ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition to historical data, this discussion and analysis contains forward looking statements about our business, operations and financial performance based on current expectations that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those in this discussion and analysis as a result of various factors, including but not limited to those discussed in Part, 1. Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Introduction
Blackstone Mortgage Trust is a real estate finance company that originates senior loans collateralized by commercial real estate in North America, Europe, and Australia. Our portfolio is composed primarily of loans secured by high-quality, institutional assets in major markets, sponsored by experienced, well-capitalized real estate investment owners and operators. These senior loans are capitalized by accessing a variety of financing options, including borrowing under our credit facilities, issuing CLOs or single-asset securitizations, and corporate financing, depending on our view of the most prudent financing option available for each of our investments. We are not in the business of buying or trading securities, and the only securities we own are the retained interests from our securitization financing transactions, which we have not financed. We are externally managed by BXMT Advisors L.L.C., or our Manager, a subsidiary of Blackstone Inc., or Blackstone, and are a real estate investment trust, or REIT, traded on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol “BXMT.”
We benefit from the deep knowledge, experience and information advantages of our Manager, which is a part of Blackstone’s real estate platform. Blackstone has built the world's preeminent global real estate business, with a proven track record of successfully navigating market cycles and emerging stronger through periods of volatility. The market-leading real estate expertise derived from the strength of the Blackstone platform deeply informs our credit and underwriting process, and we believe gives us the tools to expertly manage the assets in our portfolio and work with our borrowers throughout periods of economic stress and uncertainty.
We conduct our operations as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. 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 to stockholders and maintain our qualification as a REIT. We also operate our business in a manner that permits us to maintain an exclusion from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. We are organized as a holding company and conduct our business primarily through our various subsidiaries.
Recent Developments
Macroeconomic Environment
The year ended December 31, 2023 has been characterized by continued volatility in global markets, driven by investor concerns over inflation, rising interest rates, slowing economic growth, political and regulatory uncertainty and geopolitical conditions. Events affecting financial institutions during the year also contributed to volatility in global markets and diminished liquidity and credit availability.
During 2023, inflation began to moderate as a result of the monetary policy tightening actions taken by central banks, including raising interest rates. While it is anticipated that central banks may begin to lower interest rates in 2024, interest rates may remain at or near recent highs, which creates further uncertainty for the economy and for our borrowers. Although our business model is such that higher interest rates will, all else equal, correlate to higher net income, interest rates remaining elevated for an extended period of time may adversely affect our existing borrowers and lead to non-performance, as higher costs may dampen consumer spending and slow corporate profit growth, which may negatively impact the collateral underlying certain of our loans. Additionally, higher interest rates could adversely affect commercial real estate property values. It remains difficult to predict the full impact of recent events and any future changes in interest rates or inflation.
Reference Rate Reform
LIBOR and certain other floating rate benchmark indices have been the subject of national, international and regulatory guidance and proposals for reform or replacement. The Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference
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Rates Committee, a steering committee composed of large U.S. financial institutions, identified SOFR, an index calculated using short-term repurchase agreements backed by U.S. Treasury securities, as its preferred alternative rate for USD LIBOR. As of December 31, 2023, all of our floating rate loans and related financings have transitioned to the applicable replacement benchmark rate, or reference a benchmark rate that is not expected to be replaced.
Refer to “Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Lending and Investment Activities—The transition away from reference rates and the use of alternative replacement reference rates may adversely affect net interest income related to our loans and investments or otherwise adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and the market value of our investments.” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
2023 Highlights
Operating results:
•Net income of $246.6 million, or $1.43 per share, and Distributable Earnings of $526.3 million, or $3.05 per share, with dividends declared of $427.9 million, or $2.48 per share. During the year we had dividend coverage of 58% and 123% based on our GAAP net income and Distributable Earnings, respectively. Net income includes a$249.8 million increase to the current expected credit loss, or CECL, reserve that is excluded from Distributable Earnings, as further described below.
•Book value per share of $25.16 as of December 31, 2023, which is net of cumulative CECL reserves of $3.41 per share.
Loan portfolio:
•Portfolio of 178 investments as of December 31, 2023, with a weighted-average origination loan-to-value ratio of 63.6% and weighted-average all-in yield of + 3.66%.
•During the year we had $3.8 billion of loan repayments and sales at an average of 99.99% of par, including $962.7 million of office loans.
•93% of loans, based on net loan exposure, are performing as of December 31, 2023. 99.9% of interest income recognized during the year was paid current. No income has been recorded on our non-performing loans subsequent to determining that they were impaired.
Capital markets, financing, and liquidity:
•As of December 31, 2023, we had total liquidity of $1.7 billionwith no corporate debt maturities until 2026.
•During the year ended December 31, 2023, we (i) repaid the aggregate $220.0 million principal amount of our 4.75% convertible senior notes due 2023 at maturity, (ii) repurchased an aggregate principal amount of $33.9 million of our Senior Secured Notes at a weighted-average price of 85%, resulting in a gain on extinguishment of debt of $4.6 million, and (iii) repaid a net $1.2 billion under our portfolio financings, resulting in an aggregate $1.4 billion reduction in our portfolio and corporate financings during the year. This resulted in a decrease in our debt-to-equity ratio to 3.7x from 3.8x.
•We maintained the cost of our portfolio financings throughout the year, with a weighted-average spread of +1.89% on our $12.7 billion of secured debt, as of December 31, 2023, relative to +1.85% as of December 31, 2022.
I. Key Financial Measures and Indicators
As a real estate finance company, we believe the key financial measures and indicators for our business are earnings per share, dividends declared, Distributable Earnings, and book value per share. For the three months ended December 31, 2023, we recorded a basic net loss per share of $0.01, declared a dividend of $0.62 per share, and reported $0.69 per share of Distributable Earnings. In addition, our book value as of December 31, 2023 was $25.16 per share, which is net of cumulative CECL reserves of $3.41 per share. For the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded earnings per share of $1.43, declared aggregate dividends of $2.48 per share, and reported $3.05 per share of Distributable Earnings.
As further described below, Distributable Earnings is a measure that is not prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP. Distributable Earnings helps us to evaluate our performance excluding the effects of certain transactions and GAAP adjustments that we believe are not necessarily indicative of our current loan portfolio and operations. In addition, Distributable Earnings is a performance metric we consider when declaring our dividends.
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Earnings Per Share and Dividends Declared
The following table sets forth the calculation of basic net (loss) income per share and dividends declared per share ($ in thousands, except per share data):
Three Months Ended Year Ended December 31,
Per share amount, basic $ (0.01) $ 1.43 $ 1.46
Dividends declared per share $ 0.62 $ 2.48 $ 2.48
(1)Represents net (loss) income attributable to Blackstone Mortgage Trust. Refer to Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for the calculation of diluted net income per share.
Distributable Earnings
Distributable Earnings is a non-GAAP measure, which we define as GAAP net income (loss), including realized gains and losses not otherwise recognized in current period GAAP net income (loss), and excluding (i) non-cash equity compensation expense, (ii) depreciation and amortization, (iii) unrealized gains (losses), and (iv) certain non-cash items. Distributable Earnings may also be adjusted from time to time to exclude one-time events pursuant to changes in GAAP and certain other non-cash charges as determined by our Manager, subject to approval by a majority of our independent directors. Distributable Earnings mirrors the terms of our management agreement between our Manager and us, or our Management Agreement, for purposes of calculating our incentive fee expense.
Our CECL reserves have been excluded from Distributable Earnings consistent with other unrealized gains (losses) pursuant to our existing policy for reporting Distributable Earnings. We expect to only recognize such potential credit losses in Distributable Earnings if and when such amounts are realized and deemed non-recoverable upon a realization event. This is generally at the time a loan is repaid, or in the case of foreclosure, when the underlying asset is sold, but realization and non-recoverability may also be concluded if, in our determination, it is nearly certain that all amounts due will not be collected. The timing of any such credit loss realization in our Distributable Earnings may differ materially from the timing of CECL reserves or charge-offs in our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. The realized loss amount reflected in Distributable Earnings will equal the difference between the cash received, or expected to be received, and the book value of the asset, and is reflective of our economic experience as it relates to the ultimate realization of the loan.
We believe that Distributable Earnings provides meaningful information to consider in addition to our net income (loss) and cash flow from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP. We believe Distributable Earnings is a useful financial metric for existing and potential future holders of our class A common stock as historically, over time, Distributable Earnings has been a strong indicator of our dividends per share. As a REIT, we generally must distribute annually at least 90% of our net taxable income, subject to certain adjustments, and therefore we believe our dividends are one of the principal reasons stockholders may invest in our class A common stock. Refer to Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our distribution requirements as a REIT. Further, Distributable Earnings helps us to evaluate our performance excluding the effects of certain transactions and GAAP adjustments that we believe are not necessarily indicative of our current loan portfolio and operations, and is a performance metric we consider when declaring our dividends.
Distributable Earnings does not represent net income (loss) or cash generated from operating activities and should not be considered as an alternative to GAAP net income (loss), or an indication of our GAAP cash flows from operations, a measure of our liquidity, or an indication of funds available for our cash needs. In addition, our methodology for calculating Distributable Earnings may differ from the methodologies employed by other companies to calculate the same or similar supplemental performance measures, and accordingly, our reported Distributable Earnings may not be comparable to the Distributable Earnings reported by other companies.
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The following table provides a reconciliation of Distributable Earnings to GAAP net (loss) income ($ in thousands, except per share data):
Three Months Ended Year Ended December 31,
Realized hedging and foreign currency loss, net(2) (1,557) (766) (3,239)
Adjustments attributable to non-controlling interests, net (83) (35) (361)
Distributable Earnings per share, basic $ 0.69 $ 3.05 $ 2.87
(1)Represents net (loss) income attributable to Blackstone Mortgage Trust.
(2)Represents realized losses on the repatriation of unhedged foreign currency. These amounts were not included in GAAP net (loss) income, but rather as a component of other comprehensive income in our consolidated financial statements.
(3)The weighted-average shares outstanding, basic, exclude shares issuable from a potential conversion of our convertible notes then outstanding. Consistent with the treatment of other unrealized adjustments to Distributable Earnings, these potentially issuable shares are excluded until a conversion occurs. Refer to Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for the calculation of diluted net income per share.
Book Value Per Share
The following table calculates our book value per share ($ in thousands, except per share data):
Shares
(1)The book value per share excludes shares issuable from a potential conversion of our convertible notes then outstanding. Refer to Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for the calculation of diluted net income per share.
II. Loan Portfolio
During the year ended December 31, 2023, loan fundings totaled $1.6 billion and loan repayments and sales totaled $3.8 billion, for net repayments of $2.2 billion. We generated interest income of $2.0 billion and incurred interest expense of $1.4 billion during the year, which resulted in $670.7 million of net interest income during the year ended December 31, 2023.
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Portfolio Overview
The following table details our loan origination activity ($ in thousands):
Three Months Ended December 31, 2023 Year Ended December 31, 2023
(1)Includes new loan originations and additional commitments made under existing loans.
(2)Loan fundings during the three months and year ended December 31, 2023, include $36.1 million and $294.1 million, respectively, of additional fundings under related non-consolidated senior interests.
(3)Loan repayments and sales during the year ended December 31, 2023, include $795.8 million of additional repayments or reduction of loan exposure under related non-consolidated senior interests. Additionally, loan repayments and sales during the three months and year ended December 31, 2023 include $50.0 million and $100.7 million, respectively, of sales of junior loan interests.
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The following table details overall statistics for our loan portfolio as of December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):
Balance SheetPortfolio LoanExposure(1)
Weighted-average cash coupon(3) + 3.37 % + 3.31 %
Weighted-average all-in yield(3) + 3.71 % + 3.66 %
Weighted-average maximum maturity (years)(4) 2.4 2.4
Origination loan to value (LTV)(5) 63.6 % 63.6 %
(1)Total loan exposure reflects our aggregate exposure to each loan investment. As of December 31, 2023, total loan exposure, includes (i) loans with an outstanding principal balance of $23.9 billion that are included in our consolidated financial statements, (ii) $1.1 billion of non-consolidated senior interests in loans we have sold, which are not included in our consolidated financial statements, and excludes (iii) $100.9 million of junior loan interests that we have sold, but that remain included in our consolidated financial statements. We have retained an aggregate $289.4 million of subordinate mezzanine loans, as of December 31, 2023, related to non-consolidated senior interests that are included in our balance sheet portfolio.
(2)Unfunded commitments will primarily be funded to finance our borrowers’ construction or development of real estate-related assets, capital improvements of existing assets, or lease-related expenditures. These commitments will generally be funded over the term of each loan, subject in certain cases to an expiration date. Excludes $381.2 million of unfunded loan commitments related to our non-consolidated senior interests, as these commitments will not require cash outlays from us.
(3)The weighted-average cash coupon and all-in yield are expressed as a spread over the relevant floating benchmark rates, which include SOFR, SONIA, EURIBOR, and other indices as applicable to each investment. As of December 31, 2023, 99% of our loans by total loan exposure earned a floating rate of interest, primarily indexed to SOFR, and the remaining 1% of our loans earn a fixed rate of interest. Floating rate exposure includes an interest rate swap we entered into with a notional amount of $229.9 million that effectively converts certain of our fixed rate loan exposure to floating rate exposure. In addition to cash coupon, all-in yield includes the amortization of deferred origination and extension fees, loan origination costs, and purchase discounts, as well as the accrual of exit fees. Excludes loans accounted for under the cost-recovery method.
(4)Maximum maturity assumes all extension options are exercised by the borrower, however our loans and other investments may be repaid prior to such date. As of December 31, 2023,16% of our loans by total loan exposure were subject to yield maintenance or other prepayment restrictions and 84% were open to repayment by the borrower without penalty.
(5)Based on LTV as of the dates loans were originated or acquired by us, excluding any junior participations sold.
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The following table details the index rate floors for our loan portfolio based on total loan exposure as of December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):
Total Loan Exposure(1)
Index Rate Floors USD Non-USD(2) Total
(1)Total loan exposure reflects our aggregate exposure to each loan investment. As of December 31, 2023, total loan exposure, includes (i) loans with an outstanding principal balance of $23.9 billion that are included in our consolidated financial statements, (ii) $1.1 billion of non-consolidated senior interests in loans we have sold, which are not included in our consolidated financial statements, and excludes (iii) $100.9 million of junior loan interests that we have sold, but that remain included in our consolidated financial statements. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of loan participations sold.
(2)Includes Euro, British Pound Sterling, Swedish Krona, Australian Dollar, Swiss Franc, and Danish Krone currencies.
(3)Includes an interest rate swap we entered into with a notional amount of $229.9 million that effectively converts certain of our fixed rate loan exposure to floating rate exposure.
(4)As of December 31, 2023, the weighted-average index rate floor of our total loan exposure was 0.56%. Excluding 0.0% index rate floors and loans with no floor, the weighted-average index rate floor was 1.02%. As of December 31, 2022, the weighted-average index rate floor of our total loan exposure was 0.38%. Excluding 0.0% index rate floors and loans with no floor, the weighted-average index rate floor was 0.65%
The following table details the floating benchmark rates for our loan portfolio based on total loan exposure as of December 31, 2023 (total loan exposure amounts in thousands):
(1)Total loan exposure reflects our aggregate exposure to each loan investment. As of December 31, 2023, total loan exposure, includes (i) loans with an outstanding principal balance of $23.9 billion that are included in our consolidated financial statements, (ii) $1.1 billion of non-consolidated senior interests in loans we have sold, which are not included in our consolidated financial statements, and excludes (iii) $100.9 million of junior loan interests that we have sold, but that remain included in our consolidated financial statements. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of loan participations sold.
(2)We use foreign currency forward contracts to protect the value or fix the amount of certain investments or cash flows in terms of the U.S. dollar. We earn forward points on our forward contracts that reflect the interest rate differentials between the applicable base rate for our foreign currency investments and prevailing U.S. interest rates. These forward contracts effectively convert the foreign currency rate exposure for such investments to USD-equivalent interest rates.
(3)In addition to cash coupon, all-in yield includes the amortization of deferred origination and extension fees, loan origination costs, and purchase discounts, as well as the accrual of exit fees. Excludes loans accounted for under the cost-recovery method.
(4)Includes an interest rate swap we entered into with a notional amount of $229.9 million that effectively converts certain of our fixed rate loan exposure to floating rate exposure.
(5)Includes floating rate loans indexed to STIBOR, BBSY, SARON, and CIBOR indices.
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The charts below detail the geographic distribution and types of properties securing our loan portfolio, as of December 31, 2023:
Geographic Diversification
(Net Loan Exposure)(1)
Collateral Diversification
(Net Loan Exposure)(1)(2)
______________
(1)Net loan exposure reflects the amount of each loan that is subject to risk of credit loss to us as of December 31, 2023, which is our total loan exposure net of (i) $1.1 billion of non-consolidated senior interests, (ii) $1.0 billion of asset-specific debt, (iii) $236.8 million of senior loan participations sold, (iv) $53.0 million of cost-recovery proceeds, and (v) our total loans receivable CECL reserve of $576.9 million. Our non-consolidated senior interests, asset-specific debt, and loan participations sold are structurally non-recourse and term-matched to the corresponding collateral loans.
(2)Assets with multiple components are proportioned into the relevant collateral types based on the allocated value of each collateral type.
Refer to section VI of this Item 7 for details of our loan portfolio, on a loan-by-loan basis.
Portfolio Management
As of December 31, 2023,99.5% of borrowers, based on net loan exposure, were compliant with the contractual terms of each respective loan. We believe this demonstrates the overall strength of our loan portfolio and the commitment and financial wherewithal of our borrowers generally, which are primarily affiliated with large real estate private equity funds and other strong, well-capitalized, and experienced sponsors. As of December 31, 2023, we had one loan with an amortized cost basis of $140.0 million past its current maturity date. This loan was less than 30 days past due on its interest payments, and had a risk rating of “5” as of December 31, 2023.
We maintain a robust asset management relationship with our borrowers and utilize these relationships to maximize the performance of our portfolio, including during periods of volatility. We believe that we benefit from these relationships and from our long-standing core business model of originating senior loans collateralized by large assets in major markets with experienced, well-capitalized institutional sponsors. Our loan portfolio’s low weighted-average origination LTV of 63.6%, excluding any junior participations sold, as of December 31, 2023 reflects significant equity value that we expect our
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sponsors will be motivated to protect through periods of cyclical disruption. While we believe the principal amounts of our loans are generally adequately protected by underlying collateral value, there is a risk that we will not realize the entire principal value of certain investments. As of December 31, 2023, we had an aggregate $417.7 million asset-specific CECL reserve related to 13 of our loans receivable, with an aggregate amortized cost basis of $1.9 billion, net of cost-recovery proceeds. This CECL reserve was recorded based on our estimation of the fair value of each of the loan's underlying collateral as of December 31, 2023.
