Corporate Responsibility

Focus on Environmental, Social and Governance Matters

Our objective is to deliver stable performance across changing market environments, and we are acutely focused on creating sustainable shareholder value over the long-term. We understand that, in order to do so, we must strive to serve the interests of all our stakeholders – our people, business partners, communities, and our stockholders – because we know that, collectively, they are the keys to our success.

Environmental

We Promote Responsible Workplace Practices

As a company that invests in mortgage servicing rights (MSR), residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) and other financial assets, we believe our operations result in a relatively modest environmental impact. Notwithstanding that, we are committed to promoting a more environmentally conscientious workplace by using resources efficiently and responsibly, such as:

  • Recycling containers in all kitchen and common areas and at each employee’s desk
  • Recycling electronic equipment and ink cartridges
  • Public transit accessible and company paid (up to IRS maximum limits)
  • Energy Star certified computers, laptops, monitors, and printers
  • Motion sensor control lighting in most offices and conference rooms
  • Reusable plates, drinkware, and utensils supplied to minimize the use of disposable kitchen products
  • Water coolers installed to discourage use of plastic water bottles by employees
  • Sleep settings enforced on computers, laptops, monitors and printers to reduce energy consumption

In 2021, we relocated our Minnesota headquarters to newly-constructed LEED Certified offices that have numerous sustainable amenities which not only furthers our environmental responsibility but also promote the health and well-being of our employees including: LED fixtures, day light harvesting, occupancy lighting sensors, air quality and CO2 sensors, filtered water, electric car charging stations, bike room and access to bike trails for commuting, easy access to public transit, fitness facilities, direct access to green space, infrared cameras at entries, and emergency pandemic response plans.

Social

Our People and Our Culture

We believe our people are the foundation of our success. We are committed to attracting and retaining the industry’s top talent by providing competitive compensation and a workplace environment where each of our employees can thrive and contribute.

  • Women’s Initiative. We support the engagement and leadership of women, who comprise 50% of our senior management team and approximately 40% of our work force.
  • Compensation and Benefits. We have a market competitive compensation program designed to align the interest of our employees and our stockholders. In addition to competitive wages, we offer 401(k) and profit sharing, employer-paid health and welfare benefits, generous paid time off, and a variety of personal and family leave options. 
  • Professional Development. We encourage the professional development of our people through regular leadership development training, talent management and tuition reimbursement programs. We offer a variety of educational opportunities through our learning management platform. 
  • Diversity and Inclusion. We require diversity and inclusion and workplace harassment training for all employees in an effort to provide a workplace where all of our people can succeed. We strive to foster a workplace culture where each individual brings their unique perspectives, abilities and experiences and contributes to driving organizational value.
  • Engagement. We conduct an annual pulse survey which provides valuable insights from employees on topics involving culture, education, benefits and engagement, and proudly have a participation rate of greater than 75%.
  • Work-Life Integration. We have a work-life integration and flexibility policy, providing employees the opportunity to balance their professional obligations with their personal obligations.
  • Health and Well-Being. We sponsor a number of events and programs that promote the health and well-being of employees, including relational, financial, emotional and physical, such as employee assistance programs, flu shot clinics and reduced-fee health club memberships.

Focus on Communities

As a residential mortgage REIT, we understand the important role home ownership plays in our society, not just from an economic or investment standpoint, but to the health, safety and stability of our community members. We are committed to strengthening our local communities through the support of charitable organizations allied with the housing sector.

  • Charitable Partnerships. We support charitable organizations allied with the housing sector, and in particular those that provide housing support to families and children in need.
  • Charitable Donations. In addition to company contributions, we match dollar-for-dollar the cash donations made by our people to approved housing-related charities.
  • Employee-Driven. Our charity committee is comprised of employees who help drive decision-making and take an active role serving as the company liaisons to our charitable partners.
  • Volunteer Opportunities. We provide our people with the chance to give back through volunteer opportunities with our charitable partners in the housing sector.

Governance

Commitment to Governance

Our Board of Directors is committed to maintaining the highest standards of business conduct and Corporate Governance. We have adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines that, along with our Charter, Bylaws, Board Committee Charters and other policies, provide the framework for our Governance practices.

