Large Public Homebuilders Benefit from Tax Aid - Lobbyists Win Again

Specific to the homebuilders - in the worst downturn in US history - there have been no major PUBLIC homebuilder bankruptcies. Despite a death watch about 2 years ago. [Jan 29, 2008: Credit Default Swaps Paint Ugly Picture for Homebuilders] [Jan 11, 2008: Standard Pacific (SPF) - the First Major Homebuilder to Go?] [Jan 24, 2009: Bloomberg - Hovnanian May Fail Absent Miracle]  Apparently miracles do happen and Schumpeter's Creative Destruction is now old school. (what's that you say about destruction being a necessary piece of capitalism?) Good old American corporate socialism free market capitalism.

Speaking of miracles, the US Congress is also a miracle maker.... especially when lobbyists are involved.  2 years ago when the first beautifully titled Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008 was passed, we said this was a complete hoax... this was a bailout for banks and homebuilders (shocker!); it had very little do with preventing any foreclosures.  [Apr 4, 2008: Congress is Rushing to Help Homeowners Out!! (Not)]  As written in 08:

The National Association of Home Builders, one of the top 10 corporate donors to politicians, has stopped contributing to congressional candidates after it failed to get what it wanted in recent anti-recession legislation.

The association had unsuccessfully pressed lawmakers to adopt a provision to reduce the tax liability of home builders by allowing them to offset their past profits with future losses.

Since 1990, the trade group has given nearly $20 million to federal candidates,

But who says nothing gets done in the halls of Congress? When they are motivated, and see their political contributions at risk... boy, they are like a steamroller! In under 60 days...

Homebuilders and the mortgage industry are emerging as big victors in a bipartisan agreement reached by Senate leaders on legislation designed to limit the housing crisis.

The bill contains a $6 billion emergency tax break that would let companies use losses from 2008 and 2009 to offset profits earned over the previous four years, instead of the usual two-year timeframe.

Other big beneficiaries would be Wall Street banks such as Citigroup Inc., Merrill Lynch & Co. and Morgan Stanley.

While Democrats and Republicans called the bill a productive bipartisan compromise, Dean Baker, co-director of the liberal Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, questioned whether the trade off was worthwhile for Democrats. This is first and foremost helping the big villains in the story, he said.

So please don't say Congress doesn't do anything.  The minute their campaign donations are threatened they are among the most efficient bodies in the world.

About 9 months ago, I highlighted another story [Jun 23, 2009: WSJ - Land Deals Help Home Builders Stay Alive (Not to Mention Tax Rule Changes, and Government Largesss]

Other publicly traded home builders also dumped land during the crunch. By selling land at huge discounts to what it was once valued, big builders generated large losses for tax purposes.

By applying those losses against profits during prior years, they have collected about $2.55 billion in tax refunds this year, according to Zelman & Associates, a housing-research firm.Big builders are benefiting in other ways from the high mortality of small and midsize builders. The smaller players had loans cut off by lenders and are dying off in droves, surrendering market share to the big players. As many as half of the nation's privately held builders have shut down during the housing bust, and many others are struggling to survive, according to a Credit Suisse estimate.

So the big get bigger & consolidate power, and the small(er) die.  If you are a major political contributor, heaven and earth will be moved for you.  If you are smaller - you should go into that dark corner, fend for yourself, and preferably rot so that the bigger can take over more of the market (and the politicians get even more political contributions).  Welcome to Cramerica.

The past quarter I was doing a lot of reading of housing earning reports... across the board they beat estimates by huge margins.  Business rebound?  Not so much.  But a massive handout by Congress with tax loss rule changes contributed huge gains to EPS.   It has become so egregious that much like the smaller banking institutions in America are complaining about the firewall around the largest banks, we are now seeing the same thing in the housing industry. 

Not that it matters, because it's business as usual, and as speculators we just have to giggle in glee and accept the taxpayers handouts. (Remember, Wall Street = Main Street).  By direct transfer, the taxpayer losing out on this money means more money for me as a speculator.  Did I mention Cramerica is a wonderful place? 

Via AP:

• It's tax season, and the IRS is being particularly generous to some of the nation's largest homebuilders.  Several publicly traded companies, including Lennar Corp (LEN)., Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (HOV)and Pulte Homes Inc (PHM)., expect to rake in roughly $2.5 billion in federal tax refunds combined, according to company filings.

Stop for a moment there.  $2.5 Billion.  The majority in about 9-10 companies.  Once more let me say as I've repeated over and over the past 3 years, the best ROI (Return on Investment) in America is lobbying dollars.  Crony corporate socialism defined.   (and this is why we are seeing the huge beats in earning estimates)

• Lawmakers amended the tax code last fall to help struggling companies stay in business by essentially giving them a greater opportunity to recoup previously paid taxes. The move has helped some of the biggest builders turn a profit for the first time in years.

So if you dear peon make financial mistakes in your life... say overextend yourself,  you tend to have to deal with minor things like bankruptcy.  That's the life of a taxpayer.  If however, you are a public corporation with politicians wrapped around your torso, you don't suffer the same consequences.  Indeed, money will be transferred to you so you do not suffer from your decision making.  It's a good life no?  (insert dogmatic line here We need to bailout the largest homebuilders or the economy would fail)  No wait, that was the line used for the banks.... err, well get back to me and I'll think of a good reason for this handout - especially for homebuilders that were not even in real financial trouble but who benefited during the bubble times and in down times were given massive reverse Robin Hood (steal from the many, to give to the few) handouts.

• But some small builders say the souped-up tax break is primarily giving their large rivals yet another competitive edge. That's because the latest windfall looks less like a lifeline and more like a war chest. Several large builders are now sitting on more than $1 billion in cash and are snapping up tracts of land to be ready for the next building boom.
• These public (builders) sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of land and took huge losses and wound up with hundreds of millions of dollars of checks from the government sitting on their balance books, said Ken Endelson, CEO of Kenco Communities in Boca Raton, Fla. It was a real bailout. No different than the banks.
• In November, Congress passed a law that lets companies of all sizes that are losing money reach back five years and get a refund for taxes paid when they were making money. Previously, large companies were limited to recouping taxes paid up to two years earlier.   That extension was a boon to builders because the economy and the housing market were flying high five years ago and they couldn't put up new houses fast enough.  They were earning bubble profits back then, said Credit Suisse analyst Nishu Sood.

On FMMF, we call this the heads we win, tails we still win ethos that now dominates almost all of the major industries in America (not to mention corporate executive compensation) - but only if you are amongst the largest players of course.  You win from the bubble profits.... (which you had to pay taxes from) but when the bubble bursts... guess what, we will retroactively make sure you are refunded those taxes paid!  Good thing the US doesn't have a budget deficit or anything ... or else we'd actually need this money we just handed back to a select few companies.  Anyhow, what's $2.5 Billion among friends.

• In recent weeks, builders have reported quarterly results that include the gains they expect to receive from tax refunds.  Among those to post a profit were KB Home, Lennar, Hovnanian, D.R. Horton Inc., Beazer Homes USA Inc., Ryland Group Inc. and Meritage Homes Corp.

Speaking of, it's almost time to start buying some homebuilders so we can all watch in amazement as May home sales are higher than April home sales, and June home sales are higher than May.... remember, last year when that happened every pundit was shocked at the housing recovery, and home building stocks surged.  Even though this seasonal pattern happens every year, we have to prepare for the cries of here comes the housing rebound when once again it happens this year.   Need to go find my Kool Aid costume...

Long taxpayer handouts so public companies can benefit, and small private companies can go into a corner and die.  Yee haw