Seven Hills Realty Trust (SEVN) FY 2023 MD&A
This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
OVERVIEW (dollars in thousands, except share data)
We are a Maryland REIT. Our business strategy is focused on originating and investing in floating rate first mortgage loans in the $15,000 to $75,000 range, secured by middle market and transitional CRE properties that have values up to $100,000. We define transitional CRE as commercial properties subject to redevelopment or repositioning activities that are expected to increase the value of the properties. Our mortgage loans are classified as loans held for investment in our consolidated balance sheets.
Tremont is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. We believe that Tremont provides us with significant experience and expertise in investing in middle market and transitional CRE.
We operate our business in a manner that is consistent with our qualification for taxation as a REIT under the IRC. As such, we generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax, provided that we meet certain distribution and other requirements. We also operate our business in a manner that permits us to maintain our exemption from registration under the 1940 Act.
Factors Affecting Operating Results
Our results of operations are impacted by a number of factors and primarily depend on the interest income from our investments and the financing and other costs associated with our business. Our operating results are also impacted by general CRE market conditions and unanticipated defaults by our borrowers. For further information regarding the risks associated with our loan portfolio, see the risk factors identified in Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors", of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Credit Risk. We are subject to the credit risk of our borrowers in connection with our investments. We seek to mitigate this risk by utilizing a comprehensive underwriting, diligence and investment selection process and by ongoing monitoring of our investments. Nevertheless, unanticipated credit losses could occur that may adversely impact our operating results.
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Changes in Fair Value of our Assets. We generally intend to hold our investments for their contractual terms, unless repaid earlier by the borrowers. We evaluate the credit quality of each of our loans at least quarterly. If a loan is determined to be collateral dependent (because the repayment of the loan is expected to be provided substantially through the operation or sale of the underlying collateral property) and the borrower is experiencing financial difficulties, but foreclosure is not probable, we will record an allowance for credit losses by comparing the collateral's fair value to the amortized cost basis of the loan. For collateral-dependent loans for which foreclosure is probable, the related allowance for credit losses is determined using the fair value of the collateral compared to the loan's amortized cost.
Availability of Leverage and Equity. We use leverage to make additional investments that may increase our returns. We may not be able to obtain the expected amount of leverage we desire or its cost may exceed our expectation and, consequently, the returns generated from our investments may be reduced. Our ability to further grow our loan portfolio over time will depend, to a significant degree, upon our ability to obtain additional capital. However, our access to additional capital depends on many factors including the price at which our common shares trade relative to their book value and market lending conditions. See "—Market Conditions" below.
Market Conditions. During 2023, the CRE industry continued to experience extreme volatility. In response to inflationary pressures, the Federal Open Market Committee of the U.S. Federal Reserve, or the FOMC, increased the federal funds rate by 525 basis points over a 16-month period beginning in March 2022. The pace of the interest rate increases in 2022 and 2023 coupled with macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty negatively impacted CRE acquisition and financing transaction activity.
By the end of 2023, many CRE debt providers were less willing, or able, to extend credit to borrowers. Limited transaction activity due to interest rate volatility made it difficult for lenders to value and underwrite transactions. Companies that did extend credit did so at lower leverage levels, often at higher credit spreads, and with repeat or proven borrowers. Although concerns about capital adequacy and liquidity in the banking sector have waned following the failure of certain banks in March 2023, regional banks have generally not opted to increase CRE exposure. Banks that are actively lending are generally doing so to existing well capitalized clients. Securitized lenders were the most affected during last year’s interest rate volatility. Floating rate and fixed rate CMBS lenders continue to be negatively impacted by a volatile interest rate environment. Lower CRE CLO, and CMBS issuance in 2023 has created pent up demand for newly originated CRE loans in the secondary market heading into 2024.
In December 2023, the FOMC chose to maintain the federal funds target rate in the 5.25% to 5.50% range, citing a slowdown in economic activity and easing inflation. Treasuries also rallied in the fourth quarter and the yield on the 10-Year U.S. Treasury dropped by over 100bps. CRE investors seem cautiously optimistic that inflation has peaked, and that lower interest rate volatility will lead to more transaction volume in 2024. Despite the optimism, challenges persist for the CRE industry. Although the FOMC has paused rate increases, CRE investors and lenders may now need to adapt to a sustained higher interest rate environment. This could negatively impact property values and put further strain on borrowers needing to refinance their existing debt which was originated in a much lower interest rate environment. This could be particularly problematic in the office sector where values appear to have decreased more substantially than other property types in part due to lower utilization rates.
Despite current market conditions and headwinds experienced in the CRE lending market, we believe certain alternative lenders, like us, are uniquely positioned to face these challenges. Significant capital remains available for investment in CRE assets. While office remains out of favor for many lenders and borrowers, opportunities remain in favored property types, such as multifamily, industrial, grocery-anchored retail and hotels.
Changes in Interest Rates. With respect to our business operations, increases in interest rates, in general, may cause: (a) the coupon rates on our variable rate investments to reset, perhaps on a delayed basis, to higher rates; (b) it to become more difficult and costly for our borrowers, which may negatively impact their ability to repay our investments; and (c) the interest expense associated with our variable rate borrowings to increase. See "—Market Conditions" above for a discussion of the current market including interest rates.
Conversely, decreases in interest rates, in general, may cause: (a) the coupon rates on our variable rate investments to reset, perhaps on a delayed basis, to lower rates; (b) it to become easier and more affordable for our borrowers to refinance, and as a result, repay our loans, but may negatively impact our future returns if any such repayment proceeds were to be reinvested in lower yielding investments; and (c) the interest expense associated with our variable rate borrowings to decrease.
