10-K
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023
OR
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number: 001-41564
GREYSTONE HOUSING IMPACT INVESTORS LP
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(402) 952-1235
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
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 the 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 emerging growth company. See 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 checkmark 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 Exchange Act). YES ☐ NO ☒
The aggregate market value of the registrant’s BUCs held by non-affiliates based on the final sales price of the BUCs on the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was $374,597,882.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
None
INDEX
PART I
Item 1 Business 6
Item 1A Risk Factors 17
Item 1B Unresolved Staff Comments 36
Item 1C Cybersecurity 36
Item 2 Properties 37
Item 3 Legal Proceedings 37
Item 4 Mine Safety Disclosures 37
PART II
Item 6 [Reserved]
Item 7A Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 74
Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 78
Item 9A Controls and Procedures 144
Item 9B Other Information 144
Item 9C Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 144
PART III
Item 10 Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 145
Item 11 Executive Compensation 148
Item 14 Principal Accountant Fees and Services 151
PART IV
Item 15 Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 153
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PART I
Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report (“Report”) (including, but not limited to, the information contained in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”) contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this report, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy and plans, and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used, statements which are not historical in nature, including those containing words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “should,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. This report also contains estimates and other statistical data made by independent parties and by us relating to market size and growth and other industry data. This data involves several assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. We have not independently verified the statistical and other industry data generated by independent parties and contained in this report, and accordingly, we cannot guarantee their accuracy or completeness. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the industries in which we operate are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described under the headings “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this report.
These forward-looking statements are subject, but not limited to, various risks and uncertainties, including those relating to:
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defaults on the mortgage loans securing our mortgage revenue bonds (“MRBs”) and governmental issuer loans (“GILs”);
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the competitive environment in which we operate;
•
risks associated with investing in multifamily, student, senior citizen residential properties and commercial properties;
•
general economic, geopolitical, and financial conditions, including the current and future impact of changing interest rates, inflation, and international conflicts on business operations, employment, and financial conditions;
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current financial conditions within the banking industry, including the effects of recent failures of financial institutions, liquidity levels, and responses by the Federal Reserve, Department of the Treasury, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to address these issues;
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uncertain conditions within the domestic and international macroeconomic environment, including monetary and fiscal policy and conditions in the investment, credit, interest rate, and derivatives markets;
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adverse reactions in U.S. financial markets related to actions of foreign central banks or the economic performance of foreign economies, including in particular China, Japan, the European Union, and the United Kingdom;
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the general condition of the real estate markets in the regions in which we operate, which may be unfavorably impacted by increases in mortgage interest rates, slowing economic growth, persistent elevated inflation levels, and other factors;
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changes in interest rates and credit spreads, as well as the success of any hedging strategies we may undertake in relation to such changes, and the effect such changes may have on the relative spreads between the yield on our investments and our cost of financing;
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persistent inflationary trends, spurred by multiple factors including expansionary monetary and fiscal policy, higher commodity prices, a tight labor market, and low residential vacancy rates, which may result in further interest rate increases and lead to increased market volatility;
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our ability to access debt and equity capital to finance our assets;
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current maturities of our financing arrangements and our ability to renew or refinance such financing arrangements;
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local, regional, national, and international economic and credit market conditions;
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recapture of previously issued Low Income Housing Tax Credits (“LIHTCs”) in accordance with Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”);
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geographic concentration of properties related to our investments; and
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changes in the U.S. corporate tax code and other government regulations affecting our business.
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Other risks, uncertainties and factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements we make. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise.
All references to “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Partnership” in this report mean Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP, its wholly owned subsidiaries and our consolidated Variable Interest Entities (“VIE” or “VIEs”). See Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” of this Report for additional details.
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Item 1. Business.
Organization
The Partnership was formed in 1998 for the primary purpose of acquiring a portfolio of mortgage revenue bonds (“MRBs”) that are issued by state and local housing authorities to provide construction and/or permanent financing for affordable multifamily housing, seniors housing and commercial properties. The Partnership has also invested in governmental issuer loans (“GILs”), which are similar to MRBs, to provide construction financing for affordable multifamily properties. We expect and believe the interest received on our MRBs and GILs is excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes. We also invest in other types of securities that may or may not be secured by real estate and may make property loans to multifamily properties which may or may not be financed by MRBs or GILs held by us and may or may not be secured by real estate.
The Partnership also makes noncontrolling equity investments in unconsolidated entities for the construction, stabilization, and ultimate sale of market-rate multifamily properties ("JV Equity Investments"). The Partnership is entitled to distributions if, and when, cash is available for distribution either through operations, a refinance, or a sale of the property. In addition, the Partnership may acquire and hold interests in multifamily, student and senior citizen residential properties (“MF Properties”) until the “highest and best use” can be determined by management.
The conduct of the Partnership’s business and affairs is governed by the Partnership’s Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership dated December 5, 2022, as further amended (the “Partnership Agreement”). Our sole general partner is America First Capital Associates Limited Partnership Two (“AFCA 2” or the “General Partner”). The general partner of AFCA 2 is Greystone AF Manager LLC (“Greystone Manager”), which is an affiliate of Greystone & Co. II LLC (“Greystone & Co.”). Greystone & Co., together with its affiliated companies (collectively “Greystone”), is a real estate lending, investment, and advisory company with an established reputation as a leader in multifamily and healthcare finance, having ranked as a top Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) lender in these sectors.
The Partnership has issued Beneficial Unit Certificates (“BUCs”) representing assigned limited partnership interests to investors (“BUC holders”). Our BUCs are traded on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol “GHI.” The Partnership has designated three series of non-cumulative, non-voting, non-convertible preferred units that represent limited partnership interests in the Partnership consisting of the Series A Preferred Units, the Series A-1 Preferred Units, and the Series B Preferred Units (collectively, the “Preferred Units”). The Partnership does not intend to issue additional Series A Preferred Units in the future. The holders of the BUCs and Preferred Units are referred to herein as “Unitholders.” Our Unitholders will incur tax liability if any interest earned on our MRBs or GILs is determined to be taxable, for gains related to our MRBs or GILs and for income and gains related to our taxable investments such as our investments in unconsolidated entities and property loans. See Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in this Report for additional details.
Investment Types
Mortgage Revenue Bonds (“MRBs”)
We invest in MRBs that are issued by state and local governments, their agencies, and authorities to finance the construction or acquisition and rehabilitation of income-producing multifamily rental properties. An MRB does not constitute an obligation of any state or local government, agency or authority and no state or local government, agency or authority is liable on them, nor is the taxing power of any state or local government pledged to the payment of principal or interest on an MRB. An MRB is a non-recourse obligation of the property owner. Each MRB is collateralized by a mortgage on all real and personal property of the secured property, which it may share with a corresponding taxable MRB owned by the Partnership. Typically, the sole source of the funds to pay principal and interest on an MRB is the net cash flow or the sale or refinancing proceeds from the secured property. We may commit to provide funding for MRBs on a draw-down basis during construction and/or rehabilitation of the secured property, and we may require recourse to the borrower during the construction or rehabilitation period in certain instances.
We expect and believe that the interest received on our MRBs is excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes. We primarily invest in MRBs that are senior obligations of the secured properties, though we may also invest in subordinate and/or taxable MRBs. Our MRBs predominantly bear interest at fixed interest rates and require regular principal and interest payments on either a monthly or semi-annual basis. The majority of our MRBs have initial contractual terms of 15 years or more. Some MRBs have optional call dates that may be exercised by the borrower which may be at either par or a premium to par. Some MRBs have optional repurchase dates whereby we can require a redemption prior to the contractual maturity, typically at par.
Our MRBs are either owned directly by us or are held in trusts created in connection with debt financing transactions that are consolidated VIEs. The following table summarizes our MRB investments as of December 31, 2023:
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(1)
Properties secured by our MRB investments consist of 71 multifamily properties, one seniors housing property, and one skilled nursing facility.
The four types of MRBs which we may acquire as investments are as follows:
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Private activity bonds issued under Section 142(d) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”);
•
Bonds issued under Section 145 of the IRC on behalf of not-for-profit entities qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRC;
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Essential function bonds issued by a public instrumentality to finance a multifamily residential property owned by such instrumentality; and
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Existing “80/20 bonds” that were issued under Section 103(b)(4)(A) of the IRC.
Each of these structures permit the issuance of MRBs under the IRC to finance the construction or acquisition and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing or other not-for-profit commercial property. Under applicable Treasury Regulations, any affordable multifamily residential project financed with tax-exempt MRBs (other than essential function bonds as described in the third bullet above) must set aside a percentage of its total rental units for occupancy by tenants whose incomes do not exceed stated percentages of the median income in the local area. Those rental units of the multifamily residential project not subject to tenant income restrictions may be rented at market rates (unless there are restrictions otherwise imposed by the bond issuer or a governmental entity). With respect to private activity bonds issued under Section 142(d) of the IRC, the owner of the multifamily residential project may elect, at the time the MRBs are issued, whether to set aside a minimum of 20% of the units for tenants making less than 50% of area median income (as adjusted for household size) or 40% of the units for tenants making less than 60% of the area median income (as adjusted for household size). State and local housing authorities may require additional tenant income or rent restrictions that are more restrictive than those minimum levels required by Treasury Regulations. There are no Treasury Regulations related to MRBs that are secured by a commercial property owned by a non-profit borrower.
The borrowers associated with our MRBs are either syndicated partnerships formed to receive allocations of LIHTCs or not-for-profit entities. We do not directly or indirectly invest in LIHTCs. We do invest in MRBs that are issued in association with federal LIHTC allocations because such MRBs bear interest that we expect and believe is exempt from federal income taxes. LIHTC-eligible projects are attractive to developers of affordable housing because it helps them raise equity and debt financing. Under the LIHTC program, developers that receive an allocation of private activity bonds will also receive an allocation of federal LIHTCs as a method to encourage the development of affordable multifamily housing. To be eligible for federal LIHTCs, a property must either be newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated, and therefore, may be less likely to become functionally obsolete in the near term as compared to an older property. There are various requirements to be eligible for federal LIHTCs, including rent and tenant income restrictions, which vary by property. Our borrowers that are either non-profit entities or owned by non-profit entities typically have missions to provide affordable multifamily rental units to underserved populations in their market areas. The affordable housing properties securing 501(c)(3) bonds also must comply with the IRS safe harbors for tenant incomes and rents. The following table summarizes the amount of our MRB investments with LIHTC-associated borrowers and non-profit borrowers based on principal outstanding as of December 31, 2023:
Borrower Type MRB Principal Outstanding Percentage of all MRB Investments
Non-LIHTC private activity bonds 37,105,000 4 %
We may also invest in taxable MRBs secured by the same properties as our MRBs. Interest earned on our taxable MRBs is taxable for federal income tax purposes. Our taxable MRBs may share senior mortgage interest in the property with the MRBs or may be subordinate to the MRBs. We owned 14 taxable MRBs with outstanding principal of $23.2 million as of December 31, 2023.
Governmental Issuer Loans (“GILs”)
We invest in governmental issuer loans ("GILs") that are issued by state or local governmental authorities to finance the construction and/or rehabilitation of affordable multifamily properties. A GIL does not constitute an obligation of any government, agency or authority and no government, agency or authority is liable for them, nor is the taxing power of any government pledged to the payment of principal or interest on the GIL. Each GIL is secured by a mortgage on all real and personal property of the to-be-constructed affordable multifamily property. The GILs may share first mortgage lien positions with property loans and/or taxable GILs
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also owned by us. Sources of the funds to pay principal and interest on a GIL consist of the net cash flow of the secured property, proceeds from the sale or refinancing of the secured property, and limited-to-full payment guaranties provided by the borrower or its affiliates. We typically commit to fund our GIL investment commitments on a draw-down basis during construction.
