EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1674356
Filing Year: 2023
Filename: 1674356_10-K_2023_0001674356-23-000005.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Item 1. Business.
Overview
We are a real estate credit focused company that originates, structures, funds and manages commercial real estate credit investments, including mezzanine loans, first mortgage loans, subordinated mortgage loans and preferred equity investments throughout the United States, which we collectively refer to as our targeted assets. Our loans finance the acquisition, construction, development or redevelopment of quality commercial real estate in the United States. We focus on the origination of middle market loans in the approximately $10 million to $50 million range, to finance properties primarily in primary and secondary markets. We believe loans in this size range are subject to less competition, offer higher risk adjusted returns than larger loans with similar risk metrics and facilitate portfolio diversification. Our investment objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns to our stockholders, primarily through regular distributions. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in meeting our investment objective.
Each of our loans was originated by Terra Capital Partners or its affiliates. Our portfolio is diversified based on location of the underlying properties, loan structure and property type. As of December 31, 2022, our portfolio included underlying properties located in 31 markets, across ten states and includes property types such as multifamily housing, hotels, student housing, commercial offices, medical offices, mixed-use and industrial properties. The profile of these properties ranges from stabilized and value-added properties to pre-development and construction. Our loans are structured across mezzanine debt, first mortgages, preferred equity investments and credit facilities.
We were incorporated under the general corporation laws of the State of Maryland on December 31, 2015. Through December 31, 2015, our business was conducted through a series of predecessor private partnerships. At the beginning of 2016, we completed the merger of these private partnerships into a single entity as part of our plan to reorganize our business as a REIT for federal income tax purposes (the “REIT formation transaction”). Following the REIT formation transaction, Terra Fund 5 contributed the consolidated portfolio of net assets of the Terra Funds to us in exchange for all of the shares of common stock of our company.
On March 1, 2020, Terra Property Trust 2 merged with and into our company, and we continued as the surviving corporation (the “Merger”). In connection with the Merger, we issued 2,116,785.76 shares of our common stock to Terra Fund 7, the sole stockholder of Terra Property Trust 2, in exchange for the settlement of $17.7 million of participation interests in loans held by us, cash of $16.9 million and other working capital. Subsequent to the Merger, Terra Fund 5 and Terra Fund 7 contributed their shares of our common stock to Terra JV in exchange for ownership interest in Terra JV. In addition, on March 2, 2020, we issued 2,457,684.59 shares of our common stock to Terra Offshore REIT in exchange for the settlement of $32.1 million of participation interests in loans also held by us, $8.6 million in cash and other net working capital (“Issuance of Common Stock to Terra Offshore REIT”).
On October 1, 2022 (the “Closing Date”), pursuant to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 2, 2022 (the “Merger Agreement”), Terra BDC merged with and into Terra LLC, our wholly owned subsidiary, with Terra LLC continuing as the surviving entity of the merger (the “BDC Merger”) and as our wholly owned subsidiary. The Certificate of Merger and Articles of Merger with respect to the BDC Merger were filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware and State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland (the “SDAT”), respectively, with an effective time and date of 12:02 a.m., Eastern Time, on the Closing Date (the “Effective Time”).
At the Effective Time, except for any shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of Terra BDC (“Terra BDC Common Stock”) held by us or any of our wholly owned subsidiaries or Terra BDC, which shares were automatically retired and ceased to exist with no consideration paid therefor, each issued and outstanding share of Terra BDC Common Stock was automatically cancelled and retired and converted into the right to receive (i) 0.595 shares of our newly designated Class B Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Class B Common Stock”), and (ii) cash, without interest, in lieu of any fractional shares of Class B Common Stock otherwise issuable in an amount, rounded to the nearest whole cent, determined by multiplying (x) the fraction of a share of Class B Common Stock to which such holder would otherwise be entitled by (y) $14.38.
Pursuant to the terms of the transactions described in the Merger Agreement, approximately 4,847,910 shares of Class B Common Stock were issued to former Terra BDC stockholders in connection with the BDC Merger, based on the number of outstanding shares of Terra BDC Common Stock as of the Closing Date. Following the consummation of the BDC Merger and as of December 31, 2022, former Terra BDC stockholders owned approximately 19.9% of our common equity, Terra JV held
70.0% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock with the remainder of 10.1% held by Terra Offshore REIT; and Terra Fund 5 and Terra Fund 7 owned an 87.6% and 12.4% interest, respectively, in Terra JV.
On the Closing Date, we filed with the SDAT our Articles of Amendment to the Articles of Amendment and Restatement (the “Charter Amendment”). Pursuant to the Charter Amendment, (i) the authorized shares of our stock which we have authority to issue were increased from 500,000,000 to 950,000,000, consisting of 450,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Class A Common Stock”), 450,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock, and 50,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Preferred Stock”), and (ii) each share of our common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time was automatically changed into one issued and outstanding share of Class B Common Stock.
The Class B Common Stock rank equally with and have identical preferences, rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications, and terms and conditions of redemption as each other share of our common stock, except as set forth below with respect to conversion.
On the date that is 180 calendar days (or, if such date is not a business day, the next business day) after the date (the “First Conversion Date”) of initial listing of shares of Class A Common Stock for trading on a national securities exchange or such earlier date as approved by our board of directors (our “Board”), one-third of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock will automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into an equal number of shares of Class A Common Stock. On the date that is 365 calendar days (or, if such date is not a business day, the next business day) after the date of initial listing of shares of Class A Common Stock for trading on a national securities exchange or such earlier date following the First Conversion Date as approved by our Board (the “Second Conversion Date”), one-half of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock will automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into an equal number of shares of Class A Common Stock. On the date that is 545 calendar days (or, if such date is not a business day, the next business day) after the date of initial listing of shares of Class A Common Stock for trading on a national securities exchange or such earlier date following the Second Conversion Date as approved by our Board (the “Third Conversion Date”), all of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock will automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into an equal number of shares of Class A Common Stock.
As previously disclosed, we continue to explore alternative liquidity transactions on an opportunistic basis to maximize stockholder value. Examples of the alternative liquidity transactions that, depending on market conditions, may be available to us include a listing of our shares of common stock on a national securities exchange, adoption of a share repurchase plan, a liquidation of our assets, a sale of our company or a strategic business combination, in each case, which may include the in-kind distribution of our shares of common stock indirectly owned by certain Terra Funds to the ultimate investors in the Terra Funds. We may pursue such a liquidity transaction as early as 2023, but we cannot provide any assurance that any alternative liquidity transaction will be available to us or, if available, that we will pursue or be successful in completing any such alternative liquidity transaction.
We have elected to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016. So long as we qualify as a REIT, we generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax on our net taxable income to the extent that we annually distribute all of our net taxable income to our stockholders.
Our Manager, MAVIK Capital Management, LP and Terra Capital Partners
We are externally managed by our Manager, which is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 Act, and is a subsidiary of Terra Capital Partners.
On April 1, 2021, MAVIK Capital Management, LP (“Mavik”), an entity controlled by Vikram S. Uppal, our Chief Executive Officer, completed a series of related transactions that resulted in all of the outstanding interests in Terra Capital Partners being acquired by Mavik for a combination of cash and interests in Mavik (the “Recapitalization”). As part of the Recapitalization, a private fund managed by a division of a publicly-traded alternative asset manager, acquired a passive interest consisting of “non-voting securities,” as that term is defined under the 1940 Act, in Mavik.
Terra Capital Partners is led by Vikram S. Uppal (Chief Executive Officer), Gregory M. Pinkus (Chief Financial Officer) and Daniel Cooperman (Chief Originations Officer). Mr. Uppal was a Partner of Axar Capital Management L.P. (“Axar Capital Management”) and its Head of Real Estate. Prior to Axar Capital Management, Mr. Uppal was a Managing Director on the Investment Team at Fortress Investment Group’s Credit and Real Estate Funds and Co-Head of North American Real Estate Investments at Mount Kellett Capital Management. Members of the Terra Capital Partners management team have broad based, long-term relationships with major financial institutions, property owners and commercial real estate service providers. The
entire senior management team has held leadership roles at many top international real estate and investment banking firms, including Mount Kellett Capital Management and Fortress Investment Group.
Terra Capital Partners is a real estate credit focused investment manager based in New York City with a 19-year track record focused primarily on the origination and management of mezzanine loans, as well as first mortgage loans, bridge loans, and preferred equity investments in all major property types through multiple public and private pooled investment vehicles. Since its formation in 2001 and its commencement of operations in 2002, Terra Capital Partners has been engaged in providing financing on commercial properties of all major property types throughout the United States. In the lead up to the global financial crisis in 2007, believing that the risks associated with commercial real estate markets had grown out of proportion to the potential returns from such markets, Terra Capital Partners sold 100% of its investment management interests prior to the global financial crisis. It was not until mid-2009, after its assessment that commercial mortgage markets would begin a period of stabilization and growth, that Terra Capital Partners began to sponsor new investment vehicles, which included the predecessor private partnerships, to again provide debt capital to commercial real estate markets. The financings provided by all vehicles managed by Terra Capital Partners from January 2004 through December 31, 2022 have been secured by approximately 13.9 million square feet of office properties, 3.7 million square feet of retail properties, 5.9 million square feet of industrial properties, 5,058 hotel rooms and 28,493 apartment units. The value of the properties underlying this capital was approximately $11.2 billion based on appraised values as of the closing dates of each financing. In addition to its extensive experience originating and managing debt financings, Terra Capital Partners and its affiliates owned and operated over six million square feet of office and industrial space between 2005 and 2007, and this operational experience further informs its robust origination and underwriting standards and enables our Manager to effectively operate property underlying a financing upon a foreclosure.
Our Investment Strategy
We focus on providing commercial real estate loans to creditworthy borrowers and seek to generate an attractive and consistent low volatility cash income stream. Our focus on originating debt and debt-like instruments emphasizes the payment of current returns to investors and the preservation of invested capital.
As part of our investment strategy, we:
•target middle market loans of approximately $10 million to $50 million;
•focus on the origination of new loans, not on the acquisition of loans originated by other lenders;
•invest primarily in floating rate rather than fixed rate loans, but our Manager reserves the right to make debt investments that bear interest at a fixed rate;
•originate loans expected to be repaid within one to five years;
•maximize current income;
•lend to creditworthy borrowers;
•construct a portfolio that is diversified by property type, geographic location, tenancy and borrower;
•source off-market transactions; and
•hold loans until maturity unless, in our Manager’s judgment, market conditions warrant earlier disposition.
Our Financing Strategy
We have historically utilized only limited amounts of borrowings as part of our financing strategy. One of the reasons we completed the REIT formation transactions, as described under “-Overview,” is to expand our financing options, access to capital and capital flexibility in order to position us for future growth. We deploy moderate amounts of leverage as part of our operating strategy, which currently consists of unsecured notes payable, borrowings under first mortgage financings, a revolving line of credit, repurchase agreements and a term loan. We may in the future also deploy leverage through other credit facilities and senior notes and we may divide the loans we originate into senior and junior tranches and dispose of the more
senior tranches as an additional means of providing financing to our business. In addition, we intend to match our use of floating rate leverage with floating rate investments.
As of December 31, 2022, we had outstanding indebtedness, consisting of borrowings under a mortgage loan of $29.3 million, unsecured notes payable of $123.5 million, a term loan of $25.0 million, a line of credit of $90.1 million and the repurchase agreements of $170.9 million. As of December 31, 2022, the amount remaining available under the line of credit and the repurchase agreements was $34.9 million and $224.1 million, respectively.
Additionally, as of December 31, 2022, we had obligations under participation agreements with an aggregate outstanding principal amount of $12.6 million. However, we do not have direct liability to a participant under the participation agreements with respect to the underlying loan and the participants’ share of the investments is repayable only from the proceeds received from the related borrower/issuer of the investments and, therefore, the participants also are subject to credit risk (i.e., risk of default by the underlying borrower/ issuer). With our larger size and enhanced access to capital and capital flexibility, our company expects to deemphasize our use of participation arrangements. For additional information concerning our indebtedness, see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Targeted Assets
Real Estate-Related Loans
We originate, structure, fund and manage commercial real estate loans, including mezzanine loans, first mortgage loans, subordinated mortgage loans and preferred equity investments related to high-quality commercial real estate in the United States. We may also, to the extent consistent with our qualification as a REIT, acquire equity participations in the underlying collateral of some of such loans. We originate, structure and underwrite most, if not all, of our loans. We, in reliance on our Manager, use what we consider to be conservative underwriting criteria, and our underwriting process involves comprehensive financial, structural, operational and legal due diligence to assess the risks of financings so that we can optimize pricing and structuring. By originating, not purchasing, loans, we are able to structure and underwrite financings that satisfy our standards, utilize our proprietary documentation and establish a direct relationship with our borrower. Described below are some of the types of loans we own and seek to originate with respect to high-quality properties in the United States. We continue to see attractive lending opportunities, and we expect market conditions to remain favorable for our strategy for the foreseeable future.
Mezzanine Loans. These are loans secured by ownership interests in an entity that owns commercial real estate and that generally finance the acquisition, refinancing, rehabilitation or construction of commercial real estate. Mezzanine loans may be either short-term (one to five years) or long-term (up to 10 years) and may be fixed or floating rate. We may own mezzanine loans directly or we may hold a participation in a mezzanine loan or a sub-participation in a mezzanine loan. These loans generally pay interest on a specified due date (although there may be a portion of the interest that is deferred) and may, to the extent consistent with our qualification as a REIT, provide for participation in the value or cash flow appreciation of the underlying property as described below. Generally, we invest in mezzanine loans with last dollar loan-to-value ratios ranging from 60% to 85%. As of December 31, 2022, we owned five mezzanine loans with a total net principal amount of $26.8 million, which constituted 4.2% of our net loan investment portfolio.
Preferred Equity Investments. These are investments in preferred membership interests in an entity that owns commercial real estate and generally finance the acquisition, refinancing, rehabilitation or construction of commercial real estate. These investments are expected to have characteristics and returns similar to mezzanine loans. As of December 31, 2022, we owned five preferred equity investments with a total net principal amount of $121.2 million, which constituted 19.1% of our net loan investment portfolio.
First Mortgage Loans. These loans generally finance the acquisition, refinancing, rehabilitation or construction of commercial real estate. First mortgage loans may be either short-term (one to five years) or long-term (up to 10 years), may be fixed or floating rate and are predominantly current-pay loans. Our Manager originates current-pay first mortgage loans backed by high-quality properties in the United States that fit our investment strategy. Certain of our first mortgage loans finance the acquisition, rehabilitation and construction of infill land property and for these loans we target a weighted average last dollar loan-to-value of 70%. We may selectively syndicate portions of our first mortgage loans, including senior or junior participations to provide third-party financing for a portion of the loan or optimize returns which may include retained origination fees.
First mortgage loans are expected to provide for a higher recovery rate and lower defaults than other debt positions due to the lender’s senior position. However, such loans typically generate lower returns than subordinate debt such as mezzanine
loans, B-notes, or preferred equity investments. As of December 31, 2022, we owned 20 first mortgage loans with a total net principal amount of $456.4 million, which constituted 72.1% of our net loan investment portfolio. As of December 31, 2022, we used $413.1 million of senior mortgage loans as collateral for $261.0 million of borrowings under a revolving line of credit and two repurchase agreements.
Subordinated Mortgage Loans (B-notes). B-notes include structurally subordinated mortgage loans and junior participations in first mortgage loans or participations in these types of assets. Like first mortgage loans, these loans generally finance the acquisition, refinancing, rehabilitation or construction of commercial real estate. B-notes may be either short-term (one to five years) or long-term (up to 10 years), may be fixed or floating rate and are predominantly current-pay loans. We may create B-notes by tranching our directly originated first mortgage loans generally through syndications of senior first mortgages or buy these loans directly from third-party originators. As a result of the current credit market disruption related to the most recent recession and the decrease in capital available in this part of the capital structure, we believe that the opportunities to both directly originate and to buy these types of loans from third parties on favorable terms will continue to be attractive.
Investors in B-notes are compensated for the increased risk of such assets from a pricing perspective but still benefit from a mortgage lien on the related property. Investors typically receive principal and interest payments at the same time as senior debt unless a default occurs, in which case any such payments are made only after any senior debt is made whole. Rights of holders of B-notes are usually governed by participation and other agreements that, subject to certain limitations, typically provide the holders of subordinated positions of the mortgage loan with the ability to cure certain defaults and control certain decisions of holders of senior debt secured by the same properties (or otherwise exercise the right to purchase the senior debt), which provides for additional downside protection and higher recoveries. As of December 31, 2022, we did not own any B-notes.
Equity Participations. In connection with our loan origination activities, we may pursue equity participation opportunities, or interests in the projects being financed, in instances when we believe that the risk-reward characteristics of the loan merit additional upside participation because of the possibility of appreciation in value of the underlying properties securing the loan. Equity participations can be paid in the form of additional interest, exit fees or warrants in the borrower. Equity participation can also take the form of a conversion feature, permitting the lender to convert a loan or preferred equity investment into equity in the borrower at a negotiated premium to the current net asset value of the borrower. We expect to obtain equity participations in certain instances where the loan collateral consists of a property that is being repositioned, expanded or improved in some fashion which is anticipated to improve future cash flow. In such case, the borrower may wish to defer some portion of the debt service or obtain higher leverage than might be merited by the pricing and leverage level based on historical performance of the underlying property. We can generate additional revenues from these equity participations as a result of excess cash flows being distributed or as appreciated properties are sold or refinanced. As of December 31, 2022, we did not own any equity participations.
Other Real Estate-Related Investments. We may invest in other real estate-related investments, which may include CMBS or other real estate debt or equity securities, so long as such investments do not constitute more than 15% of our assets. Certain of our real estate-related loans require the borrower to make payments of interest on the fully committed principal amount of the loan regardless of whether the full loan amount is outstanding. As of December 31, 2022, we owned a 27.9% equity interest in a limited partnership that invests in performing and non-performing mortgages, loans, mezzanines, B-notes and other credit instruments supported by underlying commercial real estate assets. Additionally, we owned beneficial equity interests in three joint ventures that invest in real estate properties. We also owned a credit facility that is collateralized by underlying commercial real estate assets. In 2022, in connection with a mezzanine loan we originated, we entered into a residual profit sharing arrangement with the borrower. We accounted for this arrangement as an equity investment. These equity interests had a total carrying value of $62.5 million and the credit facility had a principal balance of $28.8 million as of December 31, 2022.
Operating Real Estate
From time to time, we may acquire operating real estate properties, including properties acquired in connection with foreclosures or deed in lieu of foreclosure. In July 2018, we acquired a multi-tenant office building through foreclosure of a first mortgage loan. In January 2019, we acquired a 4.9 acre development parcel through deed in lieu of foreclosure. In June 2022, the development parcel was sold. As of December 31, 2022, the multi-tenant office building had a carrying value of $40.6 million, and the mortgage loan payable encumbering the office building had a principal amount of $29.3 million.
Investment Guidelines
Our Board has adopted investment guidelines, which may be amended from time to time, that set forth certain criteria for the Manger to use when evaluating specific investment opportunities as well as our overall portfolio composition. Our Board
will review the Manager’s compliance with the investment guidelines periodically and receive an investment report at each quarter-end in conjunction with the review of our quarterly results by our Board.
Our Board adopted the following investment guidelines:
•no origination or acquisition shall be made that would cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT;
•no origination or acquisition shall be made that would cause us or any of our subsidiaries to be required to register as an investment company under the 1940 Act; and
•until appropriate investments can be identified, we may invest the proceeds of our equity or debt offerings in interest-bearing, short-term investments, including money market accounts and/or funds, that are consistent with our intention to qualify as a REIT.
These investment guidelines may be changed from time to time by a majority of our Board without the approval of our stockholders.
Disposition Policies
The period we hold our investments in real estate-related loans varies depending on the type of asset, interest rates and other factors. Our Manager has developed a well-defined exit strategy for each of our investments. Our Manager continually performs a hold-sell analysis on each asset in order to determine the optimal time to hold the asset and generate a strong return to our stockholders. Economic and market conditions may influence us to hold investments for longer or shorter periods of time. We may sell an asset before the end of the expected holding period if we believe that market conditions have maximized its value to us or the sale of the asset would otherwise be in our best interests. We intend to make any such dispositions in a manner consistent with our qualification as a REIT and our desire to avoid being subject to the “prohibited transaction” penalty tax.
Operating and Regulatory Structure
REIT Qualification
We elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Code commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016. We believe that we have been organized and have operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and that our manner of operation will enable us to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT. To qualify as a REIT, we must meet on a continuing basis, through our organization and actual investment and operating results, various requirements under the Code relating to, among other things, the sources of our gross income, the composition and values of our assets, our distribution levels and the diversity of ownership of shares of our stock. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year and do not qualify for certain statutory relief provisions, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates and may be precluded from qualifying as a REIT for the subsequent four taxable years following the year during which we failed to qualify as a REIT. Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to some U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income or property. In addition, subject to maintaining our qualification as a REIT, a portion of our business may be conducted through, and a portion of our income may be earned with respect to, our taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”), should we decide to form TRSs in the future, which are subject to corporate income tax. Any distributions paid by us generally will not be eligible for taxation at the preferential U.S. federal income tax rates that currently apply to certain distributions received by individuals from taxable corporations, unless such distributions are attributable to dividends received by us from our TRSs, should we form a TRS in the future. As of December 31, 2022, we had one TRS, but the TRS had no activity and no current or deferred taxes. We will continue to file a return for the TRS until it is dissolved.
1940 Act Exclusion
We are not registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act. If we were obligated to register as an investment company, we would have to comply with a variety of substantive requirements under the 1940 Act that impose, among other things:
•limitations on our capital structure and the use of leverage;
•restrictions on specified investments;
•prohibitions on transactions with affiliates; and
•compliance with reporting, record keeping, and other rules and regulations that would significantly change our operations.
We conduct our operations so that neither we nor our subsidiaries are required to register as an investment company under the 1940 Act. Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the 1940 Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of such issuer’s total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Excluded from the term “investment securities,” among other things, are U.S. government securities and securities issued by majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exclusion from the definition of investment company set forth in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act. The value of the “investment securities” held by an issuer must be less than 40% of the value of such issuer’s total assets on an unconsolidated basis (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items). In addition, we conduct our operations so that neither we nor our subsidiaries will be considered an investment company under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act, as neither we nor our subsidiaries are engaged primarily nor do we hold ourselves out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Rather, we and our subsidiaries are primarily engaged in the non-investment company businesses.