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The interest income on our loans and interest expense on our borrowings float with benchmark rates, such as SOFR. Because we generally intend to leverage approximately 75% of the amount of our investments, as benchmark rates increase above the floors of our loans, our income from investments, net of interest and related expenses, will increase. Decreases in benchmark rates are mitigated by interest rate floor provisions in all but one of our loan agreements with borrowers, ranging from 0.10% to 5.20%; therefore, changes to income from investments, net, may not move proportionately with the increase or decrease in benchmark rates. As of December 31, 2023, SOFR was 5.35%, which exceed the floors established by all of our loans, and as a result none of our loan investments currently had active interest rate floors.
Certain of our loan agreements entered into prior to January 1, 2022 required the borrowers to pay us interest at floating rates based upon the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR. LIBOR was phased out for new contracts as of December 31, 2021 and is no longer available effective June 30, 2023. All of our pre-existing contracts have been amended to replace LIBOR with SOFR.
Size of Portfolio. The size of our loan portfolio, as measured both by the aggregate principal balance and the number of our CRE loans and our other investments, is also an important factor in determining our operating results. Generally, if the size of our loan portfolio grows, the amount of interest income we receive would increase and we may achieve certain economies of scale and diversify risk within our loan portfolio. A larger portfolio, however, may result in increased expenses; for example, we may incur additional interest expense or other costs to finance our investments. Also, if the aggregate principal balance of our loan portfolio grows but the number of our loans or the number of our borrowers does not grow, we could face increased risk by reason of the concentration of our investments.
Prepayment Risk. We are subject to risk that our loan investments will be repaid at an earlier date than anticipated, which may reduce the returns realized on those loans as less interest income may be received over time. Additionally, we may not be able to reinvest the principal repaid at a similar or higher yield of the original loan investment. We seek to limit this risk by structuring our loan agreements with fees required to be paid to us upon prepayment of a loan within a specified period of time before the loan’s maturity; however, unanticipated prepayments could negatively impact our operating results.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We present Distributable Earnings, Distributable Earnings per common share, Adjusted Distributable Earnings, Adjusted Distributable Earnings per common share and Adjusted Book Value per common share, which are considered “non-GAAP financial measures” within the meaning of the applicable SEC rules. These non-GAAP financial measures do not represent net income, net income per common share or cash generated from operating activities and should not be considered as alternatives to net income or net income per common share determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, or as an indication of our cash flows from operations determined in accordance with GAAP, a measure of our liquidity or operating performance or an indication of funds available for our cash needs. In addition, our methodologies for calculating these non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the methodologies employed by other companies to calculate the same or similar supplemental performance measures; therefore, our reported Distributable Earnings, Distributable Earnings per common share, Adjusted Distributable Earnings and Adjusted Distributable Earnings per common share may not be comparable to distributable earnings, distributable earnings per common share, adjusted distributable earnings and adjusted distributable earnings per common share as reported by other companies.
We believe that Adjusted Book Value per common share is a meaningful measure of our capital adequacy because it excludes the impact of certain non-cash estimates or adjustments, including the unaccreted purchase discount resulting from the excess of the fair value of the loans TRMT then held for investment and that we acquired as a result of the Merger over the consideration we paid in the Merger and our allowance for credit losses for our loan portfolio and unfunded loan commitments. Adjusted Book Value per common share does not represent book value per common share or alternative measures determined in accordance with GAAP. Our methodology for calculating Adjusted Book Value per common share may differ from the methodologies employed by other companies to calculate the same or similar supplemental capital adequacy measures; therefore, our Adjusted Book Value per common share may not be comparable to the adjusted book value per common share reported by other companies.
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In order to maintain our qualification for taxation as a REIT, we are generally required to distribute substantially all of our taxable income, subject to certain adjustments, to our shareholders. We believe that one of the factors that investors consider important in deciding whether to buy or sell securities of a REIT is its distribution rate. Over time, Distributable Earnings, Distributable Earnings per common share, Adjusted Distributable Earnings and Adjusted Distributable Earnings per common share may be useful indicators of distributions to our shareholders and are measures that are considered by our Board of Trustees when determining the amount of distributions. We believe that Distributable Earnings, Distributable Earnings per common share, Adjusted Distributable Earnings and Adjusted Distributable Earnings per common share provide meaningful information to consider in addition to net income, net income per common share and cash flows from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP. These measures help us to evaluate our performance excluding the effects of certain transactions, the variability of any management incentive fees that may be paid or payable and GAAP adjustments that we believe are not necessarily indicative of our current loan portfolio and operations. In addition, Distributable Earnings, excluding incentive fees, is used in determining the amount of base management and management incentive fees payable by us to Tremont under our management agreement.
Distributable Earnings and Adjusted Distributable Earnings
We calculate Distributable Earnings and Distributable Earnings per common share as net income and net income per common share, respectively, computed in accordance with GAAP, including realized losses not otherwise included in net income determined in accordance with GAAP, and excluding: (a) depreciation and amortization of real estate owned and related intangible assets, if any; (b) non-cash equity compensation expense; (c) unrealized gains, losses and other similar non-cash items that are included in net income for the period of the calculation (regardless of whether such items are included in or deducted from net income or in other comprehensive income under GAAP), if any; and (d) one-time events pursuant to changes in GAAP and certain non-cash items, if any. Distributable Earnings are reduced for realized losses on loan investments when amounts are deemed uncollectable. This is generally at the time a loan is repaid, or in the case of foreclosure, when the underlying asset is sold, but may also be when, in our determination, it is nearly certain that all amounts due will not be collected. The realized loss amount reflected in Distributable Earnings will equal the difference between the cash received or expected to be received and the carrying value of the asset.
We define Adjusted Distributable Earnings and Adjusted Distributable Earnings per common share as Distributable Earnings and Distributable Earnings per common share, respectively, excluding the effects of certain non-recurring transactions.
