operations, select franchisees and independent real estate brokers who have been approved to become members. Member brokers of the Cartus Broker Network receive referrals from our relocation services business in exchange for a referral fee. The Cartus Broker Network closed approximately 86,000 real estate transactions in 2014 related to relocation, affinity, and broker to broker activity.
Title and Settlement Services
Our title and settlement services business, TRG, provides full-service title and settlement (i.e., closing and escrow) services to real estate companies and financial institutions. We act in the capacity of a title agent and sell title insurance to property buyers and mortgage lenders. We are licensed as a title agent in 42 states and Washington, D.C., and have physical locations in 24 states and Washington, D.C. We issue title insurance policies on behalf of large national underwriters as well as through our Dallas-based subsidiary, Title Resources Guaranty Company ("Title Resources"). Title Resources is a title insurance underwriter licensed in 28 states and Washington, D.C. We operate mostly in major metropolitan areas. As of December 31, 2014, we had approximately 356 offices, approximately 209 of which are co-located within one of our company owned brokerage offices.
Virtually all lenders require their borrowers to obtain title insurance policies at the time mortgage loans are made on real property. The terms and conditions upon which the real property will be insured are determined in accordance with the standard policies and procedures of the title underwriter. When our title agencies sell title insurance, the title search and examination function is performed by the agent. The title agent and underwriter split the premium. The amount of such premium "split" is determined by agreement between the agency and underwriter, or is promulgated by state law. We derive revenue through fees charged in real estate transactions for rendering the services described above, fees charged for escrow and closing services, and a percentage of the title premium on each title insurance policy sold. We have entered into underwriting agreements with various underwriters, which state the conditions under which we may issue a title insurance policy on their behalf. For policies issued through our agency operations, assuming no negligence on our part, we typically are liable only for the first $5 thousand of loss for such policies on a per claim basis, with the title insurer being liable for any remaining loss.
Our company owned brokerage operations are the principal source of our title and settlement services business for homesale transactions. Other sources of our title and settlement services homesale business include our real estate franchise business, Cartus and unaffiliated brokerage operations. For refinance transactions, we generate title and escrow revenues from PHH and other financial institutions throughout the mortgage lending industry. Many of our offices have subleased space from, and are co-located within, our company owned brokerage offices. The capture rate of our title and settlement services business from company owned brokerage operations was approximately 41% in 2014.
We coordinate a national network of escrow and closing agents (some of whom are our employees, while others are attorneys in private practice and independent title companies) to provide full-service title and settlement services to a broad-based group that includes lenders, home buyers and sellers, developers, and independent real estate sales associates. Our role is generally that of an intermediary managing the completion of all the necessary documentation and services required to complete a real estate transaction.
Our title and settlement services business measures operating performance based on purchase and refinance closing units and the related title premiums and escrow fees earned on such closings. In addition, we measure net title premiums earned for title policies issued by our underwriting operation. The following chart illustrates the key drivers for revenue generated by our title and settlement services business:
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We intend to grow our title and settlement services business by attracting title and escrow sales associates in existing markets and by completing acquisitions to expand our geographic footprint or complement existing operations. We also intend to continue to increase our capture rate of title business from our NRT homesale sides. In addition, we expect to continue to grow and diversify our lender channel and our underwriting businesses by expanding and adding clients and increasing our agent base, respectively.
Competition
Real Estate Franchise Business. Competition among the national real estate brokerage brand franchisors to grow their franchise systems is intense. Our largest national competitors in this industry include, but are not limited to, three large franchisors: Keller Williams Realty, Inc.; HSF Affiliates LLC—a joint venture controlled by HomeServices of America that operates Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Prudential Real Estate and Real Living Real Estate; and RE/MAX International, Inc. In addition, a real estate broker may choose to affiliate with a regional chain or choose not to affiliate with a franchisor but to remain unaffiliated. We believe that competition for the sale of franchises in the real estate brokerage industry is based principally upon the perceived value and quality of the brand, tools and services, the nature of those services offered to franchisees, including the availability of financing, the fees the franchisees must pay and by the state of the housing industry.
The ability of our real estate brokerage franchisees to compete with other real estate brokerages is important to our prospects for growth. Their ability to compete may be affected by the quality of independent sales associates, the location of offices, the services provided to independent sales associates, the number of competing offices in the vicinity, affiliation with a recognized brand name, community reputation, technology and other factors. A franchisee's success may also be affected by general, regional and local economic conditions.
Real Estate Brokerage Business. The real estate brokerage industry is highly competitive, particularly in the metropolitan areas in which our owned brokerage businesses operate. In addition, the industry has relatively low barriers to entry for new participants, including participants pursuing non-traditional methods of marketing real estate, such as Internet-based listing services. Companies compete for sales and marketing business primarily on the basis of services offered, reputation, personal contacts, and brokerage commissions. We compete with other national independent real estate organizations, including HomeServices of America in certain of our markets, franchisees of our brands and of other national real estate franchisors, franchisees of local and regional real estate franchisors, regional independent real estate organizations such as Weichert Realtors and Long & Foster Real Estate, discount and online brokerages and smaller niche companies competing in local areas.
Relocation Business. Competition in our relocation business is based on capabilities, price and quality. We compete primarily with global and regional outsourced relocation services providers. The larger outsourced relocation services providers that we compete with include: Brookfield Global Relocation Services, SIRVA, Inc., and Weichert Relocation Resources, Inc. As the relocation business continues to become more global in nature with greater emphasis on relocation of employees throughout the world, we expect to face greater competition from firms that provide global services.
Title and Settlement Business. The title and settlement business is highly competitive and fragmented. The number and size of competing companies vary in the different areas in which we conduct business. We compete with other title insurers, title agents and vendor management companies. The title and settlement business competes with a large, fragmented group of smaller underwriters and agencies. In addition, we compete with national competitors, including Fidelity National Title Insurance Company, First American Title Insurance Company, Stewart Title Guaranty Company and Old Republic Title Company.
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Marketing
Real Estate Franchise Operations. Each of our residential franchise brands operates a marketing fund and our commercial brand operates a commercial marketing fund that is funded by our franchisees and us. The primary focus of each marketing fund is to build and maintain brand awareness, which is accomplished through a variety of media, including increased use of Internet advertising. Our Internet presence, for the most part, features our entire listing inventory on our brand websites in our regional and national markets, plus community profiles, home buying and selling advice, relocation tips and mortgage financing information. Each brand manages a comprehensive system of marketing tools, systems and sales information and data that can be accessed through free-standing brand intranet sites to assist independent sales associates in becoming the best marketer of their listings. In addition to the Sotheby's International Realty® brand, a leading luxury brand, our franchisees and our company owned brokerages also participate in luxury marketing programs, such as Century 21 Fine Homes & Estates®, Coldwell Banker Previews International®, and ERA® International Collection.
According to NAR, 92% of homebuyers used the Internet in their search for a new home in 2014. Our marketing and technology strategies focus on capturing these consumers and connecting them with an independent sales associate or franchisee.
Advertising is primarily used by the brands to drive consumers to their respective websites. Significant focus is placed on developing websites for each brand to create value to the real estate consumer. Each brand website focuses on streamlined, easy search processes for listing inventory and rich descriptive details and multiple photos to market the real estate listing. Additionally, each brand website serves as a national distribution point for independent sales associates to market themselves to consumers to enhance the customer experience. We also place significant emphasis on distributing our real estate listings with third-party websites to expand a consumer's access to such listings, at times, enhancing the presentation of the listings on third-party websites to make the listings more attractive to consumers. Consumers seeking more detailed information about a particular listing on a third-party website are able to click through to a brand website or a company owned brokerage website or telephone the franchisee or company owned brokerage directly.
In order to improve our response times to buyers and sellers seeking real estate services, we developed LeadRouter™, our proprietary patented lead management system. We believe LeadRouter provides a competitive advantage by improving the speed at which a brokerage can begin working with a customer. The system converts text to voice and transfers the lead to our agents within a matter of seconds, providing our agents with the ability to quickly respond to the needs of a potential home buyer or seller. Additionally, LeadRouter provides the broker with an accountability tool to manage their agents and evaluate productivity.
During 2015, we expect to introduce ZipRealty's comprehensive, turnkey integrated Zap technology platform to certain of our franchisees, ahead of a broader rollout of these tools that we believe will increase the value proposition to our franchisees, their independent sales associates and their customers.
Company Owned Brokerage Operations. Our company owned brokerages sponsor a wide array of marketing programs, materials and opportunities to complement the sales work of our affiliated independent sales associates and increase brand awareness. The effectiveness and quality of marketing programs play a significant role in attracting and retaining independent sales associates.
NRT's sponsored marketing programs and initiatives primarily focus on attracting potential new home buyers and sellers to NRT's affiliated independent sales associates. These programs and initiatives also complement the awareness of our brands by increasing the local recognition of our agents and local brokerages.
Much of our marketing efforts are geared toward showcasing the inventory of our real estate listings and the affiliated independent sales associates who are the selling agents of these listings. In addition to prominently placing the listing property and related selling agent information on numerous real estate websites, we promote the selling agents and their properties on social media sites and offer tools and systems intended to enhance the home buying and home selling experiences of our customers. We also offer the independent sales associates broad-based advertising, mailings and other campaigns to generate interest and recognition.
The Internet has become the premier advertising channel in our industry and we have sought to become a leader among full-service residential real estate brokerage firms in the use and application of marketing technology. We place our property listings on hundreds of real estate websites and we operate a variety of our own websites.
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NRT also utilizes both proprietary and third-party technology to offer independent sales associates tools that may enhance their productivity and increase their understanding of their local markets and the impact of their marketing efforts. Some of these tools include the HomeBase Transaction Management and InTouch CRM systems, as well as MarketQuest and e-Marketing reporting tools.
Employees
At December 31, 2014, we had approximately 10,700 employees, including approximately 850 employees outside of the U.S. None of our employees are represented by a union. We believe that our employee relations are good.
Sales Associate Engagement, Education and Marketing Updates
Each real estate brand provides continuing education and marketing-related materials to its franchisees to assist them in engaging sales associates. Each brand's engagement program contains different materials and delivery methods. The marketing materials range from a detailed description of the services offered by our franchise systems (which will be available to the independent sales associate) in brochure or poster format to audio tape lectures from industry experts. Live instructors at conventions and orientation seminars deliver some engagement modules while other modules can be viewed by brokers anywhere in the world through virtual classrooms over the Internet. Most of the programs and materials are then made available in electronic form to franchisees over the respective system's private intranet site. Many of the materials are customizable to allow franchisees to achieve a personalized look and feel and make modifications to certain content as appropriate for their business and marketplace.
For our company owned brokerage operations, we focus on attracting and retaining sales associates through a number of programs in order to drive revenue growth.
Government Regulation
Franchise Regulation. The sale of franchises is regulated by various state laws, as well as by the Federal Trade Commission ("the FTC"). The FTC requires that franchisors make extensive disclosure to prospective franchisees but does not require registration. A number of states require registration and/or disclosure in connection with franchise offers and sales. In addition, several states have "franchise relationship laws" or "business opportunity laws" that limit the ability of the franchisor to terminate franchise agreements or to withhold consent to the renewal or transfer of these agreements. The states with relationship or other statutes governing the termination of franchises include Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands also have statutes governing termination of franchises. Some franchise relationship statutes require a mandated notice period for termination and some require a notice and cure period. In addition, some require that the franchisor demonstrate good cause for termination. These statutes do not have a substantial effect on our operations because our franchise agreements generally comport with the statutory requirements for cause for termination, and they provide notice and cure periods for most defaults. When the franchisee is granted a statutory period longer than permitted under the franchise agreement, we extend our notice and/or cure periods to match the statutory requirements. In some states, case law requires a franchisor to renew a franchise agreement unless a franchisee has given cause for non-renewal. Failure to comply with these laws could result in civil liability to the affected franchisees. While our franchising operations have not been materially adversely affected by such existing regulation, we cannot predict the effect of any future federal or state legislation or regulation.
Real Estate Regulation. Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act ("RESPA") and state real estate brokerage laws restrict payments which real estate brokers, title agencies, mortgage bankers, mortgage brokers and other settlement service providers may receive or pay in connection with the sales of residences and referral of settlement services (e.g., mortgages, homeowners insurance and title insurance). Such laws may to some extent restrict preferred alliance and other arrangements involving our real estate franchise, real estate brokerage, settlement services and relocation businesses. In addition, with respect to our company owned real estate brokerage, relocation and title and settlement services businesses, RESPA and similar state laws require timely disclosure of certain relationships or financial interests with providers of real estate settlement services.
Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act ("Dodd-Frank"), administration of RESPA has been moved from the Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD") to the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the "CFPB"). The CFPB is taking an expansive reading of RESPA and has been more active in enforcement efforts, which we believe creates increased regulatory risk to the mortgage and title and settlement services industries. RESPA also has been invoked by plaintiffs in private litigation for various purposes.
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Our company owned real estate brokerage business is also subject to numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations that contain general standards for and limitations on the conduct of real estate brokers and sales associates, including those relating to the licensing of brokers and sales associates, fiduciary and agency duties, administration of trust funds, collection of commissions, restrictions on information sharing with affiliates, fair housing standards and advertising and consumer disclosures. Under state law, our company owned real estate brokers have certain duties to supervise and are responsible for the conduct of their brokerage businesses. Although real estate sales agents historically have been classified as independent contractors, newer rules and interpretations of state and federal employment laws and regulations, including those governing employee classification and wage and hour regulations, may impact industry practices and our company owned brokerage operations. Real estate licensing laws generally permit brokers to engage sales associates as independent contractors but require that the broker supervise their activities. Several of our pending litigation matters include claims alleging employee misclassification and non-compliance with wage and hour regulations, and an adverse outcome in any such litigation could harm our business and financial condition.
Regulation of Title Insurance and Settlement Services. Many states license and regulate title agencies/settlement service providers or certain employees and underwriters through their Departments of Insurance or other regulatory body. In many states, title insurance rates are either promulgated by the state or are required to be filed with each state by the agent or underwriter, and some states promulgate the split of title insurance premiums between the agent and underwriter. States sometimes unilaterally lower the insurance rates relative to loss experience and other relevant factors. States also require title agencies and title underwriters to meet certain minimum financial requirements for net worth and working capital. In addition, the insurance laws and regulations of Texas, the jurisdiction in which our title insurance underwriter subsidiary, TRGC, is domiciled, generally provide that no person may acquire control, directly or indirectly, of a Texas domiciled insurer, unless the person has provided required information to, and the acquisition is approved or not disapproved by, the Texas Department of Insurance. Generally, any person acquiring beneficial ownership of 10% or more of our voting securities would be presumed to have acquired indirect control of our title insurance underwriter subsidiary unless the Texas Department of Insurance, upon application, determines otherwise. Our insurance underwriter is also subject to a holding company act in its state of domicile, which regulates, among other matters, investment policies and the ability to pay dividends.
Certain states in which we operate have "controlled business" statutes which impose limitations on affiliations between providers of title and settlement services, on the one hand, and real estate brokers, mortgage lenders and other real estate service providers, on the other hand. We are aware of the states imposing such limits and monitor the others to ensure that if they implement such a limit that we will be prepared to comply with any such rule. "Controlled business" typically is defined as sources controlled by, or which control, directly or indirectly, the title insurer or agent. Pursuant to legislation enacted in the State of New York in late 2014 requiring the licensing of title agents, the New York Department of Insurance has issued regulations that provide that title agents with affiliated businesses may not accept referrals from affiliated sources unless they also have significant and multiple sources of non-affiliated business. We are not aware of any other recent or pending controlled business legislation. A company's failure to comply with such statutes could result in the non-renewal of the Company's license to provide title and settlement services. We provide our services not only to our affiliates but also to third-party businesses in the geographic areas in which we operate. Accordingly, we manage our business in a manner to comply with any applicable "controlled business" statutes by ensuring that we generate sufficient business from sources we do not control. We have never been cited for failing to comply with a "controlled business" statute.