  • Director Independence. All of our Directors, other than our CEO, are independent. Our Chairperson is also an independent Director.
  • Executive Sessions. Independent Directors meet regularly in executive session without management present.
  • Declassified Board. All Directors are elected on an annual basis, via a majority vote standard.
  • Annual Board Evaluations. The Board and each Committee conduct an annual evaluation of its performance.
  • Internally Managed. In 2020, we became an internally managed company, which better aligns the interests of management and stockholders.
  • Stock Ownership. We have robust stock ownership requirements for Directors and Executive Officers.
  • Clawback Policy. Our Board has broad discretion to clawback incentive compensation paid to our Senior Management in the event of financial restatements or other misconduct detrimental to Two Harbors.
  • Anti-Hedging/Pledging. Our Directors and Executives are prohibited from hedging or pledging company stock.
  • No Poison Pill. We are not subject to any stockholder rights plan or poison pill.

Board of Directors

Chair
Member
Board Members Audit Compensation Nominating and Corporate Governance Risk Oversight

Stephen G. Kasnet

Audit
Risk Oversight

E. Spencer Abraham

Compensation
Nominating and Corporate Governance

James J. Bender

Compensation
Nominating and Corporate Governance

Sanjiv Das

Audit
Nominating and Corporate Governance

William Greenberg

Karen Hammond

Audit
Nominating and Corporate Governance

W. Reid Sanders

Audit
Compensation
Risk Oversight

James A. Stern

Compensation
Risk Oversight

Hope B. Woodhouse

Audit
Risk Oversight
Stephen G. Kasnet

Stephen G. Kasnet

Stephen G. Kasnet is an independent member and the Chairman of our Board of Directors. He has been a Director of our company since our merger with Capitol Acquisition Corp. (“Capitol”) in October 2009. Mr. Kasnet serves as a Director of Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. (NYSE: GPMT), where he is Chairman of the Board and the Audit Committee. He served as a Director of Silver Bay Realty Trust Corp. (NYSE: SBY) from 2012 to 2017, as Director and Chairman of Juniper Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (formerly Columbia Laboratories, Inc.)(NASDAQ: JNP) from 2004 to 2015, and was the Chairman of Dartmouth Street Capital LLC, a private investment firm, from 2007 through October 2009. He was also the President and Chief Executive Officer of Raymond Property Company LLC, from 2007 through October 2009. From 2000 to 2006, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Harbor Global Company, Ltd., and President of PioGlobal Asset Management. From 1995 to 2006, Mr. Kasnet was a Director and member of the Executive Committee of The Bradley Real Estate Trust. He was Chairman of Warren Bank from 1990 to 2003. He has also held Senior Management positions with other financial organizations, including: Pioneer Group, Inc.; First Winthrop Corporation; Winthrop Financial Associates; and Cabot, Cabot and Forbes. He previously held Directorships at First Ipswich Bank, GoodBulk Ltd., Rubicon Ltd (NZX: RBC), Republic Engineered Products and FTD, Inc. He is a Trustee of the Governor’s Academy, a private coed boarding high school in Byfield, Massachusetts. Mr. Kasnet received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

E. Spencer Abraham

E. Spencer Abraham

Spencer Abraham is an independent member of the Board of Directors and has served as a Director of our company since May 2014. Since 2005, Secretary Abraham has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Abraham Group LLC, an international strategic consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. He represented the State of Michigan in the United States Senate prior to being selected by President George W. Bush as the tenth U.S. Secretary of Energy. During his tenure at the Energy Department from 2001 through January 2005, he developed policies and regulations to ensure the nation's energy security, was responsible for the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, oversaw domestic oil and gas development policy, and developed relationships with international governments, including members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Secretary Abraham serves as a Director of PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE: PBF), where he is a member of its Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees; Uranium Energy Corp. (NYSE: UEC), where he is the Chairman of the Board; NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NRG), where he is Chairman of its Compensation Committee; and Emissions Reduction Corp., where he serves as a Director. Secretary Abraham previously served as a Director of Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: OXY), as a Director of GenOn Energy, Inc. and as a Director and member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance and Compensation Committees of ICx Technologies. He also previously served on the Board of Directors for C3 IoT and was a member of the Board of Trustees for the California Institute of Technology. He is also a Senior Advisor to Blank Rome Government Relations LLC. Secretary Abraham holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

James J. Bender

James J. Bender

James J. Bender is an independent member of our Board of Directors and has served as a Director of our company since May 2013. Mr. Bender served as Senior Vice President Special Projects of WPX Energy, Inc. (NYSE: WPX) from May 2014 to July 2014. Previously, he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of WPX Energy and as a member of the WPX Energy Board of Directors from December 2013 to May 2014 and was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of WPX Energy from April 2011 to December 2013. From December 2002 to December 2011, he served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of The Williams Companies Inc. and, from September 2005 to December 2011, he also served as General Counsel of Williams Partners GP LLC, the General Partner of Williams Partners L.P. Mr. Bender served as the General Counsel of the General Partner of Williams Pipeline Partners L.P., from 2007 until its merger with Williams Partners in August 2010. Mr. Bender has served as Director of the General Partner of Shell Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: SHLX) from October 2014 to October 2022, where he was Chairman of the Conflicts Committee. Mr. Bender also serves on the Senior Advisory Board of Orion Infrastructure Capital, a privately-held private equity firm. Mr. Bender served as Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Apco Oil & Gas International Inc. (NASDAQ: APAGF), an affiliate of WPX Energy, Inc., from December 2013 to August 2014. Mr. Bender received a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from St. Olaf College and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Sanjiv Das