Adjusted Book Value per Common Share
The table below calculates our book value per common share:
| As of December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| Shareholders' equity | $ | 271,248 | $ | 271,579 | ||
| Total outstanding common shares | 14,811 | 14,709 | ||||
| Book value per common share | 18.31 | 18.46 | ||||
| Unaccreted purchase discount per common share (1) | 0.16 | 0.46 | ||||
| Allowance for credit losses per common share (2) | 0.40 | — | ||||
| Adjusted Book Value per common share | $ | 18.87 | $ | 18.92 |
(1)Excludes the impact of the unaccreted purchase discount resulting from the excess of the fair value of the loans TRMT then held for investment and that we acquired as a result of the Merger over the consideration we paid in the Merger. The purchase discount of $36,443 was allocated to each acquired loan and is being accreted into income over the remaining term of the respective loan. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the unaccreted purchase discount was $2,347 and $6,703, respectively.
(2)Excludes the impact of our allowance for credit losses. As of December 31, 2023, our allowance for credit losses for our loan portfolio and unfunded loan commitments was $5,828. As of December 31, 2022, we did not have an allowance for credit losses. For further information on our adoption of ASU No. 2016-13, see Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part IV, Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Our Loan Portfolio
The table below details overall statistics for our loan portfolio as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:
| As of December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| Number of loans | 24 | 27 | ||||
| Total loan commitments | $ | 670,293 | $ | 727,562 | ||
| Unfunded loan commitments (1) | $ | 40,401 | $ | 49,007 | ||
| Principal balance | $ | 629,892 | $ | 678,555 | ||
| Carrying value | $ | 622,086 | $ | 669,929 | ||
| Weighted average coupon rate | 9.19 | % | 8.07 | % | ||
| Weighted average all in yield (2) | 9.64 | % | 8.57 | % | ||
| Weighted average floor | 1.36 | % | 0.62 | % | ||
| Weighted average maximum maturity (years) (3) | 3.0 | 3.3 | ||||
| Weighted average risk rating | 3.0 | 2.9 | ||||
| Weighted average LTV (4) | 68 | % | 68 | % |
(1)Unfunded loan commitments are primarily used to finance property improvements and leasing capital and are generally funded over the term of the loan.
(2)All in yield represents the yield on a loan, including amortization of deferred fees over the initial term of the loan and excluding any purchase discount accretion.
(3)Maximum maturity assumes all borrower loan extension options have been exercised, which options are subject to the borrower meeting certain conditions.
(4)LTV represents the initial loan amount divided by the underwritten in-place value of the underlying collateral at closing.
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Loan Portfolio Details
The table below details our loan portfolio as of December 31, 2023:
| # | Location | Property Type | Origination Date | Committed Principal Amount | PrincipalBalance | Coupon Rate | All in Yield(1) | Maximum Maturity(2) (date) | LTV(3) | Risk Rating | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olmsted Falls, OH | Multifamily | 01/28/2021 | $ | 54,575 | $ | 46,083 | S + 4.00% | S + 4.64% | 01/28/2026 | 63 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Dallas, TX | Office | 08/25/2021 | 50,000 | 43,510 | S + 3.25% | S + 3.61% | 08/25/2026 | 72 | % | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Passaic, NJ | Industrial | 09/08/2022 | 47,000 | 38,985 | S + 3.85% | S + 4.22% | 09/08/2027 | 69 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Brandywine, MD | Retail | 03/29/2022 | 42,500 | 42,200 | S + 3.85% | S + 4.25% | 03/29/2027 | 62 | % | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Auburn, AL | Multifamily | 05/11/2023 | 37,500 | 37,500 | S + 3.25% | S + 3.96% | 11/11/2026 | 67 | % | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Starkville, MS | Multifamily | 03/22/2022 | 37,250 | 36,919 | S + 4.00% | S + 4.32% | 03/22/2027 | 70 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Farmington Hills, MI | Multifamily | 05/24/2022 | 31,520 | 29,121 | S + 3.15% | S + 3.50% | 05/24/2027 | 75 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Downers Grove, IL | Office | 09/25/2020 | 30,000 | 29,500 | S + 4.25% | S + 4.63% | 11/25/2024 | 67 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Anaheim, CA | Hotel | 11/29/2023 | 29,000 | 29,000 | S + 4.00% | S + 4.47% | 11/29/2028 | 55 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Las Vegas, NV | Multifamily | 06/10/2022 | 28,950 | 25,185 | S + 3.30% | S + 4.03% | 06/10/2027 | 60 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Fountain Inn, SC | Industrial | 07/13/2023 | 27,500 | 24,300 | S + 4.25% | S + 4.78% | 07/13/2026 | 76 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Plano, TX | Office | 07/01/2021 | 27,385 | 26,463 | S + 4.75% | S + 5.16% | 07/01/2026 | 78 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 13 | Fayetteville, GA | Industrial | 10/06/2023 | 25,250 | 25,250 | S + 3.35% | S + 3.65% | 10/06/2028 | 55 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Carlsbad, CA | Office | 10/27/2021 | 24,750 | 24,417 | S + 3.25% | S + 3.58% | 10/27/2026 | 78 | % | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Fontana, CA | Industrial | 11/18/2022 | 24,355 | 22,000 | S + 3.75% | S + 4.28% | 11/18/2026 | 72 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Downers Grove, IL | Office | 12/09/2021 | 23,530 | 23,530 | S + 4.25% | S + 4.57% | 12/09/2026 | 72 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 17 | Bellevue, WA | Office | 11/05/2021 | 21,000 | 20,000 | S + 3.85% | S + 4.19% | 11/05/2026 | 68 | % | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 18 | Portland, OR | Multifamily | 07/09/2021 | 19,688 | 19,688 | S + 3.57% | S + 3.97% | 07/09/2026 | 75 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 19 | Scottsdale, AZ | Hotel | 09/27/2023 | 17,250 | 17,250 | S + 4.25% | S + 4.56% | 09/27/2028 | 57 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 20 | Delray Beach, FL | Retail | 03/18/2022 | 16,700 | 15,602 | S + 4.25% | S + 4.95% | 03/18/2026 | 56 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 21 | Sandy Springs, GA | Retail | 09/23/2021 | 16,488 | 15,287 | S + 3.75% | S + 4.10% | 09/23/2026 | 72 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 22 | Westminster, CO | Office | 05/25/2021 | 15,750 | 15,750 | S + 3.75% | S + 4.30% | 05/25/2026 | 66 | % | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 23 | Portland, OR | Multifamily | 07/30/2021 | 13,400 | 13,400 | S + 3.57% | S + 3.98% | 07/30/2026 | 71 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 24 | Allentown, PA | Industrial | 01/24/2020 | 8,952 | 8,952 | S + 3.50% | S + 3.93% | 01/24/2025 | 67 | % | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total/weighted average | $ | 670,293 | $ | 629,892 | S + 3.78% | S + 4.23% | 68 | % | 3.0 |
(1)All in yield represents the yield on a loan, including amortization of deferred fees over the initial term of the loan and excluding any purchase discount accretion.