We and certain of our subsidiaries may at times rely primarily on the exclusion from the definition of an investment company under Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the 1940 Act, or any other exclusions that may be available to us (other than the exclusions under Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7)). Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the 1940 Act is available for entities primarily engaged in the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate. This exclusion generally requires that at least 55% of our portfolio must be comprised of “qualifying real estate” assets and at least 80% of our portfolio must be comprised of “qualifying real estate” assets and “real estate-related” assets (and no more than 20% comprised of miscellaneous assets). For purposes of the Section 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion, we classify our investments based in large measure on no-action letters issued by the staff of the SEC and other SEC interpretive guidance and, in the absence of SEC guidance, on our view of what constitutes a “qualifying real estate” asset and a “real estate-related” asset. These no-action positions were issued in accordance with factual situations that may be substantially different from the factual situations we may face, and a number of these no-action letters were issued more than twenty years ago. Pursuant to this guidance, and depending on the characteristics of the specific investments, certain mortgage loans, participations in mortgage loans, mortgage-backed securities, mezzanine loans, joint venture investments, preferred equity and the equity securities of other entities may not constitute qualifying real estate assets and therefore our investments in these types of assets may be limited. No assurance can be given that the SEC or its staff will concur with our classification of the assets we hold for purposes of the 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion or any other exclusion or exemption under the 1940 Act. Future revisions to the 1940 Act or further guidance from the SEC or its staff may cause us to lose our exclusion from registration or force us to re-evaluate our portfolio and investment strategy. Such changes may prevent us from operating our business successfully.
In order to maintain an exclusion from registration under the 1940 Act, we may be unable to sell assets that we would otherwise want to sell and may need to sell assets we would otherwise wish to retain. In addition, we may have to acquire additional income or loss generating assets that we might not otherwise have acquired or may have to forgo opportunities to acquire assets that we would otherwise want to acquire and would be important to our strategy.
Although we monitor our portfolio periodically and prior to each acquisition and disposition, we may not be able to maintain an exclusion from registration as an investment company. If we were required to register as an investment company, but failed to do so, we would be prohibited from engaging in our business, and legal proceedings could be instituted against us. In addition, our contracts may be unenforceable, and a court could appoint a receiver to take control of us and liquidate our business, all of which would have an adverse effect on our business.
Emerging Growth Company Status
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”), and as such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not
previously approved. A number of these exemptions are not relevant to us, but we intend to take advantage of the exemption from the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can use the extended transition period provided in Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This permits an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have irrevocably elected not to take advantage of this extended transition period and, as a result, we will adopt new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for other public companies.
We will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest to occur of (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion, (ii) the date on which we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three-year period, and (iv) the end of the year in which the five year anniversary of our initial public offering of our common stock occurs.
Competition
We compete with other REITs, numerous regional and community banks, specialty finance companies, savings and loan associations and other entities, and we expect that others may be organized in the future. The effect of the existence of additional REITs and other institutions may be increased competition for the available supply of our targeted assets suitable for purchase, which may cause the price for such assets to rise.
In the face of this competition, we expect to have access to our Manager’s professionals and their industry expertise, which may provide us with a competitive advantage in sourcing transactions and help us assess origination and acquisition risks and determine appropriate pricing for potential assets. The more conservative underwriting standards used by many large commercial banks and traditional providers of commercial real estate capital following the 2008 downturn has and we believe will continue to constrain the lending capacity of these institutions. However, we may not be able to achieve our business goals or expectations due to the competitive risks that we face. For additional information concerning these competitive risks, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors - New entrants in the market for commercial loan originations and acquisitions could adversely impact our ability to originate and acquire real estate-related loans at attractive risk-adjusted returns” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Governmental Regulations
As an owner of real estate, our operations are subject, in certain instances, to supervision and regulation by U.S. and other governmental authorities, and may be subject to various laws and judicial and administrative decisions imposing various requirements and restrictions, which, include among other things: (i) federal and state securities laws and regulations; (ii) federal, state and local tax laws and regulations, (ii) state and local laws relating to real property; (iv) federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances, and regulations, and (v) various laws relating to housing, including permanent and temporary rent control and stabilization laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Fair Housing Amendment Act of 1988, among others.
Compliance with the federal, state and local laws described above has not had a material, adverse effect on our business, assets, results of operations, financial condition and ability to pay distributions, and we do not believe that our existing portfolio will require us to incur material expenditures to comply with these laws and regulations.
Employees; Staffing; Human Capital
We are supervised by our Board consisting of six directors. We have entered into a management agreement (“Management Agreement”) with our Manager pursuant to which certain services are provided by our Manager and paid for by us. Our Manager is not obligated under the Management Agreement to dedicate any of its personnel exclusively to us, nor is it or its personnel obligated to dedicate any specific portion of its or their time to our business. We are responsible for the costs of our own employees; however, we do not currently have any employees and do not currently expect to have any employees.
Information About our Executive Officers
The names, ages, positions and biographies of our officers are as follows:
Name Age Position(s) Held with the Company
Vikram S. Uppal 39 Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment
Officer
Gregory M. Pinkus 58 Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Treasurer and Secretary
Daniel J. Cooperman 48 Chief Originations Officer
Vikram S. Uppal has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors since November 2021, one of our directors from February 2018 to November 2021 and as Chief Executive Officer for our company, our Manager, Terra Fund Advisors and Terra Capital Partners since December 2018 and as a director of RESOF since October 2020. Mr. Uppal has also served as Chief Investment Officer for our company, Terra Capital Partners and our Manager since February 2018. Mr. Uppal served as the Chief Executive Officer of Terra Income Advisors and Terra BDC from April 2019 to October 2022 and as the Chairman of the board of directors and President of Terra BDC from November 2019 to October 2022. Prior to joining Terra Capital Partners, Mr. Uppal was a Partner and Head of Real Estate at Axar Capital Management since 2016. Prior to Axar Capital Management, Mr. Uppal was a Managing Director on the Investment Team at Fortress Investment Group's Credit and Real Estate Funds from 2015 to 2016. From 2012 to 2015, Mr. Uppal worked at Mount Kellett Capital Management, a private investment organization, and served as Co-Head of North American Real Estate Investments. Mr. Uppal holds a B.S. from the University of St. Thomas and a M.S. from Columbia University.
Gregory M. Pinkus has served as the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of our company and the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of our Manager, and Terra Fund Advisors since January 2016, October 2017, and October 2017, respectively. He has served as (i) the Chief Financial Officer of Terra Capital Advisors, Terra Capital Advisors 2 and Terra Income Advisors 2 since May 2012, September 2012 and October 2016; (ii) the Chief Operating Officer of Terra Capital Advisors, Terra Capital Advisors 2 and Terra Capital Partners since July 2014; (iii) the Chief Operating Officer of Terra Income Advisors 2 since October 2016; (iv) the Chief Financial Officer of Fund 5 International, Terra International and Terra Fund 7 since June 2014, October 2016 and October 2016, respectively; (v) a director of RESOF since October 2020; and (vi) the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Terra Income Advisors and the Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of Terra BDC from May 2013 to October 2022 and the Chief Operating Officer of Terra BDC from July 2014 to October 2022. Prior to joining Terra Capital Partners in May 2012, he served as Assistant Controller for W.P. Carey & Co. from 2006 to August 2010 and as Controller from August 2010 to May 2012. Mr. Pinkus also served as Controller and Vice President of Finance for several early-stage technology companies during the period of 1999 to 2005. Additionally, he managed large-scale information technology budgets at New York Life Insurance Company from 2003 to 2004 and oversaw an international reporting group at Bank of America from 1992 to 1996. Mr. Pinkus is a Certified Public Accountant and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University.
Daniel J. Cooperman has served as Chief Originations Officer of our company, our Manager, and Terra Fund Advisors since January 2016, September 2017 and September 201, respectively. Mr. Cooperman has served as Chief Originations Officer of (i) each of Terra Capital Advisors and Terra Capital Advisors 2 since January 2015, having previously served as Managing Director of Originations until January 2015 of Terra Capital Advisors and Terra Capital Advisors 2 since April 2009 and September 2012, respectively; (ii) Fund 5 International since January 2015, having previously served as Managing Director of Originations of Terra BDC from June 2014 to June 2014; (iii) Terra Income Advisors and Terra BDC from February 2015 to October 2022, having previously served as Managing Director of Originations from May 2013 until February 2015; and (iv) each of Terra Income Advisors 2, Terra International, and Terra Fund 7 since October 2016. Mr. Cooperman has 18 years’ experience in the acquisition, financing, leasing and asset management of commercial real estate with an aggregate value of over $5 billion. Prior to the formation of Terra Capital Partners in 2001 and its commencement of operations in 2002, Mr. Cooperman handled mortgage and mezzanine placement activities for The Greenwich Group International, LLC. Prior to joining The Greenwich Group, Mr. Cooperman worked in Chase Manhattan Bank’s Global Properties Group, where he was responsible for financial analysis and due diligence for the bank’s strategic real estate acquisitions and divestitures. Prior to that time, he was responsible for acquisitions and asset management for JGS, a Japanese conglomerate with global real estate holdings. Mr. Cooperman holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Available Information
We are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act. Therefore, we file periodic reports and other information with the SEC. Stockholders may obtain copies of our filings with the SEC, free of charge from the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov or from our website at www.terrapropertytrust.com. We will provide without charge a copy of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including financial statements and schedules, upon written request delivered to our principal executive offices.
We are providing the address to our website solely for the information of investors. The information on our website is not a part of, nor is it incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the following risk factors together with all of the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.The risks set forth below are not the only risks we face, and we may face other risks that we have not yet identified, which we do not currently deem material or which are not yet predictable. If any of the following risks occur, our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. Some statements in this section constitute forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Statements.”
Risks Related to Owning Our Common Stock
There is no public market for our common stock and a market may never develop, which could cause our common stock to trade at a discount and make it difficult for holders of our common stock to sell their shares.
There is no established trading market for our common stock, and there can be no assurance that an active trading market for our common stock will develop, or if one develops, be maintained. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to the ability of our stockholders to sell their common stock or the price that our stockholders may obtain for their common stock.
Some of the factors that could negatively affect the market price of our common stock include:
•our expected operating results and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders in the future;
•volatility in our industry, the performance of the real estate-related loans we target, interest rates and spreads, the debt or equity markets, the general economy or the real estate market specifically, whether the result of market events or otherwise;
•the availability of financing on acceptable terms or at all;
•events or circumstances which undermine confidence in the financial markets or otherwise have a broad impact on financial markets, such as the sudden instability or collapse of large depository institutions or other significant corporations, terrorist attacks, natural or man-made disasters or threatened or actual armed conflicts;
•the availability of attractive risk-adjusted investment opportunities in real estate-related loans that satisfy our objectives and strategies;
•the degree and nature of our competition;
•changes in personnel of our Manager and lack of availability of qualified personnel;
•unanticipated costs, delays and other difficulties in executing our long-term growth strategy;
•the timing of cash flows, if any, from our investments due to the lack of liquidity of loans relative to more commonly traded securities;
•an increase in interest rates;
•the performance, financial condition and liquidity of our borrowers; and
•legislative and regulatory changes (including changes to laws governing the taxation of REITs or the exclusion or exemption from registration as an investment company under the 1940 Act).
Market factors unrelated to our performance could also negatively impact the market price of our common stock. One of the factors that investors may consider in deciding whether to buy or sell our common stock is our distribution rate as a percentage of our stock price relative to market interest rates. If market interest rates increase, prospective investors may demand a higher distribution rate or seek alternative investments paying higher dividends or interest. As a result, interest rate fluctuations and conditions in capital markets can affect the fair market value of our common stock. For instance, if interest rates rise, it is likely that the market price of our common stock will decrease as market rates on interest-bearing securities increase.
If we complete an alternative liquidity transaction by pursuing an initial public offering or listing of our shares of common stock in the future, you will be subject to additional risks.
As previously disclosed, we continue to explore alternative liquidity transactions on an opportunistic basis to maximize stockholder value. Examples of the alternative liquidity transactions that, depending on market conditions, may be available to us include a listing of our shares of common stock on a national securities exchange, adoption of a share repurchase plan, a liquidation of our assets, a sale of our company or a strategic business combination, in each case, which may include the in-kind distribution of our shares of common stock indirectly owned by certain Terra Funds to the ultimate investors in the Terra Funds. We may pursue such a liquidity transaction as early as 2023, but we cannot provide any assurance that any alternative liquidity transaction will be available to us or, if available, that we will pursue or be successful in completing any such alternative liquidity transaction. If we complete an alternative liquidity transaction that involves us becoming a publicly traded company through an initial public offering or listing of our shares of common stock on a national securities exchange, you will subject to the following additional risks:
Trading Value of our Shares: Our shares will be publicly traded and investors will be able to assess the value of their shares by reference to the public trading price of our shares.
Distributions: We do not expect that the distributions investors receive following any such liquidity event would be adversely impacted. Following any such transaction, we would be expected to pay regular monthly distributions to our stockholders and would continue to be required to distribute dividends equal to at least 90% of our taxable income (calculated without regard to our net capital gain and the dividends paid deduction) to our investors each year in order to maintain our qualification as a REIT.
Manager Compensation: We expect we will enter into a new management agreement with our Manager or an affiliate of our Manager. The base management fees, incentive distributions or other amounts that would be payable to our Manager in the case of any such transaction are expected to be market-based fees determined in the case of any initial public offering by discussions between our Manager and the underwriters involved in the initial public offering. Any such fees are expected to be paid in lieu of the fees currently payable to our Manager.
Transfer Restrictions: We expect that shares currently held by our stockholders will constitute restricted securities under the Securities Act and will be subject to restrictions on transfer under applicable U.S. securities laws
Common stock and preferred stock eligible for future sale may have adverse effects on our share price.
Our Board has the power, without further stockholder approval, to authorize us to issue additional authorized shares of common stock and preferred stock on the terms and for the consideration it deems appropriate subject, if applicable, to the rules of any stock exchange on which our securities may be listed or traded and the terms of any class or series of our stock. We cannot predict the effect, if any, of future sales of our common stock, or the availability of shares for future sales, on the market price of our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of common stock or the perception that such sales could occur may adversely affect the prevailing market price for our common stock. Following the consummation of the BDC Merger and as of December 31, 2022, Terra JV, former shareholders of Terra BDC and Terra Offshore REIT held 70.0%, 19.9% and 10.1% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Class B Common Stock, respectively.
Our principal stockholders, which are currently controlled by affiliates of our Manager, own a significant amount of our outstanding shares of common stock, which is sufficient to approve or veto most corporate actions requiring a vote of our stockholders.
Through Terra JV, Terra Fund 5 and Terra Fund 7 beneficially own shares of our common stock representing 61.3% and 8.7% of the voting power of our outstanding shares of common stock, respectively. In addition, the former BDC stockholders and Terra Offshore REIT owns shares of our common stock representing 19.9% and 10.1% of the voting power of our outstanding shares of common stock, respectively. Our Manager also serves as manager to Terra Offshore REIT. As a result, our Manager and its affiliates (for the period that such shares continue to be held by Terra Fund 5 and Terra Fund 7 through Terra JV, and Terra Offshore REIT and not distributed to their respective equity owners), subject to a voting agreement as described below, have significant control over matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including:
•the election and removal of directors; and
•the approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets.
Our Manager is a subsidiary of Terra Capital Partners. On April 1, 2021, Mavik, an entity controlled by Vikram S. Uppal, our Chief Executive Officer, completed a series of related transactions that resulted in all of the outstanding interests in Terra Capital Partners being acquired by Mavik for a combination of cash and interests in Mavik. Terra Fund 5 and Terra Fund 7 are managed by Terra Fund Advisors, which is 51% owned by the estate of Bruce Batkin, Dan Cooperman and Simon Mildé and 49% owned by an affiliate of Axar Capital Management. On March 2, 2020, we, Terra Fund 5, Terra JV and Terra REIT Advisors also entered into the Amended and Restated Voting Agreement (the “2020 Voting Agreement”), pursuant to which Terra Fund 5 assigned its rights and obligations under the 2020 Voting Agreement to Terra JV. Consistent with the original voting agreement dated February 8, 2018, for the period that Terra REIT Advisors remains our external manager, Terra REIT Advisors will have the right to nominate two individuals to serve as our directors and, until Terra JV no longer holds at least 10% of our outstanding shares of common stock, Terra JV will have the right to nominate one individual to serve as one of our director.
Except as otherwise required by law or the provisions of other agreements to which the parties are or may in the future become bound, the parties have agreed to vote all shares of our common stock directly or indirectly owned in favor (or against removal) of the directors properly nominated in accordance with the 2020 Voting Agreement. Other than with respect to the election of directors, the 2020 Voting Agreement requires that Terra Fund 5 vote all shares of our common stock directly or indirectly owned by Terra Fund 5 in accordance with the recommendations made by our Board.
On October 1, 2022, we entered into a Voting Support Agreement with Terra JV and Terra Offshore REIT (the “2022 Voting Agreement”). Pursuant to the 2022 Voting Agreement, effective as of October 1, 2022, Terra JV and Terra Offshore REIT have agreed to, at any meeting of our stockholders called for the purpose of electing directors (or by any consent in writing or by electronic transmission in lieu of any such meeting), cast all votes entitled to be cast by each of them in favor of the election of Spencer Goldenberg, Adrienne Everett and Gaurav Misra (each a “Terra BDC Designee”, and collectively, the “Terra BDC Designees”) until the earlier of (i) the first anniversary of October 1, 2022, (ii) the TPT Class B Common Stock Distributions (as defined in the 2022 Voting Agreement) or (iii) an amendment and restatement of the amended and restated management agreement between us and Terra REIT Advisors approved by the our Board, including the Terra BDC Designees.
In addition, our Manager’s and its affiliates’ voting control may discourage transactions involving a change of control of our company, including transactions in which a holder of our common stock might otherwise receive a premium for his or her shares over the then-current market price.
Holders of our common stock may receive distributions on a delayed basis or distributions may decrease over time. Changes in the amount and timing of distributions we pay or in the tax characterization of distributions we pay may adversely affect the fair value of our common stock or may result in holders of our common stock being taxed on distributions at a higher rate than initially expected.
Our distributions are driven by a variety of factors, including our minimum distribution requirements under the REIT tax laws and our REIT taxable income (including certain items of non-cash income) as calculated pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code. We are generally required to distribute to our stockholders dividends equal to at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (calculated without regard to our net capital gain and the dividends paid deduction), although our reported financial results for United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) purposes may differ materially from our REIT taxable income.
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, our Board declared total cash distributions of $0.78 and $0.88 per share, respectively, that were paid monthly in the same period in which each was declared.
We continue to prudently evaluate our liquidity and review the rate of future distributions in light of our financial condition and the applicable minimum distribution requirements under applicable REIT tax laws and regulations. We may determine to pay distributions on a delayed basis or decrease distributions for a number of factors, including the risk factors described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
To the extent we determine that future distributions would represent a return of capital to investors or would not be required under applicable REIT tax laws and regulations rather than the distribution of income, we may determine to discontinue distribution payments until such time that distributions would again represent a distribution of income or be required under applicable REIT tax laws and regulations. Any reduction or elimination of our payment of distributions would not only reduce the amount of distributions you would receive as a holder of our common stock, but could also have the effect of reducing the fair value of our common stock and our ability to raise capital in future securities offerings.
In addition, the rate at which holders of our common stock are taxed on distributions we pay and the characterization of our distribution, whether through ordinary income, capital gains, or a return of capital, could have an impact on the fair value of our common stock. After we announce the expected characterization of distributions we have paid, the actual characterization (and, therefore, the rate at which holders of our common stock are taxed on the distributions they have received) could vary from our expectations, including due to errors, changes made in the course of preparing our corporate tax returns, or changes made in response to an audit by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), with the result that holders of our common stock could incur greater income tax liabilities than expected.
Investing in our common stock may involve a high degree of risk and may result in loss of capital invested in us.
Our investment strategy and our originations may result in a high amount of risk when compared to alternative strategies and volatility or loss of principal. Our originations or acquisitions may be highly speculative and aggressive, and therefore an investment in our shares of common stock may not be suitable for someone with lower risk tolerance.
Risks Related to Our Business
Changes in national, regional or local economic, demographic or real estate market conditions may adversely affect our results of operations, our financial position, the value of our assets and our cash flows.
We are subject to risks incident to the ownership of real estate-related assets including: changes in national, regional or local economic, demographic or real estate market conditions; changes in supply of, or demand for, similar properties in an area; increased competition for real estate assets targeted by our investment strategy; bankruptcies, financial difficulties or lease defaults by property owners and tenants; inflation; changes in interest rates and availability of financing; and changes in government rules, regulations and fiscal policies, including changes in tax, real estate, environmental and zoning laws. Our assets are also subject to the risk of significant adverse changes in financial market conditions that can result in a deleveraging of the global financial system and the forced sale of large quantities of mortgage-related and other financial assets. Concerns over economic recession, inflation, geopolitical issues, including events such as the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, unemployment, the availability and cost of finance, or a prolonged government shutdown may contribute to increased volatility and diminished expectations for the economy and markets, which could result in an increase in mortgage defaults or a decline in the value of our assets. In addition, any increase in mortgage defaults in the residential market may have a negative impact on the credit markets generally as well as on economic conditions generally. We do not know whether the values of the property securing our real estate-related loans will remain at the levels existing on the dates of origination of such loans, and we are unable to predict future changes in national, regional or local economic, demographic or real estate market conditions. These conditions, or others we cannot predict, may adversely affect our results of operations, our financial position, the value of our assets and our cash flows.
Inflation in the U.S. has accelerated recently and is currently expected to continue at an elevated level in the near-to medium-term, which may have an adverse impact on the valuation of our investments.
Inflation in the U.S. has accelerated recently and is currently expected to continue at an elevated level in the near-to medium-term. Further, heightened competition for workers, supply chain issues, the relocation of foreign production and manufacturing businesses to the U.S., and rising energy and commodity prices have contributed to increasing wages and other economic inputs. Higher inflation and rising input costs may have adverse effects on our commercial real estate-related loans, commercial real estate-related debt securities and select commercial real estate equity investments, which are subject to the
risks typically associated with real estate. Inflation can negatively impact the profitability of real estate assets with long-term leases that do not provide for short-term rent increases or that provide for rent increases with a lower annual percentage increase than inflation. Continued inflation, particularly at higher levels, may have an adverse impact on the valuation of our investments.
The lack of liquidity of our assets may adversely affect our business, including our ability to value and sell our assets.
A portion of the real estate-related loans and other assets we originate or acquire may be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or will otherwise be less liquid than publicly-traded securities. The illiquidity of our assets may make it difficult for us to sell such assets if the need or desire arises. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less value than the value at which we have previously recorded our assets. As a result, our ability to vary our portfolio in response to changes in economic and other conditions may be relatively limited, which could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Our investments are selected by our Manager and our investors will not have input into investment decisions.
Pursuant to the terms of the Management Agreement, our Manager is responsible for, among other services, managing the investment and reinvestment of our assets, subject to the oversight and supervision of our Board. Our investors will not have input into investment decisions. This will increase the uncertainty, and thus the risk, of investing in us, as we may make investments with which you may not agree. Our Manager intends to conduct due diligence with respect to each investment and suitable investment opportunities may not be immediately available. The failure of our Manager to find investments that meet our investment criteria in sufficient time or on acceptable terms could result in unfavorable returns and could cause a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Even if investment opportunities are available, there can be no assurance that the due diligence processes of our Manager will uncover all relevant facts or that any particular investment will be successful.
