Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

Unfunded Commitments—The Company generally funds construction and development loans and build-outs of space in net lease assets over a period of time if and when the borrowers and tenants meet established milestones and other performance criteria. The Company refers to these arrangements as Performance-Based Commitments. In addition, the Company sometimes establishes a maximum amount of additional funding which it will make available to a borrower or tenant for an expansion or addition to a project if it approves of the expansion or addition in its sole discretion. The Company refers to these arrangements as Discretionary Fundings. Finally, the Company has committed to invest capital in several real estate funds and other ventures. These arrangements are referred to as Strategic Investments.

As of March 31, 2014, the maximum amount of fundings the Company may be required to make under each category, assuming all performance hurdles and milestones are met under the Performance-Based Commitments, that it approves all Discretionary Fundings and that 100% of its capital committed to Strategic Investments is drawn down, are as follows ($ in thousands):

	Loans and Other Lending Investments		Real Estate		Strategic Investments		Total
Performance-Based Commitments	$	233,015	$	51,759	$	—	$	284,774
Discretionary Fundings	—		—		—		—
Strategic Investments	—		—		46,382		46,382
Total	$	233,015	$	51,759	$	46,382	$	331,156

Legal Proceedings—The Company and/or one or more of its subsidiaries is party to various pending litigation matters that are considered ordinary routine litigation incidental to the Company's business as a finance and investment company focused on the commercial real estate industry, including loan foreclosure and foreclosure-related proceedings. In addition to such matters, the Company is a party to the following legal proceeding:

On March 7, 2014, a shareholder action purporting to assert derivative, class and individual claims was filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland naming the Company, a number of our current and former senior executives (including our chief executive officer) and current and former directors as defendants.  The complaint seeks unspecified damages and other relief and alleges breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and other causes of action arising out of shares of our common stock issued by the Company to our senior executives pursuant to restricted stock unit awards granted in December 2008 and modified in July 2011. We believe the claims have no merit and we intend to defend the action vigorously.

The Company evaluates, on a quarterly basis, developments in legal proceedings that could require a liability to be accrued and/or disclosed. Based on its current knowledge, and after consultation with legal counsel, the Company believes it is not a party to, nor are any of its properties the subject of, any pending legal proceeding that would have a material adverse effect on the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements.