PulteGroup - 10-K annual report 2012

PulteGroup, Inc. is a Michigan corporation organized in 1956. We are one of the largest homebuilders in the United States, and our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “PHM”. Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms "PulteGroup", the "Company", "we", "us", and "our" used herein refer to PulteGroup, Inc. and its subsidiaries. While our subsidiaries engage primarily in the homebuilding business, we also have mortgage banking operations, conducted principally through Pulte Mortgage LLC (“Pulte Mortgage”), and title operations.

In recent years, the U.S. housing market experienced a significant decline in the demand for new homes as well as a sharp decline in overall residential real estate values. As a result of this industry-wide downturn, we suffered net losses in each year between 2007 - 2011 from a combination of reduced operational profitability and significant asset impairments. In response to these market conditions, we restructured our operations, including making significant reductions in employee headcount and overhead costs, and managed our business to generate cash, including curtailing our investments in inventory. We used this positive cash flow to, among other things, increase our cash reserves as well as retire outstanding debt.

In 2012, new home sales in the U.S. increased for the first time since 2005, rising 20% to 367,000 homes. However, this improvement was from a very low base as U.S. home sales in 2011 were the lowest since 1962. Although current volume remains very low compared to historical levels, the improved environment and our restructuring actions contributed to our return to profitability in 2012. In the long term, we continue to believe that the national publicly-traded builders will have a competitive advantage over local builders through their ability to leverage economies of scale, access to more reliable and lower cost financing through the capital markets, ability to control and entitle large land positions, and greater geographic and product diversification. Among the national publicly-traded peer group, we believe that builders with more significant land positions, broad geographic and product diversity, and sustainable capital positions will benefit as market conditions recover. In the short-term, we expect that overall market conditions will continue to improve but that improvements will occur unevenly across our markets. Our strategy to enhance shareholder value is centered around the following operational objectives:

The residential homebuilding industry is sensitive to changes in economic conditions and other factors, such as the level of employment, consumer confidence, consumer income, availability of financing, and interest rate levels. Adverse changes in any of these conditions generally, or in the markets where we operate, could decrease demand and pricing for new homes in these areas or result in customer cancellations of pending contracts, which could adversely affect the number of home deliveries we make or reduce the prices we can charge for homes, either of which could result in a decrease in our revenues and earnings and would adversely affect our financial condition.

In recent years, the U.S. housing market was unfavorably impacted by severe weakness in new home sales attributable to, among other factors, weak consumer confidence, tightened mortgage standards, significant foreclosure activity, a more challenging appraisal environment, higher than normal unemployment levels, and significant uncertainty in the global economy. These conditions contributed to sharply weakened demand for new homes and heightened pricing pressures on new and existing home sales. As a result of these factors, we have experienced significant decreases in our revenues and profitability. We have also incurred substantial impairments of our land inventory and certain other assets. During 2012, overall industry new home sales increased, and we returned to profitability. However, the overall demand for new homes remains at low historical levels, and the timing of a broad, sustainable recovery in the homebuilding industry remains uncertain. Accordingly, we can provide no assurances that the adjustments we have made in our operating strategy will be successful.

The market value of land, building lots and housing inventories can fluctuate significantly as a result of changing market conditions, and the measures we employ to manage inventory risk may not be adequate to insulate our operations from a severe drop in inventory values. We acquire land for expansion into new markets and for replacement of land inventory and expansion within our current markets. If housing demand decreases below what we anticipated when we acquired our inventory, we may not be able to make profits similar to what we have made in the past, we may experience less than anticipated profits, and/or we may not be able to recover our costs when we sell and build homes. When market conditions are such that land values are not appreciating, option arrangements previously entered into may become less desirable, at which time we may elect to forego deposits and pre-acquisition costs and terminate the agreement. In the face of adverse market conditions, we may have substantial inventory carrying costs, we may have to write down our inventory to its fair value, and/or we may have to sell land or homes at a loss.

As a result of the challenging market conditions in the homebuilding industry, we have incurred significant land-related charges resulting from the write-off of deposits and pre-acquisition costs related to land transactions we elected not to pursue, net realizable valuation adjustments related to land positions sold or held for sale, impairments on land assets related to communities under development or to be developed in the future, impairments of our investments in unconsolidated joint ventures, and impairments of our recorded goodwill. It is reasonably possible that the estimated cash flows from our projects may change and could result in a future need to record additional valuation adjustments. Additionally, if conditions in the homebuilding industry or our local markets worsen in the future or if our strategy related to certain communities changes, we may be required to evaluate our assets for additional impairments or write-downs, which could result in additional charges that might be significant.

