Note 15 - Uncertainties

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2022

Notes to Financial Statements

Uncertainties [Text Block]

15. Uncertainties

On  March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the current coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak to be a global pandemic. In response to this declaration and the rapid spread of COVID-19 within the United States, federal, state and local governments throughout the country imposed varying degrees of restrictions on social and commercial activity to promote social distancing in an effort to slow the spread of the illness. These measures have had a significant adverse impact upon many sectors of the economy.

As a result of these measures, many non-essential retail commerce across the country experienced significant disruption causing severely reduced sales volume. S&L, who distributes its products through these potentially impacted retail channels, has experienced and may continue to experience a reduction in sales volume as a result of these measures. Whereas most state and local governments have begun to ease restrictions on commercial retail activity, it is possible that a resurgence in COVID-19 cases could prompt a return to tighter restrictions in certain areas of the country. Furthermore, the economic recession brought on by the pandemic  may have a continuing adverse impact on consumer demand for S&L’s products. Therefore, uncertainty remains regarding the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak upon the future results of operations of S&L and its corresponding impact to the collectability of the S&L Note.

Despite the restrictions and measures by federal, state, and local governments in response to COVID-19, many of the U.S. Government tenant agencies of HC Realty’s properties were deemed essential. All of HC Realty’s revenue is generated through the receipt of rental payments from U.S. Government tenant agencies. The extent, however, of future COVID-19 disruption is highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. It is possible that with a resurgence in COVID-19 cases resulting in tighter restriction that risks to HC Realty’s operations become heightened.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the Company’s title operations at NCTIC and Omega to modify its business practices (including employee travel, employee work locations and cancellation of physical participation in meetings, events and conferences). The COVID-19 pandemic and any of its variants could continue to affect the Company in a number of ways including, but not limited to, the impact on employees becoming ill, quarantined, or otherwise unable to work or travel due to illness or governmental restriction, potential decreases in net premiums written in the future, and future fluctuations in the Company's investment portfolio due to the pandemic and the economic disruption it is causing. Because of the inherent uncertainty regarding the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic (including any of its variants) and its effects on the economy, as well as uncertainty regarding the effects of government measures already taken, and which may be taken or continued in the future, to combat the spread of the virus and any of its variants, and/or provide additional economic stimulus, the Company is currently unable to predict the ultimate impact of the pandemic on the title operations.

The Company continues to evaluate the impact of these measures on our operational and financial performance, specifically the impact on S&L, HC Realty, and NCTIC and Omega’s operations.  During the first quarter of 2022, the Company did not receive its contractual payments on the S&L Note largely as a result of the impacts that COVID-19 had to S&L’s operations and its customers.  Management used these facts in our analysis of the impairment of the S&L note during the period ended March 31, 2022. 

As of March 31, 2022, the Company has not experienced any adverse impacts to the payment of HC Realty’s common stock and Series B Stock dividends.