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AGNC reports 2nd quarter earnings. Warning: Dividend payout ratio over 100%.

 American Capital Agency Corp. reported 2nd quarter earnings today.  I will provide analysis tomorrow.  The dividend payout ratio is over 100% ($1.40 dividend / $1.36 net earnings).  That isn't good news.  I wouldn't buy this over-leveraged mortgage REIT.  Here are the highlights. 

(RTTNews) - American Capital Agency Corp. (AGNC: News ) reported net income for the second-quarter of $177.8 million or $1.36 per share, compared to $36.86 million or $1.23 million in the comparable quarter last year.

Net-interest income for the second quarter rose to $200.9 million from $33.2 million a year ago, while total other loss was $6.1 million, compared to a total other income of $7.7 million in the prior year quarter.

Further, the company's board of directors declared a second quarter dividend of $1.40 per share payable on July 27, 2011, to stockholders of record as of June 23, 2011.

 
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Investors back away from leveraged RE bets

These investors are the smart ones.

Investors Back Away From Leveraged RE Bets

Jul. 11 2011 - 11:24 am | 1,214 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments

By ETFCHANNEL.COM

Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, one standout is the Proshares Ultra Real Estate (URE) where we have detected an approximate $14.6 million dollar outflow — that’s a 2.7% decrease week over week (from 8,429,372 to 8,204,372). Among the largest underlying components of URE, in trading today American Campus Communities (ACC) is off about 1.3%, and American Capital Agency (AGNC) is lower by about 1%. For a complete list of holdings, visit the URE Holdings page »

The chart below shows the one year price performance of URE, versus its 200 day moving average:

Looking at the chart above, URE’s low point in its 52 week range is $35.44 per share, with $65.20 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $62.55. Comparing the most recent share price to the 200 day moving average can also be a useful technical analysis technique — learn more about the 200 day moving average ».


Exchange traded funds (ETFs) trade just like stocks, but instead of ”shares” investors are actually buying and selling ”units”. These ”units” can be traded back and forth just like stocks, but can also be created or destroyed to accommodate investor demand. Each week we monitor the week-over-week change in shares outstanding data, to keep a lookout for those ETFs experiencing notable inflows (many new units created) or outflows (many old units destroyed). Creation of new units will mean the underlying holdings of the ETF need to be purchased, while destruction of units involves selling underlying holdings, so large flows can also impact the individual components held within ETFs.

http://blogs.forbes.com/etfchannel/2011/07/11/investors-back-away-from-leveraged-re-bets/

Disclosure: I don’t own AGNC.

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Seeking Alpha contributor sees no risk with buying AGNC. He is blind.

Seeking Alpha contributor Mike Maher wrote a positive article on American Capital Agency Corp. (AGNC) on June 23rd, 2011.  He claims that each new equity offering is an opportunity to buy AGNC because a month later the stock will have climbed higher above the old price that exisited before the drop.  Where have we heard this before?  Does the phrase “house prices always go up” ring a bell in your mind?  The two year chart of AGNC does conform to Mr. Maher’s observations, but that doesn’t mean that there is no risk of AGNC going down from its current level.  Text from Mr. Maher’s article appear indented below.

http://bit.ly/AGNC2years

Mr. Maher wrote:

Wednesday's close of trading brings a familiar press release for holders of American Capital Agency (AGNC): news of a secondary offering. The firm originally announced it was selling an additional 36 million shares, with an overallotment option for another 5.4 million shares. Later, AGNC said it had sold 43.2 million shares, raising approximately $1.2 billion. Underwriters have the right to purchase 6.48 million shares to cover overallotments. Proceeds will be used to purchase more securities and for general corporate purchases. Shares are only dropping about 2%, perhaps signaling that the market was expecting another offering.

He got this right, “These massive offerings are the only way the firm can grow rapidly…”  The executives of AGNC are compensated for the amount of equity (book value per share).   All of a sudden the massive equity offerings make sense.  Here is the applicable risk factor from the 2010 annual report.  Read it for yourself.

