Opteum to Delay Filing, Restate 1&2Q Earnings

Opteum Inc., Vero Beach, Fla., has announced that it will delay filing its third-quarter earnings report and restate earnings for the first and second quarters due to an accounting irregularity involving a subsidiary's valuation of interest-rate lock commitments.Opteum, a real estate investment trust, said it believes the restatements will reduce its year-to-date consolidated pretax earnings by less than $1 million. The policy issue relates to the way the company's taxable REIT subsidiary, Opteum Financial Services LLC, accounts for changes in the fair value of rate-lock commitments, the REIT reported. Opteum invests in residential mortgage-related securities and originates loans through its subsidiary. The company can be found on the Web at http://www.opteum.com.