EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1690012
Filing Year: 2022
Filename: 1690012_10-K_2022_0001564590-22-009873.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Item 1. Business.
General Development of the Business
InPoint Commercial Real Estate Income, Inc. (the “Company”, “we,” “our” or “us”) holds a diversified portfolio of CRE investments primarily comprised of (i) CRE debt, including floating rate first mortgage loans, subordinate mortgage and mezzanine loans, and participations in such loans and (ii) floating rate CRE securities, such as CMBS, and senior unsecured debt of publicly traded real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). We may also invest in select equity investments in single-tenant, net leased properties. Substantially all of our business is conducted through InPoint REIT Operating Partnership, LP (the “Operating Partnership”), a Delaware limited partnership. We are the sole general partner and directly or indirectly hold all of the limited partner interests in the Operating Partnership. We have elected to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We are not a mutual fund and do not intend to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
We are externally managed by the Advisor, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of IREIC, a member of The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc. (“Inland”). The Advisor is responsible for coordinating the management of the day-to-day operations and originating, acquiring and managing our CRE investment portfolio, subject to the supervision of our board of directors (the “Board”). The Advisor performs its duties and responsibilities as our fiduciary pursuant to an amended and restated advisory agreement dated July 1, 2021 among the Company, the Advisor and the Operating Partnership (the “Advisory Agreement”).
The Advisor has delegated certain of its duties to the Sub-Advisor, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sound Point CRE Management, LP (“Sound Point CRE”), pursuant to an amended and restated sub-advisory agreement between the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor dated July 1, 2021. Sound Point CRE is a subsidiary of Sound Point Capital Management, LP (“Sound Point”). Among other duties, the Sub-Advisor has the authority to identify, negotiate, acquire and originate our investments and provide portfolio management, disposition, property management and leasing services to the Company. Notwithstanding such delegation to the Sub-Advisor, the Advisor retains ultimate responsibility for the performance of all the matters entrusted to it under the Advisory Agreement, including those duties which the Advisor has not delegated to the Sub-Advisor such as (i) valuation of our assets and calculation of our NAV; (ii) management of our day-to-day operations; (iii) preparation of stockholder reports and communications and arrangement of our annual stockholder meetings; and (iv) advising the Company regarding its initial qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes and monitoring its ongoing compliance with the REIT qualification requirements thereafter.
On October 25, 2016, we commenced a private offering (the “Private Offering”) of up to $500.0 million in shares of Class P common stock (“Class P Shares”). The Dealer Manager, an affiliate of the Advisor, was the dealer manager for the Private Offering. On June 28, 2019, we terminated the Private Offering. We continued to accept Private Offering subscription proceeds through July 16, 2019 from subscription agreements executed no later than June 28, 2019. We issued 10,258,094 Class P Shares in the Private Offering, resulting in gross proceeds of $276.7 million.
On March 22, 2019, we filed a Registration Statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-230465) (the “Registration Statement”) to register up to $2.35 billion in shares of common stock in our initial public offering (the “IPO”).
On May 3, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) declared effective the Registration Statement and we commenced the IPO. The purchase price per share for each class of common stock in the IPO varies and generally equals our prior month’s NAV per share, as determined monthly, plus applicable upfront selling commissions and dealer manager fees. The Dealer Manager serves as our exclusive dealer manager for the IPO on a best efforts basis.
On March 24, 2020, the Board suspended (i) the sale of shares in the IPO, (ii) the operation of the SRP, (iii) the payment of distributions to our stockholders, and (iv) the operation of the distribution reinvestment plan (the “DRP”), effective as of April 6, 2020. In determining to take these actions, the Board considered various factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, the inability to accurately calculate the NAV per share due to uncertainty, volatility and lack of liquidity in the market, our need for liquidity due to financing challenges related to additional collateral required by the banks that regularly finance our assets and these uncertain and rapidly changing economic conditions.
As a result of these factors, we did not calculate our NAV for the months of March through May 2020. We resumed calculation of our NAV beginning as of June 30, 2020 following the Advisor’s determination that volatility in the market for our investments had declined and the U.S. economic outlook had improved. In August 2020, we resumed paying distributions monthly to stockholders of record for all classes of our common stock. On October 1, 2020, the SEC declared effective our post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, thereby permitting us to resume offers and sales of shares of common stock in the IPO, including through the DRP.
On March 1, 2021, the SRP was reinstated for our stockholders requesting repurchase of shares as a result of the death or qualified disability of the holder, and on July 1, 2021, the SRP was reinstated for all stockholders. In accordance with the terms of the SRP that allow us to repurchase fewer shares than the maximum amount permitted under the SRP, we repurchased fewer shares than the maximum amount permitted for the months of July, August and September 2021 as directed by the Board. Beginning on October 1, 2021, the total amount of aggregate repurchases of shares is limited as set forth in the SRP (no more than 2% of our aggregate NAV per month as of the last day of the previous calendar month and no more than 5% of our aggregate NAV per calendar quarter with NAV measured as of the last day of the previous calendar quarter). Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may repurchase fewer shares than these limits in any month, or none. Further, the Board may modify, suspend or terminate the SRP if it deems such action to be in our best interest and the best interest of our stockholders.
As of March 10, 2022, we had received and accepted investors’ subscriptions for and issued 687,516 Class A shares, 419,911 Class T shares, 52,465 Class D shares and 395,248 Class I shares in the IPO, resulting in gross proceeds of $39.9 million, including proceeds from the DRP. As of March 10, 2022, $2.31 billion of common stock remained available to be sold in the IPO.
On September 22, 2021, we completed an underwritten public offering of 3,500,000 shares of our 6.75% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Series A Preferred Stock”), with a liquidation preference of $25.00 per share (the “Preferred Stock Offering”). In addition, on October 15, 2021, the underwriters partially exercised their over-allotment option and purchased an additional 100,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock. The Series A Preferred Stock was issued and sold pursuant to an effective registration statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-258802) filed with the SEC. We received net proceeds of $86.3 million, after underwriter’s discount and issuance costs and contributed the net proceeds to the Operating Partnership in exchange for an equivalent number of Series A units in the Operating Partnership.
In connection with the Preferred Stock Offering, Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, prohibited us from selling our shares of common stock in our primary portion of our IPO and repurchasing our shares of common stock through our SRP during the applicable restricted period. After careful consideration of the regulatory requirements, the Board unanimously approved the temporary suspension of the sale of our shares of common stock in the primary portion of our IPO and the operation of our SRP, each effective at 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time, on September 7, 2021, until 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time, on September 15, 2021.
For more information on the Preferred Stock Offering, see Part IV, Item 15, “Note 7 - Stockholders’ Equity.”
We provide the following programs to facilitate additional investment in our shares and to provide limited liquidity for stockholders.
Distribution Reinvestment Plan
We adopted the DRP, whereby Class A, Class T, Class S, Class D and Class I stockholders have the option to have their cash distributions reinvested in additional shares of our common stock. Any cash distributions attributable to the class or classes of shares owned by participants in the DRP will be immediately reinvested in the same class of our shares of common stock on behalf of the participants on the business day such distribution would have been paid to such stockholder.
The per share purchase price for shares purchased pursuant to the DRP is equal to the most recently published transaction price at the time the distribution is payable. Stockholders will not pay upfront selling commissions when purchasing shares pursuant to the DRP. The stockholder servicing fees with respect to shares of our Class T shares, Class S shares and Class D shares are calculated based on our NAV for those shares and may reduce the NAV or, alternatively, the distributions payable with respect to shares of each such class, including shares issued in respect of distributions on such shares under the DRP.
We reserve the right to amend, suspend or terminate our DRP without the consent of our stockholders, provided that notice is sent to participants at least ten business days prior to the effective date. Participants may terminate their participation in the DRP with five business days’ prior written notice to us.
Share Repurchase Plan
We adopted the SRP, whereby on a monthly basis, stockholders who have held their shares of common stock for at least one year may request that we repurchase all or any portion of their shares. Due to the illiquid nature of investments in real estate, we may not have sufficient liquid resources to fund repurchase requests. Because there is no public market for our common shares, stockholders may have difficulty selling their shares if we choose to repurchase only some, or even none, of the shares that have been requested to be repurchased in any particular month, in our discretion, or if our Board modifies, suspends or terminates the SRP.
In addition, we have established limitations on the amount of funds we may use for repurchases during any calendar month and quarter. We may repurchase fewer shares than have been requested in any particular month to be repurchased under our SRP, or none at all, in our discretion at any time. In addition, the total amount of aggregate repurchases of shares will be limited to no more than 2% of our aggregate NAV per month and no more than 5% of our aggregate NAV per calendar quarter.
As noted above, our Board suspended the SRP on March 24, 2020. On March 1, 2021, our SRP was reinstated for our stockholders requesting repurchase of shares as a result of the death or qualified disability of the holder. On July 1, 2021, our SRP was reinstated for all stockholders. The first settlement of permitted repurchase requests was on July 30, 2021, the last business day of the month. In accordance with the terms of the SRP that allow us to repurchase fewer shares than the maximum amount permitted under the SRP, we repurchased fewer shares than the maximum amount permitted for the months of July, August and September 2021 as directed by the Board. Beginning on October 1, 2021, the total amount of aggregate repurchases of shares is limited as set forth in the SRP (no more than 2% of our aggregate NAV per month as of the last day of the previous calendar month and no more than 5% of our aggregate NAV per calendar quarter with NAV measured as of the last day of the previous calendar quarter). Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may repurchase fewer shares than these limits in any month, or none. Further, our Board may modify, suspend or terminate our SRP if it deems such action to be in our best interest and the best interest of our stockholders.
Investment Portfolio
Our objective is to originate, acquire and manage an investment portfolio of CRE debt and CRE securities that is diversified based on the type and location of the underlying collateral securing the CRE debt and CRE securities. We intend that the real estate underlying our CRE debt and CRE securities investments, as well as CRE equity investments we may make, will be located within the United States and diversified by property type, geographic location, owner/operator and tenant. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, our investment portfolio consisted of $665.5 million and $441.8 million, respectively, in commercial mortgage loans held for investment. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, in addition to the debt investments we own in our investment portfolio, we also owned one 362-room hotel located in Chicago, Illinois, commonly known as the Renaissance Chicago O’Hare Suites Hotel (the “Renaissance O’Hare”) through a ground lease interest that we acquired via deed-in-lieu-of-foreclosure on August 20, 2020, from the borrower under one of our first mortgage loans.
Competition
Our net income depends, in large part, on our ability to originate loans and acquire assets at favorable spreads over our borrowing costs. In acquiring our investments, we compete with other REITs, specialty finance companies, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, mutual funds, institutional investors, investment banking firms, financial institutions, governmental bodies and other entities. Many of our competitors are significantly larger than we are, have access to greater capital and other resources and may have other advantages over us. 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 investments and establish more relationships than we can. Market conditions may attract more competitors, which may increase the competition for sources of financing. An increase in the competition for sources of financing could adversely affect the availability and cost of financing.
We rely on the Sub-Advisor’s professionals and their industry expertise, which we believe provides us with a competitive advantage. These professionals help us assess investment risks and determine appropriate pricing for our mortgage loans and potential investments. Their industry relationships enable us to compete more effectively for attractive investment opportunities. Despite certain competitive advantages, we may not be able to achieve our business goals or expectations due to the competitive risks that we face. We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities and competition may limit our ability to acquire desirable investments in our target assets and could also affect the pricing of these investments.
Many investment opportunities that are suitable for us may also be suitable for one or more investment funds, REITs, vehicles, accounts, products or other similar arrangements sponsored, advised and/or managed by the Sub-Advisor or its affiliates (“Other Sound Point Accounts”). If both we and an Other Sound Pont Account are interested in making an investment, the Sub-Advisor or its affiliates will determine which program is ultimately awarded the right to pursue the investment in accordance with the Sub-Advisor’s investment allocation guidelines. The Sub-Advisor is responsible for facilitating the investment allocation process and could face conflicts of interest in doing so. The Sub-Advisor is required to provide information to our Board to enable our Board, including the independent directors, to determine whether the investment allocation procedures summarized below are being fairly applied to us.
Our Sub-Advisor and its affiliates have adopted investment allocation guidelines to address conflicts of interest arising from the allocation of investment opportunities among us and Other Sound Point Accounts. The Sub-Advisor will screen the suitability of each investment opportunity for each account based on the following criteria (the “Screening Criteria”): liquidity position (i.e., sufficiency of available cash to make and support the investment or need to raise cash); strategic investment objectives; appropriateness of investment based on current portfolio composition, including loan-type, loan-size, asset-type and geographic or borrower diversity; time horizon; tax sensitivity; and any applicable legal or regulatory restrictions, or governing document applicable covenants or asset tests/restrictions.
Since bespoke whole commercial real estate loan investments are not divisible and cannot be allocated pro rata as a general matter, the Sub-Advisor and its affiliates will allocate investment opportunities on a pre-determined rotational order and maintain a record of such rotations. Any new account will be added to the bottom of the rotational queue. If, upon giving due consideration to the Screening Criteria, the Sub-Advisor and its affiliates reasonably determine in their discretion that an investment opportunity is suitable and
appropriate for only one account, the investment opportunity will be allocated to such account without regard to or any resulting effect upon the then-current rotational order. If, however, upon giving due consideration to the Screening Criteria, the Sub-Advisor and its affiliates reasonably determine that an investment opportunity is suitable and appropriate for two or more accounts, the investment opportunity will be allocated to the account that has not executed a written non-binding expression of interest (subject to Sub-Advisor and affiliates’ underwriting and due diligence) in providing commercial real estate debt financing related to a separate investment opportunity previously allocated to it for the longest period of time. In such instance, the account receiving allocation of such investment opportunity will thereupon be moved to the bottom of the rotational queue.
Seasonality
Our results of operations are expected to reflect the seasonal nature of our hospitality property, the Renaissance O’Hare. Seasonal slowdown at the Renaissance O’Hare is generally in the fourth quarter and first quarter of each year. As a result of the seasonality of the hospitality market, there will likely be seasonality and quarter-to-quarter variability in results of operations of the Renaissance O’Hare and any other hospitality properties that we may own. For additional information related to the seasonal nature of our business, see Item 1A “Risk Factors.”
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, (iii) 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.
Human Capital
We do not have any employees. All of our executive officers are officers of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor or one or more of their affiliates and are compensated by those entities for their services rendered to us. We neither separately compensate our executive officers for their service as officers, nor do we reimburse either the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor for any compensation paid to individuals who also serve as our executive officers.
Tax Status
We believe we have operated, and we intend to continue to operate, in a manner, to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with the taxable year ended December 31, 2017. Accordingly, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes on our taxable income to the extent that we annually distribute all of our net taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gains, to our stockholders and maintain our qualification as a REIT.
Our Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at 2901 Butterfield Rd., Oak Brook, Illinois 60523, our telephone number is (800) 826-8228 and our website is www.inland-investments.com/inpoint. From time to time, we may use our website as a distribution channel for material company information. Our website is not incorporated by reference in or otherwise a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We will provide a copy of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including financial statements and schedules, without charge upon written request delivered to our principal executive offices. We electronically file our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and all amendments to those reports with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Risks Related to an Investment in Our Company
We have a limited operating history and there is no assurance that we will be able to successfully achieve our investment objectives.
We have a limited operating history and may not be able to achieve our investment objectives. We cannot assure stockholders that the past experiences of affiliates of the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor will be sufficient to allow us to successfully achieve our investment
objectives. As a result, an investment in our shares of common stock may entail more risk than the shares of common stock of a REIT with a substantial operating history.
There is no public trading market for shares of our common stock; therefore, our stockholders’ ability to dispose of their shares will likely be limited to repurchase by us through our SRP. We may choose to repurchase fewer shares than have been requested to be repurchased, in our discretion at any time, and the amount of shares we may repurchase is subject to limits. Further, our Board may modify, suspend or terminate our SRP if it deems such action to be in our best interest and the best interest of our stockholders. If stockholders do sell their shares to us, they may receive less than the price they paid.
There is no current public trading market for shares of our common stock, and we do not expect that such a market will develop without a listing of our shares on an exchange. Therefore, repurchase of shares by us pursuant to our SRP will likely be the only way for our stockholders to dispose of their shares, and there can be no assurance that our SRP will be available at any given time, as our Board may determine to suspend the plan based on economic conditions or for any other reason it deems appropriate. Our Board suspended our SRP on March 24, 2020 and partially reinstated it effective July 1, 2021, subject to certain aggregate repurchase limits lower than the maximum amount permitted by the SRP. The SRP was not fully reinstated until October 1, 2021. The total amount of aggregate repurchases is subject to the limits set forth in the SRP (2% of our aggregate NAV per month as of the last day of the previous calendar month and no more than 5% of our aggregate NAV per calendar quarter as of the last day of the previous calendar quarter). When our SRP is in effect, our stockholders who have held their shares for at least one year have the opportunity to request that we repurchase their shares on a monthly basis. We repurchase shares from requesting stockholders who have held their shares for at least one year on a monthly basis at a price equal to our most recently determined NAV per share for the applicable class of share on the date the repurchase request is processed, and not based on the price at which the stockholder initially purchased his or her shares. As a result, our stockholders may receive less than the price they paid for their shares when they sell them to us pursuant to our repurchase program.
Due to the illiquid nature of investment in real estate, we may not have sufficient liquid resources to fund repurchase requests. When the SRP is in effect, we may choose to repurchase all, some or none of the shares that have been requested to be repurchased at the end of any particular month, in our discretion, subject to any limitations in our SRP. Further, our Board may modify, suspend or terminate our SRP if it deems such action to be in our best interest and the best interest of our stockholders. If the full amount of all shares of our common stock requested to be repurchased in any given month are not repurchased, including because the amount requested for repurchase exceeds one of the limits, then funds will be allocated pro rata based on the total number of shares of common stock being repurchased without regard to class and subject to the volume limitation.
Economic events that may cause our stockholders to request that we repurchase their shares may materially adversely affect our cash flow and our results of operations and financial condition.
Economic events affecting the U.S. economy, such as the general negative performance of the real estate sector, could cause our stockholders to seek to sell their shares to us pursuant to our SRP at a time when such events are adversely affecting the performance of our assets. Our SRP was suspended and may be suspended again in the future. If we decide to satisfy all repurchase requests even within the limits of our SRP, our cash flow could be materially adversely affected. In addition, if we determine to sell assets to satisfy repurchase requests, we may not be able to realize the return on such assets that we may have been able to achieve had we sold at a more favorable time, and our results of operations and financial condition, including, without limitation, breadth of our portfolio by property type and location, could be materially adversely affected.
The Advisor and the Sub-Advisor manage our portfolio pursuant to very broad investment guidelines and generally are not required to seek the approval of our Board for each investment, financing or asset allocation decision made by it, which may result in our making riskier investments and which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our Board approved very broad investment guidelines that delegate to the Advisor the authority to execute originations, acquisitions and dispositions of CRE debt, CRE securities and real estate properties on our behalf, in each case so long as such investments are consistent with the investment guidelines and our charter. Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Advisor delegated this authority to the Sub-Advisor, under the supervision of the Advisor. There can be no assurance that the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor will be successful in applying any strategy or discretionary approach to our investment activities. Our Board reviews our investment guidelines on an annual basis (or more often as it deems appropriate) and reviews our investment portfolio periodically. The prior approval of our Board or a committee of independent directors will be required only as set forth in our charter (including for transactions with affiliates of the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor) or for the acquisition or disposition of assets that are not in accordance with our investment guidelines. In addition, in conducting periodic reviews, our directors rely primarily on information provided to them by the Advisor. Furthermore, transactions entered into on our behalf by the Advisor may be costly, difficult or impossible to unwind when they are subsequently reviewed by our Board.
The amount and source of distributions we may pay to our stockholders is uncertain, and we may be unable to generate sufficient cash flows from our operations to pay distributions to our stockholders at any time in the future.
We have not established a minimum distribution payment level to our common stockholders, and our ability to pay distributions to any of our stockholders may be adversely affected by a number of factors, including the risk factors described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Because we have a limited operating history and have not identified all of the assets we may acquire with the proceeds of the IPO, we may not generate sufficient income to pay distributions to our stockholders. Our Board will make determinations regarding distributions based upon, among other factors, our financial performance, debt service obligations, debt covenants and capital expenditure requirements. Among the factors that could impair our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders are:
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the limited size of our portfolio in the early stages of our development;
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our inability to invest the proceeds from sales of our shares on a timely basis in income-producing CRE loans, CRE securities and select CRE equity investments;
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our inability to realize attractive risk-adjusted returns on our investments;
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unanticipated expenses or reduced revenues that reduce our cash flow or non-cash earnings;
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defaults in our investment portfolio or decreases in the value of our investments, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
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the payment of increased dividend rates on the Series A Preferred Stock upon certain events, such as a Change of Control or Downgrade Event (as such terms are defined in the Articles Supplementary designating the Series A Preferred Stock) or where any shares of our Series A Preferred Stock remain outstanding after September 22, 2026; and
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the fact that anticipated operating expense levels may not prove accurate, as actual results may vary from estimates.
As a result, we may not be able to pay distributions to our stockholders at any given time in the future, and the level of any distributions we do make to our common stockholders may not increase or even be maintained over time, any of which could materially and adversely affect the value of our stockholders’ investments. Though we paid distributions to our common stockholders on a monthly basis from December 5, 2016 to March 24, 2020, our Board suspended distributions from March 24, 2020 to July 30, 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and may do so again in the future.
Further, subject to certain exceptions, in connection with a Change of Control or Downgrade Event and where any shares of our Series A Preferred Stock remain outstanding after September 22, 2026, we will thereafter accrue cumulative cash dividends at a rate higher than the initial rate per annum equal to 6.75% per annum of the $25.00 liquidation preference. We cannot assure you of our ability to pay these increased dividend rates upon such events, and, even where we are able to do so, the increased dividend payments may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations, including our ability to maintain our current distribution payment level to common stockholders, and our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders, if any.
We have paid and may continue to pay distributions from sources other than our earnings and cash flow from operations, including, without limitation, the sale of assets, borrowings or offering proceeds, and we have no limits on the amounts we may pay from such sources.
We may not generate sufficient earnings and cash flow from operations to fully fund distributions to stockholders. Therefore, we may choose to use cash flows from financing activities, which include borrowings (including borrowings secured by our assets), net proceeds of the IPO, or other sources to fund distributions to our stockholders. We may be required to continue to fund our regular distributions from a combination of some of these sources if our investments fail to perform as anticipated, if expenses are greater than expected and due to numerous other factors. We have not established a limit on the amount of our distributions that may be paid from any of these sources. We have funded distributions, in part, using offering proceeds and, in the future, we may again pay distributions from sources other than earnings and cash flow from operations. For example, during the year ended December 31, 2021, 17.1% of distributions were paid from the combined net proceeds of our IPO and Preferred Stock Offering.
Using certain of these sources may result in a liability to us, which would require a future repayment. The use of these sources for distributions and the ultimate repayment of any liabilities incurred could adversely impact our ability to pay distributions in future periods, decrease our NAV, decrease the amount of cash we have available for operations and new investments and adversely impact the value of our stockholders’ investment.
Purchases in our public offering and repurchases of shares of our common stock are not made based on the NAV per share of our common stock as of the date of purchase or repurchase.
Our offering price per share and the price at which we make repurchases of our shares generally will equal the NAV per share of the applicable class as of the last calendar day of the prior month, plus, in the case of our offering price, applicable upfront selling
commissions and dealer manager fees. The NAV per share, if calculated as of the date on which an investor in the offering makes a subscription request or a stockholder makes a repurchase request, may be significantly different than the transaction price they pay or the repurchase price they receive. Certain of our investments or liabilities may be subject to high levels of volatility from time to time and could change in value significantly between the end of the prior month as of which our NAV is determined and the date that they acquire or we repurchase shares, but the prior month’s NAV per share will generally continue to be used as the transaction price per share and repurchase price per share. In exceptional circumstances, we may in our sole discretion offer and repurchase shares at a different price that we believe is more appropriate than the prior month’s NAV per share, including by updating a previously disclosed transaction price, or suspend our offering and/or our SRP in cases where we believe there has been a material change (positive or negative) to our NAV per share since the end of the prior month and we believe suspension is appropriate. In such exceptional cases, the transaction price and the repurchase price will not equal our NAV per share as of the end of the prior month but still may not equal our NAV per share at the time of an investor’s purchase or our repurchase.
Valuations and appraisals of our properties and real estate-related assets are estimates of fair value and may not necessarily correspond to realizable value.
The Advisor determines the fair value of our investments as of the last day of each month. Within the parameters of our valuation guidelines, the valuation methodologies used to value our assets involves subjective judgments. The fair values of commercial loans are determined by analyzing interest rate spreads on loans based on various factors including capitalization rates, occupancy rates, sponsorship, geographic concentration, collateral type, market conditions and actions of other lenders and may not be accurate. Valuation methodologies also involve assumptions and opinions about future events, which may or may not turn out to be correct. Valuations and appraisals of our investments are only estimates of fair value. Ultimate realization of the value of an asset depends to a great extent on economic and other conditions beyond our control and the control of the Advisor. Further, valuations do not necessarily represent the price at which an asset would sell, since market prices of assets can only be determined by negotiation between a willing buyer and seller. Therefore, the valuations of our investments may not correspond to the timely realizable value upon a sale of those assets. There will be no retroactive adjustment in the valuation of such assets, the price of our shares of common stock, the price we paid to repurchase shares of our common stock or NAV-based fees we paid to the Advisor and the Dealer Manager to the extent such valuations prove to not accurately reflect the true estimate of value and are not a precise measure of realizable value. Because the price at which shares may be repurchased by us pursuant to our SRP is based on our estimated NAV per share, stockholders may receive less than realizable value for their investment.
Our NAV per share may suddenly change if the estimated values of our illiquid assets materially change from prior estimates or the actual operating results for a particular month differ from what we originally estimated for that month.
We calculate a monthly NAV. While we obtain annual independent valuations of our properties and monthly independent valuations of our CRE securities, a substantial portion of our assets consist of CRE debt that is valued by the Advisor, with the assistance of the Sub-Advisor, using factors that are periodically validated by an independent third party. Changes in market conditions may significantly impact the estimated valuation of our assets and there may be a sudden change in our NAV per share for each class of our common stock. In addition, actual operating results for a given month may differ from what we originally budgeted for that month, which may cause a sudden increase or decrease in the NAV per share amounts. After the end of the last business day of each month, we adjust the income and expenses we estimated for that month to reflect the income and expenses actually earned and incurred. We will not retroactively adjust the monthly NAV per share of each class for each day of the previous month. Therefore, because the actual results from operations may be better or worse than what we previously budgeted for a particular month, the adjustment to reflect actual operating results may cause the NAV per share for each class of our common stock to increase or decrease, and such increase or decrease will occur on the day the adjustment is made.
It may be difficult to reflect, fully and accurately, material events that may impact our monthly NAV.
The Advisor’s determination of our monthly NAV per share for each class of our common stock is based in part on estimates of the values of our illiquid assets in accordance with valuation guidelines approved by our Board. As a result, our most recently published NAV per share may not fully reflect any or all changes in value that may have occurred since the most recent valuation. We suspended the calculation of our NAV from March 24, 2020 to July 20, 2020 as a result of uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we may do so again in the future. The Advisor reviews our CRE debt and CRE securities investments for the occurrence of any asset-specific or market-driven event it believes may cause a material valuation change in the asset valuation, but it may be difficult to reflect fully and accurately rapidly changing market conditions or material events that may impact the value of our illiquid assets or liabilities between valuations, or to obtain quickly complete information regarding any such events. As a result, the NAV per share may not reflect a material event until such time as sufficient information is available and analyzed, and the financial impact is fully evaluated, such that our NAV may be appropriately adjusted in accordance with our valuation guidelines. Depending on the circumstances, the resulting potential disparity in our NAV may negatively affect stockholders who have their shares repurchased, or stockholders who buy new shares, or our existing stockholders.
If we are unable to raise substantial funds, we will be limited in the number and type of investments we make and the value of investments in us will fluctuate with the performance of the specific assets we acquire.
Our IPO is being made on a “best efforts” basis, meaning that the Dealer Manager and broker-dealers participating in the distribution of shares in our IPO (“participating broker-dealers”) are only required to use their best efforts to sell our shares and have no firm commitment or obligation to purchase any shares of our common stock in our IPO. As a result, the amount of proceeds we raise in our IPO may be substantially less than the amount we would need to create a diversified portfolio of investments. As of March 10, 2022, we had received and accepted investors’ subscriptions for and issued 687,516 Class A shares, 419,911 Class T shares, 52,465 Class D shares and 395,248 Class I shares in the IPO, resulting in gross proceeds of $39.9 million, including proceeds from the DRP. If we are unable to raise substantial funds, we will make fewer investments resulting in less diversification in terms of the type, number and size of investments that we make. Moreover, the potential impact of any single asset’s performance on the overall performance of our portfolio increases. Further, we have certain fixed operating expenses, including certain expenses as a public reporting company, regardless of whether we are able to raise substantial funds in our IPO. Our inability to raise substantial funds would increase our fixed operating expenses as a percentage of gross income, reducing our net income and limiting our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders. Certain participating broker-dealers suspended the sale of public, non-listed REITs, including our shares, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although most of those suspensions occurred during the period when our IPO was suspended by our Board, there is no assurance that our participating broker-dealers’ sales efforts will return to pre-suspension levels or resume at all, which increases the risk that we are unable to raise substantial funds in our IPO.
If we raise substantial offering proceeds in a short period of time, we may not be able to invest all of our offering proceeds promptly, which may cause our distributions and investment returns to be lower than they otherwise would be.
The more shares we sell in our IPO or in another securities offering, including an offering of preferred stock, the greater our challenge is to invest all of our net offering proceeds. If we raise substantial offering proceeds in a short period of time, there may be delays in investing our net proceeds promptly and on attractive terms. Pending investment, the net proceeds of our IPO or another securities offering may be invested in permitted temporary investments, which include short-term U.S. government securities, bank certificates of deposit and other short-term liquid investments. The rate of return on these investments, which affects the amount of cash available to pay distributions, has fluctuated in recent years and most likely will be less than the return obtainable from the type of investments we seek to originate or acquire. Therefore, delays we encounter in the selection, due diligence and origination or acquisition of investments would likely limit our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders and lower our overall returns.
NAV calculations are not governed by governmental or independent securities, financial or accounting rules or standards.
The method for calculating our NAV, including the components that will be used in calculating our NAV, is not prescribed by rules of the SEC or any other regulatory agency. Further, there are no accounting rules or standards that prescribe which components should be used in calculating NAV, and our NAV will not be audited by our independent registered public accounting firm. We calculate and publish our monthly NAV solely for purposes of establishing the price at which we sell and repurchase shares of our common stock, and stockholders should not view our NAV as a measure of our historical or future financial condition or performance. The components and methodology that is used in calculating our NAV may differ from those used by other companies now or in the future.
In addition, our NAV calculations, to the extent that they incorporate valuations of our assets and liabilities, are not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). These valuations, which are based on market values that assume a willing buyer and seller, may differ from liquidation values that could be realized in the event that we were forced to sell assets.
Compliance with the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest by participating broker-dealers may negatively impact our ability to raise capital in our IPO, which would harm our ability to achieve our investment objectives.
Broker-dealers must comply with Regulation Best Interest, which, among other requirements, establishes a new standard of conduct for broker-dealers and natural persons who are associated persons of a broker-dealer when making a recommendation of any securities transaction or investment strategy involving securities to a retail customer. The full impact of Regulation Best Interest on participating broker-dealers cannot be determined at this time, and it may negatively impact whether participating broker-dealers and their associated persons recommend our continuous public offering to certain retail customers. If Regulation Best Interest reduces our ability to raise capital in our IPO, it would harm our ability to create a diversified portfolio of investments and ability to achieve our investment objectives.