From time to time, before appropriate real estate-related investments can be identified, our Manager may choose to have us invest in interest-bearing, short-term investments, including money market accounts and/or funds, that are consistent with our intention to maintain our qualification as a REIT. These short-term, non-real estate-related investments, if any, are expected to provide a lower net return than we will seek to achieve from investments in real estate-related loans and other commercial real estate assets. Furthermore, when our Manager does identify suitable real estate- related loans and other commercial real estate assets that are the types of assets which we target, you will be unable to influence the decision of our Manager ultimately to invest in, or refrain from investing in, such assets.
Our Manager’s due diligence of potential real estate-related loans and other commercial real estate assets may not reveal all of the liabilities associated with such assets and may not reveal other weaknesses in our assets, which could lead to investment losses.
Before originating or acquiring a financing, our Manager calculates the level of risk associated with the real estate-related loans and other commercial real estate assets to be originated or acquired based on several factors which include the following: top-down reviews of both the current macroeconomic environment generally and the real estate and commercial real estate loan market specifically; detailed evaluation of the real estate industry and its sectors; bottom-up reviews of each individual investment’s attributes and risk/reward profile relative to the macroeconomic environment; and quantitative cash flow analysis and impact of the potential investment on our portfolio. In making the assessment and otherwise conducting customary due diligence, we employ standard documentation requirements and require appraisals prepared by local independent third-party appraisers selected by us. Additionally, we seek to have borrowers or sellers provide representations and warranties on loans we originate or acquire, and if we are unable to obtain representations and warranties, we factor the increased risk into the price we pay for such loans. Despite our review process, there can be no assurance that our Manager’s due diligence process will uncover all relevant facts or that any investment will be successful.
If our Manager underestimates the borrower’s credit analysis or originates loans by using an exception to its loan underwriting guidelines, we may experience losses.
Our Manager values our real estate-related loans based on an initial credit analysis and the investment’s expected risk-adjusted return relative to other comparable investment opportunities available to us, taking into account estimated future losses on the loans, and the estimated impact of these losses on expected future cash flows. Our Manager’s loss estimates may not prove accurate, as actual results may vary from estimates. In the event that our Manager underestimates the losses relative to the price we pay for a particular investment, we may experience losses with respect to such investment, which in turn may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Further, from time to time and in the ordinary course of business, our Manager may make exceptions to our predetermined loan underwriting guidelines. Loans originated with exceptions may result in a higher number of delinquencies and defaults, which could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Deficiencies in appraisal quality in the mortgage loan origination process may result in increased principal loss severity.
During the loan underwriting process, appraisals are generally obtained on the collateral underlying each prospective loan. The quality of these appraisals may vary widely in accuracy and consistency. The appraiser may feel pressure from the broker or lender to provide an appraisal in the amount necessary to enable the originator to make the loan, whether or not the value of the property justifies such an appraised value. Inaccurate or inflated appraisals may result in an increase in the severity of losses on the loans, which could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Our Manager utilizes analytical models and data in connection with the valuation of our real estate-related loans and other commercial real estate assets, and any incorrect, misleading or incomplete information used in connection therewith would subject us to potential risks.
As part of the risk management process our Manager uses detailed proprietary models, including loan level non-performing loan models, to evaluate collateral liquidation timelines and price changes by region, along with the impact of different loss mitigation plans. Additionally, our Manager uses information, models and data supplied by third parties. Models and data are used to value potential targeted assets. In the event models and data prove to be incorrect, misleading or incomplete, any decisions made in reliance thereon expose us to potential risks. For example, by relying on incorrect models and data, especially valuation models, our Manager may be induced to buy certain targeted assets at prices that are too high, to sell certain other assets at prices that are too low or to miss favorable opportunities altogether. Similarly, any hedging based on faulty models and data may prove to be unsuccessful. If any of the aforementioned occur, such event could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Changes in interest rates could adversely affect the demand for our target loans, the value of our loans, CMBS and other real-estate debt or equity assets and the availability and yield on our targeted assets.
We invest in real estate-related loans and other commercial real estate assets, which are subject to changes in interest rates. Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political considerations and other factors beyond our control. Rising interest rates generally reduce the demand for mortgage loans due to the higher cost of borrowing. A reduction in the volume of mortgage loans originated may affect the volume of our targeted assets available to us, which could adversely affect our ability to originate and acquire assets that satisfy our objectives. Rising interest rates may also cause our targeted assets that were issued prior to an interest rate increase to provide yields that are below prevailing market interest rates. If rising interest rates cause us to be unable to originate or acquire a sufficient volume of our targeted assets with a yield that is above our borrowing cost, our ability to satisfy our objectives and to generate income and make distributions may be materially and adversely affected. Conversely, if interest rates decrease, we will be adversely affected to the extent that real estate-related loans are prepaid, because we may not be able to make new loans at the previously higher interest rate.
The relationship between short-term and longer-term interest rates is often referred to as the “yield curve.” Ordinarily, short-term interest rates are lower than longer-term interest rates. If short-term interest rates rise disproportionately relative to longer-term interest rates (a flattening of the yield curve), our borrowing costs may increase more rapidly than the interest income earned on our assets. Because our loans and CMBS assets generally will bear, on average, interest based on longer-term rates than our borrowings, a flattening of the yield curve would tend to decrease our net income and the fair market value of our net assets. Additionally, to the extent cash flows from loans and CMBS assets that return scheduled and unscheduled principal are reinvested, the spread between the yields on the new loans and CMBS assets and available borrowing rates may decline, which would likely decrease our net income. It is also possible that short-term interest rates may exceed longer-term interest rates (a yield curve inversion), in which event our borrowing costs may exceed our interest income and we could incur operating losses.
The values of our loans and CMBS assets may decline without any general increase in interest rates for a number of reasons, such as increases or expected increases in defaults, or increases or expected increases in voluntary prepayments for those loans and CMBS assets that are subject to prepayment risk or widening of credit spreads.
In addition, in a period of rising interest rates, our operating results will depend in large part on the difference between the income from our assets and our financing costs. We anticipate that, in most cases, the income from such assets will respond
more slowly to interest rate fluctuations than the cost of our borrowings. Consequently, changes in interest rates, particularly short-term interest rates, may significantly influence our net income. Increases in these rates will tend to decrease our net income, which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
The expected discontinuance of the London interbank offered rate (“LIBOR”) and transition to alternative reference rates may adversely impact our borrowings and assets.
The United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, has announced that the most commonly used tenors (overnight and one, three, six and 12 months) will cease to be published or will no longer be representative after June 30, 2023. The FCA’s announcement coincided with the March 5, 2021 announcement of LIBOR’s administrator, the ICE Benchmark Administration Limited (“IBA”), indicating that, as a result of not having access to input data necessary to calculate LIBOR tenors relevant to us on a representative basis after June 30, 2023, IBA would have to cease
publication of such LIBOR tenors immediately after the last publication on June 30, 2023. These announcements mean that any
of our LIBOR-based borrowings and assets that mature beyond June 30, 2023 need to be converted to alternative interest rates.
Many of our counterparties are now subject to regulatory guidance not to enter new LIBOR contracts except in limited circumstances.
The Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”), a group of private-market participants convened by the U.S. Federal Reserve Board and the New York Federal Reserve, has recommended the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by Treasury securities, as a more robust reference rate alternative to U.S. dollar LIBOR. The use of SOFR as a substitute for U.S. dollar LIBOR is voluntary and may not be suitable for all market participants. To approximate economic equivalence to LIBOR, SOFR can be compounded over a relevant term and a spread adjustment may be added. There are significant differences between LIBOR and SOFR, such as LIBOR being an unsecured lending rate while SOFR is a secured lending rate, and SOFR is an overnight rate while LIBOR reflects term rates at different maturities. If our LIBOR-based borrowings are converted to SOFR, the differences between LIBOR and SOFR, plus the recommended spread adjustment, could result in interest costs that are higher than if LIBOR remained available, which could have a material adverse effect on our results. Although SOFR is the ARRC's recommended replacement rate, it is also possible that lenders may instead choose alternative replacement rates that may differ from LIBOR in ways similar to SOFR or in other ways that would result in higher borrowing costs for us. It is not yet possible to predict the magnitude of LIBOR’s end on our borrowing costs given the uncertainty about which rates will replace LIBOR and the timing of actual replacement. Market practices related to SOFR calculation conventions continue to develop and may vary, and inconsistent calculation conventions may develop among financial products.
Certain of our indebtedness, including the term loan, the repurchase agreement, the mortgage loan payable and the revolving line of credit, as well as certain of our floating rate loan assets, are, and other future financings may be, linked to LIBOR. We are not able to predict when LIBOR will cease to be available; however, we expect that a significant portion of these financing arrangements and loan assets will not have matured, been prepaid or otherwise terminated prior to the time at which the IBA ceases to publish LIBOR. It is not possible to predict all consequences of the IBA’s proposals to cease publishing LIBOR, any related regulatory actions and the expected discontinuance of the use of LIBOR as a reference rate for financial contracts. If such debt or loan assets mature after LIBOR ceases to be published, our counterparties may disagree with us about how to calculate or replace LIBOR. Even when robust fallback language is included, there can be no assurance that the replacement rate plus any spread adjustment will be economically equivalent to LIBOR, which could result in a higher interest rate being paid by us on our borrowings and a lower interest rate being paid to us on such assets. Modifications to any debt, loan assets, interest rate hedging transactions or other contracts to replace LIBOR with an alternative reference rate could result in adverse tax consequences. In addition, any resulting differences in interest rate standards among our assets and our financing arrangements may result in interest rate mismatches between our assets and the borrowings used to fund such assets.
We and other market participants have less experience understanding and modeling SOFR-based assets and liabilities than LIBOR-based assets and liabilities, increasing the difficulty of investing, hedging, and risk management. Because the impact of LIBOR cessation is dependent on unknown future facts, the language of individual contracts, and the outcome of potential future legislation or litigation, it is not currently practical for our valuation models to account for the cessation of LIBOR.
The process of transition involves operational risks. References to LIBOR may be embedded in computer code or models, and we may not identify and correct all of those references. Because compounded SOFR is backward-looking rather than forward-looking, parties making or receiving LIBOR-based payments may be unable to calculate payment amounts until the day that payment is due. Proposed mechanisms to solve the operational timing issue may result in a payment amount that does not fully reflect interest rates during the calculation period.
Potential changes, or uncertainty related to such potential changes, may also adversely affect the market for LIBOR-based loans, including our portfolio of LIBOR-indexed, floating-rate loans, or the cost of our borrowings. In addition, changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of LIBOR may result in a sudden or prolonged increase or decrease in reported LIBOR, which could have an adverse impact on the market for LIBOR-based loans, including the value of the LIBOR-indexed, floating-rate loans in our portfolio, or the cost of our borrowings. There is no guarantee that a transition from LIBOR to an alternative will not result in financial market disruptions, significant increases in benchmark rates, or borrowing costs to borrowers, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and our cash flows.
New entrants in the market for commercial loan originations and acquisitions could adversely impact our ability to originate and acquire real estate-related loans at attractive risk-adjusted returns.
New entrants in the market for commercial loan originations and acquisitions could adversely impact our ability to execute our investment strategy on terms favorable to us. In originating and acquiring our targeted assets, we may compete with other REITs, numerous regional and community banks, specialty finance companies, savings and loan associations, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, mutual funds, institutional investors, investment banking firms, other lenders and other entities, and we expect that others may be organized in the future. The effect of the existence of additional REITs and other institutions may be increased competition for the available supply of assets suitable for investment by us, which may cause the price for such assets to rise, which may limit our ability to generate desired returns. Additionally, origination of our target loans by our competitors may increase the availability of such loans which may result in a reduction of interest rates on these loans. Some competitors may have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that may not be available to us. Many of our competitors are not subject to the operating constraints associated with REIT tax compliance or maintenance of an exclusion or exemption from the 1940 Act. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of real estate-related loans and establish more relationships than us.
We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we may face will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Also, as a result of this competition, desirable investments in our targeted assets may be limited in the future and we may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to time, as we can provide no assurance that we will be able to identify and make investments that are consistent with our investment objectives.
Our loans are dependent on the ability of the commercial property owner to generate net income from operating the property, which may result in the inability of such property owner to repay a loan, as well as the risk of foreclosure.
Our loans may be secured by office, multifamily, student housing, hotel, commercial or warehouse properties and are subject to risks of delinquency, foreclosure and of loss that may be greater than similar risks associated with loans made on the security of single-family residential property. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by an income-producing property typically is dependent primarily upon the successful operation of such property rather than upon the existence of independent income or assets of the borrower. If the net operating income of the property is reduced, the borrower’s ability to repay the loan may be impaired. Net operating income of an income-producing property can be adversely affected by, among other things:
•tenant mix;
•success of tenant businesses;
•property management decisions;
•property location, condition and design;
•competition from comparable types of properties;
•changes in national, regional or local economic conditions and/or specific industry segments;
•declines in regional or local real estate values;
•declines in regional or local rental or occupancy rates;
•increases in interest rates, real estate tax rates and other operating expenses;
•costs of remediation and liabilities associated with environmental conditions;
•the potential for uninsured or underinsured property losses;
•changes in governmental laws and regulations, including fiscal policies, zoning ordinances and environmental legislation and the related costs of compliance;
•pandemics or other calamities that may affect tenants’ ability to pay their rent; and
•acts of God, terrorism, social and political unrest, armed conflict, geopolitical events and civil disturbances.
In the event of any default under a mortgage loan held directly by us, we bear a risk of loss of principal to the extent of any deficiency between the value of the collateral and the principal and accrued interest of the mortgage loan, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. In the event of the bankruptcy of a mortgage loan borrower, the mortgage loan to such borrower will be deemed to be secured only to the extent of the value of the underlying collateral at the time of bankruptcy (as determined by the bankruptcy court), and the lien securing the mortgage loan will be subject to the avoidance powers of the bankruptcy trustee or debtor-in-possession to the extent the lien is unenforceable under state law.
Foreclosure can be an expensive and lengthy process, and foreclosing on certain properties where we directly hold the mortgage loan and the borrower’s default under the mortgage loan is continuing could result in actions that could be costly to our operations, in addition to having a substantial negative effect on our anticipated return on the foreclosed mortgage loan. If property securing or underlying loans become real estate owned as a result of foreclosure, we bear the risk of not being able to sell the property and recovering our investment and of being exposed to the risks attendant to the ownership of real property.
Our loan portfolio may at times be concentrated in certain property types or secured by properties concentrated in a limited number of geographic areas, which increases our exposure to economic downturn with respect to those property types or geographic locations.
We are not required to observe specific diversification criteria. Therefore, our portfolio of assets may, at times, be concentrated in certain property types that are subject to higher risk of foreclosure, or secured by properties concentrated in a limited number of geographic locations.
Our loans are concentrated in California, New York, Georgia, Texas and New Jersey representing approximately 24.0%, 14.5%, 11.4%, 10.7% and 9.8%, respectively, of our net loan portfolio as of December 31, 2022. Additionally, we own a multi-tenant office building in California. If economic conditions in these or in any other state in which we have a significant concentration of borrowers were to deteriorate, such adverse conditions could have a material and adverse effect on our business by reducing demand for new financings, limiting the ability of customers to repay existing loans and impairing the value of our real estate collateral and real estate owned properties.
Further, our loans are concentrated in office, industrial and multifamily property types representing approximately 27.1%, 23.3% and 16.5%, respectively, of our net loan portfolio as of December 31, 2022. As a result, a downturn in any particular industry in which we are heavily invested may significantly impact the aggregate returns we realize. If an industry in which we are heavily invested suffers from adverse business or economic conditions, a material portion of our investment could be affected adversely, which, in turn, could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
In addition, from time to time, there have been proposals to base property taxes on commercial properties on their current market value, without any limit based on purchase price. In California, pursuant to an existing state law commonly referred to as Proposition 13, properties are reassessed to market value only at the time of change in ownership or completion of construction, and thereafter, annual property reassessments are limited to 2% of previously assessed values. As a result, Proposition 13 generally results in significant below-market assessed values over time. From time to time, lawmakers and political coalitions have initiated efforts to repeal or amend Proposition 13 to eliminate its application to commercial and industrial properties. If successful, a repeal of Proposition 13 could substantially increase the assessed values and property taxes for our customers in California which in turn could limit their ability to borrow funds.
To the extent that our portfolio is concentrated in any region, or by type of property, downturns relating generally to such region, type of borrower or security may result in defaults on a number of our assets within a short time period, which may
reduce our net income, which in turn may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
We expect that a significant portion of the mortgage loans invested in by us may be development mortgage loans on infill land, which are speculative in nature.
We expect that a significant portion of our assets may be mortgage loans for the development of real estate, which will initially be secured by infill land. These types of loans are speculative, because:
•until improvement, the property may not generate separate income for the borrower to make loan payments;
•the completion of planned development may require additional development financing by the borrower, which may not be available; and
•there is no assurance that we will be able to sell unimproved infill land promptly if we are forced to foreclose upon it.
If in fact the land is not developed, the borrower may not be able to refinance the loan and, therefore, may not be able to make the balloon payment when due. If a borrower defaults and we foreclose on the collateral, we may not be able to sell the collateral for the amount owed to us by the borrower. In calculating our loan-to-value ratios for the purpose of determining maximum borrowing capacity, we use the estimated value of the property at the time of completion of the project, which increases the risk that, if we foreclose on the collateral before it is fully developed, we may not be able to sell the collateral for the amount owed to us by the borrower, which in turn may have an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Loans to small businesses involve a high degree of business and financial risk, which can result in substantial losses that would adversely affect our business, results of operation and financial condition.
Our operations and activities include loans to small, privately owned businesses to purchase real estate used in their operations or by investors seeking to acquire small office, multifamily, student housing, hotel, commercial or warehouse properties. Additionally, such loans are also often accompanied by personal guarantees. Often, there is little or no publicly available information about these businesses. Accordingly, we must rely on our own due diligence to obtain information in connection with our investment decisions. Our borrowers may not meet net income, cash flow and other coverage tests typically imposed by banks. A borrower’s ability to repay its loan may be adversely impacted by numerous factors, including a downturn in its industry or other negative local or more general economic conditions. Deterioration in a borrower’s financial condition and prospects may be accompanied by deterioration in the collateral for the loan. In addition, small businesses typically depend on the management talents and efforts of one person or a small group of people for their success. The loss of services of one or more of these persons could have a material and adverse impact on the operations of the small business. Small companies are typically more vulnerable to customer preferences, market conditions and economic downturns and often need additional capital to expand or compete. These factors may have an impact on loans involving such businesses. Loans to small businesses, therefore, involve a high degree of business and financial risk, which can result in substantial losses.
Our investments may include subordinated tranches of CMBS, which are subordinate in right of payment to more senior securities.
Our investments may include subordinated tranches of CMBS, which are subordinated classes of securities in a structure of securities collateralized by a pool of assets consisting primarily of commercial loans and, accordingly, are the first or among the first to bear the loss upon a restructuring or liquidation of the underlying collateral and the last to receive payment of interest and principal. Additionally, estimated fair values of these subordinated interests tend to be more sensitive to changes in economic conditions than more senior securities. As a result, such subordinated interests generally are not actively traded and may not provide holders thereof with liquid investments.
Any credit ratings assigned to our loans and CMBS assets will be subject to ongoing evaluations and revisions and we cannot assure you that those ratings will not be downgraded.
Some of our loan and CMBS assets may be rated by Moody’s Investors Service, Standard & Poor’s, or Fitch Ratings. Any credit ratings on our loans and CMBS assets are subject to ongoing evaluation by credit rating agencies, and we cannot assure you that any such ratings will not be changed or withdrawn by a rating agency in the future if, in its judgment, circumstances warrant. Rating agencies may assign a lower than expected rating or reduce or withdraw, or indicate that they may reduce or withdraw, their ratings of our loans and CMBS assets in the future. In addition, we may originate or acquire assets with no
rating or with below investment grade ratings. If the rating agencies take adverse action with respect to the rating of our loans and CMBS assets or if our unrated assets are illiquid, the value of these loans and CMBS assets could significantly decline, which would adversely affect the value of our investment portfolio and could result in losses upon disposition or the failure of borrowers to satisfy their debt service obligations to us.
The mezzanine loans, preferred equity and other subordinated loans in which we invest involve greater risks of loss than senior loans secured by income-producing commercial properties.
We invest in mezzanine loans that take the form of subordinated loans secured by second mortgages on the underlying real property or loans secured by a pledge of the ownership interests of the entity owning the real property. These types of investments involve a higher degree of risk than long-term senior mortgage lending secured by income-producing real property because the investment may become unsecured as a result of foreclosure by the senior lender. In the event of a bankruptcy of the entity providing the pledge of its ownership interests as security, we may not have full recourse to the assets of such entity, or the assets of the entity may not be sufficient to satisfy our mezzanine loan. If a borrower defaults on our mezzanine loan or debt senior to such loan, or in the event of a borrower bankruptcy, our mezzanine loan will be satisfied only after the senior debt is fully satisfied. As a result, we may not recover some or all of our investment. In addition, mezzanine loans may have higher loan-to-value ratios than conventional mortgage loans, resulting in less equity in the real property and increasing the risk of loss of principal.
Our investments in B-notes are generally subject to losses. The B-notes in which we may invest may be subject to additional risks relating to the privately negotiated structure and terms of the transaction, which may result in losses to us.
As part of our whole loan origination platform, we may retain from whole loans we originate or acquire, subordinate interests referred to as B-notes. B-notes are commercial real estate loans secured by a first mortgage on a single large commercial property or group of related properties and subordinated to a senior interest, referred to as an A-note. As a result, if a borrower defaults, there may not be sufficient funds remaining for B-note owners after payment to the A-note owners. In addition, our rights to control the process following a borrower default may be subject to the rights of A-note owners whose interests may not be aligned with ours. B-notes reflect similar credit risks to comparably rated CMBS. However, since each transaction is privately negotiated, B-notes can vary in their structural characteristics and risks. For example, the rights of holders of B-notes to control the process following a borrower default may be limited in certain investments. We cannot predict the terms of each B-note investment. Significant losses related to our B-notes would result in operating losses for us, which in turn may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Any disruption in the availability and/or functionality of our Manager’s technology infrastructure and systems and any failure or our security measures related to these systems could adversely impact our business.
Our ability to originate and acquire real estate-related loans and manage any related interest rate risks and credit risks is critical to our success and is highly dependent upon the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our computer and communications hardware and software systems. For example, we rely on our Manager’s proprietary database to track and maintain all loan performance and servicing activity data for loans in our portfolio. This data is used to manage the portfolio, track loan performance, and develop and execute asset disposition strategies. In addition, this data is used to evaluate and price new investment opportunities. If we lost access to our loan servicing activity data or other important business information due to a network or utility failure, our ability to effectively manage our business could be impaired.
