PennyMac Financial Services, Inc. (PFSI)

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

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Overview

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The following discussion and analysis provides information that we believe is relevant to an assessment and understanding of our consolidated results of operations and financial condition. Unless the context indicates otherwise, references in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to the words “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company” refer to PFSI and its subsidiaries.

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Our Company

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We are a specialty financial services firm primarily focused on the production and servicing of U.S. residential mortgage loans (activities which we refer to as mortgage banking) and the management of investments related to the U.S. mortgage market. We believe that our operating capabilities, specialized expertise, access to long-term investment capital, and the experience of our management team across all aspects of the mortgage business allow us to profitably engage in mortgage banking and investing activities and capitalize on other related opportunities as they arise in the future.

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Our primary assets are equity interests in Private National Mortgage Acceptance Company, LLC (“PNMAC”). We are the managing member of PNMAC, and we operate and control all of the businesses and affairs of PNMAC, and consolidate the financial results of PNMAC and its subsidiaries. We conduct our business in two segments: production and servicing:

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Our principal mortgage banking subsidiary, PennyMac Loan Services, LLC (“PLS”), is a non-bank producer and servicer of mortgage loans in the United States. PLS is a seller/servicer for the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), each of which is a government sponsored entity. PLS is also an approved issuer of securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), a lender of the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”), and a lender/servicer of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”). We refer to each of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae, FHA, VA and USDA as an “Agency” and collectively as the “Agencies.” PLS is able to service loans in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and originate loans in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, either because PLS is properly licensed in a particular jurisdiction or exempt or otherwise not required to be licensed in that jurisdiction.

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Our investment management subsidiary is Pennymac Capital Management, LLC (“PCM”), a Delaware limited liability company registered with the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. PCM has an investment management contract with PMT.

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Business Trends

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Recent macroeconomic trend and U.S. federal government administration actions with respect to trade, tariffs, government cost reduction efforts and foreign military action have led to significant volatility in financial markets and uncertainty regarding the economic outlook, including inflation and interest rates. Elevated interest rates in recent years have constrained the mortgage origination market, which is currently projected to increase from $1.9 trillion in 2025 to $2.2 trillion in 2026 according to mortgage industry economists, although recent increases in interest rates may lead to a reduction in origination estimates for 2026.

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Recent increases in interest and mortgage rates have limited consumers’ opportunity for refinancing. If mortgage rates remain at recent levels or continue to increase, mortgage production activity and prepayment speeds will decrease from levels observed in late 2025 and early 2026. Additionally, reductions in the Federal Reserve’s federal funds rate have reduced the costs of floating rate borrowings and placement fees we receive in relation to custodial funds that we manage as compared to prior periods; however, market indicators currently suggest that the Federal Reserve could begin increasing short-term interest rates later in 2026. The current period of economic uncertainty and market volatility may also lead to a reduction in economic activity and slowing home price growth or depreciation, which could lead to increasing mortgage delinquencies or defaults and increase losses from the representations and warranties we provide in our loan sales transactions.

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Due to declining mortgage production volumes and improving technology, we implemented cost reduction measures in the third quarter of 2026 to reduce expenses. However, despite our expectation that mortgage production volumes will decline, we expect our volumes of non-qualified mortgage production to increase as we continue to expand our presence in that market. We also expect to sell all of our non-agency correspondent loans and none of our conventional conforming correspondent loans to PMT in the third quarter of 2026.

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Results of Operations

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Our results of operations are summarized below:

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Report. The following discussion and analysis contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. When reviewing the discussion below, you should keep in mind the substantial risks and uncertainties that could impact our business. In particular, we encourage you to review the risks and uncertainties described in the section titled “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this Report. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements contained in this report or implied by past results and trends.

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Critical Accounting Policies

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Preparation of financial statements in compliance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) requires us to make estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Certain of these estimates significantly influence the portrayal of our financial condition and results, and they require us to make difficult, subjective or complex judgments. Our critical accounting policies primarily relate to our fair value estimates.

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Fair Value

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We group assets measured at or based on fair value in three levels based on the markets in which the assets are traded and the observability of the inputs used to determine fair value. These levels are:

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At December 31, 2025, $20.0 billion or 68% of our total assets were carried at fair value on a recurring basis and $37.7 million (real estate acquired in settlement of loans (“REO”)), were carried based on fair value on a non-recurring basis when fair value indicates evidence of impairment of individual properties.

