bxmt-20241231
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 or
Commission file number 1-14788
Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
345 Park Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, New York10154
(Address of principal executive offices)(Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 655-0220
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share BXMT New York Stock Exchange
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:
Large accelerated filer ☒ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The aggregate market value of the outstanding class A common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $2.9 billion as of June 28, 2024 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter) based on the closing sale price on the New York Stock Exchange on that date.
As of February 5, 2025, there were 171,594,860 outstanding shares of class A common stock.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Part III of this annual report on Form 10-K incorporates information by reference from the registrant’s definitive proxy statement with respect to its 2025 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the close of the registrant’s fiscal year.
Table of Contents
Page
PART I.
ITEM 1. BUSINESS 3
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS 10
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS 58
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY 59
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES 60
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 60
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES 60
PART II.
ITEM 6. [Reserved] 61
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK 95
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA 97
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 97
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION 98
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS 98
PART III.
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 99
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION 99
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES 99
PART IV.
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES 100
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SCHEDULES F-1
Forward-Looking Information; Risk Factor Summary
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which involve certain known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements predict or describe our future operations, business plans, business and investment strategies and portfolio management and the performance of our investments.These forward-looking statements are generally identified by their use of such terms and phrases as “intend,” “goal,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “projections,” “plans,” “seeks,” “anticipates,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “designed to,” “foreseeable future,” “believe,” “scheduled” and similar expressions. Our actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those anticipated. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statement was made. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Our actual results may differ significantly from any results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.A summary of the principal risk factors that make investing in our securities risky and might cause our actual results to differ is set forth below.The following is only a summary of the principal risks that may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.This summary should be read in conjunction with the more complete discussion of the risk factors we face, which are set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this report.
•Fluctuations in interest rates and credit spreads have reduced and in the future could reduce our ability to generate income on our loans and other investments, which could lead to a significant decrease in our results of operations, cash flows and the market value of our investments and may limit our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
•Adverse changes in the real estate and real estate capital markets, in North America, Europe, and Australia in particular, could negatively impact our performance by making it more difficult for borrowers under our mortgage loans to satisfy their debt payment obligations, which could result in losses on our loan investments and/or make it more difficult for us to generate consistent or attractive risk-adjusted returns.
•Our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity position, and business could be materially adversely affected if we experience (i) difficulty accessing financing or raising capital, including due to a significant dislocation in or shut-down of the capital markets, (ii) a reduction in the yield on our investments, (iii) an increase in the cost of our financing, (iv) an inability to borrow incremental amounts or an obligation to repay amounts under our financing arrangements, or (v) defaults by borrowers in paying debt service on outstanding loans.
•Events giving rise to increases in our current expected credit loss reserve, including the impact of the current economic environment, have had an adverse effect on our business and results of operations and could in the future have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
•We have in the past and may in the future foreclose on certain of the loans we originate or acquire, which could result in losses that negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.
•As an owner of real estate through foreclosure or otherwise, we are subject to risks inherent in the ownership and operation of real estate and development of real estate.
•Our lending and investment activities subject us to the general political, economic, capital markets, competitive and other conditions in the United States and foreign jurisdictions where we invest, including with respect to any events that markedly impact United States or foreign financial markets.
•Adverse legislative or regulatory developments, including with respect to tax laws, securities laws, and the laws governing financial and lending institutions, could increase our cost of doing business and/or reduce our operating flexibility and the price of our class A common stock.
•Acts of God such as hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters, pandemics or outbreaks of infectious disease, acts of war and/or terrorism and other events that can markedly impact financial markets may cause unanticipated and uninsured performance declines and/or losses to us or the owners and operators of the real estate securing our investments.
•Deterioration in the performance of properties securing our investments may cause deterioration in the performance of our investments, instances of default or foreclosure on such properties and, potentially, principal losses to us.
•Adverse developments in the availability of desirable investment opportunities whether they are due to competition, regulation or otherwise, could adversely affect our results of operations.
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•Increased competition from entities engaged in mortgage lending and/or investing in assets similar to ours may limit our ability to originate or acquire desirable loans and investments or dispose of investments, and could also affect the yields of these investments and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
•Joint venture investments could be adversely affected by our lack of sole decision-making authority, our reliance on joint venture partners’ financial condition and liquidity and disputes between us and our joint venture partners.
•We have and in the future likely will compete with or enter into transactions with existing and future private and public investment vehicles established and/or managed by Blackstone or its affiliates, which may present various conflicts of interest that restrict our ability to pursue certain investment opportunities or take other actions that are beneficial to our business and/or result in decisions that are not in the best interests of our stockholders.
•Loans or investments involving international real estate-related assets are subject to special risks that we may not manage effectively, including currency exchange risk, the burdens of complying with international regulatory requirements, risks related to taxation and certain economic and political risks, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
•If we do not maintain our qualification as a REIT, we will be subject to tax as a regular corporation and could face a substantial tax liability. Our taxable REIT subsidiaries are subject to income tax.
•If we do not maintain our exclusion from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act, we will be subject to significant regulation and restrictions on our business and investments.
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. We caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Moreover, unless we are required by law to update these statements, we will not necessarily update or revise any forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference in this Annual Report after the date hereof, either to conform them to actual results or to changes in our expectations. We urge you to carefully consider the foregoing summary together with the risks discussed in Part I., Item 1A. Risk Factors and Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Website Disclosure
We use our website (www.blackstonemortgagetrust.com) as a channel of distribution of company information. The information we post through this channel may be deemed material. Accordingly, investors should monitor this channel, in addition to following our press releases, Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, filings and public conference calls, and webcasts. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about Blackstone Mortgage Trust when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Contact Us and Email Alerts” section of our website at http://ir.blackstonemortgagetrust.com. The contents of our website and any alerts are not, however, a part of this report.
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PART I.
ITEM 1.BUSINESS
References herein to “Blackstone Mortgage Trust,” “company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation, and its subsidiaries unless the context specifically requires otherwise.
Our Company
Blackstone Mortgage Trust is a real estate finance company that originates, acquires, and manages senior loans and other debt or credit-oriented investments collateralized by or relating to commercial real estate in North America, Europe, and Australia. Our portfolio is composed primarily of senior loans secured by high-quality, institutional assets located in major markets, and sponsored by experienced, well-capitalized real estate investment owners and operators. We finance our investments in a variety of ways, including borrowing under our credit facilities, issuing collateralized loan obligations, or CLOs, or single-asset securitizations, asset-specific financings, syndicating senior loan participations, and corporate financing, depending on our view of the most prudent financing option available for each of our investments. 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.” Our principal executive offices are located at 345 Park Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, New York 10154.
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. We are organized as a holding company and conduct our business primarily through our various subsidiaries. We operate our business as one segment, which originates and acquires commercial mortgage loans and related investments.
Our Manager
We are externally managed and advised by our Manager, which is responsible for administering our business activities, our day-to-day operations, and providing us the services of our executive management team, investment team, and other personnel.
Our Manager is a part of Blackstone, which is the world's largest alternative asset manager. Blackstone's assets under management includes global investment strategies focused on real estate, private equity, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, credit, real assets, secondaries and hedge funds. Through its different businesses, Blackstone had total assets under management of over $1.1 trillion as of December 31, 2024.
Our Manager benefits from the resources, relationships, and expertise of the 839 professionals in Blackstone’s global real estate group. Blackstone’s real estate group is the largest owner of commercial real estate globally with over 12,500 commercial assets and $315.4 billion of investor capital under management as of December 31, 2024. Kathleen McCarthy and Nadeem Meghji, who are the global co-heads of Blackstone’s real estate group, are members of our Manager’s investment committee. Kenneth Caplan, who is Blackstone’s co-chief investment officer overseeing business areas including real estate, is also a member of our Manager’s investment committee.
Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies, or BREDS, was launched in 2008 within Blackstone’s global real estate group to pursue opportunities relating to real estate debt investments globally, with a focus primarily on North America and Europe. Tim Johnson, the Global Head of BREDS, serves as the chairperson of our board of directors and is a member of our Manager’s investment committee. Katharine Keenan, the Global Co-Chief Investment Officer of BREDS and a member of our Manager’s investment committee, serves as our chief executive officer and is a member of our board of directors. In addition, one of our other directors, Michael Nash, who served for periods of time prior to his retirement from Blackstone in 2023 as chair of BREDS and as the executive chairman of our board of directors, remains a member of our board of directors. As of December 31, 2024, 172 dedicated BREDS professionals, including 30 investment professionals based in London and Australia, managed $77.2 billion of investor capital.
Our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and other officers are senior Blackstone real estate professionals. None of our Manager, our executive officers, or other personnel supplied to us by our Manager are obligated to dedicate any specific amount of time to our business. Our Manager is subject to the supervision and oversight of our board of directors and has only such functions and authority as our board of directors delegates to it. Pursuant to a management agreement between our Manager and us, or our Management Agreement, our Manager is entitled to receive a base management fee,
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an incentive fee, and expense reimbursements. See Notes 16 and 21 to our consolidated financial statements and the information required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 13. “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence” in our definitive proxy statement with respect to our 2025 annual meeting of shareholders, which is incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for more detail on the terms of the Management Agreement.
Our Investment Strategy
Our investment strategy is to originate loans and invest in debt or credit-related instruments supported by institutional quality commercial real estate in attractive locations. Through our Manager, we draw on Blackstone’s extensive real estate investment platform and its established sourcing, underwriting, and structuring capabilities in order to execute our investment strategy. In addition, we have access to Blackstone’s extensive network and operational information from Blackstone’s substantial real estate and other investment holdings, which provide our Manager access to market data on a scale generally not available to others in the market.
We directly originate, co-originate, and acquire real estate credit investments in conjunction with acquisitions, refinancings, and recapitalizations of commercial real estate in North America, Europe, and Australia, with a focus on performing loans that are supported by well-capitalized properties and borrowers. We believe that the scale and flexibility of our capital, as well as our Manager’s and Blackstone’s relationships, enables us to target opportunities with strong sponsorship and invest in large loans or other debt that is collateralized by high-quality assets and portfolios.
As market conditions evolve over time, we expect to adapt as appropriate. We believe our current investment strategy will produce significant opportunities to make investments with attractive risk-return profiles. However, to capitalize on the investment opportunities that may be present at various other points of an economic cycle, we may expand or change our investment strategy by targeting other credit-oriented investments.
During 2024, we entered into (i) an agreement, or our Agency Multifamily Lending Partnership, with M&T Realty Capital Corporation, or MTRCC, a subsidiary of M&T Bank, to earn a portion of origination, servicing, and other fees for multifamily agency loans we refer to MTRCC for origination, and (ii) a joint venture, or our Net Lease Joint Venture, with a Blackstone-advised investment vehicle to invest in triple net lease properties.
We believe that the diversification of our investment portfolio, our ability to actively manage those investments, and the flexibility of our strategy positions us to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for our stockholders in a variety of market conditions over the long term.
Our Portfolio
Our business is currently focused on originating or acquiring senior, floating rate mortgage loans that are secured by a first priority mortgage on commercial real estate assets in North America, Europe, and Australia. These investments may be in the form of whole loans, pari passu participations within mortgage loans, or other similar structures. Although originating senior, floating rate mortgage loans is our primary area of focus, we may also originate or acquire fixed rate loans and subordinate loans, including subordinate mortgage interests and mezzanine loans. This focused lending strategy is designed to generate attractive current income while protecting investors’ capital.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we originated or acquired $431.9 million of loans. Loan fundings during the year totaled $1.6 billion, with loan repayments and sales of $5.2 billion, for net repayments of $3.6 billion.
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The following table details overall statistics for our loan portfolio as of December 31, 2024 ($ in thousands):
Balance SheetPortfolio LoanExposure(1)
Weighted-average cash coupon(3) + 3.46 % + 3.40 %
Weighted-average all-in yield(3) + 3.78 % + 3.76 %
Weighted-average maximum maturity (years)(4) 2.1 2.1
Origination loan to value (LTV)(5) 62.3 % 62.6 %
(1)Total loan exposure reflects our aggregate exposure to each loan investment. As of December 31, 2024, total loan exposure, includes (i) loans with an outstanding principal balance of $19.2 billion that are included in our consolidated financial statements, (ii) $817.5 million of non-consolidated senior interests in loans we have sold, which are not included in our consolidated financial statements, and excludes (iii) $100.1 million of junior loan interests that we have sold, but that remain included in our consolidated financial statements. We have retained an aggregate $228.1 million of subordinate mezzanine loans, as of December 31, 2024, 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 $208.7 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, 2024, substantially all of our loans by total loan exposure earned a floating rate of interest, primarily indexed to SOFR. 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 and nonaccrual methods, if any.
(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. Excludes loans accounted for under the cost-recovery and nonaccrual methods, if any. As of December 31, 2024, 10% of our loans by total loan exposure were subject to yield maintenance or other prepayment restrictions and 90% 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 loans that are impaired and any junior participations sold.
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The charts below detail the geographic distribution and types of properties securing our loan portfolio, as of December 31, 2024:
Geographic Diversification
(Net Loan Exposure)(1)(2)
Collateral Diversification
(Net Loan Exposure)(1)(3)
(1)Net loan exposure reflects the amount of each loan that is subject to risk of credit loss to us as of December 31, 2024, which is our total loan exposure net of (i) $817.5 million of non-consolidated senior interests, (ii) $1.2 billion of asset-specific debt, (iii) $106.7 million of cost-recovery proceeds, and (iv) our total loans receivable current expected credit loss, or CECL, reserve of $733.9 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)States and countries comprising less than 1% of net loan exposure are excluded.
(3)Assets with multiple components are proportioned into the relevant collateral types based on the allocated value of each collateral type.
For additional information regarding our loan portfolio as of December 31, 2024, see Item 7 – “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – II. Loan Portfolio” and – “VI. Loan Portfolio Details” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Real Estate Owned
As part of our portfolio management strategy to maximize economic outcomes, from time to time, we may hold certain real estate owned, or REO, investments resulting from us acquiring title to or taking control of a loan’s underlying real estate collateral. As of December 31, 2024, we had seven REO assets with an aggregate carrying value of $640.4 million.
Financing Strategy
To maintain an adequate amount of available liquidity and execute our business plan, we look to a variety of capital sources. In addition to raising capital through public offerings of our equity and debt securities, our financing strategy includes secured debt, securitizations, and asset-specific financings, as well as senior term loan facilities, senior secured notes, and convertible notes. In addition to our current mix of financing sources, we also may access additional forms of financings including resecuritizations and public and private, secured and unsecured debt issuances by us or our subsidiaries.
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During the year ended December 31, 2024, we (i) borrowed an additional $650.0 million under our term loan facilities with an interest rate of SOFR plus 3.75% and maturity in 2028, (ii) issued $450.0 million of 7.75% senior secured notes due 2029, or the senior secured notes due 2029, (iii) increased the size of one of our existing secured credit facilities by $100.0 million, (iv) terminated two of our existing credit facilities, resulting in a reduction in our aggregate borrowing capacity by $650.0 million, and (v) repaid a net $3.3 billion under our portfolio financings, resulting in an aggregate $3.7 billion reduction in our portfolio and corporate financings during the year. We also maintained the cost of our portfolio financings throughout the year, with a weighted-average spread of +1.92% over respective benchmark rates on our $9.7 billion of secured debt, as of December 31, 2024, relative to +1.89% as of December 31, 2023.
As of December 31, 2024, we had total liquidity of $1.5 billion with no corporate debt maturities until 2026.
The following table details our outstanding portfolio financing arrangements as of December 31, 2024 ($ in thousands):
Portfolio FinancingOutstanding Principal Balance
The amount of leverage we employ for particular assets will depend upon our assessment of the credit, liquidity, price volatility, and other risks of those assets and the related financing structure, the availability of particular types of financing at the time, and the financial covenants under our credit facilities. Our decision to use leverage to finance our assets will be at the discretion of our Manager and will not be subject to the approval of our stockholders. We currently expect that our leverage, on a debt to equity basis, will generally be below a ratio of 4-to-1. We will endeavor to match the tenor, currency, and indices of our assets and liabilities, including in certain instances through the use of derivatives. We will also seek to limit the risks associated with recourse borrowing.
From time to time, we engage in hedging transactions that seek to mitigate the effects of fluctuations in currencies or interest rates on our cash flows and asset values. These hedging transactions could take a variety of forms, including swaps or cap agreements, options, futures contracts, forward rate or currency agreements, or similar financial instruments.
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, 2024, substantially all 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 changing interest rates, subject to the impact of interest rate floors on certain of our floating rate loans.
Investment Guidelines
Our board of directors has approved the following investment guidelines:
•we shall seek to invest our capital in a broad range of investments in, or relating to, public and/or private debt, non-controlling equity, loans and/or other interests (including “mezzanine” interests and/or options or derivatives related thereto) relating to real estate assets (including pools thereof and equity interests in net lease assets), real estate companies, and/or real estate-related holdings;
•prior to the deployment of capital into investments, we may cause our capital to be invested in any short-term investments in money market funds, bank accounts, overnight repurchase agreements with primary federal reserve bank dealers collateralized by direct U.S. government obligations and other instruments or investments reasonably determined to be of high quality;
•not more than 25% of our equity, as defined in the Management Agreement, will be invested in any individual investment without the approval of a majority of the investment risk management committee of our board of directors (it being understood, however, that for purposes of the foregoing concentration limit, in the case of any
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investment that is comprised (whether through a structured investment vehicle or other arrangement) of securities, instruments or assets of multiple portfolio issuers, such investment for purposes of the foregoing limitation shall be deemed to be multiple investments in such underlying securities, instruments and assets and not such particular vehicle, product or other arrangement in which they are aggregated);
•any investment in excess of $350.0 million shall require the approval of a majority of the investment risk management committee of our board of directors;
•no investment shall be made that would cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Internal Revenue Code; and
•no investment shall be made that would cause us or any of our subsidiaries to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
These investment guidelines may be amended, restated, modified, supplemented or waived upon the approval of a majority of our board of directors, which must include a majority of the independent directors, without the approval of our stockholders.
Competition
We operate in a competitive market for lending and investment opportunities, which may intensify. In originating or acquiring our investments, we compete for opportunities with a variety of institutional lenders and investors, including other REITs, specialty finance companies, public and private funds, commercial and investment banks, commercial finance and insurance companies and other financial institutions (including investment vehicles managed by affiliates of Blackstone). Some of our competitors have raised, and may in the future raise, significant amounts of capital, and may have investment objectives that overlap with ours, which may create additional competition for lending and investment opportunities. Some competitors may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that are not available to us, such as the U.S. government. Many of our competitors are not subject to the operating constraints associated with REIT tax compliance or maintenance of an exclusion from regulation under the Investment Company Act. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of loans and investments, offer more attractive pricing or other terms, and establish more relationships than us. Furthermore, competition for investments may lead to decreasing yields, which may further limit our ability to generate desired returns.
In the face of this competition, we have access to Blackstone’s professionals and their industry expertise and relationships, which we believe provide us with a competitive advantage and help us assess risks and determine appropriate pricing for potential investments. We believe these relationships will enable us to compete more effectively for attractive investment opportunities. However, we may not be able to achieve our business goals or expectations due to the competitive risks that we face. For additional information concerning these competitive risks, see Item 1A—“Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Lending and Investment Activities.”
Sustainability
We are committed to responsibly managing risk and preserving value for our shareholders. We strive to consider environmental, social and governance (“ESG”), or sustainability, factors relevant to our potential collateral and borrowers when making capital allocation decisions and incorporate sustainability diligence practices as part of our investment process where applicable.
Our day-to-day operations are externally managed by our Manager, a subsidiary of Blackstone. As such, many of the sustainability initiatives undertaken by Blackstone impact or apply to us. Key sustainability initiatives we share with Blackstone include the consideration of sustainability in the investment process where applicable, dedicated resources to sustainability governance and oversight, industry engagement on sustainability matters, programs at our office locations, and certain employee and community engagement and diversity and inclusion programs.
Human Capital Management
We do not have any employees. We are externally managed by our Manager pursuant to our Management Agreement. Our executive officers serve as officers of our Manager, and are employed by an affiliate of our Manager. See “Item 1—Our Manager.”
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Government Regulation
Our operations in North America, Europe, and Australia are subject, in certain instances, to supervision and regulation by U.S. and other governmental authorities, and may be subject to various laws and judicial and administrative decisions imposing various requirements and restrictions, which, among other things: (i) regulate credit-granting activities; (ii) establish maximum interest rates, finance charges and other charges; (iii) require disclosures to customers; (iv) govern secured transactions; and (v) set collection, foreclosure, repossession and claims-handling procedures and other trade practices. We are also required to comply with certain provisions of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act that are applicable to commercial loans. We intend to continue to conduct our business so that neither we nor any of our subsidiaries are required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
In our judgment, existing statutes and regulations have not had a material adverse effect on our business. In recent years, legislators in the United States and in other countries have said that greater regulation of financial services firms is needed, particularly in areas such as risk management, leverage, and disclosure. While we expect that additional new regulations in these areas will be adopted and existing ones may change in the future, it is not possible at this time to forecast the exact nature of any future legislation, regulations, judicial decisions, orders or interpretations, nor their impact upon our future business, financial condition, or results of operations or prospects.
For more information on government regulation, refer to “Part I – Item 1A. Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Company.”
Taxation of the Company
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.
Furthermore, our taxable REIT subsidiaries, or TRSs, are subject to federal, state, and local income tax on their net taxable income. See Item 1A—“Risk Factors—Risks Related to our REIT Status and Certain Other Tax Items” for additional tax status information.
Taxation of REIT Dividends
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, REIT dividends (other than capital gain dividends) received by non-corporate taxpayers may be eligible for a 20% deduction. This deduction is only applicable to investors in BXMT that receive dividends and does not have any impact on us. Without further legislation, the deduction would sunset after 2025. Investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding the effect of this change on their effective tax rate with respect to REIT dividends.
Website Access to Reports
We maintain a website at www.blackstonemortgagetrust.com. We are providing the address to our website solely for the information of investors. The information on our website is not a part of, nor is it incorporated by reference into this report. Through our website, we make available, free of charge, our annual proxy statement, annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish them to, the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains these reports at www.sec.gov.
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ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS
Risks Related to Our Lending and Investment Activities
Our loans and investments expose us to risks associated with debt-oriented real estate investments generally.
We seek to invest primarily in debt instruments relating to real estate-related assets. As such, we are subject to, among other things, risk of defaults by borrowers in paying debt service on outstanding indebtedness and to other impairments of our loans and investments. A deterioration of real estate fundamentals generally, and in North America, Europe and Australia in particular, could negatively impact our performance by making it more difficult for borrowers of our mortgage loans, or borrower entities, to satisfy their debt payment obligations, increasing the default risk applicable to borrower entities, and/or making it more difficult for us to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns. Changes in general economic conditions have and will continue to affect the creditworthiness of borrower entities and/or the value of underlying real estate collateral relating to our investments and may include economic and/or market fluctuations, changes in building, environmental, zoning and other laws, casualty or condemnation losses, regulatory limitations on rents, decreases in property values, changes in the appeal of properties to tenants, changes in supply and demand of real estate products, fluctuations in real estate fundamentals, the financial resources of borrower entities, energy supply shortages, various uninsured or uninsurable risks, natural disasters, pandemics or outbreaks of contagious disease, political events, terrorism and acts of war, changes in government regulations, changes in monetary policy, changes in real property tax rates and/or tax credits, changes in operating expenses, changes in capital expenditure costs, changes in interest rates, changes in inflation rates, changes in foreign exchange rates, changes in the availability of debt financing and/or mortgage funds that may render the sale or refinancing of properties difficult or impracticable, increased mortgage defaults, increases in borrowing rates, changes in consumer spending, negative developments in the economy and/or adverse changes in real estate values generally and other factors that are beyond our control. Concerns about the real estate market, high interest rates, inflation, energy costs, geopolitical issues, and other global events outside of our control have contributed, and may in the future contribute, to increased volatility and diminished expectations for the economy and markets going forward, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We cannot predict the degree to which economic conditions generally, and the conditions for real estate debt investing in particular, will improve or decline. Any declines in the performance of the U.S. and global economies or in the real estate debt markets could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Commercial real estate-related investments that are secured, directly or indirectly, by real property are subject to delinquency, foreclosure and loss, which have resulted and in the future could result in losses to us.
We invest in commercial real estate debt instruments (e.g., mortgages, mezzanine loans and preferred equity) that are secured, directly or indirectly, by commercial properties. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by an income-producing property typically is dependent primarily upon the successful operation of the property rather than upon the existence of independent income or assets of the borrower. If the net operating income of the property is reduced, the borrower’s ability to repay the loan may be impaired. Net operating income of an income-producing property can be affected by, among other things:
•tenant mix and tenant bankruptcies;
•success of tenant businesses;
•property management decisions, including with respect to capital improvements, particularly in older building structures;
•renovations or repositionings during which operations may be limited or halted completely;
•property location and condition, including without limitation, any need to address climate-related risks or environmental contamination at a property;
•competition from other properties offering the same or similar services;
•changes in laws that increase operating expenses or limit rents that may be charged;
•changes in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and in the state of the credit and securitization markets and the debt and equity capital markets, including diminished availability or lack of debt financing for commercial real estate;
•global trade disruption, supply chain issues, significant introductions of trade barriers and bilateral trade frictions;
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•labor shortages and increasing wages;
•higher rates of inflation;
•changes in global, national, regional or local economic conditions and/or the conditions of specific industry segments;
•declines in global, national, regional or local real estate values;
•declines in global, national, regional or local rental and/or occupancy rates;
•changes in real estate tax rates, tax credits and other operating expenses;
•changes in governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies, including income tax regulations and environmental legislation;
•any liabilities relating to environmental matters at the property;
•acts of God, natural disasters, pandemics or other severe public health events, climate-related risks, terrorism or other hostilities, social unrest and civil disturbances, which may decrease the availability of or increase the cost of insurance or result in uninsured losses; and
•adverse changes in zoning laws.
In addition, we are exposed to the risk of judicial proceedings with our borrowers and entities we invest in, including bankruptcy or other litigation, as a strategy to avoid foreclosure or enforcement of other rights by us as a lender or investor. In the event that any of the properties or entities underlying or collateralizing our loans or investments experiences or continues to experience any of the other foregoing events or occurrences, the value of, and return on, such investments could be reduced, which would adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Fluctuations in interest rates and credit spreads have reduced and in the future could reduce our ability to generate income on our loans and other investments, which could lead to a significant decrease in our results of operations, cash flows and the market value of our investments and may limit our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
Our primary interest rate exposures relate to the yield on our loans and other investments and the financing cost of our debt, as well as our interest rate swaps that we may utilize for hedging purposes. Changes in interest rates and credit spreads have affected and may in the future affect our net income from loans and other investments, which is the difference between the interest and related income we earn on our interest-earning investments and the interest and related expense we incur in financing these investments. Interest rate and credit spread fluctuations resulting in our interest and related expense exceeding interest and related income would result in operating losses for us. Changes in the level of interest rates and credit spreads also may affect our ability to make loans or investments, the value of our loans and investments and our ability to realize gains from the disposition of assets. Increases in interest rates and credit spreads have had and may in the future also have negative effects on demand for loans and could result in higher borrower default rates.In light of elevated inflation, the U.S. Federal Reserve increased interest rates numerous times in recent years, which increased, and could continue to increase, our borrowers’ interest payments. Although decelerating, inflation remains above the U.S. Federal Reserve’s target levels. Despite multiple federal fund rate decreases over the course of 2024, interest rates have remained elevated, with the U.S. Federal Reserve indicating in early 2025 an expectation of slower rate decreases moving forward. A slower‐than‐expected decrease, or a further increase, in interest rates would continue to present a challenge to real estate valuations. Such factors are even more challenging in the traditional office market, where more troubled assets are likely to emerge, as well as other properties with long‐term leases that do not provide for short‐term rent increases. Interest rate increases also have had and may in the future have adverse effects on commercial real estate property values, and, for certain of our borrowers have contributed, and may continue to contribute, to loan non-performance, modifications, defaults, foreclosures, and/or property sales, which could result in us realizing losses on our investments.
Our operating results depend, in part, on differences between the income earned on our investments, net of credit losses, and our financing costs. The yields we earn on our floating-rate assets and our borrowing costs tend to move in the same direction in response to changes in interest rates. However, one can rise or fall faster than the other, causing our net interest margin to expand or contract. In addition, we could experience reductions in the yield on our investments and an increase in the cost of our financing. Although we seek to match the terms of our liabilities to the expected lives of loans that we acquire or originate, circumstances may arise in which our liabilities are shorter in duration than our assets, resulting in their adjusting faster in response to changes in interest rates. For any period during which our investments are not match-funded, the income earned on such investments may respond more slowly to interest rate fluctuations than the cost of our borrowings. Consequently, changes in interest rates, particularly short-term interest rates, may immediately and significantly decrease our results of operations and cash flows and the market value of our investments, and any such change may limit our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders. In addition, unless we enter into hedging or similar
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transactions with respect to the portion of our assets that we fund using our balance sheet, returns we achieve on such assets will generally increase as interest rates for those assets rise and decrease as interest rates for those assets decline.
The timing of loan repayment is difficult to predict and may adversely affect our financial performance and cash flows.
Our floating-rate mortgage loans are secured by commercial real estate assets. Generally, our mortgage loan borrowers may repay their loans prior to their stated maturities. In periods of declining interest rates and/or credit spreads, prepayment rates on loans will generally increase. If general interest rates or credit spreads decline at the same time, the proceeds of such prepayments received during such periods may not be reinvested for some period of time or may be reinvested by us in assets with lower yields than the assets that were prepaid. In periods of increasing interest rates and/or credit spreads, prepayment rates on loans will generally decrease, which could impact our liquidity, or increase our potential exposure to loan non-performance.
Prepayment rates on loans may be affected by a number of factors including, but not limited to, the then-current level of interest rates and credit spreads, fluctuations in asset values, the availability of mortgage credit, the relative economic vitality of the area in which the related properties are located, the servicing of the loans, possible changes in tax laws, other opportunities for investment, and other economic, social, geographic, demographic and legal and other factors beyond our control. Consequently, such prepayment rates can vary significantly from period-to-period and cannot be predicted with certainty. No strategy can completely insulate us from prepayment or other such risks and faster or slower prepayments may adversely affect our profitability and cash available for distribution to our stockholders.
Our loans often contain call protection or yield maintenance provisions that require a certain minimum amount of interest due to us regardless of when the loan is repaid. These include prepayment fees expressed as a percentage of the unpaid principal balance, or the amount of foregone net interest income due us from the date of repayment through a date that is frequently 12 or 18 months after the origination date. Loans that are outstanding beyond the end of the call protection or yield maintenance period can be repaid with no prepayment fees or penalties. The absence of call protection or yield maintenance provisions may expose us to the risk of early repayment of loans, and the inability to redeploy capital accretively.
Difficulty in redeploying the proceeds from repayments of our existing loans and investments may cause our financial performance and returns to investors to suffer.
As our loans and investments are repaid, we will have to redeploy the proceeds we receive into new loans and investments (which can include future fundings associated with our existing loans), repay borrowings under our credit facilities, pay dividends to our stockholders or repurchase outstanding shares of our class A common stock. It is possible that we will fail to identify reinvestment options that would provide returns or a risk profile that is comparable to the asset that was repaid. If we fail to redeploy the proceeds we receive from repayment of a loan in equivalent or better alternatives, our financial performance and returns to investors could suffer.
We operate in a competitive market for lending and investment opportunities, which may intensify, and competition may limit our ability to originate or acquire desirable loans and investments or dispose of investments, and could also affect the yields of these investments and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We operate in a competitive market for lending and investment opportunities, which may intensify. Our profitability depends, in large part, on our ability to originate or acquire our investments on attractive terms. In originating or acquiring our investments, we compete for opportunities with a variety of institutional lenders and investors, including other REITs, specialty finance companies, public and private funds, commercial and investment banks, commercial finance and insurance companies and other financial institutions (including investment vehicles managed by affiliates of Blackstone). Some of our competitors have raised, and may in the future raise, significant amounts of capital, and may have investment objectives that overlap with ours, which may create additional competition for lending and investment opportunities. Some competitors may have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that are not available to us, such as the U.S. government. Many of our competitors are not subject to the operating constraints associated with REIT tax compliance or maintenance of an exclusion from regulation under the Investment Company Act. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of loans and investments, offer more attractive pricing or other terms and establish more relationships than us.
Furthermore, competition for originations of investments may lead to decreasing yields, which may further limit our ability to generate desired returns. Also, as a result of this competition, desirable loans and investments may be limited in the future, and we may not be able to take advantage of attractive lending and investment opportunities from time to time,
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thereby limiting our ability to identify and originate or acquire loans or make investments that are consistent with our investment objectives. There can be no assurance that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we are unable to successfully integrate new assets or businesses and manage our growth, our results of operations and financial condition may suffer.
We have in the past and may in the future significantly increase the size and/or change the mix of our portfolio of assets or acquire or otherwise enter into new lines of business, including through joint ventures. We may be unable to successfully and efficiently integrate newly-acquired assets or businesses into our existing operations or otherwise effectively manage our assets or our growth effectively. In addition, increases in our portfolio of assets and/or changes in the mix of our assets or lines of business may place significant demands on our Manager’s administrative, operational, asset management, financial and other resources. Any failure to manage increases in our size effectively could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
The illiquidity of certain assets we invest in may adversely affect our business.
The illiquidity of certain assets we invest in may make it difficult for us to sell such investments, if needed. Certain assets such as mortgages, B-Notes, mezzanine and other loans (including loan participations) and preferred equity, in particular, are relatively illiquid investments due to their short tenor, are potentially unsuitable for securitization and have a greater difficulty of recovery in the event of a borrower’s default. We are also required to hold certain risk retention interests in certain of our securitization transactions. In addition, certain of our investments may become less liquid after our investment as a result of periods of delinquencies or defaults or turbulent market conditions, including due to current market conditions and exacerbated market volatility, which may make it more difficult for us to dispose of such assets at advantageous times or in a timely manner. Moreover, many of the loans and securities we invest in are not registered under the relevant securities laws, resulting in limitations or prohibitions against their transfer, sale, pledge or their disposition. As a result, many of our investments are illiquid, and if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, for example as a result of margin calls, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded our investments.
Further, we may face other restrictions on our ability to liquidate an investment to the extent that we or our Manager (and/or its affiliates) has or could be attributed as having material, nonpublic information regarding the borrower entity. As a result, our ability to vary our portfolio in response to changes in economic and other conditions may be limited, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Any distressed loans or investments we make, or loans and investments that later become distressed, may subject us to losses and other risks.
Our loans and investments focus primarily on “performing” real estate-related interests. Certain of our loans and investments may also include making distressed investments from time to time (e.g., investments in defaulted, out-of-favor or distressed loans and debt securities) and we have made and may in the future make investments that become “sub-performing” or “non-performing” following our origination or acquisition thereof. Certain of our investments have involved and may in the future involve properties that are highly leveraged, with significant burdens on cash flow and, therefore, involve a high degree of risk. During an economic downturn or recession, loans or securities of financially or operationally troubled borrowers or issuers are more likely to go into default than loans or securities of other borrowers or issuers. Loans or securities of financially or operationally troubled issuers are less liquid and more volatile than loans or securities of borrowers or issuers not experiencing such difficulties. The market prices of such securities are subject to erratic and abrupt market movements and the spread between bid and ask prices may be greater than normally expected. Investment in the loans or securities of financially or operationally troubled borrowers or issuers involves a high degree of credit and market risk.
The success of our investment strategy depends, in part, on our ability to successfully effectuate loan modifications and/or restructurings.
In certain cases (e.g., in connection with a workout, restructuring and/or foreclosure proceedings involving one or more of our investments), the success of our investment strategy has depended and will continue to depend, in part, on our ability to effectuate loan modifications and/or restructurings with our borrowers. The activity of identifying and implementing successful modifications and restructurings entails a high degree of uncertainty, including macroeconomic and borrower-specific factors beyond our control that impact our borrowers and their operations. There can be no assurance that any of the loan modifications and restructurings we have effected will be successful or that (i) we will be able to identify and implement successful modifications and/or restructurings with respect to any other distressed loans or investments we may
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have from time to time, or (ii) we will have sufficient resources to implement such modifications and/or restructurings in times of widespread market challenges. Further, such loan modifications and/or restructurings have entailed and may in the future entail, among other things, a substantial reduction in the interest rate and/or a substantial write-off of the principal of such loan, debt securities or other interests. Moreover, even if a restructuring were successfully accomplished, a risk exists that, upon maturity of such real estate loan, debt securities or other interests, replacement “takeout” financing will not be available. Additionally, such loan modifications have resulted and may in the future result in our becoming the owner of underlying the real estate. See “–We may foreclose on certain of the loans we originate or acquire, which could result in losses that harm our results of operations and financial condition,” and “–As an owner of real estate, we are subject to the risks inherent in the ownership and operation of real estate and the construction and development of real estate.”
Financial or operating difficulties of our borrowers may result in our being subject to bankruptcy proceedings.
Financial or operating difficulties faced by our borrowers, such as those described in other risk factors, may never be overcome and have caused and may in the future cause borrowers to become subject to federal bankruptcy or other similar insolvency proceedings. A borrower may be involved in restructurings, insolvency proceedings or reorganizations under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and the laws and regulations of one or more jurisdictions that may or may not be similar to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, which may adversely affect the rights or priority of our loans. There is a possibility that we may incur substantial or total losses on our investments and, in certain circumstances, become subject to certain additional potential liabilities that may exceed the value of our original investment therein. For example, under certain circumstances, a lender may have its claims subordinated or disallowed or, if it has inappropriately exercised control over the management and policies of a debtor, may be found liable for damages suffered by parties as a result of such actions. In any insolvency proceeding relating to any of our investments, we may lose our entire investment, may be required to accept cash, securities or other property with a value less than our original investment and/or may be required to accept different terms, including changes to interest rates and payment over an extended period of time. In addition, under certain circumstances, we may be forced to repay payments previously made to us by a borrower if such payments are later determined to have been a fraudulent conveyance, preferential payment, or similar avoidable transaction under applicable laws. Furthermore, bankruptcy laws and similar laws applicable to insolvency proceedings may delay our ability to realize value from collateral for our loan positions and prevent us from foreclosing upon loans and taking title to the property securing such loans. If, through an insolvency proceeding, we do ultimately take title to the property securing a loan, we would take ownership of such property subject to the potential rights of tenants to remain in possession for the duration of their respective leases, which may substantially reduce the value of such property.
We have in the past and may in the future foreclose on certain of the loans we originate or acquire, which could result in losses that negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.
We have in the past and may in the future find it necessary or desirable to foreclose on certain of the loans we originate or acquire, and the foreclosure process may be lengthy and expensive. When we foreclose on an asset, we take title to the property securing that asset, and then own and operate such property as “real estate owned.” Owning and operating real property involves risks that are different (and in many ways more significant) than the risks faced in owning a loan secured by that property. The costs associated with operating and redeveloping a property, including any operating shortfalls and significant capital expenditures, could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial conditions and liquidity. In addition, we may end up owning a property that we would not otherwise have decided to acquire directly at the price of our original investment or at all, and the liquidation proceeds upon sale of the underlying real estate may not be sufficient to recover our cost basis in the loan, resulting in a loss to us.
Whether or not we have participated in the negotiation of the terms of any such loans, there can be no assurance as to the adequacy of the protection of the terms of the applicable loan, including the validity or enforceability of the loan and the maintenance of the anticipated priority and perfection of the applicable security interests. Furthermore, claims may be asserted by lenders or borrowers that might interfere with enforcement of our rights. Borrowers may resist foreclosure actions by asserting numerous claims, counterclaims and defenses against us, including, without limitation, lender liability claims and defenses, even when the assertions may have no basis in fact, in an effort to prolong the foreclosure action and seek to force the lender into a modification of the loan or a favorable buy-out of the borrower’s position in the loan. Foreclosure actions in some U.S. states can take several years or more to litigate and may also be time consuming and expensive to complete in other U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions in which we do business. At any time prior to or during the foreclosure proceedings, the borrower may file for bankruptcy, which would have the effect of staying the foreclosure actions and further delaying or even preventing the foreclosure process, and could potentially result in a reduction or discharge of a borrower’s debt. Foreclosure may create a negative public perception of the related property, resulting in a diminution of its value. Even if we are successful in foreclosing on a loan, the liquidation proceeds upon sale of the underlying real estate may not be sufficient to recover our cost basis in the loan, resulting in a loss to us. Furthermore, any costs or delays involved in the foreclosure of the loan or a liquidation of the underlying property will further reduce the net sale proceeds and, therefore, increase any such losses to us.
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As an owner of real estate, we are subject to the risks inherent in the ownership and operation of real estate and the construction and development of real estate.
We are subject to the risks inherent in the ownership and operation of real estate and real estate-related businesses and assets. Such investments are subject to the potential for deterioration of real estate fundamentals and the risk of adverse changes in local market and economic conditions, which may include changes in supply of and demand for competing properties in an area, changes in interest rates and related increases in borrowing costs, fluctuations in the average occupancy and room rates for hotel properties, changes in demand for commercial office properties (including as a result of an increased prevalence of remote work), changes in the financial resources of tenants, defaults by borrowers or tenants and the lack of availability of mortgage funds, which may render the sale or refinancing of properties difficult or impracticable. In addition, investments in real estate and real estate-related businesses and assets may be subject to the risk of environmental liabilities, contingent liabilities upon disposition of assets, casualty or condemnations losses, energy supply shortages, natural disasters, climate-related risks (including transition risks and acute and chronic physical risks), acts of God, terrorist attacks, war, pandemics or other public health events (such as COVID-19), and other events that are beyond our control, and various uninsured or uninsurable risks. Because landlord claims for future rent are capped under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, tenants in our properties may be incentivized to enter bankruptcy proceedings for the purpose of rejecting leases at our properties and reducing liability thereunder.
Further, investments in real estate and real estate-related businesses and assets are subject to changes in law and regulation, including in respect of building, environmental and zoning laws, rent control and other regulations impacting residential real estate investments and changes to tax laws and regulations, including real property and income tax rates and the taxation of business entities and the deductibility of corporate interest expense. In addition, if we acquire direct or indirect interests in undeveloped land or underdeveloped real property, which may often be non-income producing, we will be subject to the risks normally associated with such assets and development activities, including risks relating to the availability and timely receipt of zoning and other regulatory or environmental approvals, the cost and timely completion of construction (including risks beyond our control, such as weather or labor conditions or material shortages) and the availability of both construction and permanent financing on favorable terms.
Further, ownership of real estate may increase our risk of direct and/or indirect liability under environmental laws that impose, regardless of fault, joint and several liability for the cost of remediating contamination and compensation for damages. In addition, changes in environmental laws or regulations or the environmental condition of real estate may create liabilities that did not exist at the time we became the owner of such real estate. Even in cases where we are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of violations of laws and regulations, including environmental laws and regulations, there can be no assurance as to the financial viability of a third party to satisfy such indemnities or our ability to achieve enforcement of such indemnities.
Increases in our CECL reserves have had and could continue to have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our CECL reserves required under the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, Topic 326 “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses,” or ASC 326, reflect our current estimate of potential credit losses related to our loans’ included in our consolidated balance sheets. Changes to our CECL reserves are recognized through net income on our consolidated statements of operations. See Notes 2 and 3 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our CECL reserves.
While ASC 326 does not require any particular method for determining CECL reserves, it does specify the reserves should be based on relevant information about past events, including historical loss experience, current portfolio and market conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts for the duration of each respective loan. Because our methodology for determining the CECL reserves may differ from the methodologies employed by other companies, our CECL reserves may not be comparable with the CECL reserves reported by other companies. In addition, other than a few narrow exceptions, ASC 326 requires that all financial instruments subject to the CECL model have some amount of loss reserve to reflect the GAAP principal underlying the CECL model that all loans, debt securities, and similar assets have some inherent risk of loss, regardless of credit quality, subordinate capital, or other mitigating factors. For example, during the year ended December 31, 2024, we recorded an aggregate $157.0 million increase in our CECL reserves related to loans receivable and unfunded loan commitments, bringing our total CECL reserves to $746.5 million as of December 31, 2024. These CECL reserves reflect certain impaired loans in our portfolio, as well as changes in our CECL reserves due to changes in the composition of our portfolio and macroeconomic conditions. We may be required to record further increases to our CECL reserves in the future, depending on the performance of our portfolio and broader market conditions, and there may be volatility in the level of our CECL reserves. In particular, our loans secured by office buildings have experienced higher levels of CECL reserves and may continue to do so if market conditions relevant to office buildings do not improve. A
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substantial portion of our loans are secured by office space and similar commercial real estate. This sector has over the past few years been negatively affected by certain macroeconomic factors, such as an increased prevalence of remote work. Any such reserve increases are difficult to predict, but are expected to be primarily the result of incremental loan impairments resulting from changes in the specific credit quality factors of such loans and to be concentrated in our loans receivable with a risk rating of “4” as of December 31, 2024. In addition, there can be no assurance that any loan modification or restructuring will not result in a substantial write-off of the principal of such loan, debt securities or other interests. If we are required to materially increase our CECL reserves for any reason, such increase could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Control may be limited over certain of our loans and investments.
Our ability to manage our portfolio of loans and investments may be limited by the form in which they are made. In certain situations, we:
•acquire investments subject to rights of senior classes, special servicers or collateral managers under intercreditor, servicing agreements or securitization documents;
•pledge our investments as collateral for financing arrangements;
•acquire only a minority and/or a non-controlling participation in an underlying investment;
•co-invest with others through partnerships, joint ventures or other entities, thereby acquiring non-controlling interests; or
•rely on independent third-party management or servicing with respect to the management of an asset.
In addition, in circumstances where we originate or acquire loans relating to borrowers that are owned in whole or part by Blackstone-advised investment vehicles, we generally forgo all non-economic rights under the loan, including voting rights, so long as Blackstone-advised investment vehicles own such borrowers above a certain threshold.
Therefore, we may not be able to exercise control over all aspects of our loans or investments. Such financial assets may involve risks not present in investments where senior creditors, junior creditors, servicers, third-party controlling investors or Blackstone-advised investment vehicles are not involved. Our rights to control the process following a borrower default may be subject to the rights of senior or junior creditors or servicers whose interests may not be aligned with ours. A partner or co-venturer may have financial difficulties resulting in a negative impact on such asset, may have economic or business interests or goals that are inconsistent with ours, or may be in a position to take action contrary to our investment objectives. In addition, we will generally pay all or a portion of the expenses relating to our joint ventures and we may, in certain circumstances, be liable for the actions of our partners or co-venturers.
B-Notes, mezzanine loans, and other investments (such as preferred equity) that are subordinated or otherwise junior in the capital structure and that involve privately negotiated structures will expose us to greater risk of loss.
We may originate or acquire B-Notes, mezzanine loans and other investments (such as preferred equity) that are subordinated or otherwise junior in the capital structure and that involve privately negotiated structures. To the extent we invest in subordinated debt or mezzanine tranches of an entity’s capital structure, such investments and our remedies with respect thereto, including the ability to foreclose on any collateral securing such investments, will be subject to the rights of holders of more senior tranches in the issuer’s capital structure and, to the extent applicable, contractual intercreditor, co-lender and/or participation agreement provisions. Significant losses related to such loans or investments could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
As the terms of such loans and investments are subject to contractual relationships among lenders, co-lending agents and others, they can vary significantly in their structural characteristics and other risks. For example, the rights of holders of B-Notes to control the process following a borrower default may vary from transaction to transaction.
Like B-Notes, mezzanine loans are by their nature structurally subordinated to more senior property-level financings. If a borrower defaults on our mezzanine loan or on debt senior to our loan, or if the borrower is in bankruptcy, our mezzanine loan will be satisfied only after the property-level debt and other senior debt is paid in full. As a result, a partial loss in the value of the underlying collateral can result in a total loss of the value of the mezzanine loan. In addition, even if we are able to foreclose on the underlying collateral following a default on a mezzanine loan, we would be substituted for the defaulting borrower and, to the extent income generated on the underlying property is insufficient to meet outstanding debt obligations on the property, we may need to commit substantial additional capital and/or deliver a replacement guarantee by a creditworthy entity, which may include us, to stabilize the property and prevent additional defaults to lenders with
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existing liens on the property. In addition, mezzanine loans may have higher loan-to-value ratios than conventional mortgage loans, resulting in less equity in the property and increasing the risk of loss of principal. Significant losses related to our B-Notes and mezzanine loans would result in operating losses for us and may limit our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
Loans on properties in transition may involve a greater risk of loss than conventional mortgage loans.
The typical borrower in a transitional loan has usually identified an asset that it views as undervalued, having been under-managed and/or located in a recovering market, and is seeking relatively short-term capital to be used in an acquisition or rehabilitation of a property. If the borrower’s assessment of the asset as undervalued is inaccurate, or if the market in which the asset is located fails to improve according to the borrower’s projections, or if the borrower fails to sufficiently improve the quality of the asset’s management and/or the value of the asset, the borrower may not receive a sufficient return on the asset to satisfy the transitional loan, and we bear the risk that we may not recover all or a portion of our investment. During periods in which there are decreases in demand for certain properties as a result of macroeconomic factors, reductions in the financial resources of tenants, and defaults by borrowers or tenants, borrowers face additional challenges in transitioning properties. Market downturns or other adverse macroeconomic factors may affect transitional loans in our portfolio more adversely than loans secured by more stabilized assets.
In addition, borrowers usually use the proceeds of a sale or a refinancing to repay a loan, and both sales and refinancings are subject to the broader risk that the underlying collateral may not be liquid and that financing may not be available on acceptable terms or at all. In the event of any default under one of our loans, we bear the risk of loss of principal and non-payment of interest and fees to the extent of any deficiency between the value of the underlying collateral and the principal amount and unpaid interest of the loan. To the extent we suffer such losses with respect to our loans, it could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Risks of cost overruns and noncompletion of renovations of properties in transition may result in significant losses.
The renovation, refurbishment or expansion of a property in transition by a borrower involves risks of cost overruns and noncompletion. Estimates of the costs of improvements to bring an acquired property in transition up to standards established for the market position intended for that property may prove inaccurate. Inflation in the cost of labor and materials, as well as global supply chain shortages or slowdowns can also create challenges for borrowers in transitioning properties. Other risks may include rehabilitation costs exceeding original estimates, possibly making a project uneconomical, environmental risks, delays in legal and other approvals (e.g., for condominiums) and rehabilitation and subsequent leasing of the property not being completed on schedule. If such renovation is not completed in a timely manner, or if it costs more than expected, the borrower may experience a prolonged reduction of net operating income and may not be able to make payments on our investment on a timely basis or at all, which could result in significant losses.
There are increased risks involved with our construction lending activities.
Our construction lending activities, which include our investment in loans that fund the construction or development of real estate-related assets, may expose us to increased lending risks. Construction lending may involve a higher degree of risk of non-payment and loss than other types of lending due to a variety of factors, including the difficulties in estimating construction costs and anticipating construction delays (or governmental shut-downs of construction activity) and, generally, the dependency on timely, successful completion and the lease-up and commencement of operations post-completion. In addition, since such loans generally entail greater risk than mortgage loans collateralized by income-producing property, we may be required to increase our CECL reserves in the future to account for the likely increase in probable incurred credit losses associated with such loans. Further, as the lender under a construction loan, we may be obligated to fund all or a significant portion of the loan at one or more future dates. We may not have the funds available at such future date(s) to meet our funding obligations under the loan. In that event, we would likely be in breach of the loan unless we are able to raise the funds from alternative sources, which we may not be able to achieve on favorable terms or at all.
If a borrower fails to complete the construction of a project or experiences cost overruns, there could be adverse consequences associated with the loan, including a decline in the value of the property securing the loan, a borrower claim against us for failure to perform under the loan documents if we choose to stop funding, increased costs to the borrower that the borrower is unable to pay, a bankruptcy filing by the borrower, and abandonment by the borrower of the collateral for the loan.
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Loans or investments involving international real estate-related assets are subject to special risks that we may not manage effectively, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
We invest a material portion of our capital in assets outside the United States and may increase the percentage of our investments outside the United States over time. Our investments in non-domestic real estate-related assets subject us to certain risks associated with international investments generally, including, among others:
•currency exchange matters, including fluctuations in currency exchange rates and costs associated with conversion of investment principal and income from one currency into another, which may have an adverse impact on the valuation of our assets or income, including for purposes of our REIT requirements, regardless of any hedging activities we undertake, which may not be adequate;
•less developed or efficient financial markets than in the United States, which may lead to potential price volatility and relative illiquidity;
•the burdens of complying with international regulatory requirements, including the requirements imposed by exchanges on which our international affiliates list debt securities issued in connection with the financing of our loans or investments involving international real-estate related assets, and prohibitions that differ between jurisdictions;
•changes in laws or clarifications to existing laws that could impact our tax treaty positions, which could adversely impact the returns on our investments;
•a less developed legal or regulatory environment, differences in the legal and regulatory environment or enhanced legal and regulatory compliance;
•political hostility to investments by foreign investors;
•higher rates of inflation;
•higher transaction costs;
•greater difficulty enforcing contractual obligations;
•fewer investor protections;
•war or other hostilities;
•certain economic and political risks, including potential exchange control regulations and restrictions on our non-U.S. investments and repatriation of profits from investments or of capital invested, the risks of political, economic or social instability, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation and adverse economic and political developments; and
•potentially adverse tax consequences.
If any of the foregoing risks were to materialize, they could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
A prolonged economic slowdown, a lengthy or severe recession, severe public health events or declining real estate values could impair our investments and harm our operations.
We believe the risks associated with our business will be more severe during periods of economic slowdown or recession if these periods are accompanied by declining real estate values. Declining real estate values will likely reduce the level of new mortgage and other real estate-related loan originations since borrowers often use appreciation in the value of their existing properties to support the purchase of or investment in additional properties. Borrowers may also be less able to pay principal and interest on our loans if the value of real estate weakens. Further, declining real estate values significantly increase the likelihood that we will incur losses on our loans in the event of default because the value of our collateral may be insufficient to cover its cost on the loan. Any sustained period of increased payment delinquencies, foreclosures or losses could adversely affect our ability to invest in, sell, and securitize loans, which would materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and business and our ability to pay dividends to stockholders.
Market disruptions in a single country could cause a worsening of conditions on a regional and even global level, and economic problems in a single country are increasingly affecting other markets and economies. A continuation of this trend could result in problems in one country adversely affecting regional and even global economic conditions and markets. For example, concerns about the fiscal stability and growth prospects of certain European countries in the last economic
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downturn had a negative impact on most economies of the Eurozone and global markets. In addition, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and, more recently, conflict and rising tensions in the Middle East have disrupted energy prices and the movement of goods in Europe and the Middle East, which has resulted, and may continue to result, in rising energy costs and inflation more generally. The occurrence of similar crises in the future could cause increased volatility in the economies and financial markets of countries throughout a region, or even globally.
Additionally, global trade disruption, significant introductions of trade barriers and bilateral trade frictions, including due to tariffs and other changes to trade policy in the U.S. and other jurisdictions as well as war or other hostilities, together with any future downturns in the global economy resulting therefrom, could adversely affect our performance.
Furthermore, severe public health events, such as those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, may occur from time to time, and could directly and indirectly impact us in material respects that we are unable to predict or control. In addition, we may be materially and adversely affected as a result of many related factors outside our control, including the effectiveness of governmental responses to a severe public health event, pandemic or epidemic, the extension, amendment or withdrawal of any programs or initiatives established by governments and the timing and speed of economic recovery. Actions taken in response may contribute to significant volatility in the financial markets, resulting in increased volatility in equity prices, material interest rate changes, supply chain disruptions, such as simultaneous supply and demand shock to global, regional and national economies, and an increase in inflationary pressures.
Long-term macroeconomic effects from a severe public health event, pandemic or epidemic, including from supply and labor shortages, workforce reductions in response to challenging economic conditions, or shifts in demand for real estate have had and could in the future have an adverse impact on our portfolio, which includes loans collateralized by office, hotel, and other asset classes that are particularly negatively impacted by such supply and labor issues. The impact of such long-term effects may disproportionally affect certain asset classes and geographic areas. For example, many businesses permit employees to work from home and make use of flexible work schedules, open workplaces, videoconferences and teleconferences, which have had and could continue to have a longer-term impact on the demand for both office space and hotel rooms for business travel, which could adversely affect our investments in assets secured by office or hotel properties. While we believe the principal amount of our loans are generally adequately protected by underlying property value, there can be no assurance that we will realize the entire principal amount of certain investments. For more information on the concentration of credit risk in our loan portfolio property type and geographic region, see Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements.
Transactions denominated in foreign currencies subject us to heightened risks, including foreign currency risks and regulatory risks.
We hold assets denominated in various foreign currencies, including, without limitation, British Pounds Sterling, Euros, and other currencies, which exposes us to foreign currency risk. As a result, a change in foreign currency exchange rates may have an adverse impact on the valuation of our assets, as well as our income and cash flows. While we have not experienced any adverse impacts during the year ended December 31, 2024 due to our use of derivative instruments, there can be no assurance that we will continue to utilize such measures or that such measures will be successful. Any changes in foreign currency exchange rates may impact the measurement of such assets or income for the purposes of our REIT tests and may affect the amounts available for payment of dividends on our class A common stock.
Our success depends on the availability of attractive investments and our ability to identify, structure, consummate, leverage, manage and realize returns on our investments.
Our operating results are dependent upon the availability of, as well as our ability to identify, structure, consummate, leverage, manage and realize returns on our investments. In general, the availability of favorable investment opportunities and, consequently, our returns, will be affected by the level and volatility of interest rates and credit spreads, conditions in the financial markets, general economic conditions, the demand for investment opportunities and the supply of capital for such investment opportunities. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in identifying and consummating investments that satisfy our rate of return objectives or that such investments, once made, will perform as anticipated.
Real estate valuation is inherently subjective and uncertain, and is subject to change, especially during periods of volatility.
The valuation of real estate and therefore the valuation of any collateral underlying our loans is inherently subjective due to, among other factors, the individual nature of each property, its location, the expected future rental revenues from that particular property and the valuation methodology adopted. Appraisals we obtain from third-party appraisers may be overstated or market values may decline, which could result in inadequate collateral for loans we make. In addition, where we invest in transitional or construction loans, initial valuations will assume completion of the business plan or project. As
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a result, the valuations of the real estate assets against which we will make or acquire loans are subject to a large degree of uncertainty and are made on the basis of assumptions and methodologies that may not prove to be accurate, particularly in periods of volatility, low transaction flow or restricted debt availability in the commercial or residential real estate markets. Regardless of whether an appraisal is accurate at the time it is completed, all valuations are subject to change, especially during periods of market volatility or reduced demand for real estate, which may make it difficult to ensure loans are collateralized as expected across the life of the loan. See “–Loans on properties in transition will involve a greater risk of loss than conventional mortgage loans” and “–There are increased risks involved with our construction lending activities.”
The valuation of assets or loans we hold may not reflect the price at which the asset or loan is ultimately sold in the market, and the difference between that valuation and the ultimate sales price could be material. Valuation methodologies are subject to change from time to time.
Our loans and investments may be concentrated in terms of geography, asset types, and sponsors, which could subject us to increased risk of loss.
We are not required to observe specific diversification criteria, except as may be set forth in the investment guidelines adopted by our board of directors, which guidelines do not currently include diversification criteria. Therefore, our investments may at times be concentrated in certain property types that may be subject to higher risk of default or foreclosure, or secured by properties concentrated in a limited number of geographic locations.
To the extent that our assets are concentrated in any one region, sponsor, or type of asset, economic and business downturns generally relating to such, region, sponsor, or type of asset may result in defaults on a number of our investments within a short time period, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, because of asset concentrations, even modest changes in the value of the underlying real estate assets could have a significant impact on the value of our investment.
As a result of any high levels of concentration, any adverse economic, political or other conditions that disproportionately affects those geographic areas or asset classes could have a magnified adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition, and the value of our stockholders’ investments could vary more widely than if we invested in a more diverse portfolio of loans. For further information, see Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements.
Our due diligence process for investment opportunities may not reveal all relevant information.
Before making investments, we conduct due diligence that we deem reasonable and appropriate based on the facts and circumstances relevant to each potential investment. When conducting due diligence, we may be required to evaluate important and complex issues, including but not limited to those related to business, financial, tax, accounting, environmental, sustainability, legal, and regulatory and macroeconomic trends. With respect to sustainability, the nature and scope of our diligence will vary based on the investment, but may include a review of, among other things: energy management, air and water pollution, land contamination, human capital management, human rights, employee health and safety, accounting standards and bribery and corruption. Outside consultants, legal advisors, accountants and investment banks may be involved in the due diligence process in varying degrees depending on the type of potential investment. The due diligence investigation with respect to any investment opportunity may not reveal or highlight all relevant facts (including fraud) or risks that may be necessary or helpful in evaluating such investment opportunity, and we may not identify or foresee future developments that could have a material adverse effect on an investment.
In addition, selecting and evaluating material sustainability factors is subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the criteria utilized or judgment exercised by us or a third-party sustainability specialist (if any) will reflect the beliefs, values, internal policies or preferred practices of any particular investor or align with the beliefs or values or preferred practices of other asset managers or with market trends. The materiality of sustainability risks and impacts on an individual potential investment or portfolio as a whole are dependent on many factors, including the relevant industry, country, asset class and investment style. Our loss estimates may not prove accurate, as actual results may vary from estimates. If we underestimate the asset-level losses relative to the price we pay for a particular investment, we may be required to recognize an impairment and/or realize losses with respect to such investment.
Moreover, our investment analyses and decisions may frequently be required to be undertaken on an expedited basis to take advantage of investment opportunities. In such cases, the information available to us at the time of making an investment decision may be limited, and we may not have access to detailed information regarding such investment. Further, some matters covered by our diligence, such as sustainability, are continuously evolving and we may not accurately or fully anticipate such evolution.
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Insurance on properties underlying or securing our investments may not cover all losses.
There are certain types of losses, generally of a catastrophic nature, such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, terrorism or acts of war, which may be uninsurable or not economically insurable. Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations and other factors also might result in insurance proceeds insufficient to repair or replace a property if it is damaged or destroyed. Under these circumstances, the insurance proceeds received with respect to a property relating to one of our investments might not be adequate to restore our economic position with respect to our investment. Any uninsured loss could result in the corresponding non-performance of or loss on our investment related to such property.
The impact of any future terrorist attacks and the availability of affordable terrorism insurance expose us to certain risks.
Terrorist attacks including cyber sabotage or similar attacks, the anticipation of any such attacks, and the consequences of any military or other response by the United States and its allies may have an adverse impact on the global financial markets and the economy in general. We cannot predict the severity of the effect that any such future events would have on the global financial markets, the economy or our business. Any future terrorist attacks could adversely affect the credit quality of some of our loans and investments. Some of our loans and investments will be more susceptible to such adverse effects than others, particularly those secured by properties in major cities or properties that are prominent landmarks or public attractions. We may suffer losses as a result of the adverse impact of any future terrorist attacks and these losses may adversely impact our results of operations.
In addition, the enactment of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002, or TRIA, requires insurers to make terrorism insurance available under their property and casualty insurance policies and provides federal compensation to insurers for insured losses. TRIA was reauthorized, with some adjustments to its provisions, in December 2019 for seven years through December 31, 2027. However, this legislation does not regulate the pricing of such insurance and there is no assurance that this legislation will be extended beyond 2027. The absence of affordable insurance coverage may adversely affect the general real estate lending market, lending volume and the market’s overall liquidity and may reduce the number of suitable investment opportunities available to us and the pace at which we are able to make investments. If the properties that we invest in are unable to obtain affordable insurance coverage, the value of those investments could decline and in the event of an uninsured loss, we could lose all or a portion of our investment.
The properties related to our investments may be subject to unknown liabilities, including environmental liabilities, that could affect the value of these properties and as a result, our investments.
Properties related to our investments may be subject to unknown or unquantifiable liabilities that may adversely affect the value of our investments. Such defects or deficiencies may include title defects, title disputes, liens, servitudes or other encumbrances on mortgaged properties. The discovery of such unknown defects, deficiencies and liabilities could affect the ability of our borrowers to make payments to us or could affect our ability to foreclose and/or sell properties, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Furthermore, to the extent we own properties, acquired through foreclosure or otherwise, we may be subject to environmental liabilities arising from such properties. Under various U.S. federal, state and local laws, an owner or operator of real property may become liable for the costs of removal of certain hazardous substances released on its property. These laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the release of such hazardous substances. In addition, we could be subject to similar liabilities in applicable foreign jurisdictions.
The presence of hazardous substances on and/or material environmental liabilities attached to any property we own may adversely affect our ability to sell the property and we may incur substantial remediation costs.
Risks associated with climate change may adversely affect our business and financial results and damage our reputation.
There has been increasing awareness of and concern about severe weather, other climate events outside of the historical norm and other effects of climate change. Transition risks, such as government restrictions, standards or regulations intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and potential climate change impacts, are emerging and may increase in the future in the form of restrictions or additional requirements on the development of commercial real estate. Such restrictions and requirements, along with rising insurance premiums resulting from climate change, could increase our costs or require additional technology and capital investment by our borrowers, which could adversely affect our results of operations. This
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is a particular concern in the western and northeastern United States, where some of the most extensive and stringent environmental laws and building construction standards in the U.S. have been enacted, and where we have properties securing our investment portfolio. In addition, new climate change-related regulations may result in enhanced disclosure obligations, which could materially increase our regulatory burden and compliance costs. See “-We are subject to evolving sustainability disclosure standards and expectations that expose us to numerous risks.”
Further, physical effects of climate change including changes in global weather patterns, rising sea levels, changing temperature averages or extremes and extreme weather events such as wildfires, hurricanes, droughts or floods, can also have an adverse impact on certain properties. As the effects of climate change increase, we expect the frequency and impact of weather and climate-related events and conditions to increase as well. For example, unseasonal or extreme weather events can have a material impact to hospitality businesses or properties.
Some physical risk is inherent in all properties, particularly in properties in certain locations and in light of the unknown potential for extreme weather or other events that could occur related to climate change.
We are subject to evolving sustainability disclosure standards and expectations that expose us to numerous risks.
In recent years, advocacy groups, government agencies and the general public have raised concerns regarding ESG, or sustainability, matters and increasingly regulators, customers, investors, employees and other stakeholders are focusing on sustainability matters and related disclosures. Such governmental, investor and societal attention to sustainability matters, including expanding mandatory and voluntary reporting, diligence, and disclosure on topics such as climate change, human capital management, labor and risk oversight, could expand the nature, scope, and complexity of matters that we are required to manage, assess and report.
We may also communicate certain initiatives regarding environmental, human capital management, and other sustainability-related matters in our SEC filings or in other disclosures. These initiatives could be difficult and expensive to implement, the personnel, processes and technologies needed to implement them may not be cost effective and may not advance at a sufficient pace, and we may not be able to accomplish them within the timelines we announce or at all. We could, for example, determine that it is not feasible or practical to implement or complete certain of such initiatives based on cost, timing or other considerations. Furthermore, we could be criticized for the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of the disclosure related to our sustainability-related policies, practices and initiatives (and progress on those initiatives), which disclosure may be based on frameworks and standards for measuring progress that are still developing, internal controls and processes that continue to evolve, and assumptions that are subject to change in the future. In addition, we could be criticized for the scope or nature of such initiatives, or for any revisions to these initiatives. Further, as part of our sustainability practices, we rely from time to time on third-party data, services and methodologies and such services, data and methodologies could prove to be incomplete or inaccurate. If our or such third parties’ sustainability-related data, processes or reporting are incomplete or inaccurate, or if we fail to achieve progress on a timely basis, or at all, we may be subject to enforcement action and our reputation could be adversely affected, particularly if in connection with such matters we were to be accused of inaccurate or misleading statements regarding ESG or sustainability-related matters, either because we overstate (often referred to as "greenwashing") or understate the extent to which we are engaging in sustainability-related practices.
Investors and other stakeholders have become more focused on understanding how companies address a variety of sustainability factors. As they evaluate investment decisions, many investors look not only at company disclosures but also to sustainability rating systems that have been developed by third parties to allow sustainability comparisons among companies. The criteria used in these ratings systems may conflict and change frequently, and we cannot predict how these third parties will score us, nor can we have any assurance that they score us accurately or other companies accurately or that other companies have provided them with accurate data. If our sustainability ratings, disclosures or practices do not meet the standards set by such investors or our stockholders, they may choose not to invest in our class A common stock. Relatedly, we risk damage to our reputation, based on perceptions of, or reactions to, our actions in a number of areas, such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy management, human rights, community relations, workforce health and safety, and business ethics and transparency. Adverse incidents with respect to sustainability matters or negative sustainability ratings or assessments by third-party sustainability raters could impact the value of our brand, or the cost of our operations and relationships with investors, all of which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
There is regulatory interest across jurisdictions in improving transparency regarding the definition, measurement and disclosure of sustainability factors in order to allow investors to validate and better understand sustainability claims, and we are subject to changing rules and regulations promulgated by a number of governmental and self-regulatory organizations, including the SEC, the New York Stock Exchange and the Financial Accounting Standards Board. These rules and regulations continue to evolve in scope and complexity and new requirements may be created, making compliance more
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difficult and uncertain. Further, new and emerging regulatory initiatives in the U.S., EU and U.K. related to climate change and other sustainability matters could adversely affect our business.
In the U.S., the SEC adopted rules (which are currently subject to a stay order pending litigation) that would require certain climate‐related disclosures by us, including disclosure of financed emissions, an extensive and complex category of emissions that is difficult to calculate accurately and for which there is currently no agreed measurement standard or methodology. At the state level, in 2023 California enacted legislation that will ultimately require certain companies that (i) do business in California to publicly disclose their Scopes 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas, or GHG, emissions, with third-party assurance of such data, and/or issue public reports on their climate-related financial risk and related mitigation measures and (ii) operate in California and participate in the voluntary carbon offset market or make certain claims about their carbon dioxide or GHG emissions to provide disclosures around such claims. Outside of the U.S., various government authorities have proposed or implemented carbon taxes, requirements for asset managers to integrate climate risk considerations in investment and risk management processes, and mandatory reporting aligned with the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework for public issuers and certain asset managers and private companies, among other requirements.
There has been increased regulatory focus on ESG or sustainability-related matters and the accuracy of statements made regarding such matters, including whether such statements are greenwashing. If we are perceived as, or accused of, greenwashing or understating the extent to which we are engaging in sustainability-related practices, such perception or accusation could damage our reputation, result in litigation or regulatory actions and adversely impact our ability to raise capital.
These changing rules, regulations and stakeholder expectations have resulted in, and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and increased management time and attention spent complying with or meeting such regulations and expectations. If we or our borrowers fail or are perceived to fail to comply with or meet applicable rules, regulations and stakeholder expectations, it could negatively impact our reputation and our business results. Further, our business could become subject to additional regulations, penalties and/or risks of regulatory scrutiny and enforcement in the future. Moreover, the requirements of various regulations we may become subject to around the world may not be consistent with each other. We cannot guarantee that our current sustainability practices will meet future regulatory requirements, reporting frameworks or best practices, increasing the risk of related enforcement. Compliance with new requirements may lead to increased management burdens and costs.
We may be subject to lender liability claims, and if we are held liable under such claims, we could be subject to losses.
In recent years, a number of judicial decisions have upheld the right of borrowers to sue lending institutions on the basis of various evolving legal theories, collectively termed “lender liability.” Generally, lender liability is founded on the premise that a lender has either violated a duty, whether implied or contractual, of good faith and fair dealing owed to the borrower or has assumed a degree of control over the borrower resulting in the creation of a fiduciary duty owed to the borrower or its other creditors or stockholders. We cannot assure prospective investors that such claims will not arise or that we will not be subject to significant liability if a claim of this type did arise.
Our investments in CMBS and CLOs and other similar structured finance investments, as well as those we structure, sponsor or arrange, pose additional risks, including the risks of the securitization process and the risk that the special servicer, CT Investment Management Co., LLC, a subsidiary of Blackstone, may take actions that could adversely affect our interests.
We have invested in, and may from time to time in the future invest in, commercial mortgage-backed securities, or CMBS, or collateralized loan obligations, or CLOs, and other similar securities, and our investments may consist of subordinated classes of securities in a structured finance investment secured by a pool of mortgages or loans. Accordingly, such securities may be the first or among the first to bear the loss upon a restructuring or liquidation of the underlying collateral and the last to receive payment of interest and principal, with only a nominal amount of equity or other debt securities junior to such positions. The estimated fair values of such subordinated interests tend to be much more sensitive to adverse economic downturns and underlying borrower developments than more senior securities. A projection of an economic downturn, for example, could cause a decline in the price of lower credit quality CMBS or CLOs because the ability of borrowers to make principal and interest payments on the mortgages or loans underlying such securities may be impaired.
Subordinate interests such as the subordinated classes of securities in CMBS, CLOs and similar structured finance investments generally are not actively traded and are relatively illiquid investments. Volatility in CMBS and CLOs trading markets may cause the value of these investments to decline. In addition, if the underlying mortgage portfolio has been overvalued by the originator, or if the values subsequently decline and, as a result, less collateral value is available to
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satisfy interest and principal payments and any other fees in connection with the trust or other conduit arrangement for such securities, we may incur significant losses.
With respect to the CMBS and CLOs in which we have invested and may invest in the future, control over the related underlying loans will be exercised through CT Investment Management, Co., LLC, or CTIMCO, or another special servicer or collateral manager designated by a “directing certificateholder” or a “controlling class representative,” or otherwise pursuant to the related securitization documents. We have in the past and may in the future acquire classes of CMBS or CLOs, for which we may not have the right to appoint the directing certificateholder or otherwise direct the special servicing or collateral management. With respect to the management and servicing of those loans, the related special servicer or collateral manager may take actions that could adversely affect our interests. See “-Risks Related to Our Financing and Hedging-We have utilized and may utilize in the future non-recourse securitizations to finance our loans and investments, which may expose us to risks that could result in losses” for a discussion of additional risks related to our securitization transactions.
Investments in non-conforming and non-investment grade rated loans or securities involve increased risk of loss.
Many of our investments may not conform to conventional loan standards applied by traditional lenders and either will not be rated (as is typically the case for private loans) or will be rated as non-investment grade by the rating agencies. Private loans often are not rated by credit rating agencies. Non-investment grade ratings typically result from the overall leverage of the loans, the lack of a strong operating history for the properties underlying the loans, the borrowers’ credit history, the underlying properties’ cash flow or other factors. As a result, these investments should be expected to have a higher risk of default and loss than investment-grade rated assets. Any loss we incur may be significant and may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. There are no limits on the percentage of unrated or non-investment grade rated assets we may hold in our investment portfolio.
CECL reserves are difficult to estimate.
Our CECL reserves are evaluated on a quarterly basis. The determination of our CECL reserves requires us to make certain estimates and judgments, which may be difficult to determine. Our estimates and judgments are based on a number of factors, including projected cash flow from the collateral securing our loans, debt structure, including the availability of reserves and recourse guarantees, likelihood of repayment in full at the maturity of a loan, potential for refinancing, the creditworthiness of borrowers and the value of the real estate and other assets serving as collateral for the repayment of loans and expected market discount rates for varying property types, all of which remain uncertain and are subjective. In determining the adequacy of our CECL reserves, we rely on our experience and our evaluation of economic conditions and market factors. If our assumptions prove to be incorrect, our CECL reserves may not be sufficient to cover losses inherent in our loan portfolio and adjustment may be necessary to allow for different economic conditions or adverse developments in our loan portfolio. Consequently, a problem with one or more loans could require us to significantly increase the level of our CECL reserves. Our estimates and judgments may not be correct and, therefore, our results of operations and financial condition could be severely impacted.
Some of our investments may be recorded at fair value and, as a result, there will be uncertainty as to the value of these investments.
Some of our investments may be in the form of positions or securities that are not publicly traded, but are recorded at estimated fair value. The fair value of securities and other investments that are not publicly traded may not be readily determinable. We will value these investments quarterly at fair value, which may include unobservable inputs. Because such valuations are subjective, the fair value of certain of our assets may fluctuate over short periods of time and our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these securities existed. Our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected if our determinations regarding the fair value of these investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon their disposal.
Joint venture investments could be adversely affected by our lack of sole decision-making authority, our reliance on joint venture partners’ financial condition and liquidity and disputes between us and our joint venture partners.
We have made, and may in the future make, investments through joint ventures. Such joint venture investments may involve risks not otherwise present when we originate or acquire investments without partners, including the following:
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•we may not have exclusive control over the investment or the joint venture, which may prevent us from taking actions that are in our best interest and could create the potential risk of creating impasses on decisions, such as with respect to acquisitions or dispositions;
•joint venture agreements often restrict the transfer of a partner’s interest or may otherwise restrict our ability to sell the interest when we desire and/or on advantageous terms;
•joint venture agreements may contain buy-sell provisions pursuant to which one partner may initiate procedures requiring the other partner to choose between buying the other partner’s interest or selling its interest to that partner;
•a partner may, at any time, have economic or business interests or goals that are, or that may become, inconsistent with our business interests or goals, and any conflict of interest with a joint venture partner that is a Blackstone-advised investment vehicle may not be resolved in our favor;
•a partner may fail to fund its share of required capital contributions or may become bankrupt, which may mean that we and any other remaining partners generally would remain liable for the joint venture’s liabilities;
•disputes between us and a partner may result in litigation or arbitration that could increase our expenses and prevent our Manager and our officers and directors from focusing their time and efforts on our business and could result in subjecting the investments owned by the joint venture to additional risk; or
•we may, in certain circumstances, be liable for the actions of a partner, and the activities of a partner could adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT or maintain our exclusion from registration under the Investment Company Act, even though we do not control the joint venture.
Any of the above may subject us to liabilities in excess of those contemplated and adversely affect the value of our joint venture investments.
Our investments in net leased commercial properties expose us to risks.
We have formed the Net Lease Joint Venture with a Blackstone-advised vehicle to invest in commercial properties subject to triple net leases, which exposes us to risks related to joint venture investments (see “─Joint venture investments could be adversely affected by our lack of sole decision-making authority, our reliance on joint venture partners’ financial condition and liquidity and disputes between us and our joint venture partners”), investments involving Blackstone-advised vehicles (“─We and the Blackstone Vehicles have and in the future will likely compete with or enter into transactions with existing and future private and public investment vehicles established and/or managed by Blackstone or its affiliates, which may present various conflicts of interest that restrict our ability to pursue certain investment opportunities or take other actions that are beneficial to our business and/or result in decisions that are not in the best interests of our stockholders”) and investments in net lease assets. We may also make other investments in net leased commercial properties.
Typically, net leases require the tenant to pay substantially all of the operating costs associated with the properties, such as insurance, real estate taxes and costs of maintaining the property, and make the tenant responsible for maintaining, operating and managing the property. Therefore, our net lease investments are materially dependent on the financial stability and ability to achieve business success of our tenants, which in turn is materially dependent on a wide range of factor beyond their control and ours, such as changes in consumer preferences, local economic conditions and interest rate levels, among other macroeconomic factors. In addition, net leases typically have longer lease terms and there can be no assurance contractual rental increases will result in market rates for the full term of the lease.
Any termination of or default on a lease by any tenant would result in lost revenue from the property and could require us to use another source of capital to meet debt payments and other costs related to the property. If a tenant becomes bankrupt, our rights as a property owner will be restricted, including by limiting the amount of unpaid rent we can collect, and the tenant will have additional rights, including authority to reject and terminate its lease. If a lease is terminated for any reason, in addition to losing revenue, we may also incur substantial costs, including capital expenditures and maintenance costs required for the property to be suitable for and attractive to desirable tenants. There can be no assurance we will be able to lease any vacant property on a timely basis, favorable terms or at all.
We may make investments related to data centers which exposes us to related risks.
The underlying real estate for certain of our investments may be data centers. Data center investments are subject to operating risks common to the data center industry, which include changes in tenant demands or preferences, a decline in the technology industry, such as a decrease in the use of mobile or web-based commerce, industry slowdowns, business layoffs or downsizing, relocation of businesses, increased costs of complying with existing or new government regulations
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and other factors; a downturn in the market for data center space generally such as oversupply of or reduced demand for space; increased competition, including from our tenants choosing to develop their own data centers; and the rapid development of new technologies or the adoption of new industry standards that render our tenants’ current products and services or our facilities obsolete or unmarketable. To the extent that any of these or other adverse conditions occur, they are likely to impact market rents for, and cash flows from, our data center investments, which could have a material adverse effect on us.
The loss of, or changes in, our relationships with MTRCC, or of MTRCC’s relationships with Freddie Mae or Freddie Mac, could adversely affect us.
In the second quarter of 2024, we entered into our Agency Multifamily Lending Partnership, which allows our borrowers to access multifamily agency financing through MTRCC’s Fannie Mae Delegated Underwriting and Servicing and Freddie Mac OptigoTM lending platforms. We are entitled to receive a portion of origination, servicing, and other fees paid under the programs for loans that we refer to MTRCC for origination.
Our ability to generate revenues from our Agency Multifamily Lending Partnership depends on decisions by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and MTRCC, which are beyond our control. Our MTRCC Agency Partnership required the approval of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and this approval can be rescinded with respect to any or all loans at any time. If that occurs, MTRCC will no longer be required to make the related payments to us, either prospectively, retroactively or both, as determined by the applicable agency. Our right to receive any payments will also be terminated if MTRCC’s status as an authorized lender with Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac is terminated or revoked.
In addition, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac may lower the price they are willing to pay MTRCC with respect to loans referred by us, or otherwise adversely change the material terms of applicable loans. Moreover, there can be no assurance MTRCC will originate any loans that we refer to them, and the number and quality of loan opportunities we are able to refer to MTRCC depend on a variety of factors beyond our control, including market conditions for multifamily financing generally and in particular with respect to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans.
