NOTES PAYABLE TO TRUSTS

During July 2005, ESS Statutory Trust III (the “Trust III”), a newly formed Delaware statutory trust and a wholly-owned, unconsolidated subsidiary of the Operating Partnership, issued an aggregate of $40,000 of preferred securities which mature on July 31, 2035. In addition, Trust III issued 1,238 of Trust common securities to the Operating Partnership for a purchase price of $1,238. On July 27, 2005, the proceeds from the sale of the preferred and common securities of $41,238 were loaned in the form of a note to the Operating Partnership (“Note 3”). Note 3 had a fixed rate of 6.91% through July 31, 2010, and then was payable at a variable rate equal to the three month LIBOR plus 2.4% per annum. Effective July 11, 2011, Trust III entered into an interest rate swap that fixed the interest rate to be paid at 5.0% per annum and matured July 11, 2018. The interest on Note 3, payable quarterly, was be used by Trust III to pay dividends on the trust preferred securities. The trust preferred securities became redeemable by Trust III with no prepayment premium on July 27, 2010.

During May 2005, ESS Statutory Trust II (the “Trust II”), a newly formed Delaware statutory trust and a wholly-owned, unconsolidated subsidiary of the Operating Partnership of the Company, issued an aggregate of $41,000 of preferred securities which mature on June 30, 2035. In addition, Trust II issued 1,269 of Trust common securities to the Operating Partnership for a purchase price of $1,269. On May 24, 2005, the proceeds from the sale of the preferred and common securities of $42,269 were loaned in the form of a note to the Operating Partnership (“Note 2”). Note 2 had a fixed rate of 6.7% through June 30, 2010, and then was payable at a variable rate equal to the three month LIBOR plus 2.4% per annum. Effective July 11, 2011, Trust II entered into an interest rate swap that fixed the interest rate to be paid at 5.0% per annum and matured July 11, 2018. The interest on Note 2, payable quarterly, was be used by Trust II to pay dividends on the trust preferred securities. The trust preferred securities became redeemable by Trust II with no prepayment premium on June 30, 2010.

During April 2005, ESS Statutory Trust I (the “Trust”), a newly formed Delaware statutory trust and a wholly-owned, unconsolidated subsidiary of the Operating Partnership of the Company issued an aggregate of $35,000 of trust preferred securities which mature on June 30, 2035. In addition, Trust issued 1,083 of Trust common securities to the Operating Partnership for a purchase price of $1,083. On April 8, 2005, the proceeds from the sale of the trust preferred and common securities of $36,083 were loaned in the form of a note to the Operating Partnership (the “Note”). The Note has a variable rate equal to the three month LIBOR plus 2.3% per annum. Effective June 30, 2010, Trust entered into an interest rate swap that fixed the interest rate to be paid at 5.1% per annum and matured on June 30, 2018. The interest on the Note, payable quarterly, will be used by Trust to pay dividends on the trust preferred securities. The trust preferred securities are redeemable by Trust with no prepayment premium.

Trust, Trust II and Trust III (together, the “Trusts”) are VIEs because the holders of the equity investment at risk (the trust preferred securities) do not have the power to direct the activities of the entities that most significantly affect the entities’ economic performance because of their lack of voting or similar rights. Because the Operating Partnership’s investment in the Trusts’ common securities was financed directly by the Trusts as a result of its loan of the proceeds to the Operating Partnership, that investment is not considered to be an equity investment at risk. The Operating Partnership’s investment in the Trusts is not a variable interest because equity interests are variable interests only to the extent that the investment is considered to be at risk, and therefore the Operating Partnership cannot be the primary beneficiary of the Trusts. Since the Company is not the primary beneficiary of the Trusts, they have not been consolidated. A debt obligation has been recorded in the form of notes as discussed above for the proceeds, which are owed to the Trusts by the Company. The Company has also recorded its investment in the Trusts’ common securities as other assets.

During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company repaid a total principal amount of $88,662, representing all of the notes payable to Trust III, all of the notes payable to Trust II, and all but $30,928 of the notes payable to Trust. The Trusts used the proceeds from these repayments to redeem their preferred and common securities.

The Company has not provided financing or other support during the periods presented to the Trusts that it was not previously contractually obligated to provide. The Company’s maximum exposure to loss as a result of its involvement with the Trusts is equal to the total amount of the notes discussed above less the amounts of the Company’s investments in the Trusts’ common securities. The net amount is the notes payable that the Trusts owe to third parties for their investments in the Trusts’ preferred securities.

The notes payable to trusts are presented net of unamortized deferred financing costs of $0 and $2,146 as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Following is a tabular comparison of the liabilities the Company has recorded as a result of its involvements with the Trusts to the maximum exposure to loss the Company is subject to related to the Trusts as of December 31, 2018:



	Notes payable to Trusts		Investment Balance		Maximum exposure to loss		Difference
Trust	$	30,928	$	928	$	30,000	$	—