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Changes in fair value of our holdings of assets carried at or based on fair value have significant effects on our financial position and income. As summarized above, changes in fair values of “Level 1” and “Level 2” fair value assets are determinable with reference to direct quotes in active markets on the measurement date in the case of “Level 1” fair value assets, or reference to publicly available pricing inputs (such as reference interest rates and credit spreads and prices of similar assets) in the case of “Level 2” fair value assets.

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$10.1 billion or 34% of our total assets are measured using “Level 3” fair value inputs – significant inputs where there is difficulty observing the inputs used by market participants to establish fair value. Different approaches to valuing those assets or changes in inputs to measurement of these assets can have a significant effect on the amounts reported for these items including their reported balances and their effects on our income.

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During the three years ended December 31, 2025, we recognized changes in the fair value of our holdings of “Level 3” fair value assets and liabilities as shown below:

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The changes above primarily reflect changes attributable to our observations of changes in the markets for those assets and liabilities as opposed to changes in accounting policies or approaches to the valuation of those instruments.

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As a result of the difficulty in observing certain significant valuation inputs affecting our “Level 3” fair value assets and liabilities, we are required to make judgments regarding these items’ fair values. Different persons in possession of the same facts may reasonably arrive at different conclusions as to the inputs to be applied in valuing these assets and liabilities and their fair values. Such differences may result in significantly different fair value measurements. Likewise, due to the general illiquidity of some of these assets, subsequent transactions may be at values significantly different from those reported.

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Because the fair value of “Level 3” fair value assets and liabilities are difficult to estimate, our valuation process includes performance of these items’ fair value estimation by specialized staff with significant senior management oversight. We have assigned the responsibility for estimating the fair values of non-interest rate lock commitment (“IRLC”) “Level 3” fair value assets and liabilities to our capital markets valuation staff, which is responsible for valuing and monitoring these items and maintenance of our valuation policies and procedures for non- IRLC assets and liabilities. The capital markets valuation staff reports valuations to our management valuation subcommittee responsible for monitoring and overseeing valuations. Our management valuation subcommittee includes the Company’s chief financial, credit, investment and capital markets officers as well as other members of the Company’s finance, capital markets and risk management staffs.

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The fair value of our IRLCs is developed by our capital markets risk management staff and is reviewed by our capital markets operations group.

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Following is a discussion of our approach to measuring the balance sheet items that are most affected by “Level 3” fair value estimates.

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Interest Rate Lock Commitments

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Our net gains on loans held for sale include our estimates of the gains or losses we expect to realize upon the sale of loans we have contractually committed to fund or purchase but have not yet funded, purchased or sold. We recognize a substantial portion of our net gains on loans held for sale at fair value before we fund or purchase the loans as the result of these commitments. We call these commitments interest rate lock commitments or IRLCs. We recognize the fair value of IRLCs at the time we make the commitment to the correspondent seller, broker or loan applicant and adjust the fair value of such IRLCs as the loan approaches the point of funding or purchase or the prospective transaction is canceled.

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We carry IRLCs as either Derivative assets or Derivative liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet. The fair value of an IRLC is transferred to Loans held for sale at fair value when the loan is funded or purchased.

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An active, observable market for IRLCs does not exist. Therefore, we measure the fair value of IRLCs using methods we believe that market participants use in pricing IRLCs. We estimate the fair value of IRLCs based on observable Agency MBS prices, our estimates of the fair value of the MSRs we expect to receive in the sale of the loans and the probability that we will fund or purchase the loans (the “pull-through rate”).

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Pull-through rates and MSR fair values are based on our estimates as these inputs are difficult to observe in the marketplace. Market interest rates and our estimate of the probability that a loan will be funded are updated as the loans move through the funding or purchase process and as market interest rates change and these updates may result in significant changes to our estimates of the fair value of the IRLCs. Such changes are reflected in the change in fair value of IRLCs which is a component of our Net gains on loans held for sale at fair value in the period of the change. The financial effects of changes in these inputs are generally inversely correlated. Increasing interest rates have a positive effect on the fair value of the MSR component of IRLC fair value but increase the pull-through rate for the loan principal and interest payment cash flow component, which decreases in fair value.

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A shift in our assessment of an input to the valuation of IRLCs can have a significant effect on the amount of Net gains on loans held for sale at fair value for the period. We believe that the most significant “Level 3” fair value input to the measurement of IRLCs is the pull-through rate. At December 31, 2025, we held $124.9 million of net IRLC assets at fair value. Following is a quantitative summary of the effect of changes in the pull-through rate input on the fair value of IRLCs at December 31, 2025:

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