We expect and believe the interest earned on our GILs is excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The GILs are senior obligations of the secured properties and bear interest at variable or fixed interest rates. The GILs have initial terms of two to four years, though the borrower typically may prepay all amounts due at any time without penalty. At the closing of each GIL, Freddie Mac, through a servicer, forward commits to purchase the GIL at maturity at par if and when the property has reached stabilization and other conditions are met. Upon stabilization, the servicer will purchase our GIL at par and then immediately sell the GIL to Freddie Mac pursuant to a financing commitment between the servicer and Freddie Mac. As of December 31, 2023, the servicer for eight of our GILs is an affiliate of Greystone.
Our GILs are held in trusts created in connection with debt financing transactions that are consolidated VIEs. The following table summarizes our GIL investments as of December 31, 2023:
Our GILs have been issued under Section 142(d) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) and are subject to the same set aside and tenant income restrictions noted in the “Mortgage Revenue Bonds” description above. The borrowers associated with our GILs are syndicated partnerships formed to receive allocations of LIHTCs.
We may also invest in taxable GILs secured by the same properties as our GILs. Interest earned on our taxable GILs is taxable for federal income tax purposes. Our taxable GILs share a senior mortgage interest in the property with the GILs. We owned four taxable GILs with outstanding principal of $13.6 million as of December 31, 2023.
Property Loans
We also invest in property loans to finance the construction, finance capital improvements, or otherwise support property operations of multifamily residential properties. Multifamily residential properties financed with property loans may or may not be properties securing our MRB and GIL investments. Such property loans may be secured by property, other collateral, or may be unsecured. As of December 31, 2023, we owned seven property loans related to our GIL investment properties, three property loans related to our MRB investments, and two property loans to other borrowers.
JV Equity Investments
We invest in non-controlling membership interests in unconsolidated entities for the construction of market-rate multifamily and seniors real estate properties. Our JV Equity Investments are passive in nature. Operational oversight of each property is controlled by our joint venture partner according to the entity’s operating agreement. The properties are predominately managed by a property management company affiliated with our joint venture partner. Decisions on when to sell an individual property are made by our joint venture partner based on its view of the local market conditions and current leasing trends.
We account for our JV Equity Investments using the equity method and recognize a preferred return on our contributed equity during the hold period. Our preferred returns are paid from distributable cash flow before any distributions are made to our joint venture partner. The accrued preferred return for our JV Equity Investments held through our wholly owned subsidiary, ATAX Vantage Holdings, LLC (the “Vantage JV Equity Investments”), is guaranteed by an unrelated third party through the fifth anniversary of construction commencement up to a certain dollar amount on an individual project basis.
Our ownership of the membership interests entitles us to shares of certain cash flows generated by the JV Equity Investments from operations and upon the occurrence of certain capital transactions, such as a refinancing or sale. Upon the sale of a property, net proceeds will be distributed according to the entity's operating agreement. Sales proceeds distributed to us that represent previously unrecognized preferred return and gain on sale are recognized as income upon receipt. Historically, the majority of our income from our JV Equity Investments has been recognized at the time of sale. As a result, we may experience significant income recognition for these investments in those quarters when a property is sold and our equity investment is redeemed.
As of December 31, 2023, we owned membership interests in 12 unconsolidated entities located in four states in the United States. Eight of the 12 JV Equity Investments are located in Texas. In addition, one JV Equity Investment in San Marcos, Texas is reported as a consolidated VIE.
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MF Properties Segment
The Partnership has and may acquire controlling interests in multifamily, student or senior citizen residential properties. We operate the MF Properties in order to position ourselves for a future investment in MRBs issued to finance the acquisition and/or rehabilitation of the properties by new owners or until the opportunity arises to sell the MF Properties at what we believe is their optimal fair value.
In December 2023, we sold the Suites on Paseo MF Property to an unaffiliated buyer. We have no MF Property investments as of December 31, 2023.
General Investment Matters
Our investments are categorized as either Mortgage Investments, Tax Exempt Investments or Other Investments as defined in our Partnership Agreement. Mortgage Investments, as defined, consist of MRBs, taxable MRBs, GILs, taxable GILs and property loans to borrowers associated with our MRBs and GILs. Tax Exempt Investments, as defined, are securities other than Mortgage Investments, for which the related interest income is exempt from federal income taxation and must be rated in one of the four highest rating categories by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization. Other Investments, as defined, are generally all other investments that are not Mortgage Investments or Tax Exempt Investments. We may acquire additional Tax Exempt Investments and Other Investments provided that the acquisition may not cause the aggregate book value of all Tax Exempt Investments plus Other Investments to exceed 25% of our total assets at the time of acquisition. We own no Tax Exempt Investments as of December 31, 2023. Our Other Investments primarily consist of real estate assets, JV Equity Investments and certain property loans.
We rely on an exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, which has certain restrictions on the types and amounts of securities owned by the Partnership. See the “Regulatory Matters” section included within this Item 1 below for further information.
Business Objectives and Strategy
Investment Strategy
Our primary business objective is to manage our portfolio of investments to achieve the following:
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Generate attractive, risk-adjusted total returns for our Unitholders;
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Create streams of recurring income to support regular distributions to Unitholders;
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Pass through tax-advantaged income to Unitholders;
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Generate income from capital gains on asset dispositions;
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Use leverage effectively to increase returns on our investments; and
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Preserve and protect Partnership assets.
We are pursuing a strategy of acquiring additional MRBs, GILs and other investments on a leveraged basis to achieve our objective, as permitted by our Partnership Agreement. In allocating our capital and executing our strategy, we seek to balance the risks of owning specific investments with the earnings opportunity on the investment.
The Partnership believes there continues to be significant unmet demand for affordable multifamily and seniors residential housing in the United States. Government programs that provide direct rental support to residents have not kept up with demand. Therefore, investment programs that promote private sector development and support for affordable housing through MRBs, GILs, tax credits and grant funding to developers, have become more prominent. The types of MRBs and GILs in which we invest offer developers of affordable multifamily housing a low-cost source of construction and/or permanent debt financing. We plan to continue investing in additional MRBs and GILs issued to finance affordable multifamily and seniors residential rental housing properties.
We continue to evaluate opportunities for MRB investments to fund seniors housing properties and/or skilled nursing properties issued as private activity or 501(c)(3) bonds similar in legal structure to those issued for traditional affordable multifamily housing properties. We will continue to leverage the expertise of Greystone and its affiliates and other reputable third parties in evaluating independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing properties prior to our MRB acquisitions. To date, we acquired an MRB secured by a to-be-constructed seniors housing property in Michigan, and an MRB secured by an operating skilled nursing facility in New Jersey.
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We continually assess opportunities to expand and/or reposition our existing portfolio of MRBs, GILs and other investments. Our principal objective is to improve the quality and performance of our portfolio of MRBs, GILs and other investments with the intent to ultimately increase the amount of cash available for distribution to our Unitholders. In certain circumstances, we may allow the borrowers of our MRBs to redeem the MRBs prior to the final maturity date. Such MRB redemptions will usually require a sale or refinancing of the underlying property. We may also elect to sell MRBs that have experienced significant appreciation in value. In other cases, we may elect to sell MRBs on properties that are in stagnant or declining real estate markets. The proceeds received from these transactions would be redeployed into other investments consistent with our investment objectives. We anticipate holding our GILs until maturity as the terms are typically for two to four years and have defined forward purchase commitments from Freddie Mac.
We also continue to make additional strategic JV Equity Investments for the development of market-rate multifamily and seniors residential properties, through noncontrolling membership interests. We currently have investments with four joint venture partners, of which two were new in 2023. In February 2023, we closed our first investment for the development of a market-rate seniors residential property located in Minden, Nevada. We believe the diversity of joint venture sponsors, geographic markets, and property types reduces risks from concentration while also providing attractive risk-adjusted returns for our Unitholders.
Financing Strategy
We finance our assets with what we believe to be a prudent amount of leverage, the level of which varies from time to time based upon the characteristics of our investment portfolio, availability of financing, cost of financing, and market conditions. This leverage strategy allows us to generate enhanced returns and lowers our net capital investment, allowing us to make additional investments. We currently obtain leverage on our investments and assets through various sources that include:
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Our secured line of credit facilities;
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Tax-Exempt Bond Securitization (“TEBS”) programs with Freddie Mac;
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Tender Option Bond (“TOB”) and term TOB trust securitizations with Mizuho Capital Markets (“Mizuho”), Barclays Bank PLC (“Barclays”), and Morgan Stanley; and
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A TEBS residual securitization (the “TEBS Residual Financing”) through a governmental issuer.
We may utilize other types of secured or unsecured borrowings in the future, including more complex financing structures and diversification of our leverage sources and counterparties.
We refer to our TEBS, TOB trust, term TOB trust, and TEBS Residual Financing securitizations as our debt financings. These debt financing securitizations are accounted for as consolidated VIEs for reporting purposes. These arrangements are structured such that we transfer our investment assets to an entity, such as a trust or special purpose entity, which then issues senior securities and residual interests. The senior securities are sold to third-party investors in exchange for debt proceeds. We retain the residual interests which entitle us to certain rights to the investment assets and to residual cash proceeds. We generally structure our debt financings such that principal, interest, and any trust expenses are payable from the cash flows of the secured investment assets, and we are generally entitled to all residual cash flows for our general use. As the residual interest holder, we may be required to make certain payments or contribute certain assets to the VIEs if certain events occur. Such events include, but are not limited to, a downgrade in the investment rating of the senior securities issued by the VIEs, a ratings downgrade of the liquidity provider for the VIEs, increases in short term interest rates beyond pre-set maximums, an inability to re-market the senior securities or an inability to obtain liquidity support for the senior securities. If such an event occurs in an individual VIE, we may be required to deleverage the VIE by repurchasing some or all of the senior securities. Otherwise, the secured investment asset(s) will be sold and we will be required to fund any shortfall in funds available to pay the principal amount of the senior securities after payment of accrued interest and other trust expenses. If we do not fund the shortfall, default and liquidation provisions will be invoked against us. The TEBS financings and TEBS Residual Financing are non-recourse to the Partnership such that our shortfall funding for each financing is limited to the stated amount of our residual interests. The TOB trust and term TOB trust financings are recourse obligations of the Partnership.
The TOB trusts with Mizuho and Barclays are subject to ISDA master agreements with each counterparty that contain certain covenants and requirements. When we execute a TOB trust financing, we retain a residual interest that is pledged as our initial collateral under the ISDA master agreement based on the market value of the investment asset(s) at the time of initial closing. The counterparties require that our residual interests in each TOB trust maintain a certain value in relation to total asset(s) in each TOB trust. In addition, we are required to post collateral, typically cash, if the net aggregate valuation of our residual interests and derivative hedging positions with each counterparty fall below certain thresholds.
The Mizuho and Barclays ISDA master agreements contain covenants that require the Partnership’s partners’ capital, as defined, to maintain a certain threshold and that the BUCs remain listed on a national securities exchange. The ISDA master agreement with Barclays also requires that the Partnership’s Leverage Ratio (as defined by the Partnership below) remain below a certain threshold. In addition, both the Mizuho and Barclays ISDA master agreements have cross-default previsions whereby default(s) on the Partnership’s
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other senior debts above a specified dollar amount, in the aggregate, will constitute a default under the ISDA master agreements. If the Partnership is not in compliance with any of these covenants, a termination event of the financing facilities would be triggered.
The willingness of leverage providers to extend financing is dependent on various factors such as their underwriting standards, regulatory requirements, available lending capacity, and existing credit exposure to the Partnership. An inability to access debt financing at an acceptable cost may result in adverse effects on our financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to finance additional acquisitions of MRBs, GILs and other investments through additional debt financing.