The homebuilding industry is highly competitive for suitable land. The availability of finished and partially finished developed lots and undeveloped land for purchase that meet our internal criteria depends on a number of factors outside our control, including land availability in general, competition with other homebuilders and land buyers for desirable property, inflation in land prices, zoning, allowable housing density, and other regulatory requirements. Should suitable lots or land become less available, the number of homes we may be able to build and sell could be reduced, and the cost of land could be increased, perhaps substantially, which could adversely impact our results of operations.

Our long-term ability to build homes depends on our acquiring land suitable for residential building at reasonable prices in locations where we want to build. In the past, we experienced significant competition for suitable land as a result of land constraints in many of our markets. As competition for suitable land increases, and as available land is developed, the cost of acquiring suitable remaining land could rise, and the availability of suitable land at acceptable prices may decline. Any land shortages or any decrease in the supply of suitable land at reasonable prices could limit our ability to develop new communities or result in increased land costs. We may not be able to pass through to our customers any increased land costs, which could adversely impact our revenues, earnings, and margins.

Our mortgage operations may be responsible for losses associated with mortgage loans originated and sold to investors in the event of errors or omissions relating to certain representations and warranties that the loans sold meet certain requirements, including representations as to underwriting standards, the type of collateral, the existence of primary mortgage insurance, and the validity of certain borrower representations in connection with the loan.  We may also be required to indemnify underwriters that purchased and securitized loans originated by a former subsidiary of Centex for losses incurred by investors in those securitized loans based on similar breaches of representations and warranties.

In addition, we entered into an agreement in conjunction with the wind down of Centex’s mortgage operations, which ceased loan origination activities in December 2009, that provides a guaranty for one major investor of loans originated by Centex.  This guaranty provides that we will honor the potential repurchase obligations of Centex’s mortgage operations related to breaches of similar representations in the origination of a certain pool of loans.

The resolution of claims related to alleged breaches of these representations and warranties and repurchase claims could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations, and could exceed existing estimates and accruals. The repurchase liability we recorded is estimated based on several factors, including the level of current unresolved repurchase requests, the volume of estimated probable future repurchase requests, our ability to cure the defects identified in the repurchase requests, and the severity of the estimated loss upon repurchase.  The factors referred to above are subject to change in light of market developments, the economic environment, and other circumstances, some of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that such reserves will not need to be increased in the future.

A large majority of our customers finance their home purchases through mortgage loans, many through our mortgage bank. Interest rates have been near historical lows for several years, which has made new homes more affordable. Increases in interest rates or decreases in the availability of mortgage financing, however, could reduce the market for new homes. Potential homebuyers may be less willing or able to pay the increased monthly costs or to obtain mortgage financing that exposes them to interest rate changes. Lenders may increase the qualifications needed for mortgages or adjust their terms to address any increased credit risk. Even if potential customers do not need financing, changes in interest rates and mortgage availability could make it harder for them to sell their current homes to potential buyers who need financing. These factors could adversely affect the sales or pricing of our homes and could also reduce the volume or margins in our financial services business. Our financial services business could also be impacted to the extent we are unable to match interest rates and amounts on loans we have committed to originate through the various hedging strategies we employ. These developments have had, and may continue to have, a material adverse effect on the overall demand for new housing and thereby on the results of operations for our homebuilding business.

In addition, the Federal Reserve has purchased a sizeable amount of mortgage-backed securities in part to stabilize mortgage interest rates and to support the market for mortgage-backed securities. As the Federal Reserve reduces its holdings of mortgage-backed securities over time, the availability and affordability of mortgage loans, including the consumer interest rates for such loans, could be adversely affected.

We also believe that the availability of FHA and VA mortgage financing is an important factor in marketing some of our homes. The FHA has and may continue to impose stricter loan qualification standards, raise minimum down payment requirements, impose higher mortgage insurance premiums and other costs, and/or limit the number of mortgages it insures. The liquidity provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the mortgage industry is also critical to the housing market. The impact of the federal government’s conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on the short-term and long-term demand for new housing remains unclear. Any limitations or restrictions on the availability of financing by these agencies could adversely affect interest rates, mortgage financing, and our sales of new homes and mortgage loans.

Significant costs of homeownership include mortgage interest expense and real estate taxes, both of which are generally deductible for an individual’s federal and, in some cases, state income taxes. Any changes to income tax laws by the federal government or a state government to eliminate or substantially reduce these income tax deductions, as has been considered from time to time, would increase the after-tax cost of owning a home. Increases in real estate taxes by local governmental authorities also increase the cost of homeownership. Any such increases to the cost of homeownership could adversely impact the demand for and sales prices of new homes.