Some of these systems are located at our facility and some are maintained by third-party vendors. Any significant interruption in the availability and functionality of these systems could harm our business. In the event of a systems failure or interruption by our third-party vendors, we will have limited ability to affect the timing and success of systems restoration. If such systems failures or interruptions continue for a prolonged period of time, there could be a material and adverse impact on results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
In addition, some of our security measures may not effectively prohibit others from obtaining improper access to our information. If a person is able to circumvent our security measures, he or she could destroy or misappropriate valuable information or disrupt our operations. Any security breach could expose us to risks of data loss, litigation and liability and could seriously disrupt our operations and harm our reputation.
Cybersecurity risk and cyber incidents may adversely affect our business by causing a disruption to our operations, a compromise or corruption of our confidential information and/or damage to our business relationships, all of which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. results.
A cyber incident is considered to be any adverse event that threatens the confidentiality, integrity or availability of our information resources. These incidents may be an intentional attack or an unintentional event and could involve gaining unauthorized access to our information systems for purposes of misappropriating assets, stealing confidential information, corrupting data or causing operational disruption. The result of these incidents may include disrupted operations, misstated or unreliable financial data, liability for stolen assets or information, increased cybersecurity protection and insurance cost, litigation and damage to our relationships. As our reliance on technology has increased, so have the risks posed to our information systems both internal and those provided by our Manager, Terra Capital Partners, its affiliates and third-party service providers. With respect to cybersecurity risk oversight, our Board and our audit committee receive periodic reports and updates from management on the primary cybersecurity risks facing us and our Manager and the measures our Manager is taking to mitigate such risks. In addition to such periodic reports, our Board and our audit committee receive updates from management as to changes to our and our Manager’s and its affiliates’ cybersecurity risk profile or certain newly identified risks. However, these measures, as well as our increased awareness of the nature and extent of a risk of a cyber incident, do not guarantee that our financial results, operations or confidential information will not be negatively impacted by such an incident.
Our acquisitions and the integration of acquired businesses subject us to various risks and may not result in all of the cost savings and benefits anticipated, which could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.
We have in the past and may in the future seek to grow our business by acquiring other businesses that we believe will complement or augment our existing businesses. For example, we completed the BDC Merger in October 2022. We cannot predict with certainty the benefits of such acquisitions, which often constitute multi-year endeavors. There is risk that our acquisitions may not have the anticipated positive results, including results relating to: correctly assessing the asset quality of the assets being acquired; the total cost and time required to complete the integration successfully; being able to profitably deploy funds acquired in an acquisition; or the overall performance of the combined entity.
If we are unable to successfully integrate our acquisitions into our business, we may never realize their expected benefits. With each acquisition, we may discover unexpected costs, liabilities for which we are not indemnified, delays, lower than expected cost savings or synergies, or incurrence of other significant charges such as impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets and asset devaluation. We also may be unable to successfully integrate the diverse company cultures, retain key personnel, apply our expertise to new competencies, or react to adverse changes in industry conditions.
Acquisitions may also result in business disruptions that could cause customers to move their business to our competitors. It is possible that the integration process related to acquisitions could result in the disruption of our ongoing businesses or inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies that could adversely affect our ability to maintain relationships with borrowers, clients, customers, and employees. The loss of key employees in connection with an acquisition could adversely affect our ability to successfully conduct our business. Acquisition and integration efforts could divert management attention and resources, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, the operation of the acquired businesses may adversely affect our existing profitability, and we may not be able to achieve results in the future similar to those achieved by our existing business or manage growth resulting from the acquisition effectively.
We are subject to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) risks that could adversely affect our reputation, business,
operations and earnings.
Certain organizations that provide corporate risk information to investors and shareholders have developed scores and ratings to evaluate companies based upon various ESG metrics. Currently, there are no universal standards for such scores or ratings, but ESG evaluations are increasingly being integrated into investment analysis. Views about ESG matters are diverse and rapidly changing, and companies are facing increasing scrutiny from regulators, investors, and other stakeholders related to their ESG practices and disclosure. If we fail to adapt to or comply with regulatory requirements or investor or stakeholder ESG standards, our reputation, ability to do business with certain partners, access to capital, operations and earnings could be adversely affected.
Risks Related to Regulation
The increasing number of proposed U.S. federal, state and local laws may affect certain mortgage-related assets in which we invest and could materially increase our cost of doing business.
Various bankruptcy legislation has been proposed that, among other provisions, could allow judges to modify the terms of residential mortgages in bankruptcy proceedings, could hinder the ability of the servicer to foreclose promptly on defaulted mortgage loans or permit limited assignee liability for certain violations in the mortgage loan origination process, any or all of which could adversely affect our business or result in us being held responsible for violations in the mortgage loan origination process even where we were not the originator of the loan. We do not know what impact this type of legislation, which has been primarily, if not entirely, focused on residential mortgage originations, would have on the commercial loan market. We are unable to predict whether U.S. federal, state or local authorities, or other pertinent bodies, will enact legislation, laws, rules, regulations, handbooks, guidelines or similar provisions that will affect our business or require changes in our practices in the future, and any such changes could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Failure to obtain or maintain required approvals and/or state licenses necessary to operate our mortgage-related activities may adversely impact our investment strategy.
We may be required to obtain and maintain various approvals and/or licenses from federal or state governmental authorities, government sponsored entities or similar bodies in connection with some or all of our activities. There is no assurance that we can obtain and maintain any or all of the approvals and licenses that we desire or that we will avoid experiencing significant delays in seeking such approvals and licenses. Furthermore, we may be subject to various disclosure and other requirements to obtain and maintain these approvals and licenses, and there is no assurance that we will satisfy those requirements. Our failure to obtain or maintain licenses will restrict our options and ability to engage in desired activities, and could subject us to fines, suspensions, terminations and various other adverse actions if it is determined that we have engaged without the requisite approvals or licenses in activities that required an approval or license, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
The impact of financial reform legislation and legislation promulgated thereunder on us is uncertain.
U.S. Federal government agencies, including the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Department and the SEC, as well as other governmental and regulatory bodies, have taken, are taking or may in the future take, various actions to address financial crises or other areas of national regulatory concern. Such actions could materially and adversely impact our business and investments, and dramatically increase the costs of complying with any additional laws and regulations. The elimination or reduction in scope of various existing laws and regulations could similarly materially and adversely impact our business and investments, results of operations and financial condition. Any far-ranging government intervention in the U.S. economic and financial systems may carry unintended consequences and cause market distortions. We are unable to predict at this time the extent and nature of such unintended consequences and market distortions, if any. The inability to evaluate such potential impacts could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Accounting rules for certain of our transactions are highly complex and involve significant judgment and assumptions, and changes in such rules, accounting interpretations or our assumptions could adversely impact our ability to timely and accurately prepare our consolidated financial statements.
We are subject to Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) interpretations that can result in significant accounting changes that could have a material and adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition. Accounting rules for financial instruments, including the origination, acquisition and sales or securitization of mortgage loans, derivatives, investment consolidations and other aspects of our anticipated operations are highly complex and involve significant judgment and assumptions. For example, our estimates and judgments are based on a number of factors, including projected cash flows from the collateral securing our loans, the likelihood of repayment in full at the maturity of a loan, potential for a loan refinancing opportunity in the future and expected market discount rates for varying property types. These complexities could lead to a delay in the preparation of financial information and the delivery of this information to our investors.
Changes in accounting rules, interpretations or our assumptions could also undermine our ability to prepare timely and accurate financial statements, which could result in a lack of investor confidence in our financial information.
The Current Expected Credit Loss (“CECL”) accounting standard could result in a significant change in how we recognize
credit losses and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
In June 2016, the FASB issued an Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”), Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326), Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”), which replaces the current “incurred loss” model for recognizing credit losses with an “expected loss” model referred to as the CECL model. The new CECL standard became effective for us on January 1, 2023. Under the CECL model, we are required to present certain financial assets carried at amortized cost, such as loans held for investment and held-to-maturity debt securities, at the net amount expected to be collected. The measurement of expected credit losses is based on information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. This measurement will take place at the time the financial asset is first added to the balance sheet and periodically thereafter. This differs significantly from the “incurred loss” model required under current U.S. GAAP, which delays recognition until it is probable a loss has been incurred. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 resulted in an incremental reserve of approximately $4.6 million, which included reserve on future loan funding commitments. Accordingly, the adoption of the CECL model may materially affect how we determine our allowance for credit losses and require us to increase our allowance. If we are required to materially increase our level of allowance for credit losses for any reason, such increase could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are an “emerging growth company,” and a “smaller reporting company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies will make an investment in us less attractive to investors. In particular, our independent registered public accounting firm is not required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest to occur of (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion, (ii) the date on which we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in nonconvertible debt during the preceding three-year period, and (iv) the end of the year in which the five-year anniversary of the initial public offering of our common stock occurs in the future, if applicable. We may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including but not limited to, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, and generally requires in the same report a report by our independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Under the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act until we are no longer an “emerging growth company.”
In addition, we are also a smaller reporting company, as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act. In the event that we are still considered a smaller reporting company at such time as we cease being an emerging growth company, the disclosure we will be required to provide in our SEC filings will increase, but will still be less than it would be if we were not considered either an emerging growth company or a smaller reporting company.
Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act defines a “smaller reporting company” as an issuer that is not an investment company, an asset-backed issuer or a majority-owned subsidiary of a parent that is not a smaller reporting company and that:
(1)had a public float of less than $250 million; or
(2)had annual revenues of less than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year for which audited financial statements are available and either had no public float or a public float of less than $700 million.
Similar to emerging growth companies, smaller reporting companies are able to provide simplified executive compensation disclosures in their filings, and have certain other decreased disclosure obligations in their SEC filings, including, among other things, being required to provide only two years of audited financial statements in annual reports.
To the extent we take advantage of some or all of the reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, an investment in our company may be less attractive to investors.
We may be exposed to environmental liabilities with respect to properties to which we take title, which may in turn decrease the value of the underlying properties.
In the course of our business, we may take title to real estate, and, as a result, we could be subject to environmental liabilities with respect to these properties. In such a circumstance, we may be held liable to a governmental entity or to third parties for property damage, personal injury, investigation and clean-up costs incurred by these parties in connection with environmental contamination, or we may be required to investigate or clean up hazardous or toxic substances or chemical releases at a property. The costs associated with investigation or remediation activities could be substantial. If we ever become subject to significant environmental liabilities, our business, financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, an owner or operator of real property may become liable under various federal, state and local laws, for the costs of removal of certain hazardous substances released on its property. Such laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the release of such hazardous substances. The presence of hazardous substances may adversely affect an owner’s ability to sell real estate or borrow using real estate as collateral. To the extent that an owner of an underlying property becomes liable for removal costs, the ability of the owner to make debt payments may be reduced, which in turn may adversely affect the value of the relevant mortgage-related assets held by us.
Insurance on the properties underlying our loans may not adequately cover all losses and uninsured losses could materially and adversely affect us.
Generally, our borrowers will be responsible for the costs of insurance coverage for the properties we lease, including for casualty, liability, fire, floods, earthquakes, extended coverage and rental or business interruption loss. However, there are certain risks, such as losses from terrorism, that are not generally insured against, or that are not generally fully insured against, because it is not deemed economically feasible or prudent to do so. In addition, changes in the cost or availability of insurance could expose us to uninsured casualty losses. Under certain circumstances insurance proceeds may not be sufficient to restore our economic position with respect to an affected property, and we could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we do not have any insurance designated to limit any losses that we may incur as a result of known or unknown environmental conditions which are not caused by an insured event.
In addition, certain of the properties underlying our loans may be located in areas that are more susceptible to, and could be significantly affected by, natural disasters that could cause significant damage to the properties. If we or our borrowers experience a loss, due to such natural disasters or other relevant factors, that is uninsured or that exceeds policy limits, we could incur significant costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Maintenance of our 1940 Act exclusion imposes limits on our operations.
We are not registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act. If we were obligated to register as an investment company, we would have to comply with a variety of substantive requirements under the 1940 Act that impose, among other things:
•limitations on our capital structure and the use of leverage;
•restrictions on specified investments;
•prohibitions on transactions with affiliates; and
•compliance with reporting, record keeping, and other rules and regulations that would significantly change our operations.
We conduct our operations so that neither we nor our subsidiaries are required to register as an investment company under the 1940 Act. Section 3(a) (1)(A) of the 1940 Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the 1940 Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of such issuer’s total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Excluded from the term “investment securities,” among other things, are U.S. government securities and securities issued by majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exclusion from the definition of investment company set forth in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act. The value of the “investment
securities” held by an issuer must be less than 40% of the value of such issuer’s total assets on an unconsolidated basis (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items). In addition, we conduct our operations so that neither we nor our subsidiaries will be considered an investment company under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act, as neither we nor our subsidiaries are engaged primarily nor do we hold ourselves out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Rather, we are primarily engaged in the non-investment company businesses of our subsidiaries.
We and certain of our subsidiaries may from time to time rely primarily on the exclusion from the definition of an investment company under Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the 1940 Act, or any other exclusions that may be available to us (other than the exclusions under Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7)). Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the 1940 Act is available for entities primarily engaged in the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate. This exclusion generally requires that at least 55% of our portfolio must be comprised of “qualifying real estate” assets and at least 80% of our portfolio must be comprised of “qualifying real estate” assets and “real estate-related” assets (and no more than 20% comprised of miscellaneous assets). For purposes of the Section 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion, we classify our investments based in large measure on no-action letters issued by the staff of the SEC, and other SEC interpretive guidance and, in the absence of SEC guidance, on our view of what constitutes a “qualifying real estate” asset and a “real estate-related” asset. These no-action positions were issued in accordance with factual situations that may be substantially different from the factual situations we may face, and a number of these no-action letters were issued more than 20 years ago. Pursuant to this guidance, and depending on the characteristics of the specific investments, certain mortgage loans, participations in mortgage loans, mortgage-backed securities, mezzanine loans, joint venture investments, preferred equity and the equity securities of other entities may not constitute qualifying real estate assets and therefore our investments in these types of assets may be limited. No assurance can be given that the SEC or its staff will concur with our classification of the assets we hold for purposes of the 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion or any other exclusion or exemption under the 1940 Act. Future revisions to the 1940 Act or further guidance from the SEC or its staff may cause us to lose our exclusion from registration or force us to re-evaluate our portfolio and investment strategy. Such changes may prevent us from operating our business successfully.
In order to maintain an exclusion from registration under the 1940 Act, we may be unable to sell assets that we would otherwise want to sell and may need to sell assets we would otherwise wish to retain. In addition, we may have to acquire additional income or loss generating assets that we might not otherwise have acquired or may have to forgo opportunities to acquire assets that we would otherwise want to acquire and would be important to our strategy.
Although we monitor our portfolio periodically and prior to each acquisition and disposition, we may not be able to maintain an exclusion from registration as an investment company. If we were required to register as an investment company, but failed to do so, we would be prohibited from engaging in our business, and legal proceedings could be instituted against us. In addition, our contracts may be unenforceable, and a court could appoint a receiver to take control of us and liquidate our business, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Risks Related to Our Management and Our Relationship With Our Manager
We rely entirely on the management team and employees of our Manager for our day-to-day operations.
We have no employees and do not intend to have employees in the future. We rely entirely on the management team and employees of our Manager for our day-to-day operations, and our Manager has significant discretion as to the implementation of our operating policies and strategies. Our success depends substantially on the efforts and abilities of the management team of our Manager, including Messrs. Uppal, Pinkus and Cooperman, and our Manager’s debt finance professionals. The loss of any of such individuals could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows
We face certain conflicts of interest with respect to our operations and our relationship with our Manager and its affiliates.
We are subject to conflicts of interest arising out of our relationship with our Manager. We may enter into additional transactions with our Manager, its affiliates, or entities managed by our Manager or its affiliates. In particular, we may invest in, or acquire, certain of our investments through joint ventures or co-investments with other affiliates or purchase assets from, sell assets to or arrange financing from or provide financing to other affiliates, or engage in other transactions with entities managed by our Manger or its affiliates. Future joint venture investments could be adversely affected by our lack of sole decision-making
authority, our reliance on our Manager’s and its affiliates’ financial condition and liquidity, and disputes between us and our Manager or its affiliates. There can be no assurance that any procedural protections will be sufficient to assure that these transactions will be made on terms that will be at least as favorable to us as those that would have been obtained in an arm’s-length transaction.
In addition, we will rely on our Manager for our day-to-day operations. Under the Management Agreement, our Manager has and will have a contractual, as opposed to a fiduciary, relationship with us that limits its obligations to us to those specifically set forth in the Management Agreement. Our Manager may be subject to conflicts of interest in making investment decisions on assets on our behalf as opposed to other entities that have similar investment objectives. Our Manager may have different incentives in determining when to sell assets with respect to which it is entitled to fees and compensation and such determinations may not be in our best interest.
Our Manager and its affiliates serve as manager of certain other funds and investment vehicles, all of which have investment objectives that overlap with ours. In addition, future programs may be sponsored by our Manager and its affiliates. As a result, our Manager and its affiliates may face conflicts of interest arising from potential competition with other programs for investors and investment opportunities. There may be periods during which one or more programs managed by our Manager or its affiliates will be raising capital and which might compete with us for investment capital. Such conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and our investors will not have the opportunity to evaluate the manner in which these conflicts of interest are resolved before or after making their investment.
Our officers and the officers of our Manager are also officers of other affiliates of our Manager; therefore, our officers and the officers of our Manager will face competing demands based on the allocation of investment opportunities between us and our affiliates.
We rely on our officers and the officers of our Manager, including Messrs. Uppal, Pinkus and Cooperman, and the other debt finance professionals of our Manager to identify suitable investments. Certain other companies managed by our Manager or its affiliates also rely on many of these same professionals. These funds have similar investment objectives as we do. Many investment opportunities that are suitable for us may also be suitable for other affiliates advised by our Manager.
When our officers or the officers of our Manager identify an investment opportunity that may be suitable for us as well as an affiliated entity, they, in their sole discretion, will first evaluate the investment objectives of each program to determine if the opportunity is suitable for each program. If the proposed investment is appropriate for more than one program, our Manager will then evaluate the portfolio of each program, in terms of diversity of geography, underlying property type, tenant concentration and borrower, to determine if the investment is most suitable for one program in order to create portfolio diversification. If such analysis is not determinative, our Manager will allocate the investment to the program with uncommitted funds available for the longest period or, to the extent feasible, prorate the investment between the programs in accordance with uninvested funds. As a result, our officers or the officers of our Manager could direct attractive investment opportunities to other affiliated entities or investors. Such events could result in our acquiring investments that provide less attractive returns, which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Our Manager, our officers and the debt finance professionals assembled by our Manager will face competing demands relating to their time and this may cause our operations and our investors’ investments to suffer.
We will rely on our Manager, its officers and on the debt finance professionals that our Manager retains to provide services to us for the day-to-day operation of our business. Messrs. Uppal, Pinkus and Cooperman are executive officers of our Manager as well as certain other funds managed by our Manager or its affiliates. As a result of their interests in other programs, their obligations to other investors and the fact that they engage in and will continue to engage in other business activities on behalf of themselves and others, Messrs. Uppal, Pinkus and Cooperman face conflicts of interest in allocating their time between us and other Terra Capital Partners-sponsored programs and other business activities in which they are involved. Should our Manager devote insufficient time or resources to our business, our returns on our direct or indirect investments, may decline, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
The compensation that our Manager receives was not determined on an arm’s-length basis and therefore may not be on the same terms as we could achieve from a third-party.
Our Manager’s compensation for services it provides to us was not determined on an arm’s-length basis. We cannot assure you that a third-party unaffiliated with us would not be able to provide such services to us at a lower price.
The base management fees we pay our Manager may reduce its incentive to devote its time and effort to seeking attractive assets for our portfolio because the fees are payable regardless of our performance.
We pay our Manager base management fees regardless of the performance of our portfolio. Our Manager’s entitlement to the base management fee, which is not based upon performance metrics or goals, might reduce its incentive to devote its time and effort to seeking assets that provide attractive risk-adjusted returns for our portfolio. We would be required to pay the
Manager the base management fee in a particular period even if we experienced a net loss or a decline in the value of our portfolio during that period.
We cannot predict the amounts of compensation to be paid to the Manager.
Because the fees that we pay to our Manager are based in part on the level of our business activity, it is not possible to predict the amounts of compensation that we will be required to pay our Manager. In addition, we have entered into a cost sharing and reimbursement agreement with Terra LLC, effective October 1, 2022, pursuant to which Terra LLC will be responsible for its allocable share of our expenses, including fees paid by us to our Manager. Because key employees of our Manager are given broad discretion to determine when to consummate a transaction, we will rely on these key persons to dictate the level of our business activity. Fees paid to our Manager reduce funds available for payment of distributions to our stockholders and principal and interest payments on our outstanding indebtedness. Because we cannot predict the amount of fees due our Manager, we cannot predict how precisely such fees will impact such payments.
If our Manager causes us to enter into a transaction with an affiliate, our Manager may face conflicts of interest that would not exist if such transaction had been negotiated at arm’s-length with an independent party.
Our Manager may face conflicts of interests if we enter into transactions with affiliates of our Manager, or entities managed by our Manager or its affiliates. In these circumstances, the persons who serve as our Manager’s management team may have a fiduciary responsibility to both us and the affiliate. Transactions between us and our Manager’s affiliates, including entities managed by our Manager or its affiliates, will not have the benefit of arm’s-length negotiation of the type normally conducted between unrelated parties. This conflict of interest may cause our Manager to sacrifice our best interests in favor of its affiliate or the entity it or its affiliates manages, thereby causing us to enter into a transaction that is not in our best interest and that may negatively impact our performance.
Our Manager and its affiliates have limited prior experience operating a REIT and therefore may have difficulty in successfully and profitably operating our business or complying with regulatory requirements, including REIT provisions of the Code, which may hinder their ability to achieve our objectives or result in loss of our qualification as a REIT.
Prior to the completion of the REIT formation transaction, our Manager and its affiliates had no experience operating a REIT or complying with regulatory requirements, including the REIT provisions of the Code. The REIT rules and regulations are highly technical and complex, and the failure to comply with the income, asset, and other limitations imposed by these rules and regulations could prevent us from qualifying as a REIT or could force us to pay unexpected taxes and penalties. Our Manager and its affiliates have limited experience operating a business in compliance with the numerous technical restrictions and limitations set forth in the Code applicable to REITs or the 1940 Act. We cannot assure you that our Manager or our management team will perform on our behalf as they have in their previous endeavors. The inexperience of our Manager and its affiliates described above may hinder our Manager’s ability to achieve our objectives or result in loss of our qualification as a REIT or payment of taxes and penalties. As a result, we cannot assure you that we have been able to or will continue to be able to successfully operate as a REIT, execute our business strategies or comply with regulatory requirements applicable to REITs.