(2)Maximum maturity assumes all borrower loan extension options have been exercised, which options are subject to the borrower meeting certain conditions.
(3)LTV represents the initial loan amount divided by the underwritten in-place value of the underlying collateral at closing.
As of December 31, 2023, we had $670,293 in aggregate loan commitments, consisting of a diverse portfolio, geographically and by property type, of 24 first mortgage loans. As of December 31, 2023, we had three loans representing approximately 14% of the amortized cost of our loan portfolio with a loan risk rating of “4” or “higher risk”.
All of the loans in our portfolio are structured with risk mitigation mechanisms, such as cash flow sweeps or interest reserves, to help protect us against investment losses. In addition, we actively engage with our borrowers regarding their execution of the business plans for the underlying collateral, among other things.
The borrower of our loan secured by an office property located in Yardley, PA did not pay its debt service obligations due in May 2023, resulting in an event of default. In June 2023, we assumed legal title to the property through a deed in lieu of foreclosure. For further information regarding real estate owned, see Note 4 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part IV, Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
As of December 31, 2023 and February 15, 2024, all of our borrowers with outstanding loans had paid their debt service obligations owed and due to us.
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We did not have any outstanding past due loans or nonaccrual loans as of December 31, 2023. However, our borrowers' businesses, operations and liquidity may be materially adversely impacted by current inflationary pressures, rising or sustained high interest rates, supply chain issues or a prolonged economic slowdown or recession could amplify those negative impacts. Therefore, certain of our borrowers’ business plans will likely take longer to execute than initially expected, and as a result, they may become unable to pay their debt service obligations owed and due to us, which may result in an increased allowance for credit losses and/or recognition of income on a nonaccrual basis. Some of the factors that have impacted us and could continue to impact us are outlined in Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. For further information regarding our loan portfolio and risk rating policy, see Notes 2 and 3 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part IV, Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Financing Activities
Our secured financing agreements at December 31, 2023 consisted of agreements that govern our Wells Fargo Master Repurchase Facility, our Citibank Master Repurchase Facility, our BMO Facility and our UBS Master Repurchase Facility.
In July 2023, we amended and restated the UBS Master Repurchase Agreement. The amended and restated UBS Master Repurchase Agreement made certain changes to the agreement and related fee letter, including extending the stated maturity date to February 18, 2025. In August 2023, we amended the related fee letter to increase the maximum amount of available advancements under the UBS Master Repurchase Facility to $205,000.
For further information regarding our Secured Financing Facilities, see Note 5 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part IV, Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The table below is an overview of our Secured Financing Facilities as of December 31, 2023:
| Facility | Maturity Date | Principal Balance | Unused Capacity | Maximum Facility Size | Collateral Principal Balance | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citibank Master Repurchase Facility | 03/15/2025 | $ | 91,115 | $ | 123,885 | $ | 215,000 | $ | 142,465 | ||||||||
| UBS Master Repurchase Facility | 02/18/2025 | 181,381 | 23,619 | 205,000 | 241,887 | ||||||||||||
| BMO Facility | Various | 87,767 | 62,233 | 150,000 | 118,471 | ||||||||||||
| Wells Fargo Master Repurchase Facility | 03/11/2025 | 95,551 | 29,449 | 125,000 | 127,069 | ||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 455,814 | $ | 239,186 | $ | 695,000 | $ | 629,892 |
The table below details our Secured Financing Facilities activities during the year ended December 31, 2023:
| Carrying Value | ||
|---|---|---|
| Balance at December 31, 2022 | $ | 471,521 |
| Borrowings | 123,208 | |
| Repayments | (141,009) | |
| Deferred fees | (703) | |
| Amortization of deferred fees | 1,405 | |
| Balance at December 31, 2023 | $ | 454,422 |
As of December 31, 2023, outstanding advancements under our Secured Financing Facilities had a weighted average interest rate of 7.53% per annum, excluding associated fees and expenses. As of December 31, 2023 and February 15, 2024, we had a $455,814 and $439,284, respectively, aggregate outstanding principal balance under our Secured Financing Facilities.
As of December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with all covenants and other terms under our Secured Financing Facilities.
