All of the assets of the Real Property Account, or the “Account” are invested in the Partnership. Accordingly, the liquidity and capital resources and results of operations for the Account are contingent upon those of the Partnership. Therefore, this management’s discussion and analysis addresses these items at the Partnership level. The partners in the Partnership are Prudential, Pruco Life Insurance Company, and Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey, or collectively, the “Partners”.
As of December 31, 2008, the Partnership’s liquid assets, consisting of cash and cash equivalents, were approximately $27.7 million, an increase of approximately $9.5 million from $18.2 million at December 31, 2007. The increase was primarily due to cash flows received from the Partnership’s operating activities and the repayment of the Partnership’s preferred equity investment, as discussed below. Partially offsetting this increase was a contribution to an existing retail property in Dunn, North Carolina as well as capital expenditures to existing properties, as detailed below. Sources of liquidity included net cash flow from property operations, financings, and interest from short-term investments. The Partnership uses cash for its real estate investment activities and for its distributions to its partners. As of December 31, 2008, approximately 10.5% of the Partnership’s total assets consisted of cash and cash equivalents.
During 2008, the Partnership made an additional $2.6 million preferred equity investment in an existing retail property located in Ocean City, Maryland to fund costs associated with the redevelopment of the center. This investment was repaid with interest on April 1, 2008 with proceeds to the Partnership totaling $4.0 million in conjunction with the refinancing of the existing loan as discussed below.
The Partnership did not have any dispositions or acquisitions for the year ended December 31, 2008. The Partnership refinanced two existing loans during the year ended December 31, 2008. The retail property in Ocean City, Maryland was refinanced for loan proceeds of $16.6 million, of which $9.8 million represents additional indebtedness. $1.6 million of the loan remains to be funded for future costs associated with the redevelopment of the property. The apartment property in Raleigh, North Carolina was refinanced for the amount of $9.0 million.
The Partnership’s net investment income for the year ended December 31, 2008 was approximately $11.1 million, a decrease of approximately $1.5 million from the prior year. The decrease in net investment income was primarily attributable to a $1.4 million increase in other net investment loss from the prior year. Additionally, the retail, office, and hotel sectors’ net investment income declined approximately $0.9 million, $0.1 million, and $0.1 million, respectively during the year ended December 31, 2008 from the prior year. Partially offsetting these decreases was an increase in the apartment sector’s net investment income of approximately $1.0 million from the prior year. The industrial sector’s net investment income remained relatively unchanged. The components of this net investment income are discussed below by investment type.
The Partnership did not have any realized gains for the year ended December 31, 2008, compared with a net realized gain of approximately $0.7 million for the prior year. The Partnership recorded a net unrealized loss of approximately $44.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2008, compared with a net unrealized gain of approximately $4.8 million for the prior year. The Partnership recorded a net realized and unrealized loss of approximately $44.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2008, compared with a net realized and unrealized gain of approximately $5.5 million for the prior year. The net unrealized loss of approximately $44.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 was attributable to valuation declines in every sector primarily due to increased investment rates suggesting an industry-wide repricing. Investment rates include direct and terminal capitalization rates, and discount rates, which reflect investors’ yield requirements on investments. The increase in investment rates was caused by the national economic downturn, frozen credit markets, weakening market fundamentals, and deteriorated demand for commercial real estate. The components of these valuation losses are discussed below by investment type.
The following table presents a comparison of the Partnership’s sources of net investment income, and realized and unrealized gains or losses by investment type for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007.
Net investment income for the Partnership’s office properties was approximately $3.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2008, relatively unchanged from the prior year. The net investment income at the property in Lisle, Illinois increased $0.1 million due to an increase in occupancy. This increase was offset by a net investment loss of $0.1 million at a property in Brentwood, Tennessee due to reduced occupancy.
The office properties owned by the Partnership recorded a net unrealized loss of approximately $6.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2008, compared with a net unrealized gain of approximately $2.0 million for the prior year. The net unrealized loss of approximately $6.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 was primarily due to increased investment rates across the office sector that caused each property to decline in value. Additionally, at the office property in Lisle, Illinois notification from the property’s largest tenant to vacate upon lease expiration in January 2009 resulted in decreased projected cash flows, which contributed to its net unrealized loss of $2.7 million.
The Jacksonville, Florida apartment property was sold on November 30, 2005 but certain post-closing adjustments were recognized during the year ended December 31, 2007.
Net investment income for the Partnership’s apartment properties was $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2008, an increase of approximately $1.0 million from the prior year. The increase in net investment income for the year ended December 31, 2008 was primarily due to the additional rental income generated from the acquisition of the apartment properties in Austin, Texas and Charlotte, North Carolina on May 8, 2007 and September 6, 2007, respectively.
The Partnership’s industrial property was sold on February 7, 2007. Therefore no realized gains and/or losses were recorded for the year ended December 31, 2008, compared with realized gains of $0.3 million during the prior year.
Other net investment loss increased approximately $1.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2008 from the prior year. Other net investment loss includes interest income from short-term investments, investment management fees, and portfolio level expenses.
A majority of the Partnership’s leases with its commercial tenants provide for recoveries of expenses based upon the tenant’s proportionate share of, and/or increases in, real estate taxes and certain operating costs, which may partially reduce the Partnership’s exposure to increases in operating costs resulting from inflation.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or “U.S. GAAP”, requires the application of accounting policies that often involve a significant degree of judgment. Management reviews critical estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. If management determines, as a result of its consideration of facts and circumstances, that modifications in assumptions and estimates are appropriate, results of operations and financial position as reported in the audited Consolidated Financial Statements of the Account and the Partnership may change significantly.
The Partnership adopted FASB Interpretation No. 48 (“FIN 48”), “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes,” an Interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109 as of January 1, 2007. This interpretation prescribes a comprehensive model for how a Partnership should recognize, measure, present, and disclose in its financial statements uncertain tax positions that the Partnership has taken or expects to take on a tax return. The adoption of FIN 48 had no effect to the financial position and result of operations of the Partnership.
In February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 159, “The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities,” including an amendment of FASB Statement No. 115. This statement provides partnerships with an option to report selected financial assets and liabilities at fair value.
SFAS No. 157 and SFAS No. 159 are effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007 with early adoption permitted. The Partnership adopted SFAS No. 157 and SFAS No. 159 effective January 1, 2008, however, the Partnership did not make a fair value option election for its existing debt. The adoption does not have any effect on the Partnership’s consolidated financial position and results of operations. Please refer to Notes 2D and 5 for details.
The purpose of an appraisal is to estimate the fair value of real estate as of a specific date. In accordance with SFAS 157, fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The estimate of fair value is based on the conventional approaches to value, all of which require the exercise of subjective judgment. The three approaches are: (1) current cost of reproducing the real estate less deterioration and functional and economic obsolescence; (2) discounting a series of income streams and reversion at a specific yield or by directly capitalizing a single year income estimate by an appropriate factor; and (3) value indicated by recent sales of comparable real estate in the market. In the reconciliation of these three approaches, the independent appraiser uses one or a combination of them, to come up with the approximated value for the type of real estate in the market.
Unconsolidated real estate partnerships and preferred equity investments are carried at fair value and are generally valued at the Partnership’s equity in net assets as reflected in the partnerships’ financial statements with properties valued as described above. Under the equity method, the investment is initially recorded at the original investment amount, plus or minus additional amounts invested or distributed, and is subsequently adjusted for the Partnership’s share of undistributed earnings or losses, including unrealized appreciation and depreciation, from the partnership.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.