2. Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Management will base the use of estimates on (a) various assumptions that consider prior reporting results, (b) the Company’s projections regarding future operations and (c) general financial market and local and general economic conditions. Actual amounts could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all demand deposits, cashier’s checks, money market accounts and certificates of deposit with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The Company maintains its cash and cash equivalents at various financial institutions. The combined account balances typically exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance coverage, and, as a result, there is a concentration of credit risk related to amounts on deposit. The Company does not believe that the risk is significant.

Investment Securities

We consider all highly liquid interest-earning investments with a maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. The fair values of these investments approximate their carrying values.

Debt investments are classified as available-for-sale and realized gains and losses are recorded using the specific identification method. Changes in fair value, excluding credit losses and impairments, are recorded in other comprehensive income. Fair value is calculated based on publicly available market information or other estimates determined by management. If the cost of an investment exceeds its fair value, we evaluate, among other factors, general market conditions, credit quality of debt instrument issuers, and the extent to which the fair value is less than cost. To determine credit losses, we may employ a systematic methodology that considers available quantitative and qualitative evidence. In addition, we consider specific adverse conditions related to the financial health of, and business outlook for, the investee. If we have plans to sell the security or it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security before recovery, then a decline in fair value below cost is recorded as an impairment charge in net income and a new cost basis in the investment is established. If market, industry, and/or investee conditions deteriorate, we may incur future impairments.

Equity investments with readily determinable fair values are measured at fair value. Equity investments without readily determinable fair values are measured using the equity method or measured at cost with adjustments for observable changes in price or

impairments (referred to as the measurement alternative). We perform a qualitative assessment on a periodic basis and recognize an impairment if there are sufficient indicators that the fair value of the investment is less than carrying value. Changes in value are recorded in net income.

Allowance for Loan Loss

The Company reviews each loan on a quarterly basis and evaluates the borrower’s ability to pay the monthly interest, the borrower’s likelihood of executing the original exit strategy, as well as the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio. Based on the analysis, management determines if any provisions for impairment of loans should be made and whether any loan loss reserves are required.

Fair Value Measurements

The framework for measuring fair value provides a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy under Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 are described as follows:

Level 1Inputs to the valuation methodology are unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that the Company can access.

Level 2Inputs to the valuation methodology include:

If the asset or liability has a specified (i.e., contractual) term, the Level 2 input must be observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

Level 3Inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.

Property and Equipment

Land and building acquired in December 2016 to serve as the Company’s office facilities is stated at cost. The building is being depreciated using the straight-line method over its estimated useful life of 40 years. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred. The Company relocated its entire operations to this property in March 2019.

Land and building acquired in 2021 to serve as the Company’s future corporate headquarters is stated at cost. Renovation of the building was completed in the first quarter of 2023 and the Company relocated its operations to the new building in March 2023. The building was not being depreciated in 2022.

Real Estate Owned

Real estate owned by the Company is stated at cost and is tested for impairment quarterly.

Consolidations

The consolidated financial statements of the Company include the accounts of all subsidiaries in which the Company has control over significant operating, financial and investing decisions of the entity. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company continually monitors events or changes in circumstances that could indicate carrying amounts of long-lived assets may not be recoverable. When such events or changes in circumstances occur, the Company assesses the recoverability of long-lived assets by determining whether the carrying value of such assets will be recovered through undiscounted expected future cash flows. If the undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying amount of these assets, the Company recognizes an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair market value of the assets.

Goodwill

Goodwill is not amortized, but rather tested for impairment annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate potential impairment. Goodwill at December 31, 2022 represents the excess of the consideration paid over the fair value of net assets acquired from Urbane New Haven, LLC in October 2022.

In testing goodwill for impairment, we follow FASB ASC 350, “Intangibles—Goodwill and Other”, which permits a qualitative assessment of whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value including goodwill. If the qualitative assessment determines that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value including goodwill, then no impairment is determined to exist for the reporting unit. However, if the qualitative assessment determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value including goodwill, or we choose not to perform the qualitative assessment, then we compare the fair value of that reporting unit with its carrying value, including goodwill.

Deferred Financing Costs

Costs incurred in connection with the Company’s revolving credit facilities, described in Note 7—Line of Credit, Mortgage Payable and Churchill Facility are amortized over the term of the applicable facility using the straight-line method.

