Bond Financing

MFA Term Sheet

Tax Exempt Bond Financing for Affordable Rental Housing

General: MFA will provide bond financing for multifamily housing developments through the following mechanisms:

Using Private Activity Bond Volume Cap (PABVC) multifamily project allocations from the State Board of Finance ("SBOF") for new tax exempt bond issues;
Refunding outstanding bond issues; or
Issuing new 501(c)(3) bonds.

MFA may issue the bonds with or without providing the credit enhancement. As a "conduit" issuer, MFA issues the bonds that fund the developers' loans, but does not provide loans or take the credit risk. Consequently, the interim and permanent financing as well as the credit enhancement for the bonds must be provided through other sources as proposed by the developer of the project. Alternatively, MFA can provide the credit enhancement with the use of its 542(c) FHA Mortgage Insurance Program. Processing and approvals are different in each case, with credit enhancement requiring considerable more due diligence on MFA's part.

This program summary is intended as a general guide to developers to assist in determining if tax exempt bond financing is an appropriate vehicle for a proposed project. Because all projects are unique, additional issues will arise during the course of any transaction. Such changes in conditions may produce new or revised requirements from those contained in this summary.

Application and Processing – MFA as Bond Issuer

Following the submission of a complete development project application by the developer, MFA will begin processing the request. Requests may be submitted at any time of year, although those which require PABVC allocations should be submitted to MFA at least 60 days prior to the State Board of Finance's (SBOF's) submission date for the meeting in which bond volume cap allocations are to be made. (Because multifamily bond volume cap is extremely competitive and typically awarded in the first quarter of each calendar year, this two-month advance deadline would require a request to MFA no later than October 15th of the year prior to the year of the desired allocation.) Additional time may be needed to obtain MFA approval for credit enhancement, but this is done after the SBOF award of bond cap.

MFA will adopt an inducement resolution, at the earliest available board meeting following the approval for a Draft Determination Letter (42m). If all requirements are met promptly by the developer, the bond closing can occur within 90 to 120 days of the delivery of firm financing and credit enhancement commitments. The second resolution required by MFA—the bond resolution itself—cannot be passed until all credit enhancement and financing commitments are in place. The process would proceed as follows:

Developer and MFA staff meet to discuss application and volume cap process;
An “Intent to Submit letter and Project Synopsis” is provided to MFA at least 30 days prior to application (Expires after 180 days and a new letter will be required)
Developer submits application to MFA to issue Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC)
MFA completes Determination of Consistency with the QAP (Draft Determination Letter)
MFA provides an Inducement Resolution
Developer and MFA staff prepare and submit application to State Board of Finance (SBOF);
SBOF acts on request for bond cap and, if successful;
Developer arranges scoping meetings with all financial interests and counsel represented;
Developer obtains financing and credit enhancement commitments;
MFA publicizes and arranges TEFRA hearing.
Documents are drafted by MFA bond counsel;
MFA Board passes bond resolution; and
All parties complete bond issue/closing.

Sample 4% Visual Timeline with MFA Issued bonds

Tax Credit Review

Virtually all bond cap projects will use Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) as an additional subsidy. This requires a complete 4% Tax Credit Application in order to receive a determination that the project is consistent with the QAP. Please refer to the applicable year QAP, underwriting guidelines and mandatory design standards for additional information and requirements. Further information may be found here.

Loan Rates and Terms

Loan rates, credit enhancement costs, maturity dates and other loan and bond financing terms are based on current bond market conditions and negotiated among underwriters, lenders and credit enhancement providers. Bond cap must not exceed 75 percent of the project's total development cost and costs of issuance are limited as stated in the QAP.

Bond Rating Requirements

MFA's statute requires ratings of A or better for publicly sold bond issues. Private placements must be A-rated and credit enhanced or, at MFA's discretion, the following requirements may be substituted: ownership by a single bondholder; no bond registration through depository trust company; delivery of a "sophisticated investor letter" by the bond purchaser and any subsequent bond owner; a documented prohibition against bond default.