Our Manager’s management fee is based on the amount of our Equity and is payable regardless of our performance.

Our Manager is entitled to receive a monthly management fee from us that is based on the amount of our Equity (as defined in our management agreement), regardless of the performance of our investment portfolio. For example, we would pay our Manager a management fee for a specific period even if we experienced a net loss during the same period. The amount of the monthly management fee is equal to one twelfth of 1.25% of our Equity and therefore is only increased by increases in our Equity. Increases to our Equity would be primarily from equity offerings, which could result in a conflict of interest between our manager and our stockholders with respect to the timing and terms of our equity offerings. Our Manager’s entitlement to substantial nonperformance-based compensation may reduce its incentive to devote sufficient time and effort to seeking investments that provide attractive risk-adjusted returns for our investment portfolio. This in turn could harm our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and the market price of our common stock.

As I wrote in March, AGNC is making these offerings a habit and this is the 5th offering since last September. The previous article shows each of the earlier offerings has been an opportunity, with shares being higher a month after the news. This offering should prove to be the same. These massive offerings are the only way the firm can grow rapidly and it seems like investors should get used to them. Since shares currently trade above book value, which was last reported as $25.96 at the end of March, it makes sense to use the strong stock price to raise more money and expand the business. The fact that AGNC is able to continually tap the equity markets and still see shares run up to new highs into the dividend is a testament both to the management of the firm and to investors' interest in the massive dividend, currently at $1.40 per quarter. While it would be nice to see this dividend rising as new shares are offered and the business expands, it's hard to complain about a 19% yield without sounding greedy. Management has proven itself to be an excellent operator, so I trust in both their ability and their judgment.

AGNC’s book value will crumble when short term interest rates rise faster than long term interest rates.  I have written why interest rates will rise here:

http://www.myhighdividendstocks.com/high-dividend-stocks/why-interest-rates-will-rise-why-agnc-will-lose

The management of AGNC freely admits that higher interest rates may adversely affect their book value or their net interest income.  They use the weasel word “may” because they think their active management will be able hedge rising interest rate with swaptions and other financial devices.

Because we invest in fixed-rate securities, an increase in interest rates on our borrowings may adversely affect our book value or our net interest income.

Increases in interest rates may negatively affect the market value of our agency securities. Any fixed-rate securities we invest in generally will be more negatively affected by these increases than adjustable-rate securities. In accordance with GAAP, we are required to reduce our stockholders’ equity, or book value, by the amount of any decrease in the fair value of our agency securities that are classified as available-for-sale.  Reductions in stockholders’ equity could decrease the amounts we may borrow to purchase additional agency securities, which may restrict our ability to increase our net income.  Furthermore, if our funding costs are rising while our interest income is fixed, our net interest income will contract and could become negative.

The shares are not dropping as much as they have in the past on the news of the offering, at $28.32 after hours, down $0.50 from the close of trading Wednesday. This makes a quick trade in the name less attractive, since there will be less ground for shares to make up after the offering. Expect heavy volume Thursday, but each of the last four offerings have been opportunities to get into the name at a discount and I see no reason this offering is any different. As long as the dividend is not cut and book value continues to climb, AGNC is a buy and these offerings are opportunities.

Disclosure: I am long AGNC.

True, he sees no reason to not buy AGNC’s recent drop in price.  But I do.  If you want to really understand the risks associated with AGNC and other mortgage REITs, then read some of my past articles on AGNC:

http://www.myhighdividendstocks.com/category/high-dividend-stocks/american-capital-agency-corp

Disclosure: I do not own AGNC.  I don’t plan on owning AGNC because of its potential dividend cut, poor earning power, and weak balance sheet.

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Link to original Seeking Alpha article: http://seekingalpha.com/article/276339-another-offering-another-opportunity-in-american-capital-agency

My 2 cents on Mortgage REITs: Where Danger Lurks

This is a good article on the dangers of mortgage REIT such as AGNC and NLY.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/276613-mortgage-reits-where-danger-lurks

However, I disagree with the author on this statement, “When the economy accelerates again, which I believe could be very soon, rates are likely to rise, perhaps dramatically, even if the Fed doesn’t tighten anytime soon.”

