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SEC Company Response from REDWOOD TRUST INC (RWT, RWTN, RWTO, RWTP, RWTQ, RWT-PA) (CIK 0000930236) (RWT) — May 9, 2013

REDWOOD TRUST INC (RWT, RWTN, RWTO, RWTP, RWTQ, RWT-PA) (CIK 0000930236)
Date: May 9, 2013 · CIK: 0000930236 · Accession: 0001144204-13-027539

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Referenced dates: April 26, 2013

Date
May 9, 2013
Author
Branch Chief
Form
CORRESP
Company
REDWOOD TRUST INC (RWT, RWTN, RWTO, RWTP, RWTQ, RWT-PA) (CIK 0000930236)

Letter

VIA EDGAR AND E-MAIL Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Corporation Finance Division of Corporation Finance Responses to Comments on: Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2012 Filed on February 26, 2013 File No. 1-13759

Dear Mr. Gordon,

On behalf of Redwood Trust, Inc. (“Redwood”), I hereby provide the following response in reply to the Staff’s comment letter dated April 26, 2013 (the “Comment Letter”) in connection with the above-referenced Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “2012 Form 10-K”). For your convenience, each of my responses is preceded with an italicized recitation of the comment set forth in the Comment Letter.

Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012

Changes in Book Value and Estimated Non-GAAP Economic Value, page 50

1. We have reviewed your response to comment 1, and note that you have adjusted all components of your balance sheet that do not approximate fair value to their fair values in order to calculate Estimated Non-GAAP Economic Value. We also note that while the Estimated Non-GAAP Economic Value was approximately $44 million greater than GAAP Book Value, your disclosure of the fair values of financial instruments in Note 5 indicates that the difference between the carrying values and the fair values of your net assets presented in the table is only a fair value of $1.9 million in excess of carrying value. Please reconcile this difference to the difference in Estimated Non-GAAP Economic Value, and present us with a tabular reconciliation of Estimated Non-GAAP Economic Value to book value.

As the result of the continued convergence of GAAP Book Value and Estimated Non-GAAP Economic Value, we did not include this disclosure in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2013, and do not currently plan to include such disclosure in our future filings. Although we have removed the disclosure in question, to fully respond to the Staff’s comment, we provide the following tabular reconciliation of Estimated Non-GAAP Economic Value to GAAP Book Value. Each of the adjustments in the table below is reconciled in text on page 50 of our 2012 Form 10-K.

-1-

Components of Book Value (1)

Estimate of

December 31, 2012 GAAP

Non-GAAP

(In Millions, Except per Share Data) Book Value Adjustments Economic Value

Cash and cash equivalents $ 81 $ 1 $ 81

Real estate loans at Redwood

Real estate securities at Redwood

Investments in Sequoia

Investments in Commercial Securitization

Investments in Residential Resecuritization (7 )

Other assets

Total assets 1,911

1,906

Short-term debt (552 )

(552 )

Long-term debt (140 ) (91 )

Other liabilities (80 )

(80 )

Stockholders' Equity $ 1,140 $ 1,183

Book Value Per Share $ 13.95 0.53 $ 14.48

(1) Totals may not foot due to rounding.

The difference between the GAAP book values and fair values presented in Note 5 ($1.9 million) and those presented in the table above ($44 million), is almost entirely attributable to the Investments in Sequoia line item. We consolidate certain Sequoia entities in accordance with GAAP and in Note 5 we disclose the fair values of the consolidated residential loans and the ABS issued at those entities. These amounts are estimated independently, through their respective markets, on a gross basis in accordance with GAAP. However, we do not utilize these fair values to determine the non-GAAP economic value of our Investments in Sequoia (i.e., the securities we retain in each consolidated Sequoia entity), as we believe market participants would determine the economic value of these securities relative to comparable securities in the market. Using this approach, we determined the non-GAAP economic value of our retained Investments in Sequoia to be $89 million, which is included in the table above and in our disclosure on page 50 of our 2012 Form 10-K.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, page

2. We note your response to comment 2. We believe this is a cash flow statement and it is not in accordance with GAAP and it places undue prominence on the non-GAAP information. It starts with beginning cash and shows cash inflows and outflows and reconciles to ending cash. Please remove this measure in future filings. For reference see Question 102.10 of the Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations. Question 102.10 references the income statement but applies to any financial statement.

While we respectfully continue to believe that the presentation of sources and uses of cash is not non-GAAP information, in accordance with the Staff’s request, we removed the sources and uses of cash table in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2013 and will not include this table in future filings.

* * *

-2-

As you have requested, we confirm that:

· Redwood is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in the above-referenced filing;

· Staff comments or changes to disclosure in response to staff comments do not foreclose the Commission from taking any action with respect to the above-referenced filing; and

· Redwood may not assert staff comments as a defense in any proceeding initiated by the Commission or any person under the federal securities laws of the United States.

Should you have any further comments or questions about this letter, please contact me by telephone at 415-384-3584, by fax at 415-381-1773, or by email at chris.abate@redwoodtrust.com.

Very truly
yours,
Redwood Trust,
Inc.

Show Raw Text
CORRESP
1
filename1.htm

May 9, 2013

VIA EDGAR AND E-MAIL

Securities and Exchange Commission

Division of Corporation Finance

450 Fifth Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20549

    Attn:
    Daniel L. Gordon

    Branch Chief

    Division of Corporation Finance

    Re:
    Redwood Trust, Inc.

