Commitments And Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2022

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments And Contingencies

6. Commitments and Contingencies

General

In the normal course of business, the Company guarantees its performance of services or indemnifies third parties against its negligence. In addition, in the normal course of business, the Company guarantees to certain tenants the obligations of its subsidiaries for the payment of tenant improvement allowances and brokerage commissions in connection with their leases and limited costs arising from delays in delivery of their premises. 

The Company had letter of credit and performance obligations related to lender and development requirements that total approximately $26.4 million at March 31, 2022.

Certain of the Company’s joint venture agreements include provisions whereby, at certain specified times, each partner has the right to initiate a purchase or sale of its interest in the joint ventures. From time to time, under certain of the Company’s joint venture agreements, if certain return thresholds are achieved, either the Company or its partners may be entitled to an additional promoted interest or payments.

From time to time, the Company (or ventures in which the Company has an ownership interest) has agreed, and may in the future agree, to (1) guarantee portions of the principal, interest and other amounts in connection with their borrowings, (2) provide customary environmental indemnifications and nonrecourse carve-outs (e.g., guarantees against fraud, misrepresentation and bankruptcy) in connection with their borrowings and (3) provide guarantees to lenders, tenants and other third parties for the completion of development projects. The Company has agreements with its outside or joint venture partners whereby the partners agree to reimburse the joint venture for their share of any payments made under the guarantee. In some cases, the Company earns a fee from the applicable joint venture for providing the guarantee.

In connection with the refinancing of 767 Fifth Avenue’s (the General Motors Building) secured loan by the Company’s consolidated joint venture entity, 767 Venture, LLC, the Company guaranteed the consolidated entity’s obligation to fund various reserves for tenant improvement costs and allowances, leasing commissions and free rent obligations in lieu of cash deposits. As of March 31, 2022, the maximum funding obligation under the guarantee was approximately $17.7 million. The Company earns a fee from the joint venture for providing the guarantee and has an agreement with the outside partners to reimburse the joint venture for their share of any payments made under the guarantee. As of March 31, 2022, no amounts related to the guarantee were recorded as liabilities in the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In connection with the development of the 7750 Wisconsin Avenue office property located in Bethesda, Maryland, the Company entered into agreements with affiliates of The Bernstein Companies (the Company’s partner in the 7750 Wisconsin Avenue joint venture) whereby the Company could be required to act as a mezzanine and/or mortgage lender and finance the construction of the hotel property being developed by an affiliate of The Bernstein Companies adjacent to the office property.   An affiliate of The Bernstein Companies exercised its option to borrow $10.0 million from the Company under such agreements, which financing was provided by the Company on June 1, 2020. The financing bears interest at a fixed rate of 8.00% per annum, compounded monthly, and matures on the fifth anniversary of the date on which the base building of the affiliate of The Bernstein Companies’ hotel property is substantially completed. The financing is collateralized by a pledge of the partner’s equity interest in the joint venture that owns and developed 7750 Wisconsin Avenue. To secure such financing arrangements, affiliates of The Bernstein Companies are required to provide certain security, which varies depending on the specific loan, by pledges of their equity interest in the office property, a fee mortgage on the hotel property, or both. The financing is recorded as Note Receivable, Net in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets.

In connection with the redevelopment of the Company’s 325 Main Street property located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Company was required pursuant to the local zoning ordinance and urban renewal plan to commence construction of a residential building of at least 200,000 square feet with 25% of the project designated as income-restricted (with a minimum of 20% of the square footage devoted to home ownership units) prior to the occupancy of the 325 Main Street property, which is expected to occur during the third quarter of 2022. The zoning ordinance and urban renewal plan were each amended to decouple the residential requirement from the occupancy of the 325 Main Street property. The amendment to the urban renewal plan is subject to final approvals and completion of administrative processes. 325 Main Street consisted of an approximately 115,000 net rentable square foot Class A office property that was demolished and is being developed into an approximately 420,000 net rentable square foot Class A office property, including approximately 41,000 net rentable square feet of retail space.