Dodd-Frank Act. Dodd-Frank endows the CFPB with rulemaking, examination and enforcement authority involving consumer financial products and services, including mortgage finance. CFPB has issued a myriad of proposed and final rules which could materially and adversely affect the mortgage and housing industries. Dodd-Frank establishes new standards and practices for mortgage originators, including determining a prospective borrower's ability to repay its mortgage and restricting the fees that mortgage originators may collect.
On January 10, 2013, the CFPB issued a final rule implementing portions of Dodd-Frank requiring creditors to make a "reasonable, good faith determination of a consumer's ability to repay" mortgage loans and also creates protections from liability for certain loans that satisfy the requirements of "qualified mortgages." The rule became effective on January 10, 2014. While there are various nuances and exceptions to the rule, the general criteria to be considered a qualified mortgage include: (1) the loan cannot contain certain undesirable terms or features (negative amortization, interest-only payments, balloon payments, or terms exceeding 30 years); (2) the loan must be purchased or guaranteed by a Government Sponsored Enterprise ("GSE") or not have an excessive debt-to-income ratio; (3) the creditor must verify income or assets; and (4) the points and fees cannot exceed 3 percent of the loan amount. Fees paid to an affiliated title company are included within the "points and fees" when calculating whether a loan satisfies the 3 percent criteria, while fees paid to an unaffiliated company are not included with the definition of points and fees. This differing treatment means that in certain situations, whether a
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loan is considered a qualified mortgage will depend on whether the title company was affiliated with the lender. This could adversely affect the fees received by TRG, as a provider of title and settlement services, in transactions originated by our joint venture, PHH Home Loans. Additionally, this could negatively impact the volume of loans originated by PHH Home Loans.
In October 2014, final regulations were issued defining "qualified residential mortgages" ("QRM"). The definition of QRM in the final rule aligns with the CFPB's definition of "qualified mortgages." The final rule will become effective on December 24, 2015 for residential mortgage-backed securitizations and December 24, 2016 for all other securitizations.
In November 2013, the CFPB issued a final rule, effective August 2015, integrating certain mortgage disclosure forms and outlining new requirements related to the closing of certain real estate transactions. The new rule mandates use of a new Closing Disclosure and requires that the Closing Disclosure be delivered three business days before closing on the loan. Implementing the rule will require changes to multiple technology platforms within TRG as well as require training for all TRG personnel directly involved in the closing process.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
You should carefully consider each of the following risk factors and all of the other information set forth in this Annual Report. The risk factors generally have been separated into three groups: (1) risks relating to our business; (2) risks relating to our indebtedness; and (3) risks relating to an investment in our common stock. Based on the information currently known to us, we believe that the following information identifies the most significant risk factors affecting our Company and our common stock. However, the risks and uncertainties are not limited to those set forth in the risk factors described below. In addition, past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods.
Risks Related to Our Business
The residential real estate market is cyclical and we are negatively impacted by downturns in this market and general economic conditions.
The residential real estate market tends to be cyclical and typically is affected by changes in general economic conditions which are beyond our control. From mid-2005 through 2011, the residential real estate market sustained a deep and prolonged downturn. Beginning in 2012, the U.S. residential real estate industry began its current recovery. According to NAR, in the first two years of the current housing recovery—2012 and 2013—homesale transaction volume (average homesale price multiplied by homesale transactions) improved 15% and 19%, respectively. According to NAR, homesale transaction volume growth slowed to 1% in 2014 compared to 2013. We cannot predict the duration or continued strength of the housing recovery. If the residential real estate market or the economy as a whole does not continue to improve or worsens, our business, financial condition and liquidity may be materially adversely affected, including our ability to access capital and grow our business.
Any of the following could halt or limit a recovery in the housing market and have a material adverse effect on our business by causing a lack of sustained growth or a decline in the number of homesales and/or prices which, in turn, could adversely affect our revenues and profitability:
• | high levels of unemployment and the continued slow recovery of wages; |
• | a period of slow economic growth or recessionary conditions; |
• | weak credit markets; |
• | a low level of consumer confidence in the economy and/or the residential real estate market; |
• | instability of financial institutions; |
• | economic instability stemming from ongoing high levels of U.S. government debt; |
• | legislative or regulatory changes that would adversely impact the residential real estate market and federal and/or state income tax changes that impact our industry, such as the loss or caps on the deductions including potential limits on, or elimination of, the deductibility of certain mortgage interest expense; and other tax reform affecting real estate and/or real estate transactions; |
• | increasing mortgage rates and down payment requirements and/or constraints on the availability of mortgage financing; |
• | insufficient or excessive regional home inventory levels; |
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• | renewed high levels of foreclosure activity including but not limited to the release of homes already held for sale by financial institutions; |
• | adverse changes in local or regional economic conditions; |
• | the inability or unwillingness of homeowners to enter into homesale transactions due to first-time homebuyer concerns about investing in a home and move-up buyers having limited or negative equity in their existing homes; |
• | a decrease in the affordability of homes; |
• | decreasing home ownership rates, declining demand for real estate and changing social attitudes toward home ownership; and/or |
• | natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes and other events that disrupt local or regional real estate markets. |
A decline or lack of sustained growth in existing homesales would also reduce the demand for our title and settlement services and reduce the referral fees earned by our relocation services business.
A continuing housing recovery should result in an increase in our revenues but could put downward pressure on brokerage commissions, which could negatively impact the rate of our revenue growth. In addition, in a growing housing market, sales associates, under certain circumstances, may achieve a higher proportion of the commissions earned on a homesale transaction, which could adversely affect the operating margins of our Company owned residential brokerages. Similarly, our revenue growth could be negatively affected if the net effective royalty rate on royalties our real estate franchise segment receives from our franchisees falls. In general, most of our third-party franchisees are entitled to volume incentives. These incentives decrease during times of declining homesale transaction volumes and increase during market recoveries when there is a corresponding increase in homesale transaction volume.
Adverse developments in general business and economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and our results of operations.
Our business and operations and those of our franchisees are sensitive to general business and economic conditions in the U.S. and worldwide. These conditions include short-term and long-term interest rates, inflation, fluctuations in debt and equity capital markets, levels of unemployment, consumer confidence and the general condition of the U.S. and the world economy.
The residential real estate market also depends upon the strength of financial institutions, which are sensitive to changes in the general macroeconomic environment. Lack of available credit or lack of confidence in the financial sector could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
A host of factors beyond our control could cause fluctuations in these conditions, including the political environment and acts or threats of war or terrorism which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and our results of operations.
Tightened mortgage underwriting standards could continue to reduce homebuyers' ability to access the credit markets on reasonable terms.
During the past several years, many lenders have significantly tightened their underwriting standards, and many alternative mortgage products have become less available in the marketplace. Underwriting standards could be further tightened, as a result of changes in regulations, including regulations enacted to increase guarantee fees of federally insured mortgages and/or to reduce the maximum loan limits on mortgage guarantees by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. More stringent mortgage underwriting standards could adversely affect the ability and willingness of prospective buyers to finance home purchases or to sell their existing homes, which would adversely affect our operating results.
Potential reform of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae or a reduction in U.S. government support for the housing market could have a material impact on our operations.
Numerous pieces of legislation seeking various types of changes for GSEs have been introduced in Congress to reform the U.S. housing finance market, including, among other things, changes designed to reduce government support for housing finance and the winding down of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae over a period of years. Legislation, if enacted, or additional regulation which curtails Freddie Mac and/or Fannie Mae's activities and/or results in the wind down of these entities could increase mortgage costs and could result in more stringent underwriting guidelines imposed by lenders or cause other disruptions in the mortgage industry, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on the housing market in general and our operations in particular.
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Rules and regulations implemented under Dodd-Frank may, among other things, adversely affect the housing industry and our business.
On July 21, 2010, Dodd-Frank was signed into law for the express purpose of regulating the financial services industry. Dodd-Frank and regulations promulgated pursuant to such legislation could:
• | materially and adversely affect the mortgage and housing industries; |
• | result in heightened federal regulation and oversight of the mortgage and housing industries; |
• | increase mortgage costs and, as a result, limit mortgage availability; |
• | curtail affiliated business transactions; and/or |
• | result in increased costs and potential litigation for housing market participants. |
As a participant in the housing industry, and a company that has affiliated businesses, existing as well as new regulations implemented under Dodd-Frank could have a material adverse impact on our operations.
Monetary policies of the federal government and its agencies may have a material impact on our operations.
Our business is significantly affected by the monetary policies of the federal government and its agencies. We are particularly affected by the policies of the Federal Reserve Board, which regulates the supply of money and credit in the U.S. The Federal Reserve Board's policies affect the real estate market through their effect on interest rates as well as the cost of our interest-bearing liabilities.
Interest rates are at near historic lows and we could be negatively impacted by any rising interest rate environment. As mortgage rates rise, the number of homesale transactions may decrease as potential home sellers choose to stay with their lower mortgage rate rather than sell their home and pay a higher mortgage rate with the purchase of another home, and potential home buyers choose to rent rather than pay higher mortgage rates. An increase in mortgage rates would also be expected to reduce the number of homesale refinancing transactions, which could materially adversely impact our earnings from the PHH Home Loans joint venture as well as impact the revenue stream of our title and settlement services segment. Changes in the Federal Reserve Board's policies, the interest rate environment and mortgage market are beyond our control, are difficult to predict and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our company owned brokerage operations are subject to geographic and high-end real estate market risks, which could adversely affect our revenues and profitability.
Our subsidiary, NRT, owns real estate brokerage offices located in and around large metropolitan areas in the U.S. Local and regional economic conditions in these locations could differ materially from prevailing conditions in other parts of the country. NRT realizes 62% of its revenues in California, Florida and the New York metropolitan area. For the year ended December 31, 2014, NRT realized approximately 28% of its revenues from California, 24% from the New York metropolitan area and 10% from Florida. A downturn in residential real estate demand or economic conditions that is concentrated in these regions could result in a decline in NRT's total gross commission income and profitability disproportionate to the downturn experienced throughout the U.S. and could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, given the significant geographic overlap of our title and settlement services business with our company owned brokerage offices, such regional declines affecting our company owned brokerage operations could have a disproportionate adverse effect on our title and settlement services business as well. A downturn in residential real estate demand or economic conditions in these states could result in a decline in our overall revenues and have a material adverse effect on us.
NRT has a significant concentration of transactions at the higher end of the U.S. real estate market. A shift in NRT's mix of property transactions from the high range to lower and middle range homes would adversely affect the average price of NRT's closed homesales. Such a shift, absent an increase in transactions, would have an adverse effect on our operating results.
Our financial results are affected by the operating results of our franchisees.
Our real estate franchise services segment receives revenue in the form of royalties, which are based on a percentage of gross commission income earned by our franchisees. Accordingly, the financial results of our real estate franchise services segment are dependent upon the operational and financial success of our franchisees. If industry trends or economic conditions are not sustained or do not continue to improve, our franchisees' financial results may worsen and our royalty revenues may decline. In addition, we may have to increase our bad debt and note reserves. We may also have to terminate franchisees due to non-reporting and non-payment. Gross closed commission income of our new franchisees may never
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materialize and accordingly we may not receive any material royalty revenues from new franchisees. Further, if franchisees fail to renew their franchise agreements, or if we decide to restructure franchise agreements in order to induce franchisees to renew these agreements, then our royalty revenues may decrease, and profitability from new franchisees may be lower than in the past due to reduced net royalty rates, non-standard incentives and higher expenses from licensing fees.
Our franchisees and their independent sales associates could take actions that could harm our business.
Our franchisees are independent business operators and their sales associates are independent contractors, and, as such, neither are our employees, and we do not exercise control over their day-to-day operations. Our franchisees may not successfully operate a real estate brokerage business in a manner consistent with industry standards, or may not affiliate with effective independent sales associates or employees. If our franchisees or their independent sales associates were to provide diminished quality of service to customers, our image and reputation may suffer materially and adversely affect our results of operations. Improper actions involving our franchisees, including regarding their relationships with independent sales associates and employees, may also lead to direct claims against us based on theories of vicarious liability, negligence and joint employer liability.
Additionally, franchisees and their independent sales associates may engage or be accused of engaging in unlawful or tortious acts such as, for example, violating the anti-discrimination requirements of the Fair Housing Act. Such acts or the accusation of such acts could harm our brands' image, reputation and goodwill.
Franchisees, as independent business operators, may from time to time disagree with us and our strategies regarding the business or our interpretation of our respective rights and obligations under the franchise agreement. This may lead to disputes with our franchisees and we expect such disputes to occur from time to time in the future as we continue to offer franchises. To the extent we have such disputes, the attention of our management and our franchisees will be diverted, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
We may not be able to successfully develop, license and scale our Zap technology to our franchisees, which could adversely affect our ability to retain existing franchisees and recruit new franchisees.
In 2014, we acquired ZipRealty, an innovative residential real estate brokerage and developer of proprietary technology platforms for real estate brokerages, independent sales associates and customers. During 2015, we expect to introduce ZipRealty's comprehensive, turnkey integrated Zap technology platform, that includes a CRM system, to certain of our franchisees, ahead of a broader rollout of these tools. We may incur unforeseen expenses in the development of a scalable Zap platform and may encounter delays in the roll out of this product to our franchisees. To provide this platform to franchisees, we will need to obtain MLS data throughout the U.S. in the markets in which our franchisees operate. We expect to obtain MLS data as a vendor of the franchisees that license the Zap platform, but we may encounter delays in obtaining that data from local MLSs. There also can be no assurance that even if the Zap platform becomes scalable, that our franchisees will have a demand for the Zap platform or related products. Further, franchisees that seek a CRM tool may license products from third parties, and franchisees that have existing CRM systems may not switch to the Zap platform. Our inability to successfully license the Zap platform to a significant portion of our franchisee base could adversely affect our ability to retain existing franchisees or recruit new franchisees.
Clients of our relocation business may terminate their contracts at any time, and clients of our lender channel business at TRG may terminate their relationships with us at any time.
Substantially all of our contracts with our relocation clients are terminable at any time at the option of the client and are non-exclusive. If a client terminates its contract, we will only be compensated for services performed up to the time of termination and reimbursed for expenses incurred up to the time of termination. In addition, TRG's lender channel business is highly dependent on our relationships with institutional clients who have not historically entered into contracts with us. If a significant number of our relocation clients terminate their contracts with us or if our relationships with the institutional clients in TRG's lender channel business deteriorate, our results of operations would be materially adversely affected. Our business could also be materially adversely affected if there is a material reduction in the volume of business we receive from these customers.
We are reliant on third-party suppliers to perform services on our behalf.
Aspects of our business, such as our relocation segment, are performed on our behalf by third-party suppliers. In many instances these suppliers are in direct contact with our customers in order to deliver services on our behalf. If our third-party suppliers were to provide diminished services to our customers, our image and reputation could be materially adversely
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affected. In addition, we could also be subject to litigation and regulatory claims arising out of the performance of our third-party suppliers based on theories of vicarious liability, negligence or failure to comply with laws and regulations including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Actions by the independent sales associated engaged by our Company owned brokerages could materially and adversely affect our reputation and subject us to liability.
Our Company owned brokerage operations rely on the performance of independent sales associates. If the independent sales associates were to provide diminished services to our customers, our image and reputation could be materially adversely affected. In addition, we could also be subject to litigation and regulatory claims arising out of their performance, which if adversely determined, could materially and adversely affect us.
Loss or attrition among our senior executives or other key employees could adversely affect our financial performance.
Our success is largely dependent on the efforts and abilities of our executive officers and other key employees, particularly those who have many years of experience in the residential real estate market. Our ability to retain our executive officers and key employees is generally subject to numerous factors, including the compensation and benefits we pay. If we were to lose several of our executive officers or key employees in a relatively short period of time and were unable to promptly fill their positions with comparably qualified individuals, our business may be adversely affected.
We are subject to certain risks related to litigation filed by or against us, and adverse results may harm our business and financial condition.