Risks Related to Financing and Hedging
Our Board may change our leverage policy and or investment strategy and guidelines, asset allocation and financing strategy without stockholder consent.
We currently have outstanding indebtedness and expect to deploy moderate amounts of additional leverage as part of our operating strategy. Our governing documents contain no limit on the amount of debt we may incur, and, subject to compliance with financial covenants under our borrowings, including under the term loan, the unsecured notes, the repurchase agreement and the revolving line of credit, we may significantly increase the amount of leverage we utilize at any time without approval of our stockholders. Depending on market conditions, additional borrowings may include credit facilities, senior notes (including both a reopening of the unsecured notes or the issuance of a new series), repurchase agreements, additional first mortgage loans and securitizations. In addition, we may divide the loans we originate into senior and junior tranches and dispose of the more senior tranches as an additional means of providing financing to our business. To the extent that we use leverage to finance our assets, we would expect to have a larger portfolio of loan assets, but our financing costs relating to our borrowings will reduce our net income. We may not be able to meet our financing obligations and, to the extent that we cannot, we risk the loss of some or all of our assets to liquidation or sale to satisfy such obligations. Any reduction in our ability to make principal and
interest payments on our debt obligations, including the term loan, the unsecured notes and the revolving line of credit, may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Our Manager is authorized to follow broad investment guidelines that have been approved by our Board. Those investment guidelines, as well as our target assets, investment strategy, financing strategy and hedging policies with respect to investments, originations, acquisitions, growth, operations, indebtedness, capitalization and distributions, may be changed at any time without notice to, or the consent of, our investors. This could result in a loan portfolio with a different risk profile. A change in our investment strategy may increase our exposure to interest rate risk, default risk and real estate market fluctuations. Furthermore, a change in our asset allocation could result in our making investments in asset categories different from those described herein. These changes could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
We may pursue and not be able to successfully complete securitization transactions, which could limit potential future sources of financing and could inhibit the growth of our business.
We may use additional credit facilities, senior notes (including both a reopening of the unsecured notes or the issuance of a new series), term loans, repurchase agreements, first mortgage loans or other borrowings to finance the origination and/or structuring of real estate-related loans until a sufficient quantity of eligible assets has been accumulated, at which time we may decide to refinance these short-term facilities or repurchase agreements through the securitization market which could include the creation of CMBS, collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), or the private placement of loan participations or other long-term financing. If we employ this strategy, we are subject to the risk that we would not be able to obtain, during the period that our short-term financing arrangements are available, a sufficient amount of eligible assets to maximize the efficiency of a CMBS, CDO or private placement issuance. We are also subject to the risk that we are not able to obtain short-term financing arrangements or are not able to renew any short-term financing arrangements after they expire should we find it necessary to extend such short-term financing arrangements to allow more time to obtain the necessary eligible assets for a long-term financing.
The inability to consummate securitizations of our portfolio to finance our real estate-related loans on a long-term basis could require us to seek other forms of potentially less attractive financing or to liquidate assets at an inopportune time or price, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
We may be required to repurchase loans or indemnify investors if we breach representations and warranties, which could harm our earnings.
We may, on occasion, consistent with our qualification as a REIT and our desire to avoid being subject to the “prohibited transaction” penalty tax, sell some of our loans in the secondary market or as a part of a securitization of a portfolio of our loans. If we sell loans, we would be required to make customary representations and warranties about such loans to the loan purchaser. Our loan sale agreements may require us to repurchase or substitute loans in the event we breach a representation or warranty given to the loan purchaser. In addition, we may be required to repurchase loans as a result of borrower fraud or in the event of early payment default on a loan. Likewise, we may be required to repurchase or substitute loans if we breach a representation or warranty in connection with our securitizations, if any.
The remedies available to a purchaser of loans are generally broader than those available to us against the originating broker or correspondent. Further, if a purchaser enforces its remedies against us, we may not be able to enforce the remedies we have against the sellers. The repurchased loans typically can only be financed at a steep discount to their repurchase price, if at all. They are also typically sold at a significant discount to the unpaid principal balance (“UPB”). Significant repurchase activity could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Covenants in our debt agreements may restrict our operating activities and adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.
Our debt agreements contain various financial and operating covenants, including, among other things, certain coverage ratios and limitations on our ability to incur secured and unsecured debt. These restrictive covenants and operating restrictions could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, cause us to lose our REIT status, restrict our ability to finance or securitize new originations and acquisitions, force us to liquidate collateral and negatively affect our financial condition and our ability to pay dividends. The breach of any of these covenants, if not cured within any applicable cure period, could result in a default, including a cross-default, and acceleration of certain of our indebtedness. Accelerating repayment and terminating the agreements will require immediate repayment by us of the borrowed funds, which may require us to liquidate assets at a
disadvantageous time, causing us to incur further losses and adversely affecting our results of operations and financial condition, which may impair our ability to make principal and interest payments on our debt obligations. Any failure to make payments when due or upon acceleration could result in the foreclosure upon our assets by our lenders.
Our inability to access funding could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. We may rely on short-term financing and thus are especially exposed to changes in the availability of financing.
We currently have outstanding indebtedness and expect to use additional borrowings, such as first mortgage financings, credit facilities, senior notes, term loans and repurchase agreements, and other financings, as part of our operating strategy. Our use of financings exposes us to the risk that our lenders may respond to market conditions by making it more difficult for us to renew or replace on a continuous basis our maturing short-term borrowings. If we are not able to renew our then existing short-term facilities or arrange for new financing on terms acceptable to us, or if we default on our covenants or are otherwise unable to access funds under these types of financing, we may have to curtail our asset origination activities and/or dispose of assets.
It is possible that the lenders that provide us with financing could experience changes in their ability to advance funds to us, independent of our performance or the performance of our portfolio of assets. Further, if many of our potential lenders are unwilling or unable to provide us with financing, we could be forced to sell our assets at an inopportune time when prices are depressed. In addition, if the regulatory capital requirements imposed on our lenders change, they may be required to significantly increase the cost of the financing that they provide to us. Our lenders also may revise their eligibility requirements for the types of assets they are willing to finance or the terms of such financings, based on, among other factors, the regulatory environment and their management of perceived risk, particularly with respect to assignee liability. Moreover, the amount of financing we receive under our short-term borrowing arrangements will be directly related to the lenders’ valuation of our targeted assets that cover the outstanding borrowings.
This could increase our financing costs and reduce our access to liquidity, which in turn may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
An increase in our borrowing costs relative to the interest we receive on our leveraged assets may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
As our financings mature, we will be required either to enter into new borrowings or to sell certain of our assets. An increase in short-term interest rates at the time that we seek to enter into new borrowings would reduce the spread between the returns on our assets and the cost of our borrowings. This would adversely affect the returns on our assets, which would reduce our net income and, in turn, have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
We may enter into hedging transactions that could expose us to contingent liabilities in the future and adversely impact our financial condition.
Subject to maintaining our qualification as a REIT, part of our strategy may involve entering into hedging transactions that could require us to fund cash payments in certain circumstances (such as the early termination of a hedging instrument caused by an event of default or other early termination event). The amount due would be equal to the unrealized loss of the open swap positions with the respective counterparty and could also include other fees and charges, and these economic losses will be reflected in our results of operations. We may also be required to provide margin to our counterparties to collateralize our obligations under hedging agreements. Our ability to fund these obligations will depend on the liquidity of our assets and access to capital at the time. The need to fund these obligations could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
If we attempt to qualify for fair value hedge accounting treatment for any derivative instruments, but we fail to so qualify, we may suffer because losses on the derivatives that we enter into may not be offset by a change in the fair value of the related hedged transaction.
If we attempt to qualify for hedge accounting treatment for any derivative instruments, but we fail to so qualify for a number of reasons, including if we use instruments that do not meet the definition of a derivative (such as short sales), if we fail to satisfy hedge documentation and hedge effectiveness assessment requirements, or if our instruments are not highly effective, we may suffer because losses on any derivatives we hold which may not be offset by a change in the fair value of the related hedged transaction.
Risks Related to Our Organization and Structure
Our rights to take action against our directors and officers are limited.
Our charter limits the liability of our present and former directors and officers to us for money damages to the maximum extent permitted under Maryland law. Under Maryland law, our present and former directors and officers will not have any liability to us for money damages other than liability resulting from:
•actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services; or
•active and deliberate dishonesty by the director or officer that was established by a final judgment and was material to the cause of action adjudicated.
Our charter authorizes us to indemnify our directors and officers for actions taken by them in those and other capacities to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law. Our bylaws require us to indemnify each present and former director or officer, and each person who served any predecessor of our company, including the Terra Funds, in a similar capacity, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, in connection with the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made, or threatened to be made, a party or a witness by reason of his or her service to us or such predecessor. In addition, we may be obligated to pay or reimburse the expenses incurred by such persons in any such proceedings without requiring a preliminary determination of their ultimate entitlement to indemnification.
Rapid changes in the values of our assets may make it more difficult for us to maintain our qualification as a REIT or our exclusion from the 1940 Act.
If the fair market value or income potential of our assets declines as a result of increased interest rates, prepayment rates, general market conditions, government actions or other factors, we may need to increase our real estate assets and income or liquidate our non-qualifying assets to maintain our REIT qualification or our exclusion from the 1940 Act. If the decline in real estate asset values or income occurs quickly, this may be especially difficult to accomplish. We may have to make decisions that we otherwise would not make absent the REIT and 1940 Act considerations.
Our ownership limitations may restrict our change of control or business combination opportunities.
In order for us to qualify as a REIT under the Code, shares of our stock must be owned by 100 or more persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made) or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Also, not more than 50% of the value of the outstanding shares of our stock may be owned, directly or constructively, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code to include certain entities) during the last half of a taxable year (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made). To assist us in preserving our REIT qualification, among other purposes, our charter generally prohibits any person from directly or indirectly owning more than 9.8% by value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of our common stock, the outstanding shares of any class or series of our preferred stock or the aggregate outstanding shares of all classes and series of our capital stock. These ownership limits could have the effect of discouraging a takeover or other transaction.
Risks Related to Our Qualification as a REIT
Our failure to qualify or remain qualified as a REIT would subject us to U.S. federal income tax and applicable state and local taxes, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
We believe that we have been organized and operated in a manner that has enabled us to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016, and we intend to continue to operate in a manner that will allow us to continue to so qualify. So long as we qualify as a REIT, we generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax on our net taxable income to the extent that we annually distribute all of our net taxable income (determined without regard to our net capital gain and the dividends paid deduction) to our stockholders. We have not requested, and do not intend to request, a ruling from the IRS that we qualify as a REIT. The U.S. federal income tax laws governing REITs are complex, and judicial and administrative interpretations of the U.S. federal income tax laws governing REIT qualification are limited.
To qualify as a REIT, we must meet, on an ongoing basis, various tests regarding the nature and diversification of our assets and our income, the ownership of our outstanding shares and the amount of our distributions. Our compliance with the annual income and quarterly asset requirements also depends upon our ability to successfully manage the composition of our
income and assets on an ongoing basis. Our ability to satisfy these asset tests depends upon our analysis of the characterization of our assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes and fair market values of our assets. The fair market values of certain of our assets are not susceptible to a precise determination, and we will generally not obtain independent appraisals of such assets. Furthermore, new tax legislation, administrative guidance or court decisions, in each instance potentially with retroactive effect, could make it difficult or impossible for us to qualify as a REIT. Thus, while we believe that we have been organized and operated and intend to continue to operate so that we will qualify as a REIT, given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs, the ongoing importance of factual determinations and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances, no assurance can be given that we have qualified or will qualify as a REIT for any particular year.
If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, and we do not qualify for certain statutory relief, we would be required to pay U.S. federal income tax, including applicable state and local taxes, on our taxable income at regular corporate rates, and distributions to our stockholders would not be deductible by us in determining our taxable income. In such a case, we might need to borrow money, sell assets, or reduce or even cease making principal and interest payments on our outstanding indebtedness in order to pay our taxes. Our payment of income tax would significantly reduce the amount of operating cash flow available for principal and interest payments on our indebtedness and distributions to our stockholders. In addition, unless we were eligible for certain statutory relief provisions, we could not re-elect to be taxed as a REIT until the fifth calendar year following the year in which we failed to qualify.
REIT distribution requirements could adversely affect our ability to execute our business plan and may require us to incur debt or sell assets to make such distributions.
In order to qualify as a REIT, we must distribute dividends to our stockholders, each calendar year, equal to at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (including certain items of non-cash income), determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gain. To the extent that we satisfy the 90% distribution requirement, but distribute less than 100% of our taxable income, we will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our undistributed income. In addition, we will incur a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which our distributions in any calendar year are less than a minimum amount specified under U.S. federal income tax laws. We intend to distribute our taxable income to our stockholders in a manner intended to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement and to avoid both corporate income tax and the 4% nondeductible excise tax.
Differences in timing between our recognition of taxable income and the actual receipt of cash may occur. For example, we may be required to accrue income from mortgage loans before we receive any payments of interest or principal on such assets. We generally are required to recognize certain amounts in income no later than the time such amounts are reflected on our financial statements. The application of this rule may require the accrual of income with respect to our loans earlier than would be the case under the otherwise applicable tax rules. Also, in certain circumstances, our ability to deduct interest expenses for U.S. federal income tax purposes may be limited. As a result of the foregoing, we may generate less cash flow than taxable income in a particular year and find it difficult or impossible to meet the REIT distribution requirements in certain circumstances. In particular, where we experience differences in timing between the recognition of taxable income and the actual receipt of cash, the requirement to distribute a substantial portion of our taxable income could cause us to: (i) sell assets in adverse market conditions, (ii) borrow on unfavorable terms, (iii) distribute amounts that would otherwise be invested in future acquisitions, capital expenditures or repayment of debt, (iv) make a taxable distribution of our shares as part of a distribution in which stockholders may elect to receive shares or (subject to a limit measured as a percentage of the total distribution) cash or (v) use cash reserves, in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements and to avoid U.S. federal corporate income tax and the 4% nondeductible excise tax. Thus, compliance with the REIT distribution requirements may hinder our ability to grow, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Even if we qualify as a REIT, we may face other tax liabilities that reduce our cash flow.
Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income and assets, including taxes on any undistributed income, tax on income from certain activities conducted as a result of a foreclosure, and state or local income, property and transfer taxes, such as mortgage recording taxes. In addition, we could, in certain circumstances, be required to pay an excise or penalty tax (which could be significant in amount) in order to utilize one or more relief provisions under the Code to maintain our qualification as a REIT. Any of these taxes would reduce cash available for principal and interest payments on our outstanding indebtedness or distributions to our stockholders. In addition, we will be subject to a 100% tax on gains derived from the disposition of dealer property or inventory. In order to meet the REIT qualification requirements, we may hold some of our assets or engage in certain activities that would otherwise be nonqualifying for REIT purposes through a TRS or other subsidiary corporation that will be subject to corporate-level income tax at regular rates. In addition, although the BDC Merger was intended to be treated as a “reorganization” within the meaning
of Section 368(a) of the Code for U.S. federal income tax purposes, if the BDC Merger is determined not to have qualified as a reorganization, or if Terra BDC is determined to have failed to qualify as a REIT, we could be subject to additional tax liabilities. In addition, we would inherit any liability with respect to unpaid taxes of Terra BDC for any periods prior to the BDC Merger for which Terra BDC did not qualify as a REIT. Any resulting taxes would decrease the cash available for distributions to our stockholders.
Complying with the REIT requirements may force us to liquidate or forego otherwise attractive investments.
In order to qualify as a REIT, we annually must satisfy two gross income requirements. First, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain hedging and foreign currency transactions, must be derived from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property, including interest income derived from mortgage loans secured by real property (including certain types of qualified mezzanine loans and mortgage-backed securities), “rents from real property,” dividends received from and gain from the disposition of shares of other REITs, and gains from the sale of real estate assets, as well as income from certain kinds of qualified temporary investments. Second, at least 95% of our gross income in each taxable year, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain hedging and foreign currency transactions, must be derived from some combination of income that qualifies under the 75% gross income test described above, as well as other dividends, interest, and gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities, which need not have any relation to real property. We may receive various fees in connection with our operations. The fees generally will be qualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests if they are received in consideration for entering into an agreement to make a loan secured by real property and the fees are not determined by income or profits. In addition, we also treat any origination fees we receive as a reduction in the principal balance of our loans, which we accrue over the life of the relevant loan under the original issue discount rules, discussed below. We treat any exit fees and other fees representing charges for the use or forbearance of money as additional interest. Other fees which are considered compensation for services are not qualifying income for purposes of either the 75% or 95% gross income test.
Further, at the end of each calendar quarter, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must consist of cash, cash items, government securities, shares in other REITs and other qualifying real estate assets, including certain mortgage loans, mezzanine loans and certain mortgage-backed securities. The remainder of our investment in securities (other than government securities, TRS securities and securities that are qualifying real estate assets) generally cannot include more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer or more than 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer. In addition, in general, no more than 5% of the value of our total assets (other than government securities, TRS securities and securities that are qualifying real estate assets) can consist of the securities of any one issuer, no more than 20% of the value of our total assets can be represented by securities of one or more TRSs, and no more than 25% of the value of our assets can consist of debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs that are not otherwise secured by real property. If we fail to comply with these requirements at the end of any calendar quarter, we must correct the failure within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter or qualify for certain statutory relief provisions to avoid losing our REIT qualification and suffering adverse tax consequences.
As a result, we may be required to liquidate from our portfolio, or contribute to a TRS, otherwise attractive investments, and may be unable to pursue investments that would be otherwise advantageous to us in order to satisfy the source of income or asset diversification requirements for qualifying as a REIT. Thus, compliance with the REIT requirements may hinder our ability to make, and, in certain cases, maintain ownership of certain attractive investments. These actions could have the effect of reducing our income, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Our preferred equity and mezzanine loan investments may fail to qualify as real estate assets for purposes of the REIT gross income and asset tests, which could jeopardize our ability to qualify as a REIT.
The IRS has issued Revenue Procedure 2003-65, which provides a safe harbor pursuant to which a mezzanine loan that is secured by interests in a partnership or other pass-through entity will be treated by the IRS as a real estate asset for purposes of the assets tests, and interest derived from such a loan will be treated as qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. Although the Revenue Procedure provides a safe harbor on which taxpayers may rely, it does not prescribe rules of substantive tax law. We own, and may acquire in the future, certain mezzanine loans and preferred equity investments (which we treat as mezzanine loans for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that do not satisfy all of the requirements for reliance on the safe harbor set forth in the Revenue Procedure. Consequently, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not successfully challenge the tax treatment of such mezzanine loans or preferred equity investments as qualifying real estate assets. To the extent that such mezzanine loans or preferred equity investments do not qualify as real estate assets, the interest income from such mezzanine loans or preferred equity investments would be qualifying income for the 95% gross income test, but not
for the 75% gross income test, and such mezzanine loans or preferred equity investments would not be qualifying assets for the 75% asset test and would be subject to the 5% and 10% asset tests, which could jeopardize our ability to qualify as a REIT.
The IRS may successfully challenge the treatment of our preferred equity and mezzanine loan investments as debt for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
We invest in certain real estate-related investments, including mezzanine loans, first mortgage loans, and preferred equity investments. There is limited case law and administrative guidance addressing whether certain preferred equity investments or mezzanine loans will be treated as equity or debt for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Our Manager received an opinion of prior tax counsel regarding the treatment of one of our fixed return preferred equity investments and future similarly structured investments as debt for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We treat preferred equity investments which we currently hold as debt for U.S. federal income tax purposes and as mezzanine loans that qualify as real estate assets, as discussed above. No private letter rulings have been obtained on the characterization of these investments for U.S. federal income tax purposes and an opinion of counsel is not binding on the IRS; therefore, no assurance can be given that the IRS will not successfully challenge the treatment of such preferred equity investments as debt and as qualifying real estate assets. If a preferred equity investment or mezzanine loan owned by us was treated as equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we would be treated as owning a proportionate share of the assets and earning a proportionate share of the gross income of the partnership or limited liability company that issued the preferred equity interest. Certain of these partnerships and limited liability companies are engaged in activities that could cause us to be considered as earning significant nonqualifying income, which would likely cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT or pay a significant penalty tax to maintain our REIT qualification.
The failure of assets subject to repurchase agreements to qualify as real estate assets could adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT.
We have entered into, and may in the future enter into additional, financing arrangements that are structured as sale and repurchase agreements pursuant to which we nominally sell certain of our assets to a counterparty and simultaneously enter into an agreement to repurchase such assets at a later date in exchange for a purchase price. Economically, these agreements are financings that are secured by the assets sold pursuant thereto. We believe that we will be treated for REIT asset and gross income test purposes as the owner of the assets that are the subject of such sale and repurchase agreements notwithstanding that such agreements may transfer record ownership of the assets to the counterparty during the term of the agreement. It is possible, however, that the IRS could assert that we are not the owner of the assets during the term of the sale and repurchase agreement, in which case we could fail to qualify as a REIT.
We may be required to report taxable income from certain investments in excess of the economic income we ultimately realize from them.
We may acquire or originate loans that will be treated as having “original issue discount” for U.S. federal income tax purposes because interest on such securities will not be payable currently, but rather will be added to the outstanding loan balance as it accrues. We will be required to accrue such interest income based on a constant yield method notwithstanding the fact that such interest income is not yet payable, and we will therefore be taxed based on the assumption that all future projected interest payments due on such securities will be made. If such securities turn out not to be fully collectible, an offsetting loss deduction will become available only in the later year that uncollectability is provable. While we would in general ultimately have an offsetting loss deduction available to us when such interest was determined to be uncollectible, the utility of that deduction could depend on our having taxable income in that later year or thereafter.
Complying with REIT requirements may limit our ability to hedge effectively.
The REIT provisions of the Code may limit our ability to hedge our assets and operations. Under these provisions, any income that we generate from transactions intended to hedge our interest rate and currency risks will generally be excluded from gross income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests if (i) the instrument (A) hedges interest rate risk or foreign currency exposure on liabilities used to carry or acquire real estate assets, (B) hedges risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% gross income tests or (C) hedges an instrument described in clause (A) or (B) for a period following the extinguishment of the liability or the disposition of the asset that was previously hedged by the hedged instrument, and (ii) such instrument is properly identified under the applicable Treasury Regulations.
As a result of these rules, we may have to limit our use of hedging techniques that might otherwise be advantageous or implement those hedges through a TRS. This could increase the cost of our hedging activities because a TRS would be subject to corporate tax on its income. Moreover, the limits on our use of hedging techniques could expose us to greater risks associated
with changes in interest rates than we would otherwise want to bear. In addition, losses in a TRS would generally not provide any tax benefit to us since such losses may not be used to offset our taxable income, although such losses may be carried forward to offset future taxable income of the TRS.
