Company: MFAN
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001055160-25-000004
Chunk: 272

Company: MFA FINANCIAL, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 272
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 MBS during the remaining term of these portfolios.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, wide-ranging legal protections for homeowners, including foreclosure moratoria and forbearance provisions, were enacted including through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (or CARES Act), which was signed into law on March 27, 2020, and rules and letters issued by the FHA and the CFPB.  Availability for foreclosure and forbearance protections for borrowers with federally backed mortgage loans, regardless of delinquency status, were extended multiple times.  If the COVID-19 pandemic resurges or another public health crisis breaks out in the future, similar measures may be reenacted, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

See Item 1. “Business - Regulation” and the Risk Factor captioned “Our business is subject to extensive regulation” for a description of our regulatory risks.

Regulatory Risk and Risks Related to the Investment Company Act of 1940

Our business is subject to extensive regulation.

We operate in a highly regulated industry and continually changing U.S. federal, state and local laws and regulation could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.

Our business is subject to extensive regulation by federal and state governmental authorities, self-regulatory organizations and securities exchanges. We are required to comply with numerous federal and state laws. Laws, regulations, rules and judicial and administrative decisions relating to mortgage loans include those pertaining to Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (or RESPA), equal credit opportunity, fair lending, fair credit reporting, truth in lending, fair debt collection practices, service members protections, compliance with net worth and financial statement delivery requirements, compliance with U.S. federal and state disclosure and licensing requirements, the establishment of maximum interest rates, finance charges and other charges, qualified mortgages, secured transactions, payment processing, escrow, loss mitigation, collection, foreclosure, repossession and claims-handling procedures, and other trade practices and privacy regulations providing for the use and safeguarding of non-public personal financial information of borrowers. Our mortgage loan servicers must also comply with many of these legal requirements.

The laws, rules and regulations comprising this regulatory framework change frequently, as can the interpretation and enforcement of existing laws, rules and regulations. Some of the laws, rules and regulations to which we are subject are intended primarily to safeguard and protect consumers, rather than stockholders or creditors. From time to time, we may receive requests from