Sanjiv Das

Sanjiv Das is an independent member of our Board of Directors and has served as a Director of our company since March 2024. Mr. Das has served as President of Pagaya Technologies Ltd. since October 2023. In this role, he oversees the strategy and growth of Pagaya’s commercial business. Previously, Mr. Das served as Chief Executive Officer of Caliber Home Loans, Inc. from 2016 to 2021. Prior thereto, Mr. Das served as Head of International Businesses at First Data Corporation, a KKR-owned company, from 2014 to 2016, and held positions as Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board for the mortgage division of Citibank, N.A. from 2008 to 2013. As a member of Citibank’s Management Committee, Sanjiv is broadly regarded as one of the principal architects in the turnaround of Citi during the peak years of the financial crisis from 2008 to 2013. During his career, Mr. Das has also held senior roles at Morgan Stanley, American Express and Bank of America. Mr. Das has served on the board of the Housing Policy Council and was an active member of the Mortgage Bankers Association. He is also a member of the Leonard Bernstein Circle of The New York Philharmonic and serves on the board of American Friends of The Cite du Vin.

William Greenberg

William Greenberg

William Greenberg is our President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board of Directors. Mr. Greenberg has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since June 2020, and as a Director since September 2020. Mr. Greenberg previously served as our Chief Investment Officer from June 2020 to June 2021, Co-Chief Investment Officer from January 2020 to June 2020 and as Co-Deputy Chief Investment Officer from June 2018 to January 2020. Mr. Greenberg has over 25 years of experience managing portfolios of structured finance assets. Prior to joining Two Harbors in 2012, Mr. Greenberg was a Managing Director at UBS AG, holding various senior positions with responsibilities including managing the mortgage repurchase liability risk related to over $100 billion of RMBS and whole loans issued and/or sold by UBS. Additionally, Mr. Greenberg was Co-Head of Trading within the SNB StabFund, including managing $40 billion of legacy RMBS, ABS, and CMBS. Prior to joining UBS, Mr. Greenberg was a Managing Director at Natixis NA, where he co-managed portfolios of RMBS and Agency mortgage servicing rights. Mr. Greenberg holds a B.S. degree in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Theoretical Nuclear Physics from the University of Washington.

Karen Hammond

Karen Hammond

Karen Hammond is an independent member of our Board of Directors and has served as a Director of our company since July 2018. Ms. Hammond served as a Director of CYS Investments, Inc. (“CYS”) from October 2014 until its merger with Two Harbors. Ms. Hammond served as Managing Director of Devonshire Investors, a private equity group within Fidelity, from 2007 through 2013. From 1993 to 2007, Ms. Hammond held various positions at Fidelity. She was Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer in Equity Research for Fidelity Management & Research Company, Vice President-Associate Group Leader in International Equities for Fidelity Management & Research Company, Chief Operating Officer of Investments in Fidelity Investments Japan, Senior Vice President and Corporate Treasurer at FMR Corp., and Senior Vice President of Investment Services for Fidelity Management & Research Company. Before serving at Fidelity, Ms. Hammond was Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer at the Boston Five Cents Savings Bank. Ms. Hammond serves as a Member of the Rhode Island State Investment Commission, a trustee of Simmons University, a trustee of Rhode Island School of Design, a member of the Board of Governors for the RISD Museum, a Director of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, and as an Independent Board member of the Mainstay Group of Funds. Ms. Hammond previously served as a Board member of Moses Brown School and as Vice Chair of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. Ms. Hammond was initially appointed as a Director pursuant to contractual rights of CYS granted in the merger agreement between Two Harbors and CYS.