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (amounts in thousands, except per share data)
Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | Change | % Change | ||||||||||||
| INCOME FROM INVESTMENTS: | |||||||||||||||
| Interest and related income | $ | 66,337 | $ | 45,303 | $ | 21,034 | 46.4 | % | |||||||
| Purchase discount accretion | 4,128 | 10,689 | (6,561) | (61.4) | % | ||||||||||
| Less: interest and related expenses | (33,518) | (17,630) | (15,888) | 90.1 | % | ||||||||||
| Income from loan investments, net | 36,947 | 38,362 | (1,415) | (3.7) | % | ||||||||||
| Revenue from real estate owned | 1,288 | — | 1,288 | n/m | |||||||||||
| Total revenue | 38,235 | 38,362 | (127) | (0.3) | % | ||||||||||
| OTHER EXPENSES: | |||||||||||||||
| Base management fees | 4,303 | 4,260 | 43 | 1.0 | % | ||||||||||
| Incentive fees | 968 | — | 968 | n/m | |||||||||||
| General and administrative expenses | 3,947 | 3,837 | 110 | 2.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Reimbursement of shared services expenses | 2,596 | 2,475 | 121 | 4.9 | % | ||||||||||
| Reversal of credit losses | (799) | — | (799) | n/m | |||||||||||
| Expenses from real estate owned | 1,293 | — | 1,293 | n/m | |||||||||||
| Other transaction related costs | — | 37 | (37) | (100.0 | %) | ||||||||||
| Total other expenses | 12,308 | 10,609 | 1,699 | 16.0 | % | ||||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 25,927 | 27,753 | (1,826) | (6.6 | %) | ||||||||||
| Income tax benefit (expense) | 38 | (113) | 151 | (133.6 | %) | ||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 25,965 | $ | 27,640 | $ | (1,675) | (6.1 | %) | |||||||
| Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted | 14,625 | 14,540 | 85 | 0.6 | % | ||||||||||
| Net income per common share - basic and diluted | $ | 1.76 | $ | 1.89 | $ | (0.13) | (6.9 | %) |
n/m - not meaningful
Interest and related income. The increase in interest and related income was primarily the result of higher benchmark interest rates during the year ended December 31, 2023. The weighted average benchmark rate was 5.41% as of December 31, 2023 as compared to 4.29% as of December 31, 2022.
Purchase discount accretion. The decrease in purchase discount accretion was primarily the result of less amounts outstanding on loans acquired in the Merger during the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022.
Interest and related expenses. The increase in interest and related expenses was primarily the result of higher benchmark interest rates during the year ended December 31, 2023. The weighted average benchmark rate was 5.36% as of December 31, 2023 as compared to 4.33% as of December 31, 2022.
Revenue from real estate owned. Revenue from real estate owned represents revenue from the operations of an office property located in Yardley, PA that was transferred to real estate owned through a deed in lieu of foreclosure in June 2023.
Incentive fees. We recognize management incentive fees payable to Tremont in accordance with our management agreement. The increase in management incentive fees was due to higher "core earnings," as defined in our management agreement, during the year ended December 31, 2023.
General and administrative expenses. The increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to an increase in share based compensation during the year ended December 31, 2023.
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Reimbursement of shared services expenses. Reimbursement of shared services expenses represents reimbursement of the costs for the services that Tremont arranges on our behalf from RMR.
Reversal of credit losses. The reversal of credit losses represents the decrease in the allowance for credit losses on our loan portfolio and unfunded commitments as compared to our initial allowance upon adoption of ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2023. The decrease in the allowance for credit losses during the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to a recovery in our previously recorded allowance for credit losses for our loan secured by an office property in Yardley, PA that was transferred to real estate owned through a deed in lieu of foreclosure in June 2023, partially offset by unfavorable changes in the current macroeconomic outlook, most notably in CRE pricing forecasts.
Expenses from real estate owned. Expenses from real estate owned represent expenses from the operations of an office property located in Yardley, PA that was transferred to real estate owned through a deed in lieu of foreclosure in June 2023.
Other transaction related costs. Other transaction related costs for the year ended December 31, 2022 include expenses related to the Merger.
Income tax benefit (expense). Income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2023 is a result of income taxes refunded or refundable to us in certain jurisdictions where we are subject to state income taxes.
Net income. The decrease in net income was due to the changes noted above.
Reconciliation of Net Income to Distributable Earnings and Adjusted Distributable Earnings
The table below demonstrates how we calculate Distributable Earnings, Distributable Earnings per common share, Adjusted Distributable Earnings and Adjusted Distributable Earnings per common share, which are non-GAAP measures, and provides a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to net income:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||||
| Net income | $ | 25,965 | $ | 27,640 | |||
| Non-cash equity compensation expense | 1,121 | 1,018 | |||||
| Non-cash accretion of purchase discount | (4,128) | (10,689) | |||||
| Reversal of credit losses | (799) | — | |||||
| Depreciation and amortization of real estate owned | 594 | — | |||||
| Exit fees collected on loans acquired in Merger (1) | 148 | 104 | |||||
| Distributable Earnings | 22,901 | 18,073 | |||||
| Other transaction related costs (2) | — | 37 | |||||
| Adjusted Distributable Earnings | $ | 22,901 | $ | 18,110 | |||
| Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted | 14,625 | 14,540 | |||||
| Net income per common share - basic and diluted | $ | 1.76 | $ | 1.89 | |||
| Distributable Earnings per common share - basic and diluted | $ | 1.57 | $ | 1.24 | |||
| Adjusted Distributable Earnings per common share - basic and diluted | $ | 1.57 | $ | 1.25 |
(1)Exit fees collected on loans acquired in the Merger represent fees collected upon repayment of loans for which no income has previously been recognized in Distributable Earnings. In accordance with GAAP, exit fees payable with respect to loans acquired in the Merger were accreted as a component of the purchase discount and were excluded from Distributable Earnings as a non-cash item. Accordingly, these exit fees have been recognized in Distributable Earnings upon collection.
(2)Other transaction related costs include expenses related to the Merger.
