Ellington Financial Inc. (Form: 8-K, Received: 01/11/2021 06:01:17)

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):January 8, 2021

ELLINGTON FINANCIAL INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

001-34569

26-0489289

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

(Commission File Number)

(IRS Employer Identification No.)

Old Greenwich, CT 06870

(Address and zip code of principal executive offices)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (203) 698-1200

(Former Name or Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:


☐			Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)


☐			Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)


☐			Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))


☐			Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Each Class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered

Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share

EFC

The New York Stock Exchange

6.750% Series A Fixed-to-Floating Rate Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock

EFC PR A

The New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure

The information contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K (including Exhibit 99.1 attached hereto) is being furnished by Ellington Financial Inc. (the "Company") pursuant to Item 7.01 of Form 8-K in satisfaction of the public disclosure requirements of Regulation FD.

On January 8, 2021, the Company issued a press release announcing its estimated book value per share of common stock as of December 31, 2021. A copy of the press release is furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

In accordance with General Instructions B.2 and B.6 of Form 8-K, the information included in Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K (including Exhibit 99.1 hereto), shall not be deemed "filed" for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing made by the Company under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

Item 8.01. Other Events

On January 8, 2021, the Company issued a press release announcing that its Board of Directors has declared a monthly dividend of $0.10 per share of common stock, payable on February 25, 2021 to stockholders of record as of January 29, 2021, and a quarterly dividend of $0.421875 per share on the Company's 6.750% Series A Fixed-to-Floating Rate Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, payable on February 1, 2021 to preferred stockholders of record as of January 19, 2021. A copy of the press release is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1 to this current report on Form 8-K and the information related to the dividends is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d) Exhibits. The following exhibit is being filed herewith this Current Report on Form 8-K.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

ELLINGTON FINANCIAL INC.

Date:

January 8, 2021

By:

/s/ JR Herlihy

JR Herlihy

Chief Financial Officer

Ellington Financial Declares Common and Preferred Dividends, and Announces Estimated Book Value Per Common Share as of December 31, 2020

OLD GREENWICH, Conn., January 8, 2021—Ellington Financial Inc. (NYSE: EFC) (the "Company") today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a monthly dividend of $0.10 per common share, payable on February 25, 2021 to stockholders of record as of January 29, 2021, and a quarterly dividend of $0.421875 per share on the Company's 6.750% Series A Fixed-to-Floating Rate Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, payable on February 1, 2021 to preferred stockholders of record as of January 19, 2021.

The Company also announced its estimated book value per common share of $17.40 as of December 31, 2020. This estimate includes the effect of the previously announced monthly dividend of $0.10 per common share, payable on January 25, 2021 to holders of record on December 31, 2020, with an ex-dividend date of December 30, 2020.

Cautionary Statements

Estimated book value per common share is subject to change upon completion of the Company's month-end and quarter-end valuation procedures relating to its investment positions, and any such change could be material (particularly in light of the significant volatility, lack of pricing transparency, and market dislocations that have been caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and associated responses to the pandemic). There can be no assurance that the Company's estimated book value per common share as of December 31, 2020 is indicative of what the Company's results are likely to be for the three-month period or year ending December 31, 2020 or in future periods, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise its estimated book value per common share prior to issuance of financial statements for such period. Estimated book value per common share, which is the responsibility of the Company's management, was prepared by the Company's management and is based upon a number of assumptions, including, without limitation, the fair market value of the Company's assets, which may not be reflective of such assets' liquidation value, particularly in light of the significant volatility, lack of pricing transparency, and market dislocations discussed above. Additional adjustments may be identified and could result in material changes to the Company's estimated book value per common share. The Company's independent registered public accounting firm has not audited, reviewed, compiled or performed any procedures with respect to the Company's estimated book value per common share.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results may differ from its beliefs, expectations, estimates, and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Forward-looking statements are not historical in nature and can be identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "would," "could," "goal," "objective," "will," "may," "seek" or similar expressions or their negative forms, or by references to strategy, plans, or intentions. Examples of forward-looking statements in this press release include statements regarding the Company's book value per common share and its payment of dividends, among others. The Company's results can fluctuate from month to month and from quarter to quarter depending on a variety of factors, some of which are beyond the Company's control and/or are difficult to predict, including, without limitation, changes in interest rates and the market value of the Company's securities, changes in mortgage default rates and prepayment rates, the Company's ability to borrow to finance its assets, changes in government regulations affecting the Company's business, the Company's ability to maintain its exclusion from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Company's ability to maintain its qualification as a real estate investment trust, or "REIT," and other changes in market conditions and economic trends, including changes resulting from the economic effects related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and associated responses to the pandemic. Furthermore, forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, among other things, those described under Item 1A of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 13, 2020 and Part II, Item 1A of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 21, 2020, as amended, which can be accessed through the Company's website at www.ellingtonfinancial.com or at the SEC's website (www.sec.gov). Other risks, uncertainties, and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected may be described from time to time in reports the Company files with the SEC, including reports on Forms 10-Q, 10-K and 8-K. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

This release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer of any securities or solicitation of an offer to purchase securities.

About Ellington Financial

Ellington Financial invests in a diverse array of financial assets, including residential and commercial mortgage loans, residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, consumer loans and asset-backed securities backed by consumer loans, collateralized loan obligations, non-mortgage and mortgage-related derivatives, equity investments in loan origination companies, and other strategic investments. Ellington Financial is externally managed and advised by Ellington Financial Management LLC, an affiliate of Ellington Management Group, L.L.C.