UWM Holdings: Two Harbors ‘refuses to acknowledge’ proposed deal is better

UWM Holdings Corporation (UWMC) issued a statement calling out the egregious corporate governance of the Board of Directors of Two Harbors Investment (TWO), which announced it has rejected UWMC’s May 11 proposal to acquire Two Harbors for $12.50 per share in cash or 2.3328 shares of UWMC stock, and reaffirmed support for getting its stockholders 50 cents less per share under its proposed merger with CrossCountry Mortgage, LLC: “The TWO Board’s latest announcement represents a complete and illogical distortion of the duties it owes its stockholders. Just days after failing to convince TWO stockholders that $11.30 was more than $12.00, TWO is now trying to convince them that $12.00 is better than $12.50. It is simply astounding for this Board to say with a straight face – again – that a superior cash bid from UWMC could not reasonably be expected to lead to a ‘Company Superior Proposal’ when prior offers from UWMC directly led to price increases by CCM. This is just the latest example of the TWO Board’s egregious conduct, and it’s not surprising that their position has been roundly rejected by both ISS and Glass Lewis. Instead of engaging, the TWO Board has concocted a series of misleading arguments to distract from the superior value that is on the table. They have also hired additional financial advisors at the expense of shareholders to provide cover for their outlandish logic to continue recommending the inferior CCM deal. We believe the only plausible explanation to recommend less for stockholders and refusing to negotiate with UWMC are the huge, accelerated management compensation packages that are part of the Proposed CCM Merger and have just been called out by Glass Lewis as ‘excessive.'”