The Sub-Advisor may not be successful, or there may be delays, in locating suitable investments, which could limit our ability to pay distributions and lower the overall return on our stockholders’ investment.
We rely upon the Sub-Advisor to identify suitable investments. The investment professionals of the Sub-Advisor must determine which investment opportunities to recommend to us and to existing and future investment vehicles which are affiliated with Sound Point CRE, the parent of the Sub-Advisor. The Sub-Advisor may not be successful in locating suitable investments on financially attractive terms, and we may not achieve our investment objectives. If we, through the Sub-Advisor, are unable to find suitable investments promptly, we may hold the proceeds from the IPO or another offering of securities or a large influx of cash from another
source, such as payoffs of our mortgage loans, in an interest-bearing account or invest the proceeds in short-term assets. We expect that the income we earn on these temporary investments will not be substantial. Further, we may use the principal amount of these investments, and any returns generated on these investments, to pay fees and expenses in connection with the IPO and distributions. Therefore, delays in investing proceeds we raise from the IPO or other large amounts of cash received could impact our ability to generate cash flow for distributions or to achieve our investment objectives.
The Sub-Advisor may acquire assets where the returns are substantially below expectations or which result in net losses. In the event we are unable to timely locate suitable investments, we may be unable or limited in our ability to pay distributions and we may not be able to meet our investment objectives. The Sub-Advisor’s investment professionals face competing demands upon their time, including in instances when we have capital ready for investment and consequently we may face delays in execution. Delays we encounter in the selection and origination or acquisition of investments would likely limit our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders and lower our stockholders’ overall returns.
Our ability to achieve our investment objectives and to pay distributions depends in substantial part upon the performance of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and third-party servicers.
Our ability to achieve our investment objectives and to pay distributions depends in substantial part upon the performance of the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor in the origination and acquisition of our investments, including the determination of any financing arrangements, as well as the performance of the third-party servicers of our CRE debt investments. Stockholders must rely entirely on the management abilities of the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor and the oversight of our Board, along with those of our third-party servicers.
Because we are dependent upon the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and their affiliates to conduct our operations and we are also dependent upon the Dealer Manager and its affiliates to raise capital, any adverse changes in the financial health of these entities or our relationship with them could hinder our operating performance and the return on our stockholders’ investment.
We are dependent on the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and their affiliates to manage our operations and our portfolio, and we are also dependent upon the Dealer Manager and its affiliates to raise capital. The Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and their affiliates depend upon the direct and indirect fees and other compensation or reimbursement of costs that they receive from us and other companies affiliated with Inland and Sound Point, respectively, and in connection with the management of our business and assets to conduct their operations. The Dealer Manager also depends upon financial support that it receives from its parent company in connection with performing services for us. Any adverse changes in the financial condition of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, the Dealer Manager or their respective parent entities and control persons could hinder their ability to successfully support our business and growth, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The loss of or the inability to retain or hire key investment professionals at the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor or their respective affiliates could delay or hinder implementation of our investment strategies, which could limit our ability to pay distributions and decrease the value of our stockholders’ investment.
Our success depends to a significant degree upon the contributions of key personnel at the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and their respective affiliates, each of whom would be difficult to replace. We cannot assure stockholders that such personnel will continue to be associated with them in the future. If any of these persons were to cease their association with us, the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor, our operating results could suffer. We do not intend to maintain key person life insurance on any person. We believe that our future success depends, in large part, upon the Advisor’s, the Sub-Advisor’s and their respective affiliates’ ability to hire and retain highly-skilled managerial, operational and marketing professionals. Competition for such professionals is intense, and they may be unsuccessful in attracting and retaining such skilled individuals. If they lose or are unable to obtain the services of highly-skilled professionals, our ability to implement our investment strategies could be delayed or hindered and the value of our common stock may decline.
The Advisor's and the Sub-Advisor’s platform may not be as scalable as we anticipate and we could face difficulties growing our business without significant new investment in personnel and infrastructure.
If our business grows substantially, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor may need to make significant new investments in personnel and infrastructure to support that growth. In addition, service providers to whom the Advisor or Sub-Advisor may delegate certain functions may also be strained by our growth. The Sub-Advisor may be unable to make significant investments on a timely basis or at reasonable costs and its failure in this regard could disrupt our business and operations. Further, during periods of economic retraction, Inland, Sound Point, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor may be incented to reduce their personnel and costs, which could have an adverse effect on us.
Failure by us, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor or our service providers, tenants or borrowers to implement effective information and cyber security policies, procedures and capabilities could disrupt our business and harm our results of operations.
We, the Advisor, Sub-Advisor and our service providers, tenants and borrowers are dependent on the effectiveness of our respective information and cyber security policies, procedures and capabilities to protect our computer and telecommunications systems and the data that resides on or is transmitted through them. An externally caused information security incident, such as a hacker attack, virus or worm, or an internally caused issue, such as failure to control access to sensitive systems, could materially interrupt business operations or cause disclosure or modification of sensitive or confidential information and could result in material financial loss, loss of competitive position, regulatory actions, breach of contracts, reputational harm or legal liability.
We may change our investment strategy without our stockholders’ consent and make riskier investments.
We may change our investment strategy at any time without the consent of our stockholders, which could result in our making investments that are different from and possibly riskier than the investments described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. A change in our investment strategy may increase our exposure to interest rate and commercial real estate market fluctuations.
Risks Related to Our Investments
The continuing spread of COVID-19 has had a significant adverse effect on certain of our investments and may adversely affect our investments and operations in the future.
Uncertainty still surrounds the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential effects, and the extent of and effectiveness of any responses taken on a national and local level. The severity and length of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. and world economies is uncertain and could result in a more severe world-wide economic downturn that may lead to corporate bankruptcies in the most affected industries and may result in increased unemployment. The effects of the pandemic may have material short-term and long-term negative effects on our borrowers and the real estate securities we may own and the performance and value of the commercial properties securing or underlying the value of our investments.
As a result of our investments being secured entirely by properties located in the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted and may further adversely impact our investments and operating results to the extent that its continued spread within the United States reduces occupancy, increases the cost of operation or results in limited hours or necessitates the closure of such properties. In addition, quarantines, states of emergencies and other measures taken to curb the spread of COVID-19 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. In particular, with respect to our investments in or secured by hospitality properties, a variety of factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic have caused a decline in business and leisure travel that may continue or recur, including but not limited to (i) restrictions in travel, including those imposed by governmental entities and employers, (ii) the postponement or cancellation of industry conventions and conferences, music and arts festivals, sporting events and other large public gatherings, (iii) the closure or limited reopening of amusement parks, museums and other tourist attractions, (iv) the closure of colleges and universities, and (v) negative public perceptions of travel and public gatherings in light of the perceived risks associated with COVID-19. The borrower under our loan secured by the Renaissance O’Hare defaulted during May 2020, and we took ownership of the hotel through a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure. We have incurred operating losses during most months we have owned the hotel and expect to incur operating losses through the first half of 2022 and perhaps beyond, depending on the future effects of the pandemic and the effectiveness of vaccinations and treatments, and the value of the hotel would be correspondingly negatively affected. In addition, with respect to our investments secured by retail properties, individual stores and shopping malls have been, and may continue to be, closed for an extended period of time or only open certain hours of the day. Adaptations made by companies in response to “stay-at-home” orders and future limitations on in-person work environments could lead to a sustained shift away from collective in-person work environments and adversely affect the overall demand for office space over the long term and negatively affect our borrowers whose loans are secured by office properties.
The pandemic has resulted in, and may continue to result in, declines in rental rates and increases in rental concessions, including free rent to renew tenants early, to retain tenants who are up for renewal or to attract new tenants, or rent abatements for tenants severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Such responses have resulted in, and may continue to result in, decreases in cash flows to certain of our borrowers and potentially in defaults in paying debt service on outstanding indebtedness, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial performance. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt global supply chains, has caused labor shortages and has added broad inflationary pressures, which has a potential negative impact on our borrowers’ ability to execute on their business plans and potentially their ability to perform under the terms of their loan obligations. In addition, declines in economic conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could negatively impact real estate and real estate capital markets and result in lower occupancy, lower rental rates and declining values in our portfolio, which could adversely impact the value of our investments, making it more difficult for us to make distributions or meet our financing obligations.
Our borrowers or the borrowers of loans that underlie any real estate securities we may invest in may have to temporarily close their businesses or limit their operations or may experience other negative business consequences and request interest deferrals or
forbearance or other modifications of their loans due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have modified one loan secured by a hospitality property, one loan secured by a retail property and two loans secured by office properties to assist the borrowers in dealing with the effects of the pandemic, and the economic effects of the pandemic may result in more modifications and potentially defaults or foreclosures on assets underlying our loans, which could adversely affect the credit profile of our assets and our results of operations and financial condition.
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved certain therapies and vaccines, there may be uncertainties, including the public’s willingness to receive vaccines, the overall efficacy of the vaccines, especially as new strains of COVID-19 are discovered and the level of resistance these strains would have to existing vaccines. Depending on the effectiveness of therapies and vaccines, among other factors, the pandemic and public and private responses to the pandemic may lead to deterioration of economic conditions, an economic downturn or a recession at a national or global scale, which could materially affect our or our borrowers’ performance, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic results in a severe or lengthy national or world-wide economic downturn, there will likely be widespread corporate bankruptcies and a continued increase in unemployment, which could negatively impact our investments and operations, as well as our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic further impacts our investments and operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the duration of the pandemic, new information that may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions taken to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, and the availability of effective therapies or vaccines, among others. The negative impacts to our business as a result of the pandemic could exacerbate other risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our CRE debt and securities investments are subject to the risks typically associated with CRE.
Our CRE debt and securities investments are subject to the risks typically associated with CRE, including:
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local, state, national or international economic conditions, including market disruptions caused by regional concerns, political upheaval, virus outbreaks and pandemics (including the COVID-19 pandemic), the sovereign debt crises and other factors;
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real estate conditions, such as an oversupply of or a reduction in demand for real estate space in an area;
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lack of liquidity inherent in the nature of the asset;
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tenant/operator mix and the success of the tenant/operator business;
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the ability and willingness of tenants/operators/managers to maintain the financial strength and liquidity to satisfy their obligations to us and to third parties;
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reliance on tenants/operators/managers to operate their business in a sufficient manner and in compliance with their contractual arrangements with us;
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ability and cost to replace a tenant/operator/manager upon default;
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property management decisions;
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property location and conditions;
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property operating costs, including insurance premiums, real estate taxes and maintenance costs;
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the perceptions of the quality, convenience, attractiveness and safety of the properties;
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branding, marketing and operational strategies;
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competition from comparable properties;
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the occupancy rate of, and the rental rates charged at, the properties;
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the ability to collect on a timely basis all rent;
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the effects of any bankruptcies or insolvencies;
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the expense of leasing, renovation or construction;
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changes in interest rates and in the availability, cost and terms of mortgage financing;
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unknown liens being placed on the properties;
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bad acts of third parties;
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the ability to refinance mortgage notes payable related to the real estate on favorable terms, if at all;
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changes in governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies;
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tax implications;
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changes in laws, including laws that increase operating expenses or limit rents that may be charged;
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the impact of present or future environmental legislation and compliance with environmental laws, including costs of remediation and liabilities associated with environmental conditions affecting properties;
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cost of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act;
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adverse changes in governmental rules and fiscal policies;
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social unrest and civil disturbances;
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acts of nature, including earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters;
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terrorism;
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the potential for uninsured or underinsured property losses;
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adverse changes in state and local laws, including zoning laws; and
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other factors which are beyond our control.
The value of each property underlying our CRE debt and CRE securities investments is affected significantly by its ability to generate cash flow and net income, which in turn depends on the amount of rental or other income that can be generated net of expenses required to be incurred with respect to the property. Many expenses associated with properties (such as operating expenses and capital expenses) cannot be reduced when there is a reduction in income from the properties.
These factors may have a material adverse effect on the value and the return that we can realize from our assets, as well as the ability of our borrowers to pay their loans and the ability of the borrowers on the underlying loans securing our securities to pay their loans.
A prolonged economic slowdown, a lengthy or severe recession or declining real estate values could harm our investments.
Many of our investments may be susceptible to economic slowdowns, recessions or depressions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which could lead to financial losses and a decrease in revenues, earnings and assets. An economic slowdown, or recession or depression, in addition to other economic and non-economic factors such as an excess supply of properties, could have a material negative impact on the values of our investments. Borrowers may be less likely to achieve their business plans and be able to pay principal and interest on our CRE debt investments if the economy weakens and property values decline. Further, declining real estate values significantly increase the likelihood that we will incur losses on our investments in the event of a default because the value of our collateral may be insufficient to cover our cost. In addition, declining real estate values will reduce the value of any of our investments. A strained labor market, along with overall financial uncertainty, could result in lower occupancy rates and lower lease rates across many property types and may create obstacles for us to achieve our business plans. We may also be less able to pay principal and interest on our borrowings, which could cause us to lose title to properties securing our borrowings. Any sustained period of increased payment delinquencies, taking title to collateral or losses could adversely affect both our CRE investments as well as our ability to finance our portfolio, which would significantly harm our revenues, results of operations, financial condition, business prospects and our ability to pay distributions to stockholders.
We are subject to significant competition, and we may not be able to compete successfully for investments.
We are subject to significant competition for attractive investment opportunities from other real estate investors, some of which have greater financial resources than we do, including publicly traded REITs, public, non-listed REITs, insurance companies, commercial and investment banking firms, private institutional funds, hedge funds, private equity funds and other investors. Our management has observed increased competition in recent years, and we expect such trend to continue. We may not be able to compete successfully for investments. In addition, the number of entities and the amount of funds competing for suitable investments may increase. If we pay higher prices for investments or originate loans on less advantageous terms to us, our returns may be lower and the value of our assets may not increase or may decrease significantly below the amount we paid for such assets. As we reinvest capital, we may not realize risk adjusted returns that are as attractive as those we have realized in the past. If such events occur, we may experience lower returns on our investments.
We may not be effective in originating, acquiring and managing our investments.
Our origination and acquisition capabilities depend on the Sub-Advisor’s ability to leverage its relationships in the market and deploy capital to borrowers and tenants that hold properties meeting our underwriting standards. Managing these investments requires significant resources, adherence to internal policies and attention to detail. Managing investments may also require significant judgment and, despite our expectations, the Sub-Advisor may make decisions that result in losses. If we are unable to successfully originate investments on favorable terms, or at all, or if we are ineffective in managing those investments, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
The CRE debt we originate and invest in and mortgage loans underlying the CRE securities we invest in are subject to risks of delinquency, taking title to collateral, loss and bankruptcy of the borrower under the loan. If the borrower defaults, it may result in losses to us.
Our CRE debt investments are secured by commercial real estate and are subject to risks of delinquency, loss, taking title to collateral and bankruptcy of the borrower. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by commercial real estate is typically 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 or is not increased, depending on the borrower's business plan, the borrower's ability to repay the loan may be impaired. If a borrower defaults or declares bankruptcy and the underlying asset value is less than the loan amount, we will suffer a loss. In this manner, real estate values could impact the value of our CRE debt and securities investments. Therefore, our CRE debt and securities are subject to the risks typically associated with real estate.
Additionally, we may suffer losses for a number of reasons, including the following, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance:
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If the value of real property or other assets securing our CRE debt investments deteriorates. The majority of our CRE debt investments are fully or substantially nonrecourse. In the event of a default by a borrower on a nonrecourse loan, we will only have recourse to the real estate-related assets (including escrowed funds and reserves, if any) collateralizing the debt. There can be no assurance that the value of the assets securing our CRE debt investments will not deteriorate over time due to factors beyond our control. Further, we may not know whether the value of these properties has declined below levels existing on the dates of origination. If the value of the properties drops, our risk will increase because of the lower value of the collateral and reduction in borrower equity associated with the related CRE debt. If a borrower defaults on our CRE debt and the mortgaged real estate or other borrower assets collateralizing our CRE debt are insufficient to satisfy the loan, we may suffer a loss of principal or interest.
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If a borrower or guarantor defaults on recourse obligations under a CRE debt investment. We sometimes will obtain personal or corporate guarantees from borrowers or their affiliates. These guarantees are often triggered only upon the occurrence of certain trigger, or “bad boy,” events. In cases where guarantees are not fully or partially secured, we will typically rely on financial covenants from borrowers and guarantors which are designed to require the borrower or guarantor to maintain certain levels of creditworthiness. If challenging economic and market conditions emerge, many borrowers and guarantors may face financial difficulties and be unable to comply with their financial covenants. Where we do not have recourse to specific collateral pledged to satisfy such guarantees or recourse loans, we will only have recourse as an unsecured creditor to the general assets of the borrower or guarantor, some or all of which may be pledged to satisfy other lenders. There can be no assurance that a borrower or guarantor will comply with its financial covenants or that sufficient assets will be available to pay amounts owed to us under our CRE debt and related guarantees.
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Our due diligence may not reveal all of a borrower's liabilities and may not reveal other weaknesses in its business. Before making a loan to a borrower, we assess the strength and skills of an entity's management and other factors that we believe are material to the performance of the investment. This underwriting process is particularly important and subjective with respect to newly-organized entities because there may be little or no information publicly available about the entities. In making the assessment and otherwise conducting customary due diligence, we rely on the resources available to us and, in some cases, an investigation by third parties. There can be no assurance that our due diligence processes will uncover all relevant facts or that any investment will be successful. Furthermore, historic performance evaluated in connection with our underwriting process may not be indicative of future performance.
We own a hotel and may acquire additional hotels. For so long as we own hotels or invest in loans secured by hotels and securities collateralized by hotels, we will be exposed to the unique risks of the hospitality sector, including seasonality, volatility and the severe reduction in occupancy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We own the Renaissance O’Hare, which we acquired through a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure transaction, and we may foreclose upon or otherwise own other hospitality properties in the future. The hospitality market is seasonal, highly competitive and influenced by factors such as general and local economic conditions, location, room rates, quality, service levels, reputation and reservation systems, among many other factors. The hospitality market generally experiences seasonal slowdown in the third quarter and, to a lesser extent, in the fourth quarter of each year. The Renaissance O’Hare has historically experienced a seasonal slowdown in the fourth quarter and
first quarter. As a result of such seasonality, there will likely be quarterly fluctuations in results of operations of any hospitality properties that we own. There are many competitors in this market, and these competitors may have substantially greater marketing and financial resources than those available to us. This competition, along with other factors, such as over-building in the hospitality market, may increase the number of rooms available and may decrease the average occupancy and room rates of our hospitality properties. The demand for rooms at any hospitality properties that we may acquire will change much more rapidly than the demand for space at other properties that we acquire. In addition, any such properties we may own may be adversely affected by factors outside our control, such as extreme weather conditions or natural disasters, terrorist attacks or alerts, outbreaks of contagious diseases, airline strikes, economic factors and other considerations affecting travel. For example, the hospitality market has been and continues to be severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pandemic has had a material adverse effect on the performance of the Renaissance O’Hare, which is likely to continue until the effects of the pandemic on travel and in-person gatherings subside. We incurred $2,235 and $1,737 of net operating losses before depreciation and amortization from the Renaissance O’Hare on the Company’s consolidated statement of operations during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Any of the aforementioned factors could have a material adverse effect on the performance of our hotels, our results of operations, our ability to pay distributions to stockholders and our NAV.
The following factors should be considered in the context of hotels given that the COVID-19 pandemic has been significantly adversely affecting the ability of hotel managers to successfully operate hotels and has had, and the continued and prolonged effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to continue to have, a significant adverse effect on the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of hotels due to, among other factors:
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a variety of factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic have caused, and may continue to cause, sharp declines in group, business and leisure travel;
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travelers are, and may continue to be, wary to travel where, or because, they may view the risk of contagion as increased and contagion or virus-related deaths linked or alleged to be linked to travel to our properties, whether accurate or not, may injure our reputation;
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travelers may be dissuaded from traveling due to possible enhanced COVID-19-related screening measures which are being implemented across multiple markets;
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travelers may be dissuaded from traveling due to the concern that additional travel restrictions implemented between their departure and return may affect their ability to return to their homes;
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commercial airline service has at various times been reduced or suspended to many areas in the United States, and if airline service does not increase or return to normal pre-pandemic levels, it could continue to negatively affect our hotel revenues, particularly at hotels that are located near major airports and convention centers outside the central business district, such as the Renaissance O’Hare, which depend heavily on the volume of air travel and meetings and other events, particularly those of businesses, for their revenues;
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the reduced economic activity could also result in an economic recession, and increased unemployment, which could negatively impact future ability or desire to travel lodging demand and, therefore, our revenues, even after the temporary restrictions are lifted;
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a decrease in the ancillary revenue from amenities at our properties;
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the potential negative impact on the health of hotel personnel, particularly if a significant number of them are impacted, could result in labor shortages and a deterioration in our ability to ensure business continuity during and after this disruption; and
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we or our hotel managers may be subject to increased risks related to employee matters, including increased employment litigation and claims for severance or other benefits tied to termination or furloughs as a result of reduced operations prompted by the effects of the pandemic.
We own a ground lease interest in, as opposed to fee title to, the Renaissance O’Hare. This ground lease runs through March 2098. If we are unable or otherwise fail to comply with the terms of the ground lease, for example, because the hotel and our other investments fail to generate enough cash to allow us to make our rent payments, we may lose our interest in the hotel or suffer other adverse outcomes under the lease.
Delays in liquidating defaulted CRE debt investments could reduce our investment returns.
The occurrence of a default on a CRE debt investment could result in our taking title to collateral. The borrower under one of our CRE loans, secured by the Renaissance O’Hare, defaulted during May 2020, and we took ownership of the hotel through a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure. When there is a default on a CRE debt investment, we may not be able to take title to and sell the collateral securing the loan quickly. Taking title to collateral can be an expensive and lengthy process that could have a negative effect on the return on our investment. Borrowers often resist when lenders, such as us, seek to take title to collateral by asserting numerous claims,
counterclaims and defenses, including but not limited to lender liability claims, in an effort to prolong the foreclosure action. In some states, taking title to collateral can take several years or more to resolve. At any time during a foreclosure proceeding, for instance, the borrower may file for bankruptcy, which would have the effect of staying the foreclosure action and further delaying the foreclosure process. The resulting time delay could reduce the value of our investment in the defaulted loans. Furthermore, an action to take title to collateral securing a loan is regulated by state statutes and regulations and is subject to the delays and expenses associated with lawsuits if the borrower raises defenses, counterclaims or files for bankruptcy. In the event of default by a borrower, these restrictions, among other things, may impede our ability to take title to and sell the collateral securing the loan or to obtain proceeds sufficient to repay all amounts due to us on the loan. In addition, we may be forced to operate any collateral for which we take title for a substantial period of time, which could be a distraction for our management team and may require us to pay significant costs associated with such collateral. We may not recover any of our investment even if we take title to collateral.
We may be subject to risks associated with future advance or capital expenditure obligations, such as declining real estate values and operating performance.
Our CRE debt investments may require us to advance future funds. We may also need to fund capital expenditures and other significant expenses for our real estate property investments. Future funding obligations subject us to significant risks, such as a decline in value of the property, cost overruns and the borrower and tenant may be unable to generate enough cash flow and execute its business plan, or sell or refinance the property, in order to repay its obligations to us. We could determine that we need to fund more money than we originally anticipated in order to maximize the value of our investment even though there is no assurance additional funding would be the best course of action. Further, future funding obligations may require us to maintain higher liquidity than we might otherwise maintain and this could reduce the overall return on our investments. We could also find ourselves in a position with insufficient liquidity to fund future obligations.
We may be unable to restructure our investments in a manner that we believe maximizes value, particularly if we are one of multiple creditors in a large capital structure.
In order to maximize value, we may be more likely to extend and work out an investment rather than pursue other remedies such as taking title to collateral. However, in situations where there are multiple creditors in large capital structures, it can be particularly difficult to assess the most likely course of action that a lender group or the borrower may take and it may also be difficult to achieve consensus among the lender group as to major decisions. Consequently, there could be a wide range of potential principal recovery outcomes, the timing of which can be unpredictable, based on the strategy pursued by a lender group or other applicable parties. These multiple creditor situations tend to be associated with larger loans. If we are one of a group of lenders, we may not independently control the decision making. Consequently, we may be unable to restructure an investment in a manner that we believe would maximize value.
CRE debt restructurings may reduce our net interest income or require provisions for loan losses.
Weak economic conditions in the future may cause our borrowers to be at increased risk of default and we or a third party may need to restructure loans if our borrowers are unable to meet their obligations to us and we believe restructuring is the best way to maximize value. In order to preserve long-term value, we may determine to lower the interest rate on loans in connection with a restructuring, which will have an adverse impact on our net interest income. We may also determine to extend the maturity and make other concessions with the goal of increasing overall value, however, there is no assurance that the results of our restructurings will be favorable to us. Restructuring an investment may ultimately result in us receiving less than had we not restructured the investment. We may lose some or all of our investment even if we restructure in an effort to increase value. Further, concessions we may make to troubled borrowers could result in the loans being deemed impaired, which may require additional provisions for loan loss.
Our CRE debt and securities investments may be adversely affected by changes in credit spreads.
Our CRE debt we originate or acquire and securities investments we invest in are subject to changes in credit spreads. When credit spreads widen, the economic value of our investments decrease even if such investment is performing in accordance with its terms and the underlying collateral has not changed.
Provision for loan losses is difficult to estimate, particularly in a challenging economic environment.
In a challenging economic environment, we may experience an increase in provisions for loan losses and asset impairment charges, as borrowers may be unable to remain current in payments on loans and declining property values weaken our collateral. Our determination of provision for loan losses requires us to make certain estimates and judgments, which may be difficult to determine, particularly in a challenging economic environment. Our estimates and judgments are based on a number of factors, including projected cash flow from the collateral securing our CRE debt, structure, including the availability of reserves and recourse guarantees, likelihood of repayment in full at the maturity of a loan, potential for refinancing and expected market discount rates for varying property types, all of which remain uncertain and are subjective. Our estimates and judgments may not be correct, particularly during challenging economic environments, and therefore our results of operations and financial condition could be severely impacted.
The subordinate CRE debt we originate and acquire may be subject to risks relating to the structure and terms of the related transactions, as well as subordination in bankruptcy, and there may not be sufficient funds or assets remaining to satisfy our investments, which may result in losses to us.
We originate, structure and acquire subordinate CRE debt investments secured primarily by commercial properties, which may include subordinate mortgage loans, mezzanine loans and participations in such loans and preferred equity interests in borrowers who own such properties. We have not placed any limits on the percentage of our portfolio that may be comprised of these types of investments, which may involve a higher degree of risk than the type of assets that we expect will constitute the majority of our debt investments, namely first mortgage loans secured by real property. These investments may be subordinate to other debt on commercial property and will be secured by subordinate rights to the commercial property or by equity interests in the borrower. In addition, real properties with subordinate debt may have higher loan-to-value ratios than conventional debt, resulting in less equity in the real property and increasing the risk of loss of principal and interest. If a borrower defaults or declares bankruptcy, after senior obligations are met, there may not be sufficient funds or assets remaining to satisfy our subordinate interests. Because each transaction is privately negotiated, subordinate investments can vary in their structural characteristics and lender rights. Our rights to control the default or bankruptcy process following a default will vary from transaction to transaction. The subordinate investments that we originate and invest in may not give us the right to demand taking title to collateral as a subordinate real estate debt holder. Furthermore, the presence of intercreditor agreements may limit our ability to amend our loan documents, assign our loans, accept prepayments, exercise our remedies and control decisions made in bankruptcy proceedings relating to borrowers. Similarly, a majority of the participating lenders may be able to take actions to which we object, but by which we will be bound. Even if we have control, we may be unable to prevent a default or bankruptcy and we could suffer substantial losses. Certain transactions that we originate and invest in could be particularly difficult, time consuming and costly to work out because of their complicated structure and the diverging interests of all the various classes of debt in the capital structure of a given asset.
We may make investments in assets with lower credit quality, which will increase our risk of losses.
We may invest in unrated or non-investment grade CRE securities, enter into leases with unrated tenants or participate in subordinate, unrated or distressed mortgage loans. Because the ability of obligors of properties and mortgages, including mortgage loans underlying CMBS, to make rent or principal and interest payments may be impaired during an economic downturn, prices of lower credit quality investments and CRE securities may decline more quickly and severely than other higher credit quality investments. As a result, these lower credit quality investments may have a higher risk of default and loss than investment grade rated assets. The existing credit support in the securitization structure may be insufficient to protect us against loss of our principal on these investments. Any loss we incur may be significant and may reduce distributions to our stockholders and may adversely affect the value of our common stock.
Investments in non-performing real estate assets involve greater risks than investments in stabilized, performing assets and make our future performance more difficult to predict.
We may make investments in non-performing real estate assets, in which the operating cash flow generated from the underlying property is insufficient to support current debt service payments. Traditional performance metrics of real estate assets are generally not as reliable for non-performing real estate assets as they are for performing real estate assets. Nonperforming properties, for instance, do not have stabilized occupancy rates and may require significant capital for repositioning. Similarly, non-performing loans do not have a consistent stream of cash flow to support normalized debt service. In addition, for non-performing loans, often there is greater uncertainty as to the amount or timeliness of principal repayment. Borrowers will typically try to create value in a non-performing real estate investment including by development, redevelopment or lease-up of a property. However, none of these strategies may be effective and the subject properties may never generate sufficient cash flow to support debt service payments. If this occurs, we may negotiate a reduced payoff, restructure the terms of the loan or enforce rights as lender and take title to collateral securing the loan with respect to CRE debt investments. It is challenging to evaluate non-performing investments, which increases the risks associated with such investments. We may suffer significant losses with respect to these investments which would negatively impact our operating performance and our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders.
Floating-rate CRE debt, which is often associated with transitional assets, may entail greater risks of default to us than fixed-rate CRE debt.
Floating-rate loans are often, but not always, associated with transitional properties as opposed to those with highly stabilized cash flow. Floating-rate CRE debt may have higher delinquency rates than fixed-rate loans. Borrowers with floating-rate loans may be exposed to increased monthly payments if the related interest rate adjusts upward from the initial fixed rate in effect during the initial period of the loan to the rate calculated in accordance with the applicable index and margin. Increases in a borrower's monthly payment, as a result of an increase in prevailing market interest rates may make it more difficult for the borrowers with floating-rate loans to repay the loan and could increase the risk of default of their obligations under the loan.
Insurance may not cover all potential losses on CRE investments, which may impair the value of our assets.
We generally require that each of the borrowers under our CRE debt investments obtain comprehensive insurance covering the collateral, including liability, fire and extended coverage. We also generally obtain insurance directly on any property we acquire. However, there are certain types of losses, generally of a catastrophic nature, such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes that may be uninsurable or not economically insurable. We may not obtain, or require borrowers to obtain, certain types of insurance if it is deemed commercially unreasonable. Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations and other factors also might make it infeasible to use insurance proceeds to replace a property if it is damaged or destroyed. Further, it is possible that our borrowers could breach their obligations to us and not maintain sufficient insurance coverage. Should an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of the limits of our insurance occur, we could lose our capital investment and/or anticipated profits and cash flow from one or more real estate properties, which in turn could cause the value of the shares of our common stock and distributions to our stockholders to be reduced.
We may obtain only limited warranties when we purchase a property, which will increase the risk that we may lose some or all of our invested capital in the property or rental income from the property which, in turn, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results from operations and our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders.
The seller of a property often sells such property in an “as is” condition on a “where is” basis and “with all faults,” without any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular use or purpose. In addition, the related real estate purchase and sale agreements may contain only limited warranties, representations and indemnifications that will only survive for a limited period after the closing. Despite our efforts, we, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor may fail to uncover all material risks during our diligence process. The purchase of properties with limited warranties increases the risk that we may lose some or all of our invested capital in the property, as well as the loss of rental income from that property if an issue should arise that decreases the value of that property and is not covered by the limited warranties. If any of these results occur, it may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders.