Our portfolio monitoring and asset management operations benefit from the deep knowledge, experience, and information advantages derived from our position as part of Blackstone’s real estate platform. Blackstone has built the world's preeminent global real estate business, with a proven track record of successfully navigating market cycles and emerging stronger through periods of volatility. The market-leading real estate expertise derived from the strength of the Blackstone platform deeply informs our credit and underwriting process, and gives us the tools to expertly asset manage our portfolio and work with our borrowers throughout periods of economic stress and uncertainty.
As discussed in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, we perform a quarterly review of our loan portfolio, assesses the performance of each loan, and assigns it a risk rating between “1” and “5”, from less risk to greater risk. Our loan portfolio had a weighted-average risk rating of 3.0 and 2.9 as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
The following table allocates the net book value, total loan exposure, and net loan exposure balances based on our internal risk ratings ($ in thousands):
(1)Total loan exposure reflects our aggregate exposure to each loan investment. As of December 31, 2023, total loan exposure, includes (i) loans with an outstanding principal balance of $23.9 billion that are included in our consolidated financial statements, (ii) $1.1 billion of non-consolidated senior interests in loans we have sold, which are not included in our consolidated financial statements, and excludes (iii) $100.9 million of junior loan interests that we have sold, but that remain included in our consolidated financial statements. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of loan participations sold.
(2)Net loan exposure reflects the amount of each loan that is subject to risk of credit loss to us as of December 31, 2023, which is our total loan exposure net of (i) $1.1 billion of non-consolidated senior interests, (ii) $1.0 billion of asset-specific debt, (iii) $236.8 million of senior loan participations sold, (iv) $53.0 million of cost-recovery proceeds, and (v) our total loans receivable CECL reserve of $576.9 million. Our non-consolidated senior interests, asset-specific debt, and loan participations sold are structurally non-recourse and term-matched to the corresponding collateral loans.
Current Expected Credit Loss Reserve
The CECL reserves required by GAAP reflect our current estimate of potential credit losses related to our loans included in our consolidated balance sheets. Other than a few narrow exceptions, GAAP requires that all financial instruments subject to the CECL model have some amount of loss reserve to reflect the principle underlying the CECL model that all loans and similar assets have some inherent risk of loss, regardless of credit quality, subordinate capital, or other mitigating factors.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded an aggregate increase of $250.8 million in the CECL reserve against our loans receivable portfolio, bringing our total loans receivable CECL reserve to $576.9 million as of December 31, 2023. These CECL reserves reflect certain impaired loans in our portfolio, as well as an additional increase in our CECL reserves due to macroeconomic conditions.
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During the three months ended December 31, 2023, we recorded an aggregate net increase of $95.1 million in the asset-specific CECL reserve related to our impaired loans. The increase was primarily driven by three additional loans that were impaired during the three months ended December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the income accrual was suspended on these loans as recovery of income and principal was doubtful. During the three months ended December 31, 2023, we recorded $5.9 million of interest income on these three loans.
As of December 31, 2023, we had an aggregate $417.7 million asset-specific CECL reserve related to 13 of our loans receivable, with an aggregate amortized cost basis of $1.9 billion, net of cost-recovery proceeds. This CECL reserve was recorded based on our estimation of the fair value of each of the loan's underlying collateral as of December 31, 2023. No income was recorded on our impaired loans subsequent to determining that they were impaired. As of December 31, 2023, one of these loans with an amortized cost basis of $140.0 million, was past its current maturity date. This loan was less than 30 days past due on its interest payment and had a risk rating of “5”. As of December 31, 2023, all other borrowers were compliant with the contractual terms of each respective loan, including any required payment of interest. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we received an aggregate $53.0 million of cash proceeds from such loans that were applied as a reduction to the amortized cost basis of each respective loan. Refer to Note 2 for further discussion of our policies on revenue recognition and our CECL reserves.
Multifamily Joint Venture
As of December 31, 2023, our multifamily joint venture held $612.9 million of loans, which are included in the loan disclosures above. Refer to Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for additional discussion of our multifamily joint venture.
Portfolio Financing
Our portfolio financing consists of secured debt, securitizations, and asset-specific debt. The following table details our portfolio financing ($ in thousands):
Portfolio FinancingOutstanding Principal Balance
Secured Debt
The following table details our outstanding secured debt ($ in thousands):
Secured Debt Borrowings Outstanding
Acquisition facility — —
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Secured Credit Facilities
The following table details our secured credit facilities by spread over the applicable base rates as of December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):
(1)The spread, all-in cost, and all-in yield are expressed over the relevant floating benchmark rates, which include SOFR, SONIA, EURIBOR, and other indices as applicable.
(2)Represents borrowings outstanding as of December 31, 2023 for new financings closed during the year ended December 31, 2023.
(3)In addition to spread, the cost includes the associated deferred fees and expenses related to the respective borrowings. In addition to cash coupon, all-in yield includes the amortization of deferred origination and extension fees, loan origination costs, and purchase discounts, as well as the accrual of exit fees. All-in yield excludes loans accounted for under the cost-recovery method.
(4)Represents the weighted-average all-in cost as of December 31, 2023 and is not necessarily indicative of the spread applicable to recent or future borrowings.
(5)Represents the principal balance of the collateral assets.
(6)Represents the difference between the weighted-average all-in yield and weighted-average all-in cost.
Acquisition Facility
We have a $100.0 million full recourse secured credit facility that is designed to finance eligible first mortgage originations for up to nine months as a bridge to term financing without obtaining discretionary lender approval. The cost of borrowing under the facility is variable, dependent on the type of loan collateral, and its maturity date is April 3, 2024. As of December 31, 2023, we had no assets pledged to our acquisition facility and no outstanding borrowings.
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Securitizations
Securitized Debt Obligations
We have financed certain pools of our loans through collateralized loan obligations, or CLOs. The following table details our securitized debt obligations and the underlying collateral assets that are financed by our CLOs ($ in thousands):
2021 FL4 Collateralized Loan Obligation
2020 FL3 Collateralized Loan Obligation
2020 FL2 Collateralized Loan Obligation
Total
(1)The book value of underlying collateral assets excludes any applicable CECL reserves.
(2)In addition to cash coupon, all-in yield includes the amortization of deferred origination and extension fees, loan origination costs, purchase discounts, and accrual of exit fees.
(3)The weighted-average all-in yield and cost are expressed as a spread over SOFR, which is the relevant floating benchmark rate for each securitized debt obligation. All-in yield excludes loans accounted for under the cost-recovery method.
(4)Underlying Collateral Assets term represents the weighted-average final maturity of such loans, assuming all extension options are exercised by the borrower. Repayments of securitized debt obligations are tied to timing of the related collateral loan asset repayments. The term of these obligations represents the rated final distribution date of the securitizations.
(5)During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded $171.4 million of interest expense related to our securitized debt obligations.
Refer to Note 6 and Note 18 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details of our securitized debt obligations.
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Asset-Specific Debt
The following table details our asset-specific debt ($ in thousands):
(1)The book value of underlying collateral assets excludes any applicable CECL reserves.
(2)These floating rate loans and related liabilities are currency and index-matched to the applicable benchmark rate relevant in each arrangement. In addition to cash coupon, yield/cost includes the amortization of deferred origination fees and financing costs.
(3)The weighted-average term is determined based on the maximum maturity of the corresponding loans, assuming all extension options are exercised by the borrower. Our non-recourse, asset-specific debt is term-matched in each case to the corresponding collateral loans.
Corporate Financing
The following table details our outstanding corporate financing ($ in thousands):
Corporate FinancingOutstanding Principal Balance
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The following table details our outstanding senior term loan facilities, or Term Loans, Senior Secured Notes, and convertible senior notes, or Convertible Notes, as of December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):
Corporate Financing Face Value Interest Rate(1) All-in Cost(1)(2) Maturity
Term Loans
Senior Secured Notes
Convertible Notes Issuance
Total corporate financings $ 2,801,311
(1)The B-3 Term Loan and the B-4 Term Loan borrowings are subject to a floor of 0.50%. The Term Loans are indexed to one-month SOFR.
(2)Includes issue discounts, transaction expenses, and/or issuance costs, as applicable, that are amortized through interest expense over the life of each respective financing.
(3)The conversion price of the Convertible Notes is $36.27, which represents the price of class A common stock per share based on a conversion rate of 27.5702. The conversion rate represents the number of shares of class A common stock issuable per $1,000 principal amount of Convertible Notes. The cumulative dividend threshold has not been exceeded as of December 31, 2023.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we repurchased an aggregate principal amount of $33.9 million of the Senior Secured Notes at a weighted-average price of 85%. This resulted in a gain on extinguishment of debt of $4.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2023.
Refer to Note 2, Note 9, Note 10, and Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements for additional discussion of our Term Loans, Senior Secured Notes, and Convertible Notes.
Floating Rate Portfolio
Generally, our business model is such that rising interest rates will increase our net income, while declining interest rates will decrease net income. As of December 31, 2023, 99% of our loans by total loan exposure earned a floating rate of interest and were financed with liabilities that pay interest at floating rates, which resulted in an amount of net equity that is positively correlated to rising interest rates, subject to the impact of interest rate floors on certain of our floating rate loans.
Our liabilities are generally currency and index-matched to each collateral asset, resulting in a net exposure to movements in benchmark rates that varies by currency silo based on the relative proportion of floating rate assets and liabilities.
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The following table details our investment portfolio’s exposure to interest rates by currency as of December 31, 2023 (amounts in thousands):
USD GBP EUR All Other(1)
(1)Includes Australian Dollar, Danish Krone, Swedish Krona, and Swiss Franc currencies.
(2)Our floating rate loans and related liabilities are currency and index-matched to the applicable benchmark rate relevant in each arrangement.
(3)Includes an interest rate swap we entered into with a notional amount of $229.9 million that effectively converts certain of our fixed rate loan exposure to floating rate exposure.
(4)Excludes $1.6 billion of floating rate loans accounted for under the cost-recovery method.
(5)Excludes $1.1 billion of non-consolidated senior interests and $337.7 million of loan participations sold, as of December 31, 2023. Our non-consolidated senior interests and loan participations sold are structurally non-recourse and term-matched to the corresponding loans, and have no impact on our net floating rate exposure.
(6)Our loan agreements generally require our borrowers to purchase interest rate caps, which mitigates our borrowers’ exposure to an increase in interest rates.
(7)Includes amounts outstanding under secured debt, securitizations, asset-specific debt, and Term Loans.
(8)Represents the U.S. dollar equivalent as of December 31, 2023.
In addition to the risks related to fluctuations in cash flows and asset values associated with movements in interest rates, there is also the risk of non-performance on floating rate assets. In the case of a significant increase in interest rates, the cash flows of the collateral real estate assets may not be sufficient to pay debt service due under our loans, which may contribute to non-performance or, in severe cases, default. This risk is partially mitigated by our consideration of rising rate stress-testing during our underwriting process, which generally includes a requirement for our borrower to purchase an interest rate cap contract with an unaffiliated third party, provide an interest reserve deposit, and/or provide interest or other structural protections. As of December 31, 2023, 97% of our performing loans have interest rate caps with a weighted-average strike price of 3.3% or interest guarantees. During the year ended December 31, 2023, interest rate caps on $14.7 billion of loans, with a 3.1% weighted-average strike price, expired and 93% were replaced with new interest rate caps, with a weighted-average strike price of 3.7%, or interest guarantees.
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III. Our Results of Operations
Operating Results
The following table sets forth information regarding our consolidated results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 ($ in thousands, except per share data):
Income from loans and other investments
Other expenses
Gain on extinguishment of debt 4,616 — 4,616 — — —
Dividends declared per share $ 2.48 $ 2.48 $ — $ 2.48 $ 2.48 $ —
Income from loans and other investments, net
Income from loans and other investments, net increased $42.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily due to (i) an increase in floating rate indices during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 and (ii) an increase in the weighted-average principal balance of our loan portfolio by $401.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. This was offset by (i) an increase in the weighted-average principal balance of our outstanding financing arrangements by $357.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 and (ii) a decline in interest income related to additional loans accounted for under the cost-recovery method for all or a portion of the year ended December 31, 2023.
Income from loans and other investments, net increased $113.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to (i) an increase in floating rate indices during 2022 and (ii) an increase in the weighted-average principal balance of our loan portfolio by $5.7 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. This was primarily offset by an increase in
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the weighted-average principal balance of our outstanding financing arrangements by $5.0 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021.
Other expenses
Other expenses include management and incentive fees payable to our Manager and general and administrative expenses. Other expenses increased by $7.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 due to an increase of (i) $6.9 million of incentive fees payable to our Manager, due to an increase in Distributable Earnings, (ii) $1.9 million of management fees payable to our Manager, primarily as a result of an increase in equity, and (iii) $1.7 million of other operating expenses. This was offset by a reduction in non-cash restricted stock amortization of $2.7 million related to shares awarded under our long-term incentive plans.
Other expenses increased by $30.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 due to an increase of (i) $13.0 million of incentive fees payable to our Manager, primarily due to an increase in Distributable Earnings, (ii) $8.8 million of management fees payable to our Manager, primarily as a result of an increase in equity, (iii) $7.3 million of general operating expenses, and (iv) $1.7 million of non-cash restricted stock amortization related to shares issued under our long-term incentive plans.
Changes in current expected credit loss reserve
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded a $249.8 million increase in our CECL reserves, as compared to a $211.5 million increase during the year ended December 31, 2022. These CECL reserves reflect certain impaired loans in our portfolio, as well as an additional increase in our CECL reserves due to macroeconomic conditions.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we recorded a $211.5 million increase in our CECL reserves, as compared to a $39.9 million decrease during the year ended December 31, 2021. These CECL reserves reflect certain impaired loans in our portfolio, as well as an additional increase in our CECL reserves due to macroeconomic conditions.
Gain on extinguishment of debt
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recognized a gain on extinguishment of debt of $4.6 million related to the repurchase of an aggregate principal amount of $33.9 million of our Senior Secured Notes. There was no repurchase activity or gain on extinguishment of debt in the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.
Income tax provision
The income tax provision increased by $2.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, due to additional activity in our U.S. and foreign taxable subsidiaries.
The income tax provision increased by $2.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, due to additional activity in our U.S. and foreign taxable subsidiaries.
Dividends per share
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we declared aggregate dividends of $2.48 per share, or $427.9 million. During 2022, we declared aggregate dividends of $2.48 per share, or $423.6 million. During 2021, we declared aggregate dividends of $2.48 per share, or $383.9 million.
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The following table sets forth information regarding our consolidated results of operations for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023 ($ in thousands, except per share data):
Three Months Ended Change
Income from loans and other investments
Other expenses
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests (661) (1,036) 375
Dividends declared per share $ 0.62 $ 0.62 $ —
Income from loans and other investments, net
Income from loans and other investments, net decreased $11.6 million during the three months ended December 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to (i) a decrease in the weighted-average principal balance of our loan portfolio by $543.5 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 and (ii) a decline in interest income related to additional loans accounted for under the cost-recovery method during the three months ended December 31, 2023. This was offset by a decrease in the weighted-average principal balance of our outstanding financing arrangements by $587.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023.
Other expenses
Other expenses include management and incentive fees payable to our Manager and general and administrative expenses. Other expenses decreased by $1.3 million during the three months ended December 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily due to a decrease of $2.6 million of incentive fees payable to our Manager. This was offset by an increase of $1.1 million of general operating expenses.
Changes in current expected credit loss reserve
During the three months ended December 31, 2023, we recorded a $115.3 million increase in our CECL reserves, as compared to a $96.9 million increase during the three months ended September 30, 2023. These CECL reserves reflect certain impaired loans in our portfolio, as well as an additional increase in our CECL reserves due to macroeconomic conditions.
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Gain on extinguishment of debt
During the three months ended December 31, 2023, we recognized a gain on extinguishment of debt of $75,000 related to the repurchase of an aggregate principal amount of $500,000 of our Senior Secured Notes. During the three months ended September 30, 2023, we recognized a gain on extinguishment of debt of $4.5 million related to the repurchase of an aggregate principal amount of $33.4 million of our Senior Secured Notes.
Income tax provision
The income tax provision decreased by $870,000 during the three months ended December 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily due to a decrease in the income tax provisions related to our U.S. and foreign taxable subsidiaries.
Dividends per share
During the three months ended December 31, 2023, we declared aggregate dividends of $0.62 per share, or $107.4 million. During the three months ended September 30, 2023, we declared aggregate dividends of $0.62 per share, or $106.8 million.
IV. Liquidity and Capital Resources
Capitalization
We have capitalized our business to date primarily through the issuance and sale of shares of our class A common stock, corporate debt, and asset-level financings. As of December 31, 2023, our capitalization structure included $4.4 billion of common equity, $2.8 billion of corporate debt, and $16.2 billion of asset-level financings. Our $2.8 billion of corporate debt includes $2.1 billion of Term Loan borrowings, $366.1 million of Senior Secured Notes, and $300.0 million of Convertible Notes. Our $16.2 billion of asset-level financings includes $12.7 billion of secured debt, $2.5 billion of securitizations, and $1.0 billion of asset-specific debt, all of which are structured to produce term, currency, and index matched funding with no margin call provisions based upon capital markets events.
As of December 31, 2023, we have $1.7 billion of liquidity that can be used to satisfy our short-term cash requirements and as working capital for our business.
See Notes 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details regarding our secured debt, securitized debt obligations, asset-specific debt, loan participations sold, Term Loans, Senior Secured Notes, and Convertible Notes, respectively.
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Debt-to-Equity Ratio and Total Leverage Ratio
The following table presents our debt-to-equity ratio and total leverage ratio:
Debt-to-equity ratios(1)
Debt-to-equity ratio(2) 3.7x 3.8x
Adjusted debt-to-equity ratio(3) 3.2x 3.5x
Total leverage ratios(1)
Total leverage ratio(4) 4.3x 4.4x
Adjusted total leverage ratio(5) 3.7x 4.1x
(1)The debt and leverage amounts included in the calculations above use gross outstanding principal balances, excluding any unamortized deferred financing costs and discounts.
(2)Represents, in each case at period end, (i) total outstanding secured debt, asset-specific debt, Term Loans, Senior Secured Notes, and convertible notes, less cash, to (ii) total equity.
(3)Represents, in each case at period end, (i) total outstanding secured debt, asset-specific debt, Term Loans, Senior Secured Notes, and convertible notes, less cash, to (ii) Adjusted Equity. Adjusted Equity is a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to “Adjusted Debt-to-Equity Ratio and Adjusted Total Leverage Ratio” below for the definition of Adjusted Equity and a reconciliation to total equity.
(4)Represents, in each case at period end, (i) total outstanding secured debt, securitizations, asset-specific debt, Term Loans, Senior Secured Notes, and convertible notes, less cash, to (ii) total equity.
(5)Represents, in each case at period end, (i) total outstanding secured debt, securitizations, asset-specific debt, Term Loans, Senior Secured Notes, and convertible notes, less cash, to (ii) Adjusted Equity. Adjusted Equity is a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to “Adjusted Debt-to-Equity Ratio and Adjusted Total Leverage Ratio” below for the definition of Adjusted Equity and a reconciliation to total equity.
Adjusted Debt-to-Equity Ratio and Adjusted Total Leverage Ratio
Our adjusted debt-to-equity and total leverage ratios are measures that are not prepared in accordance with GAAP, as they are calculated using Adjusted Equity, which we define as our total equity, excluding the aggregate CECL reserves on our loans receivable and unfunded loan commitments.
We believe that Adjusted Equity provides meaningful information to consider in addition to our total equity determined in accordance with GAAP in the context of assessing our debt-to-equity and total leverage ratios. The adjusted debt-to-equity and total leverage ratios are metrics we use, in addition to our unadjusted debt-to-equity and total leverage ratios, when evaluating our capitalization structure, as Adjusted Equity excludes the unrealized impact of our CECL reserves, which may vary from quarter-to-quarter as our loan portfolio changes and market and economic conditions evolve. We believe these ratios, and therefore our Adjusted Equity, are useful financial metrics for existing and potential future holders of our class A common stock to consider when evaluating how our business is capitalized and the relative amount of leverage in our business.
Adjusted Equity does not represent our total equity and should not be considered as an alternate to GAAP total equity. In addition, our methodology for calculating Adjusted Equity may differ from methodologies employed by other companies to calculate the same or similar supplemental measures, and accordingly, our reported Adjusted Equity may not be comparable to the Adjusted Equity reported by other companies.
The following table provides a reconciliation of Adjusted Equity to our GAAP total equity ($ in thousands):
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Sources of Liquidity
Our primary sources of liquidity include cash and cash equivalents, available borrowings under our secured debt facilities, and net receivables from servicers related to loan repayments, which are set forth in the following table ($ in thousands):
Loan principal payments held by servicer, net(1) 48,287 7,425
(1)Represents loan principal payments held by our third-party servicer as of the balance sheet date which were remitted to us during the subsequent remittance cycle, net of the related secured debt balance.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we generated cash flow from operating activities of $458.8 million and received $2.8 billion from loan principal collections, sales proceeds, and cost-recovery proceeds. Furthermore, we are able to generate incremental liquidity through the replenishment provisions of certain of our CLOs, which allow us to replace a repaid loan in the CLO by increasing the principal amount of existing CLO collateral assets to maintain the aggregate amount of collateral assets in the CLO, and the related financing outstanding.
We have access to further liquidity through public and private offerings of equity and debt securities, syndicated term loans, and similar transactions. To facilitate public offerings, in July 2022, we filed a shelf registration statement with the SEC that is effective for a term of three years and expires in July 2025. The amount of securities to be issued pursuant to this shelf registration statement was not specified when it was filed and there is no specific dollar limit on the amount of securities we may issue. The securities covered by this registration statement include: (i) class A common stock; (ii) preferred stock; (iii) depositary shares representing preferred stock; (iv) debt securities; (v) warrants; (vi) subscription rights; (vii) purchase contracts; and (viii) units consisting of one or more of such securities or any combination of these securities. The specifics of any future offerings, along with the use of proceeds of any securities offered, will be described in detail in a prospectus supplement, or other offering materials, at the time of any offering.
We may also access liquidity through our dividend reinvestment plan and direct stock purchase plan, under which 9,974,961 shares of class A common stock were available for issuance as of December 31, 2023, and our at the market stock offering program, pursuant to which we may sell, from time to time, up to $480.9 million of additional shares of our class A common stock as of December 31, 2023. Refer to Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details.
Liquidity Needs
In addition to our loan origination and funding activity and general operating expenses, our primary liquidity needs include interest and principal payments under our $12.7 billion of outstanding borrowings under secured debt, our asset-specific debt, our Term Loans, our Senior Secured Notes, and our Convertible Notes. From time to time we may also repurchase our outstanding debt or shares of our class A common stock. Such repurchases, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions, and other factors. The amounts involved in any such purchase transactions, individually or in the aggregate, may be material. During the year ended December 31, 2023 we repurchased an aggregate principal amount of $33.9 million of the Senior Secured Notes at a weighted-average price of 85%. This resulted in a gain on extinguishment of debt of $4.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2023.
As of December 31, 2023, we had unfunded commitments of $2.4 billion related to 99 loans receivable and $1.3 billion of committed or identified financing for those commitments resulting in net unfunded commitments of $1.2 billion. The unfunded loan commitments comprise funding for capital expenditures and construction, leasing costs, and interest and carry costs. Loan funding commitments are generally subject to certain conditions, including, without limitation, the progress of capital projects, leasing, and cash flows at the properties securing our loans. Therefore, the exact timing and amounts of such future loan fundings are uncertain and will depend on the current and future performance of the underlying collateral assets. We expect to fund our loan commitments over the remaining term of the related loans, which have a weighted-average future funding period of 2.6 years.
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Contractual Obligations and Commitments
Our contractual obligations and commitments as of December 31, 2023 were as follows ($ in thousands):
Payment Timing
TotalObligation Less Than1 Year(1) 1 to 3Years 3 to 5Years More Than5 Years
Principal repayments of senior secured notes 366,090 — — 366,090 —
Principal repayments of convertible notes(5) 300,000 — — 300,000 —
(1)Represents known and estimated short-term cash requirements related to our contractual obligations and commitments. Refer to the sources of liquidity section above for our sources of funds to satisfy our short-term cash requirements.
(2)The allocation of our unfunded loan commitments is based on the earlier of the commitment expiration date or the final loan maturity date, however we may be obligated to fund these commitments earlier than such date.
(3)Our secured debt and asset-specific debt agreements are generally term-matched to their underlying collateral. Therefore, the allocation of both principal and interest payments under such agreements is generally allocated based on the maximum maturity date of the collateral loans, assuming all extension options are exercised by the borrower. In limited instances, the maturity date of the respective debt agreement is used.
(4)The Term Loans are partially amortizing, with an amount equal to 1.0% per annum of the initial principal balance due in quarterly installments. Refer to Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements for further details on our Term Loans.
(5)Reflects the outstanding principal balance of convertible notes, excluding any potential conversion premium. Refer to Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements for further details on our convertible notes.
(6)Represents interest payments on our secured debt, asset-specific debt, Term Loans, Senior Secured Notes, and convertible notes. Future interest payment obligations are estimated assuming the interest rates in effect as of December 31, 2023 will remain constant into the future. This is only an estimate as actual amounts borrowed and interest rates will vary over time.
(7)Total does not include $2.5 billion of consolidated securitized debt obligations, $1.1 billion of non-consolidated senior interests, and $337.7 million of loan participations sold, as the satisfaction of these liabilities will not require cash outlays from us.
We are also required to settle our foreign exchange and interest rate derivatives with our derivative counterparties upon maturity which, depending on foreign currency exchange and interest rate movements, may result in cash received from or due to such counterparties. The table above does not include these amounts as they are not fixed and determinable. Refer to Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements for details regarding our derivative contracts.
We are required to pay our Manager a base management fee, an incentive fee, and reimbursements for certain expenses pursuant to our Management Agreement. The table above does not include the amounts payable to our Manager under our Management Agreement as they are not fixed and determinable. Refer to Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements for additional terms and details of the fees payable under our Management Agreement.
As a REIT, we generally must distribute substantially all of our net taxable income to stockholders in the form of dividends to comply with the REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Our taxable income does not necessarily equal our net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP, or our Distributable Earnings as described above.
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Cash Flows
The following table provides a breakdown of the net change in our cash and cash equivalents ($ in thousands):
For the years ended December 31,
We experienced a net increase in cash and cash equivalents of $55.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to a net decrease of $249.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we received $3.8 billion from loan principal collections and sales proceeds, of which $2.8 billion is reflected in our consolidated statement of cash flows prepared in accordance with GAAP, excluding (i) $795.8 million of additional repayments or reduction of loan exposure under related non-consolidated senior interests, (ii) $152.4 million of loan portfolio payments held by servicer, and (iii) $100.7 million of sales of junior loan interests which did not qualify for sale accounting under GAAP. Also, during the year ended December 31, 2023, we (i) funded $1.3 billion of loans, (ii) repaid a net $1.1 billion of secured debt borrowings, (iii) paid $426.9 million of dividends on our class A common stock, (iv) repaid $220.0 million of convertible notes, and (v) repaid $166.0 million of securitized debt obligations.
We experienced a net decrease in cash and cash equivalents of $249.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to a net increase of $263.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we (i) funded $6.8 billion of loans, (ii) repaid $402.5 million of convertible notes, and (iii) paid $421.4 million of dividends on our class A common stock. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we received (i) $3.3 billion from loan principal collections and sales proceeds, (ii) $1.7 billion of net proceeds from secured debt borrowings, (iii) $807.8 million of net proceeds from secured Term Loan borrowings, (iv) $562.0 million of net proceeds from asset-specific debt, (v) $330.3 million of net cash settlements on our foreign currency forward contracts, (vi) $294.0 million of net proceeds from the issuance of convertible notes, (vii) $245.3 million from the sale of a senior loan participation, and (viii) $70.7 million of net proceeds from the issuance of shares of class A common stock.
Refer to Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our loan activity. Refer to Notes 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 13 to our consolidated financial statements for additional discussion of our secured debt, asset-specific debt, loan participations sold, Term Loans, convertible notes, and equity, respectively.
V. Other Items
Income Taxes
We have elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We generally must distribute annually at least 90% of our net taxable income, subject to certain adjustments and excluding any net capital gain, in order for U.S. federal income tax not to apply to our earnings. To the extent that we satisfy this distribution requirement, but distribute less than 100% of our net taxable income, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our undistributed taxable income. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax if the actual amount that we pay out to our stockholders in a calendar year is less than a minimum amount specified under U.S. federal tax laws.
Our qualification as a REIT also depends on our ability to meet various other requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Code, which relate to organizational structure, diversity of stock ownership, and certain restrictions with regard to the nature of our assets and the sources of our income. Even if we qualify as a REIT, we may be subject to certain U.S. federal income and excise taxes and state and local taxes on our income and assets. If we fail to maintain our qualification as a REIT for any taxable year, we may be subject to material penalties as well as federal, state, and local income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates and we would not be able to qualify as a REIT for the subsequent four full taxable years. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, we were in compliance with all REIT requirements.
Furthermore, our taxable REIT subsidiaries are subject to federal, state, and local income tax on their net taxable income. Refer to Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements for additional discussion of our income taxes.
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Critical Accounting Policies
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires our Manager to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from these estimates. During 2023, our Manager reviewed and evaluated our critical accounting policies and believes them to be appropriate. The following is a summary of our significant accounting policies that we believe are the most affected by our Manager’s judgments, estimates, and assumptions:
Current Expected Credit Losses
The current expected credit loss, or CECL, reserve required under the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, Topic 326 “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses,” or ASC 326, reflects our current estimate of potential credit losses related to our loans receivable portfolio. We estimate our CECL reserves primarily using the Weighted-Average Remaining Maturity, or WARM method, which has been identified as an acceptable loss-rate method for estimating CECL reserves in the Financial Accounting Standards Board Staff Q&A Topic 326, No. 1. Estimating the CECL reserve requires judgment, including the following assumptions:
•Historical loan loss reference data: To estimate the historic loan losses relevant to our portfolio, we have augmented our historical loan performance with market loan loss data licensed from Trepp LLC. This database includes commercial mortgage-backed securities, or CMBS, issued since January 1, 1999 through November 30, 2023. Within this database, we focused our historical loss reference calculations on the most relevant subset of available CMBS data, which we determined based on loan metrics that are most comparable to our loan portfolio including asset type, geography, and origination loan-to-value, or LTV. We believe this CMBS data, which includes month-over-month loan and property performance, is the most relevant, available, and comparable dataset to our portfolio.
•Expected timing and amount of future loan fundings and repayments: Expected credit losses are estimated over the contractual term of each loan, adjusted for expected repayments. As part of our quarterly review of our loan portfolio, we assess the expected repayment date of each loan, which is used to determine the contractual term for purposes of computing our CECL reserves. Additionally, the expected credit losses over the contractual period of our loans are subject to the obligation to extend credit through our unfunded loan commitments. The CECL reserve for unfunded loan commitments is adjusted quarterly, as we consider the expected timing of future funding obligations over the estimated life of the loan. The considerations in estimating our CECL reserve for unfunded loan commitments are similar to those used for the related outstanding loans receivable.
•Current credit quality of our portfolio: Our risk rating is our primary credit quality indicator in assessing our CECL reserves. We perform a quarterly risk review of our portfolio of loans and assign each loan a risk rating based on a variety of factors, including, without limitation, origination LTV, debt yield, property type, geographic and local market dynamics, physical condition, cash flow volatility, leasing and tenant profile, loan structure and exit plan, and project sponsorship.
•Expectations of performance and market conditions: Our CECL reserves are adjusted to reflect our estimation of the current and future economic conditions that impact the performance of the commercial real estate assets securing our loans. These estimations include unemployment rates, interest rates, expectations of inflation and/or recession, and other macroeconomic factors impacting the likelihood and magnitude of potential credit losses for our loans during their anticipated term. In addition to the CMBS data we have licensed from Trepp LLC, we have also licensed certain macroeconomic financial forecasts to inform our view of the potential future impact that broader economic conditions may have on our loan portfolio’s performance. We generally also incorporate information from other sources, including information and opinions available to our Manager, to further inform these estimations. This process requires significant judgments about future events that, while based on the information available to us as of the balance sheet date, are ultimately indeterminate and the actual economic condition impacting our portfolio could vary significantly from the estimates we made as of December 31, 2023.
•Impairment: impairment is indicated when it is deemed probable that we will not be able to collect all amounts due to us pursuant to the contractual terms of the loan. Determining that a loan is impaired requires significant judgment from management and is based on several factors including (i) the underlying collateral performance, (ii) discussions with the borrower, (iii) borrower events of default, and (iv) other facts that impact the borrower’s ability to pay the contractual amounts due under the terms of the loan. If a loan is determined to be impaired, we record the impairment as a component of our CECL reserves by applying the practical expedient for collateral dependent loans. The CECL reserves are assessed on an individual basis for these loans by comparing the
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estimated fair value of the underlying collateral, less costs to sell, to the book value of the respective loan. These valuations require significant judgments, which include assumptions regarding capitalization rates, discount rates, leasing, creditworthiness of major tenants, occupancy rates, availability and cost of financing, exit plan, loan sponsorship, actions of other lenders, and other factors deemed relevant by us. Actual losses, if any, could ultimately differ materially from these estimates. We only expect to charge-off the impairment losses in our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP if and when such amounts are deemed non-recoverable. This is generally at the time a loan is repaid or foreclosed. However, non-recoverability may also be concluded if, in our determination, it is nearly certain that all amounts due will not be collected.
These assumptions vary from quarter-to-quarter as our loan portfolio changes and market and economic conditions evolve. The sensitivity of each assumption and its impact on the CECL reserves may change over time and from period to period. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded an aggregate $249.8 million increase in the CECL reserve related to our loans receivable and unfunded loan commitments, bringing our total reserve to $592.3 million as of December 31, 2023. See Notes 2 and 3 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our CECL reserves.
Revenue Recognition
Interest income from our loans receivable portfolio is recognized over the life of each investment using the effective interest method and is recorded on the accrual basis. Recognition of fees, premiums, and discounts associated with these investments is deferred and recorded over the term of the loan as an adjustment to yield. Income accrual is generally suspended for loans at the earlier of the date at which payments become 90 days past due or when, in our opinion, recovery of income and principal becomes doubtful. Interest received is then recorded as income or as a reduction in the amortized cost basis, based on the specific facts and circumstances, until accrual is resumed when the loan becomes contractually current and performance is demonstrated to be resumed. In addition, for loans we originate, the related origination expenses are deferred and recognized as a reduction to interest income, however expenses related to loans we acquire are included in general and administrative expenses as incurred.
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VI. Loan Portfolio Details
The following table provides details of our loan portfolio, on a loan-by-loan basis, as of December 31, 2023 ($ in millions):
continued...
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CECL reserve (577)
(1)Senior loans include senior mortgages and similar credit quality loans, including related contiguous subordinate loans and pari passu participations in senior mortgage loans.
(2)Date loan was originated or acquired by us, and the LTV as of such date, excluding any junior participations sold. Origination dates are subsequently updated to reflect material loan modifications.
(3)Total loan amount reflects outstanding principal balance as well as any related unfunded loan commitment.
(4)Total loan exposure reflects our aggregate exposure to each loan investment. As of December 31, 2023, total loan exposure, includes (i) loans with an outstanding principal balance of $23.9 billion that are included in our consolidated financial statements, (ii) $1.1 billion of non-consolidated senior interests in loans we have sold, which are not included in our consolidated financial statements, and excludes (iii) $100.9 million of junior loan interests that we have sold, but that remain included in our consolidated financial statements.
(5)The weighted-average cash coupon and all-in yield are expressed as a spread over the relevant floating benchmark rates, which include SOFR, SONIA, EURIBOR, and other indices as applicable to each loan. As of December 31, 2023, 99% of our loans by total loan exposure earned a floating rate of interest, primarily indexed to SOFR. The remaining 1% of our loans by total loan exposure earned a fixed rate of interest. In addition to cash coupon, all-in yield includes the amortization of deferred origination and extension fees, loan origination costs, and purchase discounts, as well as the accrual of exit fees. Excludes loans accounted for under the cost-recovery method.
(6)Maximum maturity assumes all extension options are exercised, however our loans may be repaid prior to such date.
(7)This loan earns interest at a fixed rate. Cash coupon and all-in yield are expressed as a floating rate to include an interest rate swap we entered into that effectively converts the loan to a floating rate exposure.
(8)This loan has an interest rate of SOFR minus 1.30% with a SOFR floor of 3.50%, for an all-in rate of 4.05% as of December 31, 2023.
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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Interest Rate Risk
For information on financial reference rate reforms, refer to “Part II. Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Reference Rate Reform” of this report and “Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Lending and Investment Activities—The transition away from reference rates and the use of alternative replacement reference rates may adversely affect net interest income related to our loans and investments or otherwise adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and the market value of our investments.” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Investment Portfolio Net Interest Income
Generally, our business model is such that rising interest rates will increase our net income, while declining interest rates will decrease net income. As of December 31, 2023, 99% of our loans by total loan exposure earned a floating rate of interest and were financed with liabilities that pay interest at floating rates, which resulted in an amount of net equity that is positively correlated to rising interest rates, subject to the impact of interest rate floors on certain of our floating rate loans.
The following table projects the earnings impact on our interest income and expense, net of incentive fees, for the twelve-month period following December 31, 2023, of an increase in the various floating-rate indices referenced by our portfolio, assuming no change in credit spreads, portfolio composition, or asset performance, relative to the average indices during the three months ended December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):
Increase in Rates Decrease in Rates
50 Basis Points 100 Basis Points 50 Basis Points 100 Basis Points
(1)Reflects the USD equivalent value of floating rate assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies.
(2)Increases (decreases) in interest income and expense are presented net of incentive fees. Refer to Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements for additional details of our incentive fee calculation.
(3)Excludes income from loans accounted for under the cost-recovery method.
(4)Includes an interest rate swap we entered into with a notional amount of $229.9 million that effectively converts certain of our fixed rate loan exposure to floating rate exposure.
(5)Excludes $1.6 billion of floating rate loans accounted for under the cost-recovery method.
(6)Excludes $1.1 billion of non-consolidated senior interests and $337.7 million of loan participations sold, as of December 31, 2023. Our non-consolidated senior interests and loan participations sold are structurally non-recourse and term-matched to the corresponding loans, and have no impact on our net floating rate exposure.
(7)Our loan agreements generally require our borrowers to purchase interest rate caps, which mitigates our borrowers’ exposure to an increase in interest rates.
(8)Includes amounts outstanding under secured debt, securitizations, asset-specific debt, and Term Loans.
Investment Portfolio Value
As of December 31, 2023, 99% of our portfolio earned a floating rate of interest, so the value of such investments is generally not impacted by changes in market interest rates. As of December 31, 2023, the remaining 1% of our portfolio earned a fixed rate of interest and as such, the values of such loans are sensitive to changes in interest rates. Additionally, we generally hold all of our loans to maturity and so do not expect to realize gains or losses resulting from any mark to market valuation adjustments on our loan portfolio.
Risk of Non-Performance
In addition to the risks related to fluctuations in cash flows and asset values associated with movements in interest rates, there is also the risk of non-performance on floating rate assets. In the case of a significant increase in interest rates, the cash flows of the collateral real estate assets may not be sufficient to pay debt service due under our loans, which may contribute to non-performance or, in severe cases, default. This risk is partially mitigated by our consideration of rising rate
93
stress-testing during our underwriting process, which generally includes a requirement for our borrower to purchase an interest rate cap contract with an unaffiliated third party, provide an interest reserve deposit, and/or provide interest or other structural protections. As of December 31, 2023, 97% of our performing loans have interest rate caps with a weighted-average strike price of 3.3% or interest guarantees. During the year ended December 31, 2023, interest rate caps on $14.7 billion of loans, with a 3.1% weighted-average strike price, expired and 93% were replaced with new interest rate caps, with a weighted-average strike price of 3.7%, or interest guarantees.
Credit Risks
Our loans are also subject to credit risk, including the risk of default. The performance and value of our loans depend upon the sponsors’ ability to operate the properties that serve as our collateral so that they produce cash flows adequate to pay interest and principal due to us. To monitor this risk, our asset management team reviews our loan portfolios and, in certain instances, is in regular contact with our borrowers, monitoring performance of the collateral and enforcing our rights as necessary.
In addition, we are exposed to the risks generally associated with the commercial real estate market, including changes in occupancy rates, capitalization rates, absorption rates, and other macroeconomic factors beyond our control. We seek to manage these risks through our underwriting and asset management processes.
We maintain a robust asset management relationship with our borrowers and utilize these relationships to maximize the performance of our portfolio, including during periods of volatility. We believe that we benefit from these relationships and from our long-standing core business model of originating senior loans collateralized by large assets in major markets with experienced, well-capitalized institutional sponsors. Our loan portfolio’s low weighted-average origination LTV of 63.6%, excluding any junior participations sold, as of December 31, 2023 reflects significant equity value that we expect our sponsors will be motivated to protect through periods of cyclical disruption. While we believe the principal amounts of our loans are generally adequately protected by underlying collateral value, there is a risk that we will not realize the entire principal value of certain loans. As of December 31, 2023, we had an aggregate $417.7 million asset-specific CECL reserve related to 13 of our loans receivable, with an aggregate amortized cost basis of $1.9 billion, net of cost-recovery proceeds. This CECL reserve was recorded based on our estimation of the fair value of each of the loan’s underlying collateral as of December 31, 2023.
Our portfolio monitoring and asset management operations benefit from the deep knowledge, experience, and information advantages derived from our position as part of Blackstone’s real estate platform. Blackstone has built the world's preeminent global real estate business, with a proven track record of successfully navigating market cycles and emerging stronger through periods of volatility. The market-leading real estate expertise derived from the strength of the Blackstone platform deeply informs our credit and underwriting process, and we believe gives us the tools to expertly asset manage our portfolio and work with our borrowers throughout periods of economic stress and uncertainty.
The year ended December 31, 2023 has been characterized by continued volatility in global markets, driven by investor concerns over inflation, rising interest rates, slowing economic growth, political and regulatory uncertainty and geopolitical conditions. Events affecting financial institutions during the year also contributed to volatility in global markets and diminished liquidity and credit availability.
During 2023, inflation began to moderate as a result of the monetary policy tightening actions taken by central banks, including raising interest rates. While it is anticipated that central banks may begin to lower interest rates in 2024, interest rates may remain at or near recent highs, which creates further uncertainty for the economy and for our borrowers. Although our business model is such that higher interest rates will, all else equal, correlate to higher net income, interest rates remaining elevated for an extended period of time may adversely affect our existing borrowers and lead to non-performance, as higher costs may dampen consumer spending and slow corporate profit growth, which may negatively impact the collateral underlying certain of our loans. Additionally, higher interest rates could adversely affect commercial real estate property values. It remains difficult to predict the full impact of recent events and any future changes in interest rates or inflation.
Capital Market Risks
We are exposed to risks related to the equity capital markets, and our related ability to raise capital through the issuance of our class A common stock or other equity instruments. We are also exposed to risks related to the debt capital markets, and our related ability to finance our business through borrowings under credit facilities or other debt instruments. As a REIT, we are required to distribute a significant portion of our taxable income annually, which constrains our ability to
94
accumulate operating cash flow and therefore requires us to utilize debt or equity capital to finance our business. We seek to mitigate these risks by monitoring the debt and equity capital markets to inform our decisions on the amount, timing, and terms of capital we raise.
Margin call provisions under our credit facilities do not permit valuation adjustments based on capital markets events, and are limited to collateral-specific credit marks generally determined on a commercially reasonable basis.
Counterparty Risk
The nature of our business requires us to hold our cash and cash equivalents and obtain financing from various financial institutions. This exposes us to the risk that these financial institutions may not fulfill their obligations to us under these various contractual arrangements. We mitigate this exposure by depositing our cash and cash equivalents and entering into financing agreements with high credit-quality institutions.
The nature of our loans also exposes us to the risk that our counterparties do not make required interest and principal payments on scheduled due dates. We seek to manage this risk through a comprehensive credit analysis prior to making a loan and active monitoring of the asset portfolios that serve as our collateral, as further discussed above.
Currency Risk
Our loans that are denominated in a foreign currency are also subject to risks related to fluctuations in currency rates. We generally mitigate this exposure by matching the currency of our assets to the currency of the financing for our assets. As a result, we substantially reduce our exposure to changes in portfolio value related to changes in foreign currency rates. In addition, substantially all of our net asset exposure to foreign currencies has been hedged with foreign currency forward contracts as of December 31, 2023.
The following table outlines our assets and liabilities that are denominated in a foreign currency (amounts in thousands):
GBP EUR All Other(2)
Net exposure to exchange rate fluctuations £ 8,835 € 8,856 $ 7,182
Net exposure to exchange rate fluctuations in USD(1) $ 11,249 $ 9,776 $ 7,182
(1)Represents the U.S. Dollar equivalent as of December 31, 2023.
(2)Includes Swedish Krona, Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Swiss Franc, and Danish Krone currencies.
EUR GBP All Other(2)
Net exposure to exchange rate fluctuations in USD(1) $ 24,102 $ 19,756 $ 8,404
(1)Represents the U.S. Dollar equivalent as of December 31, 2022.
(2)Includes Swedish Krona, Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Swiss Franc, and Danish Krone currencies.
ITEM 8.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The financial statements required by this item and the reports of the independent accountants thereon required by Item 14(a)(2) appear on pages F-2 to F-48. See accompanying Index to the Consolidated Financial Statements on page F-1.
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ITEM 9.CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as that term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the company’s reports under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, and summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the company’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures. Any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this annual report on Form 10-K was made under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Based upon this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (a) are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by SEC rules and forms and (b) include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined in Rule 13a–15(f) of the Exchange Act) that occurred during our most recent quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. and subsidiaries, or Blackstone Mortgage Trust, is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed under the supervision of its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of its consolidated financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s internal control over financial reporting includes policies and procedures that pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect transactions and dispositions of assets; provide reasonable assurances that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and our directors; and provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on its financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. In addition, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Management conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on the framework established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment, management has determined that Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, was effective.
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Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, has audited Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s financial statements included in this report on Form 10-K and issued its report on the effectiveness of Blackstone Mortgage Trust’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, which is included herein.
ITEM 9B.OTHER INFORMATION
Section 13(r) Disclosure
Pursuant to Section 219 of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, which added Section 13(r) of the Exchange Act, we hereby incorporate by reference herein Exhibit 99.1 of this report, which includes disclosures regarding activities at Mundys S.p.A., formerly “Atlantia S.p.A.,” which may be, or may have been at the time considered to be, an affiliate of Blackstone and, therefore, our affiliate.
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
Not applicable.
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PART III.
ITEM 10.DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed not later than April 29, 2024 with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act.
ITEM 11.EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed not later than April 29, 2024 with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act.
