11. EQUITY STRUCTURE AND ACCOUNTS

A description of the IPO Transactions is included in Note 1. In addition, a description of the distribution policies of and accounting for the predecessor capital structure is also included later in this Note.

Subsequent to the IPO Transactions, the Company has two classes of common stock, Class A and Class B, which are described as follows:

Class A Common Stock

Voting Rights

Holders of shares of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted upon by the shareholders. The holders of Class A common stock do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors.

Dividend Rights

Subject to the rights of the holders of any preferred stock that may be outstanding and any contractual or statutory restrictions, holders of Class A common stock are entitled to receive equally and ratably, share for share, dividends as may be declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available to pay dividends. Dividends upon Class A common stock may be declared by the board of directors at any regular or special meeting and may be paid in cash, in property, or in shares of capital stock. Before payment of any dividend, there may be set aside out of any funds available for dividends, such sums as the board of directors deems proper as reserves to meet contingencies, or for equalizing dividends, or for repairing or maintaining any of the Company’s property, or for any proper purpose, and the board of directors may modify or abolish any such reserve.

Liquidation Rights

Upon liquidation, dissolution, distribution of assets or other winding up, the holders of Class A common stock are entitled to receive ratably the assets available for distribution to the shareholders after payment of liabilities and the liquidation preference of any outstanding shares of preferred stock.

Other Matters

The shares of Class A common stock have no preemptive or conversion rights and are not subject to further calls or assessment by the Company. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the Class A common stock. All outstanding shares of Class A common stock are fully paid and non-assessable.

Allocation of Income and Loss

Income and losses are allocated among the shareholders based upon the number of shares outstanding.

Class B Common Stock

Voting Rights

Holders of shares of Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record by such holder and all matters submitted to a vote of shareholders. Holders of shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our shareholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

No Dividend or Liquidation Rights

Holders of Class B common stock do not have any right to receive dividends or to receive a distribution upon a liquidation or winding up of Ladder Capital Corp.

Exchange for Class A Common Stock

Pursuant to the Third Amended and Restated LLLP Agreement of LCFH, the Continuing LCFH Limited Partners may from time to time, subject to certain conditions, exchange one Series REIT LP Unit, one of either a Series TRS LP Unit or a TRS Share, and one share of the Company’s Class B common stock for one share of the Company’s Class A common stock, subject to equitable adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends and reclassifications.

In 2014, 874,374 LP Units were exchanged for 874,374 shares of Class A common stock and 874,374 shares of Class B common stock were canceled. We received no other consideration in connection with these exchanges.

As part of the REIT Structuring Transactions described in Note 1, the provisions for exchange for Class A Common Stock were amended to require (for each share of the Class A Common to be received) the exchanging party to surrender (i) one share of the Company’s Class B common stock, (ii) one Series REIT LP Unit and (iii) either one Series TRS LP Unit or one TRS Share.

During the year ended December 31, 2015, 3,586,546 Series REIT LP Units and 3,586,546 Series TRS LP Units were collectively exchanged for 3,586,546 shares of Class A common stock and 3,586,546 shares of Class B common stock were canceled. We received no other consideration in connection with these exchanges.

Stock Repurchases

Our Board Authorization Policy, adopted by the board of directors on October 30, 2014, authorizes the Company to make up to $50.0 million in repurchases of the Company’s Class A common stock from time to time without further approval. Stock repurchases by the Company are generally made for cash in open market transactions at prevailing market prices but may also be made in privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. The timing and amount of purchases are determined based upon prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors. As of December 31, 2015, the Company has a remaining amount available for repurchase of $49.0 million, which represents 7.1% in the aggregate of its outstanding Class A common stock, based on the closing price of $12.42 per share on such date.

The following table is a summary of the Company’s repurchase activity of its Class A common stock during the year ended December 31, 2015 ($ in thousands):



	Shares	Amount(1)

Authorizations remaining as of December 31, 2014		$	50,000
Additional authorizations		—
Repurchases paid	84,203	(994		)
Repurchases unsettled		—
Authorizations remaining as of December 31, 2015		$	49,006

(1) Amount excludes commissions paid associated with share repurchases.

Dividends

In order for the Company to maintain its qualification as a REIT under the Code, it must annually distribute at least 90% of its taxable income and, for 2015, must distribute its undistributed accumulated earnings and profits attributable to taxable periods prior to January 1, 2015 (the “E&P Distribution”). The Company has therefore paid and in the future intends to declare regular quarterly distributions to its shareholders in an amount approximating our net taxable income.

Pursuant to the Company’s Private Letter Ruling it may, subject to a cash/stock election by its shareholders, pay a portion of its dividends in stock, to provide for meaningful capital retention; however, the REIT distribution requirements limit its ability to retain earnings and thereby replenish or increase capital for operations. The timing and amount of future distributions is based on a number of factors, including, among other things, the Company’s future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition and contractual restrictions. All dividend declarations are subject to the approval of the Company’s board of directors. Generally, the Company expects its distributions to be taxable as ordinary dividends to its shareholders, whether paid in cash or a combination of cash and common stock, and not as a tax-free return of capital or a capital gain. The Company believes that its significant capital resources and access to financing will provide it with financial flexibility at levels sufficient to meet current and anticipated capital requirements, including funding new investment opportunities, paying distributions to its shareholders and servicing our debt obligations.

The following table presents dividends declared (on a per share basis) of Class A common stock for the year ended December 31, 2015:



Declaration Date	Dividend per Share

March 12, 2015	$	0.250
June 8, 2015	0.250
September 1, 2015	0.275
December 1, 2015	1.450		(1)
Total	$	2.225

(1) On November 30, 2015, our board of directors approved the fourth quarter 2015 dividend of $1.45 per share of our Class A common stock in order to meet our annual REIT taxable income distribution requirement and our one time E&P Distribution requirement.