We depend on borrowers and tenants for a substantial portion of our revenue and, accordingly, our revenue and our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders is dependent upon the success and economic viability of such borrowers and tenants.
The success of our origination or acquisition of investments significantly depends on the financial stability of the borrowers and tenants underlying such investments. The inability of a single major borrower or tenant, or a number of smaller borrowers or tenants, to meet their payment obligations could result in reduced revenue or losses. Our borrowers and tenants may be negatively affected by continued disruptions in global supply chains, labor shortages, or broad inflationary pressures, any of which may have a negative impact on our borrowers’ ability to execute on their business plans and their ability to perform under the terms of their loan obligations.
If we overestimate the value or income-producing ability or incorrectly price the risks of our investments, we may experience losses.
Analysis of the value or income-producing ability of a commercial property is highly subjective and may be subject to error. We value our potential investments based on yields and risks, taking into account estimated future losses on the CRE loans and the properties included in a securitization's pools or select CRE equity investments and the estimated impact of these losses on expected future cash flow and returns. In the event that we underestimate the risks relative to the price we pay for a particular investment, we may experience losses with respect to such investment.
Lease defaults, terminations or landlord-tenant disputes may reduce our income from our single-tenant net leased investments.
The creditworthiness of tenants in our real estate investments could become negatively impacted as a result of challenging economic conditions or otherwise, which could result in their inability to meet the terms of their leases. Lease defaults or terminations by one or more tenants may reduce our revenues unless a default is cured or a suitable replacement tenant is found promptly. In addition, disputes may arise between the landlord and tenant that result in the tenant withholding rent payments, possibly for an extended period. These disputes may lead to litigation or other legal procedures to secure payment of the rent withheld or to evict the tenant. Upon a lease default, we may have limited remedies, be unable to accelerate lease payments and have limited or no recourse against a guarantor. Tenants as well as guarantors may have limited or no ability to satisfy any judgments we may obtain. We may also have duties to mitigate our losses and we may not be successful in that regard. Any of these situations may result in extended periods during which there is a significant decline in revenues or no revenues generated by a property. If this occurred, it could adversely affect our results of operations.
We may have difficulty selling or re-leasing our single-tenant net leased properties, and this lack of liquidity may limit our ability to quickly change our portfolio in response to changes in economic or other conditions.
Real estate investments generally have less liquidity compared to other financial assets, and this lack of liquidity may limit our ability to quickly change our portfolio in response to changes in economic or other conditions. The leases we may enter into or acquire may be for properties that are specially suited to the particular needs of our tenant. With these properties, if the current lease is terminated
or not renewed, we may be required to renovate the property or to make rent concessions in order to lease the property to another tenant. In addition, if we are forced to sell the property, we may have difficulty selling it to a party other than the tenant due to the special purpose for which the property may have been designed. These and other limitations may affect our ability to sell properties without adversely affecting returns to our stockholders.
Our ability to fully control the management of our single-tenant, net leased properties may be limited.
The tenants or managers of single-tenant, net leased properties are responsible for maintenance and other day-to-day management of the properties. If a property is not adequately maintained in accordance with the terms of the applicable lease, we may incur expenses for deferred maintenance expenditures or other liabilities once the property becomes free of the lease. While our leases will generally provide for recourse against the tenant in these instances, a bankrupt or financially-troubled tenant may be more likely to defer maintenance and it may be more difficult to enforce remedies against such a tenant. In addition, to the extent tenants are unable to successfully conduct their operations, their ability to pay rent may be adversely affected. Although we endeavor to monitor, on an ongoing basis, compliance by tenants with their lease obligations and other factors that could affect the financial performance of our properties, such monitoring may not always ascertain or forestall deterioration either in the condition of a property or the financial circumstances of a tenant.
Environmental compliance costs and liabilities associated with our properties or our real estate-related investments may materially impair the value of our investments and expose us to liability.
Under various federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations, a current or previous owner of real property, such as us and our tenants, may be liable in certain circumstances for the costs of investigation, removal or remediation of, or related releases of, certain hazardous or toxic substances, including materials containing asbestos, at, under or disposed of in connection with such property, as well as certain other potential costs relating to hazardous or toxic substances, including government fines and damages for injuries to persons and adjacent property. In addition, some environmental laws create a lien on the contaminated site in favor of the government for damages and the costs it incurs in connection with the contamination. These laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner knew of, or was responsible for, the presence or disposal of such substances and liability may be imposed on the owner in connection with the activities of a tenant at the property. The presence of contamination or the failure to remediate contamination may adversely affect our or our tenants’ ability to sell or lease real estate, or to borrow using the real estate as collateral, which, in turn, could reduce our revenues. We, or our tenants, as owner of a site, including if we take ownership through foreclosure, may be liable under common law or otherwise to third parties for damages and injuries resulting from environmental contamination emanating from the site. The cost of any required investigation, remediation, removal, fines or personal or property damages and our or our tenants’ liability could significantly exceed the value of the property without any limits. The scope of the indemnification our tenants have agreed to provide us may be limited. For instance, some of our agreements with our tenants may not require them to indemnify us for environmental liabilities arising before the tenant took possession of the premises. Further, we cannot assure stockholders that any such tenant would be able to fulfill its indemnification obligations. If we were deemed liable for any such environmental liabilities and were unable to seek recovery against our tenant, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may invest in real estate, or mortgage loans secured by real estate, with environmental problems that materially impair the value of the real estate. Even as a lender, if we take title to collateral with environmental problems or if other circumstances arise, we could be subject to environmental liability. There are substantial risks associated with such an investment. We will be subject to additional risks if we make investments internationally.
We may originate or acquire properties located outside of the United States or loans that are made to borrowers or secured by properties located outside of the United States with the approval of our Board. These international investments present unique risks to our business.
Our Board may approve an investment in a property outside of the United States or in a CRE debt or CRE securities investment secured by a property located outside of the United States. Any international investments we make may be affected by factors peculiar to the laws of the jurisdiction in which the borrower or the property is located and these laws may expose us to risks that are different from or in addition to those commonly found in the United States. We may not be as familiar with the potential risks to our investments outside of the United States and we may incur losses as a result.
Any international investments we make could be subject to the following risks:
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governmental laws, rules and policies, including laws relating to the foreign ownership of real property or mortgages and laws relating to the ability of foreign persons or corporations to remove profits earned from activities within the country to the person's or corporation's country of origin;
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translation and transaction risks relating to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;
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adverse market conditions caused by inflation or other changes in national or local political and economic conditions;
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challenges of complying with a wide variety of foreign laws, including corporate governance, operations, taxes and litigation;
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changes in relative interest rates;
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changes in the availability, cost and terms of borrowings resulting from varying national economic policies;
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changes in real estate and other tax rates, the tax treatment of transaction structures and other changes in operating expenses in a particular country where we have an investment;
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our REIT tax status not being respected under foreign laws, in which case any income or gains from foreign sources would likely be subject to foreign taxes, withholding taxes, transfer taxes and value added taxes;
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lack of uniform accounting standards (including availability of information in accordance with GAAP);
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changes in land use and zoning laws;
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more stringent environmental laws or changes in such laws;
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changes in the social stability or other political, economic or diplomatic developments in or affecting a country where we have an investment;
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changes in applicable laws and regulations in the United States that affect foreign operations; and
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legal and logistical barriers to enforcing our contractual rights in other countries, including insolvency regimes, landlord/tenant rights and ability to take possession of the collateral.
Certain of these risks may be greater in emerging markets and less developed countries. Each of these risks might adversely affect our performance and impair our ability to pay distributions to stockholders required to maintain our REIT qualification. In addition, there is less publicly available information about foreign companies and a lack of uniform financial accounting standards and practices (including the availability of information in accordance with GAAP) which could impair our ability to analyze transactions and receive timely and accurate financial information from tenants or borrowers necessary to meet our reporting obligations to financial institutions or governmental or regulatory agencies.
We may invest in CRE securities, including CMBS, CRE, CLOs and other subordinate securities, which entail certain heightened risks that resulted in losses following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We may invest in a variety of CRE securities, including CMBS, CRE CLOs and other subordinate securities, which may be subject to the first risk of loss if any losses are realized on the underlying mortgage loans. CMBS and CRE CLOs entitle the holders thereof to receive payments that depend primarily on the cash flow from a specified pool of commercial or multifamily mortgage loans. Consequently, CMBS, CRE CLOs and other CRE securities will be adversely affected by payment defaults, delinquencies and losses on the underlying mortgage loans, which increase during times of economic stress and uncertainty and resulted in losses being incurred on our CRE securities investments after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The market for CRE securities is dependent upon liquidity for refinancing and may be negatively impacted by a slowdown in new issuance.
Additionally, CRE securities such as CMBS and CRE CLOs may be subject to particular risks, including lack of standardized terms and payment of all or substantially all of the principal only at maturity rather than regular amortization of principal. The value of CRE securities may change due to shifts in the market’s perception of issuers and regulatory or tax changes adversely affecting the CRE debt market as a whole. Additional risks may be presented by the type and use of a particular commercial property, as well as the general risks relating to the net operating income from and value of any commercial property. The exercise of remedies and successful realization of liquidation proceeds relating to CRE securities may be highly dependent upon the performance of the servicer or special servicer. Expenses of enforcing the underlying mortgage loan (including litigation expenses) and expenses of protecting the properties securing the loan may be substantial. Consequently, in the event of a default or loss on one or more loans contained in a securitization, we may not recover a portion or all of our investment. Ratings for CRE securities can also adversely affect their value.
The terms of our CRE debt investments are based on our projections of market demand, as well as on market factors, and our return on our investment may be lower than expected if any of our projections are inaccurate.
The terms of our CRE debt investments are based on our projections of market demand, occupancy levels, rental income, the costs of any development, redevelopment or renovation of a property, borrower expertise and other factors. In addition, as the real estate market strengthens with the improvement of the U.S. economy, we will face increased competition, which may make loan origination terms less favorable to us. If any of our projections are inaccurate or we ascribe a higher value to assets and their value subsequently drops or fails to rise because of market factors, returns on our investment may be lower than expected and could experience losses.
The expected discontinuation of the LIBOR may adversely affect interest income and expense related to our loans and investments or otherwise adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and the market value of our investments.
LIBOR has been the subject of recent national, international and regulatory guidance and proposals for reform. In a speech on July 27, 2017, the Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority of the U.K. (the “FCA”), announced the FCA’s intention to cease sustaining LIBOR after 2021. The FCA subsequently announced on March 5, 2021 that the publication of LIBOR will cease for the
one-week and two-month USD LIBOR settings immediately after December 31, 2021, and the remaining USD LIBOR settings immediately after June 30, 2023. Based on undertakings received from the panel banks, the FCA does not expect that any LIBOR settings will become unrepresentative before these dates. Nevertheless, the U.S. Federal Reserve System, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation have issued guidance encouraging market participants to adopt alternatives to LIBOR in new contracts as soon as practicable. The U.S. Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions, has identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), a new index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities, as its preferred alternative rate for LIBOR. At this time, it is not possible to predict how markets will respond to SOFR or other alternative reference rates as the transition away from LIBOR proceeds.
For new loans originated, we will use SOFR beginning January 1, 2022. We anticipate continuing to use LIBOR for loans completed prior to January 1, 2022 until the earlier of their maturity dates or June 30, 2023, whichever comes first. In addition, we may need to renegotiate certain of our loan agreements with lenders and borrowers that extend past December 31, 2021, or June 30, 2023, depending on the applicable LIBOR setting. Such amendments and restructurings could require us to incur significant expense and may subject us to disputes or litigation over the appropriateness or comparability to the relevant benchmark of the replacement reference rates.
Risks Related to Our Financing Strategy
We may not be able to access financing sources on attractive terms, if at all, which could adversely affect our ability to execute our investment strategy.
We require outside capital to fund and grow our business. Our business may be adversely affected by disruptions in the debt and equity capital markets and institutional lending market, including the lack of access to capital or prohibitively high costs of obtaining or replacing capital. If economic conditions worsen, we could suffer a severe downturn and liquidity crisis. We cannot assure stockholders that financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all, or that we will be able to satisfy the conditions precedent required to use our credit facilities, which could reduce the number, or alter the type, of investments that we would make otherwise. This may reduce our income. To the extent that financing proves to be unavailable when needed, we may be compelled to modify our investment strategy to optimize the performance of our portfolio. If we cannot obtain sufficient debt and equity capital on acceptable terms, our ability to grow our business, operate and pay distributions to stockholders could be severely impacted.
We use leverage to originate and acquire our investments, which may adversely affect our return on our investments and may reduce cash available for distribution.
We leverage our portfolio generally through the use of securitization financing transactions and credit facilities. The type and percentage of financing varies depending on our ability to obtain credit and the lender's estimate of the stability of the portfolio's cash flow. High leverage can, particularly during difficult economic times, increase our risk of loss and harm our liquidity. Moreover, we may have to incur more recourse borrowings, including recourse borrowings that are subject to mark-to-market risk, in order to obtain financing for our business.
Our performance can be negatively affected by fluctuations in interest rates and shifts in the yield curve may cause losses.
The financial performance of our fixed-rate investments is influenced by changes in interest rates, in particular, as such changes may affect our CRE securities, floating-rate borrowings and CRE debt to the extent such debt does not float as a result of floors or otherwise. Changes in interest rates, including changes in expected interest rates or “yield curves,” affect our business in a number of ways. Changes in the general level of interest rates can affect our net interest income, which is the difference between the interest income earned on our interest-earning assets and the interest expense incurred in connection with our interest-bearing borrowings and hedges. Changes in the level of interest rates also can affect, among other things, our ability to acquire CRE securities, acquire or originate CRE debt at attractive prices and enter into hedging transactions. Also, if market interest rates increase, the interest rate on any variable rate borrowings will increase and will create higher debt service requirements, which would adversely affect our cash flow and could adversely impact our results of operations. Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political conditions and other factors beyond our control.
Interest rate changes may also impact our net book value as our CRE securities and hedge derivatives are recorded at fair value each month. Generally, as interest rates increase, the value of our fixed-rate securities decreases, which will decrease the book value of our equity.
Furthermore, shifts in the U.S. Treasury yield curve reflecting an increase in interest rates would also affect the yield required on our CRE securities and therefore their value. For instance, increasing interest rates would reduce the value of the fixed-rate assets we hold at the time because the higher yields required by increased interest rates result in lower market prices on existing fixed-rate assets in order to adjust the yield upward to meet the market and vice versa. This would have similar effects on our CRE securities portfolio and our financial position and operations as a change in interest rates generally.
Hedging against interest rate and currency exposure may adversely affect our earnings, limit our gains or result in losses, which could adversely affect cash available for distribution to our stockholders.
From time to time, we may use derivative financial instruments to hedge exposures to changes in interest rates and currency exchange rates. Derivative instruments may include interest rate swap contracts, interest rate cap or floor contracts, futures or forward contracts, options or repurchase agreements. Our actual hedging decisions will be determined in light of the facts and circumstances existing at the time of the hedge and may differ from our currently anticipated hedging strategy. There is no assurance that our hedging strategy will achieve our objectives, and we may be subject to costs, such as transaction fees or breakage costs, if we terminate these arrangements. Any hedging activity we engage in may adversely affect our earnings, which could adversely affect cash available for distribution to our stockholders.
Hedging instruments often are not traded on regulated exchanges, guaranteed by an exchange or its clearing house or regulated by any U.S. or foreign governmental authorities and involve risks and costs.
The cost of using hedging instruments increases as the period covered by the instrument lengthens and during periods of rising and volatile interest rates. We may increase our hedging activity and thus increase our hedging costs during periods when interest rates are volatile or rising and hedging costs have increased. In addition, hedging instruments involve risk since they often are not traded on regulated exchanges, guaranteed by an exchange or its clearing house, or regulated by any U.S. or foreign governmental authorities. Consequently, there are no regulatory or statutory requirements with respect to record keeping, financial responsibility or segregation of customer funds and positions. Furthermore, the enforceability of agreements underlying derivative transactions may depend on compliance with applicable statutory, commodity and other regulatory requirements and, depending on the identity of the counterparty, applicable international requirements. The business failure of a hedging counterparty with whom we enter into a hedging transaction will most likely result in a default. Default by a party with whom we enter into a hedging transaction may result in the loss of unrealized profits and force us to cover our resale commitments, if any, at the then current market price. It may not always be possible to dispose of or close out a hedging position without the consent of the hedging counterparty and we may not be able to enter into an offsetting contract in order to cover our risk. We cannot assure stockholders that a liquid secondary market will exist for hedging instruments purchased or sold, and we may be required to maintain a position until exercise or expiration, which could result in losses.
We use short-term borrowings to finance our investments and may need to use such borrowings for extended periods of time to the extent we are unable to access long-term financing. This exposes us to increased risks associated with decreases in the fair value of the underlying collateral, which have had an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations in the past and may result in such adverse impacts again.
While we seek nonrecourse, non-mark-to-market, long-term financing through securitization financing transactions or other structures, such financing may be unavailable to us on favorable terms or at all. Consequently, we may be dependent on short-term financing arrangements that are not matched in duration to our financial assets. Short-term borrowing through repurchase arrangements, credit facilities and other types of borrowings may put our assets and financial condition at risk. Furthermore, the cost of borrowings may increase substantially if lenders view us as having increased credit risk during periods of market distress. Any such short-term financing may also be recourse to us, which will increase the risk of our investments.
In addition, the value of assets underlying any such short-term financing may be marked-to-market periodically by the lender, including on a daily basis. To the extent these financing arrangements contain mark-to-market provisions, if the market value of the investments pledged by us declines due to credit quality deterioration, we may be required by our lenders to provide additional collateral or pay down a portion of our borrowings. In a weakening economic environment, we would generally expect credit quality and the value of the investment that serves as collateral for our financing arrangements to decline, and in such a scenario, it is likely that the terms of our financing arrangements would require partial repayment from us, which could be substantial.
Lenders may require us to enter into restrictive covenants relating to our operations, which could limit our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders.
When providing financing, a lender may impose restrictions on us that affect our distribution and operating policies and our ability to incur additional borrowings. Financing arrangements that we may enter into may contain covenants that limit our ability to further incur borrowings and restrict distributions to our stockholders or that prohibit us from discontinuing insurance coverage or replacing the Advisor or Sub-Advisor. These or other limitations would decrease our operating flexibility and our ability to achieve our operating objectives, including making distributions to stockholders.
We have broad authority to use leverage and high levels of leverage could hinder our ability to pay distributions and decrease the value of our stockholders’ investment.
Our charter does not limit us from utilizing financing until our borrowings exceed 300% of our net assets, which is generally expected to approximate 75% of the aggregate cost of our investments, before deducting loan loss reserves, other non-cash reserves and depreciation. Further, we can incur financings in excess of this limitation with the approval of a majority of our independent directors. High leverage levels would cause us to incur higher interest charges and higher debt service payments and the agreements governing
our borrowings may also include restrictive covenants. These factors could limit the amount of cash we have available to distribute to stockholders and could result in a decline in the value of our stockholders’ investment.
If a counterparty to our repurchase transactions defaults on its obligation to resell the underlying security back to us at the end of the transaction term, if the value of the underlying security has declined as of the end of that term, or if we default on our obligations under the repurchase agreement, we may incur a loss on our repurchase transactions.
When we engage in repurchase transactions, we generally sell securities to lenders (repurchase agreement counterparties) and receive cash from these lenders. The lenders are obligated to resell the same or similar securities back to us at the end of the term of the transaction. Because the cash we receive from the lender when we initially sell the securities to the lender is less than the value of those securities (this difference is the haircut), if the lender defaults on its obligation to resell the same securities back to us we may incur a loss on the transaction equal to the amount of the haircut (assuming there was no change in the value of the securities). We may incur a loss on a repurchase transaction if the value of the underlying securities has declined as of the end of the transaction term, as we would have to repurchase the securities for their initial value but would receive securities worth less than that amount. Further, if we default on one of our obligations under a repurchase transaction, the lender can terminate the transaction and cease entering into any other repurchase transactions with us. Any losses we incur on our repurchase transactions could adversely affect our earnings and thus our cash available for distribution to our stockholders.
The repurchase agreements, secured loans and other financing arrangements that we use to finance our investments may require us to provide additional collateral and may restrict us from leveraging our assets as fully as desired.
The amount of financing we receive, or may in the future receive, under our repurchase agreements, secured loans and other financing arrangements, is directly related to the lenders’ valuation of the assets that secure the outstanding borrowings. Lenders under our repurchase agreements and secured loans typically have the absolute right to reevaluate the market value of the assets that secure outstanding borrowings at any time. If a lender determines in its sole discretion that the value of the assets has decreased, it has the right to initiate a margin call or increase collateral requirements. A margin call or increased collateral requirements would require us to transfer additional assets to such lender without any advance of funds from the lender for such transfer or to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings. Any such margin call or increased collateral requirements could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, business, liquidity and ability to pay distributions to our stockholders, and could cause the value of our capital stock to decline. We have been forced to sell assets at significantly depressed prices to meet such margin calls and to maintain adequate liquidity, and incurred losses in the past, and such sales and losses could happen again. Moreover, to the extent we are forced to sell assets at such time, given market conditions, we may be selling at the same time as others facing similar pressures, which could exacerbate a difficult market environment and which could result in our incurring significantly greater losses on our sale of such assets. In an extreme case of market duress, a market may not even be present for certain of our assets at any price. Such a situation would likely result in a rapid deterioration of our financial condition and possibly necessitate a filing for bankruptcy protection.
Further, financial institutions providing the repurchase facilities may require us to maintain a certain amount of cash uninvested or to set aside non-levered assets sufficient to maintain a specified liquidity position which would allow us to satisfy our collateral obligations. As a result, we may not be able to leverage our assets as fully as desired, which could reduce our return on equity. If we are unable to meet these collateral obligations, our financial condition could deteriorate rapidly.
A failure to comply with covenants in our repurchase agreements, secured loans and other financing arrangements would have a material adverse effect on us, and any future financings may require us to provide additional collateral or pay down debt.
We are subject to various covenants contained in our existing financing arrangements and may become subject to additional covenants in connection with future financings. Our master repurchase agreements require us to maintain compliance with various financial covenants, including a minimum tangible net worth, specified financial ratios, such as total debt to total assets and financial information delivery obligations. These covenants may limit our flexibility to pursue certain investments or incur additional debt. If we fail to meet or satisfy any of these covenants, we would be in default under these agreements, and our lenders could elect to declare outstanding amounts due and payable, terminate their commitments, require the posting of additional collateral or enforce their interests against existing collateral. Further, this could also make it difficult for us to satisfy the distribution requirements necessary to maintain our status as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Risks Related to Our Operations
If the Advisor’s and the Sub-Advisor’s portfolio management systems are ineffective, we may be exposed to material unanticipated losses.
The Advisor and the Sub-Advisor will periodically refine their portfolio management techniques, strategies and assessment methods. However, the Advisor’s and the Sub-Advisor’s portfolio management techniques and strategies may not fully mitigate the risk exposure of our operations in all economic or market environments, or against all types of risk, including risks that we might fail to
identify or anticipate. Any failures in the Advisor’s and the Sub-Advisor’s portfolio management techniques and strategies to accurately quantify such risk exposure could limit our ability to manage risks in our operations or to seek adequate risk adjusted returns and could result in losses.
Our distribution policy is subject to change.
We cannot guarantee the amount of distributions paid, if any. Our Board will determine an appropriate common stock distribution based upon numerous factors, including our targeted distribution rate, REIT qualification requirements, the amount of cash flow generated from operations, availability of existing cash balances, borrowing capacity under existing credit agreements, access to cash in the capital markets and other financing sources, our view of our ability to realize gains in the future through appreciation in the value of our assets, general economic conditions and economic conditions that more specifically impact our business or prospects. Future distribution levels are subject to adjustment based upon any one or more of the risk factors set forth herein, as well as other factors that our Board may, from time-to-time, deem relevant to consider when determining an appropriate common stock distribution. The amount of distributions we may pay in the future is not certain.
On March 24, 2020, our Board suspended the payment of distributions to our stockholders after considering various factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and the inability to accurately calculate our NAV. On July 30, 2020, our Board began authorizing monthly distributions again consistent with its practice prior to the pandemic, but our Board may determine to formally suspend or otherwise not authorize monthly or any distributions in the future.
Our ability to pay distributions is limited by the requirements of Maryland law.
Our ability to pay distributions on our common stock and dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock is limited by the laws of Maryland. Under applicable Maryland law, a Maryland corporation may not make a distribution if, after giving effect to the distribution, the corporation would not be able to pay its liabilities as the liabilities become due in the usual course of business, or generally if the corporation’s total assets would be less than the sum of its total liabilities plus, unless the corporation’s charter permits otherwise, the amount that would be needed if the corporation were dissolved at the time of the distribution, to satisfy the preferential rights upon dissolution of the stockholders whose preferential rights are superior to those receiving the distribution. Accordingly, we may not make a distribution on our common stock or Series A Preferred Stock if, after giving effect to the distribution, we would not be able to pay our liabilities as they become due in the usual course of business or generally if our total assets would be less than the sum of our total liabilities plus, unless our charter permits otherwise, the amount that would be needed to satisfy the preferential rights upon dissolution of the holders of shares of any class or series of preferred stock then outstanding, if any, with preferences senior to those of our common stock, including the Series A Preferred Stock, in the case of a distribution on our common stock, or with preferences senior to those of our Series A Preferred Stock, in the case of a distribution on the Series A Preferred Stock.
Stockholders have limited control over changes in our policies and operations, which increases the uncertainty and risks they face as a stockholder.
Our Board determines our major policies, including our policies regarding growth, REIT qualification and distributions. Our Board may amend or revise these and other policies without a vote of our stockholders. We may change our investment policies without stockholder notice or consent, which could result in investments that are different than, or in different proportion than, those described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Under the Maryland General Corporation Law (“MGCL”) and our charter, stockholders have a right to vote only on limited matters. Our Board’s broad discretion in setting policies and stockholders' inability to exert control over those policies increases the uncertainty and risks stockholders face. Under the MGCL and our charter, stockholders have a right to vote only on:
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the election or removal of directors;
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amendment of our charter, except that our Board may amend our charter without stockholder approval to (i) increase or decrease the aggregate number of our shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we have the authority to issue; (ii) effect certain reverse stock splits; and (iii) change our name or the name or other designation or the par value of any class or series of our stock and the aggregate par value of our stock;
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our liquidation or dissolution;
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certain reorganizations of our company, as provided in our charter;
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certain mergers, consolidations, conversions or sales or other dispositions of all or substantially all our assets, as provided in our charter; and
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statutory share exchanges.
Pursuant to the MGCL, all matters other than the election or removal of a director must be declared advisable by our Board prior to a binding stockholder vote. Our Board’s broad discretion in setting policies and stockholders’ inability to exert control over those policies increases the uncertainty and risks they face.
We are not required to comply with certain reporting requirements, including those relating to auditor’s attestation reports on the effectiveness of our system of internal control over financial reporting, accounting standards and disclosure about our executive compensation, that apply to certain other public companies.
The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”) contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for emerging growth companies, including certain requirements relating to accounting standards and compensation disclosure. We are classified as an emerging growth company. For as long as we are an emerging growth company, which may be up to five full fiscal years, unlike other public companies, we are not required to (1) provide an auditor’s attestation report on the effectiveness of our system of internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (2) comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards applicable to public companies until such standards are also applicable to private companies under Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act, (3) comply with any new requirements adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) requiring mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report in which the auditor would be required to provide additional information about the audit and the financial statements of the issuer, (4) comply with any new audit rules adopted by the PCAOB after April 5, 2012 unless the SEC determines otherwise, (5) provide certain disclosure regarding executive compensation required of larger public companies or (6) hold stockholder advisory votes on executive compensation.
Once we are no longer an emerging growth company, so long as our shares of common stock are not traded on a securities exchange, we will be deemed to be a “non-accelerated filer” under the Exchange Act, and as a non-accelerated filer, we will be exempt from compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. In addition, so long as we are externally managed by the Advisor and we do not directly compensate our executive officers, or reimburse the Advisor or its affiliates for salaries, bonuses, benefits and severance payments for persons who also serve as one of our executive officers or as an executive officer of the Advisor, we do not have any executive compensation, making the exemptions listed in (5) and (6) above generally inapplicable.
We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we choose to rely on any of the exemptions discussed above.
As noted above, under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to opt out of this transition period, and will therefore comply with new or revised accounting standards on the applicable dates on which the adoption of these standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. This election is irrevocable.
Our UPREIT structure may result in potential conflicts of interest with limited partners in the Operating Partnership whose interests may not be aligned with those of our stockholders.
Our directors and officers have duties to our corporation and our stockholders under the MGCL and our charter in connection with their management of the corporation. At the same time, we, as general partner, will have fiduciary duties under Delaware law to the Operating Partnership and to the limited partners in connection with the management of the Operating Partnership. Our duties as general partner of the Operating Partnership and its partners may come into conflict with the duties of our directors and officers to our corporation and our stockholders. Under Delaware law, a general partner of a Delaware limited partnership owes its limited partners the duties of good faith and fair dealing. Other duties, including fiduciary duties, may be modified or eliminated in the partnership’s partnership agreement. The partnership agreement of the Operating Partnership (the “Partnership Agreement”) provides that, for so long as we own a controlling interest in the Operating Partnership, any conflict that cannot be resolved in a manner not adverse to either our stockholders or the limited partners will be resolved in favor of our stockholders.
Additionally, the Partnership Agreement expressly limits our liability by providing that we will not be liable or accountable to the Operating Partnership for losses sustained, liabilities incurred or benefits not derived if we acted in good faith. In addition, the Operating Partnership is required to indemnify us and our officers, directors, employees, agents and designees to the extent permitted by applicable law from and against any and all claims arising from operations of the Operating Partnership, unless it is established that: (1) the act or omission was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and either was committed in bad faith or was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty; (2) the indemnified party received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or (3) in the case of a criminal proceeding, the indemnified person had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful.
The provisions of Delaware law that allow the fiduciary duties of a general partner to be modified by a Partnership Agreement have not been tested in a court of law, and we have not obtained an opinion of counsel covering the provisions set forth in the Partnership Agreement that purport to waive or restrict our fiduciary duties.
We have issued Series A Preferred Stock that subordinates certain rights of the holders of our common stock, and our charter permits our Board to issue additional stock with terms that may subordinate the rights of our common stockholders or discourage a third party from acquiring us in a manner that could result in a premium price to stockholders.
Our Board may classify or reclassify any unissued common stock or preferred stock into other classes or series of stock and establish the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, and limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of any such stock. Thus, in addition to the Series A Preferred Stock, our Board could authorize the issuance of additional preferred stock with priority as to distributions and amounts payable upon liquidation over the rights of the holders of our common stock. Such preferred stock could also have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us, including an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger, tender offer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price to holders of our common stock. Our Board may determine to issue different classes of stock that have different fees and commissions from those being paid with respect to the shares being sold in our offerings. Additionally, our Board may amend our charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares of stock or the number of authorized shares of any class or series of stock without stockholder approval.
Payment of fees to the Advisor and its affiliates reduces cash available for investment and distribution and increases the risk that stockholders will not be able to recover the amount of their investment in our shares.
The Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and their affiliates perform services for us in connection with the selection, acquisition, origination, management and administration of our investments. We pay the Advisor substantial fees for these services, which reduces the cash available for investment or distribution to stockholders. We may increase the compensation we pay to the Advisor subject to approval by our Board and other limitations in our charter, which would further reduce the amount of cash available for investment or distribution to stockholders. Our Advisor has agreed to waive 50% of its management fee for the month of January 2021 and for future months until it notifies our Board that the waiver is terminated, which will increase the amount of cash that would otherwise be available to us, but the Advisor may revoke this waiver in its discretion at any time and without any advance notice.