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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES (dollars in thousands, except per share data)
Liquidity is a measure of our ability to meet potential cash requirements, including ongoing commitments to fund our lending commitments, repay or meet margin calls resulting from our borrowings, if any, fund and maintain our assets and operations, make distributions to our shareholders and fund other business operating requirements. Our sources of cash flows include cash on hand, payments of principal, interest and fees we receive on our investments, other cash we may generate from our business and operations, any unused borrowing capacity, including under our Secured Financing Facilities or other repurchase agreements or financing arrangements we may obtain, which may also include bank loans or public or private issuances of debt or equity securities and proceeds from any sale of real estate owned. We believe that these sources of funds will be sufficient to meet our operating and capital expenses, pay our debt service obligations owed and make any distributions to our shareholders for the next 12 months and for the foreseeable future. For further information regarding the risks associated with our loan portfolio, see Note 3 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part IV, Item 15 and Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Pursuant to the terms of our UBS Master Repurchase Facility, our Citibank Master Repurchase Facility and Wells Fargo Master Repurchase Facility, we may sell to, and later repurchase from, UBS, Citibank and Wells Fargo, the purchased assets related to the applicable facility. The initial purchase price paid by UBS or Citibank of each purchased asset is up to 75% of the lesser of the market value of the purchased asset or the unpaid principal balance of such purchased asset, subject to UBS’s or Citibank's approval. The initial purchase price paid by Wells Fargo for each purchased asset is up to 75% or 80%, depending on the property type of the purchased asset’s real estate collateral, of the lesser of the market value of the purchased asset or the unpaid principal balance of such purchased asset, and subject to Wells Fargo’s approval. Upon the repurchase of a purchased asset, we are required to pay UBS, Citibank or Wells Fargo, as applicable, the outstanding purchase price of the purchased asset, accrued interest and all accrued and unpaid expenses of UBS, Citibank or Wells Fargo, as applicable, relating to such purchased asset.
The interest rates related to our Citibank, UBS and Wells Fargo purchased assets are calculated at SOFR plus a premium within a fixed range, determined by the debt yield and property type of the purchased asset’s real estate collateral. UBS and Citibank each has the discretion to make advancements at margins higher than 75% and Wells Fargo has discretion to make advancements higher than 80%.
Loans issued under the BMO Facility are coterminous with the corresponding pledged mortgage loan investments, are not subject to margin calls and allow for up to an 80% advance rate, subject to certain loan to cost and LTV limits. Interest on advancements under the BMO Facility are calculated at SOFR plus a premium. Loans issued under the BMO Facility are secured by a security interest and collateral assignment of the underlying loans to our borrowers which are secured by real property underlying such loans. We are required to pay an upfront fee equal to a percentage of the aggregate amount of the facility loan, such percentage to be determined at the time of approval of the separate facility loan agreements with BMO, or the BMO Facility Loan Agreements.
For further information regarding our Secured Financing Facilities, see Note 5 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part IV, Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and "—Overview-Financing Activities" above.
The following is a summary of our sources and uses of cash flows for the period presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period | $ | 71,067 | $ | 26,295 | |||
| Net cash provided by (used in): | |||||||
| Operating activities | 20,270 | 12,751 | |||||
| Investing activities | 35,844 | (84,067) | |||||
| Financing activities | (39,326) | 116,088 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of period | $ | 87,855 | $ | 71,067 |
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The increase in cash provided by operating activities for 2023 compared to 2022 was primarily the result of higher benchmark interest rates during 2023 and our origination activities in 2022 and 2023. The increase in cash provided by investing activities is primarily due to lower origination activity and higher loan repayments in 2023. The change from cash provided by financing activities to cash used in financing activities is primarily due to decreased proceeds received from our Secured Financing Facilities and an increase in distributions to our common shareholders in 2023, partially offset by decreased repayments on our Secured Financing Facilities in 2023.
Distributions
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we declared and paid distributions totaling $20,639, or $1.40 per common share, using cash on hand.
On January 11, 2024, we declared a regular quarterly distribution of $0.35 per common share, or $5,184, to shareholders of record on January 22, 2024, and we paid this distribution on February 15, 2024 using cash on hand.
For further information regarding distributions, see Note 7 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part IV, Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
Our contractual obligations and commitments as of December 31, 2023 were as follows:
| Payment Due by Period | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Less than 1 Year | 1 - 3 Years | 3 - 5 Years | More than 5 Years | |||||||||||||||
| Unfunded loan commitments (1) | $ | 40,401 | $ | 22,389 | $ | 18,012 | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||
| Principal payments on Secured Financing Facilities (2) | 455,814 | 223,746 | 232,068 | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Interest payments on Secured Financing Facilities (3) | 33,704 | 28,725 | 4,979 | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Lease related costs (4) | 361 | 361 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| $ | 530,280 | $ | 275,221 | $ | 255,059 | $ | — | $ | — |
(1)The allocation of our unfunded loan commitments is based on the current loan maturity date to which the individual commitments relate.
(2)The allocation of outstanding advancements under our Secured Financing Facilities is based on the earlier of the current maturity date of each loan investment with respect to which the individual borrowing relates or the maturity date of the respective Secured Financing Facilities.
(3)Projected interest payments are attributable only to our debt service obligations at existing rates as of December 31, 2023 and are not intended to estimate future interest costs which may result from debt prepayments, additional borrowings, new debt issuances or changes in interest rates.
(4)Lease related costs include capital expenditures used to improve tenants' spaces pursuant to lease agreements or leasing related costs, such as brokerage commissions, related to the Yardley, PA property.
Debt Covenants
Our principal debt obligations as of December 31, 2023 were the outstanding balances under our Secured Financing Facilities. Our Master Repurchase Agreements provide for acceleration of the date of repurchase of any then purchased assets and the liquidation of the purchased assets by UBS, Citibank or Wells Fargo, as applicable, upon the occurrence and continuation of certain events of default, including a change of control of us, which includes Tremont ceasing to act as our sole manager or to be a wholly owned subsidiary of RMR. Our Master Repurchase Agreements also provide that upon the repurchase of any then purchased asset, we are required to pay UBS, Citibank or Wells Fargo the outstanding purchase price of such purchased asset and accrued interest and any and all accrued and unpaid expenses of UBS, Citibank or Wells Fargo, as applicable, relating to such purchased asset.
