COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

14. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Loan Commitments—Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer provided the terms established in the contract are met. Our outstanding commitments to fund loans were $5,864,000 as of September 30, 2020, the majority of which are for prime-based loans to be originated by our subsidiary engaged in SBA 7(a) Small Business Loan

Program lending, the government guaranteed portion of which is intended to be sold. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates. Since some commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements.

General—In connection with the ownership and operation of real estate properties, we have certain obligations for the payment of tenant improvement allowances and lease commissions in connection with new leases and renewals. CIM Commercial had a total of $4,375,000 in future obligations under leases to fund tenant improvements and other future construction obligations as of September 30, 2020. As of September 30, 2020, $2,815,000 was funded to reserve accounts included in restricted cash on our consolidated balance sheet for these tenant improvement obligations in connection with the mortgage loan agreement entered into in June 2016.

Employment Agreements—We have an employment agreement with one of our officers. Under certain circumstances, this employment agreement provides for (1) severance payment equal to the annual base salary paid to the officer and (2) death and disability payments in an amount equal to two times and one time, respectively, the annual base salary paid to the officer.

Litigation—We are not currently involved in any material pending or threatened legal proceedings nor, to our knowledge, are any material legal proceedings currently threatened against us, other than routine litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. In the normal course of business, we are periodically party to certain legal actions and proceedings involving matters that are generally incidental to our business. While the outcome of these legal actions and proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, in management’s opinion, the resolution of these legal proceedings and actions will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow or our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations or to maintain our level of distributions on our Common Stock or Preferred Stock.

In September 2018, we filed a lawsuit against the City and County of San Francisco seeking a refund of the $11,845,000 in penalties, interest and legal fees paid by us for real property transfer tax allegedly due for a transaction in a prior year. We disputed that such penalties, interest and legal fees were payable but, in order to contest the asserted tax obligations, we had to pay such amounts to the City and County of San Francisco in August 2017. We have been vigorously pursuing this litigation and intend to continue to do so.

A subsidiary of the Company is a defendant in a lawsuit in connection with injuries sustained by a third-party contractor at a property previously owned by such subsidiary. While it is possible that a loss may be incurred, we are unable to estimate a range of potential losses due to the complexity and current status of the lawsuit. However, we maintain insurance coverage to mitigate the impact of adverse exposures in lawsuits of this nature and do not expect this lawsuit to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow or our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations or to maintain our level of distributions on our Common Stock or Preferred Stock.

SBA Related—If the SBA establishes that a loss on an SBA guaranteed loan is attributable to significant technical deficiencies in the manner in which the loan was originated, funded or serviced under the Paycheck Protection Program or the SBA 7(a) Small Business Loan Program, the SBA may seek recovery of the principal loss related to the deficiency from us. With respect to the guaranteed portion of SBA loans that have been sold, the SBA will first honor its guarantee and then seek compensation from us in the event that a loss is deemed to be attributable to technical deficiencies. Based on historical experience, we do not expect that this contingency is probable to be asserted. However, if asserted, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow or our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations or to maintain our level of distributions on our Common Stock or Preferred Stock.

Environmental Matters—In connection with the ownership and operation of real estate properties, we may be potentially liable for costs and damages related to environmental matters, including asbestos-containing materials. We have not been notified by any governmental authority of any noncompliance, liability, or other claim in connection with any of the properties, and we are not aware of any other environmental condition with respect to any of the properties that management believes will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow or our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations or to maintain our level of distributions on our Common Stock or Preferred Stock.