Fees payable to the Advisor and its affiliates increase the risk that the amount available for distribution to our stockholders upon a liquidation of our portfolio would be less than the purchase price of the shares in the IPO. These substantial fees and other payments also increase the risk that stockholders will not be able to resell their shares at a profit, even if our shares are listed on a national securities exchange.
Our rights and the rights of our stockholders to recover claims against our independent directors are limited, which could reduce their and our recovery against them if they negligently cause us to incur losses.
Maryland law provides that a director has no liability in that capacity if he or she performs his or her duties in good faith, in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in our best interests and with the care that an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. Our charter generally provides that: (i) no director shall be liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages (provided that such director satisfies certain applicable criteria); (ii) we will generally indemnify non-independent directors for losses unless they are negligent or engage in misconduct; and (iii) we will generally indemnify independent directors for losses unless they are grossly negligent or engage in willful misconduct. As a result, our stockholders and we may have more limited rights against our directors than might otherwise exist under common law, which could reduce their and our recovery from these persons if they act in a negligent manner. In addition, we may be obligated to fund the defense costs incurred by our independent directors (as well as by our other directors, officers, employees (if we ever have employees) and agents) in some cases, which would decrease the cash otherwise available for distribution to our stockholders.
Risks Related to Conflicts of Interest
The Sub-Advisor may face a conflict of interest with respect to the allocation of investment opportunities and competition for tenants between us and other real estate programs affiliated with Sound Point.
The Sub-Advisor’s officers and key real estate professionals will identify potential investments which are consistent with our investment guidelines for our possible origination and acquisition. The Sub-Advisor or its affiliates advise other investment programs affiliated with Sound Point that invest in real estate-related assets in which we may be interested and, therefore, the Sub-Advisor could face conflicts of interest in determining which programs will have the opportunity to acquire and participate in such investments as they become available. As a result, other investment programs advised by the Sub-Advisor or its affiliates compete with us with respect to certain investments that we may want to acquire.
The Advisor faces a conflict of interest because the management fee and performance fee are based on the value of our investment portfolio as determined in connection with our determination of NAV, which is calculated by the Advisor.
The Advisor is paid a management fee and a performance fee for its services that are based on the value of our investment portfolio as determined in connection with our determination of NAV, which is calculated by the Advisor in accordance with our valuation
guidelines. The calculation of our NAV includes certain subjective judgments with respect to estimating, for example, our accrued expenses, net portfolio income and liabilities, and therefore, our NAV may not correspond to realizable value upon a sale of those assets. The Advisor may benefit by us retaining ownership of our assets at times when our stockholders may be better served by the sale or disposition of our assets in order to avoid a reduction in our NAV. If our NAV is calculated in a way that is not reflective of our actual net asset value, then the then-current transaction price of shares of our common stock on a given date may not accurately reflect the value of our portfolio, and our stockholders’ shares may be worth less than the then-current transaction price.
Our executive officers, our affiliated directors and the key real estate professionals acting on behalf of the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor face conflicts of interest related to their positions or interests in affiliates of Inland and Sound Point, which could hinder our ability to implement our business strategy and to generate returns to our stockholders.
Our executive officers, our affiliated directors and the key real estate professionals acting on behalf of the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor are also executive officers, directors, managers or key professionals of Inland or Sound Point. Some of these persons also serve as managers and investment advisers to other funds and institutional investors, for example, the institutional investor advised by Sound Point that purchased senior participation interests in certain of our first mortgage loans. As a result, they owe fiduciary duties to each of these entities and their investors, which fiduciary duties may from time to time conflict with the fiduciary duties that they owe to us and our stockholders, and could face conflicts of interest in allocating their time among us and such other funds, investors and activities. Their loyalties to these other entities and investors could result in action or inaction that is detrimental to our business, which could harm the implementation of our investment strategy, and could cause these individuals to allocate less of their time to us than we may require, which may adversely impact our operations and financial results.
Risks Related to Regulatory Matters
We are subject to substantial regulation, numerous contractual obligations and extensive internal policies and failure to comply with these matters could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We and our subsidiaries are subject to substantial regulation, numerous contractual obligations and extensive internal policies. Given our organizational structure and activities, we are subject to regulation by the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), and other federal, state and local governmental bodies and agencies and state blue sky laws. These regulations are extensive, complex and require substantial financial resources and management time and attention. If we fail to comply with any of the regulations that apply to our business, we could be subjected to extensive investigations as well as substantial costs and penalties and our business and operations could be materially adversely affected. Our lack of compliance with applicable law could result in among other penalties, our ineligibility to contract with and receive revenue from the federal government or other governmental authorities and agencies. We also expect to have numerous contractual obligations that we must adhere to on a continuous basis to operate our business, the default of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. Our internal policies may not be effective in all regards and, further, if we fail to comply with our internal policies, we could be subjected to additional risk and liability.
Stockholders’ investment return may be reduced if we are required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
We intend to conduct our operations so that none of we, the Operating Partnership or the subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership is required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company 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 Investment Company 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 the 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 exception from the definition of investment company set forth in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act.
With respect to Section 3(a)(1)(A), we do not intend to engage primarily or hold ourself out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Rather, we will be primarily engaged in the non-investment company businesses of the Operating Partnership and its wholly-owned or majority-owned subsidiaries, each of which will rely on an exception from registration under the Investment Company Act. With respect to Section 3(a)(1)(C), we expect that most of the entities through which we own assets will be wholly-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exceptions from the definition of investment company under Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act and, thus, we do not expect to own a significant amount of “investment securities”.
Through the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries, we plan to originate, acquire, invest in and manage instruments that could be deemed to be securities for purposes of the Investment Company Act, including, but not limited to, first mortgage loans, subordinate
mortgage and mezzanine loans, and participations in such loans, as well as CMBS, CRE CLOs and senior unsecured debt of publicly traded REITs. We may also invest in select equity investments in single-tenant, net leased properties. Accordingly, it is possible that more than 40% of the total assets of the Operating Partnership or its subsidiaries will be deemed to be investment securities for Investment Company Act purposes. However, in reliance on Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act, we do not intend to register the Operating Partnership or any of its subsidiaries as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Entities that meet the standards set forth in Section 3(c)(5)(C) are excepted from the definition of an investment company. Section 3(c)(5)(C) 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 exception generally requires that at least 55% of each such subsidiary’s portfolio must be comprised of qualifying assets and at least another 25% of each of their portfolios must be comprised of real estate-related assets under the Investment Company Act (and no more than 20% comprised of non-qualifying or non-real estate-related assets). Qualifying assets for this purpose include mortgage loans and other assets, such as certain subordinated mezzanine loans and participations and other interests in real estate, as interpreted by the SEC staff in various no-action letters. As a result of the foregoing restrictions, we will be limited in our ability to make certain investments.
Existing SEC 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 positions were issued more than 10 years ago. Certain mortgage loans and participations in mortgage loans may not constitute qualifying real estate investments for purposes of Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act. No assurance can be given that the SEC will concur with our classification of the assets of the Operating Partnership or its subsidiaries. Future revisions to the Investment Company Act or further guidance from the SEC staff may cause us to lose our ability to rely on Section 3(c)(5)(C) or force us to re-evaluate our portfolio and our investment strategy. Such changes may prevent us from operating our business successfully.
The Advisor will continually review our investment activity to attempt to ensure that we will not be regulated as an investment company.
We believe that none of we, the Operating Partnership or the subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership will be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. However, if we were obligated to register as an investment company, we would have to comply with a variety of substantive requirements under the Investment Company Act that impose, among other things:
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limitations on capital structure;
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restrictions on specified investments;
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restrictions or prohibitions on retaining earnings;
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restrictions on leverage or senior securities;
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restrictions on unsecured borrowings;
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requirements that our income be derived from certain types of assets;
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prohibitions on transactions with affiliates; and
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compliance with reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy disclosure and other rules and regulations that would significantly increase our operating expenses.
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 criminal and civil actions could be brought against us. In addition, our contracts would be unenforceable unless a court required enforcement, and a court could appoint a receiver to take control of us and liquidate our business.
Registration with the SEC as an investment company would be costly, would subject our company to a host of complex regulations, and would divert the attention of management from the conduct of our business. In addition, the purchase of real estate that does not fit our investment guidelines and the purchase or sale of investment securities or other assets to preserve our status as a company not required to register as an investment company could materially adversely affect our NAV, the amount of funds available for investment and our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders.
Risks Related to our REIT Status and Certain Other Tax Items
If we do not maintain our qualification as a REIT, we will be subject to tax as a regular corporation and could face a substantial tax liability.
We have operated and expect to continue to operate so as to maintain our qualification as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“the Code”). However, qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex Code provisions for which only a limited number of judicial or administrative interpretations exist. Notwithstanding the availability of cure provisions in the Code, various compliance requirements could be failed and could jeopardize our REIT status. Furthermore, new tax legislation, administrative guidance or court decisions, in each instance potentially with retroactive effect, could make it more difficult or impossible for us to maintain our qualification as a REIT. If we fail to maintain our qualification as a REIT in any tax year, then:
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we would be taxed as a regular domestic corporation, which under current laws, among other things, means being unable to deduct dividends paid to stockholders in computing taxable income and being subject to federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate income tax rates;
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any resulting tax liability could be substantial and could have a material adverse effect on our NAV;
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our cash available for distribution to stockholders would be reduced by the amount of taxes we would be required to pay for each of the years during which we did not qualify as a REIT and for which we had taxable income; and
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we generally would not be eligible to re-elect to be taxed as a REIT for the subsequent four full taxable years.
Legislative, regulatory or administrative changes could adversely affect us or our stockholders.
In recent years, numerous legislative, judicial and administrative changes have been made in the provisions of U.S. federal income tax laws applicable to investments similar to an investment in shares of our common stock. The 2017 tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act resulted in fundamental changes to the Code, with many of the changes applicable to individuals applying only through December 31, 2025. Further changes to the tax laws are possible. In particular, the federal income taxation of REITs may be modified, possibly with retroactive effect, by legislative, administrative or judicial action at any time.
Although REITs generally receive certain tax advantages compared to entities taxed as regular corporations, it is possible that future legislation would result in a REIT having fewer tax advantages, and it could become more advantageous for a company that invests in real-estate-related debt to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a corporation. As a result, our charter authorizes our Board to revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without the approval of our stockholders, if it determines that changes to U.S. federal income tax laws and regulations or other considerations mean it is no longer in our best interests to qualify as a REIT.
We cannot provide assurance that future changes to the tax laws will not adversely affect the taxation of us or our stockholders. Any such changes could have an adverse effect on an investment in our common stock or on the market value or the resale potential of our assets. Stockholders are urged to consult with their tax advisor with respect to the impact of any legislative, regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on their investment.
The failure of a mezzanine loan to qualify as a real estate asset could adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT.
We may originate or acquire mezzanine loans, for which the IRS has provided a safe harbor, but not rules of substantive law, addressing whether such loans will be treated as real estate assets. Pursuant to the safe harbor, if a mezzanine loan meets certain requirements, it will be treated by the IRS as a real estate asset for purposes of the asset tests, and interest derived from the mezzanine loan will be treated as qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Our mezzanine loans may not meet all of the requirements of this safe harbor. In the event we own a mezzanine loan that does not meet the safe harbor, the IRS could challenge such loan’s treatment as a real estate asset for purposes of the REIT asset and gross income tests and, if such a challenge were sustained, we could fail to qualify as a REIT.
The receipt of certain fee income in connection with loans we make or hold may not be qualifying income for purposes of the gross income tests and could adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT.
We may be entitled to receive various fees in connection with the loans we make or hold. Certain commitment fees are qualifying income for purposes of the gross income tests, as are fees that are properly treated as interest or original issue discount for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Fees that represent compensation for services we perform are not qualifying income. If nonqualifying fee income, together with any other nonqualifying gross income, exceeds 5% of our gross income, we will fail to qualify as a REIT. While we monitor our satisfaction of the gross income tests and the terms of all loans we make or acquire, the IRS may not agree with all of our fee characterizations.
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 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 these 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 are treated for asset test 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 do not own the assets during the term of the related sale and repurchase agreement, in which case we could fail to qualify as a REIT.
To maintain our REIT status, we may have to borrow funds on a short-term basis during unfavorable market conditions.
To qualify as a REIT, we generally must distribute annually to our stockholders dividends equal to at least 90% of our net taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends-paid deduction and excluding net capital gains. We will be subject to regular corporate income taxes on any undistributed REIT taxable income each year. Additionally, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on any amount by which distributions paid by us in any calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income and 100% of our undistributed income from previous years. Payments we make to our stockholders under our SRP generally will not be taken into account for purposes of these distribution requirements. If we do not have sufficient cash to pay distributions necessary to preserve our REIT status for any year or to avoid taxation, we may be forced to borrow funds or sell assets even if the market conditions at that time are not favorable for these borrowings or sales. These options could increase our costs or reduce our equity.
Compliance with REIT requirements may cause us to forego otherwise attractive opportunities, which may hinder or delay our ability to meet our investment objectives and reduce overall returns to stockholders.
To qualify as a REIT, we are required at all times to satisfy tests relating to, among other things, the sources of our income, the nature and diversification of our assets, the ownership of our stock and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. Compliance with the REIT requirements may impair our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits. For example, we may be required to pay distributions to stockholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution.
Compliance with REIT requirements may force us to liquidate or restructure otherwise attractive investments.
To qualify as a REIT, at the end of each calendar quarter, at least 75% of the value of our assets must consist of cash, cash items, government securities and qualified real estate assets. The remainder of our investments in securities (other than securities that are qualified assets under the 75% asset test, securities of a taxable REIT subsidiary of ours or equity securities issued by an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) generally cannot include more than 10% of the voting securities of any one issuer or more than 10% of the value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer. The 10% value asset test does not apply to “straight debt” securities. Debt will be treated as “straight debt” for these purposes if the debt is a written unconditional promise to pay on demand or on a specified date a certain sum of money, the debt is not convertible, directly or indirectly, into stock, and the interest rate and the interest payment dates of the debt are not contingent on the profits, the borrower’s discretion, or similar factors. Additionally, no more than 5% of the value of our assets (other than securities that are qualified assets under the 75% asset test, securities of a taxable REIT subsidiary of ours or equity securities issued by an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) can consist of the securities of any one issuer, no more than 20% of the value of our assets may be represented by securities of one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries and no more than 25% of the value of our assets may consist of “nonqualified publicly offered REIT debt investments.” If we fail to comply with these requirements at the end of any calendar quarter, we must dispose of a portion of our assets within 30 days after the end of such calendar quarter or qualify for certain statutory relief provisions in order to avoid losing our REIT qualification and suffering adverse tax consequences. In order to satisfy these requirements and maintain our qualification as a REIT, we may be forced to liquidate assets from our portfolio or not make otherwise attractive investments. These actions could have the effect of reducing our income and amounts available for distribution to our stockholders.
The tax on prohibited transactions will limit our ability to engage in transactions, including certain methods of securitizing mortgage loans, which would be treated as sales for 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 mortgage loans, held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. We might be subject to this tax if we were to dispose of, or securitize, loans in a manner that was treated as a sale of the loans for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Therefore, in order to avoid the prohibited transactions tax, we may choose not to engage in certain sales of loans at the REIT level and may limit the structures we utilize for any securitization transactions, even though the sales or such structures might otherwise be beneficial to us.
Stockholders may face adverse tax rules if we generate excess inclusion income.
If we acquire real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMIC”) residual interests or equity interests in taxable mortgage pools (in a manner consistent with our REIT qualification) and generate “excess inclusion income,” a portion of our dividends received by a tax-exempt stockholder will be treated as unrelated business taxable income. Excess inclusion income would also be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax rules in the case of U.S. taxable stockholders and non-U.S. stockholders. We intend to structure our transactions in a manner we believe would avoid generating excess inclusion income.
Modification of the terms of our CRE debt investments and mortgage loans underlying our CMBS in conjunction with reductions in the value of the real property securing such loans could cause us to fail to continue to qualify as a REIT.
Our CRE debt and securities investments may be materially affected by a weak real estate market and economy in general. As a result, many of the terms of our CRE debt and the mortgage loans underlying our CRE securities may be modified to avoid taking title to a property. Under Treasury Regulations, if the terms of a loan are modified in a manner constituting a “significant modification,” such modification triggers a deemed exchange of the original loan for the modified loan. In general, if a loan is secured by real property and other property, and the highest principal amount of the loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property securing the loan determined as of the date we agreed to acquire the loan or the date we significantly modified the loan, a portion of the interest income from such loan will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test although it may nevertheless be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test. A portion of the loan may also be a non-qualifying asset for purposes of the 75% asset test. The non-qualifying portion of such a loan would be subject to, among other requirements, the requirement that a REIT not hold securities representing more than 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer.
IRS Revenue Procedure 2014-51 provides a safe harbor pursuant to which we will not be required to redetermine the fair market value of the real property securing a loan for purposes of the gross income and asset tests discussed above in connection with a loan modification that is: (i) occasioned by a borrower default; or (ii) made at a time when we reasonably believe that the modification to the loan will substantially reduce a significant risk of default on the original loan. No assurance can be provided that all of our loan modifications will qualify for the safe harbor in Revenue Procedure 2014-51. To the extent we significantly modify loans in a manner that does not qualify for that safe harbor, we will be required to redetermine the value of the real property securing the loan at the time it was significantly modified. In determining the value of the real property securing such a loan, we generally will not obtain third-party appraisals, but rather will rely on internal valuations. No assurance can be provided that the IRS will not successfully challenge our internal valuations. If the terms of our debt investments and mortgage loans underlying our CMBS are “significantly modified” in a manner that does not qualify for the safe harbor in Revenue Procedure 2014-51 and the fair market value of the real property securing such loans has decreased significantly, we could fail the 75% gross income test, the 75% asset test, the 5% asset test and/or the 10% value asset test. Unless we qualified for relief under certain Code cure provisions, such failures could cause us to fail to continue to qualify as a REIT.
Our acquisition of debt or securities investments may cause us to recognize income for federal income tax purposes even though no cash payments have been received on the investments.
We may acquire debt or securities investments in the secondary market for less than their face amount. The amount of such discount will generally be treated as a “market discount” for federal income tax purposes. If these debt or securities investments provide for “payment-in-kind” interest, we may recognize “original issue discount,” or OID, for federal income tax purposes. Moreover, we may acquire distressed debt investments that are subsequently modified by agreement with the borrower. If the amendments to the outstanding debt constitute “significant modifications” under the applicable Treasury Regulations, the modified debt may be considered to have been reissued to us in a debt-for-debt exchange with the borrower. In that event, if the debt is considered to be “publicly traded” for federal income tax purposes, the modified debt in our hands may be considered to have been issued with OID to the extent the fair market value of the modified debt is less than the principal amount of the outstanding debt. In the event the debt is not considered to be “publicly traded” for federal income tax purposes, we may be required to recognize taxable income to the extent that the principal amount of the modified debt exceeds our cost of purchasing it. Also, certain loans that we originate and later modify and certain previously modified debt we acquire in the secondary market may be considered to have been issued with the OID at the time it was modified.
In general, we will be required to accrue OID on a debt instrument as taxable income in accordance with applicable federal income tax rules even though no cash payments may be received on such debt instrument on a current basis.
In the event a borrower with respect to a particular debt instrument encounters financial difficulty rendering it unable to pay stated interest as due, we may nonetheless be required to continue to recognize the unpaid interest as taxable income. Similarly, we may be required to accrue interest income with respect to subordinate mortgage-backed securities at the stated rate regardless of when their corresponding cash payments are received.
In order to meet the REIT distribution requirements, it might be necessary for us to arrange for short-term or possibly long-term borrowings, or to pay distributions in the form of our shares or other taxable in-kind distributions of property. We may need to borrow funds at times when the market conditions are unfavorable. Such borrowings could increase our costs and reduce the value of a stockholders’ investment. In the event in-kind distributions are made, a stockholder’s tax liabilities associated with an investment in our common stock for a given year may exceed the amount of cash we distribute to stockholders during such year.
Complying with REIT requirements may limit our ability to hedge effectively.
The REIT provisions of the Code may limit our ability to hedge our operations effectively. Our aggregate gross income from non-qualifying hedges, fees and certain other non-qualifying sources cannot exceed 5% of our annual gross income. As a result, we might have to limit our use of advantageous hedging techniques or implement those hedges through a taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”). Any hedging income earned by a TRS would be subject to federal, state and local income tax at regular corporate rates. This could increase the cost of our hedging activities or expose us to greater risks associated with interest rate or other changes than we would otherwise incur.
Our charter does not permit any person or group to own more than 9.8% of our outstanding common stock or of our outstanding capital stock of all classes or series, and attempts to acquire our common stock or our capital stock of all other classes or series in excess of these 9.8% limits would not be effective without an exemption from these limits by our Board.
For us to qualify as a REIT under the Code, not more than 50% of the value of our outstanding stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (including certain entities treated as individuals for this purpose) during the last half of a taxable year. For the purpose of assisting our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our charter prohibits beneficial or constructive ownership by any person or group of more than 9.8%, in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of our outstanding common stock, or 9.8% in value of our outstanding capital stock of all classes or series, which we refer to as the “Ownership Limits.” The constructive ownership rules under the Code and our charter are complex and may cause shares of the outstanding common stock owned by a group of related persons to be deemed to be constructively owned by one person. As a result, the acquisition of less than 9.8% of our outstanding common stock or our capital stock by a person could cause another person to be treated as owning in excess of 9.8% of our outstanding common stock or our capital stock, respectively, and thus violate the Ownership Limits. There can be no assurance that our Board, as permitted in the charter, will not decrease these Ownership Limits in the future. Any attempt to own or transfer shares of our common stock or capital stock in excess of the Ownership Limits without the consent of our Board will result either in the shares in excess of the limit being transferred by operation of our charter to a charitable trust or in the transfer being void.
The Ownership Limits may have the effect of precluding a change in control of us by a third party, even if such change in control would be in the best interests of our stockholders or would result in receipt of a premium to the price of our common stock (and even if such change in control would not reasonably jeopardize our REIT status). The exemptions to the Ownership Limits granted to date may limit our Board’s power to increase the Ownership Limits or grant further exemptions in the future.
Non-U.S. stockholders may be required to file U.S. federal income tax returns and pay U.S. federal income tax upon their receipt of certain distributions from us or upon their disposition of shares of our common stock.
In addition to any potential withholding tax on ordinary dividends, a non-U.S. stockholder, other than a “qualified shareholder” or a “qualified foreign pension fund,” as each is defined in Section 897 of the Code, that recognizes gain upon a disposition of a “United States real property interest” (“USRPI”) or that receives a distribution from a REIT that is attributable to gains from such a disposition, is generally subject to U.S. federal income tax under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980, as amended (“FIRPTA”), on such gain. FIRPTA gains must be reported on U.S. federal income tax returns and are taxable at regular U.S. federal income tax rates. We will be a “United States real property holding corporation” (“USRPHC”) if the value of our USRPIs is equal to or greater than 50% of the value of our USRPIs, interests in non-U.S. real property and other trade or business assets at any time during the relevant testing period. We do not expect to be a USRPHC but cannot give assurances that we will not become a USRPHC. Even if we were a USRPHC, such tax does not apply, however, to the disposition of stock in a REIT that is “domestically controlled.” Generally, a REIT is domestically controlled if less than 50% of its stock, by value, has been owned directly or indirectly by non-U.S. persons during a continuous five-year period ending on the date of disposition or, if shorter, during the entire period of the REIT’s existence. We cannot assure stockholders that we will qualify as a domestically controlled REIT. If we were to fail to so qualify, amounts received by a non-U.S. stockholder on certain dispositions of shares of our common stock (including a repurchase) would be subject to tax under FIRPTA, unless (i) our shares of common stock were regularly traded on an established securities market and (ii) the non-U.S. stockholder did not, at any time during a specified testing period, hold more than 10% of our common stock. Furthermore, even if we are not a USRPHC or are domestically controlled, distributions, including repurchases, by us that are attributable to gains from dispositions of USRPIs will be subject to tax under FIRPTA and special withholding rules unless the conditions in clauses (i) and (ii) of the immediately preceding sentence are satisfied, subject to certain exceptions. Our shares are not regularly traded on an established securities market and we do not expect that they will be in the future.
Investments outside of the United States may subject us to additional taxes and could present additional complications to our ability to satisfy the REIT qualification requirements.
Non-U.S. investments may subject us to various non-U.S. tax liabilities, including withholding taxes. In addition, operating in functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar and in environments in which real estate transactions are typically structured differently than they are in the United States or are subject to different legal rules may present complications to our ability to structure non-U.S. investments in a manner that enables us to satisfy the REIT qualification requirements. Even if we maintain our status as a
REIT, entities through which we hold investments in assets located outside the United States may be subject to income taxation by jurisdictions in which such assets are located or in which our subsidiaries that hold interests in such assets are located. Any such taxes could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition, and our cash available for distribution to our stockholders will be reduced by any such non-U.S. income taxes.
Restrictions on the deduction of all of our interest expense could prevent us from satisfying the REIT distribution requirement and avoiding the incurrence of income or excise taxes.
Rules enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act may limit our ability (and the ability of entities that are not treated as disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes and in which we hold an interest) to deduct interest expense. Under amended Section 163(j) of the Code, the deduction for business interest expense may be limited to the amount of the taxpayer’s business interest income plus 30% of the taxpayer’s “adjusted taxable income” unless the taxpayer’s gross receipts do not exceed $25 million per year during the applicable testing period or the taxpayer qualifies to elect and elects to be treated as an “electing real property trade or business.” A taxpayer’s adjusted taxable income will start with its taxable income and add back items of non-business income and expense, business interest income and business interest expense, net operating losses, any deductions for “qualified business income,” and, in taxable years beginning before January 1, 2022, any deductions for depreciation, amortization or depletion. A taxpayer that is exempt from the interest expense limitations as an electing real property trade or business is ineligible for certain expensing benefits and is subject to less favorable depreciation rules for real property. The rules for business interest expense will apply to us and at the level of each entity in which or through which we invest that is not a disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To the extent that our interest expense is not deductible, our taxable income will be increased, as will our REIT distribution requirement and the amounts we need to distribute to avoid incurring income and excise taxes.
We may incur tax liabilities that would reduce our cash available for distribution to stockholders.
Even if we qualify and maintain our status as a REIT, we may become subject to U.S. federal income taxes and related state and local taxes. For example, net income from the sale of properties that are “dealer” properties sold by a REIT generally will be subject to a 100% prohibited transactions tax. We may not make sufficient distributions to avoid excise taxes applicable to REITs. Similarly, if we were to fail a gross income test (and did not lose our REIT status because such failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect), we would be subject to tax on the income that does not meet the gross income test requirements. We also may decide to retain net capital gain we earn from the sale or other disposition of our investments and pay income tax directly on such income. In that event, our stockholders would be treated as if they earned that income and paid the tax on it directly. However, stockholders that are tax-exempt, such as charities or qualified pension plans, would have no benefit from their deemed payment of such tax liability unless they file U.S. federal income tax returns and thereon seek a refund of such tax. We also may be subject to state and local taxes on our income or property, including franchise, payroll, mortgage recording and transfer taxes, either directly or at the level of the other companies through which we indirectly own our assets, such as our taxable REIT subsidiaries, which are subject to applicable corporate income taxes. Any taxes we pay directly or indirectly will reduce our cash available for distribution to stockholders.
Our Board is authorized to revoke our REIT election without stockholder approval, which may cause adverse consequences to our stockholders.
Our charter authorizes our Board to revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without the approval of our stockholders, if it determines that changes to U.S. federal income tax laws and regulations or other considerations mean it is no longer in our best interests to qualify as a REIT. Our Board has fiduciary duties to us and our stockholders and could only cause such changes in our tax treatment if it determines in good faith that such changes are in our best interests and in the best interests of our stockholders. In this event, we would become subject to U.S. federal income tax on our taxable income and we would no longer be required to distribute most of our net income to our stockholders, which may cause a reduction in the total return to our stockholders.
If certain sale-leaseback transactions are not characterized by the IRS as “true leases,” we may be subject to adverse tax consequences.
We may purchase investments in properties and lease them back to the sellers of these properties. If the IRS does not characterize these leases as “true leases,” we could fail to maintain our REIT status.
Liquidation of assets may jeopardize our REIT qualification.
To continue to qualify as a REIT, we must comply with requirements regarding our assets and our sources of income. If we are compelled to liquidate our investments to satisfy our obligations to our lenders, we may be unable to comply with these requirements, ultimately jeopardizing our qualification as a REIT, or we may be subject to a 100% prohibited transaction tax on any resulting gain if we sell assets that are treated as dealer property or inventory.
Our ownership of and relationship with any TRS that we may form or acquire is subject to limitations, and a failure to comply with the limits would jeopardize our REIT qualification and may result in the application of a 100% excise tax.
We own 100% of the stock of a TRS, and we may own more in the future. A TRS may earn income that would not be qualifying income if earned directly by the parent REIT. Both the subsidiary and the REIT must jointly elect to treat the subsidiary as a TRS.
Overall, no more than 20% of the value of a REIT’s assets may consist of stock or securities of one or more TRSs at the end of any calendar quarter. A TRS will pay federal, state and local income tax at regular corporate rates on any income that it earns. In addition, the TRS rules 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. There can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with the TRS limitations or to avoid application of the 100% excise tax discussed above.
Our domestic TRSs would pay U.S. federal and any applicable state and local income tax on their taxable income, and their after-tax net income would be available for distribution to us but would not be required to be distributed to us. If we were to organize a TRS as a non-U.S. corporation (or non-U.S. entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes), we may generate income inclusions relating to the earnings of the non-U.S. TRS that are treated as qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test but not the 75% gross income test.
Generally, ordinary dividends payable by REITs do not qualify for reduced U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income.
Currently, the maximum tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income payable to certain non-corporate U.S. stockholders is 20%. Dividends payable by REITs, however, generally are not eligible for the reduced rate. REIT dividends that are not designated as “qualified dividend income” or capital gain dividends are taxable as ordinary income. The more favorable rates applicable to qualified dividend income could cause certain non-corporate investors to perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends. However, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2026, non-corporate U.S. taxpayers may be entitled to claim a deduction in determining their taxable income of up to 20% of qualified REIT dividends (dividends other than capital gain dividends and dividends attributable to certain qualified dividend income received by us), subject to certain limitations. Investors are urged to consult with their tax advisor regarding the effect of this change on their effective tax rate with respect to REIT dividends.
If our Operating Partnership failed to qualify as a partnership or is not disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we would cease to qualify as a REIT.
If the IRS were to successfully challenge the status of our Operating Partnership as a partnership or disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it would be taxable as a corporation. In the event that this occurs, it would reduce the amount of distributions that our Operating Partnership could make to us. This would also result in our failing to qualify as a REIT and becoming subject to a corporate-level tax on our income, which would substantially reduce our cash available to pay distributions and the yield on our stockholder’s investment.
There may be tax consequences to any modifications to our borrowings, our hedging transactions and other contracts to replace references to LIBOR.
We are parties to loan agreements with LIBOR-based interest rates and derivatives with LIBOR-based terms used for hedging and may hold or acquire MBS and other assets with LIBOR-based terms. We may have to renegotiate such LIBOR-based instruments to replace references to LIBOR. Under current law, certain modifications of terms of LIBOR-based instruments may have tax consequences, including deemed taxable exchanges of the pre-modification instrument for the modified instrument. Recently finalized Treasury Regulations, which will be effective March 7, 2022, will treat certain modifications that would be taxable events under current law as non-taxable events. The Treasury Regulations also will permit REMICs to make certain modifications without losing REMIC qualification. The Treasury Regulations do not discuss REIT-specific issues of modifications to LIBOR-based instruments. The IRS has also issued Revenue Procedure 2020-44, which provides additional guidance to facilitate the market’s transition from LIBOR rates. This guidance clarifies the treatment of certain debt instruments modified to replace LIBOR- based terms. We will attempt to migrate to a post-LIBOR environment without jeopardizing our REIT qualification or suffering other adverse tax consequences but can give no assurances that we will succeed.