In connection with our Master Repurchase Agreements, we entered into our guarantees, or the Master Repurchase Guarantees, which require us to guarantee 25% of the aggregate repurchase price, and 100% of losses in the event of certain bad acts, as well as any costs and expenses of UBS, Citibank and Wells Fargo, as applicable, related to our Master Repurchase Agreements. The Master Repurchase Guarantees contain financial covenants, which require us to maintain a minimum tangible net worth, a minimum liquidity and a minimum interest coverage ratio and to satisfy a total indebtedness to stockholders' equity ratio.
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In connection with the BMO Loan Program Agreement, we have agreed to guarantee certain of the obligations under the BMO Loan Program Agreement and the BMO Facility Loan Agreements pursuant to a limited guaranty from us to and for the benefit of the administrative agent for itself and such other lenders, or the BMO Guaranty. Specifically, the BMO Guaranty requires us to guarantee 25% of the then current outstanding principal balance of the facility loans and 100% of losses or the entire indebtedness in the event of certain bad acts as well as any costs and expenses of the administrative agent or lenders related to the BMO Loan Program Agreement. In addition, the BMO Guaranty contains financial covenants that require us to maintain a minimum tangible net worth and a minimum liquidity and to satisfy a total indebtedness to stockholders’ equity ratio. Our BMO Loan Program Agreement provides for acceleration of all payment obligations due under the BMO Facility Loan Agreements upon the occurrence and continuation of certain events of default, including a change of control of us, which includes Tremont ceasing to act as our sole manager or to be a wholly owned subsidiary of RMR.
As of December 31, 2023, we had a $368,047 aggregate outstanding principal balance under our Master Repurchase Facilities. Our Master Repurchase Agreements are structured with risk mitigation mechanisms, including a cash flow sweep, which would allow UBS, Citibank and Wells Fargo, as applicable, to control interest payments from our borrowers under our loans that are financed under our respective Master Repurchase Facilities, and the ability to accelerate dates of repurchase and institute margin calls, which may require us to pay down balances associated with one or more of our loans that are financed under our Master Repurchase Facilities.
As of December 31, 2023, we had a $87,767 aggregate outstanding principal balance under the BMO Facility.
As of December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with all covenants and other terms under our Secured Financing Facilities.
Related Person Transactions
We have relationships and historical and continuing transactions with Tremont, RMR, RMR Inc. and others related to them. For further information about these and other such relationships and related person transactions, see Notes 8 and 9 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part IV, Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC, which are incorporated herein by reference, including our definitive Proxy Statement for our 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, or our 2024 Proxy Statement, to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. For further information about the risks that may arise as a result of these and other related person transactions and relationships, see elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including “Warning Concerning Forward-Looking Statements,” Part I, Item 1, “Business” and Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors.” We may engage in additional transactions with related persons, including businesses to which RMR or its subsidiaries provide management services.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP, which requires the use of estimates and assumptions that involve the exercise of judgment regarding future events and other uncertainties. In accordance with SEC guidance, the following discussion addresses the accounting policies that apply to our operations. Our most critical accounting policies involve decisions and assessments that could affect our reported assets and liabilities, as well as our reported revenues and expenses. We believe that our decisions and assessments upon which our consolidated financial statements are based are reasonable, based upon information available to us. Our critical accounting policies and accounting estimates may be changed over time as our strategies change or as we expand our business. Those accounting policies and estimates that are most critical to an investor’s understanding of our financial results and condition and require complex management judgment are discussed below.
Revenue Recognition. Interest income related to our CRE mortgage loans is generally accrued based on the coupon rates applied to the outstanding principal balance of such loans. Fees, premiums and discounts, if any, are amortized or accreted into interest income over the remaining lives of the loans using the effective interest method, as adjusted for any prepayments.
If a loan’s interest or principal payments are not paid when due and there is uncertainty that such payments will be collected, the loan may be categorized as non-accrual and no interest will be recorded until it is collected. When all overdue payments are collected and, in our judgment, a loan is likely to remain current, it may be re-categorized as accrual.
For loans purchased at a discount, GAAP limits the yield that may be accreted (accretable yield) to the excess of the investor’s estimate of undiscounted expected principal, interest and other cash flows (cash flows expected at acquisition to be collected) over the investor’s initial investment in the loan. GAAP also requires that the excess of contractual cash flows over cash flows expected to be collected (non-accretable difference) not be recognized as an adjustment of yield, loss accrual or valuation allowance. Subsequent increases in cash flows expected to be collected from such loans generally will be recognized
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prospectively through adjustment of the loan’s yield over its remaining life. Decreases in cash flows expected to be collected will be recorded through our provision for credit losses.
Loans Held For Investment. Generally, our loans are classified as held for investment based upon our intent and ability to hold them until maturity. Loans that are held for investment are carried at cost, net of unamortized loan origination fees, accreted exit fees, unamortized premiums and unaccreted discounts, as applicable, that are required to be recognized in the carrying value of the loans in accordance with GAAP, unless the loans are deemed to be collateral dependent. Loans that we have a plan to sell or liquidate are held at the lower of cost or fair value less cost to sell.
Allowance for Credit Losses. On January 1, 2023, we adopted Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which replaces the “incurred loss” model for recognizing credit losses with a forward-looking “expected loss” model that generally will result in the earlier recognition of credit losses. The measurement of current expected credit losses, or CECL, is based upon historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts incorporating forward-looking information that affect the collectability of the reported amount. ASU No. 2016-13 is applicable to financial assets measured at amortized cost and off-balance sheet credit exposures, such as unfunded loan commitments.
The allowance for credit losses required under ASU No. 2016-13 is a valuation account that is deducted from the related loans’ amortized cost basis in our consolidated balance sheets. Our loans typically include commitments to fund incremental proceeds to borrowers over the life of the loan; these future funding commitments are also subject to the CECL model. The allowance for credit losses related to unfunded loan commitments is included in accounts payable, accrued liabilities and other liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets.