We set target constraints for each type of debt financing utilized. Those constraints are dependent upon several factors, including the characteristics of the investment assets being leveraged, the tenor of the leverage program, whether the financing is subject to mark-to-market collateral posting requirements, and the liquidity and marketability of the financed assets. The Board of Managers of Greystone Manager has established an overall maximum leverage level (the “Leverage Ratio”) of 80% and retains the right to change the Leverage Ratio in the future based on the consideration of factors the Board of Managers considers relevant. We calculate our Leverage Ratio as total outstanding debt divided by total assets using cost (adjusted for paydowns) for MRBs, GILs, property loans, taxable MRBs and taxable GILs, and initial cost for deferred financing costs and real estate assets. As of December 31, 2023, our overall Leverage Ratio was approximately 72%.
Hedging Strategy
We actively manage both our fixed and variable rate debt financings and our exposure to changes in market interest rates. When possible, we attempt to obtain fixed-rate debt financing for our fixed-rate investment assets such that our net interest spread is not exposed to changes in market interest rates. Similarly, we attempt to obtain variable-rate debt financing for our variable-rate investment assets such that we are largely hedged against rising interest rates without the need for separate hedging instruments.
We leverage certain fixed-rate investment assets with variable-rate debt financings, such as the TOB trusts and one TEBS financing. When deemed appropriate, we will enter into derivative based hedging transactions in connection with our risk management activities for these assets to hedge against rising interest rates, which may include interest rate caps, interest rate swaps, total return swaps, swaptions, futures, options or other available hedging instruments. As of December 31, 2023, we had interest rate swap positions with notional amounts totaling $333.3 million and one interest rate cap with a notional amount of $73.4 million.
Preferred Units and BUCs Issuances
In addition to leverage, we may obtain additional capital through the issuance of Series A-1 Preferred Units, Series B Preferred Units or other Partnership securities which may be issued in, among other things, one or more additional series of preferred units, and/or BUCs.
We filed a registration statement on Form S-3 for the registration of up to 3,500,000 of Series A-1 Preferred Units, which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on September 9, 2021, and subsequently amended pursuant to a Post-Effective Amendment to the Form S-3, which was declared effective by the Commission on April 13, 2022. The Series A-1 Preferred Units are subject to optional redemption by the holder upon the sixth anniversary of the closing of the sale of Series A-1 Preferred Units and the holders are entitled to distributions at a fixed rate of 3.0% per annum. The Partnership is able to issue Series A-1 Preferred Units so long as the aggregate market capitalization of the BUCs, based on the closing price on the trading day prior to issuance of the Series A-1 Preferred Units, is no less than three times the aggregate book value of all Series A Preferred Units and Series A-1 Preferred Units, inclusive of the amount to be issued. As of December 31, 2023, we have issued $18 million of Series A-1 Preferred Units under the registration statement on Form S-3.
In addition, we filed a registration statement on Form S-3 for the registration of up to 10,000,000 of Series B Preferred Units, which was declared effective by the SEC on September 9, 2021, and subsequently amended pursuant to a Post-Effective Amendment to the Form S-3, which was declared effective by the Commission on June 15, 2023. The Series B Preferred Units are subject to optional redemption by the holder upon the sixth anniversary of the closing of the sale of Series B Preferred Units and the holders are entitled to distributions at a fixed rate of 5.75% per annum. The Partnership is able to issue Series B Preferred Units so long as the aggregate market capitalization of the BUCs, based on the closing price on the trading day prior to issuance of the Series B Preferred Units, is no less than two times the aggregate book value of all Series A Preferred Units, Series A-1 Preferred Units and Series B Preferred Units, inclusive of the amount to be issued. As of December 31, 2023, we had not yet issued any Series B Preferred Units. However, in February 2024, we issued $5.0 million of Series B Preferred Units to a new investor under the registration statement on Form S-3. In addition, in January 2024, we issued $17.5 million of Series B Preferred Units pursuant to an exchange transaction described below. As of the date of this report, we had 2,250,000 Series B Preferred Units issued and outstanding.
We have previously issued Series A Preferred Units totaling $94.5 million, of which $27.5 million are outstanding as of December 31, 2023. The Series A Preferred Units are subject to optional redemption by the holder upon the sixth anniversary of the closing of the
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sale of Series A Preferred Units and the holders are entitled to distributions at a fixed rate of 3.0% per annum. In October 2023, the holder of 1,000,000 of Series A Preferred Units provided notice of its intent to redeem its investment in March 2024. We previously filed a registration statement on Form S-4 to register the offering and issuance of up to 9,450,000 of Series A-1 Preferred Units under a shelf registration process that was declared effective by the SEC on July 6, 2021, and subsequently amended pursuant to a Post-Effective Amendment to the Form S-4, which was declared effective by the Commission on April 13, 2022. A total of 3,700,000 Series A Preferred Units were exchanged for Series A-1 Preferred Units prior to expiration of the offering in July 2023.
In October 2023, we filed a registration statement on Form S-4 to register the offering and issuance of up to 1,750,000 of Series B Preferred Units under a shelf registration process that was declared effective by the SEC on November 8, 2023. Under this offering, the Partnership may issue up to 1,750,000 Series B Preferred Units in exchange for our outstanding Series A Preferred Units. Series B Preferred Units issued in exchange for Series A Preferred Units will not be eligible for redemption until the sixth anniversary of the date of the exchange, except in certain limited circumstances. During January 2024, one Series A Preferred Unit holder elected to exchange 1,750,000 existing Series A Preferred Units for 1,750,000 newly issued Series B Preferred Units.
We may also obtain capital through the issuance of additional BUCs, Preferred Units or debt securities pursuant to our Registration Statement on Form S-3 (“Registration Statement”), which was declared effective by the SEC in December 2022. Under the Registration Statement we may offer up to $300.0 million of BUCs, Preferred Units or debt securities for sale from time to time. The Registration Statement will expire in December 2025.
In July 2021, we entered into a Capital on DemandTM Sales Agreement to offer and sell, from time to time at market prices on the date of sale, BUCs up to an aggregate offering price of $30 million via an “at the market offering.” As of December 31, 2023, we have not sold any BUCs under this program. We will continue to assess if and when to issue BUCs under this program going forward.
Reportable Segments
As of December 31, 2023, we had four reportable segments: (1) Affordable Multifamily MRB Investments, (2) Seniors and Skilled Nursing MRB Investments, (3) Market-Rate Joint Venture Investments, and (4) MF Properties. The Partnership separately reports its consolidation and elimination information because it does not allocate certain items to the segments.
Competition
We compete with private investors, lending institutions, trust funds, investment partnerships, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and other entities with objectives similar to ours for the acquisition of MRBs, GILs and other investments. These competitors often have greater access to capital and can acquire investments with interest rates and terms that do not meet our return requirements. This competition may reduce the availability of investments for acquisition by us and may reduce the interest rate that issuers are willing to pay on our future investments.
Through our various investments, we may be in competition with other real estate investments in the same geographic areas. Multifamily residential rental properties also compete with single-family housing that is either owned or leased by potential tenants. To compete effectively, the properties underlying our investments must offer quality rental units at competitive rental rates. To maintain occupancy rates and attract quality tenants, the properties may offer rental concessions, such as reduced rent to new tenants for a stated period. These properties also compete by offering quality apartments in attractive locations and provide tenants with amenities such as recreational facilities, garages, services and pleasant landscaping.
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Recent Developments
Recent Investment Activities
The following table presents information regarding the investment activities of the Partnership for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:
For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2023
Mortgage revenue bond acquisition and advances 4 $ 21,575 N/A N/A 6
Mortgage revenue bond paydown 1 2,072 $ 1,765 N/A 6
Governmental issuer loan acquisition and advances 4 7,000 N/A N/A 7
Property loan acquisitions and advances 5 18,252 N/A N/A 8
Investments in unconsolidated entities 6 16,104 N/A N/A 9
Taxable mortgage revenue bond advance 1 3,000 N/A N/A 12
For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2023
Mortgage revenue bond advances 3 $ 7,665 N/A N/A 6
Mortgage revenue bond paydown 1 7,590 $ 9,980 N/A 6
Governmental issuer loan acquisition and advances 5 22,573 N/A N/A 7
Property loan advances 2 11,950 N/A N/A 8
Investments in unconsolidated entities 4 10,194 N/A N/A 9
Taxable mortgage revenue bond advance 1 4,000 N/A N/A 12
Taxable mortgage revenue bond redemption 1 7,000 5,770 N/A 12
For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2023
Mortgage revenue bond acquisitions and advance 6 $ 51,150 N/A N/A 6
Governmental issuer loan advances 4 20,402 N/A N/A 7
Property loan advances 3 9,608 N/A N/A 8
Investments in unconsolidated entities 2 3,744 N/A N/A 9
Return of investment in unconsolidated entities upon sale 1 9,025 N/A $ 813 9
Taxable mortgage revenue bond acquisitions and advance 3 4,500 N/A N/A 12
Taxable governmental issuer loan advance 1 2,573 N/A N/A 12
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023
Mortgage revenue bond advances 6 $ 60,547 N/A N/A 6
Governmental issuer loan advances 4 17,377 N/A N/A 7
Property loan advances 4 7,581 N/A N/A 8
Investments in unconsolidated entities 2 5,698 N/A N/A 9
Return of investment in unconsolidated entities upon sale 2 12,283 N/A 3,843 9
Taxable mortgage revenue bond advances 2 1,805 N/A N/A 12
Taxable governmental issuer loan advance 1 3,000 N/A N/A 12
For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2022
Mortgage revenue bond advances 8 $ 91,040 N/A N/A 6
Mortgage revenue bond redemptions 2 6,029 N/A N/A 6
Governmental issuer loan advances 6 18,955 N/A N/A 7
Property loan advances 4 46,439 N/A N/A 8
Investments in unconsolidated entities 2 10,912 N/A N/A 9
Taxable mortgage revenue bond advances 3 2,980 N/A N/A 12
Taxable governmental issuer loan advance 1 4,000 N/A N/A 12
For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2022
Mortgage revenue bond advance 1 $ 1,623 N/A N/A 6
Mortgage revenue bond redemption and paydown 2 11,577 $ 10,420 N/A 6
Governmental issuer loan advances 7 39,820 N/A N/A 7
Property loan advances 6 22,742 N/A N/A 8
Property loan redemptions 3 27,081 N/A N/A 8
Investments in unconsolidated entities 2 2,524 N/A N/A 9
Return of investment in unconsolidated entity upon sale 1 7,400 N/A N/A 9
Taxable mortgage revenue bond advance 1 2,300 N/A N/A 12
Taxable governmental issuer loan advances 3 3,000 N/A N/A 12
For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2022
Mortgage revenue bond advances 3 $ 20,307 N/A N/A 6
Mortgage revenue bond redemption 1 7,100 $ 7,100 N/A 6
Governmental issuer loan advances 5 39,806 N/A N/A 7
Property loan advances 7 23,527 N/A N/A 8
Investments in unconsolidated entities 4 7,824 N/A N/A 9
Return of investment in unconsolidated entity upon sale 1 7,341 N/A N/A 9
Taxable mortgage revenue bond advances 2 2,000 N/A N/A 12
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Mortgage revenue bond advances 3 $ 69,365 N/A N/A 6
Governmental issuer loan advances 6 16,882 N/A N/A 7
Property loan advances 5 38,412 N/A N/A 8
Property loan redemptions and principal paydowns 7 3,251 N/A N/A 8
Investments in unconsolidated entities 5 12,777 N/A N/A 9
Return of investment in unconsolidated entity upon sale 1 12,240 N/A $ 3,242 9
Taxable mortgage revenue bond advances 2 6,325 N/A N/A 12
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(1)
See “Cash Available for Distribution” in Item 7 of this Report.
