Terra Property Trust, Inc. 10-K

Item 1. Business. Overview We are a real estate credit focused company that originates, structures, funds and manages commercial real estate credit investments, including mezzanine loans, first mortgage loans, subordinated mortgage loans and preferred equity investments throughout the United States, which we collectively refer to as our targeted assets. Our loans finance the acquisition, construction, development or redevelopment of quality commercial real estate in the United States. We focus on the origination of middle market loans in the approximately $10 million to $50 million range, to finance properties primarily in primary and secondary markets. We believe loans in this size range are subject to less competition, offer higher risk adjusted returns than larger loans with similar risk metrics and facilitate portfolio diversification. Our investment objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns to our stockholders, primarily through regular distributions. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in meeting our investment objective. Each of our loans was originated by Terra Capital Partners or its affiliates. Our portfolio is diversified based on location of the underlying properties, loan structure and property type. As of December 31, 2022, our portfolio included underlying properties located in 31 markets, across ten states and includes property types such as multifamily housing, hotels, student housing, commercial offices, medical offices, mixed-use and industrial properties. The profile of these properties ranges from stabilized and value-added properties to pre-development and construction. Our loans are structured across mezzanine debt, first mortgages, preferred equity investments and credit facilities. We were incorporated under the general corporation laws of the State of Maryland on December 31, 2015. Through December 31, 2015, our business was conducted through a series of predecessor private partnerships. At the beginning of 2016, we completed the merger of these private partnerships into a single entity as part of our plan to reorganize our business as a REIT for federal income tax purposes (the “REIT formation transaction”). Following the REIT formation transaction, Terra Fund 5 contributed the consolidated portfolio of net assets of the Terra Funds to us in exchange for all of the shares of common stock of our company. On March 1, 2020, Terra Property Trust 2 merged with and into our company, and we continued as the surviving corporation (the “Merger”). In connection with the Merger, we issued 2,116,785.76 shares of our common stock to Terra Fund 7, the sole stockholder of Terra Property Trust 2, in exchange for the settlement of $17.7 million of participation interests in loans held by us, cash of $16.9 million and other working capital. Subsequent to the Merger, Terra Fund 5 and Terra Fund 7 contributed their shares of our common stock to Terra JV in exchange for ownership interest in Terra JV. In addition, on March 2, 2020, we issued 2,457,684.59 shares of our common stock to Terra Offshore REIT in exchange for the settlement of $32.1 million of participation interests in loans also held by us, $8.6 million in cash and other net working capital (“Issuance of Common Stock to Terra Offshore REIT”). On October 1, 2022 (the “Closing Date”), pursuant to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 2, 2022 (the “Merger Agreement”), Terra BDC merged with and into Terra LLC, our wholly owned subsidiary, with Terra LLC continuing as the surviving entity of the merger (the “BDC Merger”) and as our wholly owned subsidiary. The Certificate of Merger and Articles of Merger with respect to the BDC Merger were filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware and State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland (the “SDAT”), respectively, with an effective time and date of 12:02 a.m., Eastern Time, on the Closing Date (the “Effective Time”). At the Effective Time, except for any shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of Terra BDC (“Terra BDC Common Stock”) held by us or any of our wholly owned subsidiaries or Terra BDC, which shares were automatically retired and ceased to exist with no consideration paid therefor, each issued and outstanding share of Terra BDC Common Stock was automatically cancelled and retired and converted into the right to receive (i) 0.595 shares of our newly designated Class B Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Class B Common Stock”), and (ii) cash, without interest, in lieu of any fractional shares of Class B Common Stock otherwise issuable in an amount, rounded to the nearest whole cent, determined by multiplying (x) the fraction of a share of Class B Common Stock to which such holder would otherwise be entitled by (y) $14.38. Pursuant to the terms of the transactions described in the Merger Agreement, approximately 4,847,910 shares of Class B Common Stock were issued to former Terra BDC stockholders in connection with the BDC Merger, based on the number of outstanding shares of Terra BDC Common Stock as of the Closing Date. Following the consummation of the BDC Merger and as of December 31, 2022, former Terra BDC stockholders owned approximately 19.9% of our common equity, Terra JV held 1 70.0% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock with the remainder of 10.1% held by Terra Offshore REIT; and Terra Fund 5 and Terra Fund 7 owned an 87.6% and 12.4% interest, respectively, in Terra JV. On the Closing Date, we filed with the SDAT our Articles of Amendment to the Articles of Amendment and Restatement (the “Charter Amendment”). Pursuant to the Charter Amendment, (i) the authorized shares of our stock which we have authority to issue were increased from 500,000,000 to 950,000,000, consisting of 450,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Class A Common Stock”), 450,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock, and 50,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Preferred Stock”), and (ii) each share of our common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time was automatically changed into one issued and outstanding share of Class B Common Stock. The Class B Common Stock rank equally with and have identical preferences, rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications, and terms and conditions of redemption as each other share of our common stock, except as set forth below with respect to conversion. On the date that is 180 calendar days (or, if such date is not a business day, the next business day) after the date (the “First Conversion Date”) of initial listing of shares of Class A Common Stock for trading on a national securities exchange or such earlier date as approved by our board of directors (our “Board”), one-third of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock will automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into an equal number of shares of Class A Common Stock. On the date that is 365 calendar days (or, if such date is not a business day, the next business day) after the date of initial listing of shares of Class A Common Stock for trading on a national securities exchange or such earlier date following the First Conversion Date as approved by our Board (the “Second Conversion Date”), one-half of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock will automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into an equal number of shares of Class A Common Stock. On the date that is 545 calendar days (or, if such date is not a business day, the next business day) after the date of initial listing of shares of Class A Common Stock for trading on a national securities exchange or such earlier date following the Second Conversion Date as approved by our Board (the “Third Conversion Date”), all of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock will automatically and without any action on the part of the holder thereof convert into an equal number of shares of Class A Common Stock. As previously disclosed, we continue to explore alternative liquidity transactions on an opportunistic basis to maximize stockholder value. Examples of the alternative liquidity transactions that, depending on market conditions, may be available to us include a listing of our shares of common stock on a national securities exchange, adoption of a share repurchase plan, a liquidation of our assets, a sale of our company or a strategic business combination, in each case, which may include the in-kind distribution of our shares of common stock indirectly owned by certain Terra Funds to the ultimate investors in the Terra Funds. We may pursue such a liquidity transaction as early as 2023, but we cannot provide any assurance that any alternative liquidity transaction will be available to us or, if available, that we will pursue or be successful in completing any such alternative liquidity transaction. We have elected to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016. So long as we qualify as a REIT, we generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax on our net taxable income to the extent that we annually distribute all of our net taxable income to our stockholders. Our Manager, MAVIK Capital Management, LP and Terra Capital Partners We are externally managed by our Manager, which is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 Act, and is a subsidiary of Terra Capital Partners. On April 1, 2021, MAVIK Capital Management, LP (“Mavik”), an entity controlled by Vikram S. Uppal, our Chief Executive Officer, completed a series of related transactions that resulted in all of the outstanding interests in Terra Capital Partners being acquired by Mavik for a combination of cash and interests in Mavik (the “Recapitalization”). As part of the Recapitalization, a private fund managed by a division of a publicly-traded alternative asset manager, acquired a passive interest consisting of “non-voting securities,” as that term is defined under the 1940 Act, in Mavik. Terra Capital Partners is led by Vikram S. Uppal (Chief Executive Officer), Gregory M. Pinkus (Chief Financial Officer) and Daniel Cooperman (Chief Originations Officer). Mr. Uppal was a Partner of Axar Capital Management L.P. (“Axar Capital Management”) and its Head of Real Estate. Prior to Axar Capital Management, Mr. Uppal was a Managing Director on the Investment Team at Fortress Investment Group’s Credit and Real Estate Funds and Co-Head of North American Real Estate Investments at Mount Kellett Capital Management. Members of the Terra Capital Partners management team have broad based, long-term relationships with major financial institutions, property owners and commercial real estate service providers. The 2 entire senior management team has held leadership