We cannot predict with certainty the cost of defense, the cost of prosecution, insurance coverage or the ultimate outcome of litigation and other proceedings filed by or against us, including remedies or damage awards, and adverse results in such litigation and other proceedings, including treble damages and penalties. Adverse outcomes may harm our business and financial condition. Such litigation and other proceedings may include, but are not limited to, actions relating to intellectual property, commercial arrangements, franchising arrangements, negligence and fiduciary duty claims arising from franchising arrangements or company owned brokerage operations, employment law claims, including claims challenging the classification of sales associates as independent contractors (see Bararsani litigation described under "Item 3 -Legal Proceedings"), actions against our title company for defalcations on closing payments or alleging it knew or should have known others were committing mortgage fraud, standard brokerage disputes like the failure to disclose hidden defects in the property such as mold, vicarious liability based upon conduct of individuals or entities outside of our control, including franchisees and independent sales associates, antitrust and anti-competition claims, general fraud claims and compliance with wage and hour regulations, and claims alleging violations of RESPA or state consumer fraud statutes. In addition, class action lawsuits can often be particularly vexatious litigation given the breadth of claims, the large potential damages claimed and the significant costs of defense. The risks of litigation become magnified, and the costs of settlement increase, in class actions in which the courts grant partial or full certification of a large class. In the case of intellectual property litigation and proceedings, adverse outcomes could include the cancellation, invalidation or other loss of material intellectual property rights used in our business and injunctions prohibiting our use of business processes or technology that is subject to third-party patents or other third-party intellectual property rights. In addition, we may be required to enter into licensing agreements (if available on acceptable terms or at all) and pay royalties.
Adverse decisions in litigation against companies unrelated to us could impact our business practices and those of our franchisees in a manner that adversely impacts our financial condition and results of operations.
Litigation and claims against other participants in the residential real estate industry may impact the Company when the rulings in those cases cover practices common to the broader industry. Examples may include claims associated with RESPA compliance, broker fiduciary duties, and sales agent classification. Similarly, the Company may be impacted by litigation and other claims against companies in other industries. Rulings on matters such as the enforcement of arbitration agreements and worker classification may adversely affect the Company and other residential real estate industry participants as a result of the classification of sales agents as independent contractors, irrespective of the fact that the parties subject to the rulings are in a different industry. There is active worker classification litigation in numerous jurisdictions, including Massachusetts, California, New Jersey and New York, against a variety of industries where the plaintiffs seek to reclassify independent contractors as employees or to challenge the use of federal and state minimum wage and overtime exemptions. To the extent the defendants are unsuccessful in these types of litigation matters, and we or our franchisees cannot distinguish our or their practices (or our industry’s practices), we and our franchisees could face significant liability and we and our franchisees could be required to modify certain business relationships, either of which could materially and adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.
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Our relationship with our employees is subject to an array of different employment, tax reporting and regulatory obligations and any significant failure to comply with these obligations could materially and adversely affect our business.
These obligations relate to federal and state tax codes, federal and state wage and hour laws, state unemployment, workers’ compensation and disability tax laws, and anti-discrimination and workplace safety laws. Each state has unique wage and hour laws, which have been the subject of increasing litigation nationwide. In addition, each state has its own rules and tests for classification of independent contractors as well as to determine whether employees meet exemptions from minimum wages and overtime laws. These tests consider many factors that also vary from state to state. The tests have evolved based on state case law decisions, regulations and legislative changes, and frequently involve factual analysis. In addition, states have laws and regulations concerning the licensing of real estate agents. While these laws and regulations may have separate provisions related to the classification of sales agents as independent contractors, there can be no assurance that courts will follow the tests in these real estate specific laws and regulations when they differ from those in labor statutes and regulations. When companies are found to have misclassified workers as independent contractors instead of employees, courts can impose significant penalties and damages.
The legal relationship between residential real estate brokers and licensed sales agents throughout the industry historically has been that of independent contractor. The Company is now faced with a case in southern California alleging improper classification of real estate sales agents. Although we believe our classification practices are proper and consistent with the legal framework for such classification, to the extent challenges and claims develop further, our Company owned brokerage operations could face substantial litigation or disputes in other states, including the risk of court or regulatory determinations that certain groups of real estate agents should be reclassified as employees and entitled to unpaid minimum wage, overtime, benefits, expense reimbursement and other employment obligations. Significant reclassification determinations in the absence of available exemptions from minimum wage or overtime laws, including damages and penalties for prior periods, could be disruptive to our business, constrain our operations in certain jurisdictions and have a material adverse effect on the operational and financial performance of the Company. In addition, real estate agent reclassification could have a material adverse effect on the operational and financial performance of our franchisees and our competitors.
We are reliant upon information technology to operate our business and maintain our competitiveness.
Our business, including our ability to attract employees and independent sales agents, increasingly depends upon the use of sophisticated information technologies and systems, including technology and systems (mobile and otherwise) utilized for communications, marketing, productivity tools, lead generation, records of transactions, business records (employment, accounting, tax, etc.), procurement, call center operations and administrative systems. The operation of these technologies and systems is dependent upon third-party technologies, systems and services, for which there are no assurances of continued or uninterrupted availability and support by the applicable third-party vendors on commercially reasonable terms. We also cannot assure that we will be able to continue to effectively operate and maintain our information technologies and systems. In addition, our information technologies and systems are expected to require refinements and enhancements on an ongoing basis, and we expect that advanced new technologies and systems will continue to be introduced. We may not be able to obtain such new technologies and systems, or to replace or introduce new technologies and systems as quickly as our competitors or in a cost-effective manner. Also, we may not achieve the benefits anticipated or required from any new technology or system, and we may not be able to devote financial resources to new technologies and systems in the future.
Cybersecurity incidents could disrupt business operations, result in the loss of critical and confidential information, and adversely impact our reputation and results of operations.
Global cybersecurity threats and incidents can range from uncoordinated individual attempts to gain unauthorized access to information technology systems to sophisticated and targeted measures known as advanced persistent threats, directed at the Company and/or its third party service providers. In the ordinary course of our business, we and our third-party service providers collect and store sensitive data, including our proprietary business information and intellectual property, and that of our clients and personally identifiable information of our customers. Additionally, we increasingly rely on third-party data storage providers, including cloud storage solution providers. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information are critical to our operations and with respect to information collected and stored by our third-party service providers, we are reliant upon their security procedures. While we and our third-party service providers have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, these types of threats and incidents, none of them to date have been material to the Company. Although we employ comprehensive measures to prevent, detect, address and mitigate these
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threats (including access controls, data encryption, vulnerability assessments and maintenance of backup and protective systems), and conduct diligence on the security measures employed by key third-party service providers, cybersecurity incidents, depending on their nature and scope, could potentially result in the misappropriation, destruction, corruption or unavailability of critical data and confidential or proprietary information (our own or that of third parties, including personally identifiable information) and the disruption of business operations. Our business interruption insurance may be insufficient to compensate us for losses that may occur. The potential consequences of a material cybersecurity incident include reputational damage, litigation with third parties, diminution in the value of the services we provide to our customers, and increased cybersecurity protection and remediation costs, which in turn could adversely affect our competitiveness and results of operations.
The weakening or unavailability of our intellectual property rights could adversely impact our business.
Our trademarks, trade names, domain names and other intellectual property rights are fundamental to our brands and our franchising business. The steps we take to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights may not be adequate and, in particular, we may not own all necessary registrations for our intellectual property. Applications we have filed to register our intellectual property may not be approved by the appropriate regulatory authorities. Our intellectual property rights may not be successfully asserted in the future or may be invalidated, circumvented or challenged. We may be unable to prevent third parties from using our intellectual property rights without our authorization or independently developing technology that is similar to ours. Also, third parties may own rights in similar trademarks. Any unauthorized use of our intellectual property by third parties could reduce our competitive advantages or otherwise harm our business and brands. If we had to litigate to protect these rights, any proceedings could be costly, and we may not prevail. Our intellectual property rights, including our trademarks, may fail to provide us with significant competitive advantages in the U.S. and in foreign jurisdictions that do not have or do not enforce strong intellectual property rights.
We cannot be certain that our intellectual property does not and will not infringe issued intellectual property rights of others. We may be subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of our business, including claims of alleged infringement of the patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights of third parties. Any such claims, whether or not meritorious, could result in costly litigation. Depending on the success of these proceedings, we may be required to enter into licensing or consent agreements (if available on acceptable terms or at all), or to pay damages or cease using certain service marks or trademarks.
We franchise our brands to franchisees. While we try to ensure that the quality of our brands is maintained by all of our franchisees, we cannot assure that these franchisees will not take actions that hurt the value of our intellectual property or our reputation.
Our license agreement with Sotheby's for the use of the Sotheby's International Realty® brand is terminable by Sotheby's prior to the end of the license term if certain conditions occur, including but not limited to the following: (1) we attempt to assign any of our rights under the license agreement in any manner not permitted under the license agreement, (2) we become bankrupt or insolvent, (3) a court issues a non-appealable, final judgment that we have committed certain breaches of the license agreement and we fail to cure such breaches within 60 days of the issuance of such judgment, or (4) we discontinue the use of all of the trademarks licensed under the license agreement for a period of twelve consecutive months.
Our license agreement with Meredith Corporation ("Meredith") for the use of the Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate brand is terminable by Meredith prior to the end of the license term if certain conditions occur, including but not limited to the following: (1) we attempt to assign any of our rights under the license agreement in any manner not permitted under the license agreement, (2) we become bankrupt or insolvent, or (3) a trial court issues a final judgment that we are in material breach of the license agreement or any representation or warranty we made was false or materially misleading when made.
We do not own two of our brands and must manage cooperative relationships with both owners.
The Sotheby's International Realty® and Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate brands are owned by the companies that founded these brands. We are the exclusive party licensed to run brokerage services in residential real estate under those brands, whether through our franchisees or our company owned operations. Our future operations and performance with respect to these brands requires the continued cooperation from the owners of those brands and successful protection of those brands. In particular, Sotheby's has the right to approve our international Sotheby's International Realty® franchisees and the material terms of our international franchise agreements governing our relationships with our Sotheby's International Realty® franchisees located outside the U.S., which approval cannot be unreasonably withheld or delayed. If Sotheby's
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unreasonably withholds or delays its approval for new international franchisees, our relationship with Sotheby's could be disrupted. Any significant disruption of the relationships with the owners of these brands could impede our franchising of those brands and have a material adverse effect on our operations and performance. In addition, any significant difficulties in the business of the brand owners could negatively reflect on the brand and the brand value.
We do not control the joint venture PHH Home Loans and PHH as the managing partner of that venture may make decisions that are contrary to our best interests.
Under our Operating Agreement with PHH relating to PHH Home Loans, we own a 49.9% equity interest but do not have control of the operations of the joint venture. Rather, our joint venture partner, PHH, is the managing partner of the venture and may make decisions with respect to the operation of the venture, which may harm the joint venture or be contrary to our best interests and may adversely affect our results of operations or equity interest in the joint venture.
The earnings and dividends we receive from our joint venture PHH Home Loans may continue to be materially adversely affected by developments in the mortgage industry as well as operational or liquidity risks to the joint venture or PHH.
Our joint venture may continue to be materially adversely impacted by changes affecting the mortgage industry, including but not limited to regulatory changes, increases in mortgage interest rates and decreases in operating margins. Earnings and dividends from PHH Home Loans and the related marketing fees that our franchise segment earns from PHH also could be materially adversely affected by the impact and outcome of litigation and investigations affecting the joint venture or PHH as well as operational or liquidity risks to the joint venture or PHH.
In the event of a termination of our joint venture PHH Home Loans, we may not be able to find an alternative partner, which could negatively impact our business.
Either party has the right to terminate the joint venture upon the occurrence of certain events, such as a material breach, or the insolvency of the other party. In addition, we may terminate the joint venture upon a change of control of PHH involving certain entities that we have enumerated (and which may be updated by us once every two years) or any competitor of ours. Upon any termination of the joint venture by us as a result of any of the events described in this paragraph, we may require that PHH purchase our interest or sell its interest to a buyer designated by us.
In addition, we may terminate the joint venture at our election by providing two years' prior notice to PHH at any time after January 31, 2015, and PHH may terminate the venture at its election effective January 31, 2030, by notice delivered no earlier than three years, but not later than two years, before such date. If we exercise our two-year termination right, we may require that PHH purchase our interest or sell its interest to a buyer designated by us. The purchase price of the joint venture interest being sold by Realogy or PHH, as the case may be, pursuant to the termination right described in this paragraph will be the fair value of such interest determined through a valuation process and taking into account all relevant facts and circumstances, including, in the case of Realogy putting its shares to PHH, the consequences of such put (including, but not limited to, the automatic termination of all of the joint venture agreements).
If the joint venture is terminated, we may not be able to replace PHH with a new joint venture partner on terms comparable to us as those contained in the existing agreements governing the joint venture and, even if successful in finding a replacement partner, may incur expenses or loss of mortgage related earnings during any such transition. In addition, we might be unsuccessful in engaging in the loan origination business without a partner. In the event of a termination of the joint venture, our earnings derived from the business that had been conducted by the joint venture and the related marketing fees that we earned from PHH could be materially adversely affected.
We may experience significant claims relating to our operations, and losses resulting from fraud, defalcation or misconduct.
We issue title insurance policies which provide coverage for real property to mortgage lenders and buyers of real property. When acting as a title agent issuing a policy on behalf of an underwriter, our insurance risk is typically limited to the first five thousand dollars for claims on any one policy, though our insurance risk is not limited if we are negligent. Our title underwriter typically underwrites title insurance policies of up to $1.5 million. For policies in excess of $1.5 million, we typically obtain a reinsurance policy from a national underwriter to reinsure the excess amount. To date, our title underwriter has experienced claims losses that are significantly below the industry average; however, our claims experience could increase in the future, which could negatively impact the profitability of that business. We may also be subject to legal claims or additional claims losses arising from the handling of escrow transactions and closings by our owned title agencies or our underwriter's independent title agents. We carry errors and omissions insurance for errors made by our
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company owned brokerage business during the real estate settlement process as well as errors by us related to real estate services. Our franchise agreements also require our franchisees to name us as an additional insured on their errors and omissions and general liability insurance policies. The occurrence of a significant claim in excess of our insurance coverage (including any coverage under franchisee insurance policies) in any given period could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations during the period. In addition, insurance carriers may dispute coverage for various reasons and there can be no assurance that all claims will be covered by insurance.
Fraud, defalcation and misconduct by employees are also risks inherent in our business, particularly given our high transactional volumes in our company owned brokerage, title and settlement services and our relocation businesses. We may also from time to time be subject to liability claims based upon the fraud or misconduct of our franchisees. To the extent that any loss or theft of funds substantially exceeds our insurance coverage, our business could be materially adversely affected.
In addition, we rely on the collection and use of personally identifiable information from customers to conduct our business. We disclose our information collection and dissemination practices in a published privacy statement on our websites, which we may modify from time to time. We may be subject to legal claims, government action and damage to our reputation if we act or are perceived to be acting inconsistently with the terms of our privacy statement, customer expectations or the law. The occurrence of a significant claim in excess of our insurance coverage in any given period could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations during the period. In the event we or the vendors with which we contract to provide services on behalf of our customers were to suffer a breach of personally identifiable information, our customers, such as our Cartus corporate or affinity clients, franchisees, independent sales agents and lender channel clients, could terminate their business with us. Further, we may be subject to claims to the extent individual employees or independent contractors breach or fail to adhere to Company policies and practices and such actions jeopardize any personally identifiable information. In addition, concern among potential home buyers or sellers about our privacy practices could keep them from using our services or require us to incur significant expense to alter our business practices or educate them about how we use personally identifiable information.
We could be subject to significant losses if banks do not honor our escrow and trust deposits.
Our company owned brokerage business and our title and settlement services business act as escrow agents for numerous customers. As an escrow agent, we receive money from customers to hold until certain conditions are satisfied. Upon the satisfaction of those conditions, we release the money to the appropriate party. We deposit this money with various banks and while these deposits are not assets of the Company (and therefore excluded from our consolidated balance sheet); we remain contingently liable for the disposition of these deposits. The banks may hold a significant amount of these deposits in excess of the federal deposit insurance limit. If any of our depository banks were to become unable to honor any portion of our deposits, customers could seek to hold us responsible for such amounts and, if the customers prevailed in their claims, we could be subject to significant losses. These escrow and trust deposits totaled $251 million at December 31, 2014.
Title insurance regulations limit the ability of our insurance underwriter to pay cash dividends to us.