Recent Financing Activities
The following table presents information regarding the debt financing, derivatives, Preferred Units and partners’ capital activities of the Partnership for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, exclusive of retired debt amounts listed in the investment activities table above:
For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2023
Net borrowing on Acquisition LOC 4 $ 16,900 Yes 15
Proceeds from TOB trust financings 9 33,980 Yes 16
Proceeds from TEBS Residual Financing 1 61,500 Yes 16
Redemption of M24 TEBS financing 1 7,407 Yes 16
Return of restricted cash upon termination of total return swap 1 30,716 Yes 18
Interest rate swap executed 1 - N/A 18
Redemption of Series A Preferred Units 1 10,000 N/A 20
For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2023
Net repayment on Acquisition LOC 3 $ 6,000 Yes 15
Net borrowing on General LOC 1 10,000 Yes 15
Proceeds from TOB trust financings 12 41,520 Yes 16
Proceeds from mortgage payable 1 25,000 Yes 17
Interest rate swaps executed 3 - N/A 18
Redemption of Series A Preferred Units 1 20,000 N/A 20
For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2023
Net borrowing on Acquisition LOC 5 6,000 Yes 15
Net activity on General LOC 2 - Yes 15
Proceeds from TOB trust financings 11 68,391 Yes 16
Interest rate swaps executed 3 - N/A 18
Issuance of Series A-1 Preferred Units 1 10,000 N/A 20
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023
Net repayment on Acquisition LOC 6 $ 49,000 Yes 15
Proceeds from TOB trust financings 11 110,061 Yes 16
Interest rate swaps executed 3 - N/A 18
Issuance of Series A-1 Preferred Units 1 8,000 N/A 20
For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2022
Net borrowing on Acquisition LOC 6 $ 24,558 Yes 15
Proceeds from TOB trust financings 12 97,672 Yes 16
Interest rate swaps executed 3 - N/A 18
For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2022
Net repayment on Acquisition LOC 4 $ 8,512 Yes 15
Proceeds from TOB trust financings 5 45,145 Yes 16
For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2022
Net borrowing on Acquisition LOC 5 $ 9,255 Yes 15
Proceeds from TOB trust financings 8 62,920 Yes 16
Repayment of TOB Financings 2 5,079 Yes 16
For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Net repayment on Acquisition LOC 1 $ 15,515 Yes 15
Proceeds from TOB trust financings 9 109,330 Yes 16
Unrestricted cash from total return swap 1 41,275 Yes 18
Interest rate swaps executed 2 - N/A 18
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Regulatory Matters
We conduct our operations in reliance on an exemption from registration as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). In this regard, we believe that we and our wholly owned subsidiaries will not be considered investment companies under either Section 3(a)(1)(A) or Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act. Under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, a company is not deemed to be an “investment company” if it neither is, nor holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, nor proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Under Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act, a company is not deemed to be an “investment company” if it neither is engaged, nor proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and does not own or propose to acquire “investment securities” having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. For these purposes, “investment securities” excludes U.S. government securities and securities of majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company for private funds under Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act. In addition, we and our wholly owned subsidiaries operate our business under an exclusion from the definition of investment company pursuant to Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act. Under Section 3(c)(5)(C), as interpreted by the SEC staff, a company is required to invest at least 55% of its assets in mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate, and other real estate-related interests, which are deemed to be “qualifying interests,” and at least 80% of its assets in qualifying interests plus a broader category of “real estate-related assets” in order to qualify for this exception. We monitor our compliance with the foregoing provisions and the holdings of our subsidiaries to ensure that we and each of our subsidiaries are in compliance with an applicable exemption or exclusion from registration as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
Environmental Matters
We believe each of the properties related to our investment assets comply, in all material respects, with federal, state and local regulations regarding hazardous waste and other environmental matters. We are not aware of any environmental contamination at any of these properties that would require any material capital expenditure by the underlying properties, and therefore the Partnership, for the remediation thereof.
Management
We are managed by our General Partner, AFCA 2, which is controlled by its general partner, Greystone Manager. The members of the Board of Managers of Greystone Manager act as the managers (and effectively as the directors) of the Partnership, in compliance with all NYSE listing rules and SEC rules applicable to the Partnership. In addition, certain employees of Greystone Manager act as executive officers of the Partnership. Certain services are provided to the Partnership by employees of Greystone Manager and the Partnership reimburses Greystone Manager for its allocated share of their salaries and benefits. The Partnership’s initial limited partner, which has the obligation to perform certain actions on behalf of the BUC holders under the Partnership Agreement, is Greystone ILP, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
AFCA 2 is entitled to an administrative fee equal to 0.45% per annum of the average outstanding principal balance of any MRBs, GILs, property loans, Tax Exempt Investments or Other Investments for which an unaffiliated party is not obligated to pay. When the administrative fee is payable by a property owner, it is subordinated to the payment of all interest due to us for the MRB, GIL or property loan associated with the property. The Partnership Agreement provides that the administrative fee will be paid directly by us with respect to any investments for which the administrative fee is not payable by the property owner or a third party. In addition, the Partnership Agreement provides that we will pay the administrative fee to the General Partner with respect to any foreclosed MRBs.
AFCA 2 also earns mortgage and investment placement fees resulting from the identification and evaluation of additional investments that are acquired by the Partnership. Any fees related to the acquisition of our investment assets are paid by the property owner. The fees, if any, will be subject to negotiation between AFCA 2 and such property owners.
Human Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2023, the Partnership had no employees. Sixteen employees of Greystone Manager are responsible for the Partnership’s operations, inclusive of the Partnership’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer. Such employees are subject to the policies and compensation practices of Greystone.
Greystone has implemented evaluation and compensation policies designed to attract, retain, and motivate employees that provide services to the Partnership to achieve superior results. Such policies are designed to balance both short-term and long-term performance of the Partnership. Annual incentive compensation is based on defined performance metrics and certain employees earn discretionary bonuses based upon various quantitative and qualitative metrics. Employees providing services to the Partnership are eligible for awards under the Amended and Restated Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), which is designed to provide incentive compensation awards that encourage superior performance. The Plan is also intended to attract and retain the services of individuals who are essential for the Partnership’s growth and profitability and to encourage those individuals to devote their
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best efforts to advancing the Partnership’s business. Greystone also supports employees with an annual confidential employee survey, an Employee Assistance Program and ethics hotline.
Greystone provides formal and informal training programs to enhance the skills of employees providing services to the Partnership and to instill Greystone’s corporate policies and practices. The Partnership also reimburses the cost of formal training for those programs that are directly related to the tasks and responsibilities of the employees who perform the operations of the Partnership.
Greystone and the Partnership are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”). Specific Greystone DEI initiatives include formal diversity training and employee resources groups to support a diverse workforce as well as a formal DEI committee and DEI Leadership Council to lead and advise all DEI related work, events, and learning. Of the 16 employees of Greystone Manager responsible for the Partnership’s operations, three are women and one employee identifies as ethnically diverse.
Greystone Manager is responsible for filling open positions as it relates to the Partnership and considers both internal and external candidates. Greystone Manager may contract with third party search firms to identify candidates for open positions as needed.
Tax Status
We are a partnership for federal income tax purposes. This means that we do not pay federal income taxes on our income. Instead, our profits and losses are allocated to our partners, including the holders of Preferred Units, under the terms of the Partnership Agreement. The distributive share of income, deductions and credits is reported to our Unitholders on Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Schedule K-1 and Unitholders should include such amount in their respective federal and state income tax returns.
We hold certain property loans and real estate through a wholly owned subsidiary that is a “C” corporation for income tax purposes. This subsidiary files separate federal and state income tax returns and is subject to federal and state income taxes.
We consolidate separate legal entities that record and report income taxes based upon their individual legal structure which may include corporations, limited partnerships, and limited liability companies. We do not believe the consolidation of these entities for reporting under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) will impact our tax status, amounts reported to Unitholders on IRS Schedule K-1, our ability to distribute income to Unitholders that we believe is tax-exempt, or the current level of quarterly distributions.
All financial information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is presented on the basis of Accounting Principles Generally Accepted in the United States of America, with the exception of identified Non-GAAP information disclosed in Item 7 of this Report.
General Information
The Partnership is a Delaware limited partnership. The affairs of the Partnership and the conduct of its business are governed by the Partnership Agreement. The Partnership maintains its principal corporate office at 14301 FNB Parkway, Suite 211, Omaha, NE 68154, and its telephone number is (402) 952-1235.
Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other reports are filed with the SEC. Copies of our filings with the SEC may be obtained from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or from our website at www.ghiinvestors.com as soon as reasonably practical after filed with the SEC. Access to these filings is free of charge. The information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Report.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
Set forth below are the risks that we believe are material to Unitholders and prospective investors. You should carefully consider the following risk factors and the various other factors identified in or incorporated by reference into any other documents filed by us with the SEC in evaluating our company and our business. The risks discussed herein can materially adversely affect our business, liquidity, operating results, prospects, financial condition and ability to make distributions to our Unitholders, and may cause the market price of our securities to decline. The risk factors described below are not the only risks that may affect us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or not presently deemed material by us, also may materially adversely affect our business, liquidity, operating results, prospects, financial condition and ability to make distributions to our Unitholders.
Summary Risk Factors
These risks are discussed more fully below and include, but are not limited to, risks related to:
Risks Related to our Business and Investments
•
We are managed by our general partner and engage in transactions with related parties.
•
Global economic, political and market conditions, including uncertainty about the financial stability of the United States, could have a significant adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
•
We are subject to risks associated with the current interest rate environment, and changes in interest rates may affect our cost of capital and, consequently, our net income and Cash Available for Distribution.
•
We are subject to risks related to inflation.
•
Our investment assets are generally illiquid and our valuation estimates are subject to inherent uncertainty.
•
The market value of our investment assets may be adversely impacted by increasing interest rates.
•
The receipt of contractual interest and principal payments on our debt investments will be affected by the economic results of the secured properties.
•
The rent restrictions and occupant income limitations imposed on properties securing our MRBs and GILs may limit the revenues of such properties.
•
There are risks related to the lease-up of newly constructed or renovated properties that may affect our debt investments secured by these properties.
•
The repayment of principal of our debt investments is principally dependent upon proceeds from the sale or refinancing of the secured properties.
•
We are subject to various risks associated with our debt investments secured by seniors housing and skilled nursing properties.
•
There are various risks associated with our JV Equity Investments including, but not limited to, risks normally associated with the ownership of such multifamily real estate, sales or refinancing, third-party property management, and variable interest costs.
•
There are risks related to the construction of properties underlying our investment assets.
•
Conditions in the low income housing tax credit markets due to known or potential changes in U.S. corporate tax rates may increase our cost of borrowing, make financing difficult to obtain or restrict our ability to invest in MRB and other investments, each of which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our business.
•
There are various risks associated with our commitments to fund investments on a draw-down or forward basis.
•
If we acquire ownership of properties securing our investment assets through foreclosure or otherwise, we will be subject to all the risks normally associated with the ownership of such properties.
•
Properties related to our MRB investments and JV Equity Investments are geographically concentrated in certain states.
•
Our investments in certain asset classes may be concentrated with certain developers and related affiliates.
•
Recourse guaranties related to our GIL investments and property loans are concentrated in certain entities.
•
There is risk that a third-party developer that has provided guaranties of preferred returns on our Vantage JV Equity Investments may not perform.
•
Our reserves for credit losses are based on estimates and may prove inadequate, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.
•
Properties related to our investment assets may not be completely insured against damages from natural disasters.
•
The properties related to our investment assets may be subject to liability for environmental contamination which could increase the risk of default or loss on our investment.
•
We are subject to reinvestment risk from maturities and prepayments of our investment assets.
•
Adverse developments affecting the banking industry, such as actual events or concerns regarding bank failures, liquidity, defaults, or non-performance by financial institutions, could adversely affect our current and projected business operations and our financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Debt Financings and Derivative Instruments
•
Our investment strategy involves significant leverage, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
•
Our access to financing sources, which may not be available on favorable terms, or at all, may be limited, and our lenders and derivative counterparties may require us to post additional collateral which may materially impact our financial condition and results of operations.
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•
There are risks associated with debt financing programs that involve securitization of our investment assets.
o
Changes in interest rates can adversely affect the cost of the asset securitization financing.
o
Payments on our residual interests are subordinate to payments on the senior securities and to payment of all trust-related fees.
o
Termination of an asset securitization financing may occur under certain circumstances and could result in the liquidation of the securitized assets resulting in losses.
o
An insolvency or receivership of the program sponsor could impair our ability to recover the assets and other collateral pledged in connection with a bond securitization financing.
o
We may be required to post additional collateral if the securitized investment assets and related derivative instruments experience declines in value.
o
There is risk that we will not meet financial covenants, non-financial covenants and risk retention requirements.
•
We are subject to various risks associated with our derivative agreements.
•
We are subject to various risks associated with our secured line of credit arrangements.
Risks Related to Ownership of Beneficial Unit Certificates and Preferred Units
•
Cash distributions related to BUCs may change at the discretion of the Partnership’s general partner.
•
Sustained high levels of inflation may cause the real value of distributions on our BUCs and Preferred Units to decline.
•
Any future issuances of additional BUCs could cause the market value of all outstanding BUCs to decline.
•
Certain rights of our BUC holders are limited by and subordinate to the rights of the holders of our Series A Preferred Units, Series A-1 Preferred Units and Series B Preferred Units, and these rights may have a negative effect on the value of the BUCs.
•
Holders of Preferred Units have extremely limited voting rights.
•
The Partnership’s general partner has the authority to declare cash distributions related to the Preferred Units.
•
Holders of Preferred Units may have liability to repay distributions.
•
We may be required to redeem Preferred Units in the future.
•
The assets held by the Partnership may not be considered qualified investments under the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) by the bank regulatory authorities.
•
Under certain circumstances, investors may not receive CRA credit for their investment in the Preferred Units.
•
The Partnership’s portfolio investment decisions may create CRA strategy risks.
•
The Preferred Units are subordinated to existing and future debt obligations, and the interests could be diluted by the issuance of additional units, including additional Preferred Units, and by other transactions.
•
Holders of the Preferred Units may be required to bear the risks of an investment for an indefinite period of time.
•
Treatment of distributions on our Preferred Units is uncertain.
•
There is no public market for the Preferred Units, which may prevent an investor from liquidating its investment.
•
Market interest rates may adversely affect the value of the Preferred Units.
Risks Related to Income Taxes
•
Income from various investments is subject to taxation.
•
To the extent we generate taxable income, Unitholders will be subject to income taxes on this income, whether or not they receive cash distributions.
•
There are limits on the ability of our Unitholders to deduct Partnership losses and expenses allocated to them.
•
Unitholders may incur tax liability if any of the interest on our MRB or GIL investments is determined to be taxable.
•
If we are determined to be an association taxable as a corporation, it will have adverse economic consequences for us and our Unitholders.
Risks Related to Governmental and Regulatory Matters
•
We are not registered under the Investment Company Act.
•
Any downgrade, or anticipated downgrade, of U.S. sovereign credit ratings or the credit ratings of the U.S. Government-sponsored entities (“GSEs”) by the various credit rating agencies may materially adversely affect our business.
•
The federal conservatorship of Freddie Mac and related efforts, along with any changes in laws and regulations affecting the relationship between Freddie Mac and the U.S. Government, may materially adversely affect our business.
•
The Partnership faces legislative and regulatory risks in connection with its assets and operations, including under the CRA.
General Risk Factors
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We face possible risks associated with the effects of climate change and severe weather.
•
We are increasingly dependent on information technology, and potential disruption, cyber-attacks, security issues, and expanding social media vehicles present new risks.
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Risks Related to our Business and Investments
We are managed by our general partner and engage in transactions with related parties.
The Partnership is managed by its sole general partner, which is controlled by affiliates of Greystone. In addition, employees of Greystone Manager are responsible for the Partnership’s operations, including the Partnership’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer. The Partnership’s general partner manages our investments, performs administrative services for us and earns administrative fees that are paid by either the borrowers related to our investment assets or by us, subject to the terms of the Partnership Agreement. The general partner does not have a fiduciary duty or obligation to any limited partner or BUC holder. Various potential and actual conflicts of interest may arise from the activities of the Partnership and Greystone and its affiliates by virtue of the fact that the general partner is controlled by Greystone. The general partner may be removed by a vote of limited partners holding at least 66.7% of outstanding limited partnership interests, voting as a single class. Such removal shall be effective immediately following the admission of a successor general partner.
We may also enter into various arrangements for services provided by entities controlled by or affiliates of Greystone. Our arrangements with Greystone and its affiliates are considered related party transactions. By their nature, related party transactions may not be considered to have been negotiated at arm’s length. These relationships may also cause a conflict of interest in other situations where we are negotiating with Greystone or its affiliates. See Note 23 of the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements for additional details.
Global economic, political and market conditions, including uncertainty about the financial stability of the United States, could have a significant adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Downgrades by rating agencies of the U.S. government’s credit rating or concerns about its debt and deficit levels in general, could cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact both the perception of credit risk associated with our investment portfolio and our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms. Interest rates have risen in recent years, and the risk that they may continue to do so is pronounced. In addition, a decreased U.S. government credit rating could create broader financial turmoil and uncertainty, which may weigh heavily on our financial performance and the market value of our BUCs.
The current global financial market situation, as well as various social and political circumstances in the U.S. and around the world, including wars and other forms of conflict, terrorist acts, security operations and catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, adverse effects of climate crisis and global health epidemics, may contribute to increased market volatility and economic uncertainties or deterioration in the U.S. and worldwide. In particular, current military conflicts, including comprehensive international sanctions, the impact on inflation and increased disruption to supply chains may impact our counterparties with which we do business, and specifically our financing counterparties and financial institutions from which we obtain financing for the purchase of our investments, result in an economic downturn or recession either globally or locally in the U.S. or other economies, reduce business activity, spawn additional conflicts (whether in the form of traditional military action, reignited “cold” wars or in the form of virtual warfare such as cyberattacks) with similar and perhaps wider ranging impacts and consequences and have an adverse impact on the Partnership’s returns, net income, and Cash Available for Distribution (“CAD”). We have no way to predict the duration or outcome of the situation, as the conflicts and government reactions are rapidly developing and beyond our control. Prolonged unrest, military activities, or broad-based sanctions may increase our funding costs or limit our access to the capital markets.
Additionally, the U.S. government’s debt and deficit concerns, the European geopolitical and economic environment, and any continuing macroeconomic uncertainty with respect to China could cause interest rates to be volatile, which may negatively impact our ability to obtain debt financing on favorable terms. In this period of rising interest rates, our cost of funds may increase except to the extent we have obtained fixed rate debt, issued Preferred Units with a fixed distribution rate, or sufficiently hedged our interest rate risk, which hedging could reduce our net income and CAD.
We are subject to risks associated with the current interest rate environment, and changes in interest rates may affect our cost of capital and, consequently, our net income and Cash Available for Distribution.
In 2022 and 2023, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised short term interest rates by a total of 5.25% and has suggested additional interest rate increases may be possible to combat price inflation. Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from our performance to the extent we are exposed to such interest rate increases and/or volatility. In periods of rising interest rates, to the extent we borrow money subject to a variable interest rate, our cost of funds would increase, which could reduce our net income. Further, rising interest rates could also adversely affect our performance if such increases cause our borrowing costs to rise at a rate in excess of the rate that our investments yield. Further, rising interest rates could also adversely affect our performance if we hold investments with variable interest rates, subject to specified minimum interest rates (such as a Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) floor, as applicable), while at the same time engaging in borrowings subject to variable interest rates not subject to such minimums. In such a scenario, rising interest rates may increase our interest expense, even though our interest income from investments is not increasing in a corresponding manner as a result of such floor rates.
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Further increases in interest rates may make it more costly for us to service the debt under our financing arrangements. Rising interest rates could also cause the developers of the projects we finance through MRBs, GILs, and property loans to shift cash from other productive uses to the payment of interest, which may have a material adverse effect on their business and operations and could, over time, lead to delays in construction, leasing and stabilization of properties, and corresponding increased defaults. Properties securing our MRB, GIL and property loan investments that have variable interest rates may also experience higher construction costs that may exceed established capitalized interest reserves and other contingency reserves, potentially resulting in shortfalls in contractual debt service payments. Similarly, our JV Equity Investments have variable-rate construction loans and have established capitalized interest reserves during construction. Higher interest rates may result in higher than anticipated construction costs, which may require us to contribute additional equity and/or result in ultimately lower returns during the operating period and upon sale.
We finance the purchase of a significant portion of our investment assets. As a result, our net income and CAD will depend, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds and the yields on our investment assets. If debt financing is unavailable at acceptable rates, we may not be able to purchase and finance additional investments at an acceptable levered return. If we have previously financed the acquisition of an investment, we may be unable to refinance such debt at maturity or may be unable to refinance at acceptable terms. If we refinance our debt at higher rates of interest, our interest expense will increase and our cash flows from operations will be reduced. We can offer no assurance that continued significant changes in market interest rates would not have a material adverse effect on our net income and CAD. In periods of rising interest rates, our cost of funds may further increase, which could reduce our net income and CAD.
We are subject to risks related to inflation.
Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the value or purchasing power of money. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly due to various factors, including unexpected shifts in the domestic or global economy and changes in economic policies. The yields on our investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to our Unitholders. This risk is greater for fixed-income investments with longer maturities such as our MRB investments.
Inflation could cause increases in our general and administrative costs resulting in a decrease in our operating cash flows. Inflation may also increase the operating expenses for multifamily properties securing our investment assets. Such cost increases may result in lower debt service coverage for properties related to our investments. Such cost increases may result in less distributable operating cash from our JV Equity Investments and may also result in lower property sales prices causing a reduction in distributions upon capital events. The majority of tenant leases related to multifamily investment assets are for terms of one year or less. The short-term nature of these leases generally serves to reduce the risk to the properties of the adverse effects of inflation; however, market conditions may prevent such properties from increasing rental rates in amounts sufficient to offset higher operating costs. Rental rates for set-aside units at affordable multifamily properties are typically tied to certain percentages of the area median income. Increases in area median income are not necessarily correlated to increases in property operating costs. A significant mismatch between area median income growth and property operating cost increases could negatively impact net operating cash flows available to pay debt service.
Inflation may cause increases in construction costs for properties under construction that secure our investments. Our borrowers typically enter into guaranteed maximum price contracts at closing to mitigate potential increases in construction costs. However, change orders and general cost increases could be impacted by inflation and cause cost overruns that negatively impact property performance. Inflation may cause increases to variable interest rates of our GILs and certain MRBs and property loans, increasing the cost of construction. Each property has established capitalized interest reserves as part of the construction financing structure, but such reserves may be insufficient if the interest rate is significantly higher than anticipated and may cause cost overruns, which could negatively impact the borrower’s ability to make contractual debt service payments.
Inflation typically is accompanied by higher interest rates, which could adversely impact borrowers’ ability to obtain financing on favorable terms, thereby causing a decrease in our number of investment opportunities. In addition, during any periods of rising inflation, interest rates on our variable rate debt financing arrangements would likely increase, which would tend to further reduce returns to Unitholders. Higher interest rates due to inflation may also depress investment asset values due to a decrease in demand or increasing cost of operations, such that we may record charges against earnings for asset impairments that may be material.
Our investment assets are generally illiquid and our valuation estimates are subject to inherent uncertainty.
Our investment assets are relatively illiquid that do not have active trading markets. There are no market makers, price quotations, or other indications of a developed secondary trading market for these investments. In addition, no rating has been issued on any of our investment assets. Accordingly, any buyer of these investment assets would need to perform its own due diligence prior to purchase. Our ability to sell investment assets and the price we receive upon sale, will be affected by the number of potential buyers, the number of similar securities on the market at the time, investor capitalization rates, available credit, and other market conditions. The sale of an investment could result in a loss to the Partnership.
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We estimate values of our investment assets in the preparation of our financial statements. While the determination of the fair value of our investment assets generally takes into consideration data from third-party pricing services or internally developed models using commonly accepted valuation techniques, the final determination of fair values involves our judgment, and such valuations may differ from those provided by other pricing services and actual sales price for such investments. Due to the illiquid nature of our investments, valuations may be difficult to obtain, may not be reliable, or may be sensitive to assumptions used in our valuation processes. Depending on the complexity and illiquidity of an asset, valuations of the same asset can vary substantially from one market participant to another. Our results of operations, financial condition and business could be materially adversely affected if our fair value estimates are materially higher than what could actually be realized in the market.
The market value of our investment assets may be adversely impacted by increasing interest rates.
In general, the valuation of our investment assets with fixed interest rates is dependent on the relation of the stated interest rate to the market interest rate for similar assets. Increasing market interest rates will generally result in declining investment asset valuations, which may decrease the amount realized on the sale of our investments or the amount of debt financing that can be obtained from lenders, each resulting in lower net returns on our investment assets.
The receipt of contractual interest and principal payments on our debt investments will be affected by the economic results of the secured properties.
Our MRB investments require the borrower to make regular principal and interest payments during their contractual term. Although our MRB investments are issued by state or local governments, their agencies, and authorities, they are not general obligations of these governmental entities and are not backed by any taxing authority. Instead, each MRB is backed by a non-recourse obligation of the owner of the secured property and the sole source of cash to make regular principal and interest on the MRB is the net cash flow generated by the operation of the secured property and the net proceeds from the ultimate sale or refinancing of the property (except in cases where a property owner or its affiliates has provided a limited guaranty of certain payments). This makes our MRB investments subject to risks usually associated with direct investments in such properties. Defaults may occur if a property is unable to sustain net cash flow at a level necessary to pay its debt service obligations. Net cash flow and net sale proceeds from a property are applied only to debt service payments of the MRB secured by that property and are not available to satisfy debt service obligations on our other MRB investments. In addition, the value of a property at the time of its sale or refinancing will be a direct function of its perceived future profitability. Therefore, the amount of interest that we earn on our MRB investments, and whether or not we will receive the entire principal balance of the MRB investments as and when due, will depend to a large degree on the economic results of the secured properties.
We may extend property loans to properties experiencing difficulties meeting debt service requirements to avoid defaults on MRBs and protect the tax-exempt nature of MRB interest income. The property loans may be recourse or non-recourse obligations of the property owner and may not be secured by the related property. The primary source of principal and interest payments on these property loans is the net cash flow generated by these properties or the net proceeds from the sale or refinancing of these properties after payment of the related MRBs. The net cash flow from the operation of a property may be impacted by many factors as previously discussed. In addition, any payment of principal and interest is subordinate to payment of all principal and interest of the MRB secured by the property. As a result, there is a greater risk of default on a property loan than on the associated MRB. If a property is unable to pay current debt service obligations on its property loan, a default may occur. We may not be able to or do not expect to pursue foreclosure or other remedies against a property upon default of a property loan if the property is not in default on the MRB.
Our GIL investments and related property loans require regular interest payments during their contractual term. Although our GIL investments are issued by state or local governments, their agencies, and authorities, they are not general obligations of these governmental entities and are not backed by any taxing authority. Instead, each GIL is a non-recourse obligation of the owner of the secured property. In addition, certain property loans are on parity with the related GIL investments and share a first mortgage lien position on all real and personal property. Contractual interest payments during the contractual term are initially paid using capitalized interest in the property’s development budget. Once capitalized interest has been exhausted for a property, interest is payable from net operating cash flows, which is dependent to a large degree on the property’s operating results.
The net cash flow from the operation of multifamily properties is affected by many factors, including but not limited to, the number of tenants, rental and fee rates, payroll costs, operating expenses, the cost of repairs and maintenance, taxes, government regulation, competition from other similar multifamily or student residential properties, mortgage rates for single-family housing, adverse developments or conditions resulting from or associated with climate change, and general and local economic conditions. In most of the markets in which the properties securing our investment assets are located, there is significant competition from other multifamily and single-family housing that is either owned or leased by potential tenants. Lower mortgage interest rates and federal tax deductions for interest and real estate taxes make single-family home ownership more accessible to persons who may otherwise rent apartments.
The rent restrictions and occupant income limitations imposed on properties securing our MRBs and GILs may limit the revenues of such properties.
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Properties securing our MRB and GIL investments are subject to certain federal, state and/or local requirements with respect to the permissible income of their tenants. Since federal rent subsidies are not generally available on these properties, tenant rents at LIHTC properties are limited to 30% of the related tenant income for the designated portion of the property’s units. The issuing state or local government, agency or authority may also impose additional rent restrictions as a condition to the allocation of LIHTCs and private activity bond volume cap. As a result, the income from these restricted rents in combination with rents on market rate units may not be sufficient to cover all operating costs of the property and debt service on our related investment assets.
There are risks related to the lease-up of newly constructed or renovated properties that may affect our debt investments secured by these properties.
We acquire MRBs, GILs and property loans to finance properties in various stages of construction or renovation. As construction or renovation is completed, these properties will move into the lease-up phase. The lease-up of these properties may not be completed on schedule or at anticipated rent levels, resulting in a greater risk of default compared to investments secured by mortgages on properties that are stabilized or fully leased. Properties may not achieve expected occupancy or debt service coverage levels. While we may require owners and their affiliates to provide certain payment guaranties during the construction and lease-up phases, we may not be able to do so in all cases or such guaranties may not fully protect us in the event a property is not leased to an adequate level of rents or economic occupancy as anticipated. In addition, Freddie Mac, through a servicer, has forward committed to purchase our GIL investments at maturity at par if the property has reached stabilization and other conditions are met. If the lease-up of the related properties is either not completed on schedule or rent levels are less than anticipated, then proceeds from Freddie Mac may be less than anticipated or fail to meet the conditions for execution of the commitment which may negatively impact the redemption of our investment. In such instances, we will pursue enforcement of payment guaranties from owners and their affiliates.
The repayment of principal of our debt investments is principally dependent upon proceeds from the sale or refinancing of the secured properties.
The principal balance of most of our MRB investments does not fully amortize by the stated maturity dates such that there is a lump-sum “balloon” payment due at maturity. The ability of the property owners to repay the MRBs with balloon payments is dependent upon their ability to sell the properties securing our MRBs or obtain adequate refinancing proceeds. The MRBs are not personal obligations of the property owners, and we rely solely on the value of the properties securing these MRBs for collection. Accordingly, if an MRB goes into default, our only recourse is to foreclose on the underlying property. If the value of the underlying property securing the MRB is less than the outstanding principal balance plus accrued interest on the MRB, we will incur a loss.
Our GIL investments and related property loans require only interest payments during their contractual term, so all principal is due at the end of the contractual term. The GILs are primarily repaid through a conversion to permanent financing pursuant to a forward commitment from Freddie Mac, through a Freddie Mac-approved seller/servicer. Freddie Mac will purchase each of our GILs once certain conditions are met, at a price equal to the outstanding principal plus accrued interest and convert the GIL into a Freddie Mac Tax Exempt Loan (“TEL”) financing. The execution of Freddie Mac’s forward commitments is dependent on completion of construction and various other conditions that each property must meet. If such conditions are not met, then Freddie Mac is not required to purchase the GIL and we will pursue collection via other means. Alternatively, Freddie Mac may purchase the GIL in an amount lower than par, which would then require the borrower to use additional sources to repay the principal on our GIL investment. The property loans related to our GILs are primarily to be repaid from future equity contributions by investors and other forward financing commitments provided by various parties. If Freddie Mac is not required to purchase the GIL and payment of the property loans from available sources is not made, the GIL and property loan will default and our recourse is to foreclose on the underlying property. We will also enforce our available recourse guaranty provisions against affiliates of the borrower. If the value of the property is less than the outstanding principal balance plus accrued interest on the GIL and related property loan, and we are unable to recoup any shortfall through enforcement of guaranties against affiliates of the borrower, then we will incur a loss. If there is a default, we are entitled to the borrower's original allocation of LIHTCs, which we can monetize through sales to third party investors. The value of LIHTCs is dependent on market demand and the underlying property’s ability to cover debt service during the permanent financing phase, which is uncertain.
We are subject to various risks associated with our debt investments secured by seniors housing and skilled nursing properties.
We have acquired MRB investments and property loans secured by seniors housing and skilled nursing properties. By their nature, such properties have different operational and financial risks than traditional affordable multifamily properties that may negatively impact a property’s ability to pay contractual debt service on our MRB or property loan investment. Such differences will also impact the availability and cost of debt financing associated with such investments.
The net cash flow from the operation of a seniors housing property is affected by many factors, including but not limited to, the number of tenants, rental rates, service revenues, payroll costs, operating expenses, the cost of repairs and maintenance, taxes, government regulation, competition from other seniors housing properties, the availability of alternative housing options such as single-family housing, adverse developments or conditions resulting from or associated with climate change, and general and local economic conditions. In most of the markets in which the properties securing our investment assets are located, there is significant competition from other multifamily and single-family housing that is either owned or leased by potential tenants.
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The net cash flow from the operation of a skilled nursing property is affected by many factors, including but not limited to, the number of patient care days, patient acuity mix, patient payor mix and insurance reimbursement rates, availability and cost of nurses and staff, costs of care, general operating expenses, the cost of repairs and maintenance, taxes, government regulation, competition from similar properties, adverse developments or conditions resulting from or associated with climate change, and general and local economic conditions. Many such properties are reliant on relationships with physician and hospital networks for patient referrals and support, a lack of which could negatively impact operating results.
There are various risks associated with our JV Equity Investments including, but not limited to, risks normally associated with the ownership of such multifamily real estate, sales or refinancing, third-party property management, and variable interest costs.
Our JV Equity Investments represent equity investments in entities created to develop, construct and operate market-rate multifamily and seniors housing rental properties. We are entitled to certain distributions under the terms of the property-specific governing documents based on the availability of cash to pay such distributions. The only sources of cash flows for such distributions are either the net cash flows from the operation of the property, the cash proceeds from a sale of the property, or proceeds from permanent financing in the form of an MRB, a commercial loan or other structures. The net cash flow from property operations for multifamily or seniors housing properties are subject to the same risks of ownership as previously discussed in this Item 1A. Sale proceeds are primarily dependent upon the value of a property to prospective buyers at the time of its sale, which may be impacted by, including but not limited to, the operating results of the property, market cap rates, local market conditions and competition, and interest rates on mortgage financing. Recent increases in market interest rates and increases in market cap rates have and may continue to put downward pressure on property sales prices. If there are no net cash flows from operations or insufficient proceeds from a sale or a refinancing event, we are unlikely to receive distributions from our investments and we may be unable to recover our investments in these entities.
Our JV Equity Investments are passive in nature with operational oversight of each property controlled by our respective joint venture partner, as managing member, according to the entity’s operating agreement. We have the ability to remove the managing member under certain circumstances under the operating agreements. The properties are predominately managed by a property management company affiliated with our joint venture partner. Decisions on when to sell an individual property are made by our joint venture partner based on its view of the local market conditions and current leasing trends, so we have limited influence on the operating policies and procedures for the JV Equity Investments. If we choose to remove the managing member, then we will become the economic owner of the property and will consolidate the property in our consolidated financial statements, which will impact our reported results of operations.
