Carlyle Capital Corporation Reports Third Quarter Results

15/11/2007 20:51



PR Newswire



GUERNSEY, England, November 15 /PRNewswire/ --    
   - Maintains focus on capital preservation and improving liquidity

   - Portfolio comprised exclusively of AAA-rated US government agency
securities

   Carlyle Capital Corporation Limited (Amsterdam: CCC; GG00B1VYV826)
(the "Company") today released its results for the third quarter ended
September 30, 2007.
   
   Third Quarter 2007 Highlights and Update
   
   -- Net loss for the third quarter of 2007 was US$34.2 million, compared
      to net income of US$21.8 million in the second quarter of 2007. Basic  
      loss per Class B share was US$0.74 in the third quarter, compared to
      basic and diluted earnings per Class B share of US$0.73 in the second
      quarter of 2007. Net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2007
      was US$0.8 million, or US$0.03 per Class B share.

   -- Adjusted Net Income (net income excluding non-cash share-based
      compensation expense) for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 was
      approximately US$11 million.

   -- As of the date of this announcement, the Company's US$22.2 billion
      investment portfolio is comprised exclusively of AAA-rated floating
      rate capped residential mortgage backed securities issued by Fannie
      Mae and Freddie Mac, which are considered to have the implied
      guarantee of the U.S. government and are expected to pay at par at
      maturity.

   -- During the third quarter, The Carlyle Group committed to lend the
      Company up to US$100 million in the form of a secured "bridge" loan in
      order to provide the Group with immediate access to the net proceeds
      from the Company's bank loan sales (as opposed to waiting until the
      settlement of such trades). The Company ultimately did not have a need
      for the bridge financing and it expired in October 2007.

   -- On November 13, 2007, the Company repaid US$100 million borrowed from
      The Carlyle Group pursuant to an unsecured and subordinated term loan.
      On the same date, the Company entered into a revolving credit
      Agreement with The Carlyle Group, permitting the Company to borrow,
      re-pay and re-borrow up to US$100 million. The revolving credit
      agreement expires on January 2, 2009, amounts outstanding accrue
      interest at 10% per annum, and is subject to a commitment fee of
      US$1 million payable in quarterly installments. As of the date of this
      announcement, the Company had borrowed US$20 million under the
      revolving credit agreement for cash management purposes.

   -- As of the date of this announcement, two of the Company's repurchase
      agreement counterparties had agreed to provide, or had increased their
      commitment to provide, financing of up to US$3 billion for the
      Company's investments in AAA-rated floating rate capped residential
      mortgage backed securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The
      Company has begun using a portion of the US$3 billion of additional
      financing to reduce its concentration of borrowings. The Company has
      also obtained an additional US$2 billion of additional repurchase
      agreement financing for its mortgage backed securities that it expects
      to begin using later in November 2007. Finally, the Company has
      entered negotiations for a US$2 billion 364 day "term" repurchase
      agreement.

   -- As of September 30, 2007 the Company's "Liquidity Cushion" was
      US$90.8 million and was comprised of cash and cash equivalents and
      unencumbered AAA-rated mortgage backed securities. As of November 13,
      2007, our "Liquidity Cushion" was approximately US$119.9 million
      comprised of cash and cash equivalents and unencumbered AAA-rated
      mortgage backed securities and available committed borrowings from The
      Carlyle Group.

   -- The Board of Directors expects to approve a dividend payment based on
      fourth quarter earnings, which would be paid in the first quarter of
      next year. This reflects the Company's long-term focus of providing
      shareholders with a stable rate of return. However, the Board of
      Directors does not anticipate that any such dividend will meet the
      Company's previously stated dividend targets. Unforeseen market
      disruptions or other factors may affect the Board's decision to pay a
      dividend, which will be made during the Board's year-end performance
      review. Thereafter, subject to having sufficient liquidity, reasonably
      stable market conditions and profits or reserves available, and with
      approval of the Company's board of directors, the Company intends to
      pay a quarterly cash dividend on each Class B share of approximately
      90% of our Adjusted Net Income.

   "During this quarter we were successful in our near-term focus of
preserving the long term equity of our shareholders during a period of
volatility," said John Stomber, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief
Investment Officer. "Specifically, during the quarter we took actions to
stabilize our investment portfolio, which is now composed exclusively of
AAA-rated floating rate capped residential mortgage backed securities issued
by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that pay at par at maturity. We are confident
that these actions have preserved shareholder value."

   Stomber continued, "Moving forward, we plan to operate with increased
liquidity and to gradually reduce leverage and to diversify our investments.
We remain confident in our strategy and believe it will enable us to move
towards our stated targeted returns in 2008."

   Conference Call
   Carlyle Capital Corporation will host a conference call November 15, at
10:00 a.m. (ET) to discuss the Company's quarterly results. Investors can
participate in the conference call by dialing +1-877-296-2302 (U.S. and
Canada) or +1-706-634-9628 (International). The call will also be broadcast
live via the Internet at the Company's web site,
http://www.carlylecapitalcorp.com. Please go to the web site at least fifteen
minutes prior to the call to register, download and install any necessary
audio software.

   For your convenience, the conference call can be replayed in its entirety
beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on November 15, 2007 through November
22, 2007. If you wish to listen to the replay of this conference call, please
dial +1-973-645-9291 and enter passcode "22707788".

   About Carlyle Capital Corporation
   Carlyle Capital Corporation Limited is a Guernsey limited company that
was formed on August 29, 2006. The Company's long-term objective is to
achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns for shareholders through current
income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation. In the future, the
Company will seek to achieve this objective by investing in a diversified
portfolio of fixed income assets consisting of mortgage products and
leveraged finance assets. The Company employs leverage to finance its
investments and its income is generated primarily from the difference between
the interest income earned on its assets and the costs of financing those
assets as well as from capital gains generated when the Company disposes of
assets.

   Carlyle Investment Management L.L.C. ("CIM") manages the Company pursuant
to a management agreement. CIM is a registered investment adviser under the
U.S. Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and is an affiliate of The Carlyle
Group.

   This press release does not constitute or form part of any offer or
invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or
subscribe for, any shares or other securities of Carlyle Capital Corporation
Limited. Certain of the information contained in this press release
represents or is based upon forward looking statements or information.
Forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and changing factors,
such as those affecting the markets generally, or those affecting particular
industries or issuers, may cause events or results to differ from those
discussed. Therefore, undue reliance should not be placed on such statements
or the conclusions drawn therefrom, which in no event shall be construed as a
guarantee of future performance, results or courses of action. Each of The
Carlyle Group and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or
undertaking to update or revise any such forward-looking statements. No
statement in this press release is intended to be nor may be construed as a
profit or dividend forecast, and there can be no assurance that any
assumptions described herein or any returns or targets indicated herein will
be achieved.

   The Class B shares and the related restricted depository shares of the
Company are subject to a number of ownership and transfer restrictions,
including restrictions that limit the ability of U.S. persons to acquire or
hold such securities.
   
   Results of Operations

       (All amounts in USD unless otherwise specified)

                              Three Months   Nine Months     For the Period
                                 Ended          Ended        Ended September
                               September      September     16, 2006 through
                               30, 2007       30, 2007        30-Sep-2006

   (in thousands, except
    per share data)
   Income
   Interest income             $343,179       $769,004            $18
   Interest expense
    (including amortization
    and write-off of debt
    issuance costs of $4,509,
    $4,752, and $0 for the
    three months and nine
    months ended September 30,
    2007 and for the period
    ended September 30,
    2006)                       313,667        693,962             16
     Net interest income         29,512         75,042              2
   Net change in fair value
    on financial instruments
    at fair value through
    profit and loss             (45,549)       (44,797)          (307)
     Total income (loss)
      before operating
      expenses                  (16,037)        30,245           (305)

   Operating expenses
   Management fee                 3,918          8,339              -
   Incentive fee                      -          4,681              -
   Professional services            646          1,844              -
   Related party operating
    expenses                        581          1,710              -
   Other operating expenses       1,192          2,629              -
   Share-based compensation      11,840         11,840              -
     Total operating expenses    18,177         31,043              -
     Net (loss)                $(34,214)         $(798)         $(305)

   Net income attributable
    to
   Minority interest                 $-              6              -
   Class B shares              $(34,214)          (804)             -
     Total net income          $(34,214)         $(798)            $-
   Basic (loss) per Class B
    share                        $(0.74)        $(0.03)  

   Web site: http://www.carlylecapitalcorp.com

U.S., Jack Gutt, +1-212-850-5725, jack.gutt@fd.com, or Europe, Robert Bailhache,
+44-20-7269-7200, robert.bailhache@fd.com, both of FD