ITEM 12.SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table summarizes information, as of December 31, 2023, relating to our equity compensation plans pursuant to which shares of our class A common stock or other equity securities may be granted from time to time:
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders(3) — — —
(1)The number of securities remaining for future issuances consists of an aggregate 7,754,648 shares issuable under our stock incentive plan and our manager incentive plan. Awards under the plans may include restricted stock, unrestricted stock, stock options, stock units, stock appreciation rights, performance shares, performance units, deferred share units, or other equity-based awards, as the board of directors may determine.
(2)Reflects deferred stock units granted to our non-employee directors. The deferred stock units are settled upon the non-employee director’s separation from service with the company by delivering to the non-employee director one share of class A common stock, or the cash equivalent, for each deferred stock unit settled. As these awards have no exercise price, the weighted average exercise price in column (b) does not take these awards into account.
(3)All of our equity compensation plans have been approved by security holders.
The remaining information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed not later than April 29, 2024 with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act.
ITEM 13.CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed not later than April 29, 2024 with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act.
ITEM 14.PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed not later than April 29, 2024 with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act.
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PART IV.
ITEM 15.EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a) (1) Financial Statements
See the accompanying Index to Financial Statement Schedule on page F-1.
(a) (2) Consolidated Financial Statement Schedules
See the accompanying Index to Financial Statement Schedule on page F-1.
(a) (3) Exhibits
99
EXHIBIT INDEX
ExhibitNo. Exhibit Description
100
101
102
103
104
105
21.1 * Subsidiaries of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc.
23.1 * Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP
97.1 *+ Incentive Compensation Clawback Policy
99.1 * Section 13(r) Disclosure
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101.SCH ++ Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL ++ Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.LAB ++ Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE ++ Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
101.DEF ++ Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
* Filed herewith
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ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY
None.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
BLACKSTONE MORTGAGE TRUST, INC.
February 14, 2024 By: /s/ Katharine A. Keenan
Date Katharine A. KeenanChief Executive Officer(Principal Executive Officer)
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
February 14, 2024 /s/ Timothy S. Johnson
Date Timothy S. Johnson, Chairperson of the Board of Directors
February 14, 2024 /s/ Katharine A. Keenan
February 14, 2024 /s/ Anthony F. Marone, Jr.
February 14, 2024 /s/ Leonard W. Cotton
Date Leonard W. Cotton, Director
February 14, 2024 /s/ Thomas E. Dobrowksi
Date Thomas E. Dobrowski, Director
February 14, 2024 /s/ Nnenna J. Lynch
Date Nnenna J. Lynch, Director
February 14, 2024 /s/ Michael B. Nash
Date Michael B. Nash, Director
February 14, 2024 /s/ Henry N. Nassau
Date Henry N. Nassau, Director
February 14, 2024 /s/ Gilda Perez-Alvarado
Date Gilda Perez-Alvarado, Director
February 14, 2024 /s/ Jonathan L. Pollack
Date Jonathan L. Pollack, Director
February 14, 2024 /s/ Lynne B. Sagalyn
Date Lynne B. Sagalyn, Director
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INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SCHEDULE
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID No. 34) F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 F-5
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements F-11
Schedule IV – Mortgage Loans on Real Estate S-1
Schedules other than those listed are omitted as they are not applicable or the required or equivalent information has been included in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of
Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc.
New York, New York
Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, changes in equity, and cash flows, for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes and the schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). We also have audited the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also, in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO.
Basis for Opinions
The Company’s management is responsible for these financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audits of the financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures to respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
F-2
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Current Expected Credit Loss (“CECL”) Reserve – Adjustments to Reflect Management’s Estimation of Economic Conditions – Refer to Note 2 in the Financial Statements
Critical Audit Matter Description
The Company estimates its CECL reserve primarily using the Weighted Average Remaining Maturity (“WARM”) method, which has been identified as an acceptable loss-rate method for estimating CECL reserves. The Company utilizes its own historical loan loss data supplemented with the data obtained from an external service provider. The data obtained is subject to several screening and/or judgmental adjustments that are applied in order to better align this loan-level data to the attributes of the Company’s loan portfolio.
The Company’s CECL reserve determined under the WARM method is further adjusted to reflect management’s estimation of the current and future economic conditions that may impact the performance of the commercial real estate assets securing the Company’s loans. The items considered in management’s estimation include unemployment rates, interest rates and other macroeconomic factors impacting the likelihood and magnitude of potential credit losses for the Company’s loans during their anticipated term.
We identified the adjustments to the CECL reserve to reflect management’s estimation of the current and future economic conditions that may impact the performance of the commercial real estate assets securing the Company’s loans as a critical audit matter because of the subjectivity, complexity and estimation uncertainty in such adjustments made to account for the macroeconomic factors. This required a high degree of auditor judgment and an increased extent of effort when performing audit procedures to evaluate whether the adjustments determined by management reasonably and appropriately quantify macroeconomic risks associated with the Company’s loan portfolio, including the need to involve our credit specialists.
How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
Our audit procedures to assess the adjustments applied by management to the CECL reserve to account for current and future economic conditions included, among others:
•We tested the design and operating effectiveness of controls implemented by the Company in relation to the establishment of the CECL reserve. Specifically, in relation to the adjustments made to their CECL reserve to account for current and future economic conditions, we focused our procedures on internal controls related to evaluation of macroeconomic factors and other judgments involved in the determination of such adjustments.
•We evaluated the appropriateness and consistency of the methods and assumptions used by management to develop the adjustments and assessed macro-economic and industry trends.
•We tested the accuracy and completeness of quantitative data used by management to develop the adjustments to account for current and future economic conditions.
•We utilized credit specialists to assist in the evaluation of management’s CECL methodology and assumptions, including the estimation of economic conditions.
F-3
CECL Reserve – Estimation of Fair Value of Underlying Collateral of Impaired Loans – Refer to Note 2 and Note 3 in the Financial Statements
Critical Audit Matter Description
The Company assesses the CECL reserve for impaired loans on an individual basis by comparing the estimated fair value of the underlying collateral, less costs to sell, to the book value of the respective loan. These valuations require significant judgment, which include assumptions regarding capitalization rates, discount rates, leasing, creditworthiness of major tenants, occupancy rates, availability and cost of financing, exit plan, loan sponsorship, actions of other lenders, and other factors deemed relevant by the Company.
We identified the estimation of the fair value of the underlying collateral of impaired loans as a critical audit matter because of the complexity and judgement involved in the determination of the valuation methodology and assumptions, as well as subjectivity of the unobservable inputs utilized in the valuation. Auditing the fair value of the underlying collateral for impaired loans required a high degree of auditor judgment and increased effort, including the need to involve our fair value specialists.
How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
Our audit procedures related to the estimate of fair of the underlying collateral of impaired loans as part of estimation of the CECL reserve included, among others:
•We tested the design and operating effectiveness of controls over the estimation of the fair value of the collateral underlying the impaired loans, including specifically management’s review of the valuation model and underlying assumptions utilized in estimating the fair value of the underlying collateral.
•We tested management’s assumptions through independent analysis and comparison to external sources.
•We utilized our internal fair value specialists to assist in the evaluation of management’s valuation methodologies and assumptions. With the assistance of our specialists, we evaluated certain of these assumptions (e.g., guideline transactions, discount rates, capitalization rates). Our internal specialist procedures included testing the underlying source information of the assumptions, as well as developing a range of independent estimates and comparing those to the assumptions used by management.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
New York, New York
February 14, 2024
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2013
F-4
Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands, except share data)
Assets
Liabilities and Equity
Commitments and contingencies — —
Equity
Accumulated other comprehensive income 9,454 10,022
Total Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. stockholders’ equity 4,367,711 4,518,794
Note: The consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 include assets of consolidated variable interest entities, or VIEs, that can only be used to settle obligations of each respective VIE, and liabilities of consolidated VIEs for which creditors do not have recourse to Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, assets of the consolidated VIEs totaled $3.0 billion and $3.2 billion, respectively, and liabilities of the consolidated VIEs totaled $2.5 billion and $2.7 billion, respectively. Refer to Note 18 for additional discussion of the VIEs.
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-5
Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
Year Ended December 31,
Income from loans and other investments
Other expenses
Gain on extinguishment of debt 4,616 — —
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests (3,342) (2,415) (3,080)
Net income per share of common stock basic and diluted $ 1.43 $ 1.46 $ 2.77
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-6
Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
(in thousands)
Year Ended December 31,
Other comprehensive (loss) income
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-7
Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity (in thousands)
Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc.
Deferred directors’ compensation — 595 — — 595 — 595
Contributions from non-controlling interests — — — — — 55,912 55,912
Distributions to non-controlling interests — — — — — (46,632) (46,632)
Deferred directors’ compensation — 690 — — 690 — 690
Contributions from non-controlling interests — — — — — 5,040 5,040
Distributions to non-controlling interests — — — — — (12,573) (12,573)
Deferred directors’ compensation — 680 — — 680 — 680
Other comprehensive loss — — (568) — (568) — (568)
Distributions to non-controlling interests — — — — — (8,955) (8,955)
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-8
Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(in thousands)
Year Ended December 31,
Cash flows from operating activities
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities
Payment-in-kind interest, net of interest received (2,865) — —
Gain on extinguishment of debt (4,616) — —
Unrealized gain on assets denominated in foreign currencies, net — (31) (6,866)
Changes in assets and liabilities, net
Cash flows from investing activities
continued...
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-9
Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(in thousands)
Year Ended December 31,
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issuance of securitized debt obligations — — 803,750
Proceeds from issuance of senior secured notes — — 400,000
Repurchases of senior secured notes (28,945) — —
Net proceeds from issuance of convertible notes — 294,000 —
Contributions from non-controlling interests — 5,040 55,912