Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Line of Credit, Mortgage Payable, and Churchill Facility

v3.22.2
Line of Credit, Mortgage Payable, and Churchill Facility
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2022
Line of Credit, Mortgage Payable, and Churchill Facility  
Line of Credit, Mortgage Payable, and Churchill Facility

7.     Line of Credit, Mortgage Payable, and Churchill Facility

Wells Fargo Margin Line of Credit

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company established a margin loan account at Wells Fargo Advisors that is secured by the Company’s portfolio of short-term securities. The credit line bears interest at a rate equal to 1.75% below the prime rate. At June 30, the rate on the Wells Fargo credit line was 3.00%. As of June 30, 2022 the total outstanding balance on the Wells Fargo credit line was $23,406,655.

Mortgage Payable

In 2021, the Company obtained a new adjustable-rate mortgage loan from New Haven Bank (“NHB”) for up to a maximum principal amount of $1.4 million (the “NHB Mortgage”) of which $750,000 was outstanding at June 30, 2022. The NHB Mortgage accrues interest at an initial rate of 3.75% per annum for the first 72 months and is due and payable in full on December 1, 2037. During the first 12 months, from December 1, 2021 to November 30, 2022, only interest is due and payable. Beginning on December 1, 2022 and through December 1, 2037, principal and interest on the NHB Mortgage will be due and payable on a monthly basis. Payments of principal under the NHB Mortgage are amortized based on a 20-year amortization schedule. The interest rate will be adjusted on each of December 1, 2027 and 2032 to the then published 5-year Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston Classic Advance Rate, plus 2.60%. The NHB Mortgage is a non-recourse loan, secured by a first mortgage lien on the Company’s current corporate headquarters, located at 698 Main Street, Branford, Connecticut, and the Company’s future corporate headquarters, located at 568 East Main Street, Branford, Connecticut. The $750,000 of proceeds funded at closing were used to reimburse the Company for out-of-pocket costs relating to the acquisition of the East Main Street property. The balance of the loan will be used to reimburse the

Company for the out-of-pocket costs incurred to renovate the East Main Street property. Upon completion of the renovation, and assuming the Company can provide NHB with an appraisal that the East Main Street property has a value of not less than $1.4 million, the first mortgage lien on the current corporate headquarters will be released.

Churchill MRA Funding I LLC Repurchase Financing Facility

On July 21, 2021, the Company consummated a $200 million master repurchase financing facility (“Facility”) with Churchill MRA Funding I LLC (“Churchill”), a subsidiary of Churchill Real Estate, a vertically integrated real estate finance company based in New York, New York. Under the terms of the Facility, the Company has the right, but not the obligation, to sell mortgage loans to Churchill, and Churchill has the right, but not the obligation, to purchase those loans. In addition, the Company has the right and, in some instances the obligation, to repurchase those loans from Churchill. The amount that Churchill will pay for each mortgage loan it purchases will vary based on the attributes of the loan and various other circumstances. The repurchase price is calculated by applying an interest factor , as defined, to the purchase price of the mortgage loan. The Company has also pledged the mortgage loans sold to Churchill to secure its repurchase obligation. The cost of capital under the Facility is equal to the sum of (a) the greater of (i) 0.25% and (ii) the 30-day LIBOR plus (b) 3%-4%, depending on the aggregate principal amount of the mortgage loans held by Churchill at that time. As of June 30, 2022 the effective rate charged under the Facility was 5.44%.

The Facility is subject to other terms and conditions, including representations and warranties, covenants and agreements typically found in these types of financing arrangements. Under one such covenant, the Company (A) is prohibited from (i) paying any dividends or making distributions in excess of 90% of its taxable income, (ii) incurring any indebtedness or (iii) purchasing any of its capital stock, unless, it has an asset coverage ratio of at least 150%; and (B) must maintain unencumbered cash and cash equivalents in an amount equal to or greater than 2.50% of the amount of its repurchase obligations. Churchill has the right to terminate the Facility at any time upon 180 days prior notice to the Company. The Company then has an additional 180 days after termination to repurchase all the mortgage loans held by Churchill. The Company uses the proceeds from the Facility to finance the continued expansion of its lending business and for general corporate purposes.

At June 30, 2022, the total amount outstanding under the Facility was $39,372,430 and the Company estimates that it had approximately $5.2 million of additional availability under the Facility. The collateral pledged to Churchill at June 30, 2022, was 31 mortgage loans that in the aggregate had unpaid principal balance of approximately $73.9 million.

The NHB Mortgage and the Churchill Facility contain cross-default provisions.