The economy is not going to accelerate unless the commercial bankers expand lending.  Bankers are terrified of more bad loans.  If they cease being terrified and expand lending, then their 1.3 trillion dollars of excess reserves will become part of the money supply.  This will increase the M1 money supply and prices would more than double from where they are no.  See Murray Rothbard’s book “The Mystery of Banking” for more details on how the fractional reserve process works.  http://mises.org/resources/614/Mystery-of-Banking-The

I think we are years away from commercial bankers being brave enough to lend their unprecedented excess reserves that the Federal Reserve printed out of thin air.

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American Capital Agency announced an new offering for 49.69 M-I-L-L-I-O-N more shares says Dr. Evil.

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AGNC can only grow by issuing new shares.  The $1.2 billion in proceeds from its newest equity offering will be leveraged 6x-8x to add at least another $7.2 billion to its portfolio of agency securities.  Those agency securities are backed by the bankrupt US government.  Imagine that Greece was backing up Greek mortgage backed securities.  What security is that!  Well, the US is worse off than Greece when you consider the liabilities of Social Security and Medicare.  Owners of AGNC will get burned someday when the inverted yield curve returns and deficits do begin to matter.  But until then greater fools can collect a handsome dividend yield.

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American Capital Agency Announces Pricing of Public Offering of Common Stock

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BETHESDA, Md., June 22, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- American Capital Agency Corp. /quotes/zigman/110324/quotes/nls/agnc AGNC -1.98% ("AGNC" or the "Company") announced today that it priced a public offering of 43,200,000 shares of common stock for total estimated gross proceeds of approximately $1.2 billion.

In connection with the offering, the Company has granted the underwriters an option for 30 days to purchase up to an additional 6,480,000 shares of common stock to cover overallotments, if any. The offering is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close on June 28, 2011.

AGNC expects to use the net proceeds from this offering to acquire additional agency securities as market conditions warrant and for general corporate purposes.

Citi, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, UBS Securities LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC are joint book running managers for the offering. JMP Securities LLC, Mitsubishi UFJ Securities, Nomura Securities International, Inc. and RBC Capital Markets are co-managers for the offering.

The offering will be made pursuant to AGNC's existing effective shelf registration statement, previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The offering of these securities will be made only by means of a prospectus and a related prospectus supplement. Copies of the prospectus and prospectus supplement may be obtained, when available, from Citi, Brooklyn Army Terminal, 140 58th Street, 8th Floor, Brooklyn, New York 11220, telephone: (800) 831-9146; J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Ave, Edgewood, NY 11717, telephone: (866) 803-9204; UBS Securities LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 299 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10171, telephone: (888) 827-7275; or Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Attn: Equity Syndicate, 375 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10152-4077, telephone: (800) 326-5897, email: cmclientsupport@wellsfargo.com.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy shares of common stock, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

American Capital Agency plans $1B offering

Washington Business Journal - by Jeff Clabaugh

Date: Wednesday, June 22, 2011, 5:56pm EDT

Related:

Banking & Financial Services

Bethesda-based American Capital Agency Corp., which buys government-backed residential mortgage securities, is planning its largest stock offering since going public three years ago, potentially raising more than $1 billion to fund its investments.

The real estate investment trust, an affiliate of private equity firm American Capital, Ltd. (NASDAQ: ACAS), says it will sell 36 million shares of common stock in a secondary offering, and give underwriters the option to purchase an additional 5.4 million shares.

American Capital Agency stock (NASDAQ: AGNC) ended Wednesday trading at $28.85 per share.

American Capital Agency raised about $780 million from a secondary offering in March, and another $655 million in January.

The REIT’s profits more than doubled last quarter as net interest income from increased investments rose five-fold. Its investment portfolio has ballooned to $28.3 billion as of the end of the first quarter.

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2011/06/22/american-capital-agency-plans-1b.html

* * * * * * * *

(RTTNews) - American Capital Agency Corp. (AGNC: News ) announced after the close Wednesday that it plans to make a public offering of 36,000,000 shares of its common stock. The stock is now down 0.56 on 442K shares.

American Capital Agency posted gains in early trade Wednesday, but settled into a range for the bulk of the session. Shares finished up by 0.35 at $28.85. The stock rebounded off of support, following nearly a 2-week decline.

http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1652048&SM=1

American Capital Agency Corp. (AGNC) goes ex-dividend tomorrow.

American Capital Agency Corp (NASDAQ: AGNC) is going ex-dividend tomorrow. To receive the dividend, the stock must be owned the day prior to the ex-dividend date. The current yield is 18.6%, which is equivalent to $5.6 for the year.  Watch the price drop following the ex-dividend date.  It usually drops the equivalent of the dividend which is $1.40 per share.
 
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American Capital Agency Corp. (AGNC) Risk Factors. Have you read and understand them?

AGNC published its 2010 annual report a month or so ago.  There are 18 pages of risks.  I have summarized them for you here.  Many of them will occur in the future due to the fragile nature of the fractional reserve banking system and the national socialist government interference into the mortgage markets.  I urge you to read and understand these risks before you invest your hard earned capital into American Capital Agency Corp.

I have said many times in the past that AGNC will continue to be a ultra high dividend stocks for the near term, but they will be decimated in the long term.  Plan and invest accordingly.  I believe that there are much better high dividend stocks out there in the stock market attractively priced with a safe dividend and a strong balance sheet.  I like the dry bulk shipper Safe Bulkers (SB) the best.  See my articles on this company for an example of a quality high dividend stock.

For a better understanding of the fraud that is fractional reserve banking read Murray Rothbard’s “The Mystery of Banking”.  This is the book that the FED would most want burned.  http://mises.org/resources/614/Mystery-of-Banking-The

For a brief introduction and warning on GSE’s (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) written back in the early 2000’s: http://mises.org/freemarket_detail.aspx?control=391

Item 1A. Risk Factors

You should carefully consider the risks described below and all other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our annual consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto before making a decision to purchase our securities. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or not presently deemed material by us, may also impair our operations and performance.

If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected. If that happens, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Investing, Active Portfolio Management and Financing Strategy

1.     We may experience significant short-term gains or losses and, consequently, greater earnings volatility as a result of our active portfolio management strategy.

2.     The potential of the U.S. Government to limit or wind down the role Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac play in the mortgage-backed securities market may adversely affect our business, operations and financial condition.

3.     To the extent that we invest in agency securities that are guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, we are subject to the risk that these U.S. Government-sponsored entities may not be able to fully satisfy their guarantee obligations or that these guarantee obligations may be repudiated, which may adversely affect the value of our investment portfolio and our ability to sell or finance these securities.

4.     New laws may be passed affecting the relationship between Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, on the one hand, and the U.S. Government, on the other, which could adversely affect the availability and pricing of  agency securities and the ability to obtain financing against agency securities.

5.     Market conditions have disrupted the historical relationship between interest rate changes and prepayment trends, which make it more difficult for our Manager to analyze our investment portfolio.

6.     Continued adverse developments in the broader residential mortgage market may adversely affect the value of the agency securities in which we invest.

7.    Federal Reserve programs to purchase securities could have an adverse impact on the agency securities in which we invest.

8.    Changes in the underwriting standards by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae could have an adverse impact on the agency securities in which we invest.

9.    Failure to procure adequate repurchase agreement financing, or to renew (roll) or replace existing repurchase agreement financing as it matures, would adversely affect our results of operations and may, in turn, negatively affect the market value of our common stock and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

10.  Pursuant to the terms of borrowings under our master repurchase agreements, we are subject to margin calls that could result in defaults or force us to sell assets under adverse market conditions or through foreclosure.

11.  If our lenders pursuant to our repurchase transactions default on their obligations to resell the underlying agency security back to us at the end of the transaction term, or if the value of the underlying agency security has declined by the end of the term or if we default on our obligations under the transaction, we will lose money on these transactions.

12.  Differences in timing of interest rate adjustments on adjustable-rate agency securities we may acquire and our borrowings may adversely affect our profitability and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

13.  Interest rate caps on mortgages backing our adjustable rate agency securities may adversely affect our profitability.

14.  An increase in interest rates may cause a decrease in the volume of newly issued, or investor demand for, agency securities, which could adversely affect our ability to acquire assets that satisfy our investment objectives and to generate income and pay dividends, while a decrease in interest rates may cause an increase in the volume of newly issued, or investor demand for, agency securities, which could negatively affect the valuations for our agency securities and may adversely affect our liquidity profile.

15.  Because we invest in fixed-rate securities, an increase in interest rates on our borrowings may adversely affect our book value or our net interest income.

16.  Changes in prepayment rates may adversely affect our profitability.

17.  Changes in accounting rules may adversely affect our profitability.

18.  Our hedging strategies may not be successful in mitigating the risks associated with interest rates.

19.  Our use of certain hedging techniques may expose us to counterparty risks.

20.  Pursuant to the terms of our master swap agreements, we are subject to margin calls that could result in defaults or force us to sell assets under adverse market conditions or through foreclosure.

21.  We may fail to qualify for hedge accounting treatment.

22.  Our strategy involves significant leverage, which may cause substantial losses.

23.  Our rights under our repurchase agreements will be subject to the effects of the bankruptcy laws in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of us or our lenders under the repurchase agreements.

24.  Future offerings of debt securities, which would rank senior to our common stock upon our liquidation, and future offerings of equity securities, which could dilute our existing stockholders and may be senior to our common stock for the purposes of dividend and liquidating distributions, may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

25.  We have not established a minimum dividend payment level and we cannot assure you of our ability to pay dividends in the future.

26.  The stock ownership limit imposed by the Internal Revenue Code for REITs and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may restrict our business combination opportunities.

27.  The stock ownership limitation contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation generally does not permit ownership in excess of 9.8% of our common or capital stock, and attempts to acquire our common or capital stock in excess of these limits will be ineffective unless an exemption is granted by our Board of Directors.

28.  Anti-takeover provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws could discourage a change of control that our stockholders may favor, which could also adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Conflicts of Interest in Our Relationship with Our Manager and American Capital

1.     The management agreement was not negotiated on an arm’s-length basis and the terms, including fees payable, may not be as favorable to us as if it were negotiated with an unaffiliated third party.

2.     We have no employees and our Manager is responsible for making all of our investment decisions. Certain of our Manager’s officers are employees of American Capital and are not required to devote any specific amount of time to our business and each of them may provide their services to American Capital, its affiliates and sponsored investment vehicles, which could result in conflicts of interest.

3.     We are completely dependent upon our Manager and certain key personnel of American Capital who provide services to us through the management agreement and the administrative services agreement and we may not find suitable replacements for our Manager and these personnel if the management agreement and the administrative services agreement are terminated or such key personnel are no longer available to us.

4.     We have no recourse to American Capital if it does not fulfill its obligations under the administrative services agreement.

5.     If we elect to not renew the management agreement without cause, we would be required to pay our Manager a substantial termination fee. These and other provisions in our management agreement make non-renewal of our management agreement difficult and costly.

6.     Our Manager’s management fee is based on the amount of our Equity and is payable regardless of our performance.

Risks Related to Our Business Structure

1.     Loss of our exemption from regulation pursuant to the Investment Company Act would adversely affect us.

2.    We are exposed to potential risks from legislation requiring companies to evaluate their internal control over financial reporting.

3.    We are highly dependent on information and communications systems. Any systems failures could significantly disrupt our business, which may, in turn, negatively affect our operations and the market price of our common stock and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.

