Overview

The Company's operations over the last several years generally reflect three trends or events which the Company expects to continue: (i) increased attention to "niche" insurance products, such as the Company's funeral plan policies and traditional whole-life products; (ii) emphasis on cemetery and mortuary business; and (iii) capitalizing on lower interest rates by originating and refinancing mortgage loans.

Results of Operations

Mortgage Operations

Overview

SecurityNational Mortgage is a mortgage lender incorporated under the laws of the State of Utah. SecurityNational Mortgage is approved and regulated by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), a department of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to originate mortgage loans that qualify for government insurance in the event of default by the borrower. SecurityNational Mortgage obtains mortgage loans primarily from its retail offices and independent brokers. The loans are funded from internal cash flows, including through loan purchase agreements with Security National Life, and from unaffiliated financial institutions. SecurityNational Mortgage receives fees from the borrowers and other secondary fees from third party investors that purchase its loans. SecurityNational Mortgage sells its loans to third party investors and does not retain servicing of these loans. SecurityNational Mortgage pays the brokers and retail loan officers a commission for loans that are brokered through SecurityNational Mortgage.

For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, SecurityNational Mortgage originated and sold 2,440 loans ($445,523,469 total volume) and 1,587 loans ($265,230,124 total volume), respectively. The mortgage loan volume in 2012 has been higher than in 2011 primarily due to an increase market share in mortgage loan originations. SecurityNational Mortgage anticipates the loan volume for 2012 to be approximately $125,000,000 to $200,000,000 per month range compared to $80,000,000 to $150,000,000 per month range in 2011.

The following table shows the condensed financial results of the mortgage operations for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011. See Note 8 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

                                                               Three months ended March 31
                                                                (in thousands of dollars)
                                                                                       % Increase
                                                         2012             2011         (Decrease)
Revenues from external customers
Income from loan originations                         $    22,401       $ 11,085                 102 %
Secondary gains from investors                              4,335          2,906                  49 %
Total                                                 $    26,736       $ 13,991                  91 %
Earnings (Losses) before income taxes                 $     1,264       $ (2,554 )               149 %

Overall, this increase in profitability for the three months ended March 31, 2012 was due to the higher loan volume and higher secondary gains from third party investors.

Significant Accounting Policies

SecurityNational Mortgage has entered into a loan purchase agreement to originate and sell mortgage loans to an unaffiliated warehouse bank. The amount available to originate loans under this agreement at December 31, 2011 was $55,000,000. SecurityNational Mortgage originates the loans and immediately sells them to third party investors. Generally, when mortgage loans are sold to warehouse banks, SecurityNational Mortgage is no longer obligated, except in certain circumstances, to pay the amounts outstanding on the mortgage loans, but is required to pay a fee in the form of interest on a portion of the mortgage loans between the date that the loans are sold to warehouse banks and the settlement date with third party investors. The terms of the loan purchase agreements are typically for one year, with interest accruing on a portion of the mortgage loans at annual rates ranging from 2.5% to 2.75% over the 30 day Libor rate. SecurityNational Mortgage renewed its loan purchase agreement with an unaffiliated warehouse bank, which had expired on December 19, 2011, for an indefinite period.

Mortgage fee income consists of origination fees, processing fees, and certain other income related to the origination and sale of mortgage loans. For mortgage loans sold to third party investors, mortgage fee income and related expenses are recognized pursuant to generally accepted accounting principles at the time the sales of the mortgage loans comply with the sales criteria for the transfer of financial assets. The sales criteria is as follows: (i) the transferred assets have been isolated from SecurityNational Mortgage and its creditors, (ii) the transferee has the right to pledge or exchange the mortgage, and (iii) SecurityNational Mortgage does not maintain effective control over the transferred mortgage.

SecurityNational Mortgage must determine that all three sales criteria are met at the time a mortgage loan is funded. All rights and title to the mortgage loans are assigned to unrelated financial institution investors, including investor commitments for the loans made prior to warehouse banks purchasing the loans under the purchase commitments. As of March 31, 2012, there was $129,244,000 in mortgage loans in which settlements with third party investors were still pending.

SecurityNational Mortgage sells all mortgage loans to third party investors without recourse. However, it may be required to repurchase a loan or pay a fee instead of repurchase under certain events, which include the following:

· Failure to deliver original documents specified by the investor,

· The existence of misrepresentation or fraud in the origination of the loan,

· The loan becomes delinquent due to nonpayment during the first several months after it is sold,

· Early pay-off of a loan, as defined by the agreements,

· Excessive time to settle a loan,

· Investor declines purchase, and

· Discontinued product and expired commitment.

Loan purchase commitments generally specify a date 30 to 45 days after delivery upon which the underlying loans should be settled. Depending on market conditions, these commitment settlement dates can be extended at a cost to SecurityNational Mortgage. Generally, a ten day extension will cost .125% (12.5 basis points) of the loan amount. SecurityNational Mortgage's historical data shows that 99% of all loans originated are generally settled by the investors as agreed within 16 days after delivery. There are situations, however, when SecurityNational Mortgage determines that it is unable to enforce the settlement of loans rejected by the third-party investors and that it is in its best interest to repurchase those loans from the warehouse banks.

It is SecurityNational Mortgage's policy to cure any documentation problems regarding such loans at a minimal cost for up to a six-month time period and to pursue efforts to enforce loan purchase commitments from third-party investors concerning the loans. SecurityNational Mortgage believes that six months allows adequate time to remedy any documentation issues, to enforce purchase commitments, and to exhaust other alternatives. Remedial methods include the following:

· Research reasons for rejection,

· Provide additional documents,

· Request investor exceptions,

· Appeal rejection decision to purchase committee, and

· Commit to secondary investors.

Once purchase commitments have expired and other alternatives to remedy are exhausted, which could be earlier than the six month time period, the loans are repurchased and transferred to the long term investment portfolio at the lower of cost or fair value and previously recorded sales revenue is reversed. Any loan that later becomes delinquent is evaluated by the Company at that time and any impairment is adjusted accordingly.

Determining lower of cost or market. Cost is equal to the amount paid to the warehouse bank and the amount originally funded by SecurityNational Mortgage. Market value, while often difficult to determine, is based on the following guidelines:

· For loans that have an active market, SecurityNational Mortgage uses the market price on the repurchase date.

· For loans where there is no market but there is a similar product, SecurityNational Mortgage uses the market value for the similar product on the repurchase date.

· For loans where no active market exists on the repurchase date, SecurityNational Mortgage determines that the unpaid principal balance best approximates the market value on the repurchase date, after considering the fair value of the underlying real estate collateral and estimated future cash flows.

The appraised value of the real estate underlying the original mortgage loan adds significance to SecurityNational Mortgage's determination of fair value because, if the loan becomes delinquent, SecurityNational Mortgage has sufficient value to collect the unpaid principal balance or the carrying value of the loan. In determining the market value on the date of repurchase, SecurityNational Mortgage considers the total value of all of the loans because any sale of loans would be made as a pool.

For mortgages originated and held for investment, mortgage fee income and related expenses are recognized when the loan is originated.

As of March 31, 2012, the Company's long term mortgage loan portfolio consisted of $16,592,000 in mortgage loans with delinquencies more than 90 days. Of this amount, $9,925,000 of the loans were in foreclosure proceedings. The Company has not received or recognized any interest income on the $16,592,000 in mortgage loans with delinquencies more than 90 days. During the three months ended March 31, 2012, the Company provided an allowance for mortgage losses of $32,000. This allowance for mortgage losses was charged to loan loss expense and included in selling, general and administrative expenses for the period. The ending balance of allowances for mortgage loan losses as of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011 were $4,525,000 and $4,881,000, respectively.

Also as of March 31, 2012, the Company had foreclosed on a total of $60,706,000 in long term mortgage loans, of which $9,022,000 of the loans foreclosed were reclassified as other real estate held for investment or sale during 2012. The Company carries the foreclosed properties in Security National Life, Memorial Estates, and SecurityNational Mortgage, its respective life, cemeteries and mortuaries, and mortgage subsidiaries, and will lease or rent the properties until it is deemed economically desirable to sell them.

Mortgage Loan Loss Settlements

The mortgage industry has seen potential loan losses increase. Future loan losses are extremely difficult to estimate, especially in the current market. However, management believes that the Company's reserve methodology and its current practice of property preservation allow it to estimate its losses on loans sold. The amounts accrued for loan losses for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011 were $445,000 and $530,000, respectively. The estimated liability for indemnification losses is included in other liabilities and accrued expenses and, as of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, the balances were $2,903,000 and $2,338,000, respectively.