        Responses to Comments on:

        Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2012

        Filed on February 26, 2013

    File No. 1-13759

Dear Mr. Gordon,

On behalf of Redwood Trust, Inc. (“Redwood”),
I hereby provide the following response in reply to the Staff’s comment letter dated April 26, 2013 (the “Comment
Letter”) in connection with the above-referenced Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “2012 Form 10-K”). For your
convenience, each of my responses is preceded with an italicized recitation of the comment set forth in the Comment Letter.

Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2012

Changes in Book Value and Estimated
Non-GAAP Economic Value, page 50

 1. We have reviewed your
                                                                       response to comment 1, and note that you have adjusted
                                                                       all components of your balance sheet that do not approximate
                                                                       fair value to their fair values in order to calculate Estimated
                                                                       Non-GAAP Economic Value. We also note that while the Estimated
                                                                       Non-GAAP Economic Value was approximately $44 million greater
                                                                       than GAAP Book Value, your disclosure of the fair values
                                                                       of financial instruments in Note 5 indicates that the difference
                                                                       between the carrying values and the fair values of your
                                                                       net assets presented in the table is only a fair value
                                                                       of $1.9 million in excess of carrying value. Please reconcile
                                                                       this difference to the difference in Estimated Non-GAAP
                                                                       Economic Value, and present us with a tabular reconciliation
                                                                       of Estimated Non-GAAP Economic Value to book value.

As the result of the continued convergence
of GAAP Book Value and Estimated Non-GAAP Economic Value, we did not include this disclosure in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
for the three months ended March 31, 2013, and do not currently plan to include such disclosure in our future filings. Although
we have removed the disclosure in question, to fully respond to the Staff’s comment, we provide the following tabular reconciliation
of Estimated Non-GAAP Economic Value to GAAP Book Value. Each of the adjustments in the table below is reconciled in text on page
50 of our 2012 Form 10-K.

    -1-

Components of Book Value (1)

    Estimate of

    December 31, 2012
    GAAP

    Non-GAAP

    (In Millions, Except per
    Share Data)
    Book Value
    Adjustments
    Economic Value

    Cash and cash equivalents
    $ 81
    $ 1
    $ 81

    Real estate loans at Redwood
      592

      592

    Real estate securities at Redwood
      784

      784

    Investments in Sequoia
      88
      1
      89

    Investments in Commercial Securitization
      118
      1
      119

    Investments in Residential Resecuritization
      161
      (7 )
      154

    Other assets
      86

      86

    Total assets
      1,911

      1,906

    Short-term debt
      (552 )

      (552 )

    Long-term debt
      (140 )
      49
      (91 )

    Other liabilities
      (80 )

      (80 )

    Stockholders' Equity
    $ 1,140
      44
    $ 1,183

    Book Value Per Share
    $ 13.95
      0.53
    $ 14.48

 (1) Totals may not foot due to rounding.

The difference between the GAAP book values
and fair values presented in Note 5 ($1.9 million) and those presented in the table above ($44 million), is almost entirely attributable
to the Investments in Sequoia line item. We consolidate certain Sequoia entities in accordance with GAAP and in Note 5 we disclose
the fair values of the consolidated residential loans and the ABS issued at those entities. These amounts are estimated independently,
through their respective markets, on a gross basis in accordance with GAAP. However, we do not utilize these fair values to determine
the non-GAAP economic value of our Investments in Sequoia (i.e., the securities we retain in each consolidated Sequoia entity),
as we believe market participants would determine the economic value of these securities relative to comparable securities in
the market. Using this approach, we determined the non-GAAP economic value of our retained Investments in Sequoia to be $89 million,
which is included in the table above and in our disclosure on page 50 of our 2012 Form 10-K.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, page
51

 2. We note your response
                                                                       to comment 2. We believe this is a cash flow statement
                                                                       and it is not in accordance with GAAP and it places undue
                                                                       prominence on the non-GAAP information. It starts with
                                                                       beginning cash and shows cash inflows and outflows and
                                                                       reconciles to ending cash. Please remove this measure in
                                                                       future filings. For reference see Question 102.10 of the
                                                                       Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations. Question 102.10
                                                                       references the income statement but applies to any financial
                                                                       statement.

While we respectfully continue to believe
that the presentation of sources and uses of cash is not non-GAAP information, in accordance with the Staff’s request, we
removed the sources and uses of cash table in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2013 and
will not include this table in future filings.

*	*	*

    -2-

As you have requested, we confirm that:

 · Redwood
                                                                                                               is responsible
                                                                                                               for the adequacy
                                                                                                               and accuracy of
                                                                                                               the disclosure
                                                                                                               in the above-referenced
                                                                                                               filing;

 · Staff
                                                                                                               comments or changes
                                                                                                               to disclosure in
                                                                                                               response to staff
                                                                                                               comments do not
                                                                                                               foreclose the Commission
                                                                                                               from taking any
                                                                                                               action with respect
                                                                                                               to the above-referenced
                                                                                                               filing; and

 · Redwood
                                                                                                               may not assert
                                                                                                               staff comments
                                                                                                               as a defense in
                                                                                                               any proceeding
                                                                                                               initiated by the
                                                                                                               Commission or any
                                                                                                               person under the
                                                                                                               federal securities
                                                                                                               laws of the United
                                                                                                               States.

Should you have any further comments or
questions about this letter, please contact me by telephone at 415-384-3584, by fax at 415-381-1773, or by email at chris.abate@redwoodtrust.com.

    Very truly
    yours,

    Redwood Trust,
    Inc.

    By:
    /s/
    Christopher J. Abate

    Christopher J. Abate

    Chief Financial Officer

    -3-