Risks Related to Our Taxation as a REIT

1.    If we do not qualify as a REIT or fail to remain qualified as a REIT, we will be subject to tax as a regular corporation and could face a substantial tax liability, which would reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders.

2.    Dividends payable by REITs do not qualify for the reduced tax rates available for some dividends.

3.    REIT distribution requirements could adversely affect our ability to execute our business plan.

4.    Even if we remain qualified as a REIT, we may face other tax liabilities that reduce our cash flow.

5.    Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forgo otherwise attractive opportunities.

6.    Complying with REIT requirements may force us to liquidate otherwise attractive investments.

7.    The failure of agency securities subject to repurchase agreements to qualify as real estate assets could adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT.

8.    Liquidation of assets may jeopardize our REIT qualification.

9.    Complying with REIT requirements may limit our ability to hedge effectively and may cause us to incur tax liabilities.

10.  Qualifying as a REIT involves highly technical and complex provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

11.  As a REIT, if we derive net income from prohibited transactions (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code provisions) it is subject to a 100% tax.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

1.    Changes in laws or regulations governing our operations or our failure to comply with those laws or regulations may adversely affect our business.

2.    The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.

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AGNC 2010 annual report and millions of more shares next year.

American Capital Agency Corp. (AGNC) issued a press release today that focuses on the rescheduling of its annual meeting of stockholders.  The press release failed to mention the inclusion of its 2010 annual report available from the link to the proxy materials.  Follow this link to download the annual report:

www.AGNC.com/2011proxymaterials

The annual report can be downloaded in PDF format.  I will read through it and begin blogging on new information that could jeopardize AGNC’s high dividend yield.

Why did AGNC delay the stockholders meeting?  According to them they wanted to give stockholders additional time to consider and vote on the amended proposal.  What is special about the amended proposal?

            “… and to modify the requested increase in the Company's authorized shares of common stock.  The amended proposal now only requests an increase in the authorized number of shares of the Company's common stock to 300,000,000 instead of 500,000,000. “

AGNC has 128.83 million shares currently outstanding.  It is currently paying a $1.40 quarterly dividend on those shares.  That totals $180.36 million dollars per quarter in dividend payments.  The company must periodically issue new shares of common stocks, to bring in capital, in order to leverage around 8x, to buy the agency securities yielding an average of 3.44% with repurchase agreements costing an average of 1.02%, to keep the difference, and to pay a whopping dividend of $1.40 per share per quarter.

It is a Catch 22 situation.  The trouble is that each additional outstanding share comes with an expectation of a large cash dividend.  The huge 18% dividend yield is the main reason that investors speculators are purchasing shares of AGNC.  The more shares the harder it is to keep the dividend the same or growing. 

Let’s assume for a moment that AGNC issues all the shares it can until it hits the 300 million limit proposed.  Will the company be able to sustain its $1.40 quarterly dividend?  Heck no!  300 million shares times $1.40 per share equals $420 million in dividend payments per quarter or $1.6 billion per year.

AGNC only earned $177 million in net interest income in 2010.  AGNC still wouldn’t have enough income to pay the $1.40 quarterly dividend even if it was able to triple its net interest income in 2011 to $531 million.  Couple this reality with an increasing risk of higher interest rates and AGNC’s current price of $30 per share looks like it has less upside than downside.

Disclosure: I don’t own AGNC; nor do I ever plan to.  It is a house of misallocated cards.

American Capital Agency Corp. Reschedules 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

BETHESDA, Md., May 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- American Capital Agency Corp. (Nasdaq: AGNC) ("AGNC" or the "Company") announced today that it has rescheduled its 2011 annual meeting of stockholders, originally scheduled for May 31, 2011. The new meeting date and time is Friday, June 10, 2011 at 9 a.m. (ET). The annual meeting will be held at AGNC, located at 2 Bethesda Metro Center, 14th Floor, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.  