We are also subject to a loss-sharing obligation with MTRCC, which requires us to partially guarantee the performance of any loans originated by MTRCC under the Fannie Mae program with respect to which we are entitled to payments. We recognize a liability for these loss-sharing obligations on our consolidated balance sheets.
Risks Related to Our Financing and Hedging
Our significant amount of debt may subject us to increased risk of loss and could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
We currently have outstanding indebtedness and, subject to market conditions and availability, we may incur a significant amount of additional debt through repurchase agreements, bank credit facilities (including term loans and revolving facilities), warehouse facilities and structured financing arrangements, public and private debt issuances (including through securitizations) and derivative instruments, in addition to transaction or asset specific funding arrangements. We have also issued and may in the future also issue additional debt or equity securities to fund our growth. The type and percentage of leverage we employ will vary depending on our available capital, our ability to obtain and access financing arrangements with lenders, the type of assets we are funding, whether the financing is recourse or non-recourse, debt restrictions contained in those financing arrangements and the lenders’ and rating agencies’ estimate of the stability of our investment portfolio’s cash flow. We may significantly increase the amount of leverage we utilize at any time without approval of our board of directors. In addition, we may leverage individual assets at substantially higher levels. Incurring substantial debt could subject us to many risks that, if realized, would materially and adversely affect us, including the risk that:
•our cash flow from operations may be insufficient to make required payments of principal of and interest on our debt or we may fail to comply with covenants contained in our debt agreements, which, if we are unable to obtain amendments or waivers to such covenants from financing counterparties, is likely to result in (i) acceleration of such debt (and any other debt containing a cross-default or cross-acceleration provision), which we then may be unable to repay from internal funds or to refinance on favorable terms, or at all, (ii) our inability to borrow undrawn amounts under our financing arrangements, even if we are current in payments on borrowings under those arrangements, which would result in a decrease in our liquidity, and/or (iii) the loss of some or all of our collateral assets to foreclosure or sale;
•our debt may increase our vulnerability to adverse economic and industry conditions with no assurance that investment yields will increase in an amount sufficient to offset the higher financing costs;
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•we may be required to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our debt, thereby reducing funds available for operations, future business opportunities, stockholder dividends or other purposes; and
•we may not be able to refinance any debt that matures prior to the maturity (or realization) of an underlying investment it was used to finance on favorable terms or at all.
There can be no assurance that a leveraging strategy will be successful, and such strategy may subject us to increased risk of loss, harm our liquidity and could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Interest rate fluctuations could increase our financing costs, which could lead to a significant decrease in our results of operations, cash flows and the market value of our investments.
To the extent that our financing costs are determined by reference to floating rates, such as SOFR, SONIA or a similar index, the amount of such costs will depend on the level and movement of interest rates. In a period of rising interest rates, our interest expense on floating rate debt would increase, while any additional interest income we earn on our floating rate investments may be subject to caps and may not compensate for such increase in interest expense. At the same time, the interest income we earn on our fixed rate investments would not change, the duration and weighted average life of our fixed rate investments would increase and the market value of our fixed rate investments would decrease. Similarly, in a period of declining interest rates, our interest income on floating rate investments would decrease, while any decrease in the interest we are charged on our floating rate debt may be subject to floors and may not compensate for such decrease in interest income and interest we are charged on our fixed rate debt would not change. Any such scenario could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our secured debt agreements impose, and additional lending facilities may impose, restrictive covenants, which may restrict our flexibility to determine our operating policies and investment strategy.
We borrow funds under secured debt agreements, including through master repurchase agreements, term loan facilities and notes, with various counterparties. The documents that govern these secured debt agreements and the related guarantees contain, and additional lending facilities may contain, customary affirmative and negative covenants, including financial covenants that may restrict certain payments or distributions, how we otherwise deploy capital, or our flexibility to determine our operating policies and investment strategy. Among other things, these agreements require us to maintain specified minimum levels of liquidity. As a result, we may not be able to leverage our assets as fully as we would otherwise choose, which could reduce our return on assets. If we are unable to meet these collateral obligations, our financial condition and prospects could deteriorate significantly. If we fail to meet or satisfy any of these covenants, we would be in default under these agreements, and our lenders could elect to declare outstanding amounts due and payable, terminate their commitments, require the posting of additional collateral and enforce their interests against existing collateral. We may also be subject to cross-default and acceleration rights in our other debt arrangements. Further, this could also make it difficult for us to satisfy the distribution requirements necessary to maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Our master repurchase agreements, credit facilities, or other financing that we may use in the future to finance our assets currently require, or in the future may require, us to provide additional collateral or pay down debt.
Our master repurchase agreements with various counterparties, any bank credit facilities (including term loans and revolving facilities), and additional repurchase agreements or other financing we may enter into in the future, involve the risk that the market value of the assets pledged or sold by us to the provider of the financing may decline in value, in which case the lender or counterparty may require us to provide additional collateral or lead to margin calls that may require us to repay all or a portion of the funds advanced. We may not have the funds available to repay our debt at that time, which would likely result in defaults unless we are able to raise the funds from alternative sources, including by selling assets at a time when we might not otherwise choose to do so and when we may not be able to do so on favorable terms or at all. Posting additional collateral would reduce our cash available to make other, higher yielding investments, thereby decreasing our return on equity. If we cannot meet these requirements, the lender or counterparty could accelerate our indebtedness, increase the interest rate on advanced funds and terminate our ability to borrow funds from it, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and ability to implement our investment strategy. In the case of repurchase transactions, if the value of the underlying security has declined as of the end of that term, or if we default on our obligations under the repurchase agreement, we will likely incur a loss on our repurchase transactions.
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Our use of leverage may create a mismatch with the duration and interest rate of the investments that we are financing.
We generally structure our leverage in order to minimize the difference between the term of our investments and the leverage we use to finance such investments. In the event that our leverage is for a shorter term than the financed investment, we may not be able to extend or find appropriate replacement leverage, which would have an adverse impact on our liquidity and our returns. In the event that our leverage is for a longer term than the financed investment, we may not be able to repay such leverage or replace the financed investment with an optimal substitute or at all, which will negatively impact our desired leveraged returns.
We also seek to structure our leverage such that we minimize the variability between the interest rate of our investments and the interest rate of our leverage - financing floating rate investments with floating rate leverage and fixed rate investments with fixed rate leverage. If such leverage is not available to us from our lenders on reasonable terms, we may use hedging instruments in an effort to effectively create such a match. For example, in the case of fixed rate investments, we may finance such investments with floating rate leverage, but effectively convert all or a portion of the attendant leverage to fixed rate using hedging strategies.
The success of our attempts to mitigate such risk is subject to factors outside of our control, such as the availability to us of financing and hedging options on favorable terms, including with respect to duration and term matching. A duration mismatch may also occur when borrowers prepay their loans faster or slower than expected. The risks of a duration mismatch are also magnified by the potential for the extension of loans in order to maximize the likelihood and magnitude of their recovery value in the event the loans experience credit or performance challenges. Employment of this asset management practice would effectively extend the duration of our investments, while our hedges or liabilities may have set maturity dates.
Our loans and investments may be subject to fluctuations in interest rates that may not be adequately protected, or protected at all, by our hedging strategies.
Our assets may include loans with either floating interest rates or fixed interest rates. Floating rate loans earn interest at rates that adjust from time to time (typically monthly) based upon an index (typically one-month SOFR). These floating rate loans are insulated from changes in value specifically due to changes in interest rates; however, the coupons they earn fluctuate based upon interest rates (again, typically one-month SOFR) and, in a declining and/or low interest rate environment, these loans will earn lower rates of interest and this will impact our operating performance. Fixed interest rate loans, however, do not have adjusting interest rates and the relative value of the fixed cash flows from these loans will decrease as prevailing interest rates rise or increase as prevailing interest rates fall, causing potentially significant changes in value. We may employ various hedging strategies to limit the effects of changes in interest rates (and in some cases credit spreads), including engaging in interest rate swaps, caps, collars, floors and other interest rate derivative products. We believe that no strategy can completely insulate us from the risks associated with interest rate changes and there is a risk that such strategies may provide no protection at all and potentially compound the impact of changes in interest rates. In addition, the use of derivative financial instruments such as futures, options, swaps and forward contracts may present significant risks, including the risk of loss of the amounts invested. These derivative financial instruments may be purchased on exchanges or may be individually negotiated and traded in over-the-counter markets.
Further, other risk management strategies may not be properly designed to hedge, manage or otherwise reduce our interest rate risks as intended, may not be properly implemented as designed, or otherwise not effectively offset the risks we have identified. Further, we may not have identified, or may not even be able to identify, all the material interest rate risks we are exposed to, and we also may choose not to hedge, in whole or in part, any of the interest rate risks that have been identified. Hedging activities also involve the risk of an imperfect correlation between the hedging instrument and the instrument being hedged, which could result in losses both on the hedging transaction and on the instrument being hedged. Hedging transactions also involve certain additional risks such as counterparty risk, leverage risk, the legal enforceability of hedging contracts, the early repayment of hedged transactions and the risk that unanticipated and significant changes in interest rates may cause a significant loss of basis in the contract and a change in current period expense. We cannot make assurances that we will be able to enter into hedging transactions or that such hedging transactions will adequately protect us against the foregoing risks.
Accounting for derivatives under GAAP may be complicated. Any failure by us to meet the requirements for applying hedge accounting in accordance with GAAP could adversely affect our earnings. In particular, derivatives are required to be highly effective in offsetting changes in the value or cash flows of the hedged items (and appropriately designated and/or documented as such). If it is determined that a derivative is not highly effective at hedging the designated exposure, hedge accounting would be discontinued and the changes in fair value of the instrument would be included in our reported net income.
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Inability to access funding could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and business.
Our ability to fund our loans and investments may be impacted by our ability to secure bank credit facilities (including term loans and revolving facilities), warehouse facilities and structured financing arrangements, public and private debt issuances (including through securitizations) and derivative instruments, in addition to transaction or asset specific funding arrangements and additional repurchase agreements on acceptable terms or at all. High interest rates have increased and could continue to increase the cost of debt financing for the transactions we pursue. We may also rely on short-term financing that would be especially exposed to changes in availability. The market price for our corporate debt, and our ability to access debt capital markets at favorable rates will also depend on a number of other factors, including:
•the overall condition of the financial markets and global and domestic economies;
•the market’s view of the quality of our assets;
•the market’s perception of our growth potential;
•our current and potential future earnings and cash dividends;
•our financial condition, operating results and future prospects;
•any credit ratings we or our corporate debt may receive from major credit rating agencies;
•the prevailing interest rates being paid by other companies that investors consider to be comparable to us;
•the market price of our corporate debt; and
•the market price of our class A common stock.
We may need to periodically access the capital markets to, among other things, raise cash to fund new loans and investments. Unfavorable economic or capital markets conditions may increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or could result in a decision by our potential lenders not to extend credit. An inability to successfully access the capital markets could limit our ability to grow our business and fully execute our business strategy and could decrease our earnings and liquidity. In addition, any dislocation or weakness in the capital and credit markets could adversely affect our lenders and could cause one or more of our lenders to be unwilling or unable to provide us with financing or to increase the costs of that financing. Furthermore, as regulatory capital requirements imposed on our lenders are increased, they may be required to limit, or increase the cost of, financing they provide to us. In general, this could potentially increase our financing costs and reduce our liquidity or require us to sell assets at an inopportune time or an unfavorable price.
Any downgrade of our or our corporate debt’s credit ratings by any of the principal credit agencies may make it more difficult and costly for us to access capital. Additionally, the notes issued in our securitization transactions for which we are required to retain a portion of the credit risk, have been, and in the future may be, rated by rating agencies. There can be no assurances that the credit ratings of our corporate debt or the notes issued in our securitization transactions will not be downgraded in the future, whether as a result of deteriorating general economic conditions, failure to successfully implement our operating strategy or the adverse impact on our results of operations or liquidity position of any of the above, or otherwise.