We may choose to pay dividends in a combination of cash and our own common stock, in which case stockholders may be required to pay income taxes in excess of the cash dividends they receive.
We may choose to pay dividends in a combination of cash and our own common stock. Under IRS Revenue Procedure 2017-45, as a publicly offered REIT, we may give stockholders a choice, subject to various limits and requirements, of receiving a dividend in cash or in our common stock. As long as at least 20% (modified pursuant to Rev. Proc. 2021-53 to 10% for distributions declared on or after November 1, 2021 and on or before June 30, 2022) of the total dividend is available in cash and certain other requirements are satisfied, the IRS will treat the stock distribution as a dividend (to the extent applicable rules treat such distribution as being made out of our earnings and profits). As a result, U.S. stockholders may be required to pay income taxes with respect to such dividends in excess of the cash dividends they receive. In the case of non-U.S. stockholders, we generally will be required to withhold tax with respect to the entire dividend, which withholding tax may exceed the amount of cash such non-U.S. stockholder would otherwise receive.
Foreclosures may impact our ability to qualify as a REIT and minimize tax liabilities.
When we foreclose, or consider foreclosing, on properties securing defaulted loans that we hold, we consider the impact that taking ownership of such properties has on our ability to continue to qualify to be taxed as a REIT and any tax liabilities attributable thereto if we continue to qualify as a REIT. In certain cases, operation of real property will not generate qualifying rents from real property for purposes of the REIT gross income tests, e.g., income from operation of a hotel. In certain circumstances, we will be able to make an election with the IRS to treat property we take possession of in a foreclosure as “foreclosure property.” If, and for so long as, such property qualifies as “foreclosure property,” income therefrom is treated as qualifying income for purposes of both REIT gross income tests and gain from the sale of such property will not be subject to the 100% prohibited transaction tax for dealer sales, regardless of our how short our holding period in such property is when we sell such property or other dealer sales considerations. On the other hand, net income with respect to a property for which we have made a foreclosure property election that would not otherwise be qualifying income for purposes of the gross income tests will be subject to corporate income tax. In certain circumstances, the IRS might argue that a particular property did not qualify for a foreclosure property election or that its status as foreclosure property terminated while we believed it continued to qualify, possibly causing us to fail one or both gross income tests or causing any gain from sale of such property to be subject to the prohibited transaction tax.
Retirement Plan Risks
If the fiduciary of an employee benefit plan subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), fails to meet the fiduciary and other standards under ERISA, the Code or common law as a result of an investment in our stock, the fiduciary could be subject to criminal and civil penalties.
There are special considerations that apply to investing in our shares on behalf of a trust, pension, profit sharing or 401(k) plans, health or welfare plans, individual retirement accounts, or IRAs, or Keogh plans. If stockholders are investing the assets of any of the entities identified in the prior sentence in our common stock, they should satisfy themselves that:
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the investment is consistent with their fiduciary obligations under applicable law, including common law, ERISA and the Code;
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the investment is made in accordance with the documents and instruments governing the trust, plan or IRA, including a plan’s investment policy;
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the investment satisfies the prudence and diversification requirements of Sections 404(a)(1)(B) and 404(a)(1)(C) of ERISA and other applicable provisions of ERISA and the Code;
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the investment will not impair the liquidity of the trust, plan or IRA;
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the investment will not produce “unrelated business taxable income” for the plan or IRA;
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our stockholders will be able to value the assets of the plan annually in accordance with ERISA requirements and applicable provisions of the plan or IRA; and
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the investment will not constitute a prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code
Failure to satisfy the fiduciary standards of conduct and other applicable requirements of ERISA, the Code, or other applicable statutory or common law may result in the imposition of civil (and criminal, if the violation was willful) penalties, and can subject the fiduciary to equitable remedies. In addition, if an investment in our shares constitutes a prohibited transaction under ERISA or the Code, the fiduciary that authorized or directed the investment may be subject to the imposition of excise taxes with respect to the amount invested.
General Risk Factors
Challenging economic and financial market conditions could significantly reduce the amount of income we earn on our CRE investments and further reduce the value of our investments.
Challenging economic and financial market conditions may cause us to experience an increase in the number of CRE investments that result in losses, including delinquencies, non-performing assets and taking title to collateral and a decrease in the value of the property or other collateral which secures our investments, all of which could adversely affect our results of operations. We may incur substantial losses and need to establish significant provision for losses or impairment. Our revenue from investments could diminish significantly.
Volatility, disruption or uncertainty in the financial markets may impair our ability to raise capital, obtain new financing or refinance existing obligations and fund real estate activities.
Market disruption, volatility or uncertainty could materially adversely impact our ability to raise capital, obtain new financing or refinance our existing obligations as they mature and fund real estate activities. In addition, market disruption, volatility or uncertainty
may also expose us to increased litigation and stockholder activism. These conditions could materially disrupt our business, operations and ability to pay distributions to stockholders. Market volatility could also lead to significant uncertainty in the valuation of our investments, which may result in a substantial decrease in the value of our investments. As a result, we may not be able to recover the carrying amount of such investments and the associated goodwill, if any, which may require us to recognize impairment charges in earnings.
The CRE industry has been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the United States and global financial markets generally.
Our business and operations are currently dependent on the CRE industry generally, which in turn is dependent upon broad economic conditions in the United States, Europe, China and elsewhere. Recently, concerns over global economic conditions, virus outbreaks, energy and commodity prices, geopolitical issues, deflation, Federal Reserve short-term rate decisions, foreign exchange rates, the availability and cost of credit, the Chinese economy and the relationship between the Chinese and U.S. governments have contributed to increased economic uncertainty. These factors could cause extreme volatility in security prices. Global economic and political headwinds, along with global market instability and the risk of maturing debt that may have difficulties being refinanced, may continue to cause periodic volatility in the CRE market for some time. Adverse conditions in the CRE industry could harm our business and financial condition by, among other factors, the tightening of the credit markets, decline in the value of our assets and continuing credit and liquidity concerns and otherwise negatively impacting our operations.
We may not be able to pay distributions in the future.
Our ability to generate income and to pay distributions may be adversely affected by the risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any subsequent periodic reports. All distributions are made at the discretion of our Board, subject to applicable law, and depend on our earnings, our financial condition, maintenance of our REIT qualification and such other factors as our Board may deem relevant from time-to-time. We may not be able to pay distributions in the future.

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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 principal executive office is located at 2901 Butterfield Rd., Oak Brook, Illinois 60523. As part of the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor is responsible for providing office space and office services required in rendering services to us. For an overview of our real estate investments, see Item 7 - “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Portfolio.”

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
In the ordinary course of business, we may become subject to litigation, claims and regulatory matters. We have no knowledge of material legal or regulatory proceedings pending or known to be contemplated against us at this time.

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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 currently no established public trading market for our common stock, and we do not expect a public trading market to develop without a listing of our common stock on an exchange. We do not intend to list our common stock for trading on an exchange or other trading market, and we intend to be a perpetual-life entity with no requirement to pursue a liquidity event by any date certain or at all.
Our Series A Preferred Stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol ICR PR A.
Stockholders
As of March 10, 2022, there were 2,622 holders of Class P, 254 holders of Class A, 132 holders of Class T, 12 holders of Class D, 136 holders of Class I and no holders of Class S common stock.
Distribution Reinvestment Plan
We have adopted a DRP, effective May 3, 2019, whereby holders of Class A, Class T, Class S, Class D and Class I shares will have their cash distributions automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock unless they elect to receive their distributions in cash or if the stockholder’s state or participating dealer does not allow automatic enrollment. Investors that are not automatically enrolled in our DRP will automatically receive their distributions in cash unless they elect to have their cash distributions reinvested in additional shares of our common stock. Any cash distributions attributable to the class or classes of shares owned by participants in the DRP will be immediately reinvested in our shares on behalf of the participants on the business day such distribution would have been paid to such stockholder.
The per share purchase price for shares purchased pursuant to the DRP will be equal to the most recently published transaction price at the time the distribution is payable. Stockholders will not pay upfront selling commissions when purchasing shares pursuant to the DRP. The stockholder servicing fees with respect to shares of our Class T shares, Class S shares and Class D shares are calculated based on our NAV for those shares and may reduce the NAV or, alternatively, the distributions payable with respect to shares of each such class, including shares issued in respect of distributions on such shares under the DRP. Shares acquired under the DRP will entitle the participant to the same rights and be treated in the same manner as shares of that class purchased in this offering.
On March 24, 2020, our Board suspended, among other things, the operation of the DRP, effective as of April 6, 2020. In determining to suspend the DRP, our Board considered various factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, the inability to accurately calculate our NAV per share due to uncertainty, volatility and lack of liquidity in the market, our need for liquidity due to financing challenges related to additional collateral required by the banks that regularly finance our assets and these uncertain and rapidly changing economic conditions. On October 1, 2020, the SEC declared effective our post-effective amendment to our registration statement on Form S-11 thereby permitting us to resume offers and sales of shares of common stock in our IPO, including through the DRP.
Participants may terminate their participation in the DRP with five business days’ prior written notice to us.
Equity Compensation Plan
Our restricted share plan offers our independent directors an opportunity to participate in our growth through awards in the form of, or based on, our common stock. The restricted share plan authorizes the granting of restricted stock, restricted or deferred stock units, dividend equivalents, and cash-based awards to independent directors for participation in the plan.
Under the independent director restricted share plan and subject to such plan’s conditions and restrictions, each of our independent directors will automatically receive $10,000 in restricted Class I shares on the date of each annual stockholders’ meeting or, if no annual meeting, in December of each year. Such restricted shares will generally vest over a three-year period following the grant date in increments of 33 1⁄3% per annum; provided, however, that restricted stock will become fully vested on the earlier occurrence of: (i) the termination of the independent director’s service as a director due to his or her death or disability; or (ii) a liquidity event. These restricted shares are issued pursuant to an exemption from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
With each stock grant, we award each of our independent directors an equal number of shares. The table below summarizes total stock grants we made at each grant date as of December 31, 2021.
Grant Date
Class of common stock granted
Total number of shares granted
Grant Date Fair Value Per Share
Total Fair Value of Grant
Proportion of total shares that vest annually
Vesting Date Year 1
Vesting Date Year 2
Vesting Date Year 3
March 1, 2018
Class P
1,200
$
25.00
$
1/3
3/1/2019
3/1/2020
3/1/2021
January 7, 2019
Class P
1,200
$
25.00
$
1/3
1/7/2020
1/7/2021
1/7/2022
December 2, 2019
Class I
1,197
$
25.07
$
1/3
12/2/2020
12/2/2021
12/2/2022
December 1, 2020
Class I
1,393
$
21.54
$
1/3
12/1/2021
12/1/2022
12/1/2023
October 14, 2021
Class I
1,477
$
20.31
$
1/3
10/14/2022
10/14/2023
10/14/2024
As of December 31, 2021, we have granted 6,467 restricted shares of which 3,262 have vested and none were forfeited. During the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, compensation expense associated with the restricted shares issued to the independent directors was $34,167, $30,833 and $20,833, respectively.
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
For information regarding the securities authorized for issuance under our equity compensation plan, see Item 12, “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Equity Securities
On October 25, 2016, we commenced the Private Offering of up to $500.0 million in our Class P Shares. The Class P Shares were offered and sold pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, in accordance with Rule 506(b) of Regulation D, and in compliance with any applicable state securities laws. On June 28, 2019, we terminated the Private Offering. We continued to accept Private Offering subscription proceeds through July 16, 2019 from subscription agreements executed no later than June 28, 2019. As of July 16, 2019, we issued 10,258,094 Class P Shares resulting in gross offering proceeds of $276.7 million. Inland Securities Corporation served as our dealer manager for the Private Offering.
Except as set forth above, we have not sold any securities that were not registered under the Securities Act during the period covered by this report.
Use of Proceeds
On May 3, 2019, our Registration Statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-230465), covering the IPO of up to $2.35 billion in shares of Class A, Class T, Class S, Class D and Class I common stock, was declared effective under the Securities Act. Inland Securities Corporation serves as our dealer manager for the IPO.
The offering price for each class of our common stock is determined monthly and is made available on our website and in prospectus supplement filings. As of December 31, 2021, we received net offering proceeds of $37.2 million from the IPO. We primarily used the net offering proceeds from the IPO to originate CRE loans and purchase real estate securities on a levered basis, subject to our investment guidelines and to the extent consistent with maintaining our REIT qualification, and other general corporate purposes. The following table summarizes certain information about the IPO proceeds ($ in thousands except for per share data):
Class A
Shares
Class T
Shares
Class S
Shares
Class D
Shares
Class I
Shares
Total
Primary shares sold
671,628
407,593
-
52,141
390,761
1,522,123
Gross proceeds from primary offering
$
17,412
$
10,281
$
-
$
1,237
$
9,438
$
38,368
Reinvestments of distributions
-
Total gross proceeds
17,757
10,450
-
1,297
9,730
39,234
Selling commissions and dealer
manager fees
1,011
-
-
-
1,296
Stockholder servicing fees
-
-
-
Total expenses
1,011
-
-
1,996
Net offering proceeds(1)
$
16,746
$
9,565
$
-
$
1,197
$
9,730
$
37,238
(1)
Excludes company-level offering costs of $4,577.
As of December 31, 2021, we received net offering proceeds of approximately $86.3 million from our Preferred Stock Offering. We primarily used the net offering proceeds from the Preferred Stock Offering to originate CRE loans on a levered basis, subject to our investment guidelines and to the extent consistent with maintaining our REIT qualification, and other general corporate purposes. The following table summarizes certain information about the proceeds from our Preferred Stock Offering ($ in thousands except per share data):
Series A
Shares
Primary shares sold
3,600,000
Gross proceeds from primary offering
$
90,000
Underwriting discounts and commissions
2,835
Other expenses
Total expenses
3,693
Net offering proceeds
$
86,307
Share Repurchase Plan
We have adopted a SRP, effective May 3, 2019, whereby on a monthly basis, stockholders who have held our shares of common stock for at least one year may request that we repurchase all or any portion of their shares. Due to the illiquid nature of investments in real estate, we may not have sufficient liquid resources to fund repurchase requests. Because there is no public market for our shares, stockholders may have difficulty selling their shares if we choose to repurchase only some, or even none, of the shares that have been requested to be repurchased in any particular month, in our discretion, or if our Board modifies, suspends or terminates the SRP.
In addition, we have established limitations on the amount of funds we may use for repurchases during any calendar month and quarter. We may repurchase fewer shares than have been requested in any particular month to be repurchased under our SRP, or none at all, in our discretion at any time. In addition, the total amount of aggregate repurchases of shares will be limited to no more than 2% of our aggregate NAV per month and no more than 5% of our aggregate NAV per calendar quarter.
In the event that we determine to repurchase some but not all of the shares submitted for repurchase during any month, shares submitted for repurchase during such month will be repurchased on a pro rata basis in the following order of priority: (i) first, shares repurchased in connection with a death or disability, until all such shares have been repurchased; (ii) next, shares being repurchased from stockholder accounts with a small aggregate value of less than $500, until all such shares have been repurchased; and (iii) finally, all other shares submitted for repurchase. All unsatisfied repurchase requests must be resubmitted after the start of the next month or quarter, or upon the recommencement of the SRP, as applicable.
If the transaction price for the applicable month is not made available by the eighth business day prior to the last business day of the month (or is changed after such date), then no repurchase requests will be accepted for such month and stockholders who wish to have their shares repurchased the following month must resubmit their repurchase requests.
Should repurchase requests, in our judgment, place an undue burden on our liquidity, adversely affect our operations or risk having an adverse impact on us as a whole, or should we otherwise determine that investing our liquid assets in real properties or other illiquid investments rather than repurchasing our shares is in the best interests of us as a whole, we may choose to repurchase fewer shares in any particular month than have been requested to be repurchased, or none at all. Further, our Board may modify, suspend or terminate our SRP if it deems such action to be in our best interest and the best interest of our stockholders.
On March 24, 2020, our Board suspended our SRP. In determining to suspend the SRP, our Board considered various factors, including the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the inability to accurately calculate our NAV per share due to uncertainty, volatility and lack of liquidity in the market, our need for liquidity due to financing challenges related to additional collateral required by the banks that regularly finance our assets and uncertain and rapidly changing economic conditions. As a result of these factors, we did not calculate our NAV for the months of March through May 2020. We resumed calculation of our NAV beginning as of June 30, 2020 following the Advisor’s determination that volatility in the market for our investments had declined and the U.S. economic outlook had improved.
On March 1, 2021, our SRP was reinstated for our stockholders requesting repurchase of shares as a result of the death or qualified disability of the holder. Permitted repurchase requests must be submitted on or after March 1, 2021.
On July 1, 2021, our SRP was reinstated for all stockholders. In accordance with the terms of the SRP that allow us to repurchase fewer shares than the maximum amount permitted under the SRP, we repurchased fewer shares than the maximum amount permitted for the months of July, August and September 2021 as directed by the Board. Beginning on October 1, 2021, the total amount of
aggregate repurchases of shares is limited as set forth in the SRP (no more than 2% of our aggregate NAV per month as of the last day of the previous calendar month and no more than 5% of our aggregate NAV per calendar quarter as of the last day of the previous calendar quarter). Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may repurchase fewer shares than these limits in any month, or none. Further, our Board may modify, suspend or terminate our SRP if it deems such action to be in our best interest and the best interest of our stockholders.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, upon reinstatement of the SRP, we repurchased shares of our common stock in the following amounts, which represented all of the share repurchase requests received for the same period:
Period
Total Number of
Shares Repurchased
Average
Price Paid
per Share
Total Number of
Shares
Purchased as
Part of Publicly
Announced Plans
or Programs
Maximum Number
of Shares that May
Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plans or
Programs(1)
January 1 - January 31, 2021
-
$
-
-
-
February 1 - February 28, 2021
-
$
-
-
-
March 1 - March 31, 2021
6,208
$
20.13
6,208
-
April 1 - April 30, 2021
2,778
$
20.14
2,778
-
May 1 - May 31, 2021
-
$
-
-
-
June 1 - June 30, 2021
-
$
-
-
-
July 1 - July 31, 2021
185,580
$
20.20
185,580
-
August 1 - August 31, 2021
111,231
$
20.28
111,231
-
September 1 - September 30, 2021
105,037
$
20.27
105,037
-
October 1 - October 31, 2021
81,386
$
20.21
81,386
-
November 1 - November 30, 2021
92,202
$
20.15
92,202
-
December 1 - December 31, 2021
125,731
$
20.04
125,731
-
Total and average
710,153
$
20.19
710,153
-
____________
(1) Repurchases are limited as described above.
Repurchases of Series A Preferred Stock
Subject to certain exceptions, we may not redeem our Series A Preferred Stock until on or after September 22, 2026. Preferred stockholders may only convert their Series A Preferred Shares into Class I common stock if there is a Change of Control and we do not redeem the shares within 120 days of the Change of Control event. For the period from September 22, 2021 through December 31, 2021, there were no repurchases of our Series A Preferred Stock or conversions of our Series A Preferred Stock to common stock.

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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.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Words such as “may,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “variables,” “potential,” “continue,” “expand,” “maintain,” “create,” “strategies,” “likely,” “will,” “would” and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect the intent, belief or current expectations of our management based on their knowledge and understanding of the business and industry, the economy and other future conditions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, and we caution stockholders not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including but not limited to the factors described above in Part I, Item IA in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, some of which are briefly summarized below:
•
Market disruptions caused by the economic effects of, or uncertainties surrounding the future effects of, the COVID-19 pandemic have adversely impacted aspects of our operating results and operating condition and may continue to do so, and these effects may become more severe, e.g., if COVID-19 vaccinations are not as effective as expected or for some other reason COVID-19 cases increase nationally or in markets that affect the value of our investments;
•
We have paid distributions from sources other than cash flows from operating activities, including from offering proceeds, which reduces the amount of cash we ultimately have to invest in assets, and some of our distributions have not been covered by net income; if we cannot generate sufficient cash flow from operations to fully fund distributions, some or all of our distributions may again be paid from these other sources, and if our net income does not cover our distributions, those distributions will decrease our stockholders’ equity;
•
There is no current public trading market for our common stock, and we do not expect that such a market will develop without a listing of our common stock on an exchange. Therefore, repurchase of shares by us will likely be the only way for stockholders to dispose of their shares, and our SRP was suspended and may be suspended again in the future;
•
Even if our stockholders are able to sell their shares pursuant to our SRP, or otherwise, they may not be able to recover the amount of their investment in our shares;
•
Under our charter, we may borrow to 300% of our net assets, equivalent to 75% of the costs of our assets and may exceed this limitation with the approval of a majority of our independent directors;
•
Our Advisor and Sub-Advisor may face conflicts of interest in allocating personnel and resources among us and their affiliates;
•
None of our agreements with our Advisor, our Sub-Advisor or any affiliates of our Advisor or Sub-Advisor were negotiated at arm’s-length;
•
If we fail to continue to qualify as a REIT, our operations and distributions to stockholders will be adversely affected; and
•
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant and adverse effect on the economy and our investments, particularly the Renaissance O’Hare and CRE debt investments backed by hospitality and retail properties, and its future impacts are uncertain and hard to measure but may cause a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K reflect our management’s view only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and may ultimately prove to be incorrect or false. We undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results except as required by applicable law. We intend for these forward-looking statements to be covered by the applicable safe harbor provisions created by Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act.
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes to our consolidated financial statements, which are included in Part IV, Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. All dollar amounts are stated in thousands unless otherwise noted, except share data.
Overview
We are a Maryland corporation formed on September 13, 2016 to originate, acquire and manage an investment portfolio of CRE investments primarily comprised of (i) CRE debt, including floating-rate first mortgage loans, subordinate mortgage and mezzanine loans, and participations in such loans and (ii) floating-rate CRE securities such as CMBS and senior unsecured debt of publicly traded REITs. We may also invest in select equity investments in single-tenant, net leased properties. Substantially all of our business is conducted through our Operating Partnership, of which we are the sole general partner. We are externally managed by our Advisor,
an indirect subsidiary of IREIC. Our Advisor has engaged the Sub-Advisor, a subsidiary of Sound Point CRE Management, LP, to perform certain services on behalf of the Advisor for us.
We have operated in a manner that allows us to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with the taxable year ended December 31, 2017. Among other requirements, REITs are required to distribute to stockholders at least 90% of their annual REIT taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction and excluding net capital gain).
For a discussion of the history of the Company and its Private Offering, IPO, and Preferred Stock Offering, please see Part IV, Item 15, “Note 1 - Organization and Business Operations” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements below.
2021 Highlights
Operating Results:
•
Net income attributable to common stockholders was $8.2 million, or $0.72 per share during the year ended December 31, 2021.
•
We declared gross distributions of $1.17 per common share during the year ended December 31, 2021. During the fourth quarter of 2021, we paid an annual gross distribution rate of $1.25 per common share, which represents an annualized rate of 6.2% on our aggregate NAV of $20.1761 as of December 31, 2021. Holders of Class D and Class T shares of common stock received less than the gross distribution amount after the deduction of stockholder servicing fees applicable to those classes.
Loan Portfolio:
•
We originated 17 floating rate loans totaling $364.9 million with initial funding of $327.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2021.
•
We had $10.0 million in advances on loans and loan repayments of $113.8 million resulting in a 51% increase in our loan portfolio to $665.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2021.
•
All 38 of our loans were current on their contractual interest payments with no interest deferrals during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Capital Markets and Financing Activity:
•
We issued 3.6 million shares of our 6.75% Series A Preferred Stock through an underwritten public offering, generating net proceeds of $86.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2021.
•
We entered into a $75.0 million credit facility with Western Alliance Bank and sold $109.8 million participation interest in nine floating rate loans during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Portfolio
The charts below summarize our debt investments portfolio as a percentage of par value by type of rate, our total investment portfolio by investment type, and our loan portfolio by collateral type and geographical region as of December 31, 2021 and 2020.
Floating Vs. Fixed Rate Debt Investments:
December 31, 2021
December 31, 2020
All Investments by Type:
December 31, 2021
December 31, 2020
Loans by Property Type:
December 31, 2021
December 31, 2020
Loans by Region:
December 31, 2021
December 31, 2020
An investment’s region is defined according to the below map based on the location of underlying property.
Commercial Mortgage Loans Held for Investment
Year Ended December 31, 2021
Year Ended December 31, 2020
Principal balance of first mortgage loans
$
650,670
$
425,196
Number of first mortgage loans
Principal balance of credit loans
$
13,500
$
16,500
Number of credit loans
Total balance of loans
$
664,170
$
441,696
Total number of loans
All-in yield (1)
4.6
%
5.5
%
Weighted average years to maximum maturity
3.6
3.4
____________
(1)
All-in yield is the present value of all future principal and interest payments on the loan and does not include any origination fees or deferred commitment fees.
The increase in the size of our portfolio is primarily due to loan originations during the year ended December 31, 2021, using the proceeds from the offering of our Series A Preferred Stock and the sale of our CRE securities portfolio. The change in the all-in yield was primarily driven by the new loan originations having lower interest rate spreads due to conditions in the commercial mortgage market.
The tables below present select loan information for each of our commercial mortgage loans as of:
December 31, 2021
Origination
Date
Loan
Type (1)
Principal
Balance (2)
Cash
Coupon (2)(3)
All-in
Yield (2)(3)
Maximum
Maturity (4)
State
Property
Type
LTV (5)
Risk
Rating (6)
12/12/17
First mortgage
$
14,650
L+4.70%
5.9
%
1/9/23
HI
Office
%
12/13/17
First mortgage
16,860
L+4.50%
4.7
%
7/9/23
VA
Office
%
9/7/18
First mortgage
24,411
L+3.75%
5.6
%
9/9/23
TX
Office
%
11/16/18
First mortgage
5,200
L+3.90%
5.9
%
12/9/23
CA
Multifamily
%
12/20/18
First mortgage
16,150
L+4.20%
6.2
%
6/9/25
AL
Hospitality
%
1/25/19
First mortgage
11,659
L+3.45%
5.4
%
2/9/24
IL
Multifamily
%
5/29/19
First mortgage
24,000
L+3.25%
5.7
%
6/9/24
TX
Multifamily
%
5/31/19
First mortgage
13,409
L+3.25%
5.6
%
6/9/24
CA
Multifamily
%
6/18/19
First mortgage
47,746
L+2.75%
4.7
%
7/9/24
TX
Office
%
6/18/19
First mortgage
6,631
L+3.60%
5.7
%
7/9/24
CA
Mixed Use
%
8/15/19
First mortgage
8,258
L+4.20%
6.6
%
9/9/24
TN
Office
%
9/27/19
First mortgage
15,563
L+3.10%
4.6
%
10/9/24
CA
Office
%
10/4/19
First mortgage
20,958
L+2.90%
4.6
%
10/9/24
NC
Office
%
10/30/19
First mortgage
13,907
L+3.00%
4.9
%
11/9/24
CA
Multifamily
%
11/22/19
First mortgage
34,007
L+3.00%
4.9
%
12/9/24
AZ
Multifamily
%
2/6/20
First mortgage
21,189
L+3.30%
4.9
%
2/9/25
NJ
Office
%
2/20/20
First mortgage
10,320
L+3.85%
5.4
%
3/9/25
CA
Retail
%
2/28/20
First mortgage
9,400
L+3.50%
5.0
%
3/9/25
FL
Retail
%
10/13/20
First mortgage
7,210
L+4.00%
4.9
%
10/9/25
CA
Multifamily
%
3/5/21
First mortgage
13,000
L+5.00%
5.5
%
3/9/26
VA
Office
%
3/12/21
First mortgage
19,903
L+4.00%
4.2
%
3/9/26
MS
Industrial
%
4/6/21
First mortgage
12,090
L+3.50%
3.7
%
4/9/26
AL
Multifamily
%
4/6/21
First mortgage
9,412
L+3.50%
3.7
%
4/9/26
AL
Multifamily
%
4/15/21
First mortgage
9,090
L+4.00%
4.2
%
5/9/26
NJ
Industrial
%
5/12/21
First mortgage
27,579
L+3.15%
3.3
%
5/9/26
CT
Multifamily
%
5/25/21
First mortgage
11,200
L+3.20%
3.4
%
6/9/26
TN
Multifamily
%
5/26/21
First mortgage
15,138
L+3.10%
3.3
%
6/9/26
NV
Multifamily
%
6/8/21
First mortgage
20,500
L+8.00%
8.2
%
12/9/23
TX
Mixed Use
%
7/1/21
First mortgage
6,430
L+4.50%
5.0
%
7/9/26
OH
Mixed Use
%
10/8/21
First mortgage
29,350
L+3.20%
3.3
%
10/9/26
OR
Multifamily
%
10/15/21
First mortgage
22,280
L+2.95%
3.1
%
11/9/26
VA
Multifamily
%
11/12/21
First mortgage
24,810
L+2.90%
3.1
%
11/9/26
TX
Multifamily
%
11/16/21
First mortgage
21,150
L+3.05%
3.2
%
12/9/26
TX
Multifamily
%
11/17/21
First mortgage
22,650
L+2.85%
3.0
%
12/9/26
SC
Multifamily
%
12/9/21
First mortgage
39,350
L+3.05%
3.2
%
12/9/26
GA
Multifamily
%
12/15/21
First mortgage
25,210
L+3.20%
3.3
%
1/9/27
OR
Multifamily
%
9/29/17
Credit
7,500
9.20%
9.2
%
10/11/27
NJ
Office
%
10/4/19
Credit
6,000
10.00%
10.0
%
10/6/24
NV
Office
%
$
664,170
4.6
%
%
____________
December 31, 2020
Origination
Date
Loan
Type (1)
Principal
Balance
Cash
Coupon (3)
All-in
Yield (3)
Maximum
Maturity (4)
State
Property
Type
LTV (5)
Risk
Rating (6)
12/12/17
First mortgage
$
14,650
L+4.70%
5.9
%
1/9/23
HI
Office
67%
12/13/17
First mortgage
16,860
L+4.50%
5.7
%
6/9/21
VA
Office
55%
3/22/18
First mortgage
12,059
L+3.75%
5.1
%
4/9/23
CO
Retail
74%
5/4/18
First mortgage
31,000
L+4.00%
5.5
%
5/9/23
PA
Industrial
64%
5/17/18
First mortgage
6,962
L+4.50%
6.2
%
6/9/23
NC
Multifamily
54%
9/7/18
First mortgage
24,411
L+3.75%
5.6
%
9/9/23
TX
Office
73%
9/19/18
First mortgage
8,531
L+3.70%
5.7
%
10/9/23
TX
Multifamily
69%
10/30/18
First mortgage
6,860
L+3.85%
5.7
%
11/9/23
TX
Multifamily
76%
11/16/18
First mortgage
5,200
L+3.90%
5.9
%
12/9/23
CA
Multifamily
64%
12/20/18
First mortgage
16,537
L+4.20%
6.2
%
6/9/25
AL
Hospitality
64%
1/25/19
First mortgage
11,575
L+3.45%
5.4
%
2/9/24
IL
Multifamily
78%
4/11/19
First mortgage
15,761
L+3.30%
5.7
%
4/9/24
CA
Industrial
79%
5/29/19
First mortgage
24,000
L+3.25%
5.7
%
6/9/24
TX
Multifamily
68%
5/31/19
First mortgage
12,828
L+3.25%
5.6
%
6/9/24
CA
Multifamily
70%
6/18/19
First mortgage
47,507
L+2.75%
4.7
%
7/9/24
TX
Office
72%
6/18/19
First mortgage
6,350
L+3.60%
5.7
%
7/9/24
CA
Mixed Use
54%
8/15/19
First mortgage
7,567
L+4.20%
6.6
%
9/9/24
TN
Office
45%
9/27/19
First mortgage
15,260
L+3.10%
4.6
%
10/9/24
CA
Office
75%
9/30/19
First mortgage
30,000
L+3.30%
5.0
%
10/9/24
TX
Multifamily
77%
10/4/19
First mortgage
20,958
L+2.90%
4.6
%
10/9/24
NC
Office
61%
10/30/19
First mortgage
13,743
L+3.00%
4.9
%
11/9/24
CA
Multifamily
80%
11/22/19
First mortgage
32,632
L+3.00%
4.9
%
12/9/24
AZ
Multifamily
80%
2/6/20
First mortgage
19,835
L+3.30%
4.9
%
2/9/25
NJ
Office
69%
2/20/20
First mortgage
8,000
L+3.85%
5.4
%
3/9/25
CA
Retail
57%
2/28/20
First mortgage
9,320
L+3.50%
5.0
%
3/9/25
FL
Retail
78%
10/13/20
First mortgage
6,790
L+4.00%
4.9
%
10/9/25
CA
Multifamily
70%
9/29/17
Credit
7,500
9.20%
9.2
%
10/11/27
NJ
Office
80%
3/27/18
Credit
3,000
9.35%
9.3
%
4/1/23
FL
Hospitality
68%
10/4/19
Credit
6,000
10.00%
10.0
%
10/6/24
NV
Office
75%
$
441,696
5.5
%
70%
____________
(1)
First mortgage loans are first position mortgage loans and credit loans are mezzanine and subordinated loans.