Settlement with Wells Fargo

On April 7, 2011, SecurityNational Mortgage, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into a settlement agreement with Wells Fargo Funding, Inc. ("Wells Fargo"). The settlement agreement provides that it is intended to be a pragmatic commercial accommodation between SecurityNational Mortgage and Wells Fargo and is not to be construed as an admission of responsibility, liability or fault for either party's claims. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, SecurityNational Mortgage paid an initial settlement amount to Wells Fargo in the amount of $4,300,000, of which $1,000,000 had already been paid to Wells Fargo in January 2011, leaving a balance of $3,300,000. The $3,300,000 balance was paid shortly after the parties executed the settlement agreement.

In addition, under the terms of the settlement agreement, Wells Fargo has the right to deduct 10 basis points (.0010) from the purchase proceeds of each loan that SecurityNational Mortgage sells to Wells Fargo during the period from April 8, 2011 to March 31, 2017. For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011 Wells Fargo deducted $414,765 and $0, representing 10 basis points from the purchase proceeds of the loans that SecurityNational Mortgage sold to Wells Fargo during that period. SecurityNational Mortgage is also required under the settlement agreement to set aside 10 basis points (.0010) during the period from April 8, 2011 to March 31, 2017 from the purchase proceeds of any loans that it sells to any mortgage loan purchaser other than Wells Fargo and pay such amounts to Wells Fargo. For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011 Wells Fargo deducted $58,632 and $0, representing 10 basis points from the purchase proceeds of the loans it sold to mortgage loan purchasers other than Wells Fargo during that period. Finally, SecurityNational Mortgage is required under the settlement agreement to set aside 50% from the net proceeds that it receives from any sale, liquidation or other transfer of certain real estate properties that it owns, after subtracting taxes, commissions, recording fees and other transaction costs. These real estate properties consist of 28 real estate properties with a total book value of $5,597,900 as of March 31, 2012.

In consideration for SecurityNational Mortgage making the initial settlement payment to Wells Fargo, Wells Fargo and related parties, including Wells Fargo Bank, released SecurityNational Mortgage and related parties, including the Company and Security National Life Insurance Company, from any claims, demands, damages, obligations, liabilities, or causes of action relating to residential mortgage loans that Wells Fargo purchased from SecurityNational Mortgage prior to December 31, 2009. Similarly, SecurityNational Mortgage released Wells Fargo and its related parties from any claims, demands, damages, obligations, liabilities, or causes of actions relating to residential mortgage loans that Wells Fargo purchased from SecurityNational Mortgage prior to December 31, 2009. SecurityNational Mortgage is not aware of any repurchase or indemnification demands by Wells Fargo for residential mortgage loans with a closing date after December 31, 2009.

As of March 31, 2012, the Company reserved and accrued $2,903,000 to settle investor related claims against SecurityNational Mortgage for the allegedly defective mortgage loans that SecurityNational Mortgage sold to Wells Fargo and other mortgage loan purchasers.

Mortgage Loan Loss Demands

Third Party Investors

There have been assertions in third party investor correspondence that SecurityNational Mortgage sold mortgage loans that allegedly contained misrepresentations or experienced early payment defaults, or that were otherwise allegedly defective or not in compliance with agreements between SecurityNational Mortgage and the third party investors consisting principally of financial institutions. As a result of these claims, third party investors have made demands that SecurityNational Mortgage repurchase certain alleged defective mortgage loans that were sold to such investors or indemnify them against any losses related to such loans.

As of March 31, 2012, third party investors had asserted total potential claims and notices of potential claims relating to mortgage loan repurchases, indemnifications and other issues that are substantially greater than $20,000,000. Additional potential claims and notices of potential claims from third party investors have been made since March 31, 2012. The Company has reserved and accrued $2,903,000 as of March 31, 2012 to settle all such investor related claims.

The total amount of potential claims and notices of potential claims are greater than the net asset value of SecurityNational Mortgage, which was $18,779,000 on March 31, 2012, and its reserve for mortgage loan loss, which was $2,903,000 on March 31, 2012. SecurityNational Mortgage disagrees with the claims and notices of potential claims asserted by third party investors against it and believes it has significant defenses to these claims. Any additional losses in excess of the current loan loss reserve cannot be estimated as SecurityNational Mortgage is currently in the process of reviewing repurchase demands and notices of potential claims from third party investors.

If SecurityNational Mortgage is unable to resolve demands by the third party investors on acceptable terms, legal action may ensue in an effort to obtain amounts that the third party investors claim are allegedly due. In the event of legal action, if SecurityNational Mortgage is not successful in its defenses against claims asserted by these third party investors to the extent that a substantial judgment is entered against SecurityNational Mortgage which is beyond its capacity to pay, SecurityNational Mortgage may be required to curtail or cease operations.