Our title insurance underwriter is subject to regulations that limit its ability to pay dividends or make loans or advances to us, principally to protect policy holders. Generally, these regulations limit the total amount of dividends and distributions to a certain percentage of the insurance subsidiary's surplus, or 100% of statutory operating income for the previous calendar year. These restrictions could limit our ability to receive dividends from our insurance underwriter, and therefore limit our ability to make acquisitions or otherwise grow our business.
We may be unable to continue to securitize certain of our relocation assets, which may adversely impact our liquidity.
At December 31, 2014, $269 million of securitization obligations were outstanding through special purpose entities monetizing certain assets of our relocation services business under two lending facilities. We have provided a performance guaranty which guarantees the obligations of our Cartus subsidiary and its subsidiaries, as originator and servicer under the Apple Ridge securitization program. The securitization markets have experienced, and may again experience, significant disruptions which may have the effect of increasing our cost of funding or reducing our access to these markets in the future.
In addition, the Apple Ridge securitization facility contains terms which if triggered may result in a termination or limitation of new or existing funding under the facility and/or may result in a requirement that all collections on the assets be used to pay down the amounts outstanding under such facility. The triggering events include but are not limited to: (1) those tied to the age and quality of the underlying assets; (2) a change of control; (3) a breach of our senior secured leverage
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ratio covenant under our senior secured credit facility if uncured; and (4) the acceleration of indebtedness under our senior secured credit facility, unsecured or secured notes or other material indebtedness. The occurrence of a trigger event under the Apple Ridge securitization facility could restrict our ability to access new or existing funding under this facility or result in termination of the facility. If securitization financing is not available to us for any reason, we could be required to borrow under the revolving credit facility, which would adversely impact our liquidity, or we may be required to find additional sources of funding which may be on less favorable terms or may not be available at all.
Competition in the residential real estate and relocation business is intense and may adversely affect our financial performance.
We generally face intense competition in the residential real estate services business.
As a real estate brokerage franchisor, our products are our brand names and the support services we provide to our franchisees and our ability to grow our franchisor business is also dependent on the operational and financial success of our franchisees.
• | Upon the expiration of a franchise agreement, a franchisee may choose to franchise with one of our competitors or operate as an independent broker. Competitors may offer franchisees whose franchise agreements are expiring or prospective franchisees products and services similar to us at rates that are lower than we charge. |
• | We face the risk that currently unaffiliated brokers may not enter into franchise agreements with us because they believe they can compete effectively in the market without the need to license a brand of a franchisor and receive services offered by a franchisor. Additionally, unaffiliated brokers may decide not to enter into a franchise relationship with us as they may believe that their business will be more attractive to a prospective purchaser without the existence of an existing franchise relationship. |
• | Regional and local franchisors provide additional competitive pressure in certain areas. To remain competitive in the sale of franchises and to retain our existing franchisees, we may have to reduce the fees we charge our franchisees to be competitive with those charged by competitors, which may accelerate if market conditions deteriorate. |
• | Our ability to succeed as a franchisor is largely dependent on the efforts and abilities of our franchisees to attract and retain independent sales associates, which is subject to numerous factors, including the sales commissions they receive and their perception of brand value. If our franchisees fail to attract and retain successful independent sales associates, our business as a franchisor may be materially adversely affected. |
• | Listing aggregators and other web-based real estate service providers may also begin to compete for part of our franchisor service revenue through referral or other fees and could disintermediate our relationships with our franchisees and our franchisees' relationships with their independent sales agents and buyers and sellers of homes. |
Our company owned brokerage business, like that of our franchisees, generally faces intense competition. We compete with other national independent real estate organizations, franchisees of our brands and of other national real estate franchisors, franchisees of local and regional real estate franchisors, regional independent real estate organizations, discount brokerages, and smaller niche companies competing in local areas. Real estate brokers compete for sales and marketing business primarily on the basis of services offered, reputation, utilization of technology, personal contacts and brokerage commission.
• | Competition is particularly severe in the densely populated metropolitan areas in which we operate. |
• | In addition, the real estate brokerage industry has minimal barriers to entry for new participants, including participants pursuing non-traditional methods of marketing real estate, such as Internet-based brokerage or brokers who discount their commissions. Discount brokers have had varying degrees of success and, while they were negatively impacted by the prolonged downturn in the residential housing market, they may adjust their model and increase their market presence in the future. Listing aggregators and other web-based real estate service providers may also begin to compete for our company owned brokerage business by establishing relationships with independent sales agents and/or buyers and sellers of homes. |
• | Our average homesale commission rate per side in our Company Owned Real Estate Services segment has declined from 2.62% in 2002 to 2.47% for the year ended December 31, 2014. As with our real estate franchise business, a decrease in the average brokerage commission rate may adversely affect our revenues. |
• | We also compete for the services of qualified licensed independent sales associates. Some of the firms competing for sales associates use a different model of compensating agents, in which agents are compensated for the revenue generated by other agents that they attract to those firms. This business model may be appealing to certain agents |
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and hinder our ability to attract and retain those agents. The ability of our company owned brokerage offices to retain independent sales associates is generally subject to numerous factors, including the sales commissions they receive and their perception of brand value. Competition for sales associates could reduce the commission amounts retained by our Company after giving effect to the split with independent sales associates and possibly increase the amounts that we spend on marketing.
In our relocation services business, we compete primarily with global and regional outsourced relocation service providers. As the relocation business continues to become more global in nature with greater emphasis on relocation of employees throughout the world, we expect to face greater competition from firms that provide services on a global basis.
The title and settlement services business is highly competitive and fragmented. The number and size of competing companies vary in the different areas in which we conduct business. We compete with other title insurers, title agents and vendor management companies. The title and settlement services business competes with a large, fragmented group of smaller underwriters and agencies as well as national competitors.
Several of our businesses are highly regulated and any failure to comply with such regulations or any changes in such regulations could adversely affect our business.
The sale of franchises is regulated by various state laws as well as by the FTC. The FTC requires that franchisors make extensive disclosure to prospective franchisees but does not require registration. A number of states require registration and/or disclosure in connection with franchise offers and sales. In addition, several states have "franchise relationship laws" or "business opportunity laws" that limit the ability of franchisors to terminate franchise agreements or to withhold consent to the renewal or transfer of these agreements.
Our company owned real estate brokerage business must comply with the requirements governing the licensing and conduct of real estate brokerage and brokerage-related businesses in the jurisdictions in which we do business. These laws and regulations contain general standards for and limitations on the conduct of real estate brokers and sales associates, including those relating to licensing of brokers and sales associates, fiduciary and agency duties, administration of trust funds, collection of commissions, advertising and consumer disclosures. Under state law, our real estate brokers have certain duties and are responsible for the conduct of their brokerage business.
Our company owned real estate brokerage business, our relocation business, our mortgage origination joint venture, our title and settlement service business and the businesses of our franchisees (excluding commercial brokerage transactions) must comply with the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act ("RESPA"). RESPA and comparable state statutes, among other things, restrict payments which real estate brokers, agents and other settlement service providers may receive for the referral of business to other settlement service providers in connection with the closing of real estate transactions. Such laws may to some extent restrict preferred vendor arrangements involving our franchisees and our company owned brokerage business. RESPA and similar state laws also require timely disclosure of certain relationships or financial interests that a broker has with providers of real estate settlement services. Pursuant to Dodd-Frank, administration of RESPA has been moved from HUD to the CFPB. The CFPB is taking an expansive reading of RESPA and has been more active in enforcement efforts, which we believe creates increased regulatory risk to the mortgage and title and settlement services industries.
Our title insurance business also is subject to regulation by insurance and other regulatory authorities in each state in which we provide title insurance. State regulations may impede or impose burdensome conditions on our ability to take actions that we may want to take to enhance our operating results.
We are also, to a lesser extent, subject to various other rules and regulations such as "controlled business" statutes, which impose limitations on affiliations between providers of title and settlement services, on the one hand, and real estate brokers, mortgage lenders and other real estate providers, on the other hand, or similar laws or regulations that would limit or restrict transactions among affiliates in a manner that would limit or restrict collaboration among our businesses.
Pursuant to legislation enacted in the State of New York in late 2014 requiring the licensing of title agents, the New York Department of Insurance has issued regulations that provide that title agents with affiliated businesses may not accept referrals from affiliated sources unless they also have significant and multiple sources of non-affiliated business.
In all of our business units there is a risk that we could be adversely affected by current laws, regulations or interpretations or that more restrictive laws, regulations or interpretations that could increase responsibilities and duties to customers and franchisees and other parties. The adoption of which could make compliance more difficult or expensive.
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There is also a risk that a change in current laws could adversely affect our business. In addition, any adverse changes in regulatory interpretations, rules and laws that would place additional limitations or restrictions on affiliated transactions could have the effect of limiting or restricting collaboration among our business units. We cannot assure you that future legislative or regulatory changes will not adversely affect our business operations.
Regulatory authorities also have relatively broad discretion to grant, renew and revoke licenses and approvals and to implement regulations. Accordingly, such regulatory authorities could prevent or temporarily suspend us from carrying on some or all of our activities or otherwise penalize us if our financial condition or our practices were found not to comply with the then current regulatory or licensing requirements or any interpretation of such requirements by the regulatory authority. Our failure to comply with any of these requirements or interpretations could limit our ability to renew current franchisees or sign new franchisees or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our operations.
Our international business activities, and in particular our relocation business, must comply with applicable laws and regulations, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and U.K. Bribery Act that impose sanctions on improper payments.
Our failure to comply with any of the foregoing laws and regulations may subject us to fines, penalties, injunctions and/ or potential criminal violations. Any changes to these laws or regulations or any new laws or regulations may make it more difficult for us to operate our business and may have a material adverse effect on our operations.
Changes in accounting standards, subjective assumptions and estimates used by management related to complex accounting matters could have an adverse effect on results of operations.
Generally accepted accounting principles in the United States and related accounting pronouncements, implementation guidance and interpretations with regard to a wide range of matters, such as stock-based compensation, asset impairments, valuation reserves, income taxes and fair value accounting, are highly complex and involve many subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments made by management. Changes in these rules or their interpretations or changes in underlying assumptions, estimates or judgments made by management could significantly change our reported results.
We may not have the ability to complete future acquisitions.
At varying times, we have pursued an active acquisition strategy as a means of strengthening our businesses and have sought to integrate acquisitions into our operations to achieve economies of scale. The success of our future acquisition strategy will continue to depend upon our ability to fund such acquisitions given our total outstanding indebtedness, find suitable acquisition candidates on favorable terms and to finance and complete these transactions and for target companies to find our acquisition proposals more favorable than those made by companies with which we compete.
We may not realize anticipated benefits from acquisitions.
Integrating acquired companies involves complex operational and personnel related challenges, including:
• | the possible defection of a significant number of employees and independent sales associates; |
• | increased amortization of intangibles; |
• | the disruption of our respective ongoing businesses; |
• | possible inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies; |
• | the failure to maintain important business relationships and contracts; |
• | unanticipated costs of terminating or relocating facilities and operations; |
• | unanticipated expenses related to integration; and |
• | potential unknown liabilities associated with acquired businesses. |
A prolonged diversion of management's attention and any delays or difficulties encountered in connection with the integration of any business that we have acquired or may acquire in the future could prevent us from realizing the anticipated cost savings and revenue growth from our acquisitions.
We may be unable to maintain anticipated cost savings and other benefits from our restructuring activities.
We have achieved cost savings from various restructuring initiatives targeted at reducing costs and enhancing organizational effectiveness while consolidating existing processes and facilities. We may not be able to maintain these cost savings and other benefits in the future.
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Our international operations are subject to risks not generally experienced by our U.S. operations.
Our relocation services business operates worldwide, and to a lesser extent, our real estate franchise services segment has international franchisees and master franchisees. For the year ended December 31, 2014, revenues from these operations represented approximately 2% of our total revenues. Our international operations are subject to risks not generally experienced by our U.S. operations. The risks involved in our international operations and relationships that could result in losses against which we are not insured and therefore affect our profitability include:
• | fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; |
• | exposure to local economic conditions and local laws and regulations, including those relating to our employees; |
• | economic and/or credit conditions abroad; |
• | potential adverse changes in the political stability of foreign countries or in their diplomatic relations with the U.S.; |
• | restrictions on the withdrawal of foreign investment and earnings; |
• | government policies against businesses owned by foreigners; |
• | investment restrictions or requirements; |
• | onerous employment laws; |
• | diminished ability to legally enforce our contractual rights and use of our trademarks in foreign countries; |
• | difficulties in registering, protecting or preserving trade names and trademarks in foreign countries; |
• | difficulties in complying with franchise disclosure and registration requirements in foreign countries; |
• | restrictions on the ability to obtain or retain licenses required for operations; |
• | withholding and other taxes on third party cross-border transactions as well as remittances and other payments by subsidiaries; |
• | changes in foreign taxation structures; |
• | compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Anti-Bribery Act or similar laws of other countries; and |
• | data protection and privacy laws. |
We may incur substantial and unexpected liabilities arising out of our pension plan.
We have a defined benefit pension plan for which participation was frozen as of July 1, 1997; however, the plan is subject to minimum funding requirements. Although the Company to date has met its minimum funding requirements, the pension plan represents a liability on our balance sheet and will generate substantial cash requirements for us, which may increase beyond our expectations in future years based on changing market conditions. For example, as of the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, for financial reporting purposes, we estimated that required cash contributions will be between $9 million and $10 million each year for the next five years and approximately $51 million over the succeeding five years. In addition, changes in interest rates, mortality rates, health care costs, early retirement rates, investment returns and the market value of plan assets can affect the funded status of our pension plan and cause volatility in the future funding requirements of the plan.
Our ability to use our net operating losses ("NOLs") and other tax attributes may be limited.
Our ability to utilize NOLs and other tax attributes could be limited by the "ownership change" we underwent within the meaning of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), as a result of the sale of our common stock in our initial public offering and the related transactions. An ownership change is generally defined as a greater than 50 percentage point increase in equity ownership by 5% stockholders in any three-year period. Pursuant to rules under Section 382 of the Code and a published Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") notice, a company's "net unrealized built-in gain" within the meaning of Section 382 of the Code may reduce the limitation on such company's ability to utilize NOLs resulting from an ownership change. Although there can be no assurance in this regard, we believe that the limitation on our ability to utilize our NOLs resulting from our ownership change should be significantly reduced as a result of our net unrealized built-in gain. Even assuming we are able to use our unrealized built-in gain, the cash tax benefit from our NOLs is dependent upon our ability to generate sufficient taxable income. Although we believe that we will be able to generate sufficient taxable income to fully utilize our NOLs, we may be unable to earn enough taxable income prior to the expiration of our NOLs.
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We are responsible for certain of Cendant's contingent and other corporate liabilities.
Although we have resolved various Cendant contingent and other corporate liabilities and have established reserves for most of the remaining unresolved claims of which we have knowledge, adverse outcomes from the unresolved Cendant liabilities for which Realogy Group has assumed partial liability under the Separation and Distribution Agreement (as defined below) could be material with respect to our earnings or cash flows in any given reporting period.
Risks Related to Our Indebtedness
Our significant indebtedness and interest obligations could prevent us from meeting our obligations under our debt instruments and could adversely affect our ability to fund our operations, react to changes in the economy or our industry, or incur additional borrowings under our existing facilities.
We are significantly encumbered by our debt obligations. As of December 31, 2014, our total debt, excluding our securitization obligations, was $3,910 million (without giving effect to outstanding letters of credit). Our liquidity position has been, and is expected to continue to be, negatively impacted by the substantial interest expense on our debt obligations. While we intend to use a substantial portion of future free cash flow generation to reduce our outstanding indebtedness, there can be no assurance that we will be able to generate free cash flow from operations or reduce the level of our indebtedness in the future.