W. Reid Sanders

W. Reid Sanders

Reid Sanders is an independent member of our Board of Directors and has served as a Director of our company since our merger with Capitol in October 2009. Since 2010, he has served as a Director and member of the Audit Committee of Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc., a Delaware REIT that owns and operates apartment complexes (NYSE: MAA). He also currently serves as a Director and a member of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee of Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. (NYSE: GPMT) and previously served as a Director of Silver Bay Realty Trust Corp. (NYSE: SBY). Mr. Sanders currently serves as the President of Sanders Properties, Inc., a real estate company; is a member of the Board, Executive Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of Independent Bank, a bank holding company; serves on the Investment Committee at Cypress Realty, a real estate company; and is on the Advisory Board of SSM Venture Partners III, L.P., a private venture capital firm. He previously held Directorships at Two Rivers Capital Management, Harbor Global Company Ltd., PioGlobal Asset Management, The Pioneer Group Inc., and TBA Entertainment Corp. Mr. Sanders was the Co-Founder and former Executive Vice President of Southeastern Asset Management, and former President of Longleaf Partners Mutual Funds from 1975 to 2000. Mr. Sanders is Chairman of the Hugo Dixon Foundation, is a Trustee of the Dixon Gallery and Gardens and the Dixon Gallery and Gardens Endowment and is a former Trustee of the TN Shakespeare Company, The Jefferson Scholars Foundation, the Hutchison School, Rhodes College and the Campbell Clinic Foundation. He received a Bachelor’s degree of Economics from the University of Virginia.

James A. Stern

James A. Stern

James A. Stern is an independent member of our Board of Directors and has served as a Director of our company since July 2018. Mr. Stern served as a Director of CYS from 2006 until its merger with Two Harbors. As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Cypress Group, Mr. Stern managed the firm’s investing activities. Mr. Stern currently serves as Director of Merchants National Properties, Inc. since 2012. He served as a Director of OHA Investment Corp. from 2014 until it was acquired in 2019. He has served on the Boards of Directors of a number of corporations including Affinia Group, Inc., Infinity Broadcasting, WESCO International, Inc., Lear Corporation, and Cinemark USA, Inc. Prior to founding The Cypress Group in 1994, Mr. Stern had a twenty-year career with Lehman Brothers. He joined the firm in 1974 and was named Managing Director in 1982. In 1988, he joined the firm’s Management Committee and became Co-Head of Investment Banking. He was named Head of Merchant Banking in 1989. Mr. Stern was a Trustee of Tufts University from 1982 to 2013 and was Chairman from 2003 to 2013. He is a Board Member of several charitable organizations including WNET, the Jewish Museum and the Cancer Research Foundation. Mr. Stern was appointed as a Director pursuant to contractual rights of CYS granted in the merger agreement between Two Harbors and CYS.

Hope B. Woodhouse

Hope B. Woodhouse

Hope B. Woodhouse is an independent member of our Board of Directors and has served as a Director of our company since May 2012. She has served as a Director of Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. (NYSE: GPMT) since June 2017, as a Trustee of Acadia Realty Trust (NYSE: AKR) since January 2023 and as a Director of Monro, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNRO) since February 2023. Ms. Woodhouse has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry at top-ranked, global alternative asset management firms and broker dealers. From 2005 to 2009, she served as Chief Operating Officer and as a member of the Management Committee of Bridgewater Associates, Inc. Between 2003 and 2005, Ms. Woodhouse was President and Chief Operating Officer of Auspex Group, L.P., and was Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Management Committee of Soros Fund Management LLC from 2000 to 2003. Prior to that, she held various Executive Leadership positions, including at Tiger Management L.L.C., and Salomon Brothers Inc. She has previously served as a Director of Piper Jaffray Companies (NYSE: PJC), Seoul Securities Co. Ltd., Soros Funds Limited, and The Bond Market Association and as a member of the Investment Committee at Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts. Ms. Woodhouse also serves on the Boards of Children’s Services Advisory Committee of Indian River County and the John’s Island Community Service League, and is a Trustee of the Tiger Foundation. Ms. Woodhouse received an A.B. degree in Economics from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Board Composition

89%

Independent

68

Average Age

4

New Directors since 2018

22%

Women

22%

Ethnically Diverse

8

Years Average Tenure

Stockholder Engagement

We value our stockholders’ perspectives and, throughout the year, interact with stockholders in a variety of forums. Our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Head of Investor Relations regularly engage with current investors, prospective investors, and investment analysts in one-on-one meetings, at investor conferences and other stockholder events, and on quarterly earnings calls.

As a complement to the ongoing dialogue, we regularly communicate updates on our business strategy, performance and other key developments through a wide range of media including the company website, press releases, SEC filings, as well as our Annual Report and Proxy Statement.

We value the feedback we receive as a result of this engagement and believe it is an important part of our ongoing efforts to ensure that our disclosures are transparent, timely and accessible. Our Investor Relations department is the contact point for stockholder interaction. Stockholders may contact us via phone at (612) 453-4100 or via email at investors@twoharborsinvestment.com.