COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

15. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Loan Commitments—Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer when the terms established in the contract are met. The Company’s outstanding commitments to fund loans were $25.9 million as of September 30, 2023, all of which are for prime-based loans to be originated by the Company’s 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, the Company has certain obligations for the payment of tenant improvement allowances and lease commissions in connection with new leases and renewals. The Company had a total of $5.8 million in future obligations under leases to fund tenant improvements and other future construction obligations as of September 30, 2023. As of September 30, 2023, $2.5 million was funded to reserve accounts included in restricted cash on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet for these tenant improvement obligations in connection with the mortgage loan agreement entered into in June 2016.

Employment Agreements—The Company has an employment agreement with one of its 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—The Company is not currently involved in any material pending or threatened legal proceedings nor, to the Company’s knowledge, are any material legal proceedings currently threatened against the Company, other than routine litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. In the normal course of business, the Company is periodically party to certain legal actions and proceedings involving matters that are generally incidental to the Company’s 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 the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow or the Company’s ability to satisfy its debt service obligations or to maintain its level of distributions on Common Stock or Preferred Stock.

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, the Company is unable to estimate a range of potential losses due to the complexity and current status of the lawsuit. However, the Company maintains 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 the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow or the Company ability to satisfy its debt service obligations or to maintain the level of distributions on the Company’s 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 PPP or the SBA 7(a) Small Business Loan Program, the SBA may seek recovery of the principal loss related to the deficiency from the Company. As of September 30, 2023, the Company serviced an aggregate of $232.6 million of the guaranteed portion of SBA 7(a) loans. 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 the Company in the event that a loss is deemed to be attributable to technical deficiencies. Based on historical experience, the Company does not expect that this contingency is probable to be asserted. However, if asserted, it could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow or the Company’s ability to satisfy its debt service obligations or to maintain its level of distributions on Common Stock or Preferred Stock.

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