Termination of Business Relationship with Third Party Investor

During settlement discussions with one of the third party investors during the second and third quarters of 2010, the investor made a settlement proposal to SecurityNational Mortgage. When SecurityNational Mortgage declined to accept the settlement proposal because it regarded the language in the settlement documents as unreasonable, the investor notified SecurityNational Mortgage by letter dated October 20, 2010 of its decision to terminate its business relationship with SecurityNational Mortgage.

The investor also stated in the October 20, 2010 letter that termination of its business relationship with SecurityNational Mortgage would not affect the obligations, representations, warranties or indemnifications by SecurityNational Mortgage under mortgage loans previously sold to the investor under a loan purchase agreement. The investor further stated that it intended to exercise certain rights under a loan purchase agreement by debiting $5,971,000 from amounts in an over/under account that it had been holding for the benefit of SecurityNational Mortgage.

SecurityNational Mortgage believes the investor wrongfully applied the $5,971,000 from the over/under account toward payment of outstanding obligations that SecurityNational Mortgage allegedly owed to the investor. The investor has asserted potential claims and notices of potential claims concerning the alleged defective loans that SecurityNational Mortgage sold to such investor. SecurityNational Mortgage disagrees with these potential claims and notices and believes it has significant defenses to such claims and notices, as well as a claim against the investor for the return of the $5,971,000 that the investor had wrongfully taken from the over/under account.

JP Morgan Chase Indemnification Demand

The Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, SecurityNational Mortgage, received a notice of claim for indemnification relating to mortgage loans that EMC Mortgage, LLC ("EMC Mortgage") allegedly purchased as a third party investor from SecurityNational Mortgage. The notice was from JP Morgan Chase & Co. ("JP Morgan Chase") in behalf of EMC Mortgage. According to the notice, the alleged indemnification claims relate to mortgage loans that SecurityNational Mortgage sold to EMC Mortgage under a Mortgage Loan Purchase Agreement, dated December 5, 2005, between SecurityNational Mortgage and EMC. The notice also referenced an Agreement of Guaranty, dated February 23, 2006, by the Company relative to EMC Mortgage. The notice states that EMC Mortgage allegedly purchased mortgage loans from SecurityNational Mortgage, which were later securitized by means of mortgage pass-through certificates.

The notice of indemnification claims from JP Morgan Chase also states that EMC Mortgage has been named in a lawsuit by the Bear Stearns Mortgage Funding Trust 2007-AR2 (the "Trust"), which was filed on September 13, 2011 in the Delaware Court of Chancery. A copy of the complaint and the amended complaint has been provided by JP Morgan Chase. The amended complaint contends that more than 800 residential mortgage loans that EMC Mortgage sold to the Trust contained breaches of representations and warranties concerning the mortgage loans. The amended complaint also contends that despite EMC Mortgage's assurance to the Trust that the mortgage loans met certain minimum quality standards, there have been defaults and foreclosures in many of such loans. As a result of the alleged defaults and foreclosures, the amended complaint asserts that EMC Mortgage is required to repurchase from the Trust any loans for which it breached its representations and warranties, in the amount of the mortgage loans' outstanding principal balance and all accrued but unpaid interest.

The notice from JP Morgan Chase further states that the Company and SecurityNational Mortgage are required to indemnify EMC Mortgage for any losses arising from the lawsuit against EMC based upon alleged untrue statements of material fact related to information that was provided by SecurityNational Mortgage. The amended complaint includes the loan numbers of the alleged non-complying mortgage loans that EMC Mortgage sold to the Trust. In a letter from JP Morgan Chase accompanying a copy of the amended complaint, JP Morgan Chase asserted that 21 mortgage loans originated by SecurityNational Mortgage were included in the lawsuit as part of the alleged non-complying mortgage loans that EMC allegedly sold to the Trust. Thus, it appears that only a very small percentage of the alleged non-complying mortgage loans that EMC Mortgage sold to the Trust were mortgage loans that SecurityNational Mortgage had sold to EMC.

Moreover, to the extent the claims by the Trust against EMC Mortgage relate to mortgage loans that SecurityNational Mortgage sold to EMC, the Company believes it has defenses to such claims with respect to EMC. For example, neither the Company nor SecurityNational Mortgage is a party to any agreement involving the Trust, nor are they privy to any agreements between EMC Mortgage and the Trust. The Company intends to vigorously defend itself and SecurityNational Mortgage in the event that JP Morgan Chase were to bring any legal action to require the Company or SecurityNational Mortgage to indemnify it for any loss, liability or expense in connection with the lawsuit that the Trust has brought against EMC Mortgage.