Our leverage could have important consequences, including the following:
• | it causes a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to be dedicated to the payment of interest and required amortization on our indebtedness and not be available for other purposes, including our operations, capital expenditures and future business opportunities or principal repayment; |
• | it could cause us to be unable to comply with the senior secured leverage ratio covenant under our senior secured credit facility; |
• | it could cause us to be unable to meet our debt service requirements under our senior secured credit facility or the indentures governing the Unsecured Notes and the Secured Notes or meet our other financial obligations; |
• | it may limit our ability to incur additional borrowings under our existing facilities or securitizations, to obtain additional debt or equity financing for working capital, capital expenditures, business development, debt service requirements, acquisitions or general corporate or other purposes, or to refinance our indebtedness; |
• | it exposes us to the risk of increased interest rates because a portion of our borrowings, including borrowings under our senior secured credit facility, are at variable rates of interest; |
• | it may limit our ability to adjust to changing market conditions and place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt; |
• | it may cause a downgrade of our debt and long-term corporate ratings; |
• | it may limit our ability to attract acquisition candidates or to complete future acquisitions; |
• | it may cause us to be more vulnerable to periods of negative or slow growth in the general economy or in our business, or may cause us to be unable to carry out capital spending that is important to our growth; and |
• | it may limit our ability to attract and retain key personnel. |
An event of default under our senior secured credit facility or the indentures governing our other material indebtedness would adversely affect our operations and our ability to satisfy obligations under our indebtedness.
The senior secured credit facility contains restrictive covenants, including a requirement that we maintain a specified senior secured leverage ratio, which is defined as the ratio of our total senior secured debt (net of unrestricted cash and permitted investments) to trailing four quarter Adjusted EBITDA. If we are unable to comply with the senior secured leverage ratio covenant or other restrictive covenants and we fail to remedy or avoid a default as permitted under the senior secured credit facility, there would be an "event of default" under the senior secured credit facility.
Other events of default include, without limitation, nonpayment of principal or interest, material misrepresentations, insolvency, bankruptcy, certain material judgments, change of control, and cross-events of default on material indebtedness as well as failure to obtain an unqualified audit opinion by 90 days after the end of any fiscal year. Upon the occurrence of any event of default under the senior secured credit facility, the lenders:
• | will not be required to lend any additional amounts to us; |
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• | could elect to declare all borrowings outstanding, together with accrued and unpaid interest and fees, to be immediately due and payable; |
• | could require us to apply all of our available cash to repay these borrowings; or |
• | could prevent us from making payments on the Unsecured Notes or the Secured Notes, any of which could result in an event of default under the indentures governing the Secured Notes and the Unsecured Notes or our Apple Ridge Funding LLC securitization program. |
If we were unable to repay the amounts outstanding under our senior secured credit facility or meet our payment obligations with respect to the Secured Notes, the lenders and holders of such debt under our senior secured credit facility could proceed against the collateral granted to secure the senior secured credit facility and the Secured Notes. We have pledged a significant portion of our assets as collateral to secure such indebtedness. If the lenders under our senior secured credit facility or holders of the Secured Notes accelerate the repayment of borrowings, we may not have sufficient assets to repay the senior secured credit facility and our other indebtedness or borrow sufficient funds to refinance such indebtedness. In the future, we may need to seek new financing or explore the possibility of amending the terms of our senior secured credit facility, and we may not be able to do so on commercially reasonable terms or terms that are acceptable to us, if at all.
In addition, if an event of default is continuing under our senior secured credit facility, the indentures governing the Unsecured Notes, the Secured Notes or our other material indebtedness, such event could cause a termination of our ability to obtain future advances under, and amortization of, our Apple Ridge Funding LLC securitization program.
Variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.
At December 31, 2014, $1,887 million of our borrowings under our senior secured credit facility was at variable rates of interest thereby exposing us to interest rate risk. If interest rates increase from their current historically low rates, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even if the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income would decrease. Although we have entered into interest rate swaps involving the exchange of floating for fixed rate interest payments to reduce interest rate volatility for a portion of our variable rate borrowings, such interest rate swaps do not eliminate interest rate volatility for all of our variable rate indebtedness at December 31, 2014.
Restrictive covenants under our indentures and the senior secured credit facility may limit the manner in which we operate.
Our senior secured credit facility and the indentures governing the Unsecured Notes and the Secured Notes contain various negative covenants that restrict our ability to engage in various activities, including but not limited to incurring additional debt, paying dividends, repurchasing or redeeming capital stock or making loans, investments or acquisitions. Additional indebtedness permitted to be incurred under our current debt agreements as well as future indebtedness we may incur also may contain negative covenants restricting our ability to engage in various activities.
As a result of these covenants, we are limited in the manner in which we conduct our business and we may be unable to engage in favorable business activities or finance future operations or capital needs.
Risks Related to an Investment in Our Common Stock
The price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.
The market price for our common stock could fluctuate significantly for various reasons, many of which are outside our control, including those described above and the following:
• | sales of common stock by members of our management team or future sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, including but not limited to shares we may issue from time to time as consideration for future acquisitions or investments; |
• | our operating and financial performance and prospects; |
• | housing and mortgage finance markets; |
• | the incurrence of additional indebtedness or other adverse changes relating to our debt; |
• | our quarterly or annual earnings or those of other companies in our industry; |
• | future announcements concerning our business or our competitors' businesses; |
• | the public's reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and filings with the SEC; |
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• | changes in earnings estimates or recommendations by sell-side securities analysts who track our common stock or ratings changes or commentary by rating agencies on our debt; |
• | market and industry perception of our success, or lack thereof, in pursuing our growth strategy; |
• | strategic actions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions or restructurings; |
• | actual or potential changes in laws, regulations and regulatory interpretations; |
• | changes in demographics relating to housing such as household formation; |
• | changing consumer attitudes concerning home ownership; |
• | changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles; |
• | arrival and departure of key personnel; |
• | adverse resolution of new or pending litigation, arbitration or regulatory proceedings against us; and |
• | changes in general market, economic and political conditions in the United States and global economies or financial markets, including those resulting from natural disasters, terrorist attacks, acts of war and responses to such events. |
These broad market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In addition, price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of our common stock is low.
Texas insurance laws and regulations may delay or impede purchases of our common stock.
The insurance laws and regulations of Texas, the jurisdiction in which our title insurance underwriter subsidiary is domiciled, generally provide that no person may acquire control, directly or indirectly, of a Texas domiciled insurer, unless the person has provided required information to, and the acquisition is approved or not disapproved by, the Texas Department of Insurance. Generally, any person acquiring beneficial ownership of 10% or more of our voting securities would be presumed to have acquired indirect control of our title insurance underwriter subsidiary unless the Texas Department of Insurance, upon application, determines otherwise. Certain purchasers of our common stock could be subject to approvals from the Texas Department of Insurance which could significantly delay or otherwise impede their ability to complete such purchase.
We have no plans to pay regular dividends on our common stock, so stockholders may not receive funds without selling their common stock.
We have no plans to pay regular dividends on our common stock and anticipate that a significant amount of any free cash flow generated from our operations will be utilized to redeem or prepay outstanding indebtedness and accordingly would not be available for dividends. Any declaration and payment of future dividends to holders of our common stock will be at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on many factors, including our financial condition, earnings, capital requirements, level of indebtedness, statutory and contractual restrictions applying to the payment of dividends and other considerations that our Board of Directors deems relevant.
Certain of our debt instruments contain covenants that restrict the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends to us. Furthermore, we will be permitted under the terms of our debt instrument to incur additional indebtedness, which may restrict or prevent us from paying dividends on our common stock. Agreements governing any future indebtedness, in addition to those governing our current indebtedness, may not permit us to pay dividends on our common stock.
Delaware law and our organizational documents may impede or discourage a takeover, which could deprive our investors of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares.
We are a Delaware corporation, and the anti-takeover provisions of Delaware law impose various impediments to the ability of a third party to acquire control of us, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may make it more difficult for, or prevent a third party from, acquiring control of us without the approval of our Board of Directors. Among other things, these provisions:
• | do not permit cumulative voting in the election of directors, which would otherwise allow less than a majority of stockholders to elect director candidates; |
• | delegate the sole power to a majority of the Board of Directors to fix the number of directors; |
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• | provide the power of our Board of Directors to fill any vacancy on our Board of Directors, whether such vacancy occurs as a result of an increase in the number of directors or otherwise; |
• | authorize the issuance of "blank check" preferred stock without any need for action by stockholders; |
• | eliminate the ability of stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders; |
• | prohibit stockholders from acting by written consent; and |
• | establish advance notice requirements for nominations for election to our Board of Directors or for proposing matters that can be acted on by stockholders at stockholder meetings. |
The foregoing factors could impede a merger, takeover or other business combination or discourage a potential investor from making a tender offer for our common stock which, under certain circumstances, could reduce the market value of our common stock and our investors' ability to realize any potential change-in-control premium.
We may issue shares of preferred stock in the future, which could make it difficult for another company to acquire us or could otherwise adversely affect holders of our common stock, which could depress the price of our common stock.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue one or more series of preferred stock. Our Board of Directors will have the authority to determine the preferences, limitations and relative rights of shares of preferred stock and to fix the number of shares constituting any series and the designation of such series, without any further vote or action by our stockholders. Our preferred stock could be issued with voting, liquidation, dividend and other rights superior to the rights of our common stock. The potential issuance of preferred stock may delay or prevent a change in control of us, discouraging bids for our common stock at a premium to the market price, and materially and adversely affect the market price and the voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock.
Item 2. Properties.
Corporate headquarters. Our corporate headquarters is located at 175 Park Avenue in Madison, New Jersey with a lease term expiring in December 2029. The lease consists of approximately 270,000 square feet and the payment of base rent began in July 2014.
Real estate franchise services. Our real estate franchise business conducts its main operations at our leased office at 175 Park Avenue in Madison, New Jersey.
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Company owned real estate brokerage services. As of December 31, 2014, our company owned real estate brokerage segment leased approximately 4.6 million square feet of domestic office space under approximately 933 leases. Its corporate headquarters and one regional headquarters facility are located in leased offices at 175 Park Avenue, Madison, New Jersey. As of December 31, 2014, NRT leased 7 facilities serving as regional headquarters, 22 facilities serving as local administration, training facilities or storage, and more than 725 brokerage sales offices under 863 leases. These offices are generally located in shopping centers and small office parks, generally with lease terms of one to five years. Included in the 933 leases are 40 leases which are vacant and/or subleased offices, principally relating to brokerage sales office consolidations.
Relocation services. Our relocation business has its main corporate operations in a leased building in Danbury, Connecticut with a lease term expiring in November 2030. There are leased offices in the U.S., located in Lisle, Illinois; Irving, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Memphis, Tennessee; Folsom, California; Irvine, California; St. Louis Park, Minnesota; and Bellevue, Washington. International offices include leased facilities in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Brazil, Germany, France, Switzerland, Canada and the Netherlands.
Title and settlement services. Our title and settlement services business conducts its main operations at a leased facility in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, pursuant to a lease expiring in December 2021. As of December 31, 2014, this business also has leased regional and branch offices in 24 states and Washington, D.C.
We believe that all of our properties and facilities are well maintained.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
Legal—Real Estate Business
Bararsani v. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Company. On November 15, 2012, plaintiff Ali Bararsani filed a putative class action complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court, California, against Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Company ("CBRBC") alleging that CBRBC had misclassified current and former affiliated sales associates as independent contractors when they were actually employees. The complaint, as amended, further alleges that, because of the misclassification, CBRBC has violated several sections of the California Labor Code including one for failing to reimburse the plaintiff and purported class for business related expenses and a second for failing to keep proper records. The amended complaint also asserts an Unfair Business Practices claim for misclassifying the sales associates. The Plaintiff, on behalf of a purported class, seeks the benefit of the California labor laws for expenses and other sums, plus asserted penalties, attorneys’ fees and interest. The Company believes that CBRBC has properly classified the sales associates as independent contractors and that it has and continues to operate in a manner consistent with applicable law, and longstanding, widespread industry practice for many decades.
On July 31, 2013, CBRBC filed a Demurrer with the Court seeking to dismiss the amended complaint. The Demurrer asserted that the claims raised by the plaintiff were without basis under California law because the California Business and Professions Code sets out the applicable three-part test for classification of real estate sales associates as independent contractors and all elements of the test have been satisfied by CBRBC and the affiliated sales associates. Plaintiff filed an Opposition on August 12, 2013 and a hearing was held on August 28, 2013. The Court denied the Demurrer and stated that it would look to the more complex multi-factor common law test to determine whether the plaintiff was misclassified. CBRBC filed a Petition for a Writ of Mandate with the California Court of Appeal seeking its discretionary review of that decision on September 30, 2013 and on November 8, 2013, the Court of Appeal denied the Petition.
On March 25, 2014, the Court denied plaintiff’s ex parte application which sought, in part, to invalidate, for purposes of this litigation, arbitration clauses with class action waivers in independent contractor agreements executed by some putative members of the class following the commencement of the litigation. Plaintiffs filed a Writ of Mandate with the California Court of Appeal seeking its discretionary review of the Court's decision to deny plaintiff's application. On June 2, 2014, the Court of Appeal summarily denied the petition. The case is now in the discovery phase. The next case status conference is scheduled for March 2, 2015.
The case raises significant classification claims that potentially apply to the real estate industry in general and that have not been previously challenged in any significant manner in California or many other jurisdictions. As with all class action litigation, the case is inherently complex and subject to many uncertainties. We believe that CBRBC has properly classified the current and former affiliated sales associates. There can be no assurance, however, that if the action continues and a large class is subsequently certified, the plaintiffs will not seek a substantial damage award, penalties and other remedies. Given the stage of this case, the novel claims and issues presented and the great uncertainties regarding which sales
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associates, if any, may be part of a class, if one is certified, we cannot estimate a range of reasonably potential losses for this litigation. The Company believes it has complied with all applicable laws and regulations and will vigorously defend this action.
The Company is involved in certain other claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of our business. Such litigation and other proceedings may include, but are not limited to, actions relating to intellectual property, commercial arrangements, franchising arrangements, actions against our title company alleging it knew or should have known that others were committing mortgage fraud, standard brokerage disputes like the failure to disclose hidden defects in the property such as mold, vicarious liability based upon conduct of individuals or entities outside of our control, including franchisees and independent sales associates, antitrust and anti-competition claims, general fraud claims, employment law claims, including claims challenging the classification of our sales associates as independent contractors, wage and hour classification claims and claims alleging violations of RESPA or state consumer fraud statutes. While the results of such claims and legal actions cannot be predicted with certainty, we do not believe based on information currently available to us that the final outcome of current proceedings against the Company will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Legal—Cendant Corporate Litigation
Pursuant to the Separation and Distribution Agreement dated as of July 27, 2006 among Cendant, Realogy Group, Wyndham Worldwide and Travelport, each of Realogy Group, Wyndham Worldwide and Travelport have assumed certain contingent and other corporate liabilities (and related costs and expenses), which are primarily related to each of their respective businesses. In addition, Realogy Group has assumed 62.5% and Wyndham Worldwide has assumed 37.5% of certain contingent and other corporate liabilities (and related costs and expenses) of Cendant or its subsidiaries, which are not primarily related to any of the respective businesses of Realogy Group, Wyndham Worldwide, Travelport and/or Cendant’s vehicle rental operations, in each case incurred or allegedly incurred on or prior to the date of the separation of Travelport from Cendant.
* * *
The Company believes that it has adequately accrued for legal matters as appropriate. The Company records litigation accruals for legal matters which are both probable and estimable.
Litigation and other disputes are inherently unpredictable and subject to substantial uncertainties and unfavorable resolutions could occur. In addition, class action lawsuits can be costly to defend and, depending on the class size and claims, could be costly to settle. As such, the Company could incur judgments or enter into settlements of claims with liability that are materially in excess of amounts accrued and these settlements could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in any particular period.
Litigation and claims against other participants in the residential real estate industry may impact the Company when the rulings in those cases cover practices common to the broader industry. Examples may include claims associated with RESPA compliance, broker fiduciary duties, and sales agent classification. Similarly, the Company may be impacted by litigation and other claims against companies in other industries. Rulings on matters such as the enforcement of arbitration agreements and worker classification may adversely affect the Company and other residential real estate industry participants as a result of the classification of sales agents as independent contractors, irrespective of the fact that the parties subject to the rulings are in a different industry. There is active worker classification litigation in numerous jurisdictions, including Massachusetts, California, New Jersey and New York, against a variety of industries where the plaintiffs seek to reclassify independent contractors as employees or to challenge the use of federal and state minimum wage and overtime exemptions. To the extent the defendants are unsuccessful in these types of litigation matters, and we or our franchisees cannot distinguish our or their practices (or our industry’s practices), we and our franchisees could face significant liability and we and our franchisees could be required to modify certain business relationships, either of which could materially and adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
None.