Insurance

The Company’s property insurance program per occurrence limits are $1.0 billion for its portfolio insurance program, including coverage for acts of terrorism other than nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological terrorism (“Terrorism Coverage”). The Company also carries $1.35 billion of property insurance in excess of the $1.0 billion of coverage in the Company’s property insurance program for 601 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York, consisting of $750 million of property and Terrorism Coverage in excess of the Company’s property insurance program and $600 million of Terrorism Coverage only in excess of the $1.75 billion of coverage. Certain properties, including the General Motors Building located at 767 Fifth Avenue in New York, New York (“767 Fifth Avenue”), are currently insured in separate insurance programs. The property insurance program per occurrence limits for 767 Fifth Avenue are $1.625 billion, including Terrorism Coverage. The Company also currently carries nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological terrorism insurance coverage for acts of terrorism certified under the Federal Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (as amended, “TRIA”) (“NBCR Coverage”), which is provided by IXP as a direct insurer, for the properties in the Company’s portfolio, including 767 Fifth Avenue, but excluding certain other properties owned in joint ventures with third parties or which the Company manages. The per occurrence limit for NBCR Coverage is $1.0 billion. Under TRIA, after the payment of the required deductible and coinsurance, the NBCR Coverage provided by IXP is backstopped by the Federal Government if the aggregate industry insured losses resulting from a certified act of terrorism exceed a “program trigger.” The program trigger is $200 million, the coinsurance is 20% and the deductible is 20% of the premiums earned by the insurer for the year prior to a claim. If the Federal Government pays out for a loss under TRIA, it is mandatory that the Federal Government recoup the full amount of the loss from insurers offering TRIA coverage after the payment of the loss pursuant to a formula in TRIA. The Company may elect to terminate the NBCR Coverage if the Federal Government seeks recoupment for losses paid under TRIA, if TRIA is not extended after its expiration on December 31, 2027, if there is a change in its portfolio or for any other reason. The Company intends to continue to monitor the scope, nature and cost of available terrorism insurance.

The Company also currently carries earthquake insurance on its properties located in areas known to be subject to earthquakes. Specifically, the Company currently carries earthquake insurance which covers its San Francisco and Los Angeles regions with a $330 million per occurrence limit, and a $330 million annual aggregate limit, $30 million of which is provided by IXP, as a direct insurer. This insurance is subject to a deductible in the amount of 3% of the value of the affected property. In addition, the Company currently carries earthquake insurance which covers its Seattle region with a $60 million per occurrence limit, and a $60 million annual aggregate limit. This insurance is subject to a deductible in the amount of 2% of the value of the affected property. The amount of the Company’s earthquake insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover losses from earthquakes. In addition, the amount of earthquake coverage could impact the Company’s ability to finance properties subject to earthquake risk. The Company may discontinue earthquake insurance or change the structure of its earthquake insurance program on some or all of its properties in the future if the premiums exceed the Company’s estimation of the value of the coverage.

IXP, a captive insurance company which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, acts as a direct insurer with respect to a portion of the Company’s earthquake insurance coverage for its Greater San Francisco and Los Angeles properties and the Company’s NBCR Coverage. Insofar as the Company owns IXP, it is responsible for its liquidity and capital resources, and the accounts of IXP are part of the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In particular, if a loss occurs which is covered by the Company’s NBCR Coverage but is less than the applicable program trigger under TRIA, IXP would be responsible for the full amount of the loss without any backstop by the Federal Government. IXP would also be responsible for any recoupment charges by the Federal Government in the event losses are paid out and its insurance policy is maintained after the payout by the Federal Government. If the Company experiences a loss and IXP is required to pay under its insurance policy, the Company would ultimately record the loss to the extent of the required payment. Therefore, insurance coverage provided by IXP should not be considered as the equivalent of third-party insurance, but rather as a modified form of self-insurance. In addition, BPLP has issued a guarantee to cover liabilities of IXP in the amount of $20.0 million.

The Company continues to monitor the state of the insurance market in general, and the scope and costs of coverage for acts of terrorism, earthquakes and pandemics, in particular, but the Company cannot anticipate what coverage will be available on commercially reasonable terms in future policy years. There are other types of losses, such as from wars, for which the Company cannot obtain insurance at all or at a reasonable cost. With respect to such losses and losses from acts of terrorism, earthquakes, pandemics or other catastrophic events, if the Company experiences a loss that is uninsured or that exceeds policy limits, the Company could lose the capital invested in the damaged properties, as well as the anticipated future revenues from those properties. Depending on the specific circumstances of each affected property, it is possible that the Company could be liable for mortgage

indebtedness or other obligations related to the property. Any such loss could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business and financial condition and results of operations.