The housing industry in the United States is highly competitive. We compete primarily on the basis of location, price, quality, reputation, design, community amenities, and our customers' overall sales and homeownership experiences. We compete in each of our markets with numerous national, regional, and local homebuilders. This competition with other homebuilders could reduce the number of homes we deliver or cause us to accept reduced margins in order to maintain sales volume.

We also compete with resales of existing or foreclosed homes, housing speculators, and available rental housing. Increased competitive conditions in the residential resale or rental market in the regions where we operate could decrease demand for new homes or unfavorably impact pricing for new homes.

The homebuilding industry is highly competitive for skilled labor and materials. Additionally, the cost of certain building materials, especially lumber, steel, concrete, copper, and petroleum-based materials, is influenced by changes in global commodity prices. Increased costs or shortages of skilled labor and/or materials could cause increases in construction costs and construction delays. We may not be able to pass on increases in construction costs to customers and generally are unable to pass on any such increases to customers who have already entered into sales contracts as those sales contracts generally fix the price of the home at the time the contract is signed, which may be well in advance of the construction of the home. Sustained increases in construction costs may, over time, erode our margins, and pricing competition for materials and labor may restrict our ability to pass on any such additional costs, thereby decreasing our margins.

Significant judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes and our reserves for federal, state, and local taxes. In the ordinary course of business, there may be matters for which the ultimate outcome is uncertain. Our evaluation of our tax matters is based on a number of factors, including changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law, correspondence with tax authorities during the course of audits, and effective settlement of audit issues. Although we believe our approach to determining the tax treatment for such items is appropriate, no assurance can be given that the final tax authority review will not be materially different than that which is reflected in our income tax provision and related tax reserves. Such differences could have a material adverse effect on our income tax provision in the period in which such determination is made and, consequently, on our financial position or net income for such period.

We are periodically audited by various federal, state, and local authorities regarding tax matters. Our current audits are in various stages of completion; however, no outcome for a particular audit can be determined with certainty prior to the conclusion of the audit, appeal and, in some cases, litigation process. As each audit is concluded, adjustments, if any, are recorded in our financial statements in the period determined. To provide for potential tax exposures, we maintain tax reserves based on reasonable estimates of potential audit results. If these reserves are insufficient upon completion of an audit, there could be an adverse impact on our financial position and results of operations.

The ultimate realization of our deferred income tax assets is dependent upon generating future taxable income and executing tax planning strategies. We have recorded valuation allowances against our deferred income tax assets. The valuation allowance will fluctuate as conditions change.

Our ability to utilize net operating losses (“NOLs”), built-in losses (“BILs”), and tax credit carryforwards to offset our future taxable income would be limited if we were to undergo an “ownership change” within the meaning of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “IRC”). In general, an “ownership change” occurs whenever the percentage of the stock of a corporation owned by “5-percent shareholders” (within the meaning of Section 382 of the IRC) increases by more than 50 percentage points over the lowest percentage of the stock of such corporation owned by such “5-percent shareholders” at any time over the testing period.

An ownership change under Section 382 of the IRC would establish an annual limitation to the amount of NOLs, BILs, and tax credit carryforwards we could utilize to offset our taxable income in any single year. The application of these limitations might prevent full utilization of the deferred tax assets attributable to our NOLs, BILs, and tax credit carryforwards. We have not experienced an ownership change as defined by Section 382. To preserve our ability to utilize NOLs, BILs, and other tax benefits in the future without a Section 382 limitation, we adopted a shareholder rights plan, which is triggered upon certain transfers of our securities, and amended our by-laws to prohibit certain transfers of our securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing measures, there can be no assurance that we will not undergo an ownership change within the meaning of Section 382.

As a result of the merger with Centex in August 2009, our ability to use certain of Centex’s pre-ownership change NOLs, BILs, and deductions is limited under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code. The applicable Section 382 limitation is approximately $67.4 million per year for NOLs, losses realized on built-in loss assets that are sold within 60 months of the ownership change (i.e. before August 2014), and certain deductions. We do not believe that the Section 382 limitation will prevent the Company from using Centex's pre-ownership change NOL carryforwards and built-in losses or deductions.

The value of our deferred tax assets is also dependent upon the tax rates expected to be in effect at the time taxable income is expected to be generated. A decrease in enacted corporate tax rates in our major jurisdictions, especially the U.S. federal corporate tax rate, would decrease the value of our deferred tax assets, which could be material.