Credit Enhancement Requirements

Numerous alternative sources of credit enhancement are available to the developer who chooses not to use MFA's 542(c) program, but the method selected must meet MFA's approval. These include FHA mortgage insurance, FNMA securitization, and private bank letters of credit. Where letters of credit are the sole credit enhancement, the provider must be specifically approved by MFA, and the minimum term would be five years. This requirement is to ensure that the bonds are protected during the riskiest period of the financing—construction, lease up and stabilization—to minimize refinancing and bond redemption risk. Future credit enhancement substitutions must be approved by MFA in advance of their use.

Financing Team

MFA selects the trustee, bond counsel and financial advisor through its own independent procedures. An investment bank may be proposed by the developer, but is subject to MFA approval and must meet MFA's disclosure and conflict of interest provisions. Additionally, one of MFA's banking team members must participate. The developer may select one of MFA's banking team members for this purpose. Fees and other issues are worked out between the two.

Use Restrictions

All conduit financings have federally imposed minimum tenant income restrictions. In most cases these involve a set-aside of 20 percent of the units for tenants earning no more than 50 percent of median income, or 40 percent of the units for tenants earning no more than 60 percent of median income, each adjusted for family size. Rents are not restricted under the bond requirements per se, but tax credits and most other subsidies will limit rents to 30 percent of the applicable income limit. For practical purposes, however, competition for scarce resources such as bond cap or LIHTC allocations will generate far higher set-asides than these minimum levels, and developers should plan accordingly. MFA may impose varying affordability requirements, based on the economics of the individual transaction and the level of subsidy provided.

Regulatory Agreements

The developer will enter into regulatory agreements which establish low-income set-asides, reserve requirements, monitoring and compliance activities and fees. Property transfers will be approved (without "deemed consent") at MFA's discretion based on buyer and management company experience and current fee payment status. A 60-day cure period will be provided for instances of noncompliance with the terms of the regulatory agreement. Relocation plans are required where displacement is likely, and tenant income surveys may be required early on.

Fees and Expenses

The developer will be responsible for all costs of issuance and other direct costs of MFA. Fees will be paid as follows:

Application fee due at submission of application. Fee is $10 per unit, and is non-refundable.
Commitment fee due prior to preparation of bond documents, in the amount of 50 basis points (0.5 percent) of the bond issue amount, and is non-refundable.
Direct cost deposit due at scoping meeting in the amount of 50 percent of MFA's Cost of Issuance (COI.) Credited against MFA's COI excess, if any, returned at closing. (Additional COI due to other third parties will also be the obligation of the developer.)
Long Term Bonds-Multifamily bond issues that include a long-term bond maturity:
- Annual administration fee of 0.15% paid annually in advance; based on the original bond issuance amount (not declining). If bonds are fully prepaid within 15 years of closing, borrower pays MFA the present value (discounted at the bond yield) of the fees that would otherwise have been paid if the bonds had remained outstanding in Year 15.
Short Term Bonds Only - Multifamily bond issues that are fully redeemed after stabilization:
- Administrative Fee: 2.0% paid at closing.
Transfer fee of $2,500, plus direct cost reimbursement, due at submission of request for transfer of ownership or substitution of credit enhancement.
If MFA provides credit enhancement, additional fees related to loan processing and origination will apply.

Additional Financing and Subsidies

Additional financing may be derived through the sale of taxable bonds along with the tax exempt bonds. Projects which meet the criteria of other MFA multifamily programs may be eligible for additional subsidies, including the Housing Tax Credit, HOME Rental Assistance (typically in the form of below market rate secondary financing, and not available from MFA for projects in Albuquerque or Las Cruces), Primero Investment Fund seed money loans and/or BUILD interim loan guaranties. Further material on each program is available from MFA.