COMMERCIAL LOANS AND INVESTMENTS

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

COMMERCIAL LOANS AND INVESTMENTS

COMMERCIAL LOANS AND INVESTMENTS

NOTE 4. COMMERCIAL LOANS AND INVESTMENTS

Our investments in commercial loans or similarly structured investments, such as preferred equity, mezzanine loans or other subordinated debt, have been and are expected to continue to be secured by real estate or the borrower’s pledge of its ownership interest in the entity that owns the real estate. The investments are associated with commercial real estate located in the United States and its territories, and are current or performing with either a fixed or floating rate. Some of these loans may be syndicated in either a pari-passu or senior/subordinated structure. Commercial first mortgage loans generally provide for a higher recovery rate due to their senior position in the underlying collateral. Commercial mezzanine loans are typically secured by a pledge of the borrower’s equity ownership in the underlying commercial real estate. Unlike a mortgage, a mezzanine loan is not secured by a lien on the property. An investor’s rights in a mezzanine loan are usually governed by an intercreditor agreement that provides holders with the rights to cure defaults and exercise control on certain decisions of any senior debt secured by the same commercial property.

2023 Activity. On February 21, 2023, the borrower of the 4311 Maple Avenue mortgage note repaid the principal balance of $0.4 million, leaving no remaining balance outstanding as of September 30, 2023.

On March 1, 2023, the Company originated a $15.0 million first mortgage loan secured by the Founders Square property located in Dallas, Texas. The loan is interest-only with a term of three years with a fixed interest rate of 8.75%. The Company received an origination fee of 1.0% or $0.15 million.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company funded $2.2 million to the borrower and received $0.6 million in principal repayments under the construction loan originated in January 2022 and secured by the property and improvements to be constructed thereon for the second phase of The Exchange at Gwinnett project located in Buford, Georgia. As of September 30, 2023, there is no remaining commitment to the borrower.

Watters Creek Investment. On April 7, 2022, the Company entered into a preferred equity agreement to provide $30.0 million of funding towards the total investment in Watters Creek at Montgomery Farm, a grocery-anchored, mixed-use property located in Allen, Texas (the “Watters Creek Investment”). The Watters Creek Investment matures on April 6, 2025, has two one-year extension options, bears a fixed interest rate of 8.50% at the time of acquisition with increases during the initial term as well as the option terms, and requires payments of interest only prior to maturity. At closing, an origination fee of $0.15 million was received by the Company. The Watters Creek Investment represents $30.0 million, or approximately 23%, of funding towards the total investment in Watters Creek at Montgomery Farm, a grocery-anchored, mixed-use property located in Allen, Texas (the “Watters Creek Property”). The remaining funding is comprised of a combination of third-party sponsorship equity and a secured first mortgage.

The Company’s variable interest in the entity underlying the Watters Creek Investment is primarily due to the inherent credit risk associated with the $30.0 million fixed-return preferred investment. The day-to-day operations, including asset management and leasing, of the Watters Creek Property are managed by an unrelated third-party. Pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 810, Consolidation, the Company determined we are not the primary beneficiary of the entity underlying the Watters Creek Investment; accordingly, the entity was not consolidated. The investment was recorded in the consolidated balance sheets as a commercial loan investment at the time of acquisition. The significant factors related to this determination included, but were not limited to, the Company not having the power to direct the activities of the entity underlying the Watters Creek Investment due to (i) the day-to-day operations being managed by an unrelated third-party and (ii) the Company’s position as minority lender with fixed returns and maturity dates for the repayment of the $30.0 million preferred investment.

The Company’s commercial loans and investments were comprised of the following at September 30, 2023 (in thousands):

Description	Date of Investment	Maturity Date	Original Face Amount		Current Face Amount		Carrying Value		Coupon Rate
Construction Loan – The Exchange At Gwinnett – Buford, GA	January 2022	January 2024	$	8,700	$	1,857	$	1,848	7.25%
Preferred Investment – Watters Creek – Allen, TX	April 2022	April 2025		30,000		30,000		29,924	8.75%
Mortgage Note – Founders Square – Dallas, TX	March 2023	March 2026		15,000		15,000		14,879	8.75%
Promissory Note – Main Street – Daytona Beach, FL	June 2023	May 2033		400		400		400	7.00%
			$	54,100	$	47,257	$	47,051
CECL Reserve								(479)
Total Commercial Loans and Investments							$	46,572

With respect to the $1.5 million improvement loan at Ashford Lane originated in May 2022, during the nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company took possession of the improvements that were funded by such loan pursuant to the applicable security agreement and, accordingly, the carrying value of the investment was reclassified as building and improvements.

The Company’s commercial loans and investments were comprised of the following at December 31, 2022 (in thousands):

Description	Date of Investment	Maturity Date	Original Face Amount		Current Face Amount		Carrying Value		Coupon Rate
Mortgage Note – 4311 Maple Avenue – Dallas, TX	October 2020	April 2023	$	400	$	400	$	395	7.50%
Construction Loan – The Exchange At Gwinnett – Buford, GA	January 2022	January 2024		8,700		220		173	7.25%
Preferred Investment - Watters Creek – Allen, TX	April 2022	April 2025		30,000		30,000		29,887	8.50%
Improvement Loan - Ashford Lane – Atlanta, GA	May 2022	April 2025		1,500		1,453		1,453	12.00%
			$	40,600	$	32,073	$	31,908

The carrying value of the commercial loans and investments portfolio at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 consisted of the following (in thousands):

	As of
	September 30, 2023		December 31, 2022
Current Face Amount	$	47,257	$	32,073
Unaccreted Origination Fees		(206)		(161)
CECL Reserve		(479)		(4)
Total Commercial Loans and Investments	$	46,572	$	31,908