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PART II
Item 5. | Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities. |
Market Price of Common Stock
Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol "RLGY". As of February 23, 2015, the number of stockholders of record was 60. The following table sets forth the quarterly high and low sales prices per share of RLGY common stock as reported by the NYSE, for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014:
2013 | High | Low | |||||
First Quarter | $ | 50.33 | $ | 40.36 | |||
Second Quarter | $ | 55.28 | $ | 42.23 | |||
Third Quarter | $ | 51.80 | $ | 40.61 | |||
Fourth Quarter | $ | 50.33 | $ | 39.58 | |||
2014 | High | Low | |||||
First Quarter | $ | 51.35 | $ | 43.05 | |||
Second Quarter | $ | 45.04 | $ | 34.77 | |||
Third Quarter | $ | 41.86 | $ | 35.99 | |||
Fourth Quarter | $ | 46.94 | $ | 32.91 | |||
Dividend Policy
We do not currently anticipate paying dividends on our common stock. Any declaration and payment of future dividends to holders of our common stock will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on many factors, including our financial condition, earnings, cash flows, capital requirements, level of indebtedness, statutory and contractual restrictions applicable to the payment of dividends and other considerations that our Board of Directors deems relevant. See "Item 1A.—Risk Factors—Risks Related to an Investment in Our Common Stock—We have no plans to pay regular dividends on our common stock, so stockholders may not receive funds without selling their common stock." Because Realogy Holdings is a holding company and has no direct operations, we will only be able to pay dividends from our available cash on hand and any funds we receive from our subsidiaries. The terms of our indebtedness restrict our subsidiaries from paying dividends to us. Our title insurance underwriter is subject to regulations that limit its ability to pay dividends or make loans or advances to us, principally to protect policyholders. Under Delaware law, dividends may be payable only out of surplus, which is our net assets minus our liabilities and our capital, or, if we have no surplus, out of our net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and/or the preceding fiscal year. As a result, we may not pay dividends according to our policy or at all if, among other things, we do not have sufficient cash to pay the intended dividends, if our financial performance does not achieve expected results or the terms of our indebtedness prohibit it.
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Stock Performance Graph
The stock performance graph set forth below is not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any of our prior or future filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The following graph compares Realogy's cumulative total shareholder return with the cumulative total return of the S&P 500 index and a peer group of companies. Since Realogy is the preeminent and most integrated provider of residential real estate services in the U.S., as well as the largest franchisor of residential real estate brokerages in the world, we selected a group of franchising companies and real estate related companies as a peer group. The cumulative total shareholder return for the index as well as the peer group includes the reinvestment of dividends. The graph assumes that the value of the investment in the Company's common shares, the index and the peer group was $100 on October 11, 2012 and updates the value through December 31, 2014.
Cumulative Total Return | |||||||||||||||
October 11, 2012 | December 31, 2012 | December 31, 2013 | December 31, 2014 | ||||||||||||
Realogy Holdings Corp. | $ | 100.00 | $ | 122.69 | $ | 144.65 | $ | 130.09 | |||||||
S&P 500 | $ | 100.00 | $ | 100.07 | $ | 132.48 | $ | 150.62 | |||||||
Other real estate related and franchise companies (a) | $ | 100.00 | $ | 103.53 | $ | 140.87 | $ | 181.09 | |||||||
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(a) | Other real estate related and franchise companies include H&R Block, G&K Services, Cintas, CBRE Group, Jones Lang LaSalle, HFF, Marriott, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Weight Watchers, Dunkin' Brands Group, Domino's Pizza, Rollins and Choice Hotels. |
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Item 6. Selected Financial Data.
The following table presents our selected historical consolidated financial data and operating statistics. The consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012 and the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere herein. The statement of operations data for the year ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 and the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 have been derived from our consolidated financial statements not included elsewhere herein.
Neither Realogy Holdings, the indirect parent of Realogy Group, nor Realogy Intermediate, the direct parent company of Realogy Group, conducts any operations other than with respect to its respective direct or indirect ownership of Realogy Group. As a result, the consolidated financial positions and results of operations of Realogy Holdings, Realogy Intermediate and Realogy Group are the same.
The selected historical consolidated financial data and operating statistics presented below should be read in conjunction with our annual consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes and "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" included elsewhere herein. Our annual consolidated financial information may not be indicative of our future performance.
As of or for the Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||
2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | |||||||||||||||
(In millions, except per share data and operating statistics) | |||||||||||||||||||
Statement of Operations Data: | |||||||||||||||||||
Net revenue | $ | 5,328 | $ | 5,289 | $ | 4,672 | $ | 4,093 | $ | 4,090 | |||||||||
Total expenses | 5,103 | 5,114 | 5,235 | 4,526 | 4,084 | ||||||||||||||
Income (loss) before income taxes, equity in earnings and noncontrolling interests | 225 | 175 | (563 | ) | (433 | ) | 6 | ||||||||||||
Income tax expense (benefit) (a) | 87 | (242 | ) | 39 | 32 | 133 | |||||||||||||
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities | (9 | ) | (26 | ) | (62 | ) | (26 | ) | (30 | ) | |||||||||
Net income (loss) | 147 | 443 | (540 | ) | (439 | ) | (97 | ) | |||||||||||
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | (4 | ) | (5 | ) | (3 | ) | (2 | ) | (2 | ) | |||||||||
Net income (loss) attributable to Realogy Holdings and Realogy Group | $ | 143 | $ | 438 | $ | (543 | ) | $ | (441 | ) | $ | (99 | ) | ||||||
Earnings (loss) per share attributable to Realogy Holdings: | |||||||||||||||||||
Basic earnings (loss) per share | $ | 0.98 | $ | 3.01 | $ | (14.41 | ) | $ | (55.01 | ) | $ | (12.35 | ) | ||||||
Diluted earnings (loss) per share | $ | 0.97 | $ | 2.99 | $ | (14.41 | ) | $ | (55.01 | ) | $ | (12.35 | ) | ||||||
Weighted average common and common equivalent shares used in: | |||||||||||||||||||
Basic | 146.0 | 145.4 | 37.7 | 8.0 | 8.0 | ||||||||||||||
Diluted | 147.2 | 146.6 | 37.7 | 8.0 | 8.0 | ||||||||||||||
Balance Sheet Data: | |||||||||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 313 | $ | 236 | $ | 376 | $ | 143 | $ | 192 | |||||||||
Securitization assets (b) | 286 | 268 | 299 | 357 | 384 | ||||||||||||||
Total assets | 7,538 | 7,326 | 7,445 | 7,350 | 7,569 | ||||||||||||||
Securitization obligations | 269 | 252 | 261 | 327 | 331 | ||||||||||||||
Long-term debt, including short-term portion | 3,910 | 3,905 | 4,366 | 7,150 | 6,892 | ||||||||||||||
Equity (deficit) | 2,183 | 2,013 | 1,519 | (1,499 | ) | (1,063 | ) | ||||||||||||
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For the Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||
2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | |||||||||||||||
Operating Statistics: | |||||||||||||||||||
Real Estate Franchise Services (c) | |||||||||||||||||||
Closed homesale sides (d) | 1,065,339 | 1,083,424 | 988,624 | 909,610 | 922,341 | ||||||||||||||
Average homesale price (e) | $ | 250,214 | $ | 233,011 | $ | 213,575 | $ | 198,268 | $ | 198,076 | |||||||||
Average homesale brokerage commission rate (f) | 2.52 | % | 2.54 | % | 2.54 | % | 2.55 | % | 2.54 | % | |||||||||
Net effective royalty rate (g) | 4.49 | % | 4.49 | % | 4.63 | % | 4.84 | % | 5.00 | % | |||||||||
Royalty per side (h) | $ | 296 | $ | 276 | $ | 262 | $ | 256 | $ | 262 | |||||||||
Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services (i) | |||||||||||||||||||
Closed homesale sides (d) | 308,332 | 316,640 | 289,409 | 254,522 | 255,287 | ||||||||||||||
Average homesale price (e) | $ | 500,589 | $ | 471,144 | $ | 444,638 | $ | 426,402 | $ | 435,500 | |||||||||
Average homesale brokerage commission rate (f) | 2.47 | % | 2.50 | % | 2.49 | % | 2.50 | % | 2.48 | % | |||||||||
Gross commission income per side (j) | $ | 13,072 | $ | 12,459 | $ | 11,826 | $ | 11,461 | $ | 11,571 | |||||||||
Relocation Services | |||||||||||||||||||
Initiations (k) | 171,210 | 165,705 | 158,162 | 153,269 | 148,304 | ||||||||||||||
Referrals (l) | 96,755 | 91,373 | 79,327 | 72,169 | 69,605 | ||||||||||||||
Title and Settlement Services | |||||||||||||||||||
Purchasing title and closing units (m) | 113,074 | 115,572 | 105,156 | 93,245 | 94,290 | ||||||||||||||
Refinance title and closing units (n) | 27,529 | 76,196 | 89,220 | 62,850 | 62,225 | ||||||||||||||
Average fee per closing unit (o) | $ | 1,780 | $ | 1,504 | $ | 1,362 | $ | 1,409 | $ | 1,386 | |||||||||
_______________
(a) | For the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $242 million which was primarily due to a $341 million release of the domestic deferred tax valuation allowance, partially offset by income taxes for 2013 income. |
(b) | Represents the portion of relocation receivables and advances and other related assets that collateralize our securitization obligations. Refer to Note 8, "Short and Long-Term Debt" in the consolidated financial statements for further information. |
(c) | These amounts include only those relating to third-party franchisees and do not include amounts relating to the Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services segment. |
(d) | A closed homesale side represents either the "buy" side or the "sell" side of a homesale transaction. |
(e) | Represents the average selling price of closed homesale transactions. |
(f) | Represents the average commission rate earned on either the "buy" side or "sell" side of a homesale transaction. |
(g) | Represents the average percentage of our franchisees’ commission revenue (excluding NRT) paid to the Real Estate Franchise Services segment as a royalty, net of volume incentives achieved. The net effective royalty rate does not include the effect of non-standard incentives granted to some franchisees. Royalty fees are charged to all franchisees pursuant to the terms of the relevant franchise agreements and are included in each of the real estate brands' franchise disclosure documents. Non-standard incentives are occasionally used as consideration for new or renewing franchisees. Due to the limited number of franchisees that receive these non-standard incentives, we believe excluding such incentives from the net effective royalty rate provides a more meaningful average for typical franchisees. We anticipate that as the housing market recovers and our franchise revenues increase, the impact of these non-standard incentives on the net effective royalty rate will decrease accordingly. The inclusion of these non-standard incentives would reduce the net effective royalty rate by approximately 18, 16 and 16 basis points for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. |
(h) | Represents net domestic royalties earned from our franchisees (excluding NRT) divided by the total number of our franchisees’ closed homesale sides. |
(i) | Our real estate brokerage business has a significant concentration of offices and transactions in geographic regions where home prices are at the higher end of the U.S. real estate market, particularly the east and west coasts. The real estate franchise business has franchised offices that are more widely dispersed across the United States than our real estate brokerage operations. Accordingly, operating results and homesale statistics may differ between our brokerage and franchise businesses based upon geographic presence and the corresponding homesale activity in each geographic region. |
(j) | Represents gross commission income divided by closed homesale sides. Gross commission income includes commissions earned in homesale transactions and certain other activities, primarily leasing and property management transactions. |
(k) | Represents the total number of transferees and affinity members served by the relocation services business. |
(l) | Represents the number of referrals from which we earned revenue from real estate brokers. |
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(m) | Represents the number of title and closing units processed as a result of home purchases. |
(n) | Represents the number of title and closing units processed as a result of homeowners refinancing their home loans. |
(o) | Represents the average fee we earn on purchase title and refinancing title units. |
In presenting the financial data above in conformity with general accepted accounting principles, we are required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported. See "Item 7.—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies" for a detailed discussion of the accounting policies that we believe require subjective and complex judgments that could potentially affect reported results.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere herein. Unless otherwise noted, all dollar amounts in tables are in millions. This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contain forward-looking statements. See "Forward-Looking Statements" and "Item 1A.—Risk Factors" for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
OVERVIEW
We are a global provider of real estate and relocation services and report our operations in the following four segments:
• | Real Estate Franchise Services (known as Realogy Franchise Group or RFG)—franchises the Century 21®, Coldwell Banker®, Coldwell Banker Commercial®, ERA®, Sotheby's International Realty® and Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate brand names. As of December 31, 2014, our franchise systems had approximately 13,500 franchised and company owned offices and approximately 251,300 independent sales associates operating under our franchise and proprietary brands in the U.S. and 103 other countries and territories around the world. We franchise our real estate brokerage franchise systems to real estate brokerage businesses that are independently owned and operated. We provide a license to use the brand names and provide certain systems, programs and tools that are designed to help our franchisees serve their customers and attract new or retain existing independent sales associates. Such systems and tools include national and local marketing programs, listing and agent affiliation tools as well as technology, education and purchasing discounts through our preferred vendor programs. Franchise revenue principally consists of royalty and marketing fees from our franchisees. In addition to royalties received from our independently owned franchisees, our Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services segment pays royalties to the Real Estate Franchise Services segment. The royalty received is primarily based on a percentage of the franchisee’s gross commission income. Royalty fees are accrued as the underlying franchisee revenue is earned (upon closing of the homesale transaction). Annual volume incentives given to certain franchisees on royalty fees are recorded as a reduction to revenue and are accrued for in relative proportion to the recognition of the underlying gross franchise revenue. In the U.S. and generally in Canada, we employ a direct franchising model whereby we contract with and provide services directly to independent owner-operators. In other parts of the world, we employ either a master franchise model, whereby we contract with a qualified, experienced third party to build a franchise enterprise in such third party's country or region or a direct franchising model in the case of Sotheby's International Realty. Under the master franchise model, we typically enter into long-term franchise agreements (often 25 years in duration) and receive an initial area development fee and ongoing royalties. Royalty increases or decreases are recognized with little corresponding increase or decrease in expenses due to the operating efficiency within the franchise operations. In 2014, we acquired ZipRealty, an innovative residential real estate brokerage and developer of proprietary technology platforms for real estate brokerages, independent sales associates and customers. During 2015, we expect to introduce ZipRealty's comprehensive, turnkey integrated Zap technology platform to certain of our franchisees, ahead of a broader rollout of these tools that we believe will increase the value proposition to our franchisees, their independent sales associates and their customers. |
• | Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services (known as NRT)—operates a full-service real estate brokerage business principally under the Coldwell Banker®, Corcoran Group®, Sotheby’s International Realty®, Citi Habitats and ZipRealty® brand names with approximately 45,000 independent sales agents. As an owner-operator of real estate brokerages, we assist home buyers and sellers in listing, marketing, selling and finding homes. We earn commissions for these services, which are recorded upon the closing of a real estate transaction (i.e., purchase or sale of a home), which we refer to as gross commission income. We then pay commissions to independent real estate agents, which are recognized concurrently with associated revenues. In addition, we participate in the mortgage process through our 49.9% ownership of PHH Home Loans, our home mortgage venture with PHH. |
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PHH Home Loans is the exclusive recommended provider of mortgages for our real estate brokerage and relocation service customers (unless exclusivity is waived by PHH). We also assist landlords and tenants through property management and leasing services.