We have significant intangible assets related to prior business combinations. We evaluate the recoverability of intangible assets whenever facts and circumstances indicate the carrying amount may not be recoverable. If the carrying value of intangible assets is deemed impaired, the carrying value is written down to fair value. This would result in a charge to our operating earnings. If management’s expectations of future results and cash flows decrease significantly, impairments of the remaining intangible assets may occur.

Our operations are subject to building, environmental, and other regulations imposed and enforced by various federal, state, and local governing authorities. New housing developments may also be subject to various assessments for schools, parks, streets, and other public improvements. These can cause an increase in the effective cost of our homes.

We also are subject to a variety of local, state, and federal laws and regulations concerning protection of health, safety, and the environment. The impact of environmental laws varies depending upon the prior uses of the building site or adjoining properties and may be greater in areas with less supply where undeveloped land or desirable alternatives are less available. These matters may result in delays, may cause us to incur substantial compliance, remediation and other costs, and can prohibit or severely restrict development and homebuilding activity in environmentally sensitive regions or areas. More stringent requirements could be imposed in the future on homebuilders and developers, thereby increasing the cost of compliance.

Our financial services operations are also subject to numerous federal, state, and local laws and regulations. These include eligibility requirements for participation in federal loan programs and compliance with consumer lending and similar requirements such as disclosure requirements, prohibitions against discrimination, and real estate settlement procedures. They also subject our operations to examination by applicable agencies, pursuant to which those agencies may limit our ability to provide mortgage financing or title services to potential purchasers of our homes. For our homes to qualify for FHA or VA mortgages, we must satisfy valuation standards and site, material, and construction requirements of those agencies.

On January 10, 2013, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau adopted new rules regarding the origination of mortgages, including the criteria for “qualified mortgages”. The new rules are scheduled to go into effect in January 2014. We are in the process of analyzing the new rules and the impact such rules will have on our business. Additionally, many other rules required by the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 have not yet been completed or implemented, which has created uncertainty in the overall U.S. financial services and mortgage industries as to their long-term impact.

As a homebuilder, we are subject to home warranty, construction defect, and other claims arising in the ordinary course of business. We record warranty and other reserves for the homes we sell based on historical experience in our markets and our judgment of the qualitative risks associated with the types of homes built. We have, and require our subcontractors to have, general liability, property, errors and omissions, workers compensation, and other business insurance. These insurance policies protect us against a portion of our risk of loss from claims, subject to certain self-insured per occurrence and aggregate retentions, deductibles, and available policy limits. We reserve for costs to cover our self-insured and deductible amounts under these policies and for any costs of claims and lawsuits based on an analysis of our historical claims, which includes an estimate of claims incurred but not yet reported. Because of the uncertainties inherent in these matters, we cannot provide assurance that our insurance coverage, our subcontractor arrangements, and our reserves will be adequate to address all our warranty and construction defect claims in the future. Contractual indemnities can be difficult to enforce, we may be responsible for applicable self-insured retentions, and some types of claims may not be covered by insurance or may exceed applicable coverage limits. Additionally, the coverage offered by and the availability of general liability insurance for construction defects are currently costly and limited. We have responded to the recent increases in insurance costs and coverage limitations by increasing our self-insured retentions and claim reserves. There can be no assurance that coverage will not be further restricted and become more costly. Additionally, we are exposed to counterparty default risk related to our and our subcontractors’ insurance carriers.

Our homebuilding operations are located in many areas that are subject to natural disasters and severe weather. The occurrence of natural disasters or severe weather conditions can delay new home deliveries, increase costs by damaging inventories, reduce the availability of materials, and negatively impact the demand for new homes in affected areas. Furthermore, if our insurance does not fully cover business interruptions or losses resulting from these events, our earnings, liquidity, or capital resources could be adversely affected.

Inflation can have a long-term impact on us because increasing costs of land, materials, and labor may require us to increase the sales prices of homes in order to maintain satisfactory margins. However, we may not be able to raise home prices sufficiently to keep up with the rate of inflation and our margins could decrease. In addition, inflation is often accompanied by higher interest rates, which could have a negative impact on housing demand.

A future terrorist attack against the U.S. could cause a sharp decrease in the number of new contracts signed for homes and an increase in the cancellation of existing contracts. Accordingly, adverse developments in the war on terrorism, future terrorist attacks against the U.S., or increased domestic and international instability could adversely affect our business.

There is no family relationship between any of the officers. Each officer serves at the pleasure of the Board of Directors.

The following table presents selected financial information for our reportable Homebuilding segments: