This morning Delta Financial Corp. laid off 470 of its remaining 1,000 employees as waning loan production and credit concerns continued to weigh on the struggling mortgage lender.
“While it was our expectation that the reduction in force we experienced this past August would be sufficient to sustain our business through what is a global credit crisis…the recent and unexpected turmoil in the subprime and securitization sectors is having a further and significant adverse impact on our business,” chief executive Hugh Miller wrote in an e-mail to employees.
“Please understand that there are no viable alternatives to today’s actions. We must take these drastic measures to respond to unexpected and drastic times.”
Miller noted that Fidelity Mortgage, a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Financial Corp., would be affected as well, with one source claiming that offices in Chicago and Arizona would be shut down as a result.
The lender expects to see a restructuring charge of approximately $7.5 million, of which about $1.4 million will be paid immediately in severance as a result of the layoffs.
Following the layoffs, the New York based lender announced a third-quarter net loss of $39.6 million, or $1.70 per diluted share, compared to net income of $8 million, or $0.33 per share a year ago.
“We are disappointed to report a loss for the third quarter,” explained Miller. “A variety of unprecedented market events took place during the quarter, which had a negative impact on not only our earnings, but those of virtually every company in the lending sector.”
Delta’s loan origination decreased to $809 million during the third quarter of 2007, roughly 19% lower than production numbers from the third quarter of 2006.
The layoffs are the latest bit of bad news to hit the lender which suffered 300 jobs cuts in August and recently suspended its dividend.
“We continue to believe there is both a need and demand for non-conforming loans, and hope to continue to satisfy that need as we have done for the last 25 years,” stated Mr. Miller.
Shares of Delta Financial Corp. ended the regular session down $0.54, or 14.67%, to $3.14, but were rocked by the news in after hours trading, falling a further 36.31%.
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