• | Relocation Services (known as Cartus)—primarily offers clients employee relocation services such as homesale assistance, providing home equity advances to transferees (generally guaranteed by the client), home finding and other destination services, expense processing, relocation policy counseling and consulting services, arranging household goods moving services, coordinating visa and immigration support, intercultural and language training and group move management services. We provide these relocation services to corporate clients for the transfer of their employees. In addition, we provide home buying and selling assistance to members of affinity clients. We earn revenues from fees charged to clients for the performance and/or facilitation of these services and recognize such revenue as services are provided. In the majority of relocation transactions, the gain or loss on the sale of a transferee’s home is generally borne by the client. For all homesale transactions, the value paid to the transferee is either based on the value per the underlying third-party buyer contract with the transferee, which results in no gain or loss, or the appraised value as determined by independent appraisers. We earn referral commissions revenue from real estate brokers and other third-party service providers. We recognize such fees from real estate brokers at the time the underlying property closes. For services where we pay a third-party provider on behalf of our clients, we generally earn a referral commission, which is recognized at the time of completion of services. In addition, we generally earn interest income on the funds we advance on behalf of the transferring employee, which is typically based on prime rate or London Interbank Offer Rate ("LIBOR") and recorded within other revenue (as is the corresponding interest expense on the securitization borrowings) in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. |
• | Title and Settlement Services (known as Title Resource Group or TRG)—provides full-service title, settlement and vendor management services to real estate companies, affinity groups, corporations and financial institutions with many of these services provided in connection with the Company’s real estate brokerage and relocation services business. We provide title and closing services (also known as settlement services), which include title search procedures for title insurance policies, homesale escrow and other closing services. Title revenues, which are recorded net of amounts remitted to third-party insurance underwriters, and title and closing service fees are recorded at the time a homesale transaction or refinancing closes. We provide many of these services to third-party clients in connection with transactions generated by our Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage and Relocation Services segments as well as various financial institutions in the mortgage lending industry. We also serve as an underwriter of title insurance policies in connection with residential and commercial real estate transactions. |
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
In November 2014, the Company issued $300 million of 5.25% Senior Notes in a private offering. In December 2014, the Company used the net proceeds from the offering of the 5.25% Senior Notes of approximately $296 million, along with cash on hand, to redeem the $332 million of outstanding 7.875% First and a Half Lien Notes plus a premium and accrued and unpaid interest.
CURRENT INDUSTRY TRENDS
Commencing in the second half of 2005 and continuing through 2011, the U.S. residential real estate industry was in a significant and lengthy downturn. Based upon data published by NAR from 2005 to 2011, the number of annual U.S. existing homesale units declined by 40% and the median existing homesale price declined by 24%.
Beginning in 2012, the U.S. residential real estate industry began its current recovery. According to NAR, in the first two years of the current housing recovery—2012 and 2013—homesale transaction volume (average homesale price multiplied by homesale transactions) improved 15% and 19%, respectively, and the industry experienced significant refinancing activity. We believe that the improvement in 2012 and 2013 was driven by high affordability of home ownership and demand that built up during an extended period of economic uncertainty, as well as historically low mortgage rates and lower home inventory levels leading to increases in homesale prices.
According to NAR, homesale transaction volume growth slowed to 1% in 2014 compared to 2013. The homesale transaction volume gain in 2014 was primarily driven by increasing average home prices, while the number of homesale transactions in 2014 declined year-over-year.
During 2014, we experienced an increase in homesale transaction volume of 5% due to strong demand at the high end of the housing market coinciding with lower inventory levels causing the average homesale price to increase. At the low end of the market, we believe there was a limitation on first-time buyer activity due to various factors, including an increase
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in mortgage rates in July 2013 that remained through April 2014, a continuation of difficult mortgage underwriting standards, increased down payment requirements, the impact of a slowly growing economy and lower inventory levels. These factors resulted in a shift in the mix of business away from lower-priced homes, thereby leading to a higher average homesale price, and a year-over-year decrease in the total number of homesale transactions in 2014.
According to NAR, the inventory of existing homes for sale in the U.S. was 1.9 million homes at the end of December 2014 and December 2013. The December 2014 inventory represents a national average supply of 4.4 months at the current homesales pace which represents a lower than normal level of inventory.
For 2014, NAR reported in their monthly Realtor Confidence Survey that first time home buyers accounted for 29% of transactions compared to 34% for the period from August 2009 (when NAR began compiling this information) through December 2014. According to NAR's annual survey, the share of first-time buyers fell to its lowest point in nearly three decades and is preventing the housing market from reaching its full potential.
As reported by NAR, the housing affordability index has continued to be at historically favorable levels as a result of the cumulative homesale price declines that began in 2007 and historically low interest rates. An index above 100 signifies that a family earning the median income has sufficient income to purchase a median-priced home, assuming a 20 percent down payment and ability to qualify for a mortgage. The composite housing affordability index was 164 for 2014, 177 for 2013 and 197 for 2012. The housing affordability index, which has declined over the past two years as housing prices and mortgage rates increased, is still significantly higher than the average of 117 for the period from 1970 through 2005. In addition, as rental prices have continued to rise, the cost of owning a home is lower than the rental of a comparable property in the vast majority of U.S. metropolitan areas.
Mortgage rates continue to be at low levels by historical standards, which we believe has helped stimulate demand in the residential real estate market. According to Freddie Mac, mortgage rates on commitments for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate first mortgage averaged 6.5% for 2000 to 2005, 5.7% for 2006 to 2010 and 4.0% for 2011 through 2013. The average mortgage rate was 4.2% for 2014 and in late 2014 mortgage rates became available for under 4.0%. In addition, consumers continue to have financing alternatives such as adjustable rate mortgages which can be utilized to obtain a lower mortgage rate than a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.
Partially offsetting the positive impact of low mortgage rates are conservative mortgage underwriting standards, increased down payment requirements and certain homeowners having limited or negative equity in homes. Mortgage credit conditions tightened significantly during the recent housing downturn, with banks limiting credit availability to more creditworthy borrowers and requiring larger down payments, stricter appraisal standards, and more extensive mortgage documentation. Although mortgage credit conditions appear to be easing slightly, mortgages remain less available to some borrowers and it frequently takes longer to close a homesale transaction due to current mortgage and underwriting requirements.
Mortgage refinancing activity also declined significantly in 2014 compared to levels experienced in 2013 and 2012. According to Fannie Mae, in 2012 refinancing originations totaled $1,540 billion and decreased to $1,123 billion in 2013. In 2014, refinancing originations significantly declined further to $506 billion resulting in a 55% decline from 2013 levels. The reduction in refinancing activity in 2014 adversely impacted our share of earnings from our PHH Home Loans venture as well as refinancing related revenue and profitability at our title and settlement services operations.
Final regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act pertaining to qualified mortgages and qualified residential mortgages became effective in 2014, which we believe is a positive step towards expanding credit availability. In addition, regulators have put into effect many programs during the last quarter of 2014 and January 2015 that could result in greater homesale levels including a reduction of FHA fees charged to qualified buyers, greater clarity around guidelines for lenders being required to repurchase imperfect loans and lower down payment requirements for loans generated by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which we believe will help to increase the number of first-time homebuyers.
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Homesales
According to NAR, homesale transactions for 2014 decreased to 4.9 million homes or down 3% compared to 2013. For the year ended December 31, 2014, RFG and NRT homesale transactions decreased 2% and 3%, respectively, due to an overall decrease in homebuyer activity compared to 2013 and are in line with NAR estimates. The annual and quarterly year-over-year trends in homesale transactions are as follows:
2012 vs. 2011 | 2013 vs. 2012 | 2014 vs. 2013 | ||||||
Number of Homesales | ||||||||
Industry | ||||||||
NAR (a) | 9 | % | 9 | % | (3 | )% | ||
Fannie Mae (b) | 9 | % | 9 | % | (3 | )% | ||
Realogy | ||||||||
Real Estate Franchise Services | 9 | % | 10 | % | (2 | )% | ||
Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services | 14 | % | 9 | % | (3 | )% | ||
2014 vs. 2013 | |||||||||||
First Quarter | Second Quarter | Third Quarter | Fourth Quarter | ||||||||
Number of Homesales | |||||||||||
Industry | |||||||||||
NAR (a) | (7 | )% | (5 | )% | (4 | )% | 3 | % | |||
Fannie Mae (b) | (7 | )% | (5 | )% | (4 | )% | 2 | % | |||
Realogy | |||||||||||
Real Estate Franchise Services | (3 | )% | (3 | )% | (3 | )% | 2 | % | |||
Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services | (2 | )% | (5 | )% | (4 | )% | 2 | % | |||
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(a) | Historical existing homesale data is as of the most recent NAR press release. |
(b) | Existing homesale data, on a seasonally adjusted basis, is as of the most recent Fannie Mae press release. |
As of their most recent releases, NAR is forecasting existing homesales to increase 7% in 2015 compared to 2014 while Fannie Mae is forecasting an increase in existing homesale transactions of 5% for 2015 compared to 2014. In addition, NAR and Fannie Mae are forecasting an increase of 4% and 2% in existing homesale transactions for 2016 compared to 2015, respectively. NAR believes that the improvement in the number of homesale transactions in 2015 will be due to a strengthening economy and solid job gains. We also believe that more consumer friendly mortgage underwriting standards, a recent decline in mortgage rates below 2014 levels and improving consumer confidence may contribute to an increase in homesale transactions in 2015.
Homesale Price
In 2014, the percentage change in the average price of homes brokered by our franchisees and company owned offices increased 7% and 6%, respectively. For our franchisees, this increase was slightly higher than the percentage change in median home price reported by Fannie Mae and existing homesale average price reported by NAR. For our company owned offices, the increase was slightly lower than those reported by NAR and Fannie Mae. We believe that the improvement in price in 2014 was due to strong demand at the high end of the housing market coinciding with lower inventory levels. The annual and quarterly year-over-year trends in the price of homes are as follows:
2012 vs. 2011 | 2013 vs. 2012 | 2014 vs. 2013 | ||||||
Price of Homes | ||||||||
Industry | ||||||||
NAR (a) | 5 | % | 9 | % | 4 | % | ||
Fannie Mae (b) | 7 | % | 11 | % | 5 | % | ||
Realogy | ||||||||
Real Estate Franchise Services | 8 | % | 9 | % | 7 | % | ||
Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services | 4 | % | 6 | % | 6 | % | ||
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2014 vs. 2013 | |||||||||||
First Quarter | Second Quarter | Third Quarter | Fourth Quarter | ||||||||
Price of Homes | |||||||||||
Industry | |||||||||||
NAR (a) | 7 | % | 3 | % | 3 | % | 4 | % | |||
Fannie Mae (b) | 9 | % | 4 | % | 4 | % | 5 | % | |||
Realogy | |||||||||||
Real Estate Franchise Services | 12 | % | 7 | % | 6 | % | 6 | % | |||
Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services | 14 | % | 7 | % | 5 | % | 2 | % | |||
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(a) | Historical homesale price data is for existing homesale average price and is as of the most recent NAR press release. |
(b) | Existing homesale price data is for median price and is as of the most recent Fannie Mae press release. |
As of their most recent releases, NAR and Fannie Mae are forecasting a 5% and 4% increase in the 2015 median existing homesale price compared to 2014, respectively. For 2016, NAR and Fannie Mae are both forecasting an increase of 4% in median existing homesale price compared to 2015.
* * *
We believe that long-term demand for housing and the growth of our industry are primarily driven by the affordability of housing, the economic health of the U.S. economy, positive demographic trends such as population growth, the increase in household formation, historically low interest rates, job growth, the inherent attributes of homeownership vs. renting and the influence of local housing dynamics of supply vs. demand. Factors that may negatively affect a sustained housing recovery include:
• | higher mortgage rates due to increases in long-term interest rates as well as reduced availability of mortgage financing; |
• | insufficient inventory levels leading to lower unit sales; |
• | changing attitudes towards home ownership, particularly among potential first-time homebuyers who may delay, or decide not to, purchase homes; |
• | the impact of limited or negative equity of current homeowners, as well as the lack of available inventory may limit their proclivity to purchase an alternative home; |
• | reduced affordability of homes; |
• | high levels of unemployment and associated lack of consumer confidence; |
• | unsustainable economic recovery in the U.S. or a weak recovery resulting in only modest economic growth; |
• | a decline in home ownership levels in the U.S.; and |
• | legislative or regulatory reform, including but not limited to reform that adversely impacts the financing of the U.S. housing market or amends the Internal Revenue Code in a manner that negatively impacts home ownership such as reform that reduces the amount that certain taxpayers would be allowed to deduct for home mortgage interest. |
Many of the trends impacting our businesses that derive revenue from homesales also impact our Relocation Services business, which is a global provider of outsourced employee relocation services. In addition to general residential housing trends, key drivers of our Relocation Services business are global corporate spending on relocation services, which has not returned to levels that existed prior to the most recent recession, as well as employment relocation trends. Our Relocation Services business is subject to a competitive pricing environment and lower average revenue per relocation as a result of a shift in the mix of services and number of services being delivered per move. These factors have, and may continue to, put pressure on the growth and profitability of this segment.
* * *
While data provided by NAR and Fannie Mae are two indicators of the direction of the residential housing market, we believe that homesale statistics will continue to vary between us and NAR and Fannie Mae because they use survey data in their historical reports and forecasting models whereas we use data based on actual reported results. In addition to the differences in calculation methodologies, there are geographical differences and concentrations in the markets in which we
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operate versus the national market. For instance, comparability is impaired due to NAR’s utilization of seasonally adjusted annualized rates whereas we report actual period-over-period changes and their use of median price for their forecasts compared to our average price. Additionally, NAR historical data is subject to periodic review and revision and these revisions could be material. NAR and Fannie Mae generally update their forecasts on a monthly basis and a subsequent forecast may change materially from a forecast that was previously issued. While we believe that the industry data presented herein is derived from the most widely recognized sources for reporting U.S. residential housing market statistical data, we do not endorse or suggest reliance on this data alone. We also note that forecasts are inherently uncertain or speculative in nature and actual results for any period could materially differ.
KEY DRIVERS OF OUR BUSINESSES
Within our Real Estate Franchise Services segment and our Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services segment, we measure operating performance using the following key operating statistics: (i) closed homesale sides, which represents either the "buy" side or the "sell" side of a homesale transaction, (ii) average homesale price, which represents the average selling price of closed homesale transactions, (iii) average homesale broker commission rate, which represents the average commission rate earned on either the "buy" side or "sell" side of a homesale transaction and (iv) net effective royalty rate, which represents the average percentage of our franchisees’ commission revenues payable to our Real Estate Franchise Services segment, net of volume incentives achieved.
From 2007 through December 2013, the average broker commission rate remained fairly stable; however, in 2014 we had a modest decline in the average broker commission rate. We expect that over the long term the average brokerage commission rates could modestly decline as a result of increases in average homesale prices. A continuing housing recovery should result in an increase in our revenues but could put pressure on brokerage commissions.
In general, most of our third-party franchisees are entitled to volume incentives. These incentives decrease during times of declining homesale transaction volumes and increase during market recoveries when there is a corresponding increase in homesale transaction volume. As a result, the net effective royalty rate may be impacted by the cyclical residential housing market. In addition, these tiered volume incentives only impact the incremental revenues recorded and the calculation of the net effective royalty rate. From 2009 to 2013, the net effective royalty rate declined due to several factors including a consolidation of distressed franchisees into viable affiliates and company owned operations, the termination of certain franchisees who generally were not sizable enough to earn significant rebates, and in 2012 and 2013, an increase in overall homesale transaction volume. In 2014, the net effective royalty rate remained at the 2013 level.
Royalty fees are charged to all franchisees pursuant to the terms of the relevant franchise agreements and are included in each of the real estate brands' franchise disclosure documents. Non-standard incentives are sometimes used as consideration for new or renewing franchisees. Most of our franchisees do not receive these non-standard incentives and in contrast to royalties and volume incentives they are not homesale transaction based. We have accordingly excluded the non-standard incentives from the calculation of the net effective royalty rate. Had these non-standard incentives been included, the net effective royalty rate would be lower by approximately 18, 16 and 16 basis points for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Our Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services segment has a significant concentration of real estate brokerage offices and transactions in geographic regions where home prices are at the higher end of the U.S. real estate market, particularly the east and west coasts, while our Real Estate Franchise Services segment has franchised offices that are more widely dispersed across the United States. Accordingly, operating results and homesale statistics may differ between our Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services segment and our Real Estate Franchise Services segment based upon geographic presence and the corresponding homesale activity in each geographic region. In addition, the share of commissions earned by sales associates directly impacts the margin earned by our Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services segment. Such share of commissions earned by sales associates varies by region and can increase as sales associates increase their level of homesale transactions. It also is impacted by the level of recruitment by competitors of sales associates affiliated with our brokerage. Competitive pressures can increase the commissions necessary to attract and maintain relationships with productive sales associates. Commission schedules are generally progressive to incentivize sales associates to achieve higher levels of production. The level of commissions earned by sales associates are generally subject to review and reset on the anniversary of the sales associates' engagement with the broker.