The Company also announced that it has supplemented its proxy statement for the 2011 annual meeting to amend the charter amendment proposal to eliminate the proposed increase in the Company's authorized shares of preferred stock and to modify the requested increase in the Company's authorized shares of common stock.  The amended proposal now only requests an increase in the authorized number of shares of the Company's common stock to 300,000,000 instead of 500,000,000.  The Company rescheduled its annual meeting in order to provide its stockholders with additional time to consider and vote on the amended proposal.

The annual meeting will be held for the purposes set forth below.

1.     To elect the Board of Directors, with each director serving a one-year term and until his successor is elected and qualified;

2.     To approve an amendment to the Company's Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the total authorized number of shares of common stock from 150,000,000 to 300,000,000;

3.     To ratify the selection of Ernst & Young LLP to serve as the Company's independent public accountant for the year ending December 31, 2011; and

4.     To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof.

The Board of Directors of the Company has recommended a vote "FOR" all of the director nominees and "FOR" proposals 2 and 3 above.

Formal notice of the rescheduled meeting and the supplement to the Company's proxy statement and revised proxy card are being mailed today to the Company's stockholders.  More information on the items to be discussed at the meeting can be found in the Company's proxy statement, which is available at www.AGNC.com/2011proxymaterials.

Stockholders of record at the close of business on April 11, 2011 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the 2011 annual meeting and any adjournment of the meeting. If you wish to vote shares held in your name or attend the annual meeting in person, please register in advance by emailing Investor Relations at IR@AGNC.com or by phone at (301) 968-9300. Attendance at the 2011 annual meeting will be limited to persons presenting proof of stock ownership on the record date and picture identification. If you hold shares directly in your name as the stockholder of record, proof of ownership could include a copy of your account statement or a copy of your stock certificate(s). If you hold shares through an intermediary, such as a broker, bank or other nominee, proof of stock ownership could include a proxy from your broker, bank or other nominee or a copy of your brokerage or bank account statement. Additionally, if you intend to vote your shares at the meeting, you must request a "legal proxy" from your broker, bank or other nominee and bring this legal proxy to the meeting.

For further information or questions, please do not hesitate to call the Company's Investor Relations Department at (301) 968-9300 or send an email to IR@AGNC.com.

Original link to the press release: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-capital-agency-corp-reschedules-2011-annual-meeting-of-stockholders-122583503.html

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Most FED officials prefer raising interest rates prior to selling their MBS. How would this affect AGNC?

Of course most Federal Reserve officials would prefer to raise interest rates rather than sell toxic mortgage backed securities.  Nobody in their right mind would pay full face value for those toxic MBS.  The Fed knows this and it is already suffering a public relations crisis.  It doesn’t want the public to know how ineffectual their actions have been since late 2008.

They will also find that raising the Fed Funds Rate will be pushing on a string.  The commercial bankers have over $1.3 trillion in excess reserves in their digital vaults.  They are not loaning money to each other overnight at the Fed Funds Rate to meet reserve requirements (duh! Because they have $1.3 trillion in excess RESERVES.)  The Federal Reserve could raise this rate to 20% and nothing would happen.  Actually something would happen.  People would notice that the Fed is not in control of all interest rates like they were taught.

If the Federal Reserve does sell toxic MBS into the market, then that is very bad for high dividend stocks like American Capital Agency Corp. (AGNC) and other mortgage REITs.  There would be an increased supply of MBS for sale and no new demand at the old prices.  Prices of MBS would go down.  The asset value of AGNC’s MBS portfolio would go down.  If the Fed flooded the market with enough MBS, then it is even possible that AGNC would have to sell some agency MBS to satisfy margin calls for its repurchase agreements.  Leverage is a two way street.

The interest rates that the Fed doesn’t control are going to rise and that will hurt AGNC’s net income derived from the spread of various interest rates.  AGNC will lose money if interest rate yield curves invert (that would be a signal of a double dip recession).  Enjoy the high dividend yields while they last because lower future asset values and rising interest rates are going to torpedo AGNC’s investment prospects.

Disclosure: I don’t own AGNC and I don’t plan on owning it ever.