The construction of the properties underlying our JV Equity Investments is dependent on obtaining construction loans from financial institutions that finance approximately 55% to 75% of the total cost of development with terms ranging from three to five years. Such construction loans typically bear interest at variable rates indexed to SOFR and are subject to interest rate risk. The development budget for each property includes a capitalized interest component, which may be insufficient if interest rates increase beyond expectations. In such instances, we may contribute additional equity to the property to cover any capitalized interest shortfalls, which may negatively impact our return on investment.
Each construction loan is subject to certain positive and negative covenants that, if not met, could result in a default on the construction loan. In the event of default, we may, either individually or collectively, contribute additional equity to cure a default on behalf of the borrower, remove the managing member, or arrange for alternative financing that may be at less economical rates. In all cases, our return on investment will likely be lower than if a default had not occurred.
There are risks related to the construction of properties underlying our investment assets.
Our various investments are related to new construction or acquisition/rehabilitation of affordable multifamily properties, seniors housing properties, skilled nursing facilities, and market-rate multifamily rental properties. Construction of such properties generally takes 18 to 36 months to complete. There is a risk that construction of the properties may be substantially delayed or never completed for many reasons including, but not limited to, (i) insufficient financing to complete the project due to underestimated construction costs or cost overruns; (ii) failure of contractors or subcontractors to perform under their agreements; (iii) availability of construction materials and appliances; (iv) inability to obtain governmental approvals; (v) labor disputes; and (vi) adverse weather and other unpredictable contingencies beyond the control of the developer. While we may mitigate some of these risks by obtaining construction completion guaranties from developers or other parties and/or payment and performance bonds from contractors, we may not be able to do so in all cases, or such guaranties or bonds may not fully protect us in the event a property is not completed. In other cases, we may decide to forego certain types of available security if we determine that the security is not necessary or is too expensive to obtain in relation to the risks covered.
If a property is not completed on time or costs more to complete than anticipated, it may cause us to receive less than the full amount of interest owed to us on our debt investments or otherwise result in a default. In such case, we may be forced to foreclose on the incomplete property and sell it in order to recover the principal and accrued interest on our investments, resulting in losses. Alternatively, we may decide to finance the remaining construction of the property, in which event we will need to invest additional funds into the property, either as equity or a property loan. Our returns on these additional investments would be taxable to our
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Unitholders. Also, if we foreclose on a property, we will no longer receive interest on the debt investments secured by the property. The overall return to us from our investment in this circumstance is likely to be less than if the construction had been completed on time and within budget.
As it relates to our JV Equity Investments, if a property is not completed or costs more to complete than anticipated, it may cause us to receive a lower distribution than expected. Furthermore, we may be prevented from receiving a return on our investments or recovering our initial investment, which would adversely affect our results of operations.
Conditions in the low income housing tax credit markets due to known or potential changes in U.S. corporate tax rates may increase our cost of borrowing, make financing difficult to obtain or restrict our ability to invest in MRB and other investments, each of which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our business.
Many of our debt investments are associated with syndicated partnerships formed to receive allocations of LIHTCs. Conditions in the low income housing tax credit market due to changes in the U.S. corporate tax rates have previously had, and may in the future have, an adverse impact on our cost of borrowings and may also restrict our ability to make additional investments. These conditions, as well as the cost and availability of financing has been, and may continue to be, adversely affected in all markets in which we operate. Concern about the stability of the low income housing tax credit markets has led many lenders and institutional investors to reduce, and in some cases cease providing, funding to borrowers and our access to debt financing may be adversely affected. Changes in the U.S. tax rates, and the resulting impacts to the low income housing tax credit market, may limit our ability to replace or renew maturing debt financing on a timely basis, may impair our ability to acquire new investments and may impair our access to capital markets to meet our liquidity and growth strategies which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
There are various risks associated with our commitments to fund investments on a draw-down or forward basis.
We have committed to advance funds for various investments on a draw-down basis during construction. We may also forward commit to purchase MRBs at a future date, contingent upon stabilization of an affordable multifamily rental property. Our gross outstanding investment commitments were approximately $366.4 million as of December 31, 2023. We believe our liquidity sources and debt financing arrangements are sufficient to fund our current investment commitments over time. However, if circumstances change such that our traditional liquidity sources and debt financing arrangements are insufficient, we may need to obtain funds from other sources, including, but not limited to, alternative financing arrangements, sales of assets, or raise additional capital. This could negatively impact our results of operations through higher costs or lower investment returns. We cannot assure you that we will have access to adequate equity or debt capital on favorable terms (including, without limitation, cost, advance rates, and term) at the desired times, or at all, which may cause us to curtail our new investment activities and/or dispose of assets, which could materially adversely affect our operating cash flows and results of operations.
If we acquire ownership of properties securing our investment assets through foreclosure or otherwise, we will be subject to all the risks normally associated with the ownership of such properties.
We may acquire ownership of multifamily, seniors housing or skilled nursing properties securing our debt investments in the event of a default, which will subject us to all the risks normally associated with the ownership and operation of such properties. Such risks include, but are not limited to, declines in property values, occupancy and rental rates, increases in operating expenses, and the ability to finance or refinance related debt, if needed. We may also be subject to government regulations, natural disasters, and environmental issues, any of which could have an adverse effect on our financial results, cash flows and our ability to sell the properties.
Properties related to our MRB investments and JV Equity Investments are geographically concentrated in certain states.
The properties securing our MRB investments are geographically dispersed throughout the United States, with significant concentrations in Texas, California, and South Carolina. Such concentrations expose us to potentially negative effects of local or regional economic downturns, which could prevent us from collecting principal and interest on our investments.
Eight of our 12 JV Equity Investments as of December 31, 2023 are related to market-rate multifamily properties in Texas. In addition, one JV Equity Investment for a property in Texas is reported as a consolidated VIE as of December 31, 2023. Such concentration exposes us to potentially negative effects of local or regional economic downturns, which could prevent us from realizing returns on our investments and recovery of our investment capital.
Our investments in certain asset classes may be concentrated with certain developers and related affiliates.
We typically source our investment assets through our relationships with multifamily property developers. There are concentrations with certain developers with our MRB, GIL, property loan, and JV Equity Investment asset classes. The developers and their affiliates manage the construction and operations of the underlying properties. Though our investment assets are not cross collateralized with each other, management or other issues with an individual developer or its affiliates may impact multiple investment assets associated with the developer, resulting in potential lower debt service coverage, and investment or asset impairments.
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Recourse guaranties related to our GIL investments and property loans are concentrated in certain entities.
Two entities, which are affiliates of one of our developer relationships, have provided limited-to-full payment guaranties of the principal and interest for five of our GIL investments and six property loans. The guarantor affiliates are required to meet certain net worth and liquidity covenants during the term of the guaranties. However, significant defaults resulting in enforcement of guaranties against the two entities will negatively impact our ability to enforce our guaranties in the event of multiple defaults on our GIL and property loan investments.
There is risk that a third-party developer that has provided guaranties of preferred returns on our Vantage JV Equity Investments may not perform.
A third-party guarantor has provided a guaranty of preferred returns on each of our Vantage JV Equity Investments through the fifth anniversary of construction commencement, up to a maximum amount for each investment. If the underlying market-rate multifamily rental properties do not generate sufficient cash proceeds, either through net cash flows from operations or upon a sale event or refinancing, then we can enforce the guaranty against the guarantor. If the guarantor is unable to perform on the guaranty, we may be prevented from realizing the returns earned on our Vantage JV Equity Investments during the guaranty period, which will result in the recognition of losses.
Our reserves for credit losses are based on estimates and may prove inadequate, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.
We periodically review our investments for impairment based on currently effective GAAP accounting guidance. The recognition of other-than-temporary impairment, provisions for credit losses, provisions for loan loss are subject to a considerable degree of judgment, the results of which, when applied under different conditions or assumptions, could have a material impact on the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements. Realized impairments and losses may differ from our current estimates and could negatively impact the Partnership’s financial condition, cash flows, and reported earnings and could be caused by various factors, including, but not limited to, unanticipated adverse changes in the economy or events adversely affecting specific assets, borrowers, or markets in which our borrowers or their properties are located.
InJune 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (collectively with related ASUs, the “CECL Standard”)and was adopted by Partnership on January 1, 2023. The CECL standard replaced the incurred loss impairment methodology with a methodology that reflects current expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. We determined that our GIL investments, taxable GIL investments, property loans, receivables reported within other assets, financial guaranties, financial commitments, and interest receivable related to such assets, will be within the scope of the CECL Standard. The measurement of expected credit losses is based on information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. This measurement takes place at the time the financial asset is first added to the balance sheet and updated quarterly thereafter. This differs from the prior incurred loss impairment methodology, which delays recognition until it is probable a loss has been incurred. Accordingly, the CECL Standard materially affects how we determine our allowance for credit losses and resulted in an increase in our allowance. Moreover, the CECL model has resulted in more volatility in the level of our allowance and provision for credit losses. If we are required to materially increase our level of allowance for credit losses, such increase may affect our results of operations, financial condition, and business. Because our methodology for determining CECL allowances may differ from the methodologies employed by other companies, our CECL allowances may not be comparable with the CECL allowances reported by other companies.
Properties related to our investment assets may not be completely insured against damages from natural disasters.
If a property underlying an investment asset was to be damaged by a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, earthquake, major storm or wildfire, the amount of uninsured losses could be significant, and the property owner may not have the resources to fully rebuild the property. In addition, the damage to a property may result in all or a portion of the rental units not being rentable for a period of time. If a property owner does not carry rental interruption insurance, the loss of rental income would reduce the cash flow available to pay principal and interest on MRBs, GILs and property loans secured by these properties. In addition, the property owner could also lose their LIHTCs if the property was not repaired. A loss of rental income would also reduce the cash available for our JV Equity Investments to pay us distributions.
The properties related to our investment assets may be subject to liability for environmental contamination which could increase the risk of default or loss on our investment.
The owner or operator of real property may become liable for the costs of removal or remediation of hazardous substances released on its property. Various federal, state and local laws often impose such liability without regard to whether the owner or operator of real property knew of, or was responsible for, the release of such hazardous substances. We cannot assure that the properties related to our investment assets are or will not be contaminated. The costs associated with the remediation of any such contamination may be
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significant and may exceed the value of a property or result in the property owner defaulting on the MRB, GIL or property loan secured by the property or otherwise result in a loss of our investment in the property.
We are subject to reinvestment risk from maturities and prepayments of our investment assets.
Our MRB investments may have optional call dates that can be exercised by either the borrower or the Partnership that are earlier than the contractual maturity at either par or premiums to par. In addition, our GIL investments and most property loans are prepayable at any time without penalty. Borrowers may choose to redeem our investments if prevailing market interest rates are lower than the interest rate on our investment assets or for other reasons. During periods of low prevailing interest rates, the interest rates we earn on new interest-bearing assets we acquire may be lower than the interest rates on our existing portfolio of interest-bearing assets. In order to maintain or grow our investment portfolio size and earnings, we must reinvest repayment proceeds in new investment assets. New investment opportunities may not generate the same leveraged returns as our current investment assets such that our reported operating results may decline over time. We typically source our MRB and GIL investment opportunities through our relationships with multifamily property developers. Though we have a variety of property developer relationships, we cannot assure that such developers will continue to generate additional investment opportunities or that we will be awarded future investment opportunities due to various factors, including but not limited to, investment terms offered by our competitors.
Similarly, we are subject to reinvestment risk on the return of capital from redemption of our JV Equity Investments. Our initial equity contributions are returned upon sale of the underlying properties, at which time we will reinvest the capital into new JV Equity Investment or other investments. New investment opportunities may not generate the same returns as our prior investments due to factors including, but not limited to, increasing competition in the development of market-rate multifamily rental properties, rising interest rates and increasing construction costs. Lower returns on new investment opportunities will result in declining operating results over time. The majority of our JV Equity Investments to date have been sourced through the Vantage developer group. During 2022 and 2023, we closed JV Equity Investments with three other developer groups. Though we have increased the number of development relationships, we cannot ensure that we will be presented with additional investment opportunities from these development groups in the future, which could negatively impact our ability to redeploy capital or achieve continuing investment returns. We continually evaluate opportunities with other developer groups, but we cannot ensure that such opportunities will materialize or, if identified, result in returns similar to our past JV Equity Investments.
Adverse developments affecting the banking industry, such as actual events or concerns regarding bank failures, liquidity, defaults, or non-performance by financial institutions, could adversely affect our current and projected business operations and our financial condition and results of operations.
Events occurring in 2023 involving bank failures, reduced or limited liquidity within the banking industry, defaults, non-performance, and other adverse developments affecting financial institutions or other companies within the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors regarding any of these types of events, led to market-wide disruptions and dislocations, and may in the future lead to further liquidity constraints affecting the banking industry. In particular, during 2023, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank were taken over by the FDIC as receiver. Although we did not have any cash or cash equivalent balances on deposit with Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank or First Republic Bank, and we did not have any borrowing relationships with these banks, investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international banking industries could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us to acquire financing on acceptable terms or at all. Any decline in available funding or access to our cash and liquidity sources could, among other risks, adversely impact our ability to meet our operating expenses, contractual funding commitments, and other financial obligations. Any of these impacts, or any other impacts resulting from the factors described above or other related or similar factors not described above, could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity and our current and/or projected business operations, financial condition, and results of operations.
Risks Related to Debt Financings and Derivative Instruments
Our investment strategy involves significant leverage, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We typically fund a portion of investment assets with debt financing or other borrowing arrangements. To the extent that income derived from such leveraged assets exceeds our interest expense, hedging expense and other costs of the financing, our net income will be greater than if we had not borrowed funds and had not invested in such assets on a leveraged basis. Conversely, if the income from our investment does not sufficiently cover the interest expense, hedging expense and other costs of the financing, our net income will be less or our net loss will be greater than if we had not borrowed funds. Because of the credit and interest rate risks inherent in our investment strategies, we closely monitor the leverage of our investment portfolio. From time to time, our leverage ratio may increase or decrease due to several factors, including changes in the value of the underlying portfolio, changes in investment allocations and the timing and amount of new investments.
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Our access to financing sources, which may not be available on favorable terms, or at all, may be limited, and our lenders and derivative counterparties may require us to post additional collateral which may materially impact our financial condition and results of operations.
Our ability to fund our operations, meet financial obligations, and finance targeted investment opportunities may be impacted by an inability to secure and maintain debt financing from current or potential future lenders. Our lenders are primarily large global financial institutions or regional commercial banks, with exposure both to global financial markets and to more localized economic conditions. Whether because of a global or local financial crisis or other circumstances, such as if one or more of our lenders experiences severe financial difficulties, they or other lenders could become unwilling or unable to provide us with financing, could increase our retained interests required for such financing, or could increase the costs of financing.
In addition, if there is a contraction in the overall availability of debt financing for our investment assets, including if the regulatory capital requirements imposed on our lenders change, our lenders may significantly increase the cost of the financing that they provide to us, or increase the amounts of collateral they require as a condition to providing us with financing. Our lenders may revise their eligibility requirements for the types of investment assets that they are willing to finance or the terms of such financing arrangements, including increases in our retained interest requirements, based on, among other factors, the regulatory environment and their management of actual and perceived risk.
Moreover, the amount of financing that we receive under our financing agreements will be directly related to our lenders’ valuation of the financed assets subject to such agreements. If a lender’s valuations for individual asset classes are lower than expected, the advance rate from the lender will be lower resulting in a net increase in our retained interests in the overall transaction and cause a decrease in our leveraged returns. Consequently, depending on market conditions at the relevant time, we may have to rely on additional equity issuances to meet our capital and financing needs, which may be dilutive to our Unitholders, or we may have to rely on less efficient forms of debt financing at higher costs thereby reducing our operating cash flows, net income and CAD, and reducing our funds available to make additional investments.
There are risks associated with debt financing programs that involve securitization of our investment assets.
We obtain debt financing through various securitization programs related to our investment assets. The terms of these securitization programs differ, but in general require our investment assets be placed into a trust or other special purpose entity that issues senior securities to unaffiliated investors while we retain a residual interest. The trust administrator receives all the principal and interest payments from the underlying assets and distributes proceeds to holders of the various security interests. The senior securities are paid contractual principal and interest at a variable or fixed rate, depending on the terms of the security. As the holder of the residual interest, we are entitled to any remaining principal and interest after payment of all trust-related fees (i.e. trustee fees, remarketing agent fees, liquidity provider fees, credit enhancement fees, etc.). Specific risks generally associated with these asset securitization programs include the following:
Changes in interest rates can adversely affect the cost of the asset securitization financing.
The interest rates payable on certain senior securities are variable. The senior securities associated with our M33 TEBS and TOB trust securitizations have variable interest rates that reset on a weekly or daily basis. The interest rates are determined by the respective remarketing agents based on the rate third party purchasers are willing to receive to purchase the senior securities at par. Changes in such rates are generally, though not always, consistent with movements in market interest rate indices. In addition, because the senior securities may be tendered back to the trust, causing the trust to remarket the senior securities from time to time, an increase in interest rates may be required in order to successfully remarket these securities. Any increase in the interest rate payable on the senior securities will cause an increase in our interest expense and decrease the amount of residual cash flows available to us. Higher short-term interest rates will reduce, and could even eliminate, the return on our residual interests.
Payments on our residual interests are subordinate to payments on the senior securities and to payment of all trust-related fees.
Our residual interests are subordinate to the senior securities and payment of all trust-related fees. As a result, none of the interest received by such a trust will be paid to us as the holder of a residual interest until all payments currently due on the senior securities and trust expenses have been paid in full. As the holder of residual interests in these trusts, we can look only to the cash flow of the trust remaining after payment of these senior obligations for payment on our residual interests. No third party guarantees the payment of any return to be received on our residual interests.
Termination of an asset securitization financing may occur under certain circumstances and could result in the liquidation of the securitized assets resulting in losses.
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In general, the trust or other special purpose entity formed for an asset securitization financing can terminate for many different reasons relating to issues with the assets or issues with the trust itself. Potential termination triggers related to the securitized assets include non-payment of debt service or other defaults or a determination that the interest on the assets is taxable. Potential termination triggers related to a trust include a downgrade in the investment rating of the trust credit enhancer, a ratings downgrade of the liquidity provider for the trust, increases in short term interest rates in excess of the interest paid on the underlying assets, an inability to remarket the senior securities, or an inability to obtain credit or liquidity support for the trust. In each of these cases, the trust will be terminated and the securitized assets held by the trusts will be sold. If the proceeds from the sale of the trust collateral are not sufficient to pay the principal amount of the senior securities plus accrued interest and all trust-related expenses then, we will be required, through our guaranty of the trusts, to fund any such shortfall. We may lose our investment in the residual interest and, except for our TEBS financings and TEBS Residual Financing, realize additional losses to fully repay the senior trust obligations.
An insolvency or receivership of the program sponsor could impair our ability to recover the assets and other collateral pledged in connection with a bond securitization financing.
In the event the sponsor of an asset securitization financing program becomes insolvent, it could be placed in receivership. In that situation, it is possible that we may not be able to recover the investment assets or other collateral pledged in connection with the securitization financing or that we will not receive all payments due on our residual interests.
We may be required to post additional collateral if the securitized investment assets and related derivative instruments experience declines in value.
We may be required to post collateral, typically in cash, related to the TOB trusts and derivative instruments with Mizuho and Barclays as our counterparties. The amount of collateral posting required is dependent on the valuation of the investment assets and related derivative instruments in relation to thresholds set by the lenders on each business day.
During 2023, we were required to post net additional collateral totaling $9.6 million with Mizuho due to declines in the value of our fixed interest rate investment assets funded with TOB trusts resulting from generally rising market interest rates. We satisfied all collateral calls using unrestricted cash on hand. Continuing volatility in market interest rates and potential deterioration of general economic conditions may cause the value of our investment assets to decline and result in the posting of additional collateral in the future. The valuation of our interest rate swaps move inversely with the change in valuation of our investment assets, so the change in valuation of our interest rate swaps partially offset the change in value of our investment assets when determining the amount of collateral posting requirements. However, such relationships may diverge in the near term, which may result in us being required to post collateral with Mizuho. Our total cash collateral posted at Mizuho was approximately $9.6 million and our net aggregate exposure, as calculated by Mizuho, was approximately zero as of December 31, 2023. If the value of the Partnership’s net aggregate position with Mizuho decreases then we will be required to post cash collateral for the net negative exposure. As of December 31, 2023, our positions with Mizuho subject to daily valuation adjustment consist of $378.1 million of fixed rate MRBs, $41.0 million variable rate MRBs and taxable MRBs, $128.6 million of variable rate GILs and taxable GILs, $12.1 million of fixed rate GILs, $47.2 million of variable rate property loans, $21.5 million of fixed rate property loans, and $295.5 million notional balance of interest rate swaps. Potential changes in the value of our variable rate assets are primarily driven by market credit spreads, not changes in the absolute level of market interest rates, such that valuations are typically at or near par.
We were not required to post any additional collateral with Barclays during 2023. Our net aggregate exposure, as calculated by Barclays, was in favor of the Partnership in an amount of approximately $6.3 million as of December 31, 2023. If the value of the Partnership’s net aggregate position with Barclays decreases over $6.3 million then we will be required to post cash collateral for the net negative exposure. Our positions subject to daily valuation adjustment consist of $24.6 million of fixed rate MRBs, $49.2 million of fixed rate GILs and taxable GILs, $52.3 million of variable rate GILs, $30.2 million of variable rate property loans, and $12.8 million notional balance of an interest rate swap. Potential changes in the value of our variable rate assets are primarily driven by market credit spreads, not changes in the absolute level of market interest rates, such that valuations are typically at or near par.
There is risk that we will not meet financial covenants, non-financial covenants and risk retention requirements.
We are subject to various financial and non-financial covenants according to our ISDA master agreements with Mizuho and Barclays. Such covenants included, but are not limited to, maintaining minimum partners’ capital balances, certain limits on declines in net assets over specified time periods, certain limitations on leverage, and requiring that the BUCs remain listed on a national securities exchange, such as the NYSE. Failure to comply with these covenants could result in an event of default, termination of the trust securitizations, acceleration of all amounts owed, and generally would give the counterparty the right to exercise certain other remedies under the ISDA master agreements. Further, certain of our ISDA master agreements have cross-default, cross-acceleration or similar provisions, such that if we were to violate a covenant under one trust securitization, that violation could lead to defaults, accelerations, or other adverse events under other trust securitizations and lines of credit as well.
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Certain regulations related to our TOB trust securitizations require that we maintain a minimum economic interest in the residual and/or senior securities issued by the trust. Declines in the value of the securitized assets below certain levels will require us to purchase senior securities to satisfy our minimum risk retention requirements, which will negatively impact our liquidity and leveraged returns.
We are subject to various risks associated with our derivative agreements.
We purchase derivative instruments to either (i) mitigate our exposure to rising interest rates through interest rate swaps and caps, or (ii) provide financing through total return swaps. There is no assurance these instruments will fully insulate us from any adverse financial consequences resulting from rising interest rates. In addition, our risks from derivative instruments include the following:
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The costs of purchasing our derivative instruments may not be recovered over the contractual term.
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The counterparty may be unable to perform its obligations to us under the instrument.