Within our Relocation Services segment, we measure operating performance using the following key operating statistics: (i) initiations, which represent the total number of new transferees and the total number of real estate closings for affinity members and (ii) referrals, which represent the number of referrals from which we earn revenue from real estate brokers.
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In our Title and Settlement Services segment, operating performance is evaluated using the following key metrics: (i) purchase title and closing units, which represent the number of title and closing units we process as a result of home purchases, (ii) refinance title and closing units, which represent the number of title and closing units we process as a result of homeowners refinancing their home loans, and (iii) average fee per closing unit, which represents the average fee we earn on purchase title and refinancing title sides. An increase or decrease in homesale transactions will impact the financial results of our Title and Settlement Services segment; however, the financial results are not significantly impacted by a change in homesale price. In addition, an increase in mortgage rates will most likely have a negative impact on refinancing title and closing units.
A decline in the number of homesale transactions and decline in homesale prices could adversely affect our results of operations by: (i) reducing the royalties we receive from our franchisees, (ii) reducing the commissions our company owned brokerage operations earn, (iii) reducing the demand for our title and settlement services, (iv) reducing the referral fees we earn in our relocation services business, and (v) increasing the risk of franchisee default due to lower homesale volume. Our results could also be negatively affected by a decline in commission rates charged by brokers or greater commission payments to sales associates.
The following table presents our drivers for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012. See "Results of Operations" below for a discussion as to how these drivers affected our business for the periods presented.
Year Ended December 31, | Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2014 | 2013 | % Change | 2013 | 2012 | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Real Estate Franchise Services (a) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Closed homesale sides | 1,065,339 | 1,083,424 | (2 | %) | 1,083,424 | 988,624 | 10 | % | |||||||||||||
Average homesale price | $ | 250,214 | $ | 233,011 | 7 | % | $ | 233,011 | $ | 213,575 | 9 | % | |||||||||
Average homesale broker commission rate | 2.52 | % | 2.54 | % | (2) bps | 2.54 | % | 2.54 | % | — | |||||||||||
Net effective royalty rate | 4.49 | % | 4.49 | % | — | 4.49 | % | 4.63 | % | (14) bps | |||||||||||
Royalty per side | $ | 296 | $ | 276 | 7 | % | $ | 276 | $ | 262 | 5 | % | |||||||||
Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services | |||||||||||||||||||||
Closed homesale sides (b) | 308,332 | 316,640 | (3 | %) | 316,640 | 289,409 | 9 | % | |||||||||||||
Average homesale price (c) | $ | 500,589 | $ | 471,144 | 6 | % | $ | 471,144 | $ | 444,638 | 6 | % | |||||||||
Average homesale broker commission rate | 2.47 | % | 2.50 | % | (3) bps | 2.50 | % | 2.49 | % | 1 bps | |||||||||||
Gross commission income per side | $ | 13,072 | $ | 12,459 | 5 | % | $ | 12,459 | $ | 11,826 | 5 | % | |||||||||
Relocation Services | |||||||||||||||||||||
Initiations | 171,210 | 165,705 | 3 | % | 165,705 | 158,162 | 5 | % | |||||||||||||
Referrals | 96,755 | 91,373 | 6 | % | 91,373 | 79,327 | 15 | % | |||||||||||||
Title and Settlement Services | |||||||||||||||||||||
Purchase title and closing units | 113,074 | 115,572 | (2 | %) | 115,572 | 105,156 | 10 | % | |||||||||||||
Refinance title and closing units | 27,529 | 76,196 | (64 | %) | 76,196 | 89,220 | (15 | %) | |||||||||||||
Average fee per closing unit | $ | 1,780 | $ | 1,504 | 18 | % | $ | 1,504 | $ | 1,362 | 10 | % | |||||||||
(a) | Includes all franchisees except for our Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services segment. |
(b) | Closed homesale sides, excluding the impact of larger acquisitions with an individual purchase price greater than $20 million, would have decreased 5% for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to 2013. |
(c) | Average homesale price, excluding the impact of larger acquisitions with an individual purchase price greater than $20 million, would have increased 6% for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to 2013. |
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The following table sets forth the impact on EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2014 assuming either our homesale sides or average selling price of closed homesale transactions, with all else being equal, increased or decreased by 1%. The impact to net income would be approximately 40% lower than the impact to EBITDA as a result of income taxes for each hypothetical change in homesale sides and average price. We believe that homesale sides and average selling prices are the two most important drivers of our business. However, the impact to EBITDA included in the table below is an estimate and may change as a result of other factors, such as changes to the average broker commission rate, agent commissions and overhead costs. Additionally, EBITDA generated by our relocation services and title and settlement services segments are not impacted by homesale sides or average selling price in the same manner as our real estate franchise services and company owned real estate brokerage services segments.
Homesale Sides/Average Price (1) | Impact on EBITDA (in millions) | ||||||||||
(units and price in thousands) | Decrease of 1% | Increase of 1% | |||||||||
Homesale sides change impact on: | |||||||||||
Real Estate Franchise Services (2) | 1,065 | sides | $ | (3 | ) | $ | 3 | ||||
Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services (3) | 308 | sides | $ | (11 | ) | $ | 11 | ||||
Homesale average price change impact on: | |||||||||||
Real Estate Franchise Services (2) | $ | 250 | $ | (3 | ) | $ | 3 | ||||
Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services (3) | $ | 501 | $ | (11 | ) | $ | 11 | ||||
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(1) | Average price represents the average selling price of closed homesale transactions. |
(2) | Increase/(decrease) relates to impact on non-company owned real estate brokerage operations only. |
(3) | Increase/(decrease) includes $9 million of EBITDA for the company owned real estate brokerage operations and $2 million of intercompany royalties paid by our company owned real estate brokerage operations to our real estate franchise services operations. |
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Discussed below are our consolidated results of operations and the results of operations for each of our reportable segments. The reportable segments presented below represent our operating segments for which separate financial information is available and which is utilized on a regular basis by our chief operating decision maker to assess performance and to allocate resources. In identifying our reportable segments, we also consider the nature of services provided by our operating segments. Management evaluates the operating results of each of our reportable segments based upon revenue and EBITDA. EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) before depreciation and amortization, interest (income) expense, net (other than Relocation Services interest securitization assets and securitization obligations) and income taxes, each of which is presented on our Consolidated Statements of Operations. Our presentation of EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.
Year Ended December 31, 2014 vs. Year Ended December 31, 2013
Our consolidated results were comprised of the following:
Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
2014 | 2013 | Change | |||||||||
Net revenues | $ | 5,328 | $ | 5,289 | $ | 39 | |||||
Total expenses (1) | 5,103 | 5,114 | (11 | ) | |||||||
Income before income taxes, equity in earnings and noncontrolling interests | 225 | 175 | 50 | ||||||||
Income tax expense (benefit) | 87 | (242 | ) | 329 | |||||||
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities | (9 | ) | (26 | ) | 17 | ||||||
Net income (2) | 147 | 443 | (296 | ) | |||||||
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | (4 | ) | (5 | ) | 1 | ||||||
Net income attributable to Realogy Holdings and Realogy Group | $ | 143 | $ | 438 | $ | (295 | ) | ||||
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(1) | Total expenses for the year ended December 31, 2014 includes $47 million related to the loss on the early extinguishment of debt, $10 million of transaction and integration costs related to the ZipRealty acquisition and $2 million related to the Phantom Value Plan, partially offset by a net benefit of $10 million for former parent legacy items and the reversal of prior year restructuring reserves of $1 million. Total expenses for the year ended December 31, 2013 include $68 million related to the loss on the early extinguishment of debt, $47 million related to the Phantom Value Plan and $4 million of restructuring costs, partially offset by a net benefit of $4 million for former parent legacy items. |
(2) | Net income for the year ended December 31, 2013, includes an income tax benefit of $242 million which was primarily due to a $341 million release of the domestic deferred tax valuation allowance, partially offset by income taxes for 2013 income. |
Net revenues increased $39 million (1%) for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared with the year ended December 31, 2013, principally due to an increase in revenues for the Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services segment and Real Estate Franchise Services segment primarily driven by an increase in homesale price, partially offset by lower refinancing transactions at the Title and Settlement Services segment.
Total expenses decreased $11 million primarily due to:
• | a $55 million decrease in operating and general and administrative expenses driven by: |
◦ | a $50 million decrease in variable operating costs at our Title and Settlement Services segment as a result of a decrease in refinancing and refinance-related underwriter transactions; and |
◦ | a $37 million decrease in employee-related costs primarily due to a $45 million decrease in Phantom Value Plan charges and a $33 million decrease in annual bonus, partially offset by a $41 million increase in other employee-related expenses; |
partially offset by
◦ | a $33 million increase in costs primarily related to NRT brokerage acquisitions completed during the year ended December 31, 2014; and |
◦ | a $10 million increase in transaction and integration costs related to the ZipRealty acquisition; |
• | a $21 million decrease in the loss on the early extinguishment of debt due to the refinancing transactions, note redemption and note repurchase transactions completed in 2014 vs. 2013; and |
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• | a $14 million decrease in interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the year ended December 31, 2013 due to $50 million of lower interest expense as a result of a lower weighted average interest rate due to refinancing activities, partially offset by a net increase of $36 million due to the impact of mark-to-market adjustments for our interest rate swaps which resulted in losses of $32 million in 2014 compared to gains of $4 million in the same period of 2013; |
partially offset by,
• | a $64 million increase in commission and other sales associate-related costs, due to the increase in revenue and the impact of a higher proportion of transactions occurring in regions with less favorable commission splits; and |
• | a $15 million increase in marketing expense related to advertising initiatives for the brands, online marketing costs incurred by ZipRealty and the ERA rebranding. |
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities decreased $17 million primarily due to lower earnings from our investment in PHH Home Loans as a result of the significant decrease in refinancing transaction volume as well as a decrease in margins in the mortgage origination business.
The provision for income taxes was an expense of $87 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to a benefit of $242 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. Our effective tax rate for 2014 was 37% and is not comparable to 2013 due to the income tax benefit recognized. In 2013, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $242 million which was primarily due to a $341 million release of the domestic deferred tax valuation allowance, partially offset by income taxes for 2013 income.
Following is a more detailed discussion of the results of each of our reportable segments for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013:
Revenues (a) | EBITDA (b) | Margin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2014 | 2013 | % Change | 2014 | 2013 | % Change | 2014 | 2013 | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Real Estate Franchise Services | $ | 716 | $ | 690 | 4 | % | $ | 463 | $ | 448 | 3 | % | 65 | % | 65 | % | — | |||||||||||||
Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services | 4,078 | 3,990 | 2 | 193 | 206 | (6 | ) | 5 | 5 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Relocation Services | 419 | 419 | — | 102 | 104 | (2 | ) | 24 | 25 | (1 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Title and Settlement Services | 398 | 467 | (15 | ) | 36 | 50 | (28 | ) | 9 | 11 | (2 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Corporate and Other | (283 | ) | (277 | ) | * | (107 | ) | (155 | ) | * | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total Company | $ | 5,328 | $ | 5,289 | 1 | % | $ | 687 | $ | 653 | 5 | % | 13 | % | 12 | % | 1 | |||||||||||||
Less: Depreciation and amortization | 190 | 176 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense, net | 267 | 281 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Income tax expense (benefit) | 87 | (242 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net income attributable to Realogy Holdings and Realogy Group | $ | 143 | $ | 438 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
_______________
* | not meaningful |
(a) | Includes the elimination of transactions between segments, which consists of intercompany royalties and marketing fees paid by our Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services segment of $283 million and $277 million during the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. |
(b) | EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2014 includes $47 million related to the loss on early extinguishment of debt, $10 million of transaction and integration costs related to the ZipRealty acquisition and $2 million related to the Phantom Value Plan, partially offset by a net benefit of $10 million for former parent legacy items and the reversal of prior year restructuring reserves of $1 million. EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2013 includes $68 million related to the loss on early extinguishment of debt, $47 million related to the Phantom Value Plan and $4 million of restructuring costs, partially offset by a net benefit of $4 million for former parent legacy items. Excluding the items noted above, the Total Company margin would have been 14% and 15% for the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. |
As described in the aforementioned table, EBITDA margin for "Total Company" expressed as a percentage of revenues increased 1 percentage point to 13% from 12% the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the same period in 2013 primarily due to a $45 million decrease in Phantom Value Plan charges and a $21 million decrease in the loss on the early
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extinguishment of debt, offset by a $16 million decrease in earnings from our investment in PHH Home Loans and an increase in net marketing expense.
On a segment basis, the Real Estate Franchise Services segment margin remained flat at 65%. The Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services segment margin remained flat at 5% due to lower PHH Home Loans earnings of $16 million as a result of the significant decrease in refinancing transaction volume and higher operating expenses primarily driven by recently completed brokerage acquisitions, offset by an increase in gross commission income per transaction. The Relocation Services segment margin decreased 1 percentage point to 24% from 25%. The Title and Settlement Services segment margin decreased 2 percentage points to 9% from 11% due to a significant decrease in refinancing transactions as well as a decrease in refinance-related underwriter revenue.
Corporate and Other EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2014 improved $48 million to negative $107 million primarily due to a $21 million decrease in the loss on the early extinguishment of debt, a $26 million decrease in employee-related costs primarily due to the Phantom Value Plan charges incurred in 2013 and a $6 million net benefit for former parent legacy items, partially offset by a $10 million increase in transaction and integration costs related to the ZipRealty acquisition.
Real Estate Franchise Services
Revenues increased $26 million to $716 million and EBITDA increased $15 million to $463 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared with the same period in 2013.
The increase in revenue was primarily driven by a $13 million increase in third-party domestic franchisee royalty revenue net of incentives due to a 7% increase in the average homesale price, partially offset by a 2% decrease in the number of homesale transactions. Marketing revenue and expense increased $8 million and $10 million, respectively primarily due to higher advertising for the brands and the ERA rebranding in 2014.
The increase in revenue was also attributable to a $4 million increase in royalties received from our Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services segment to our Real Estate Franchise Services segment. These intercompany royalties of $269 million and $265 million during the year ended 2014 and 2013, respectively, are eliminated in consolidation. See "Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services" for a discussion of the drivers related to intercompany royalties paid to the Real Estate Franchise Services segment.
The $15 million increase in EBITDA was principally due to the $17 million increase in domestic royalty revenues discussed above, partially offset by an increase of $2 million in licensing fees primarily related to higher revenues for the Sotheby's brand and the $2 million increase in net marketing expense discussed above.
Company Owned Real Estate Brokerage Services
Revenues increased $88 million to $4,078 million and EBITDA decreased $13 million to $193 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared with the same period in 2013.
The increase in revenues of $88 million was due to an increase in commission income earned on homesale transactions which was primarily driven by a 6% increase in the average homesale price, partially offset by a 3% decrease in the number of homesale transactions. The 6% increase in the average price of homes is benefiting from a shift in activity away from the low end of the housing market and is being impacted by constrained inventory in many of our markets. The 3% decrease in homesale transactions was due to lower activity in most of the geographic regions we serve. Without the addition of larger acquisitions (in excess of a $20 million purchase price) in the last year, homesale transactions would have decreased 5% for the year.
EBITDA decreased $13 million primarily due to:
• | a $64 million increase in commission expenses paid to independent real estate sales associates as a result of the increase in revenues; |
• | an $18 million net increase in other operating expense due to a $33 million increase in costs related to NRT brokerage acquisitions completed during the year ended December 31, 2014 and $3 million in integration-related costs due to office closures for ZipRealty, partially offset by an $18 million decrease in costs related to existing operations; |
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• | a $16 million decrease in equity earnings related to our investment in PHH Home Loans as a result of a significant decrease in refinancing transaction volume; |
• | a $4 million increase in royalties paid to the Real Estate Franchise Services segment; and |
• | a $5 million |