Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat. Will you please comment on Timbercreek Senior Mortgage Investment Corp.? Do you see any growth? Is the dividend safe?

Article Excerpt

Timbercreek Senior Mortgage Investment Corp., $9.34, symbol MTG on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 31.6 million; Market cap: $295.1 million; www.timbercreek.com), is a mortgage investment corporation. Mortgage investment corporations, or MICs, invest in pools of mortgages and distribute most of their profits to their shareholders. Some MICs yield 6% or 7% or more annually. They sound like conservative investments because they invest in mortgages rather than equity. However, mortgages vary widely in their investment quality and risk. MICs can earn high profits because they take on riskier mortgages. Timbercreek Senior Mortgage Investment Corp. yields 6.4%. Conservative mortgage lenders, such as banks and mortgage funds, mainly invest in top-quality first mortgages on commercial, industrial and/or residential properties. Timbercreek’s loans are primarily interest-only and are used to bridge a period up to three years for such items as repair and redevelopment or the purchase of another property, with a loan-to-value ratio up to 70%. Interest rates on MIC loans are higher than on corporate or government bonds with the…