The tax on prohibited transactions will limit our ability to engage in transactions, including sales of participation interests in loans and securitizations, that would be treated as sales of dealer property for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
A REIT’s net income from prohibited transactions is subject to a 100% tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, but including loans, held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. We occasionally sell participation interests in loans which we have originated; however, we do not expect to engage in a significant number of such sales or that such sales will generate significant gains, if any. To the extent that we were to sell loans or participations therein in a manner that we believe could expose us to the prohibited transaction tax, we intend to conduct such activities through a TRS. In addition, we may decide to pursue securitization transactions to finance our real estate-related loans. To the extent that the securitization transactions were structured in a manner that we believe could expose us to the prohibited transactions tax, we intend to conduct such activities through a TRS.
A failure to comply with the limits on our ownership of and relationship with our TRSs, if any, would jeopardize our REIT qualification and may result in the application of a 100% excise tax.
Although our use of TRSs may be able to partially mitigate the impact of meeting the requirements necessary to maintain our qualification as a REIT, our ownership of and relationship with any TRSs is subject to limitations, and a failure to comply with the limits would jeopardize our REIT qualification and our transactions with such TRSs may result in the application of a 100% excise tax if such transactions are not conducted on arm’s-length terms.
A REIT may own up to 100% of the stock of one or more TRSs. Subject to certain exceptions, a TRS may hold assets and earn income that would not be qualifying assets or income if held or earned directly by a REIT. Both the subsidiary corporation and the REIT must jointly elect to treat the subsidiary corporation as a TRS. Any TRS that we form will pay U.S. federal, state and local income tax on its taxable income, and its after-tax net income will be available for distribution to us but is not required to be distributed to us.
Overall, no more than 20% of the value of a REIT’s total assets may consist of stock or securities of one or more TRSs. We intend to limit the aggregate value of the stock and securities of our TRSs, if any, to less than 20% of the value of our total assets (including such TRS stock and securities). Furthermore, we will monitor the value of our respective investments in our TRSs for the purpose of ensuring compliance with TRS ownership limitations.
In addition, the TRS rules limit the deductibility of interest paid or accrued by a TRS to its parent REIT to assure that the TRS is subject to an appropriate level of corporate taxation. The rules also impose a 100% excise tax on certain transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis. To the extent we form a TRS, we will scrutinize all of our transactions with such TRS to ensure that they are entered into on arm’s length terms to avoid incurring the 100% excise tax.
We may engage in transactions with a TRS, in which case we intend to conduct our affairs so that we will not be subject to the 100% excise tax with respect to transactions with such TRS and so that we will comply with all other requirements applicable to our ownership of TRSs. There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to comply with the 20% limitation discussed above or to avoid application of the 100% excise tax discussed above.
Legislative, regulatory or administrative changes could adversely affect us.
The U.S. federal income tax laws and regulations governing REITs and their investors, as well as the administrative interpretations of those laws and regulations, are constantly under review and may be changed at any time, possibly with retroactive effect. No assurance can be given as to whether, when, or in what form, the U.S. federal income tax laws applicable to us and our investors may be enacted. Changes to the U.S. federal income tax laws and interpretations of U.S. federal income tax laws could adversely affect an investment in us.
Prospective investors are urged to consult with their tax advisors regarding the potential effects of legislative, regulatory or administrative developments on an investment in our company.
Your investment has various U.S. federal income tax risks.
An investment in us involves complex U.S. federal, state and local income tax considerations that will differ for each investor. Prospective investors should consult with their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income and other tax consequences applicable to an investment in us.
General Risk Factors
The effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as any future pandemics or similar events, and the actions taken in response thereto, may adversely affect our investments and operations.
In March 2020, the World Health Organization publicly characterized the outbreak of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused, and may continue to cause, significant disruptions to the U.S. and global economy and cause significant volatility and negative pressure in the financial markets. During the early part of the pandemic, the U.S. and global economy came under severe pressure due to numerous factors, including measures taken by governing authorities to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as instituting quarantines, restrictions on travel, school closures, bans on public events and on public gatherings, “shelter in place” or “stay at home” rules, restrictions on types of business that may continue to operate, and/or restrictions on types of construction projects that may continue. Many of such restrictions have long since been lifted, and the unprecedented global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have largely subsided. Nevertheless, the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the U.S. and global economy were quite severe and recovery is still in progress.
As a result of a significant portion of our investments being in preferred equity of entities that own mezzanine loans and first mortgages secured by office, multifamily and hospitality properties located in the United States, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will impact our investments and operating results to the extent that it reduces occupancy, increases the cost of operation or results in limited hours or necessitates the closure of such properties. The borrowers under the first mortgages, mezzanine loans or preferred equity in which we invest may fail to make timely and required payments under the terms of such instruments. In addition, quarantines, states of emergencies and other measures taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic may negatively impact the ability of such properties to continue to obtain necessary goods and services or provide adequate staffing, which may also adversely affect our investments and operating results.
The world-wide economic downturn resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic could negatively impact our investments and operations, as well as our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and principal and interest payments on our indebtedness. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our investments and operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the future rate of occurrence or mutation of COVID-19, continuation of or changes in governmental responses to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the effectiveness of responsive actions taken in the United States and other countries to contain and manage the disease. Public and private responses to the pandemic may lead to deterioration of economic conditions, an economic downturn or a recession at a global scale, which could materially affect our performance, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Any other pandemics or similar events in the future could also similarly have a material adverse effect on our investments and operations, as well as our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and principal and interest payments on our indebtedness.
Future recessions, downturns, disruptions or instability could have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
From time to time, the global capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability, which could cause disruptions in liquidity in the debt capital markets, significant write-offs in the financial services sector, the re-pricing of credit risk in the broadly syndicated credit market and the failure of major financial institutions. Despite actions of U.S. and foreign governments, these events could contribute to worsening general economic conditions that materially and adversely impact the broader financial and credit markets and reduce the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole and financial services firms in particular.
Deterioration of economic and market conditions in the future could negatively impact credit spreads as well as our ability to obtain financing, particularly from the debt markets, which in turn may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Returns on our real estate-related loans may be limited by regulations.
Our loan investments may be subject to regulation by federal, state and local authorities and subject to various laws and judicial and administrative decisions. We may determine not to make or invest in real estate-related loans in any jurisdiction in
which we believe we have not complied in all material respects with applicable requirements, which reduce the amount of income we would otherwise receive.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Item 2. Properties.
Our administrative and principal executive offices are located at 205 West 28th Street, 12th Floor, New York, New York 10001. We believe that our office facilities are suitable and adequate for our business as it is presently conducted.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
From time to time, we may be a party to certain legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business, including proceedings relating to the enforcement of our rights under contracts with our portfolio companies. Additionally, as of December 31, 2022, we owned a multi-tenant office building that is subject to a ground lease. The ground lease provides for a new base rent every 5 years based on the greater of the annual base rent for the prior lease year or 9% of the fair market value of the land. The next rent reset on the ground lease is scheduled for November 1, 2025. We are currently litigating with the landlord with respect to the appropriate method for determining the fair value of the land for purposes of setting the ground rent - Terra Ocean Ave., LLC v. Ocean Avenue Santa Monica Realty LLC, Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, Case No. 20STCV34217. We believe this determination should be based on comparable sales, while the landlord insists that the rent under the ground lease itself is also relevant. Our position has prevailed in all three of the prior arbitrations to reset the ground rent. We intend vigorously to pursue the litigation. While we believe our arguments will likely prevail, the outcome of the legal proceeding cannot be predicted with certainty. If the landlord prevails, the future rent reset determinations could result in significantly higher ground rent, which would likely result in a significant diminution in the value of our interest in the ground lease and the office building.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information
There is no established trading market for our Class B Common Stock. As of March 10, 2023, we had 24,335,379 shares of Class B Common Stock outstanding held by 2,121 investors. As of March 10, 2023, there were no outstanding options, warrants to purchase our common stock or securities convertible into our shares of common stock.
Sales of Unregistered Equity Securities
There were no sales of unregistered equity securities during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
There were no issuer purchases of equity securities during the year ended December 31, 2022.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Item 6. [Reserved].

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The information contained in this section should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto and other financial information included elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K.
Overview
We are a real estate credit focused company that originates, structures, funds and manages commercial real estate credit investments, including mezzanine loans, first mortgage loans, subordinated mortgage loans and preferred equity investments throughout the United States, which we collectively refer to as our targeted assets. Our loans finance the acquisition, construction, development or redevelopment of quality commercial real estate in the United States. We focus on the origination of middle market loans in the approximately $10 million to $50 million range, to finance properties primarily in primary and secondary markets. We believe loans in this size range are subject to less competition, offer higher risk adjusted returns than larger loans with similar risk metrics and facilitate portfolio diversification. Our investment objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns to our stockholders, primarily through regular distributions. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in meeting our investment objective.
As of December 31, 2022, we held a net loan portfolio (gross loans less obligations under participation agreements and secured borrowing) comprised of 31 loans in 10 states with an aggregate net principal balance of $633.2 million, a weighted average coupon rate of 11.5%, a weighted average loan-to-value ratio of 70.1% and a weighted average remaining term to maturity of 1.1 years.
Each of our loans was originated by Terra Capital Partners or its affiliates. Our portfolio is diversified based on location of the underlying properties, loan structure and property type. As of December 31, 2022, our portfolio included underlying properties located in 31 markets, across 10 states and includes property types such as multifamily housing, student housing, commercial offices, medical offices, mixed-use and industrial properties. The profile of these properties ranges from stabilized and value-added properties to pre-development and construction. Our loans are structured across mezzanine debt, first mortgages, preferred equity investments and credit facilities.
We were incorporated under the Maryland General Corporation Law on December 31, 2015. Through December 31, 2015, our business was conducted through a series of predecessor private partnerships. At the beginning of 2016, we completed the merger of these private partnerships into a single entity as part of our plan to reorganize our business as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. Following the REIT formation transaction, Terra Fund 5 contributed the consolidated portfolio of net assets of certain Terra Funds to our company in exchange for all of the shares of our common stock. On March 2, 2020, we engaged in a series of transactions pursuant to which we issued an aggregate of 4,574,470.35 shares of common stock in exchange for the settlement of an aggregate of $49.8 million of participation interests in loans held by us, cash of $25.5 million and other working capital. Following the consummation of the BDC Merger and as of December 31, 2022, former Terra BDC stockholders owned approximately 19.9% of our common equity, Terra JV held 70.0% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock with the remainder of 10.1% held by Terra Offshore REIT; and Terra Fund 5 and Terra Fund 7 owned an 87.6% and 12.4% interest, respectively, in Terra JV.
We have elected to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016. So long as we qualify as a REIT, we generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax on our net taxable income to the extent that we annually distribute all of our net taxable income to our stockholders.
Recent Developments
BDC Merger
On October 1, 2022, pursuant to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 2, 2022, Terra BDC merged with and into Terra LLC, our wholly owned subsidiary, with Terra LLC continuing as the surviving entity of the merger and as our wholly owned subsidiary. The Certificate of Merger and Articles of Merger with respect to the BDC Merger were filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware and SDAT, respectively, at the Effective Time.
At the Effective Time, except for any shares of Terra BDC Common Stock held by us or any of our wholly owned subsidiaries or Terra BDC, which shares were automatically retired and ceased to exist with no consideration paid therefor, each issued and outstanding share of Terra BDC Common Stock was automatically cancelled and retired and converted into the right to receive (i) 0.595 shares of our newly designated Class B Common Stock, and (ii) cash, without interest, in lieu of any fractional shares of Class B Common Stock otherwise issuable in an amount, rounded to the nearest whole cent, determined by
multiplying (x) the fraction of a share of Class B Common Stock to which such holder would otherwise be entitled by (y) $14.38.
Pursuant to the terms of the transactions described in the Merger Agreement, approximately 4,847,910 shares of Class B Common Stock were issued to former Terra BDC stockholders in connection with the BDC Merger, based on the number of outstanding shares of Terra BDC Common Stock as of the Closing Date. Following the consummation of the BDC Merger, former Terra BDC stockholders owned approximately 19.9% of our common equity.
On the Closing Date, we filed with the SDAT the Charter Amendment. Pursuant to the Charter Amendment, (i) the authorized shares of our stock which we have authority to issue were increased from 500,000,000 to 950,000,000, consisting of 450,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, 450,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock, and 50,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, and (ii) each share of our common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time was automatically changed into one issued and outstanding share of Class B Common Stock.
The Class B Common Stock rank equally with and have identical preferences, rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications, and terms and conditions of redemption as each other share of our common stock, except as set forth below with respect to conversion.
On the First Conversion Date of initial listing of shares of Class A Common Stock for trading on a national securities exchange or such earlier date as approved by our Board, one-third of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock will automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into an equal number of shares of Class A Common Stock. On the Second Conversion Date, one-half of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock will automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into an equal number of shares of Class A Common Stock. On the Third Conversion Date, all of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock will automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into an equal number of shares of Class A Common Stock.
As of the Effective Time and in accordance with the Merger Agreement, the size of our Board was increased by three members and each of Spencer Goldenberg, Adrienne Everett and Gaurav Misra (each a “Terra BDC Designee) was elected to our Board to fill the vacancies created by such increase, with each Terra BDC Designee to serve until our next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies. Each of the other members of our Board immediately prior to the Effective Time continued as members following the Effective Time.
Portfolio Summary
The following tables provide a summary of our net loan portfolio as of:
December 31, 2022
Fixed Rate Floating
Rate (1)(2)(3)
Total Gross Loans Obligations under Participation Agreements Total Net Loans
Number of loans 8 23 31 1 31
Principal balance $ 90,990,183 $ 554,805,276 $ 645,795,459 $ 12,584,958 $ 633,210,501
Amortized cost 92,274,998 534,215,769 626,490,767 12,680,594 613,810,173
Fair value 90,729,098 532,416,656 623,145,754 12,680,595 610,465,159
Weighted average coupon rate 13.82 % 11.23 % 11.59 % 16.36 % 11.50 %
Weighted-average remaining term (years) 1.35 1.10 1.14 1.69 1.13
December 31, 2021
Fixed Rate Floating
Rate (1)(2)(3)
Total Gross Loans Obligations under Participation Agreements and Secured Borrowing Total Net Loans
Number of loans 6 15 21 4 21
Principal balance $ 74,880,728 $ 405,270,423 $ 480,151,151 $ 76,569,398 $ 403,581,753
Amortized cost 75,520,212 394,153,102 469,673,314 76,818,156 392,855,158
Fair value 75,449,410 391,752,209 467,201,619 75,900,089 391,301,530
Weighted average coupon rate 12.39 % 7.01 % 7.85 % 10.40 % 7.37 %
Weighted-average remaining term (years) 1.93 1.45 1.53 0.82 1.66
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(1)These loans pay a coupon rate of LIBOR or SOFR plus a fixed spread. Coupon rate shown was determined using LIBOR of 4.39%, average SOFR of 4.06% and Term SOFR of 4.36% as of December 31, 2022, and LIBOR of 0.10% as of December 31, 2021.
(2)As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, amount included $413.1 million and $163.1 million of senior mortgages used as collateral for $261.0 million and $93.8 million of borrowings under credit facilities, respectively.
(3)As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, twenty-one and thirteen of these loans, respectively, are subject to a LIBOR or SOFR floor, as applicable.
In addition to our net loan portfolio, as of December 31, 2022, we owned a multi-tenant office building acquired pursuant to a foreclosure and as of December 31, 2021, we owned 4.9 acres of land acquired pursuant to a deed in lieu of foreclosure and the aforementioned multi-tenant office building. The parcel of land was sold in the second quarter of 2022. The real estate and related lease intangible assets and liabilities had a net carrying value of $40.6 million and $56.1 million as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The mortgage loan payable encumbering the multi-tenant office building had an outstanding principal amount of $29.3 million and $32.0 million as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Additionally, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, we owned 27.9% and 50.0%, respectively, of equity interest in a limited partnership that invests primarily in performing and non-performing mortgages, loans, mezzanines and other credit instruments supported by underlying commercial real estate assets. We also beneficially owned equity interests in three joint ventures that invest in real estate properties. In 2022, in connection with a mezzanine loan we originated, we entered into a residual profit sharing arrangement with the borrower. We accounted for this arrangement as an equity investment. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, these equity investments had total carrying value of $62.5 million and $69.7 million, respectively.
Book Value Per Share
We calculate our book value per share by dividing our net equity by the number of outstanding shares of our common stock, unless otherwise determined by our Board. Our book value per share of Class B Stock Common Stock as of December 31, 2022 was $13.23.
Portfolio Investment Activity
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we invested $126.9 million and $117.3 million in new and add-on investments and had $33.3 million and $85.1 million of repayments, resulting in net investments of $93.6 million and $32.2 million, respectively. Amounts are net of obligations under participation agreements, secured borrowing, borrowings under the master repurchase agreement, the term loan, the repurchase agreements and the revolving line of credit.
Net Loan Portfolio Information
The tables below set forth the types of loans in our loan portfolio, as well as the property type and geographic location of the properties securing these loans, on a net loan basis, which represents our proportionate share of the loans, based on our economic ownership of these loans as of:
December 31, 2022 December 31, 2021
Loan Structure Principal Balance Carrying
Value % of Total Principal Balance Carrying
Value % of Total
First mortgages $ 456,408,889 $ 461,299,182 75.1 % $ 310,933,350 $ 313,515,326 79.8 %
Preferred equity investments 121,231,434 122,132,177 19.9 % 63,441,546 63,515,633 16.2 %
Credit facility 28,802,833 29,080,183 4.7 % 11,762,500 11,859,876 3.0 %
Mezzanine loans 26,767,345 26,770,521 4.4 % 17,444,357 17,622,804 4.5 %
Allowance for loan losses - (25,471,890) (4.1) % - (13,658,481) (3.5) %
Total $ 633,210,501 $ 613,810,173 100.0 % $ 403,581,753 $ 392,855,158 100.0 %
December 31, 2022 December 31, 2021
Property Type Principal Balance Carrying
Value % of Total Principal Balance Carrying
Value % of Total
Office $ 171,611,750 $ 172,042,063 27.9 % $ 166,071,342 $ 166,836,320 42.5 %
Industrial 147,796,164 148,891,742 24.3 % 18,762,500 18,859,876 4.8 %
Multifamily 104,589,464 105,570,432 17.2 % 72,999,417 73,955,240 18.8 %
Mixed-use 64,880,450 65,838,965 10.7 % 28,940,658 28,977,024 7.4 %
Infill land 48,860,291 49,565,437 8.1 % 28,960,455 28,923,827 7.4 %
Hotel - full/select service 43,222,382 43,758,804 7.1 % 56,847,381 57,395,682 14.6 %
Student housing 31,000,000 31,774,261 5.2 % 31,000,000 31,565,670 8.0 %
Infrastructure 21,250,000 21,840,359 3.6 % - - - %
Allowance for loan losses - (25,471,890) (4.1) % - (13,658,481) (3.5) %
Total $ 633,210,501 $ 613,810,173 100.0 % $ 403,581,753 $ 392,855,158 100.0 %
December 31, 2022 December 31, 2021
Geographic Location Principal Balance Carrying
Value % of Total Principal Balance Carrying
Value % of Total
United States
California $ 151,668,387 $ 153,158,967 24.9 % $ 187,209,547 $ 189,082,380 48.1 %
New York 91,845,479 91,877,084 14.9 % 63,441,546 63,515,633 16.2 %
Georgia 72,401,718 73,101,964 11.9 % 53,289,288 53,536,884 13.6 %
Texas 67,625,000 68,142,046 11.1 % 13,625,000 13,725,690 3.5 %
New Jersey 62,228,622 62,958,482 10.3 % - - - %
Washington 56,671,267 57,027,639 9.3 % 3,523,401 3,382,683 0.9 %
Utah 49,250,000 50,698,251 8.3 % 28,000,000 28,420,056 7.2 %
North Carolina 43,520,028 44,041,162 7.2 % 44,492,971 44,704,699 11.4 %
Arizona 31,000,000 31,276,468 5.1 % - - - %
Massachusetts 7,000,000 7,000,000 1.1 % 7,000,000 7,000,000 1.8 %
South Carolina - - - % 3,000,000 3,145,614 0.8 %
Allowance for loan losses - (25,471,890) (4.1) % - (13,658,481) (3.5) %
Total $ 633,210,501 $ 613,810,173 100.0 % $ 403,581,753 $ 392,855,158 100.0 %
Factors Impacting Operating Results
Our results of operations are affected by a number of factors and primarily depend on, among other things, the level of the interest income from targeted assets, the market value of our assets and the supply of, and demand for, real estate-related loans, including mezzanine loans, first mortgage loans, subordinated mortgage loans, preferred equity investments and other loans related to high quality commercial real estate in the United States, and the financing and other costs associated with our business. Interest income and borrowing costs may vary as a result of changes in interest rates, which could impact the net interest we receive on our assets. Our operating results may also be impacted by conditions in the financial markets and unanticipated credit events experienced by borrowers under our loan assets.
Credit Risk
Credit risk represents the potential loss that we would incur if our borrowers failed to perform pursuant to the terms of their obligations to us. With respect to our loan portfolio, we seek to manage credit risk by limiting exposure to any one individual borrower and any one asset class.
Additionally, our Manager employs an asset management approach and monitors the portfolio of investments through, at a minimum, quarterly financial review of property performance including net operating income, loan-to-value, debt service coverage ratio and the debt yield. Our Manager also requires certain borrowers to establish an interest reserve, as a form of additional collateral, for the purpose of providing for future interest or property-related operating payments.
The performance and value of our loans depends upon the sponsors’ ability to operate or manage the development of the respective properties that serve as collateral so that each property’s value ultimately supports the repayment of the loan balance. Mezzanine loans and preferred equity investments are subordinate to senior mortgage loans and, therefore, involve a higher degree of risk. In the event of a default, mezzanine loans and preferred equity investments will be satisfied only after the senior lender’s investment is fully recovered. As a result, in the event of a default, we may not recover all of our investments.
In addition, we are exposed to the risks generally associated with the commercial real estate market, including variances in occupancy rates, capitalization rates, absorption rates, and other macroeconomic factors beyond our control. We seek to manage these risks through our Manager's underwriting and asset management processes.
We maintain all of our cash at financial institutions which, at times, may exceed the amount insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Concentration Risk
We hold real estate-related loans. Thus, our loan portfolio may be subject to a more rapid change in value than would be the case if it were required to maintain a wide diversification among industries, companies and types of loans. The result of such concentration in real estate assets is that a loss in such loans could materially reduce our capital.