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(Reuters) - Most Federal Reserve officials prefer to raise benchmark interest rates before selling assets when the time comes to tighten policy, minutes of their April meeting showed on Wednesday.

During an extensive discussion of how the central bank might pull back its massive support for the world's largest economy, officials agreed they would eventual shrink the Fed's much expanded portfolio over the medium term, and that getting rid of mortgage-related debt would be a priority.

"A majority of participants preferred that sales of agency securities come after the first increase in the (Fed's) target for short-term interest rates," the Fed said.

"And many of those participants also expressed a preference that the sales proceed relatively gradually, returning (Fed holdings) to all Treasury securities over perhaps five years," the minutes said.

Discussion of the removal of monetary stimulus should not be seen as an indication the Fed is ready to start down that road any time soon, policy makers said.

(Reporting by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Neil Stempleman)

AGNC hires two investment executives from the failed Freddie Mac and Bear Stearns.

The executives at American Capital Agency Corp. know that interest rates are going to skyrocket in the not so distant future.  So they have hired some ex-Freddie Mac executives to help them game the system until it can no longer be gamed.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Caveat emptor "buyer beware".  I would not be proud to hire people at the failed Freddie Mac or Bear, Stearns & Co.  I wish them success, but I know that AGNC and its high dividend stock buddies in the mortgage REIT sector are a house of leveraged cards that will crumble at the beginnings of an inverted interest rate curve.
 
Why not hire some guys from Enron's risk management department?  How could they do any worse than Freddie Mac and Bear Stearns.  Hiring collosal risk management failures is just plain stupid.  I would avoid AGNC just for their hiring practices.
 
Here are the links to the wikipedia entries for Freddie Mac and Bear Stearns if you can stomach the financial insanity of these dead corporations:
 
 
BETHESDA, Md., May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- American Capital Agency Management, LLC, the external manager of American Capital Agency Corp. (Nasdaq: AGNC), announced today that Peter J. Federico and M. Song Jo are joining the company.
 
Mr. Federico will join as Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer and will be responsible for overseeing all risk management activities relating to AGNC.  Mr. Federico was previously Executive Vice President and Treasurer of Freddie Mac, primarily responsible for managing that company's investment activities for its retained portfolio and developing, implementing and managing risk mitigation strategies.  He was also responsible for managing Freddie Mac's $1.2 trillion interest rate derivative portfolio and short and long-term debt issuance programs.  Mr. Federico previously served in several other capacities at Freddie Mac, including Senior Vice President, Asset & Liability Management.  Mr. Federico joined Freddie Mac in 1988.
 
Mr. Jo joined American Capital Agency Management as Vice President, Mortgage Structuring.  He previously served as Vice President, Mortgage Structuring, Investment & Capital Markets at Freddie Mac, where he was primarily responsible for managing mortgage structuring activities, including creating, managing and trading structured activities to enhance that entity's risk, return and liquidity profile.  Mr. Jo served Freddie Mac in various other capacities from 1997 to 2010.  He previously worked at Alex. Brown & Sons and Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.
 
"We are excited about expanding our investment team with seasoned professionals," commented Gary Kain, President, American Capital Agency Management, LLC.  "Peter and Song both have extensive experience in investing, trading and managing risk associated with mortgage-backed securities.  Prior to joining us, Peter spent most of his 20 year career involved in the management of one of the largest interest rate derivative portfolios in the world.  We believe that his extensive experience in asset/liability management will further our efforts to generate attractive risk adjusted returns for American Capital Agency Corp. over a wide range of economic environments and interest rate scenarios," he added.
 
"In addition, Song's experience analyzing and executing Agency REMIC transactions at Freddie Mac will significantly enhance our ability to use mortgage structuring to supplement American Capital Agency Corp.'s returns and develop alternative funding strategies," Mr. Kain continued.  "We continue to build the strongest possible investment team with the necessary skills and industry experience to help us enable American Capital Agency Corp. to capitalize on the wealth of opportunities within the agency mortgage market, while appropriately managing risk."
 
 
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