Costs incurred by the Company in connection with the public offering of its unsecured, unsubordinated notes, described in Note 9–Notes Payable, are being amortized over the term of the respective Notes.

Revenue Recognition

Interest income from the Company’s loan portfolio is earned over the loan period and is calculated using the simple interest method on principal amounts outstanding. Generally, the Company’s loans provide for interest to be paid monthly in arrears. The Company, generally, does not accrue interest income on mortgages receivable that are more than 90 days past due or interest charged at default rates. However, interest income not accrued at December 31, 2022, but collected prior to the issuance of this report is included in income for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Origination, modification fee and other revenue, generally 1% – 3% of either the original loan principal or the modified loan balance, is collected at loan funding and is recognized ratably over the contractual life of the loan in accordance with FASB ASC 310.

Income Taxes

The Company believes it qualifies as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for federal income tax purposes and operates accordingly. It made the election to be taxed as a REIT on its 2017 Federal income tax return. The Company’s qualification as a REIT depends on its ability to meet on a continuing basis, through actual investment and operating results, various complex requirements under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, relating to, among other things, the sources of its income, the composition and values of its assets, its compliance with the distribution requirements applicable to REITs and the diversity of ownership of its outstanding capital stock. So long as it qualifies as a REIT, the Company, generally, will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income distributed to its shareholders. However, if it fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year and does not qualify for certain statutory relief provisions, it will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates and may also be subject to various penalties and may be precluded from re-electing REIT status for the four taxable years following the year during in which it lost its REIT qualification.

The Company has elected, and may elect in the future, to treat certain of its existing or newly created corporate subsidiaries as taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”). In general, a TRS may hold assets that the company cannot hold directly and generally may engage in any real estate or non-real estate related business. The TRSs generate income, resulting in federal and state income tax liability for these entities. The Company does not expect to incur any corporate federal income tax liability outside of the TRSs, as we believe we have maintained our qualification as a REIT. During the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company’s TRSs recognized no provisions for federal income tax or state, local and franchise taxes on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. During the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were no recognized provisions for federal income tax nor state, local and franchise tax.

The income tax provision for the Company differs from the amount computed from applying the statutory federal income tax rate to income before income taxes due to non-taxable REIT income and other permanent differences including the non-deductibility of acquisition costs of business combinations for federal income tax reporting.

FASB ASC Topic 740-10 “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes” prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return and disclosure required. Under this standard, an entity may only recognize or continue to recognize tax positions that meet a “more likely than not” threshold. The Company recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense. The Company has determined that there are no uncertain tax positions requiring accrual or disclosure in the accompanying consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.

Earnings Per Share

Basic and diluted earnings per share are calculated in accordance with ASC 260 —“Earnings Per Share.” Under ASC 260, basic earnings per share is computed by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. The computation of diluted earnings per share is similar to basic earnings per share, except that the denominator is increased to include the potential dilution from the exercise of stock options and warrants for common shares using the treasury stock method. The numerator in calculating both basic and diluted earnings per common share for each period is the reported net income.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-02, "Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (FASB ASC Topic 326), Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures." ASU 2022-02 addresses areas identified by the FASB as part of its post-implementation review of the credit losses standard (ASU 2016-13) that introduced the current expected credit loss ("CECL") model. The amendments eliminate the accounting guidance for troubled debt restructurings by creditors that have adopted the CECL model and enhance the disclosure requirements for loan refinancings and restructurings made with borrowers experiencing financial difficulty. In addition, the amendments require a public business entity to disclose current-period gross writeoffs for financing receivables and net investment in leases by year of origination in the vintage disclosures. This guidance is effective for fiscal years

beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company plans to adopt this new guidance by the required date and does not anticipate that this update will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In June 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-03, “Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions.” ASU 2022-03 was issued to (1) to clarify the guidance in FASB ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement”, when measuring the fair value of an equity security subject to contractual restrictions that prohibit the sale of an equity security, (2) to amend a related illustrative example, and (3) to introduce new disclosure requirements for equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions that are measured at fair value in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 820. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the accounting and disclosure requirements of ASU 2022-03 and plans to adopt this new guidance on January 1, 2023. The Company does not anticipate that this update will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards if currently adopted would have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Reclassifications

Certain amounts included in the December 31, 2021 consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the December 31, 2022 presentation.