The following table presents the tax treatment for our aggregate distributions per share of common stock paid for the year ended December 31, 2015:



Record Date	Payment Date		Dividend per Share		Ordinary Dividends		Qualified Dividends (1)		Capital Gain		Unrecaptured 1250 Gain (2)

April 6, 2015	April 15, 2015		$	0.250	$	0.250	$	0.250	$	—	$	—
June 15, 2015	July 1, 2015		0.250		0.250		0.250		—		—
September 10, 2015	October 1, 2015		0.275		0.275		0.275		—		—
December 10, 2015	January 21, 2016	(3)	1.450		1.306		0.156		0.144		0.020
Total			$	2.225	$	2.081	$	0.931	$	0.144	$	0.020

(1) The fourth quarter dividend paid on January 21, 2016 is considered a 2015 dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

(2) For 2015, Qualified Dividends represents the portion of total Ordinary Dividends which constitutes "qualified dividend income", as defined by the Internal Revenue Code.

(3) For 2015, Unrecaptured 1250 Gain represents the portion of total Capital Gain which constitutes gain required to be taxed as "Unrecaptured Section 1250 Gain", as defined by the Internal Revenue Code.

Stock Dividend and Distribution of Accumulated Earnings and Profits

In order to qualify as a REIT the Company must annually distribute at least 90% of its taxable income. In addition, the Company is required to make a one-time distribution of its undistributed accumulated earnings and profits attributable to taxable periods ending prior to January 1, 2015 (the “E&P Distribution”). The E&P Distribution requirement was $48.3 million or $0.90 per share. Pursuant to the terms of an IRS private letter ruling (the “Private Letter Ruling”), the Company elected, subject to the cash/stock election by its shareholders described below, to pay its fourth quarter dividend in a mix of cash and stock and have such dividend be treated as a taxable distribution to its shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

In order to comply with the Private Letter Ruling, shareholders had the option to elect to receive the fourth quarter 2015 dividend in all cash (a “Cash Election”), or all shares of Ladder’s Class A common stock (a “Share Election”). Shareholders who did not return an election form, or who otherwise failed to properly complete an election form, were deemed to have made a Share Election. The total amount of cash paid to all shareholders was limited to a maximum of 20% of the total value of the fourth quarter 2015 dividend (the “Cash Amount”). The aggregate amount of the dividend owed to shareholders who made Cash Elections exceeded the Cash Amount, and accordingly, the Cash Amount was prorated among such shareholders, with the remaining portion of the fourth quarter 2015 dividend paid to such shareholders in shares of Ladder’s Class A common stock plus cash in lieu of any fractional shares. Shareholders making Stock Elections received the full amount of the dividend in shares of Ladder’s Class A common stock plus cash in lieu of any fractional shares. The Company believes that the total value of its 2015 dividends was sufficient to fully distribute its 2015 taxable income and its accumulated earnings and profits.

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

The following table presents changes in accumulated other comprehensive income related to the cumulative difference between the fair market value and the carrying value of CMBS for the year ended December 31, 2015 ($ in thousands):



	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)			Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income of Noncontrolling Interests			Total Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

December 31, 2014	$	15,656		$	14,494		$	30,150
Other comprehensive income (loss)	(20,046		)	(16,499		)	(36,545		)
Exchange of noncontrolling interest for common stock	645			(645		)	—
Rebalancing of ownership percentage between Company and Operating Partnership	189			(189		)	—
December 31, 2015	$	(3,556	)	$	(2,839	)	$	(6,395	)

Capitalized Offering Costs

As described in Note 1, the Company completed an IPO of its Class A Common Stock on February 11, 2014. Costs directly attributable to the Company’s IPO of $20.5 million were capitalized and charged against the proceeds of the IPO once completed.

Predecessor Capital Structure

The capital structure discussed below is reflective of LCFH’s structure as it existed at February 11, 2014, immediately prior to the Reorganization Transactions described in Note 1. Immediately following the Reorganization Transactions, with the exception of the discussions regarding quarterly tax distributions, the provisions set forth below no longer apply.

Cash Distributions to Predecessor Partners

Distributions (other than tax distributions which are described below) will be made in the priorities described below at such times and in such amounts as determined by the Company’s board of directors. All capitalized items used in this section but not defined shall have the respective meanings given to such capitalized terms in the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Limited Partnership Agreement of LCFH dated as of August 9, 2011, as amended (the “LLLP Agreement”):


•	First, to the holders of Series A and Series B participating preferred units pro rata based on the capital account of each such holder’s interests, until the Series A and Series B participating preferred unit holders have each received an amount equivalent to their respective capital accounts; then


•	Second, 20% to the common unit holders, and 80% to the holders of Series A participating preferred units, until the Series A participating preferred unit holders have each received an amount equivalent to $124 per unit; and


•	Thereafter, 20% to common unit holders, and 80% to the holders of Series A and Series B participating preferred units, pro rata based on the units held by each holder.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, subject to available liquidity as determined by Company’s board of directors, the Company intends to make quarterly tax distributions equal to a partner’s “Quarterly Estimated Tax Amount,” which shall be computed (as more fully described in the LLLP Agreement) for each partner as the product of (x) the U.S. federal taxable income (or alternative minimum taxable income, as the case may be) allocated by the Company to such partner in respect of the partnership interests of the Company held by such partner and (y) the highest marginal blended U.S. federal, state and local income tax rate applicable to an individual residing in New York, NY, taking into account for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the deductibility of state and local taxes.

Allocation of Income and Loss

Income and losses and comprehensive income are allocated among the partners in a manner to reflect as closely as possible the amount each partner would be distributed under the LLLP Agreement upon liquidation of the Operating Partnership’s assets.