(2)
An 80% undivided senior interest in each of loan numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 13, 14, and 16, which includes the right to receive priority interest payments at a rate of L+2.00%, was sold by our Operating Partnership pursuant to a Loan Participation Agreement dated November 15, 2021. Our Operating Partnership has retained a 20% undivided subordinate interest in each of these loans.
(3)
Cash coupon is the stated rate on the loan. All-in yield is the present value of all future principal and interest payments on the loan and does not include any origination fees or deferred commitment fees. The total is the weighted average rate as of December 31, 2021 and 2020. Our first mortgage loans are all floating rate and each contains a minimum LIBOR floor. The weighted average LIBOR floor for these loans was 0.99% and 1.83% as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
(4)
Maximum maturity assumes all extension options are exercised by the borrower, however loans may be repaid prior to such date.
(5)
Loan-to-value (“LTV”) was determined at loan origination and is not updated for subsequent property valuations or loan modifications. The total is the weighted average LTV.
(6)
Risk rating is the internal risk rating assigned by the Sub-Advisor. The total is the average rating for the portfolio. See Part IV, Item 15, “Note 3 - Commercial Mortgage Loans Held for Investment,” which is included in our notes to consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We entered into master repurchase agreements to fund our loan portfolio. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we had total borrowings of $307,083 (which is net of $41 of unamortized debt issuance costs) and $290,699 (which is net of $27 of unamortized debt issuance costs), respectively. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we had weighted average borrowings of $348,639 and $378,136 and weighted average borrowing costs of 2.5% and 2.7%, respectively. The decrease in borrowings was
primarily due to the sale of CMBS that were financed under the master repurchase agreements. The value of the CMBS we held was impacted by the overall market decline caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with those securities representing interests in hospitality property loans being severely impacted. As part of our financing relationships, we were required to meet certain financial covenants and, at times, were required to post additional cash or securities as margin to secure our borrowing positions, and in April 2020, we sold six CMBS positions with values negatively impacted in the wake of the pandemic with a total par value of $63.3 million at a realized loss of $19.3 million. With the continued negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we chose to further reduce exposure to CMBS on a levered basis and sold all of our CMBS securities retaining the cash generated to invest in new loan originations. The decrease in the weighted average borrowing costs was primarily due to the change in LIBOR during the period.
Real Property
On August 20, 2020, we acquired a ground lease of the Renaissance O’Hare via a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure transaction following a borrower’s default on its loan, which had a par value of $24.5 million and an initial maturity date of December 9, 2020. Current annual rent under the ground lease is approximately $1.6 million on a net basis, with us as the tenant responsible for all operating expenses, including property taxes. The lease has a 10% rental increase every five years with the next increase scheduled to occur in April 2023. This ground lease runs through March 2098.
The Renaissance O’Hare is a full-service, 16-story hotel consisting of the hotel building and access to an adjoining five-story parking garage shared with an adjacent office building we do not own. The hotel features a business center, fitness center, indoor swimming pool and whirlpool, gift shop, restaurant, Starbucks and 170 available parking spaces. The hotel has 16 meeting and banquet rooms containing a total of 15,754 square feet, the largest of which is 5,000 square feet and seats 600.
Along with the hospitality sector as a whole, the Renaissance O’Hare was negatively impacted in 2020 and 2021 by the COVID-19 pandemic, and while the performance has improved, it has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. The table below includes certain historical information with respect to the average occupancy, the revenue per available room and the average daily rate of the Renaissance O’Hare.
Year
Average Occupancy Per Night
Revenue Per Available Room
Average Daily Rate
%
$
$
%
$
$
%
$
$
%
$
$
%
$
$
The hotel was appraised by an independent third-party for $17.1 million for the purpose of updating our NAV calculation as of December 31, 2021. We incurred a $2.2 million net operating loss before depreciation and amortization during 2021 for the Renaissance O’Hare related to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Though vaccination rates are continuing to improve and travel is increasing, there are numerous risks and uncertainties still surrounding the continuing effects of the pandemic, including whether and when a resumption of pre-pandemic levels of travel and in-person meetings and events might happen. Government and corporate restrictions on travel and in-person gatherings, and other adjustments in the preferences and behaviors of employees and consumers, such as increased use of online video conferencing, reduced demand for these activities from businesses and individuals, and the uncertainties surrounding the duration and effects of the pandemic persist.
Ultimately, we intend to sell the Renaissance O’Hare and remain focused on our core business of investing in CRE debt. Until we determine to sell the hotel, a third-party management company we have engaged will continue to manage it. To help facilitate operations while we monitor the course of the pandemic and market conditions, the hotel received a $1.1 million loan in the first quarter of 2021 under the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). Under the terms of the CARES Act, PPP loan recipients can apply for forgiveness for all or a portion of loans granted under the PPP. We applied for and received full forgiveness of the loan proceeds during 2021. The following table shows the Renaissance O’Hare’s performance over the past five quarters.
Period
Average Occupancy Per Night
Revenue Per Available Room
Average Daily Rate
Fourth Quarter 2020
%
$
$
First Quarter 2021
%
$
$
Second Quarter 2021
%
$
$
Third Quarter 2021
%
$
$
Fourth Quarter 2021
%
$
$
Although occupancy and the hotel’s performance have improved for the year ended December 31, 2021, the fourth quarter of 2021 results saw a decline in occupancy as COVID-19 rates increased and travel was restricted. Balancing the potential increase in the price of a future sale against the potential for continued operating losses in the face of the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic is very difficult. Whether we achieve a sale price that is worth waiting for will likely depend in large part on how the aforementioned uncertainties surrounding the pandemic and the return of business travel and in-person large group events unfolds, which could result in a favorable sale price or future operating losses even beyond what we are expecting or a loss on sale, any of which could be material to our future results of operations. We will monitor the market for hotel sales while considering, among other things, the performance of the hotel, relevant market factors and our expected total return weighing current potential disposition prices and redeployment of the sales proceeds into our core investment strategy against the potential disposition prices expected later upon the stabilization of the performance of the hotel.
Summary of Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our accounting policies have been established to conform with GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to use judgment in the application of accounting policies, including making estimates and assumptions. We consider these policies to be critical because they require our management to use judgment in the application of accounting policies, including making estimates and assumptions. These judgments affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. If management’s judgment or interpretation of the facts and circumstances relating to various transactions had been different, it is possible that different accounting policies would have been applied, thus resulting in a different presentation of the financial statements. Additionally, other companies may utilize different estimates that may impact comparability of our results of operations to those of companies in similar businesses.
Commercial Mortgage Loans and Allowance for Loan Losses
Commercial mortgage loans are held for investment purposes and are anticipated to be held until maturity. Accordingly, they are carried at cost, net of unamortized loan fees and origination costs, and premiums or discounts. Commercial mortgage loans that are deemed to be impaired will be carried at amortized cost less a specific allowance for loan losses. Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis and related discounts, premiums and net deferred fees or costs on investments are amortized over the life of the investment using the effective interest method. Amortization is reflected as an adjustment to interest income in our consolidated statements of operations. Upon measurement of impairment, we record an allowance for loan losses to reduce the carrying value of the loan with a corresponding charge through the provision for loan losses on our consolidated statements of operations.
The allowance for loan losses reflects management's estimate of loan losses inherent in the loan portfolio as of the balance sheet date. We use a uniform process for determining our allowance for loan losses. The allowance for loan losses includes an asset-specific component and will include a general, formula-based component when the portfolio is determined to be of sufficient size to warrant such a reserve.
The asset-specific reserve component relates to reserves for losses on individual impaired loans. We consider a loan to be impaired when, based upon current information and events, we believe that it is probable that we will be unable to collect all amounts due under the contractual terms of the loan agreement. This assessment is made on an individual loan basis each quarter based on such factors as payment status, lien position, borrower financial resources and investment in collateral, collateral type, project economics and geographical location as well as national and regional economic factors. A reserve is established for an impaired loan when the present value of payments expected to be received, observable market prices or the estimated fair value of the collateral (for loans that are dependent on the collateral for repayment) is lower than the carrying value of that loan.
For collateral dependent impaired loans, impairment is measured using the estimated fair value of collateral less the estimated cost to sell. Valuations are performed or obtained at the time a loan is determined to be impaired and designated non-performing, and they are updated if circumstances indicate that a significant change in value has occurred. The Advisor generally will use the income approach through internally developed valuation models to estimate the fair value of the collateral for such loans. In more limited cases, the Advisor will obtain external “as is” appraisals for loan collateral, generally when third party participations exist.
General reserves are recorded when (i) available information as of each balance sheet date indicates that it is probable a loss has occurred in the portfolio and (ii) the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Our policy is to estimate loss rates based on actual losses experienced, if any, or based on historic realized losses experienced in the industry if we have not experienced any losses. Current collateral and economic conditions affecting the probability and severity of losses are taken into account when establishing the allowance for loan losses. We perform a comprehensive analysis of our loan portfolio and assign risk ratings to loans that incorporate management's current judgments about their credit quality based on all known and relevant internal and external factors that may affect collectability. We consider, among other things, payment status, lien position, borrower financial resources and investment in collateral, collateral type, project economics and geographic location as well as national and regional economic factors. This methodology results in loans being segmented by risk classification into risk rating categories that are associated with estimated
probabilities of default and principal loss. Ratings range from “1” to “5” with “1” representing the lowest risk of loss and “5” representing the highest risk of loss.
Loans are generally placed on non-accrual status when principal or interest payments are past due 90 days or more or when there is reasonable doubt that principal or interest will be collected in full. Accrued and unpaid interest is generally reversed against interest income in the period the loan is placed on non-accrual status. Interest payments received on non-accrual loans may be recognized as income or applied to principal depending upon management's judgment regarding the borrower's ability to make pending principal and interest payments. Non-accrual loans are restored to accrual status when past due principal and interest is paid and, in management's judgment, are likely to remain current. We may make exceptions to placing a loan on non-accrual status if the loan has sufficient collateral value and is in the process of collection.
In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued ASU 2016-13, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (“ASU 2016-13”), which changes how entities measure credit losses for financial assets carried at amortized cost. ASU 2016-13 eliminates the requirement that a credit loss must be probable before it can be recognized and instead requires an entity to recognize the current estimate of all expected credit losses. ASU 2016-13 is effective for SEC filers for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. The amendments may be adopted early for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. In November 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-10, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815), and Leases (Topic 842): Effective Dates”, which grants smaller reporting companies (as defined by the SEC) until reporting periods commencing after December 15, 2022 to implement ASU 2016-13. The Company has elected to use this extension and is continuing to evaluate the impact ASU 2016-13 will have on its allowance for loan losses estimate.
Results of Operations
The table below presents information from our consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
Year Ended December 31, 2021
Year Ended December 31, 2020
Year Ended December 31, 2019
Interest income:
Interest income
$
28,988
$
33,490
$
34,290
Less: Interest expense
(8,801
)
(10,317
)
(14,035
)
Net interest income
20,187
23,173
20,255
Revenue from real estate owned
8,109
-
Total income
28,296
24,145
20,255
Operating expenses:
Advisory fee
3,217
5,528
5,632
Debt finance costs
1,492
1,331
Directors compensation
Professional service fees
1,028
2,031
Real estate owned operating expenses
10,344
2,709
-
Depreciation and amortization
1,089
-
Other expenses
1,180
Expense reimbursement received from Advisor
-
-
(359
)
Total operating expenses
18,423
13,019
7,539
Other (loss) income:
Provision for loan losses
-
(4,726
)
-
Realized loss on sale of commercial loan
-
(375
)
-
Unrealized gain (loss) in value of real estate securities
-
1,032
Realized loss on the sale of real estate securities
-
(35,020
)
(43
)
Total other (loss) income
-
(39,910
)
Net income (loss)
9,873
(28,784
)
13,705
Series A Preferred Stock dividends
1,654
-
-
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders
$
8,219
$
(28,784
)
$
13,705
Net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted
$
0.72
$
(2.49
)
$
1.53
Weighted average number of shares
Basic
11,480,517
11,561,828
8,958,684
Diluted
11,481,464
11,561,828
8,959,035
The change in performance from December 31, 2020 to the year ended December 31, 2021 was primarily due to the loss on sale of CMBS following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 that did not recur in 2021 (no CMBS were owned in 2021), lower net interest income as spreads tightened for new loans and from a full year of operating losses on the real estate owned (“REO”). For the year ended December 31, 2021, the ratio of the cost of raising equity capital to the gross amount of equity capital raised was approximately 5.1%.
The change in performance from December 31, 2019 to the year ended December 31, 2020 generally resulted from loss on the sale of CMBS and losses on REO, offset partially from the income from the investment of the proceeds from the Private Offering and IPO (collectively, the “Common Stock Offerings”) in CRE investments on a levered basis.
Net Interest Income
Net interest income is generated on our interest-earning assets less related interest-bearing liabilities. The following table presents the average balance of interest-earning assets less related interest-bearing liabilities, associated interest income and expense and corresponding yield earned and incurred for the periods indicated.
Year Ended December 31, 2021
Year Ended December 31, 2020
Year Ended December 31, 2019
Average
Carrying
Value (1)
Interest
Income/
Expense (2)(3)
Weighted
Average
Yield/
Financing
Cost (4)
Average
Carrying
Value (1)
Interest
Income/
Expense (2)(3)
Weighted
Average
Yield/
Financing
Cost (4)
Average
Carrying
Value (1)
Interest
Income/
Expense (2)(3)
Weighted
Average
Yield/
Financing
Cost (4)
Interest-earning
assets:
Real estate securities
$
-
$
-
-
$
82,790
$
3,920
4.7
%
$
120,079
$
7,517
6.2
%
Commercial mortgage
loans
523,989
28,988
5.5
%
498,673
29,428
5.8
%
382,805
26,074
6.7
%
Total/Weighted
Average
$
523,989
$
28,988
5.5
%
$
581,463
$
33,348
5.7
%
$
502,884
$
33,591
6.6
%
Interest-bearing
liabilities:
Repurchase agreements -
securities
$
-
$
-
-
$
47,214
$
1,578
3.3
%
$
81,966
$
2,996
3.6
%
Repurchase agreements -
mortgage loans
326,739
8,209
2.5
%
330,922
8,739
2.6
%
247,071
11,039
4.4
%
Credit facility - loans
7,784
3.9
%
-
-
-
-
-
-
Loan participations sold, net
14,116
2.0
%
-
-
-
-
-
-
Total/Weighted
Average
$
348,639
$
8,801
2.5
%
$
378,136
$
10,317
2.7
%
$
329,037
$
14,035
4.2
%
Net interest income/spread
$
20,187
3.0
%
$
23,031
3.0
%
$
19,556
2.4
%
Average leverage % (5)
198.8
%
186.0
%
189.3
%
Weighted average
levered yield (6)
11.4
%
11.1
%
11.1
%
____________
(1)
Based on amortized cost for real estate securities and principal amount for repurchase agreements. Amounts are calculated based on the average daily balance.
(2)
Includes the effect of amortization of premium or accretion of discount.
(3)
Interest income excludes $0, $142 and $699 for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively, related to bank deposits and Treasury bills not included in the investment portfolio.
(4)
Calculated as interest income or expense divided by average carrying value.
(5)
Calculated by dividing total average interest-bearing liabilities by total average equity (total average interest-earning assets less total average liabilities).
(6)
Calculated by taking the sum of (i) the net interest spread multiplied by the average leverage and (ii) the weighted average yield on interest-earning assets.
The change in our average interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities was due to the change in the composition of our investment portfolio as we invested proceeds from the IPO, Private Offering, Preferred Stock Offering and the sale of our CMBS portfolio to execute our business strategy. The change in the weighted average leverage was primarily due to applying more leverage to our portfolio.
Revenue from Real Estate Owned
During the year ended December 31, 2020, we acquired the Renaissance O’Hare through a deed in lieu of foreclosure transaction. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Renaissance O’Hare generated $8,109 and $972 in revenue, respectively. Because we acquired the Renaissance O’Hare during the third quarter of 2020, the year ended December 31, 2020 does not include a full year of results, accounting for the increase in revenue from 2020 to 2021. We did not own any REO during the year ended December 31, 2019.
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 are set forth in the table below:
Year Ended December 31, 2021
Year Ended December 31, 2020
Year Ended December 31, 2019
Advisory fee
$
3,217
$
5,528
$
5,632
Debt finance costs
1,492
1,331
Directors compensation
Professional service fees
1,028
2,031
Real estate owned operating expenses
10,344
2,709
-
Depreciation and amortization
1,089
-
Other expenses
1,180
Expense reimbursement received from Advisor
-
-
(359
)
Total operating expenses
$
18,423
$
13,019
$
7,539
Total operating expenses increased $5,404 in the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 primarily due to the increase in REO operating expenses and the related depreciation and amortization expense. The increase in REO operating expenses and depreciation and amortization during the year ended December 31, 2021 was due to the Renaissance O’Hare, which was acquired in August 2020 and, as such, the 2020 period did not represent a full period of expenses. In addition, the Renaissance O’Hare’s operations and expenses were limited in the 2020 period due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We did not hold any REO during the year ended December 31, 2019.
In 2021, the Advisor and Sub-Advisor agreed to waive 50% of their advisory fees for the first six months of the year. This fee reduction was made permanent in July 2021 and resulted in the decline in the advisory fee for the year ended December 31, 2021 from 2020. The decrease in professional service fees in the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 was primarily due to the write-off of deferred costs related to the issuance of a CLO we did not complete due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Debt finance costs increased during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 due to the extension fees paid for the CF Repo Facility (defined below) and the addition of the WA Credit Facility (defined below) and the associated amortization of debt finance costs for both in 2021 compared to 2020.
Beginning in 2019, the Advisor agreed to reimburse us from time to time for certain costs incurred by us. There were no expense reimbursements during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. These expense reimbursements represent one-time cash payments to us in order to provide additional operating support to us and ensure a particular return for our stockholders and are not subject to approval from our Board. For the year ended December 31, 2021 our total operating expenses were 3.5% of our average invested assets and 186.6% of our net income.
Other (Loss) Income
For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, other (loss) income was $0, $(39,910) and $989, respectively. The primary reason for the change in other income (loss) was due to the change in the fair value of the real estate securities resulting from different market conditions during each year, with a significant decrease in value following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the year ended December 31, 2020. These real estate securities were all sold during the year ended December 31, 2020. There was also a provision for loan losses of $(4,726) recorded in 2020 related to the deed-in-lieu of foreclosure for the Renaissance O’Hare.
Net Income (Loss)
For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, our net income (loss) was $9,873 and $(28,784), respectively. The increase was primarily due to realized losses on the sale of real estate securities and a provision for loan losses recorded during 2020 that did not recur in 2021. For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, our net (loss) income was $(28,784) and $13,705, respectively. The decrease was primarily due to realized losses on the sale of real estate securities and a provision for loan losses recorded during 2020.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Funds from Operations and Modified Funds from Operations
We use Funds from Operations (“FFO”), a widely accepted metric, to evaluate our performance. FFO provides a supplemental measure to compare our performance and operations to other REITs. Due to certain unique operating characteristics of real estate companies, The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”) has promulgated a standard known as FFO, which it believes more accurately reflects the operating performance of a REIT. As defined by NAREIT, FFO means net income computed in accordance with GAAP, excluding gains (or losses) from sales of operating property, plus depreciation and amortization and after adjustments for unconsolidated entities. In addition, NAREIT has further clarified the FFO definition to add-back impairment write-downs of depreciable real estate or of investments in unconsolidated entities that are driven by measurable decreases in the fair value of depreciable real estate and to exclude the earnings impacts of cumulative effects of accounting changes. We have adopted the NAREIT definition for computing FFO.
Due to the unique features of publicly registered, non-listed REITs, the Institute for Portfolio Alternatives (“IPA”), an industry trade group, published a standardized measure known as Modified Funds from Operations (“MFFO”), which the IPA has promulgated as a supplemental measure for publicly registered non-listed REITs and which may be another appropriate supplemental measure to reflect the operating performance of a non-listed REIT.
The IPA defines MFFO as FFO adjusted for acquisition fees and expenses, amounts relating to straight line rents and amortization of premiums on debt investments, non-recurring impairments of real estate-related investments, mark-to-market adjustments included in net income, non-recurring gains or losses included in net income from the extinguishment or sale of debt, hedges, foreign exchange, derivatives or securities holdings where trading of such holdings is not a fundamental attribute of the business plan, unrealized gains or losses resulting from consolidation from, or deconsolidation to, equity accounting, and after adjustments for consolidated and unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures.
We define MFFO in accordance with the concepts established by the IPA and adjust FFO for certain items, such as amortization of premium and discounts on real estate securities. We purchase real estate securities at a premium or discount to par value, and in accordance with GAAP, record the amortization of premium/accretion of the discount to interest income. We believe that excluding the amortization of premiums and discounts provides better insight to the expected contractual cash flows. In addition, we adjust FFO for unrealized gains or losses on real estate securities. Any mark-to-market or fair value adjustments are based on general market or overall industry conditions and may be temporary in nature.
Because MFFO may be a recognized measure of operating performance within the non-listed REIT industry, MFFO and the adjustments used to calculate it may be useful in order to evaluate our performance against other non-listed REITs. Like FFO, MFFO is not equivalent to our net income or loss as determined under GAAP, as detailed in the table below, and MFFO may not be a useful measure of the impact of long-term operating performance on value if we continue to acquire a significant amount of investments.
Our presentation of FFO and MFFO may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures presented by other REITs. We believe that the use of FFO and MFFO provides a more complete understanding of our operating performance to stockholders and to management, and when compared year over year, reflects the impact on our operations from trends in occupancy rates, rental rates, operating costs, general and administrative expenses, and interest costs. Neither FFO nor MFFO is intended to be an alternative to “net income” or to “cash flows from operating activities” as determined by GAAP as a measure of our capacity to pay distributions. Management uses FFO and MFFO to compare our operating performance to that of other REITs and to assess our operating performance.
Neither the SEC, any other regulatory body nor NAREIT has passed judgment on the acceptability of the adjustments that we use to calculate FFO or MFFO. In the future, the SEC, another regulatory body or NAREIT may decide to standardize the allowable adjustments across the non-listed REIT industry and we would have to adjust our calculation and characterization of FFO or MFFO.
Our FFO and MFFO are calculated as follows:
Year Ended December 31, 2021
Year Ended December 31, 2020
Year Ended December 31, 2019
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders
$
8,219
$
(28,784
)
$
13,705
Depreciation and amortization
1,089
-
Funds from operations
$
9,308
$
(28,379
)
$
13,705
Amortization of discounts on real estate securities
-
(307
)
(808
)
Amortization of debt financing costs
1,492
1,331
Non-cash adjustment for ground lease
-
Provision for loan losses
-
4,726
-
Realized loss on sale of commercial loan
-
-
Unrealized (gain) loss on real estate securities
-
(211
)
(1,032
)
Realized loss on sale of real estate securities
-
35,020
Modified funds from operations
$
11,186
$
12,677
$
12,858
Net Asset Value
The purchase price per share for each class of our common stock in our IPO generally equals our prior month’s NAV per share, as determined monthly, plus applicable selling commissions and dealer manager fees. Our NAV for each class of shares is based on the net asset values of our investments, the addition of any other assets (such as cash on hand) and the deduction of any liabilities, including the allocation/accrual of any performance participation and any stockholder servicing fees applicable to such class of shares.
On March 24, 2020, our Board suspended (i) the sale of shares in our IPO, (ii) the operation of the SRP, (iii) the payment of distributions to our stockholders, and (iv) the operation of the DRP, effective as of April 6, 2020. These changes were made to allow us to maintain fiscal responsibility and respond accordingly to the unprecedented economic disruption resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In determining to suspend our IPO, the SRP, the payment of distributions and the DRP, our Board considered various factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, the inability to accurately calculate our NAV per share due to uncertainty, volatility and lack of liquidity in the market, our need for liquidity due to financing challenges related to additional collateral required by the banks that regularly finance our assets and these uncertain and rapidly changing economic conditions.
As a result of these factors, we did not calculate our NAV for the months of March through May 2020. We resumed calculation of our NAV beginning as of June 30, 2020 following the Advisor’s determination that volatility in the market for our investments had declined and the U.S. economic outlook had improved. In August 2020 we resumed paying distributions monthly to stockholders of record for all classes of shares. On October 1, 2020, the SEC declared effective our post-effective amendment to our registration statement on Form S-11 thereby permitting us to resume offers and sales of shares of common stock in our IPO, including through the DRP.
On March 1, 2021, our SRP was reinstated for our stockholders requesting repurchase of shares as a result of the death or qualified disability of the holder.
On July 1, 2021, our SRP was reinstated for all stockholders. In accordance with the terms of the SRP that allow us to repurchase fewer shares than the maximum amount permitted under the SRP, we repurchased fewer shares than the maximum amount permitted for the months of July, August and September 2021. Beginning on October 1, 2021, the total amount of aggregate repurchases of shares is limited as set forth in the SRP (no more than 2% of our aggregate NAV per month as of the last day of the previous calendar month and no more than 5% of our aggregate NAV per calendar quarter as of the last day of the previous calendar quarter). Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may repurchase fewer shares than these limits in any month, or none. Further, our Board may modify, suspend or terminate our SRP if it deems such action to be in our best interest and the best interest of our stockholders.
Please refer to Part IV, Item 15, “Note 16 - Subsequent Events” and Part I, for additional updates on our business after December 31, 2021.
The following table provides a breakdown of the major components of our NAV as of December 31, 2021 ($ and shares in thousands):
Components of NAV
As of
December 31,
Commercial mortgage loans
$
667,405
Real estate owned (1)
17,100
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash
57,268
Other assets
7,092
Repurchase agreements - commercial mortgage loans
(307,083
)
Credit facility payable
(14,350
)
Loan participations sold, net
(109,772
)
Reserve for negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on real estate owned (2)
(1,402
)
Due to related parties
(2,894
)
Distributions payable
(1,137
)
Interest payable
(364
)
Accrued stockholder servicing fees (3)
(111
)
Other liabilities
(3,864
)
Preferred stock
(86,597
)
Net asset value attributable to common stock
$
221,291
Number of outstanding common shares
10,968
____________
(1)
We obtained an appraisal of the Renaissance O’Hare dated December 31, 2021 that valued the property at $17,100.
(2)
As of December 31, 2020, we established as a component of the NAV calculation a $2,250 reserve for the estimated negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2021 on REO. We have increased this reserve by an additional $1,000 as of December 31, 2021, for expected losses during 2022 for the REO related to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Because we had already established a reserve for losses, the loss on REO for the year ended December 31, 2021 set forth below reduces the reserve but has no negative effect on the NAV. Below is a reconciliation of the reserve ($ in thousands):
Beginning reserve balance as of December 31, 2020
$
(2,250
)
Less: Net loss on real estate owned for the year ended December 31, 2021:
Revenue from real estate owned
8,109
Real estate owned operating expense
(10,344
)
Non-cash adjustment for ground lease
Net loss from real estate owned
(1,848
)
Additional reserve
(1,000
)
Reserve balance as of December 31, 2021
$
(1,402
)
(3)
Stockholder servicing fees only apply to Class T, Class S, and Class D shares. For purposes of NAV, we recognize the stockholder servicing fee as a reduction of NAV on a monthly basis as such fee is paid. Under GAAP, we accrue the full cost of the stockholder servicing fee as an offering cost at the time we sell Class T, Class S and Class D shares. As of December 31, 2021, we have accrued under GAAP $700 of stockholder servicing fees payable to the Dealer Manager related to the Class T and Class D shares sold. As of December 31, 2021, we have not sold any Class S shares and, therefore, we have not accrued any stockholder servicing fees payable to the Dealer Manager related to Class S shares. The Dealer Manager does not retain any of these fees, all of which are retained by, or reallowed (paid) to, participating dealers and servicing broker-dealers for ongoing stockholder services performed by such broker-dealers.
The table below outlines our total NAV and NAV per share by share class as of December 31, 2021 ($ and shares in thousands except for per share data):
Common Stock
NAV Per Share
Class P
Class A
Class T
Class S
Class D
Class I
Total
Monthly NAV
$
191,462
$
13,328
$
7,845
$
-
$
$
7,687
$
221,291
Number of outstanding shares
9,493
-
10,968
NAV per share as of December 31, 2021
$
20.1689
$
20.2156
$
20.2149
$
-
$
20.2102
$
20.2160
$
20.1761
The following table reconciles stockholders’ equity per our consolidated balance sheet to our NAV:
Reconciliation of Stockholders’ Equity to NAV
As of
December 31,
Stockholders' equity per GAAP
$
307,145
Adjustments:
Unamortized stockholder servicing fee and other expenses
Unamortized offering costs
2,419
Real estate owned non-cash adjustments
1,866
Fair value of real estate owned adjustment
(6,052
)
Fair value loan adjustment
1,907
Net asset value
$
307,888
Preferred Stock Adjustments:
Preferred stock liquidation value
(90,000
)
Unamortized preferred stock offering costs
3,420
Accrued preferred stock dividend
(17
)
Net asset value attributable to common stock
$
221,291
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity is a measurement of our ability to meet potential cash requirements, including ongoing commitments to pay distributions to our stockholders, fund investments, originate loans, repay borrowings, and other general business needs including the payment of our operating and administrative expenses. Our primary sources of funds for liquidity consist of the net proceeds from the Offerings, net cash provided by operating activities, proceeds from repurchase agreements and other financing arrangements and future issuances of equity and/or debt securities, which may include CLOs. During the year ended December 31, 2020, proceeds from the sale of CMBS and one commercial loan provided additional cash.
Cash Flow Analysis
Year Ended December 31, 2021
Year Ended December 31, 2020
Year Ended December 31, 2019
Net cash provided by operating activities
$
11,644
$
11,998
$
10,078
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities
$
(222,394
)
$
163,931
$
(317,580
)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
$
195,911
$
(141,461
)
$
316,644
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents
$
(14,839
)
$
34,468
$
9,142
We experienced a net decrease in cash and cash equivalents of $14,839 for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to a net increase of $34,468 for the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in cash for the year ended December 31, 2021 is driven by loan originations for the year, mostly funded by proceeds from our Preferred Stock Offering and the sale of loan participations.