Given the lack of historical loss data related to our loan portfolio, we estimate our expected losses using an analytical model that considers the likelihood of default and loss given default for each individual loan. This analytical model incorporates data from a third party database with historical loan loss information for commercial mortgage-backed securities, or CMBS, and commercial real estate, or CRE, loans since 1998. We estimate the allowance for credit losses for our loan portfolio, including unfunded loan commitments, at the individual loan level. Significant inputs to the model include certain loan specific data, such as loan to value, or LTV, property type, geographic location, occupancy, vintage year, remaining loan term, net operating income, expected timing and amounts of future loan fundings, and macroeconomic forecast assumptions, including the performance of CRE assets, unemployment rates, interest rates and other factors. We utilize the model to estimate credit losses over a reasonable and supportable economic forecast period, followed by a straight-line reversion period to average historical losses. Average historical losses are established using a population of third party historical loss data that approximates our portfolio as of the measurement date. We evaluate the estimated allowance for each of our loans individually and we consider our internal loan risk rating as the primary credit quality indicator underlying our assessment.
If a loan is determined to be collateral dependent (because the repayment of the loan is expected to be provided substantially through the operation or sale of the underlying collateral property) and the borrower is experiencing financial difficulties, but foreclosure is not probable, we may elect to apply a practical expedient to determine the loan's allowance for credit losses by comparing the collateral's fair value, less costs to sell, if applicable, to the amortized cost basis of the loan. For collateral-dependent loans for which foreclosure is probable, the related allowance for credit losses is determined using the fair value, less costs to sell, if applicable, of the collateral compared to the loan's amortized cost.
Significant judgements are required in our estimation of our allowance for credit losses, including but not limited to the amount and timing of future fundings, repayments and macroeconomic forecast assumptions. Therefore, actual results over time could differ materially from our estimates.
We evaluate the credit quality of each of our loans at least quarterly by assessing a variety of risk factors in relation to each loan and assigning a risk rating to each loan based on those factors. Factors considered in these evaluations include, but are not limited to, property type, geographic and local market dynamics, physical condition, leasing and tenant profile, projected cash flow, risk of loss, current LTV, debt yield, collateral performance, structure, exit plan and sponsorship. We apply the different factors on a case-by-case basis depending on the facts and circumstances for each loan, and the different factors may be given different weightings in different situations. Loans are rated “1” (less risk) through “5” (greater risk) as defined below:
“1” lower risk—Criteria reflects a sponsor having a strong financial condition and low credit risk and our evaluation of management's experience; collateral performance exceeding performance metrics included in the business plan or credit underwriting; and the property demonstrating stabilized occupancy and/or market rates, resulting in strong current cash flow and net operating income and/or having a very low LTV.
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“2” average risk—Criteria reflects a sponsor having a stable financial condition and our evaluation of management's experience; collateral performance meeting or exceeding substantially all performance metrics included in the business plan or credit underwriting; and the property demonstrating improved occupancy at market rents, resulting in sufficient current cash flow and/or having a low LTV.
“3” acceptable risk—Criteria reflects a sponsor having a history of repaying loans at maturity and meeting its credit obligations and our evaluation of management's experience; collateral performance expected to meet performance metrics included in the business plan or credit underwriting; and the property having a moderate LTV. New loans and loans with a limited history will typically be assigned this rating and will be adjusted to other levels from time to time as appropriate.
“4” higher risk—Criteria reflects a sponsor having a history of unresolved missed or late payments, maturity extensions and difficulty timely fulfilling its credit obligations and our evaluation of management's experience; collateral performance failing to meet the business plan or credit underwriting; the existence of a risk of default possibly leading to a loss and/or potential weaknesses that deserve management’s attention; and/or the property having a high LTV.
“5” loss likely—Criteria reflects a very high risk of realizing a principal loss or having incurred a principal loss; a sponsor having a history of default payments, trouble fulfilling its credit obligations, deeds in lieu of foreclosures, and/or bankruptcies; collateral performance is significantly worse than performance metrics included in the business plan; loan covenants or performance milestones having been breached or not attained; timely exit via sale or refinancing being uncertain; and/or the property having a very high LTV.
Real estate owned
Upon acquisition, real estate owned is recognized at the lesser of the fair value of the property and the amortized cost of the loan secured by the property at the time of acquisition. We allocate the purchase price to land, building and improvements and intangibles based on determinations of the relative fair values of these assets assuming the properties are vacant. The fair value of the property and the allocation of the purchase price are based on our estimates, which are informed by standard industry valuation methods, including discounted cash flow analyses and sales comparisons.
We regularly evaluate real estate owned for indicators of impairment. Impairment indicators may include declining tenant occupancy, lack of progress leasing vacant space, tenant bankruptcies, low long term prospects for improvement in property performance, weak or declining tenant profitability, cash flow or liquidity, our decision to dispose of an asset before the end of its estimated useful life and legislative, market or industry changes that could permanently reduce the value of a property. If indicators of impairment are present, we evaluate the carrying value of the related property by comparing it to the expected future undiscounted cash flows to be generated from that property. If the sum of these expected future cash flows is less than the carrying value, we reduce the net carrying value of the property to its fair value. This analysis requires us to judge whether indicators of impairment exist and to estimate likely future cash flows. The future net undiscounted cash flows are subjective and are based in part on assumptions regarding hold periods, market rents and terminal capitalization rates. If we misjudge or estimate incorrectly or if future tenant operations, market or industry factors differ from our expectations we may record an impairment charge that is inappropriate or fail to record a charge when we should have done so, or the amount of any such charges may be inaccurate.
These accounting policies involve significant judgments made based upon our experience and the experience of our management and our Board of Trustees, including judgments about current valuations, ultimate realizable value, estimated useful lives, salvage or residual value, the ability and willingness of our tenants to perform their obligations to us, current and future economic conditions and competitive factors in the markets in which our properties are located. Competition, economic conditions and other factors may cause occupancy declines in the future. In the future, we may need to revise our carrying value assessments to incorporate information which is not now known, and such revisions could decrease the carrying values of our assets.