Interest Rate Risk
Interest rate risk represents the effect from a change in interest rates, which could result in an adverse change in the fair value of our interest-bearing financial instruments. With respect to our business operations, increases in interest rates, in general, may over time cause: (i) the interest expense associated with variable rate borrowings to increase; (ii) the value of real estate-related loans to decline; (iii) coupons on variable rate loans to reset, although on a delayed basis, to higher interest rates; (iv) to the extent applicable under the terms of our investments, prepayments on real estate-related loans to slow; and (v) to the extent we enter into interest rate swap agreements as part of our hedging strategy, the value of these agreements to increase.
Conversely, decreases in interest rates, in general, may over time cause: (i) the interest expense associated with variable rate borrowings to decrease; (ii) the value of real estate-related loans to increase; (iii) coupons on variable rate real estate-related loans to reset, although on a delayed basis, to lower interest rates; (iv) to the extent applicable under the terms of our investments, prepayments on real estate-related loans to increase; and (v) to the extent we enter into interest rate swap agreements as part of our hedging strategy, the value of these agreements to decrease.
Prepayment Risk
Prepayments can either positively or adversely affect the yields on our loans. Prepayments on debt instruments, where permitted under the debt documents, are influenced by changes in current interest rates and a variety of economic, geographic and other factors beyond our control, and consequently, such prepayment rates cannot be predicted with certainty. If we do not collect a prepayment fee in connection with a prepayment or are unable to invest the proceeds of such prepayments received, the yield on the portfolio will decline. In addition, we may acquire assets at a discount or premium and if the asset does not repay when expected, the anticipated yield may be impacted. Under certain interest rate and prepayment scenarios we may fail to recoup fully our cost of acquisition of certain loans.
Extension Risk
Extension risk is the risk that our assets will be repaid at a slower rate than anticipated and generally increases when interest rates rise. In which case, to the extent we have financed the acquisition of an asset, we may have to finance our asset at potentially higher costs without the ability to reinvest principal into higher yielding securities because borrowers prepay their mortgages at a slower pace than originally expected, adversely impacting our net interest spread, and thus our net interest income.
Real Estate Risk
The market values of commercial and residential mortgage assets are subject to volatility and may be affected adversely by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, national, regional and local economic conditions (which may be adversely affected by industry slowdowns and other factors); local real estate conditions; changes or continued weakness in specific industry segments; construction quality, age and design; demographic factors; retroactive changes to building or similar codes; pandemics; natural disasters; and other acts of god. In addition, decreases in property values reduce the value of the collateral and the potential proceeds available to a borrower to repay the underlying loans, which could also cause us to suffer losses.
Use of Leverage
We deploy moderate amounts of leverage as part of our operating strategy, which may consist of borrowings under first mortgage financings, warehouse facilities, term loans, repurchase agreements and other credit facilities. While borrowing and leverage present opportunities for increasing total return, they may have the effect of potentially creating or increasing losses.
Market Risk
Our loans are highly illiquid, and there is no assurance that we will achieve our investment objectives, including targeted returns. Due to the illiquidity of the loans, valuation of our loans may be difficult, as there generally will be no established markets for these loans.
Results of Operations
The following table presents the comparative results of our operations:
Years Ended December 31,
2022 2021 Change
Revenues
Interest income $ 42,591,972 $ 36,743,470 $ 5,848,502
Real estate operating revenue 11,451,914 8,894,991 2,556,923
Prepayment fee income 1,984,061 190,997 1,793,064
Other operating income 586,499 855,799 (269,300)
56,614,446 46,685,257 9,929,189
Operating expenses
Operating expenses reimbursed to Manager 8,076,321 6,916,371 1,159,950
Asset management fee 6,556,492 5,134,149 1,422,343
Asset servicing fee 1,560,044 1,181,924 378,120
Provision for loan losses 11,813,409 10,904,163 909,246
Real estate operating expenses 5,005,551 5,003,893 1,658
Depreciation and amortization 6,530,595 3,989,114 2,541,481
Impairment charge 1,604,989 3,395,430 (1,790,441)
Professional fees 3,697,792 1,795,856 1,901,936
Directors fees 192,497 145,000 47,497
Other 747,535 448,503 299,032
45,785,225 38,914,403 6,870,822
Operating income 10,829,221 7,770,854 3,058,367
Other income and expenses
Interest expense from obligations under participation agreements (3,180,771) (10,596,545) 7,415,774
Interest expense on repurchase agreement payable (7,913,942) (142,495) (7,771,447)
Interest expense on mortgage loan payable (2,173,114) (2,449,239) 276,125
Interest expense on revolving line of credit (2,674,568) (911,811) (1,762,757)
Interest expense on term loan payable (524,344) (6,835,877) 6,311,533
Interest expense on unsecured notes payable (6,682,937) (3,173,673) (3,509,264)
Interest expense on secured borrowing (1,507,572) (1,576,502) 68,930
Net unrealized (losses) gains on marketable securities (122,299) 22,500 (144,799)
Loss on sale of real estate (51,984) - (51,984)
Income from equity investment in unconsolidated investments 2,731,477 5,925,802 (3,194,325)
Gain on sale of interests in unconsolidated investments 799,827 - 799,827
Realized loss on loan repayments - (517,989) 517,989
Gain on extinguishment of obligations under participation
agreements 3,435,902 - 3,435,902
Realized gains on marketable securities 83,411 129,248 (45,837)
(17,780,914) (20,126,581) 2,345,667
Net loss $ (6,951,693) $ (12,355,727) $ 5,404,034
Net Loan Portfolio
In assessing the performance of our loans, we believe it is appropriate to evaluate the loans on an economic basis, that is, gross loans net of obligations under participation agreements, term loan payable, revolving credit facility and repurchase agreement payable.
The following table presents a reconciliation of our loan portfolio on a weighted average basis from gross to net:
Year Ended December 31, 2022 Year Ended December 31, 2021
Weighted Average Principal Amount (1)
Weighted Average Coupon Rate (2)
Weighted Average Principal Amount (1)
Weighted Average Coupon Rate (2)
Total portfolio
Gross loans $ 550,062,087 10.7 % $ 456,344,152 8.5 %
Obligations under participation agreements
and secured borrowing (59,931,021) 12.1 % (114,437,021) 11.0 %
Repurchase agreement payable (167,507,961) 6.2 % (6,349,642) 2.6 %
Term loan payable (10,303,678) 5.3 % (103,433,296) 5.3 %
Revolving line of credit (47,383,467) 7.6 % (16,721,744) 4.0 %
Net loans (3)
$ 264,935,960 14.0 % $ 215,402,449 9.2 %
Senior loans
Gross loans 408,607,321 9.7 % 272,577,220 6.5 %
Obligations under participation agreements
and secured borrowing (24,800,580) 8.1 % (51,693,824) 8.9 %
Repurchase agreement payable (167,507,961) 6.2 % (6,349,642) 2.6 %
Term loan payable (10,303,678) 5.3 % (103,433,296) 5.3 %
Revolving line of credit (47,383,467) 7.6 % (16,721,744) 4.0 %
Net loans (3)
$ 158,611,635 14.6 % $ 94,378,714 7.2 %
Subordinated loans (4)
Gross loans 141,454,766 13.6 % 183,766,932 11.4 %
Obligations under participation agreements (35,130,441) 13.7 % (62,743,197) 12.8 %
Net loans (3)
$ 106,324,325 13.6 % $ 121,023,735 10.7 %
_______________
(1)Amount is calculated based on the number of days each loan is outstanding.
(2)Amount is calculated based on the underlying principal amount of each loan.
(3)The weighted average coupon rate represents net interest income over the period calculated using the weighted average coupon rate and weighted average principal amount shown on the table (interest income on the loans less interest expense) divided by the weighted average principal amount of the net loans during the period.
(4)Subordinated loans include mezzanine loans, preferred equity investments and credit facilities.
Interest Income
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, interest income increased by $5.8 million, primarily due to an increase in contractual interest income as a result of an increase in the weighted average principal balance of gross loans due to new loans we originated in 2022 and loans we acquired in connection with the BDC Merger, as well as an increase in the weighted average coupon rate due to increases in the underlying index rates.
Real Estate Operating Revenue
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, real estate operating revenue increased by $2.6 million, as a result of lease termination income recognized in 2022 in connection with a termination notice received in November 2021.
Prepayment Fee Income
Prepayment fee income represents prepayment fees charged to borrowers for the early repayment of loans.
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, prepayment fee income increased by $1.8 million, as a result of an increase in loans with minimum yield provisions repaid before maturity.
Other Operating Income
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, other operating income decreased by $0.3 million, as a result of a decrease in dividend income earned on the marketable securities resulting from a decrease in the weighted average balance of the marketable securities.
Operating Expenses Reimbursed to Manager
Under the terms of the Management Agreement with our Manager, we reimburse our Manager for operating expenses incurred in connection with services provided to us, including our allowable share of our Manager’s overhead, such as rent, employee costs, utilities and technology costs.
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, operating expenses reimbursed to our Manager increased by $1.2 million, as a result of an increase in the allocation ratio resulting from an increase in total assets under management due to new loans we originated as well as loans acquired in connection with the BDC Merger.
Asset Management Fee
Under the terms of the Management Agreement with our Manager, we paid our Manager a monthly asset management fee at an annual rate of 1% of the aggregate funds under management, which included the aggregate gross acquisition price, net of participation interest sold to affiliates, for each real estate-related investment and cash held by us.
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, asset management fees increased by $1.4 million, primarily due to an increase in total assets under management resulting from new loans we originated as well as loans acquired in connection with the BDC Merger.
Asset Servicing Fee
Under the terms of the Management Agreement with our Manager, we paid our Manager a monthly servicing fee at an annual rate of 0.25% of the aggregate gross origination price or acquisition price for each real estate-related loan held by us.
For each of the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, asset servicing fees increased by $0.4 million, primarily due to an increase in total assets under management resulting from new loans we originated as well as loans acquired in connection with the BDC Merger.
Provision for Loan Losses
Our Manager performs a quarterly evaluation for possible impairment of our portfolio of loans. We record an allowance for loan losses equal to (i) 1.5% of the aggregate carrying amount of loans rated as a “4”, plus (ii) 5% of the aggregate carrying amount of loans rated as a “5”, plus (iii) impaired loan reserves, if any.
As of December 31, 2022, we did not have any loans with a loan risk rating of “4” or “5”, and did not record any general allowance for loan losses for the year ended December 31, 2022. As of December 31, 2022, we had four loans deemed impaired and recorded specific allowance for loan losses of $11.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. As of December 31, 2021, we had one loan with a loan risk rating of “4” and no loans with a loan risk rating of “5”, and recorded general allowance for loan losses of $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Additionally, as of December 31, 2021, we had three loans deemed impaired and recorded specific allowance for loan losses of $10.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Depreciation and Amortization
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, depreciation and amortization increased by $2.5 million, primarily due to a lease termination notice received in November 2021, at which time we accelerated the amortization of lease intangibles.
Impairment Charge
For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we recorded an impairment charge of $1.6 million and $3.4 million, respectively, on 4.9 acres of the development land located in Pennsylvania in order to reduce the carrying value of the land to
its estimated fair value, which is the estimated selling price less the cost of sale. The development land was sold in the second quarter of 2022.
Professional Fees
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, professional fees increased by $1.9 million, primarily due to legal fees incurred in connection with litigation related to the ground rent described above as well as a loan refinancing in 2022 which we accounted for as a loan modification.
Other
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, other expense increased by $0.3 million, as a result of a fee paid to a third-party in connection with the sale of a parcel of land.
Interest Expense from Obligations under Participation Agreements
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, interest expense from obligations under participation agreements decreased by $7.4 million, as a result of a decrease in the weighted average principal amount outstanding on obligations under participation agreements, partly due to the release of obligations under participation agreements with Terra BDC in connection with the BDC Merger.
Interest Expense on Repurchase Agreement Payable
On November 8, 2021, we entered into a master repurchase agreement that provides for advances of up to $195 million which we expect to use to finance certain secured performing commercial real estate loans, including senior mortgage loans. Additionally, on February 18, 2022, we entered into another master repurchase agreement that provides for advances of up to $200 million, which we expect to use to finance the originations of certain secured performing commercial real estate loans and the acquisitions of certain secured non-performing commercial real estate loans.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, interest expense on repurchase agreement payable increased by $7.8 million, as a result of an increase in the weighted average principal amount outstanding on repurchase agreement payable.
Interest Expense on Mortgage Loan Payable
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, interest expense on mortgage loan payable decreased by $0.3 million, as a result of a decrease in the weighted average principal amount outstanding on mortgage loan payable.
Interest Expense on Revolving Line of Credit
On March 12, 2021, we entered into a Business Loan and Security Agreement (the “revolving line of credit”) to provide for advances up to the lesser of $75.0 million or the amount determined by the borrowing base, which is based on the eligible assets pledged to the lender. On January 4, 2022, we amended the revolving line of credit to increase the maximum amount available to $125.0 million.
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, interest expense on revolving line of credit increased by $1.8 million, due to an increase in weighted average principal amount outstanding on the revolving line of credit.
Interest Expense on Term Loan Payable
On September 3, 2020, we entered into an indenture and credit agreement that provided for a floating rate loan of $103.0 million, $3.6 million of additional future advances, and up to $11.6 million of additional future discretionary advances, in connection with certain outstanding funding commitments under the mortgage assets owned by us and financed under the indenture and credit agreement. The loan bore interest at LIBOR plus 4.25% with a LIBOR floor of 1.0%. On February 18, 2022, we refinanced this loan with a new repurchase agreement. In connection with the BDC Merger, we assumed a delayed
draw term loan of $25.0 million. The delayed draw term loan bears interest at an annual rate of 5.625% and matures on July 1, 2023.
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, interest expense on term loan payable decreased by $6.3 million, as a result of a decrease in the weighted average principal amount outstanding on term loan payable. Additionally, in connection with the refinancing, we reversed the previously accrued step-up interest of $0.4 million during the first quarter of 2022.
Interest Expense on Secured Borrowing
In March 2020, we entered into a financing transaction where a third-party purchased an A-note position. However, the sale of the A-note position did not qualify for sale accounting treatment and therefore, the gross amount of the loan remains in the consolidated balance sheets. The portion that was sold is reflected as secured borrowing in the consolidated balance sheet, and the associated interest is reflected as interest expense on secured borrowing in the consolidated statements of operations. The secured borrowing was repaid in August 2022.
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, interest expense on secured borrowing decreased by $0.1 million as a result of a decrease in the weighted average principal amount outstanding.
Interest Expense on Unsecured Notes Payable
In June 2021, we issued $85.1 million in aggregate principal amount of 6.00% notes due 2026. In connection with the BDC Merger, we assumed $38.4 million in aggregate principal amount of 7.00% notes due in 2026.
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same periods in 2021, interest expense on unsecured notes payable increased by $3.5 million, as a result of an increase in the weighted average principal amount outstanding.
Income from Equity Investment in Unconsolidated Investments
In August 2020, we entered into a subscription agreement with RESOF, an affiliate managed by our Manager, whereby we committed to fund up to $50.0 million to purchase partnership interest in RESOF. RESOF’s primary investment objective is to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns by purchasing performing and non-performing mortgages, loans, mezzanines and other credit instruments supported by underlying commercial real estate assets. RESOF may also opportunistically originate high-yield mortgages or loans in real estate special situations including rescue financings, bridge loans, restructurings and bankruptcies (including debtor-in-possession loans). As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, we owned 27.9% and 50.0% of the equity interest in RESOF, respectively.
We also owned beneficial equity interests in three joint ventures that invest in real estate properties. In 2022, in connection with a mezzanine loan we originated, we entered into a residual profit sharing arrangement with the borrower. We accounted for this arrangement as an equity investment.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized income from equity investment in unconsolidated investments of $2.7 million, which consisted of equity income from RESOF of $5.2 million and equity loss from the joint ventures of $2.5 million. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we recognized income from equity investment in unconsolidated investments of $5.9 million, which consisted of equity income from RESOF of $6.2 million, partially offset by equity loss from two joint ventures of $0.2 million.
Gain on Sale of Interests in Unconsolidated Investments
In September 2022, we sold a 53% effective interest in two joint ventures and 59% effective interest in another joint venture for a total of $33.7 million and recognized a gain on sale of $0.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. There was no such gain for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Realized Loss on Repayment of Loans
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we did not recognize any gain or loss on repayment of loans. For the year ended December 31, 2021, two previously defaulted loans were repaid at a discount and we recognized a net loss on loan repayment of $0.5 million, excluding previously accrued allowance for loan losses of $1.0 million.
Gain on Extinguishment of Obligations Under Participation Agreements
In connection with the BDC Merger, the obligations under participation agreements with Terra BDC totaling $37.0 million were effectively extinguished and we recognized a net gain of $3.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, representing the difference between the carrying value of the Company’s obligations under participation agreements and the fair value of Terra BDC’s investments acquired through participation agreements. The was no such gain for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Net Loss
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, net loss decreased by $5.4 million.
Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity is a measure of our ability to meet potential cash requirements, including ongoing commitments to repay borrowings, funding and maintaining our assets and operations, making distributions to our stockholders and other general business needs. We use significant cash to purchase our target assets, repay principal and interest on our borrowings, make distributions to our investors and fund our operations. Our primary sources of cash generally consist of payments of principal and interest we receive on our portfolio of investments, cash generated from our operating results and unused borrowing capacity under our financing sources. We deploy moderate amounts of leverage as part of our operating strategy and use a number of sources to finance our target assets, including our senior notes, term loan, repurchase agreement and revolving line of credit. We may use other sources to finance our target assets, including bank financing and arranged financing facilities with domestic or international financing providers. In addition, we may divide the loans we originate into senior and junior tranches and dispose of the more senior tranches as an additional means of providing financing to our business.
We may also issue additional equity, equity-related and debt securities to fund our investment strategies. We may issue these securities to unaffiliated third parties or to vehicles advised by affiliates of Terra Capital Partners or third parties. As part of our capital raising transactions, we may grant to one or more of these vehicles certain control rights over our activities including rights to approve major decisions we take as part of our business. In order to qualify as a REIT, we must distribute to our stockholders, each calendar year, dividends equal to at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (including certain items of non-cash income), determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gain. These distribution requirements limit our ability to retain earnings and thereby replenish or increase capital for our business.
We expect to fund approximately $44.1 million of the unfunded commitments to borrowers during the next twelve months. We expect to maintain sufficient cash on hand to fund such commitments through matching these commitments with principal repayments on outstanding loans or draw downs on our credit facilities. Additionally, we had $29.3 million of borrowings outstanding under a mortgage loan payable that bear interest at an annual rate of LIBOR plus 3.85% with a LIBOR floor of 2.23%, that is collateralized by an office building. The mortgage loan payable matures on May 31, 2023. We expect to refinance the mortgage loan payable before it matures. In connection with the BDC Merger, we assumed a $25.0 million delayed draw term loan. This term loan bears interest at an annual rate of 5.625% and matures on July 1, 2023. We expect to either maintain sufficient cash on hand to repay the facility or refinance the facility.
Summary of Financing
The table below summarizes our debt financing as of December 31, 2022:
Type of Financing Maximum Amount Available Outstanding Balance Amount Remaining Available Interest Rate Maturity Date
Fixed Rate:
Senior unsecured notes N/A $ 85,125,000 N/A 6.00% 6/30/2026
Senior unsecured notes N/A 38,375,000 N/A 7.00% 3/31/2026
Delayed draw term loan $ 25,000,000 25,000,000 - 5.625% 7/1/2023
$ 25,000,000 $ 148,500,000 $ -
Variable Rate:
Mortgage loan payable N/A $ 29,252,308 N/A LIBOR plus 3.85% with a LIBOR floor of 2.23%
5/31/2023
Line of credit $ 125,000,000 90,135,865 $ 34,864,135 LIBOR plus 3.25% with a combined floor of 4.00%
3/12/2024
UBS repurchase agreement 195,000,000 51,050,000 143,950,000 LIBOR or Term SOFR depending on repurchased asset index plus a spread ranging from 1.60% to 2.25%
11/7/2024
GS repurchase agreement 200,000,000 119,826,606 80,173,394 Term SOFR (subject to underlying loan floors on a case-by-case basis) plus a spread ranging from 1.75% to 3.00%)
2/18/2024
$ 520,000,000 $ 290,264,779 $ 258,987,529
Cash Flows Provided by Operating Activities
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021, cash flows provided by operating activities decreased by $3.7 million, primarily due to payment for a deposit for a potential investment partially offset by an increase in net contractual interest income.
Cash Flows Used in Investing Activities
For the year ended December 31, 2022, cash flows used in investing activities were $49.1 million, primarily related to origination and purchase of loans of $290.0 million and purchase of equity interests in unconsolidated investments of $25.5 million, partially offset by proceeds from repayments of loans of $197.5 million, proceeds from sale of interests in joint ventures of $33.7 million, cash and restricted cash acquired in connection with the BDC Merger of $24.6 million, proceeds from sale of real estate of $8.6 million and proceeds from sale of marketable securities of $1.3 million.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, cash flows used in investing activities were $87.7 million, primarily related to origination and purchase of loans of $252.4 million, purchase of partnership interest in a limited partnership of $32.2 million and purchase of marketable securities of $6.5 million, partially offset by proceeds from repayments of loans of $196.8 million and proceeds from sale of marketable securities of $6.6 million.
Cash Flows Provided by Financing Activities
For the year ended December 31, 2022, cash flows provided by financing activities were $34.1 million, primarily due to proceeds from borrowings under the repurchase agreements of $151.9 million, proceeds from borrowings under the revolving line of credit of $130.5 million, and proceeds from obligations under participation agreements of $29.6 million, partially offset by repayments of borrowings under the term loan of $93.8 million, repayments on borrowings under the revolving line of credit of $79.0 million, repayment of secured borrowing of $38.7 million, repayments of borrowings under repurchase agreements of $25.6 million, repayments of obligations under participation agreements of $22.2 million and distributions paid of $16.1 million.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, cash flows provided by financing activities were $101.8 million, primarily due to proceeds from issuance of unsecured notes payable, net of discount, of $82.5 million, proceeds from obligations under participation agreements and secured borrowing of $87.9 million and proceeds from borrowings under the term loan, revolving line of credit and repurchase agreement of $85.9 million. These cash inflows were partially offset by repayments on obligations under participation agreements of $101.7 million, distributions paid of $17.1 million, payment of mortgage principal of $12.1 million, repayment on borrowings under the term loan of $16.6 million, a decrease in interest reserve and other deposits hold on
investments of $4.7 million and payment for deferred financing costs of $2.3 million.
Distribution Reinvestment Plan
On January 20, 2023, our Board adopted a distribution reinvestment plan (the “Plan”), pursuant to which our stockholders may elect to reinvest cash distributions payable by us in additional shares of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, at the price per share determined pursuant to the Plan.
Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles, which requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Critical accounting policies are those that require the application of management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often because of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain and that may change in subsequent periods. In preparing the consolidated financial statements, management has made estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. In preparing the consolidated financial statements, management has utilized available information, including industry standards and the current economic environment, among other factors, in forming its estimates and judgments, giving due consideration to materiality. Actual results may differ from these estimates. In addition, other companies may utilize different estimates, which may impact the comparability of our results of operations to those of companies in similar businesses. As we execute our expected operating plans, we will describe additional critical accounting policies in the notes to our future consolidated financial statements in addition to those discussed below.
Allowance for Loan Losses
Our loans are typically collateralized by either the sponsors’ equity interest in the real estate properties or the underlying real estate properties. As a result, we regularly evaluate the extent and impact of any credit migration associated with the performance and/or value of the underlying collateral property as well as the financial and operating capability of the borrower/sponsor on a loan-by-loan basis. Specifically, a property’s operating results and any cash reserves are analyzed and used to assess (i) whether cash from operations and/or reserve balances are sufficient to cover the debt service requirements currently and into the future; (ii) the ability of the borrower to refinance the loan; and/or (iii) the property’s liquidation value. We also evaluate the financial wherewithal of the sponsor as well as its competency in managing and operating the real estate property. In addition, we consider the overall economic environment, real estate sector, and geographic submarket in which the borrower operates. Such analyses are completed and reviewed by asset management and finance personnel, who utilize various data sources, including (i) periodic financial data such as debt service coverage ratio, property occupancy, tenant profile, rental rates, operating expenses, the borrower’s exit plan, the capitalization and discount rates; (ii) site inspections; and (iii) current credit spreads and discussions with market participants.
Our Manager performs a quarterly evaluation for possible impairment of our portfolio of loans. A loan is impaired if it is deemed probable that we will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the loan. Impairment is measured based on the present value of expected future cash flows or the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral dependent. Upon measurement of impairment, we record an allowance to reduce the carrying value of the loan with a corresponding charge to net income.
In conjunction with the quarterly evaluation of loans not considered impaired, our Manager assesses the risk factors of each loan and assigns each loan a risk rating between 1 (very low risk) and 5 (highest risk), which is an average of the numerical ratings in the following categories: (i) sponsor capability and financial conditions; (ii) loan and collateral performance relative to underwriting; (iii) quality and stability of collateral cash flows and/or reserve balances; and (iv) loan to value. We record an allowance for loan losses equal to (i) 1.5% of the aggregate carrying amount of loans rated as a “4,” (Higher risk), plus (ii) 5% of the aggregate carrying amount of loans rated as a “5,” (Highest risk) plus (iii) impaired loan reserves, if any.
There may be circumstances where we modify a loan by granting the borrower a concession that we might not otherwise consider when a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty or is expected to experience financial difficulty in the foreseeable future. Such concessionary modifications are classified as troubled debt restructurings (“TDRs”), unless the modification solely results in a delay in a payment that is insignificant. Loans classified as TDRs are considered impaired loans for reporting and measurement purposes.
Management Agreement with Terra REIT Advisors
We currently pay the following fees to Terra REIT Advisors pursuant to the Management Agreement:
Origination and Extension Fee. An origination fee in the amount of 1.0% of the amount used to originate, acquire, fund or structure real estate-related investments, including any third-party expenses related to such loan. In the event that the term of any real estate-related loan is extended, our Manager also receives an origination fee equal to the lesser of (i) 1.0% of the principal amount of the loan being extended or (ii) the amount of fee paid by the borrower in connection with such extension.
Asset Management Fee. A monthly asset management fee at an annual rate equal to 1.0% of the aggregate funds under management, which includes the loan origination amount or aggregate gross acquisition cost, as applicable, for each real estate-related loan and cash held by us.
Asset Servicing Fee. A monthly asset servicing fee at an annual rate equal to 0.25% of the aggregate gross origination price or aggregate gross acquisition price for each real estate related loan then held by us (inclusive of closing costs and expenses).
Disposition Fee. A disposition fee in the amount of 1.0% of the gross sale price received by our company from the disposition of each loan, but not upon the maturity, prepayment, workout, modification or extension of a loan unless there is a corresponding fee paid by the borrower, in which case the disposition fee will be the lesser of (i) 1.0% of the principal amount of the loan and (ii) the amount of the fee paid by the borrower in connection with such transaction. If we take ownership of a property as a result of a workout or foreclosure of a loan, we will pay a disposition fee upon the sale of such property equal to 1.0% of the sales price.
Transaction Breakup Fee. In the event that we receive any “breakup fees,” “busted-deal fees,” termination fees, or similar fees or liquidated damages from a third-party in connection with the termination or non-consummation of any loan or disposition transaction, our Manager will be entitled to receive one-half of such amounts, in addition to the reimbursement of all out-of-pocket fees and expenses incurred by our Manager with respect to its evaluation and pursuit of such transactions.
In addition to the fees described above, we reimburse our Manager for operating expenses incurred in connection with services provided to the operations of our company, including our allocable share of our Manager’s overhead, such as rent, employee costs, utilities, and technology costs.
The following table presents a summary of fees paid and costs reimbursed to our Manager in connection with providing services to us:
Years Ended December 31,
2022 2021
Origination and extension fee expense (1)(2)
$ 2,967,291 $ 2,729,598
Asset management fee 6,556,492 5,134,149
Asset servicing fee 1,560,044 1,181,924
Operating expenses reimbursed to Manager 8,076,321 6,916,371
Disposition fee (3)
890,194 1,006,302
Total $ 20,050,342 $ 16,968,344
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(1)Origination and extension fee expense is generally offset with origination and extension fee income. Any excess is deferred and amortized to interest income over the term of the loan.
(2)Amounts for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, excluded $0.2 million and $0.3 million, respectively, of origination fees paid to our Manager in connection with our equity investment in an unconsolidated investment. These origination fees were capitalized to the carrying value of the unconsolidated investment as a transaction cost.
(3)Disposition fee is generally offset with exit fee income and included in interest income on the consolidated statements of operations.
Cost Sharing and Reimbursement Agreement with Terra LLC
We have entered into a cost sharing and reimbursement agreement with Terra LLC, effective October 1, 2022 pursuant to which Terra LLC will be responsible for its allocable share of our expenses, including fees paid by us to our Manager based on
relative assets under management. These fees are eliminated in consolidation and therefore have no impact on our consolidated financial statements.
Participation Agreements
We have further diversified our exposure to loans and borrowers by entering into participation agreements whereby we transferred a portion of certain of our loans on a pari passu basis to related parties, primarily other affiliated funds managed by our Manager or its affiliates, and to a lesser extent, unrelated parties. We have also sold a portion of a loan to a third party that did not qualify for sale accounting. In connection with the BDC Merger, the obligations under participation agreements with Terra BDC totaling $37.0 million were effectively extinguished.
As of December 31, 2022, the principal balance of our participation obligation was $12.6 million, which was a participation obligation to a third party.
The loans that are subject to participation agreements are held in our name, but each of the participant’s rights and obligations, including with respect to interest income and other income (e.g., exit fee, prepayment income) and related fees/expenses (e.g., disposition fees, asset management and asset servicing fees), are based upon their respective pro rata participation interest in such participated investments, as specified in the respective participation agreements. We do not have direct liability to a participant with respect to the underlying loan and the participants’ share of the investments is repayable only from the proceeds received from the related borrower/issuer of the investments and, therefore, the participants also are subject to credit risk (i.e., risk of default by the underlying borrower/issuer).
Pursuant to the participation agreement with these entities, we receive and allocate the interest income and other related investment income to the participants based on their respective pro rata participation interest. The affiliated fund participant pays related expenses also based on their respective pro rata participation interest (i.e., asset management and asset servicing fees, disposition fees) directly to our Manager, as per the terms of each respective affiliate’s management agreement.
Other than for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our loan participations do not qualify for sale treatment. As such, the investments remain on our combined consolidated balance sheets and the proceeds are recorded as obligations under participation agreements. Similarly, interest earned on the entire loan balance is recorded within “Interest income” and the interest related to the participation interest is recorded within “Interest expense from obligations under participation agreements” in the consolidated statements of operations.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, the weighted average outstanding principal balance on obligations under participation agreements and secured borrowing was approximately $59.9 million, and the weighted average interest rate was approximately 12.1%, compared to weighted average outstanding principal balance of approximately $114.4 million, and weighted average interest rate of approximately 11.0% for the year ended December 31, 2021.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
We may be subject to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates. To the extent that we borrow money to make investments, our net investment income will be dependent upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds and the rate at which we invest these funds. In periods of rising interest rates, our cost of funds would increase, which may reduce our net investment income. As a result, there can be no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income.
As of December 31, 2022, we had 10 investments with an aggregate principal balance of $295.0 million, net of obligations under participation agreements, that provide for interest income at an annual rate of LIBOR plus a spread, eight of which are subject to a LIBOR floor. A decrease of 100 basis points in LIBOR would decrease our annual interest income, net of interest expense on participation agreements, by approximately $2.9 million, and an increase of 100 basis points in LIBOR would increase our annual interest income, net of interest expense on participation agreements, by approximately $2.9 million. Additionally, we had 13 investments with an aggregate principal balance of $247.2 million that provide for interest income at an annual rate of SOFR or Term SOFR, plus a spread, all of which were subject to a SOFR or Term SOFR floor. A decrease of 100 basis points in SOFR or Term SOFR would decrease our annual interest income by $2.5 million, and an increase of 100 basis points in SOFR or Term SOFR would increase our annual interest income by $2.5 million.
Additionally, as of December 31, 2022, we had $29.3 million of borrowings outstanding under a mortgage loan payable that bear interest at an annual rate of LIBOR plus a spread that is collateralized by an office building; a revolving line of credit with an outstanding balance of $90.1 million that bears interest at an annual rate of LIBOR plus a spread that is collateralized
by $177.4 million of first mortgages; a repurchase agreement with an outstanding balance of $51.1 million that bears interest at an annual rate of LIBOR or Term SOFR, as applicable, plus a spread that is collateralized by $68.1 million of first mortgages; and another repurchase agreement with an outstanding balance of $119.8 million that bears interest at an annual rate of Term SOFR plus a spread that is collateralized by $167.5 million of first mortgages. A decrease of 100 basis points in LIBOR and Term SOFR would decrease our annual interest expense by approximately $2.9 million, and an increase of 100 basis points in LIBOR and Term SOFR would increase our annual interest expense by approximately $2.9 million.
In July 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates the LIBOR administrator, IBA, announced that it would cease to compel banks to participate in setting LIBOR as a benchmark by the end of 2021, which has subsequently been delayed to June 30, 2023. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions convened by the U.S. Federal Reserve, has recommended SOFR as a more robust reference rate alternative to U.S. dollar LIBOR. SOFR is calculated based on overnight transactions under repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities. SOFR is observed and backward looking, which stands in contrast with LIBOR under the current methodology, which is an estimated forward-looking rate and relies, to some degree, on the expert judgment of submitting panel members. Given that SOFR is a secured rate backed by government securities, it will be a rate that does not take into account bank credit risk (as is the case with LIBOR). SOFR is therefore likely to be lower than LIBOR and is less likely to correlate with the funding costs of financial institutions. Whether or not SOFR attains market traction as a LIBOR replacement tool remains in question. As such, the future of LIBOR at this time is uncertain.
Potential changes, or uncertainty related to such potential changes, may adversely affect the market for LIBOR-based loans, including our portfolio of LIBOR-indexed, floating-rate loans, or the cost of our borrowings. In addition, changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of LIBOR may result in a sudden or prolonged increase or decrease in reported LIBOR, which could have an adverse impact on the market for LIBOR-based loans, including the value of the LIBOR-indexed, floating-rate loans in our portfolio, or the cost of our borrowings. In the event LIBOR is unavailable, our investment documents provide for a substitute index, on a basis generally consistent with market practice, intended to put us in substantially the same economic position as LIBOR.
We may hedge against interest rate fluctuations by using standard hedging instruments, such as futures, options and forward contracts, subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act. While hedging activities may insulate us against adverse changes in interest rates, they may also limit our ability to participate in benefits of lower interest rates with respect to our portfolio of investments with fixed interest rates. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we did not engage in interest rate hedging activities.
Prepayment Risks
Prepayments can either positively or adversely affect the yields on our loans. Prepayments on debt instruments, where permitted under the debt documents, are influenced by changes in current interest rates and a variety of economic, geographic and other factors beyond our control, and consequently, such prepayment rates cannot be predicted with certainty. If we do not collect a prepayment fee in connection with a prepayment or are unable to invest the proceeds of such prepayments received, the yield on the portfolio will decline. In addition, we may acquire assets at a discount or premium and if the asset does not repay when expected, the anticipated yield may be impacted. Under certain interest rate and prepayment scenarios we may fail to recoup fully our cost of acquisition of certain loans.
Extension Risk
Extension risk is the risk that our assets will be repaid at a slower rate than anticipated and generally increases when interest rates rise. In which case, to the extent we have financed the acquisition of an asset, we may have to finance our asset at potentially higher costs without the ability to reinvest principal into higher yielding securities because borrowers prepay their mortgages at a slower pace than originally expected, adversely impacting our net interest spread, and thus our net interest income.
Real Estate Risk
The market values of commercial and residential mortgage assets are subject to volatility and may be affected adversely by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, national, regional and local economic conditions (which may be adversely affected by industry slowdowns and other factors); local real estate conditions; changes or continued weakness in specific industry segments; construction quality, age and design; demographic factors; retroactive changes to building or similar codes;
pandemics; natural disasters; and other acts of god. In addition, decreases in property values reduce the value of the collateral and the potential proceeds available to a borrower to repay the underlying loans, which could also cause us to suffer losses.
Credit Risk
We are subject to varying degrees of credit risk in connection with holding a portfolio of our target assets. With respect to our loan portfolio, we seek to manage credit risk by limiting exposure to any one individual borrower and any one asset class.
Additionally, our Manager employs an asset management approach and monitors the portfolio of investments through, at a minimum, quarterly financial review of property performance including net operating income, loan-to-value, debt service coverage ratio and the debt yield. Our Manager also requires certain borrowers to establish a cash reserve, as a form of additional collateral, for the purpose of providing for future interest or property-related operating payments.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Our financial statements are annexed to this Annual Report on Form 10-K beginning on page.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As required by Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2022. Based on that evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that we would meet our disclosure obligations. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that it will detect or uncover failures within the Company to disclose material information otherwise required to be set forth in our periodic reports.
Evaluation of Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets, (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our Manager, and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements in our consolidated financial statements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the chief executive officer and chief financial officer of our Manager (performing functions equivalent to those a principal executive officer and principal financial officer of our company would perform if we had any officers), we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting using the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013). Based on its evaluation, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our independent registered accounting firm due to a transition period established by the rules of the SEC for “emerging growth companies.”
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
During the most recent fiscal quarter, there was no change in our internal controls over financial reporting, as defined under
Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 9B. Other Information.
None

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
The information regarding our executive officers required by Item 401 of Regulation S-K is located under Part I, Item 1 within the caption “Information About our Executive Officers” of this annual report on Form 10-K.
The information regarding our directors and certain other matters required by Item 401 of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Proxy Statement”), to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2022.
The information regarding compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act required by Item 405 of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2022.
The information regarding our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics required by Item 406 of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2022.
The information regarding certain matters pertaining to our corporate governance required by Items 407(c)(3), (d)(4) and (d)(5) of Regulation S-K is incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2022.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
The information regarding executive compensation and other compensation related matters required by Items 402 and 407(e)(4) and(e)(5) of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2022.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The tables on our equity compensation plan information and beneficial ownership required by Items 201(d) and 403 of Regulation S-K are incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2022.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
The information regarding transactions with related persons, promoters and certain control persons and director independence required by Items 404 and 407(a) of Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2022.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.
The information concerning principal accounting fees and services and the Audit Committee's pre-approval policies and procedures required by Item 14 is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2022.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
The following exhibits are included, or incorporated by reference, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K:
(1) Financial Statements
The index to our financial statements is on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
(2) Financial Statement Schedule
The index to our financial schedules is on page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
(3) Exhibits
The following exhibits are filed with this report. Documents other than those designated as being filed herewith are incorporated herein by reference.
Exhibit No. Description and Method of Filing
2.1 Contribution Agreement by and among Terra Secured Income Fund, LLC, Terra Secured Income Fund 2, LLC, Terra Secured Income Fund 3, LLC, Terra Secured Income Fund 4, LLC, the registrant, and Terra Property Trust, Inc., dated January 1, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Registration Statement on Form 10 (File No. 000-56117) filed with the SEC on November 6, 2019).
2.2 Amendment No. 1 to the Contribution Agreement by and among Terra Secured Income Fund, LLC, Terra Secured Income Fund 2, LLC, Terra Secured Income Fund 3, LLC, Terra Secured Income Fund 4, LLC, the registrant, and Terra Property Trust, Inc., dated December 31, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.2 to the Registration Statement on Form 10 (File No. 000-56117) filed with the SEC on November 6, 2019).
2.3 Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated February 28, 2020, by and among Terra Property Trust, Inc., Terra Property Trust 2, Inc. and Terra Secured Income Fund 7, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-56117) filed with the SEC on March 5, 2020).
2.4 Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 2, 2022, by and among Terra Property Trust, Inc., Terra Income Fund 6, Inc., Terra Merger Sub, LLC, Terra Income Advisors, LLC and Terra REIT Advisors, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by Terra Income Fund 6, Inc. with the SEC on May 5, 2022).
3.1 Amended and Restated Bylaws of Terra Property Trust, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registration Statement on Amendment No.1 to Form 10 (File No. 000-56117) filed with the SEC on December 16, 2019).
3.2 Articles of Amendment and Restatement of Terra Property Trust, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registration Statement on Amendment No.1 to Form 10 (File No. 000-56117) filed with the SEC on December 16, 2019).
3.3 Articles of Supplementary of Terra Property Trust, Inc. Designating 12.5% Services A Redeemable Cumulative Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to the Registration Statement on Amendment No.1 to Form 10 (File No. 000-56117) filed with the SEC on December 16, 2019).
4.1* Description of Securities Registered Under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
4.2 Indenture, dated June 10, 2021, by and between Terra Property Trust, Inc. and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-40496) filed with the SEC on June 14, 2021).
Exhibit No. Description and Method of Filing
4.3 First Supplemental Indenture, dated June 10, 2021, by and between Terra Property Trust, Inc. and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-40496) filed with the SEC on June 14, 2021).
4.4 Form of Global Note representing the notes (included in Exhibit 4.2).
4.5 Indenture, dated February 10, 2021, by and between Terra Income Fund 6, Inc. and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 10, 2021.)
4.6 First Supplemental Indenture, dated February 10, 2021, by and between Terra Income Fund 6, Inc. and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of Terra Income Fund 6, Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 10, 2021).
4.7 Second Supplemental Indenture, dated October 1, 2022, by and among Terra Income Fund 6, Inc., Terra Merger Sub, LLC and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (incorporated by reference to exhibit 4.4 of Terra Income Fund 6, LLC’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 3, 2022).
10.1 Amended and Restated Management Agreement between Terra Property Trust, Inc., and Terra REIT Advisors, LLC, dated February 8, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registration Statement on Form 10 (File No. 000-56117) filed with the SEC on November 6, 2019).
10.2 Amended and Restated Voting Agreement by and among Terra Property Trust, Inc., Terra Secured Income Fund 5, LLC, Terra JV, LLC and Terra REIT Advisors, LLC, dated March 2, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 15, 2020).
10.3 Stockholder Rights Agreement among Terra JV, LLC and Terra Property Trust, Inc., dated March 2, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 000-56117) filed with the SEC on May 15, 2020).
10.4 Contribution Agreement by and among Terra Property Trust, Terra International Fund 3 REIT, LLC and Terra Income Fund International, dated March 2, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 000-56117) filed with the SEC on May 15, 2020).
10.5 Contribution Agreement by and among Terra Property Trust, Terra International Fund 3 REIT, LLC and Terra Secured Income Fund 5 International, dated March 2, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 000-56117) filed with the SEC on May 15, 2020).
10.6 Indenture and Credit Agreement, dated as of September 3, 2020, by and among Terra Mortgage Capital I, LLC, as Issuer, Goldman Sachs Bank USA, as initial Class A lender, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee, custodian, collateral agent, loan agent and note administrator (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-56117) filed with the SEC on September 17, 2020).
10.7 Guaranty, dated as of September 3, 2020, by and among Terra Property Trust, Inc., as guarantor, for the benefit of Goldman Sachs Bank USA (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-56117) filed with the SEC on September 17, 2020).
10.8 Business Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of March 12, 2021, by and among Terra Mortgage Portfolio II, LLC, as the Borrower, and Western Alliance Bank, as the Lender (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 18, 2021).
10.9 Limited Guaranty, dated as of March 12, 2021, by and among Terra Property Trust, Inc., as Guarantor, for the benefit of Western Alliance Bank (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 18, 2021).
10.10 First Amendment to Loan Documents dated as of June 9, 2021, by and amount Terra Mortgage Portfolio II, LLC, as Borrower, Terra Property Trust, Inc., as Guarantor, and Western Alliance Bank, as Lender (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 11, 2022).
10.11 Uncommitted Master Repurchase Agreement dated as of November 8, 2021, by and amount Terra Mortgage Capital III, LLC, as Seller, UBS AG, as Buyer (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 11, 2022).
10.12 Guarantee Agreement dated as of November 8, 2021, by and amount Terra Property Trust, Inc., as Guarantor, in favor of UBS AG, as Buyer (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 11, 2022).
Exhibit No. Description and Method of Filing
10.13 Second Amendment to Loan Documents dated as of January 4, 2022, by and amount Terra Mortgage Portfolio II, LLC, as Borrower, Terra Property Trust, Inc., as Guarantor, and Western Alliance Bank, as Lender (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 11, 2022).
10.14 Uncommitted Master Repurchase and Securities Contract Agreement dated as of February 18, 2022, by and amount Terra Mortgage Capital I, LLC, as Seller, Goldman Sachs Bank USA, as Buyer (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 11, 2022).
10.15 Guarantee Agreement dated as of February 18, 2022, by and amount Terra Property Trust, Inc., as Guarantor, in favor of Goldman Sachs Bank USA, as Buyer (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 11, 2022).
10.16 Voting Support Agreement, dated October 1, 2022, by and among Terra Property Trust, Inc., Terra JV, LLC and Terra Offshore Funds REIT, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-40496) filed with the SEC on October 3, 2022).
10.17 Form of Indemnification Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-40496) filed with the SEC on October 3, 2022).
10.18 Consent and Amendment Letter, dated as of September 27, 2022, by and among Terra Income Fund 6, Inc., Terra Merger Sub, LLC, Eagle Point Credit Management LLC, and certain lenders on the signature pages thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 14, 2022).
21.1 * Subsidiaries
31.1* Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2* Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32** Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
101.INS** Inline XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document
101.SCH** Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL** Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.LAB** Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE** Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
101.DEF** Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File Included as Exhibit 101 (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
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* Filed herewith.
** Furnished herewith.