Mortgage Loan Loss Litigation

Lehman Brothers - Aurora Loan Services Litigation

On April 15, 2005, SecurityNational Mortgage entered into a loan purchase agreement with Lehman Brothers Bank, FSB ("Lehman Bank"). Under the terms of the loan purchase agreement, Lehman Bank agreed to purchase mortgage loans from time to time from SecurityNational Mortgage. During 2007, Lehman Bank and its wholly owned subsidiary, Aurora Loan Services LLC ("Aurora Loan Services"), purchased a total of 1,490 mortgage loans in the aggregate amount of $352,774,000 from SecurityNational Mortgage. Lehman Bank asserted that certain of the mortgage loans that it purchased from SecurityNational Mortgage during 2007 contained alleged misrepresentations and early payment defaults. As a result of these alleged breaches in the mortgage loans, Lehman Bank contended it had the right to require SecurityNational Mortgage to repurchase certain loans or be liable for losses related to such loans under the loan purchase agreement. SecurityNational Mortgage disagrees with these claims.

On December 17, 2007, SecurityNational Mortgage entered into an Indemnification Agreement with Lehman Bank and Aurora Loan Services. Under the terms of the Indemnification Agreement, SecurityNational Mortgage agreed to indemnify Lehman Bank and Aurora Loan Services for 75% of all losses that Lehman Bank and Aurora Loan Services may incur relative to breaches by mortgagors pertaining to the 54 mortgage loans that were purchased from SecurityNational Mortgage.
SecurityNational Mortgage was released from any obligation to pay the remaining 25% of such losses. The Indemnification Agreement also required SecurityNational Mortgage to indemnify Lehman Bank and Aurora Loan Services for 100% of any future losses incurred on mortgage loans with breaches that were not among the 54 mortgage loans.

Pursuant to the Indemnification Agreement, SecurityNational Mortgage paid $395,000 to Aurora Loan Services as a deposit into a reserve account, to secure any obligations of SecurityNational Mortgage under the Indemnification Agreement. This deposit was in addition to a $250,000 deposit that SecurityNational Mortgage previously made into the reserve account for a total of $645,000. Losses from mortgage loans with alleged breaches were payable from the reserve account. However, Lehman Bank and Aurora Loan Services were not to apply any funds from the reserve account to a particular mortgage loan until an actual loss had occurred. Under the Indemnification Agreement SecurityNational Mortgage was to pay to Aurora Loan Services the difference between the reserve account balance and $645,000, but in no event would SecurityNational Mortgage be required to make payments into the reserve account in excess of $125,000 for any calendar month.

Since the reserve account was established, funds had been paid from the account to indemnify $4,281,000 in alleged losses from 31 mortgage loans that were among the 54 mortgage loans with alleged breaches that were covered by the Indemnification Agreement and ten other mortgage loans with alleged breaches. In the last monthly billing statement dated April 24, 2011 to SecurityNational Mortgage, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. ("Lehman Holdings") claimed that SecurityNational Mortgage owed approximately $3,745,000 for mortgage loan losses under the Indemnification Agreement.

During 2010 and 2011, the Company recognized alleged losses of $1,289,000 and $500,000, respectively. However, management cannot fully determine the total losses because there may be potential claims for losses that have not yet been determined. As of March 31, 2012, the Company had not accrued for any losses under the Indemnification Agreement. SecurityNational Mortgage was involved in discussions with Lehman Bank and Lehman Holdings concerning issues under the Indemnification Agreement. During the discussion period, monthly payments for December 2010 and January, February, March and April of 2011 totaling $625,000 were abated or deferred.

On May 11, 2011, SecurityNational Mortgage filed a complaint against Aurora Bank FSB, formerly known as Lehman Bank, and Aurora Loan Services in the United States District Court for the District of Utah because it had been unable to resolve certain issues under the Indemnification Agreement. The complaint alleges, among other things, material breach of the Indemnification Agreement, including a claim that neither Lehman Bank nor Aurora Loan Services owned mortgage loans sold by SecurityNational to justify the amount of payments demanded from, and made by SecurityNational Mortgage. As a result, SecurityNational Mortgage claims it is entitled to judgment of approximately $4,000,000 against Lehman Bank, as well as Aurora Loan Services to the extent of its involvement and complicity with Lehman Bank. The complaint also alleges a second claim for material breach of a section of the Indemnification Agreement that contains an alleged "sunset" provision and that the amount of the requested . . .