Repurchase Agreements and Credit Facilities
On February 15, 2018, we, through our wholly owned subsidiary, entered into a master repurchase agreement (the “CF Repo Facility”) with Column Financial, Inc. as administrative agent for certain of its affiliates. As our business has grown, we have increased the borrowing limit and extended the maturity. The most recent extension was in November 2021 for a twelve month term and the maximum advance amount was increased to $350,000. Advances under the CF Repo Facility for current loans accrue interest at a per annum rate equal to LIBOR plus 1.75% to 2.50% with a 0.15% to 0.75% floor. The CF Repo Facility is generally subject to certain financial covenants. We were in compliance with all financial covenant requirements as of December 31, 2021.
On May 6, 2019, we, through our wholly owned subsidiary, entered into an uncommitted master repurchase agreement (the “JPM Repo Facility”) with JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association. The JPM Repo Facility provides up to $150,000 in advances that we expect to use to finance the acquisition or origination of eligible loans and participation interests therein. Advances under the JPM Repo Facility accrue interest at per annum rates equal to the sum of (i) the applicable LIBOR index rate plus (ii) a margin of between 1.75% to 2.50%, depending on the attributes of the purchased assets. The maturity date of the JPM Repo Facility is May 6, 2022. The JPM Repo Facility is subject to certain financial covenants. We were in compliance with all financial covenant requirements as of December 31, 2021.
On March 10, 2021, we, through our wholly owned subsidiary, entered into a credit facility with Western Alliance Bank (the “WA Credit Facility,” together with the CF Repo Facility and the JPM Repo Facility, the “Facilities”). The WA Credit Facility provides for loan advances up to the lesser of $75,000 or the borrowing base. The borrowing base consists of eligible assets pledged to and accepted by Western Alliance in its discretion up to the lower of (i) 60% to 70% of loan-to-unpaid balance or (ii) 45% to 50% of the loan-to-appraised value (depending on the property type underlying the asset, for both (i) and (ii)). Assets that would otherwise be eligible become ineligible after being pledged as part of the borrowing base for 36 months. Advances under the WA Credit Facility accrue interest at an annual rate equal to one-month LIBOR plus 3.25% with a floor of 4.0%. The initial maturity date of the WA Credit Facility is March 10, 2023. We have an option to convert the loan made pursuant to the WA Credit Facility upon its initial maturity to a term loan with the same interest rate and floor and a maturity of two years in exchange for, among other things, a conversion fee of 0.25% of the outstanding amount at the time of conversion. The WA Credit Facility requires maintenance of an average unrestricted aggregate deposit account balance with Western Alliance of not less than $3,750. Failure to meet the minimum deposit balance will result in, among other things, the interest rate of the WA Credit Facility increasing by 0.25% per annum for each quarter in which the compensating balances are not maintained. We were in compliance with all financial covenant requirements as of December 31, 2021.
The Facilities are used to finance eligible loans and act in the manner of a revolving credit facility that can be repaid as our assets are paid off and re-drawn as advances against new assets.
The tables below show our Facilities as of December 31, 2021 and 2020:
December 31, 2021
Weighted Average
Committed
Financing
Amount
Outstanding (1)
Accrued
Interest
Payable
Collateral
Pledged
Interest
Rate
Days to
Maturity
CF Repo Facility
$
350,000
$
189,654
$
$
260,691
2.16
%
JPM Repo Facility
150,000
117,470
167,704
2.02
%
Repurchase agreements - commercial mortgage loans
500,000
307,124
428,395
2.11
%
WA Credit Facility
75,000
14,350
20,500
4.00
%
$
575,000
$
321,474
$
$
448,895
2.19
%
December 31, 2020
Weighted Average
Committed
Financing
Amount
Outstanding (1)
Accrued
Interest
Payable
Collateral
Pledged
Interest
Rate
Days to
Maturity
CF Repo Facility
$
250,000
$
159,948
$
$
228,359
3.00
%
JPM Repo Facility
150,000
130,778
190,047
2.08
%
$
400,000
$
290,726
$
$
418,406
2.58
%
____________
(1)
Excluding $41 and $27 of unamortized debt issuance costs as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Loan Participations Sold
On November 15, 2021, we sold a non-recourse senior participation interest in nine first mortgage loans to a third party. Under the loan participation agreement, in the event of default by the underlying mortgagor, any amounts paid are first allocated to the third party before any amounts are allocated to our subordinate interest. As the directing participant in the loan participation agreement, we are entitled to exercise, without the consent of the third party, each of the consent approval and control rights under the applicable underlying mortgage loan documents with a few exceptions. We require the third party’s approval for any modification or amendment to the loan, a bankruptcy plan for an underlying mortgagor where the third party would incur an out-of-pocket loss, or any transfer of the underlying mortgaged property if our approval is required by the underlying mortgage documents. We remain the directing participant unless certain conditions are met related to losses on the property or if the mortgagor is one of our affiliates. In the former case, we may post cash or short-term U.S. government securities as collateral to retain the rights of the directing participant.
The third party, as the senior participation interest holder, will receive interest and principal payments from the borrower until they receive the amounts to which they are entitled. All expenses or losses on the underlying mortgages are allocated first to us and then to the third party. If the underlying mortgage is in default, we will have the option to purchase the third party’s participation interest and remove it from the loan participation agreement.
The following table details our loan participations sold as of December 31, 2021:
December 31, 2021
Loan Participations Sold
Count
Principal Balance
Book Value
Yield/Cost (1)
Guarantee (2)
Weighted Average Maximum Maturity
Total Loans
$
137,215
$
137,931
L+3.6%
n/a
2.22
Senior participations (3)
$
109,772
$
109,772
L+2.0%
n/a
2.22
____________
(1)
The yield/cost is the present value of all future principal and interest payments on the loan or participation interest and does not include any origination fees or deferred commitment fees.
(2)
As of December 31, 2021, the loan participation sold was non-recourse to us.
(3)
During the year ended December 31, 2021, we recorded $0.3 million of interest expense related to loan participations sold.
Revolving Credit Liquidity Letter Agreements
IREIC, our sponsor, and Sound Point have agreed under separate letter agreements dated July 20, 2021, and July 15, 2021, respectively, to make revolving credit loans to us in an aggregate principal amount outstanding at any one time not to exceed $5,000 and $15,000, respectively (the “IREIC-Sound Point Commitments”) from time to time. Use of the IREIC-Sound Point Commitments is limited to satisfying requirements to maintain cash or cash equivalents under our repurchase and other borrowing arrangements.
Distributions
Common Stock
For the period from January 1, 2019 to July 31, 2019, we paid distributions on Class P Shares based on daily record dates, payable in arrears the following month, equal to a daily amount of 1/365th of $1.92 per share. Distributions declared on or after August 1, 2019 through February 29, 2020 on Class P Shares were based on monthly record dates, payable in arrears the following month, equal to a monthly amount of 1/12th of $1.92 per share.
For each class of common stock offered in the IPO through February 29, 2020, we paid the same gross distribution based on monthly record dates, payable in arrears the following month, equal to a monthly amount of 1/12th of $1.62 per share.
On March 24, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our Board suspended, among other things, the payment of distributions to our stockholders and the operation of our DRP, effective as of April 6, 2020. In determining to suspend the payment of distributions, the Board considered various factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, the inability to accurately calculate our NAV per share due to uncertainty, volatility and lack of liquidity in the market, our need for liquidity due to financing challenges related to additional collateral required by the banks that regularly finance our assets and these uncertain and rapidly changing economic conditions.
Though we did not calculate the NAV for the months of March through May 2020, we resumed calculating our NAV beginning as of June 30, 2020 following the Advisor’s determination that volatility in the market for our investments had declined and the U.S economic outlook had improved. In August 2020, we resumed paying distributions monthly to stockholders of record for all classes of shares. The table below presents the aggregate annualized and monthly distributions declared on common stock by record date for all classes of shares since we resumed paying distributions. The amount of distributions that we may pay in the future is not certain.
Record date
Aggregate annualized gross distribution declared per share of common stock
Aggregate monthly gross distribution declared per share of common stock
July 31, 2020
$
0.8576
$
0.0715
August 31, 2020
$
0.8800
$
0.0733
September 30, 2020
$
0.9000
$
0.0750
October 31, 2020
$
0.9000
$
0.0750
November 30, 2020
$
0.9000
$
0.0750
December 31, 2020
$
0.9000
$
0.0750
January 31, 2021
$
0.9500
$
0.0792
February 28, 2021
$
1.0000
$
0.0833
March 31, 2021
$
1.0500
$
0.0875
April 30, 2021
$
1.1000
$
0.0917
May 31, 2021
$
1.1500
$
0.0958
June 30, 2021
$
1.2500
$
0.1042
July 31, 2021
$
1.2500
$
0.1042
August 31, 2021
$
1.2500
$
0.1042
September 30, 2021
$
1.2500
$
0.1042
October 31, 2021
$
1.2500
$
0.1042
November 30, 2021
$
1.2500
$
0.1042
December 31, 2021
$
1.2500
$
0.1042
The gross distribution was reduced each month for Class D and Class T of our common stock for applicable class-specific stockholder servicing fees to arrive at a lower net distribution amount paid to those classes. For a description of the stockholder servicing fees applicable to Class D, Class S and Class T shares of our common stock, please see “Note 11 - Transactions with Related Parties” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements below. During the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, we did not have shares outstanding of Class S common stock.
Series A Preferred Stock
Series A Preferred Stock dividends are paid quarterly in arrears based on an annualized distribution rate of 6.75% of the $25.00 per share liquidation preference, or $1.6875 per share per annum. During December 2021, our Board declared a quarterly dividend on the Series A Preferred Stock in the amount of $0.459375 per share which was paid on December 30, 2021 to holders of record on December 15, 2021 for the period beginning September 22, 2021 to, but not including, December 30, 2021.
Sources of Distributions to Common Stockholders
Year Ended December 31,
Distributions to Holders of Common Stock
Paid in cash
$
12,388
$
9,251
$
16,333
Reinvested in shares
Total distributions
$
12,971
$
9,496
$
16,370
Cash flows from operating activities
$
11,644
$
11,998
$
10,078
____________
For the year ended December 31, 2021, 6.0% of distributions on our common stock were paid from the combined net proceeds of our IPO and Preferred Stock Offering. For the year ended December 31, 2020, none of distributions were paid from the net proceeds of our IPO. For the year ended December 31, 2019, 38.3% of distributions were paid from the net combined proceeds of our Private Offering and IPO.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we had no off-balance sheet arrangements that are reasonably likely to have a material current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
Review of our Policies
Our Board, including our independent directors, has reviewed our policies described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our registration statement and determined that they are in the best interests of our stockholders because: (i) they increase the likelihood that we will be able to originate, acquire and manage a diversified portfolio of first mortgage loans secured by CRE and credit loans, thereby reducing risk in our portfolio; (ii) there are sufficient loan underwriting opportunities with the attributes that we seek; (iii) our executive officers, director, affiliates of our Advisor and Sub-Advisor have expertise with the type of real estate investments we seek; and (iv) our borrowings will enable us to originate and acquire loan assets and earn revenue more quickly, thereby increasing our likelihood of generating income for our stockholders and preserving stockholder capital.

---

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
Credit Risk
Our investments are subject to a high degree of credit risk. Credit risk is the exposure to loss from loan defaults. Default rates are subject to a wide variety of factors, including, but not limited to, borrower financial condition, property performance, property management, supply/demand factors, construction trends, consumer behavior, regional economics, interest rates, the strength of the U.S. economy, and other factors beyond our control. All loans are subject to some risk of default. We manage credit risk through the underwriting process and investment structuring process, acquiring our investments at the appropriate discount to face value, if any, and establishing loss assumptions. We also carefully monitor the performance of the loans, as well as external factors that may affect their value.
We also carefully monitor the performance of the loans, as well as external factors that may affect their level of risk and accordingly their value and the market prices of mortgage-related securities such as CMBS that are collateralized by borrower payments under mortgage loans. Adverse economic conditions could negatively impact hotels or tenants at commercial properties underlying our investments resulting in potential borrower delinquencies or defaults or declines in the values of properties that secure our investments, which could in turn impact the fundamental performance of mortgage-backed securities. Further, credit rating agencies may reassess transactions that are negatively impacted by these adverse changes, which may result in CMBS investments being downgraded and temporarily or permanently losing value. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic and actions taken to try to contain its spread have caused severe volatility, dislocation and illiquidity in certain fixed income markets amidst forced selling of securities by market participants, including CMBS, at depressed market prices. The amount of financing we receive under our CMBS repurchase agreements is directly related to our counterparties' valuation of our assets that serve as collateral for our outstanding repurchase agreement financing. Our CMBS repurchase agreements are typically short-term in nature, are renewable at the discretion of our lenders and do not contain guaranteed roll-over terms and have been periodically refinanced at current market rates. If we fail to repay the lender at maturity, the lender has the right to immediately sell the collateral and pursue us for any shortfall if the sales proceeds are inadequate to cover the repurchase agreement financing. If adverse market conditions such as those described above stemming from the pandemic recur, valuations will likely be reduced, and margin call risk under repurchase agreements will likely be elevated. We have addressed these risks by selling our CMBS investments and focusing our potential investments more on floating-rate first mortgage loans backed by multifamily, industrial and office properties while continuing to assess the ongoing and potential effects of the pandemic on the hospitality and retail sectors.
Interest Rate Risk
Our market risk arises primarily from interest rate risk relating to interest rate fluctuations. Many factors including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political considerations and other factors that are beyond our control contribute to interest rate risk. To meet our short and long-term liquidity requirements, we may borrow funds at fixed and variable rates. Our interest rate risk management objectives are to limit the impact of interest rate changes in earnings and cash flows and to lower our overall borrowing costs. To achieve these objectives, from time to time, we may enter into interest rate hedge contracts such as swaps, collars and treasury lock agreements in order to mitigate our interest rate risk with respect to various debt instruments. 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. During the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, we did not engage in interest rate hedging activities. We do not hold or issue derivative contracts for trading or speculative purposes. We do not have any foreign denominated investments, and thus, we are not exposed to foreign currency fluctuations.
As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, our debt investment portfolio was 98% and 96% variable rate investments based on LIBOR for various terms, respectively. Borrowings under the Repo Facilities were short-term and at a variable rate. The following table quantifies the potential changes in interest income net of interest expense should interest rates increase or decrease by 25 or 50 basis points, assuming that our current balance sheet was to remain constant and no actions were taken to alter our existing interest rate sensitivity:
Estimated Percentage Change in Interest Income Net of Interest Expense
Change in Rates
December 31, 2021
December 31, 2020
(-) 50 Basis Points
1.06
%
1.13
%
(-) 25 Basis Points
1.06
%
1.13
%
Base Interest Rate
0.00
%
0.00
%
(+) 25 Basis Points
(1.21
)%
(1.96
)%
(+) 50 Basis Points
(1.91
)%
(3.92
)%
LIBOR Transition
It appears highly likely that LIBOR will be discontinued by June 30, 2023. Specifically, on March 5, 2021, the ICE Benchmark Administration (“IBA”) confirmed its intention to cease publication of (i) one week and two month U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings after December 31, 2021 and (ii) the remaining U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings after June 30, 2023. On September 29, 2021, the FCA announced that under its new powers, it will compel IBA to publish one, three and six month LIBOR under a synthetic methodology, which will no longer be representative of the underlying market or economic reality the setting is intended to measure, for the duration of 2022. The United States Federal Reserve has also advised banks to cease entering into new contracts that use LIBOR as a reference rate. The Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rate Committee, a committee convened by the Federal Reserve that includes major market participants, has identified the SOFR, a new index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements, backed by U. S. Treasury securities, as its preferred alternative rate for LIBOR. At this time, it is not possible to predict how markets will respond to SOFR or other alternative reference rates as the transition away from the LIBOR benchmarks is anticipated in coming years. Accordingly, the outcome of these reforms is uncertain and any changes in the methods by which LIBOR is determined or regulatory activity related to LIBOR’s phaseout could cause LIBOR to perform differently than in the past. As of December 31, 2021, we believe all of our commercial mortgage loan agreements and our Facilities include fallback language that allows a change to an alternative reference rate to replace LIBOR. Beginning January 1, 2022, all new loans we originate will be based on SOFR. We do not anticipate making changes to the index on our loans or borrowings originated prior to January 1, 2022 until the earlier of their maturity dates or June 30, 2023 whichever comes first.

---

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes to our consolidated financial statements are included under Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

---

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

---

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Controls and Procedures
In accordance with Exchange Act Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15, we evaluated, with the participation of our principal executive and principal financial officers, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based on that evaluation, the principal executive and principal financial officers have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act.
In connection with the preparation of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021. In making that assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013). Based on this assessment, management has determined that our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 was effective.
The rules of the SEC do not require, and this Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include, an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes to our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f) or Rule 15d-15(f)) during the year ended December 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control 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.
Our directors and executive officers and their positions and ages are as follows:
Name
Age*
Position
Mitchell A. Sabshon
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
Donald MacKinnon
President and Director
Catherine L. Lynch
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Matthew Donnelly
Chief Investment Officer
Cathleen M. Hrtanek
Secretary
Norman A. Feinstein
Independent Director
Cynthia Foster Curry
Independent Director
Robert N. Jenkins
Independent Director
*
As of January 1, 2022
Set forth below is certain biographical information regarding each of our directors and executive officers.
Mitchell A. Sabshon is our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our Board, positions he has held since October 2016 and September 2016, respectively. Mr. Sabshon is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Advisor, a position he has held since August 2016. Mr. Sabshon has also served as a director and the Chief Executive Officer of Inland Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (“IREIT”), positions he has held since September 2014 and April 2014, respectively, and as a director of its business manager since October 2013. Mr. Sabshon is also currently the Chief Executive Officer, President and a director of IREIC, positions he has held since August 2013, January 2014 and September 2013, respectively. He is a director, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the business manager of Inland Residential Properties Trust, Inc. (“IRPT”), positions he has held since December 2013, and was a director, the President and Chief Executive Officer of IRPT from December 2013 until December 2019. Mr. Sabshon is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Inland Venture Partners, LLC, a position he has held since November 2018, Chief Executive Officer of Inland Ventures MHC Manager, LLC, a position he has held since December 2018, and Chief Executive Officer of MH Ventures Fund II, Inc., a position he has held since September 2020. Mr. Sabshon has also served as a director of Inland Private Capital Corporation (“IPCC”) since September 2013 and a director of the Dealer Manager since January 2014. Prior to joining IREIC in August 2013, Mr. Sabshon served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Cole Real Estate Investments, Inc. (“Cole”), from November 2010 to June 2013. In this role, he was responsible for finance, asset management, property management, leasing and high yield portfolio management. He also worked on a broad range of initiatives across Cole, including issues pertaining to corporate and portfolio strategy, product development and systems. Prior to joining Cole in November 2010, Mr. Sabshon served as Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of EndPoint Financial LLC, an advisory firm providing acquisition and finance advisory services to equity investors, from 2008 to 2010. Mr. Sabshon was a licensed person with The OBEX Group from April 2009 through November 2009. Mr. Sabshon served as Chief Investment Officer and Executive Vice President of GFI Capital Resources Group, Inc., a national owner-operator of multifamily properties, from 2007 to 2008. Prior to joining GFI, Mr. Sabshon served with Goldman Sachs & Company from 2004 to 2007 and from 1997 to 2002 in several key strategic roles, including President and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs Commercial Mortgage Capital and head of the Insurance Client Development Group. From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Sabshon was Executive Director of the U.S. Institutional Sales Group at Morgan Stanley. Mr. Sabshon held various positions at Lehman Brothers Inc. from 1991 to 1997, including in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group. Prior to joining Lehman Brothers, Mr. Sabshon was an attorney in the Corporate Finance and Real Estate Structured Finance groups of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Mr. Sabshon holds a B.A. from George Washington University and a J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law. We believe that Mr. Sabshon’s experience as a director and Chief Executive Officer of IRPT, IREIT and IREIC, his prior experience as an officer of Cole and his significant finance experience make him well qualified to serve as a member of our Board.
Donald MacKinnon is our President, one of our directors and a Portfolio Manager of the Sub-Advisor, positions he has held since October 2016, September 2016 and September 2016, respectively. Mr. MacKinnon served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Realty Finance Trust, Inc. (“RFT”), and its advisor from January 2013 to November 2015, and as President of RFT and its advisor from November 2014 to November 2015. From May 2011 through December 2012, Mr. MacKinnon served as Senior Vice President and head of High Yield Portfolio Management for Cole, where he invested approximately $350 million in credit sensitive CMBS and mezzanine loans for Cole. From July 2008 to March 2011, Mr. MacKinnon was a partner with EndPoint Financial, LLC where he provided CMBS advisory and real estate workout services. From January 2004 through March 2007, Mr. MacKinnon was a Managing Director at Nomura Securities International where he managed the North American Structured Credit Trading businesses including commercial real estate and asset backed securities. Prior to joining Nomura, Mr. MacKinnon served as President and Chief Executive Officer of REALM, Inc., a privately owned real estate software and services company primarily owned by Hicks Muse Tate and Furst, CMGI and T.H. Lee Putnam Equity Partners. Prior to REALM, Mr. MacKinnon was co-head and co-founder of the Commercial Mortgage Group and Manager of the European Asset Securitization Group at Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette, (“DLJ”). Prior to joining DLJ in 1992, Mr. MacKinnon worked in the Real Estate Finance Group at Salomon Brothers, Inc. on a variety of
commercial real estate debt and equity transactions. Mr. MacKinnon also served on the board of directors for CRIIMI Mae, Inc. (NYSE: CMM) from 2001 to 2003. Mr. MacKinnon holds a B.A. in Economics from Ohio Wesleyan University and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. We believe that Mr. MacKinnon’s experience as Chief Operating Officer and President of RFT, his prior experience as an officer of Cole and his significant finance experience make him well qualified to serve as a member of our Board.
Catherine L. Lynch is our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, positions she has held since October 2016, and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Advisor, positions she has held since August 2016. Ms. Lynch joined Inland in 1989 and has been a director of The Inland Group, LLC (formerly The Inland Group, Inc.) since June 2012. She serves as the Treasurer and Secretary (since January 1995), the Chief Financial Officer (since January 2011) and a director (since April 2011) of IREIC and as a director (since July 2000) and Chief Financial Officer and Secretary (since June 1995) of the Dealer Manager. She has served as the Chief Financial Officer of IREIT since April 2014 and as a director of IREIT’s business manager since August 2011. Ms. Lynch also served as Chief Financial Officer of IRPT from December 2013 to October 2019 and has served and as Chief Financial Officer of the business manager of IRPT since October 2014. Ms. Lynch also has served as Treasurer of Inland Capital Markets Group, Inc. from January 2008 through October 2010 and as a director of IPCC since May 2012. Ms. Lynch served as the Treasurer of the business manager of IRPT from December 2013 to October 2014, as a director and Treasurer of Inland Investment Advisors, Inc. from June 1995 to December 2014 and as a director and Treasurer of Inland Institutional Capital Partners Corporation from May 2006 to December 2014. Ms. Lynch worked for KPMG Peat Marwick LLP from 1980 to 1989. Ms. Lynch holds a B.S. in Accounting from Illinois State University. Ms. Lynch is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Illinois CPA Society. Ms. Lynch also is registered with FINRA as a financial operations principal.
Matthew Donnelly is our Chief Investment Officer, a position he has held since February 2022. He also serves as Head of Originations for our Sub-Advisor, a position he has held since October 2016. From February 2014 to March 2016, Mr. Donnelly was Head of Originations at Realty Finance Trust, Inc. where he oversaw the origination, underwriting and closing of more than $1.5 billion in bridge and mezzanine loans. From 2008 to 2014, Mr. Donnelly served as Head of Real Estate Finance for Cole Real Estate Investments and was responsible for over $10 billion in financings for the company's managed REITs. These financings included REIT-level corporate facilities as well as project-based loans. Prior to joining Cole, Mr. Donnelly was a Managing Director in real estate finance from 1999 to 2008 at Bear Stearns where he managed a team of junior originators and underwriters and was responsible for over $5 billion in CMBS and balance sheet loans. In 1995, Mr. Donnelly began his real estate finance career as a loan officer for Community Preservation Corporation, a non-profit lender focused on low income housing construction and rehabilitation loans on properties in New York City. Mr. Donnelly holds a B.A. in Economics from Fordham University and has a M.A. in Real Estate Investment from New York University.
Cathleen M. Hrtanek is our Secretary, a position she has held since March 2022. She also serves as the Secretary of the Advisor, a position she has held since August 2016. Ms. Hrtanek joined Inland in 2005 and is currently an Assistant General Counsel and Vice President of The Inland Real Estate Group, LLC. In her capacity as Assistant General Counsel, Ms. Hrtanek represents many of the entities that are part of Inland on a variety of legal matters. Ms. Hrtanek has served as the Secretary of Inland Opportunity Business Manager & Advisor, Inc. since April 2009, Secretary of IRPT and its business manager since December 2013 and Secretary of IREIT and its business manager since August 2011. Ms. Hrtanek has also served as the Secretary of Inland Diversified Real Estate Trust, Inc. from September 2008 through July 2014 and its business manager from September 2008 through March 2016, and as the Secretary of IPCC from August 2009 to May 2017. Prior to joining Inland, Ms. Hrtanek had been employed by Wildman Harrold Allen & Dixon LLP in Chicago, Illinois since September 2001. Ms. Hrtanek has been admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois and holds a B.A. in Political Science and French from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Norman A. Feinstein is one of our independent directors, a position he has held since October 2016. Mr. Feinstein currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Aspen Real Estate Capital, LLC, a real estate advisory firm, and has served in this role since October 1, 2019. Previously, Mr. Feinstein served as Vice Chairman of The Hampshire Companies (“Hampshire”), a full-service, privately held, fully-integrated real estate firm with assets valued at over $2.5 billion, from December 1998 to October 2019. While at Hampshire, Mr. Feinstein also served as Fund Manager of The Hampshire Generational Fund and as a member of Hampshire’s Investment Committee since January 2005. In his prior role, he also sourced acquisitions and new opportunities and engaged with investors on behalf of Hampshire. Prior to joining Hampshire in 1998, Mr. Feinstein had been a practicing attorney for more than 25 years, specializing in real estate law. During his career, he was a real estate owner and operator of commercial and residential properties and has served as President and Counsel to the New Jersey Apartment Association and was a Regional Vice President of the National Apartment Association. Mr. Feinstein has also served as a member of the board of directors of Malvern Bancorp, Inc. and Malvern Federal Savings Bank since June 2016. Mr. Feinstein currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Golf Association and its Foundation Board. Mr. Feinstein holds a B.A. in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from the University of Connecticut and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. We believe that Mr. Feinstein’s commercial real estate experience makes him well qualified to serve as a member of our Board.
Cynthia Foster Curry is one of our independent directors, a position she has held since October 2016. Ms. Foster Curry has served as the Chief Revenue Officer of LEX-Markets since January 2021, a commercial real estate marketplace that takes commercial buildings
public through single-asset initial public offerings. From January 2015 to January 2021, Ms. Foster Curry served as President, National Office Brokerage and Valuation of Colliers International (“Colliers”), where she lead Colliers’ national office platform across service lines including office leasing, tenant and landlord representation, investment sales, leasing agency, property management and valuation. Prior to joining Colliers, Ms. Foster Curry served as Executive Managing Director at Cushman & Wakefield Inc. from June 2001 to January 2015. Ms. Foster Curry has also worked in the real estate investment banking group at Lazard Ltd., where she focused on large portfolio restructurings. Ms. Foster has over 25 years of experience leading significant commercial real estate transactions and developing new business initiatives for multinational clients across a wide geographic range. Ms. Foster Curry currently serves as Vice Chairperson and Trustee of the Urban Land Institute and as the Colliers delegate for the Urban Land Institute Real Estate Round Table. Ms. Foster Curry is a co-founder of the Committee of Professional Women, and she serves as a member of the Board of Trustees and the executive committee for the Hospital for Special Surgery, the Board of Advisors for the Westchester Children’s Museum and the Board of Trustees for the Museum for the City of New York. Ms. Foster Curry holds a B.A. in the History of Science from Skidmore College and an M.B.A. from Harvard University. Ms. Foster Curry is a licensed real estate broker in the State of New York. We believe that Ms. Foster Curry’s 25 years of experience in commercial real estate transactions make her well qualified to serve as a member of our Board.
Robert N. Jenkins is one of our independent directors, a position he has held since October 2016. Mr. Jenkins has also served as Executive Vice President of Municipal Capital Appreciation Partners (“MCAP”), from June 2016 until May 2021, where he was responsible for multifamily acquisitions and dispositions, and fund marketing and administration. Prior to joining MCAP, Mr. Jenkins served as Executive Director at W. P. Carey Inc. from January 2003 to March 2016, where he was responsible for the mortgage financing activities in the domestic net leased portfolio and for hotel acquisition financing in two managed funds. Previously, Mr. Jenkins was a Vice President at MetLife Real Estate Investments, where he headed the Real Estate Capital Markets Group and served as a senior member of the real estate department. Prior to joining MetLife Real Estate Investments, Mr. Jenkins worked for several real estate firms, including Eastdil Secured, LLC and Trammell Crow Company. Mr. Jenkins holds a B.A. in English from Colorado College and an M.B.A. from Columbia University Graduate School of Business. We believe that Mr. Jenkins’ commercial real estate and finance experience makes him well qualified to serve as a member of our Board.
Board of Directors
General
We operate under the direction of our Board, the members of which are accountable to us and our stockholders as fiduciaries. Our Board is responsible for directing the management of our business and affairs. Our Board has retained the Advisor which is responsible for coordinating the management of our day-to-day operations. The Advisor has retained the Sub-Advisor to provide certain of its advisory services on its behalf including originating, acquiring and managing our investments, subject to the supervision of our Board.
Our charter and bylaws provide that the number of our directors may be established by a majority of our Board and our charter has initially set the number of directors at five. Our bylaws further provide that the number of directors may not be more than 15. Our charter also provides that a majority of our directors must be independent of us, the Advisor and our respective affiliates except for a period of 60 days after the death, resignation or removal of an independent director pending the election of his or her successor. We currently have five directors, three of whom are independent, as defined in our charter and by the independence rules of the New York Stock Exchange. An independent director is a director who is not and has not for the last two years been associated, directly or indirectly, with the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor. Since the commencement of our IPO, our charter has required that at all times at least one of our independent directors must have at least three years of relevant real estate experience. We refer to any director who is not independent as an “affiliated director.” At the first meeting of our Board consisting of a majority of independent directors, our charter was reviewed and approved by a vote of our Board, including a majority of our independent directors, in accordance with the requirements of the North American Securities Administrators Association Statement of Policy Regarding Real Estate Investment Trusts.
Each director will serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies. Although the number of directors may be increased or decreased, a decrease will not have the effect of shortening the term of any incumbent director.
Any director may resign at any time and may be removed with or without cause by the stockholders upon the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors. The notice of any special meeting called to remove a director will indicate that the purpose, or one of the purposes, of the meeting is to determine if the director will be removed.
Advisor and Sub-Advisor Board Nomination Rights
Our bylaws require that nominees for election as a director, whether by the stockholders or by the Board, shall include such number of individuals as are entitled to be designated for nomination pursuant to the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement between the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”). For so long as the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-
Advisory Agreement are in effect, and subject to our charter and bylaws, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor shall each have the right to designate for nomination, subject to the approval of such nomination by our Board, one director to the slate to be voted on by the stockholders; provided however, that in the event the number of directors constituting the Board is increased by a vote of the Board pursuant to the charter and bylaws, such number of director nominees which each of the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor is entitled shall be increased as necessary by a number that will result in such nominees representing not less than 20% of the total number of directors. We refer to the director designated for nomination by the Advisor as the “Advisor affiliated director nominee” and the director designated for nomination by the Sub-Advisor as the “Sub-Advisor affiliated director nominee.” The Advisor and the Sub-Advisor shall also have the right to consult with each other and jointly designate for nomination, subject to the approval of such nomination by our Board, three individuals to serve as independent directors; provided, however, that in the event the number of directors constituting the Board is increased by a vote of our Board pursuant to our charter and bylaws, such number of independent director nominees which the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor are entitled to designate shall be increased as necessary by a number that will result in such nominees representing not less than the minimum number of independent directors required under applicable law and pursuant to our charter and bylaws.
Director Nominations
Proposals to elect directors at an annual or special meeting must be brought in accordance with our bylaws. Our bylaws provide that nominations of individuals for election to the Board may be made at an annual meeting of stockholders (i) pursuant to the Company’s notice of meeting, (ii) by or at the direction of the Board or (iii) by any stockholder of the Company who was a stockholder of record at the record date set by the Board for the purpose of determining stockholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting, at the time of giving of notice by the stockholder and at the time of the annual meeting (and any postponement or adjournment thereof), who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated and who has complied with the advance notice provisions of the bylaws.
For any nomination to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder, the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to our corporate secretary. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice must set forth all information required under Section 11 of our bylaws and must be delivered to the secretary at our principal executive office not earlier than the 150th day nor later than 5:00 p.m., Central Time, on the 120th day prior to the first anniversary of the date of the proxy statement for the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in connection with the Company’s first annual meeting or in the event that the date of the annual meeting is advanced or delayed by more than 30 days from the first anniversary of the date of the preceding year’s annual meeting, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the 150th day prior to the date of such annual meeting and not later than 5:00 p.m., Central Time, on the later of the 120th day prior to the date of such annual meeting, as originally convened, or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made. The public announcement of a postponement or adjournment of an annual meeting does not commence a new time period for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above.
With respect to special meetings of stockholders, only the business specified in the notice of the special meeting may be brought at that meeting. Nominations of individuals for election to the Board may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected only (i) by or at the direction of the Board or (ii) provided that the special meeting has been called for the purpose of electing directors, by any stockholder of the Company who is a stockholder of record at the record date set by the Board for the purpose of determining stockholders entitled to vote at the special meeting, at the time of giving of notice and at the time of the special meeting (and any postponement or adjournment thereof), who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated and who has complied with the notice procedures set forth in Section 11 of our bylaws. In the event the Company calls a special meeting of stockholders for the purpose of electing one or more individuals to the Board, any stockholder may nominate an individual or individuals (as the case may be) for election as a director as specified in the Company’s notice of meeting, if the stockholder’s notice, containing the information required by Section 11 of our bylaws, is delivered to our corporate secretary at our principal executive office not earlier than the 120th day prior to such special meeting and not later than 5:00 p.m., Central Time, on the later of the 90th day prior to such special meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement is first made of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board to be elected at such meeting. The public announcement of a postponement or adjournment of a special meeting does not commence a new time period for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above.
Director Vacancies
A vacancy created by the death, resignation, adjudicated incompetence or other incapacity of a director or a vacancy following the removal of a director may be filled by a vote of a majority of the remaining directors, and a vacancy created by an increase in the number of directors may be filled by a vote of a majority of the entire Board. In the case of a vacancy in the position of the Advisor affiliated director nominee or the Sub-Advisor affiliated director nominee, the director to be elected by the Board to fill the vacancy must also be nominated by the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor, as applicable. In the case of the vacancy regarding an independent director position, the director must also be nominated by the remaining independent directors in consultation with the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor, in accordance with their nomination rights as set forth in our bylaws and the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement. If there are no remaining independent directors, then a majority vote of the remaining directors will be sufficient to fill a vacancy among our independent directors’ positions. If at any time there are no independent or affiliated directors in office, successor directors will be elected by the stockholders. Any director elected to fill a vacancy will serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his successor is duly elected and qualifies.
Responsibilities of Directors
The responsibilities of our Board include the following:
•
approve and oversee our overall investment strategy, which consists of elements such as investment selection criteria, diversification strategies and asset disposition strategies;
•
establish investment guidelines that govern our investments in CRE debt and securities, and equity investments in single-tenant, net leased properties and limit the types of investments that may be originated or acquired and, depending on the type of transaction, the extent to which the Sub-Advisor may execute investment and disposition transactions without specific board approval;
•
approve and oversee our debt financing strategies;
•
approve and monitor the relationship among us, our operating partnership, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor;
•
review our fees and expenses on at least an annual basis and with sufficient frequency to determine that the expenses incurred are in the best interest of our stockholders;
•
adopt valuation guidelines to be used in connection with the calculation of our NAV and monitor compliance with the valuation guidelines;
•
determine our distribution policy and authorize distributions from time to time; and
•
oversee our SRP.
In order to address potential conflicts of interest, our charter requires that a majority of our Board (including a majority of the independent directors) not otherwise interested in the transaction approve any transaction with any of our directors, Inland, Sound Point or affiliates of any of the foregoing. The independent directors are also responsible for reviewing the performance of the Advisor at least annually and determining that the compensation to be paid to the Advisor is reasonable in relation to the nature and quality of services performed and that the provisions of the Advisory Agreement are being carried out.
In fulfilling his or her duties to us, each director will be bound by our charter. The directors are not required to devote all of their time to our business and are only required to devote the time to our affairs as their duties may require. Our Board will generally meet quarterly or more frequently if necessary, in addition to meetings of the various committees of our Board described below. It is not expected that the directors will be required to devote a substantial portion of their time to discharge their duties as directors. Consequently, in the exercise of their fiduciary responsibilities, the directors will rely heavily on the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor.
Compensation of Directors
For information relating to the compensation of our Board, see Item 11, “Executive Compensation” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Committees of our Board of Directors
Our Board is responsible for supervising our entire business. However, pursuant to our charter, our Board may delegate some of its powers to one or more committees as deemed appropriate by the Board, provided that each committee consists of at least a majority of independent directors.
Audit Committee
Our Board has established an audit committee, which consists of Norman A. Feinstein, Cynthia Foster Curry and Robert N. Jenkins, each of whom is an independent director. Robert N. Jenkins serves as the chairman of our audit committee and as an audit committee financial expert as that term is defined by the SEC. The audit committee assists our Board in overseeing our accounting and financial reporting processes, the integrity and audits of our financial statements, our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, the qualifications and independence of our independent registered public accounting firm and the performance of our internal and independent registered public accounting firm. In addition, the audit committee selects the independent registered public accounting firm to audit our annual financial statements and reviews with the independent registered public accounting firm the plans and results of the audit engagement. The audit committee also approves the audit and non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm and the fees we pay for these services.
Appointment and Removal of Officers
Our Board shall have the authority to appoint and remove our officers in its sole discretion. The Advisor and the Sub-Advisor have agreed to consult with each other and jointly agree upon any officers recommended to our Board for appointment. If an officer jointly recommended by the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor to serve as an officer is not appointed to hold the designated office by our Board following appointment by our Board is no longer retained as such officer as a result of death, disability, retirement, resignation or removal, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor have agreed to consult with each other and jointly recommend a replacement for such officer subject to approval by our Board.
Code of Ethics
Our Board has adopted a code of ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. Copies of the code of ethics, including any amendments and waivers thereto, are available to any stockholder, without charge, (i) on our website at www.inland-investments.com/inpoint or (ii) by writing us at 2901 Butterfield Road, Oak Brook, Illinois 60523, Attention: Investor Services.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
Compensation of Executive Officers
We do not currently have any employees nor do we currently intend to hire any employees who will be compensated directly by us. Each of our executive officers, including our executive officers who serve as directors, is employed by IREIC, Sound Point, or their affiliates and receive compensation for his or her services, including services performed for us on behalf of the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor, from IREIC or Sound Point, as applicable.
Compensation of Directors
The following table summarizes compensation earned by the independent directors for the year ended December 31, 2021 (dollar amounts in thousands).
Name
Fees Earned
or Paid in
Cash
Stock
Awards
Options
Awards
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
Nonqualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
All Other
Compensation
Total
Compensation
Norman A. Feinstein
$
$
-
-
-
-
$
Cynthia Foster Curry
$
$
-
-
-
-
$
Robert N. Jenkins
$
$
-
-
-
-
$
Cash Compensation
We pay each of our independent directors a retainer of $20,000 per year plus $1,000 for each board meeting the director attends in person ($500 for each board committee meeting) and $500 for each board meeting the director attends by telephone ($350 for each board committee meeting). We also pay our audit committee chairperson an annual fee of $5,000. Our independent directors may elect to receive their annual retainer in cash, unrestricted Class I shares, or both.
All directors receive reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attending meetings of our Board. If a director is also one of our officers, or is an employee of the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor, we will not pay any compensation to such person for services rendered as a director.
Stock Compensation
Our Board has adopted an independent director compensation plan, which operates as a sub-plan of our independent director restricted share plan, which we use to attract and retain directors. Our restricted share plan offers our independent directors an opportunity to
participate in our growth through awards in the form of, or based on, our common stock. The restricted share plan authorizes the granting of restricted stock, restricted or deferred stock units, dividend equivalents, and cash-based awards to independent directors for participation in the plan. Our Board will administer the restricted share plan, with sole authority to determine all of the terms and conditions of the awards. No awards will be granted under the plan if the grant or vesting of the awards would jeopardize our status as a REIT under the Code or otherwise violate the ownership and transfer restrictions imposed under our charter. Unless otherwise determined by our Board, no award granted under the plan will be transferable except through the laws of descent and distribution.
Our Board has authorized Class I shares for issuance under the restricted share plan. However, no awards shall be granted under the restricted share plan on any date on which the aggregate number of shares subject to awards previously issued under the restricted share plan, together with the proposed awards to be granted on such date, exceeds 5% of the number of outstanding shares of common stock on such date. In the event of a transaction between our company and our stockholders that causes the per-share value of our common stock to change (including, without limitation, a stock dividend, stock split, spin-off, rights offering or large nonrecurring cash dividend), the share authorization limits under the plan will be adjusted proportionately and our Board will make adjustments to the restricted share plan and awards as it deems necessary, in its sole discretion, to prevent dilution or enlargement of rights immediately resulting from the transaction. In the event of a stock split, a stock dividend or a combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of common stock into a lesser number of shares, the authorization limits under the plan will automatically be adjusted proportionately and the shares then subject to each award will automatically be adjusted proportionately without any change in the aggregate purchase price.
Our Board may, in its sole discretion at any time, determine that all or a portion of a participant’s awards will become fully vested. Our Board may discriminate among participants or among awards in exercising its discretion. The restricted share plan will automatically expire on the tenth anniversary of the date on which it was approved by our Board and stockholders, unless extended or earlier terminated by our Board. Our Board may terminate the plan at any time. The expiration or other termination of the plan will not, without the participant’s consent, have an adverse impact on any award that is outstanding at the time the plan expires or is terminated. Our Board may amend the plan at any time, but no amendment will adversely affect any award without the participant’s consent and no amendment to the plan will be effective without the approval of our stockholders if such approval is required by any law, regulation or rule applicable to the plan.
Under the independent director restricted share plan and subject to such plan’s conditions and restrictions, each of our independent directors will automatically receive $10,000 in restricted Class I shares on the date of each annual stockholders’ meeting or, if no annual meeting, in December of each year. Such restricted shares will generally vest over a three-year period following the grant date in increments of 33 1⁄3% per annum; provided, however, that restricted stock will become fully vested on the earlier occurrence of: (i) the termination of the independent director’s service as a director due to his or her death or disability; or (ii) a liquidity event.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
We currently do not have a compensation committee of our Board because we do not plan to pay any compensation to our officers. There are no interlocks or insider participation as to compensation decisions required to be disclosed pursuant to SEC regulations.

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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 following table sets forth, as of March 10, 2022, the amount of our common stock beneficially owned (unless otherwise indicated) by: (i) any person who is known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of our common stock; (ii) each of our directors; (iii) each of our executive officers; and (iv) all of our directors and executive officers in the aggregate. Unless otherwise noted, the address for each of the persons or entities named in the following table is 2901 Butterfield Road, Oak Brook, Illinois 60523.
Common Stock
Beneficially Owned(1)
Name
Number of Shares
Percentage(2)
Mitchell A. Sabshon(3)
50,588
*
Donald MacKinnon(4)
27,828
*
Norman A. Feinstein
6,237
*
Cynthia Foster Curry
12,237
*
Robert N. Jenkins
6,237
*
Catherine L. Lynch
*
Roderick S. Curtis(5)
*
Andrew Winer(4)(6)
13,345
*
Matthew Donnelly(4)(6)
-
*
Cathleen M. Hrtanek(5)
*
All officers and directors as a group (10 persons)
117,672
1.1
%
*
Less than 1%
(1)
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. Under SEC rules, a person is deemed to be a “beneficial owner” of a security if that person has or shares “voting power,” which includes the power to vote, or to direct the voting of, such security, or “investment power,” which includes the right to dispose of or to direct the disposition of such security. A person also is deemed to be a beneficial owner of any securities which that person has a right to acquire within 60 days. Except as otherwise indicated by footnote, and subject to community property laws where applicable, the persons named in the table above have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock shown as beneficially owned by them.
(2)
Based on a total of 10,795,091 shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of March 10, 2022.
(3)
The shares owned by the Advisor are deemed to be beneficially owned by Mr. Sabshon. Mr. Sabshon exercises control over the Advisor but does not have sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares owned by the Advisor.
(4)
The address of such person is 375 Park Avenue, 33rd Floor, New York, New York 10152.
(5)
In March 2022, Mr. Curtis resigned as our Vice President and Secretary , and our Board appointed Ms. Hrtanek as our Secretary.
(6)
In February 2022, Mr. Winer resigned as our Chief Investment Officer , and our Board appointed Mr. Donnelly as our Chief Investment Officer.
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
The following table sets forth information regarding securities authorized for issuance under our independent director restricted share plan as of December 31, 2021:
Plan Category
Number of Securities to
be Issued Upon Exercise
of Outstanding
Options, Warrants
and Rights
Weighted Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding
Options, Warrants
and Rights
Number of Securities Remaining Available
for Future Issuance Under Equity
Compensation Plans (Excluding Securities
Reflected in Column (a))
(a)
(b)
(c)
Equity Compensation Plans approved
by security holders
-
-
541,924
Equity Compensation Plans not
approved by security holders
-
-
-
Total
-
-
541,924

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
We are subject to various conflicts of interest arising out of our relationship with the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and their affiliates (including, without limitation, the Dealer Manager) and employees, some of whom serve as our executive officers and directors. These conflicts include (1) conflicts with respect to the allocation of the time of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and their key personnel, (2) conflicts with respect to the allocation of investment opportunities and (3) conflicts related to the compensation arrangements between the Advisor, its affiliates and us. Our independent directors have an obligation to function on our behalf in all situations in which a conflict of interest may arise. All of our directors have a fiduciary obligation to act on behalf of our stockholders. We have adopted corporate governance measures to mitigate material conflict risk. Material conflicts and the corporate governance measures we have adopted to mitigate some of the risks associated with these conflicts are discussed below.
For more information on the related party transactions, including the fees paid to related parties, see “Note 11 - Transactions with Related Parties” in the notes to the financial statements below.
Interests of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and Their Affiliates in Other Real Estate Programs
We rely on the real estate professionals employed by, and acting on behalf of, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor to source and manage our investments. Certain members of the Advisor’s and the Sub-Advisor’s management teams are presently, and in the future intend to be, involved with a number of other real estate programs and activities. Existing funds that the Advisor’s and the Sub-Advisor’s management teams are involved with may directly compete with us for investment opportunities because the programs also may seek to provide investors with an attractive level of current income by means of stable distributions from investments in or related to real estate as an asset class.
The Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and their affiliates are not prohibited from engaging, directly or indirectly, in any other business or from possessing interests in any other business venture or ventures, including businesses and ventures involved in the acquisition, ownership, development, management, leasing or sale of real property or the origination, acquisition, ownership, management and disposition of real estate-related assets. None of the entities affiliated with the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor are prohibited from raising money for another entity that makes the same types of investments that we target, and we may co-invest with any such entity. Any such potential co-investment will be subject to approval by our independent directors.
Competition for Originating, Acquiring, Managing and Selling Investments
The Advisor has delegated to the Sub-Advisor the duty to identify, negotiate, originate and acquire our investments and to provide portfolio management, disposition, property management and leasing services for our assets on our behalf. As a result, certain investment opportunities may not be available to us in the future.
Our investment strategy is expected to overlap with the investment strategy of one client account managed by our Sub-Advisor or its affiliates and may overlap with others in the future. Our Sub-Advisor has prepared written investment allocation guidelines regarding the allocation of investment opportunities between us and other Sound Point accounts, which have been approved by our Advisor and our Board and are described below.
If both we and one or more other Sound Point accounts are interested in making an investment, the Sub-Advisor or its affiliates will determine which program is ultimately awarded the right to pursue the investment in accordance with the investment allocation guidelines. The Sub-Advisor is required to provide information to our Board to enable our Board, including the independent directors, to determine whether such procedures are being fairly applied to us.
Sound Point has adopted the investment allocation guidelines to address conflicts of interest arising from its allocation of investment opportunities. Sound Point will screen the suitability of each investment opportunity for each account based on the following
Screening Criteria: liquidity position (i.e., sufficiency of available cash to make and support the investment or need to raise cash); strategic investment objectives; appropriateness of investment based on current portfolio composition, including loan-type, loan-size, asset-type and geographic or borrower diversity; time horizon; tax sensitivity; and any applicable legal or regulatory restrictions, or governing document applicable covenants or asset tests/restrictions.
Since bespoke whole commercial real estate loan investments are not divisible and cannot be allocated pro rata as a general matter, Sound Point will allocate investment opportunities on a pre-determined rotational order and maintain a record of such rotations. Any new account will be added to the bottom of the rotational queue. If, upon giving due consideration to the Screening Criteria, Sound Point reasonably determines in its discretion that an investment opportunity is suitable and appropriate for only one account, the investment opportunity will be allocated to such account without regard to or any resulting effect upon the then-current rotational order. If, however, upon giving due consideration to the Screening Criteria, Sound Point reasonably determines that an investment opportunity is suitable and appropriate for two or more accounts, the investment opportunity will be allocated to the account that has not executed a written non-binding expression of interest (subject to Sound Point’s underwriting and due diligence) in providing commercial real estate debt financing related to a separate investment opportunity previously allocated to it for the longest period of time. In such instance, the account receiving allocation of such investment opportunity will thereupon be moved to the bottom of the rotational queue.
Our executive officers, certain of our directors and their affiliates also have, and may continue to, acquire or develop CRE-related assets for their own accounts. Furthermore, our executive officers, certain of our directors and their affiliates may form additional CRE-related investment programs in the future, whether public or private, which can be expected to have the same or similar investment objectives and targeted assets as we have, and such persons may be engaged in sponsoring one or more of such programs at approximately the same time as our IPO. The Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, their employees and certain of their affiliates and related parties will experience conflicts of interest as they simultaneously perform investment services for us and other real estate programs that they sponsor or have involvement with.
Allocation of Time of the Advisor’s and the Sub-Advisor’s Key Personnel
We rely on the personnel of the Advisor and its affiliates to manage our day-to-day activities, and we rely on the personnel of the Sub-Advisor to implement our investment strategy. Certain of our officers and non-independent directors are also employees of either the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor and certain of their affiliates, and these individuals are presently, and plan in the future to continue to be, involved with real estate programs and activities which are unrelated to us. As a result, these individuals may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time between us and other activities in which they are or may become involved. The Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and their employees will devote only as much of their time to our business as the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor, in their respective judgment, determine is reasonably required, which, with respect to each individual, may be substantially less than full time. Therefore, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and their employees may experience conflicts of interest in allocating management’s time and services among us and other real estate programs or business ventures that the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor or their affiliates manage. This could result in actions that are more favorable to other entities affiliated with the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor than to us. However, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor have assured us that they and their affiliates have, and will continue to have, sufficient personnel to discharge fully their responsibilities to all of the activities in which they are involved.
Receipt of Fees and Other Compensation by the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor
The Advisory Agreement is not the result of arm’s-length negotiations. As a result, the fees we agree to pay pursuant to the Advisory Agreement may exceed what we would pay to an independent third party. The Advisory Agreement has been approved by a majority of our directors, including a majority of the independent directors, not otherwise interested in the transaction as being fair and reasonable to us and on terms and conditions not less favorable than those which could be obtained from unaffiliated entities.
The Advisor will receive substantial fees from us, and the Sub-Advisor will receive substantial fees from the Advisor. These compensation arrangements could influence the Advisor’s and the Sub-Advisor’s advice to us, as well as the judgment of the personnel of the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor who serve as our officers or directors. Among other matters, the compensation arrangements could affect the judgment of the Advisor’s and the Sub-Advisor’s personnel with respect to:
•
the continuation, renewal or enforcement of the Advisory Agreement, and the amounts we pay under such agreement;
•
the advisory fee that we pay to the Advisor is based upon the valuation of our investment portfolio as determined in connection with our determination of NAV, and the Advisor has authority under certain circumstances to adjust the value of certain of our real estate-related assets;
•
the Advisor could be motivated to recommend riskier or more speculative investments in order for us to generate the specified levels of performance that would entitle the Advisor to incentive compensation through the performance component of the advisory fee; and
•
the decision to buy or sell an asset based on whether it will increase or decrease our NAV as opposed to whether it is the most suitable investment for our portfolio.
We will pay the advisory fee regardless of the quality of the services that the Advisor provides during the term of the Advisory Agreement. The Advisor, however, has a fiduciary duty to us. If the Advisor fails to act in our best interest, then it will have violated this duty. The Advisory Agreement may be terminated by us or the Advisor on 60 days’ prior written notice.
Joint Venture and Co-ownership Arrangements with Affiliates
Subject to approval by our Board and the separate approval of our independent directors, we may enter into joint ventures, participations or other arrangements with affiliates of the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor to acquire CRE debt and other CRE investments. In conjunction with any such arrangements, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor and their affiliates may have conflicts of interest in determining which of such entities should enter into any particular agreements. Our affiliated partners may have economic or business interests or goals which are or that may become inconsistent with our business interests or goals. In addition, should any such arrangements be consummated, the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor may face a conflict in structuring the terms of the relationship between our interests and the interest of the affiliated partner, in managing the arrangement and in resolving any conflicts or exercising any rights in connection with the arrangements. Since the Advisor and the Sub-Advisor will make various decisions on our behalf, agreements and transactions between the Advisor’s and the Sub-Advisor’s affiliates and us as partners with respect to any such venture will not have the benefit of arm’s-length negotiations of the type normally conducted between unrelated parties. The Advisor, the Sub-Advisor or their affiliates may receive various fees for providing services to the joint venture, including but not limited to an advisory fee, with respect to the proportionate interest in the properties held by our joint venture partners.
In evaluating investments and other management strategies, the opportunity to earn these fees may lead the Advisor or the Sub-Advisor to place undue emphasis on criteria relating to its compensation at the expense of other criteria, such as preservation of capital, in order to achieve higher short-term compensation. We may enter into ventures with the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, our directors or their affiliates for the acquisition of investments or co-investments, but only if: (i) a majority of our directors, including a majority of the independent directors, not otherwise interested in the transaction approve the transaction as being fair and reasonable to us; and (ii) the investment by us and the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, such directors or such affiliate are on substantially the same terms and conditions. If we enter into a joint venture with any of our affiliates, the fees payable to the Advisor by us would be based on our share of the investment.
Certain Conflict Resolution Measures
Our charter contains many restrictions relating to conflicts of interest, including those described below.
Advisor Compensation
The independent directors evaluate at least annually whether the compensation that we contract to pay to the Advisor is reasonable in relation to the nature and quality of services performed and whether such compensation is within the limits prescribed by our charter. The independent directors supervise the performance of the Advisor and the compensation we pay to it to determine whether the provisions of the Advisory Agreement are being carried out.
Term of Advisory Agreement
The current term of the Advisory Agreement ends December 31, 2022, subject to renewals upon mutual consent of the parties, including an affirmative vote of a majority of our independent directors, for an unlimited number of successive one-year periods. It is the duty of our Board to evaluate the performance of the Advisor before renewing the Advisory Agreement. The criteria used in these evaluations will be reflected in the minutes of the meetings of our Board in which the evaluations occur. The Advisory Agreement may be terminated without cause or penalty by us upon a vote of a majority of the independent directors, or by the Advisor, in each case by providing no fewer than 60 days’ prior written notice to the other party.
Certain Transactions with Affiliates
In order to reduce the conflicts inherent in transactions with affiliates, our charter prohibits us from purchasing, selling or leasing assets from or to the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, any of our directors or affiliates of any of the foregoing. In addition, we may not make any loans to the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, any of our directors or affiliates of any of the foregoing. Our charter also prohibits us from investing in indebtedness secured by a mortgage on real property which is subordinate to any mortgage or equity interest of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, our directors or any of our affiliates.
Our charter prohibits us from borrowing funds from the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, any of our directors or affiliates of any of the foregoing unless approved by a majority of our Board, including a majority of our independent directors, not otherwise interested in the transaction as fair, competitive and commercially reasonable, and on terms not less favorable to us than comparable loans between
unaffiliated parties under the same or similar circumstances. This prohibition on loans will only apply to advances of cash that are commonly viewed as loans, as determined by our Board. By way of example only, the prohibition on loans would not restrict advances of cash for legal expenses or other costs incurred as a result of any legal action for which indemnification is being sought, nor would the prohibition limit our ability to advance reimbursable expenses incurred by directors or officers, the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor or affiliates of any of the foregoing.
A majority of our directors, including a majority of the independent directors, not otherwise interested in the transaction, must conclude that all other transactions between us and the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, any of our directors or affiliates of any of the foregoing are fair and reasonable to us and on terms and conditions not less favorable to us than those available from unaffiliated third parties. Our independent directors are specifically charged with the duty to examine, and have examined, the fairness of such transactions, and have determined that all such transactions occurring in the year ended December 31, 2021 are fair and reasonable to us and on terms no less favorable to us than those available from unaffiliated third parties.
Our charter prohibits us from paying a fee to the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, our directors or affiliates of any of the foregoing in connection with our repurchase of our common stock.
The Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, our directors and their affiliates may not vote their shares regarding (1) the removal of any of them or (2) any transaction between them and us. In determining the requisite percentage in interest of shares necessary to approve a matter on which the Advisor, the Sub-Advisor, our directors and their affiliates may not vote, any shares owned by them will not be included.
Expense Limitation Agreement
Pursuant to an expense limitation agreement (the “Expense Limitation Agreement”) dated July 1, 2021, the Advisor and Sub-Advisor agree to waive reimbursement of or pay, on a quarterly basis, certain of the Company’s ordinary operating expenses for each class of shares to the extent necessary to ensure that the ordinary operating expenses do not exceed 1.5% of the average monthly net assets on an annualized basis (the “1.5% Expense Limit”). Amounts waived or paid by the Advisor or Sub-Advisor pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement are subject to conditional repayment on a quarterly basis by the Company during the three years following the quarter in which the expenses were incurred, but only to the extent such repayment does not cause the Company to exceed its then-current expenses limitation, if any, for such quarter. Any waiver or reimbursement by the Advisor or Sub-Advisor not repaid by the Company within the three-year period will be deemed permanently waived and not subject to repayment under the Expense Limitation Agreement. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the amount of ordinary operating expenses either submitted for reimbursement by the Advisor and Sub-Advisor or incurred by the Company directly that was subject to the Expense Limitation Agreement did not exceed the 1.5% Expense Limit.
Separately from the limitation on ordinary operating expenses under the Expense Limitation Agreement, the Advisor and Sub-Advisor voluntarily chose not to seek reimbursement for certain expenses that they incurred or paid on behalf of the Company during the year ended December 31, 2021, and for which they may have been entitled to be reimbursed.
Revolving Credit Liquidity Letter Agreements
IREIC, the Company’s sponsor, and Sound Point have agreed under separate letter agreements dated July 20, 2021, and July 15, 2021, respectively, to make revolving credit loans to the Company in an aggregate principal amount outstanding at any one time not to exceed $5,000 and $15,000, respectively (the “IREIC-Sound Point Commitments”) from time to time until the Termination Date (defined below) of the letter agreements. These letter agreements are identical to each other in all material respects other than the commitment amounts. Use of the IREIC-Sound Point Commitments is limited to satisfying requirements to maintain cash or cash equivalents under the Company’s repurchase and other borrowing arrangements. The “Termination Date” is the earliest of (i) the Maturity Dated (defined below) (ii) the first date on which the Company’s balance sheet equity is equal to or greater than $500,000, (iii) the date IREIC or one of its affiliates is no longer the Company’s Advisor or Sound Point or one of its affiliates is no longer the Company’s Sub-Advisor and (iv) such earlier date on which the commitment will terminate as provided in the letter agreements, for example, because of an event of default. The “Maturity Date” is one year from the date of the agreement, and the Maturity Date will be automatically extended every year for an additional year, unless (a) the lender delivers notice of termination 60 days prior to an anniversary of the letter agreements or (b) and Event of Default (defined below) has occurred and is continuing. Each revolving loan will bear interest at 6.00% per annum. Interest is payable in arrears when principal is paid or repaid and on the Termination Date. Each of the following constitutes an “Event of Default” under the letter agreements: (y) the Company fails to perform or observe any covenant or condition to be performed or observed under the letter agreement (including the obligation to repay a loan in full on the Termination Date) and such failure is not remedied within three business days of its receipt of notice thereof; or (z) the Company becomes insolvent or the subject of any bankruptcy proceeding.
Director Independence
For information relating to our independent directors, see Item 10, “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.
The following table presents fees for professional services rendered by KPMG for the audit of our annual financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, together with fees for audit-related services and tax services rendered by KPMG for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively (dollar amounts in thousands).
Year Ended December 31, 2021
Year Ended December 31, 2020
Audit fees(1)
$
$
Audit-related fees
-
-
Tax fees(2)
All other fees
-
-
Total
$
$
____________
(1)
Audit fees consist of fees incurred for the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements and the review of our financial statements included in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, as well as fees relating to registration statements.
(2)
Tax fees are comprised of tax compliance and tax consulting fees incurred and billed during the respective years.
Approval of Services and Fees
Our audit committee has reviewed and approved all of the fees charged by KPMG and actively monitors the relationship between audit and non-audit services provided by KPMG. The audit committee concluded that all services rendered by KPMG during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, were consistent with maintaining KPMG’s independence. Accordingly, the audit committee has approved all of the services provided by KPMG. As a matter of policy, we will not engage our primary independent registered public accounting firm for non-audit services other than “audit-related services,” as defined by the SEC, certain tax services and other permissible non-audit services except as specifically approved by the chairperson of the audit committee and presented to the full committee at its next regular meeting. We also follow limits on hiring partners of, and other professionals employed by, KPMG to ensure that the SEC’s auditor independence rules are satisfied.
The audit committee must pre-approve any engagements to render services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm and the fees charged for these services including an annual review of audit fees, audit-related fees, tax fees and other fees with specific dollar value limits for each category of service. During the year, the chairperson of the audit committee will monitor the levels of fees charged by KPMG and compare these fees to the amounts previously approved. The chairperson periodically will report the results of such monitoring to the audit committee. The audit committee also will consider on a case-by-case basis and, if appropriate, approve specific engagements that are not otherwise pre-approved. Any proposed engagement that does not fit within the definition of a pre-approved service may be presented to the chairperson of the audit committee for approval.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.
(a)(1) Financial Statements: The financial statements are contained herein on pages 86 - 114 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
(a)(2) Financial Statement Schedules: Refer to Index to Consolidated Financial Statements contained herein on page 84 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
(a)(3) Exhibits: Refer to Exhibit Index on page 80 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.