roles at many top international real estate and investment banking firms, including Mount Kellett Capital Management and Fortress Investment Group. Terra Capital Partners is a real estate credit focused investment manager based in New York City with a 19-year track record focused primarily on the origination and management of mezzanine loans, as well as first mortgage loans, bridge loans, and preferred equity investments in all major property types through multiple public and private pooled investment vehicles. Since its formation in 2001 and its commencement of operations in 2002, Terra Capital Partners has been engaged in providing financing on commercial properties of all major property types throughout the United States. In the lead up to the global financial crisis in 2007, believing that the risks associated with commercial real estate markets had grown out of proportion to the potential returns from such markets, Terra Capital Partners sold 100% of its investment management interests prior to the global financial crisis. It was not until mid-2009, after its assessment that commercial mortgage markets would begin a period of stabilization and growth, that Terra Capital Partners began to sponsor new investment vehicles, which included the predecessor private partnerships, to again provide debt capital to commercial real estate markets. The financings provided by all vehicles managed by Terra Capital Partners from January 2004 through December 31, 2022 have been secured by approximately 13.9 million square feet of office properties, 3.7 million square feet of retail properties, 5.9 million square feet of industrial properties, 5,058 hotel rooms and 28,493 apartment units. The value of the properties underlying this capital was approximately $11.2 billion based on appraised values as of the closing dates of each financing. In addition to its extensive experience originating and managing debt financings, Terra Capital Partners and its affiliates owned and operated over six million square feet of office and industrial space between 2005 and 2007, and this operational experience further informs its robust origination and underwriting standards and enables our Manager to effectively operate property underlying a financing upon a foreclosure. Our Investment Strategy We focus on providing commercial real estate loans to creditworthy borrowers and seek to generate an attractive and consistent low volatility cash income stream. Our focus on originating debt and debt-like instruments emphasizes the payment of current returns to investors and the preservation of invested capital. As part of our investment strategy, we: • target middle market loans of approximately $10 million to $50 million; • focus on the origination of new loans, not on the acquisition of loans originated by other lenders; • invest primarily in floating rate rather than fixed rate loans, but our Manager reserves the right to make debt investments that bear interest at a fixed rate; • originate loans expected to be repaid within one to five years; • maximize current income; • lend to creditworthy borrowers; • construct a portfolio that is diversified by property type, geographic location, tenancy and borrower; • source off-market transactions; and • hold loans until maturity unless, in our Manager’s judgment, market conditions warrant earlier disposition. Our Financing Strategy We have historically utilized only limited amounts of borrowings as part of our financing strategy. One of the reasons we completed the REIT formation transactions, as described under “—Overview,” is to expand our financing options, access to capital and capital flexibility in order to position us for future growth. We deploy moderate amounts of leverage as part of our operating strategy, which currently consists of unsecured notes payable, borrowings under first mortgage financings, a revolving line of credit, repurchase agreements and a term loan. We may in the future also deploy leverage through other credit facilities and senior notes and we may divide the loans we originate into senior and junior tranches and dispose of the more 3 senior tranches as an additional means of providing financing to our business. In addition, we intend to match our use of floating rate leverage with floating rate investments. As of December 31, 2022, we had outstanding indebtedness, consisting of borrowings under a mortgage loan of $29.3 million, unsecured notes payable of $123.5 million, a term loan of $25.0 million, a line of credit of $90.1 million and the repurchase agreements of $170.9 million. As of December 31, 2022, the amount remaining available under the line of credit and the repurchase agreements was $34.9 million and $224.1 million, respectively. Additionally, as of December 31, 2022, we had obligations under participation agreements with an aggregate outstanding principal amount of $12.6 million. However, we do not have direct liability to a participant under the participation agreements with respect to the underlying loan and the participants’ share of the investments is repayable only from the proceeds received from the related borrower/issuer of the investments and, therefore, the participants also are subject to credit risk (i.e., risk of default by the underlying borrower/ issuer). With our larger size and enhanced access to capital and capital flexibility, our company expects to deemphasize our use of participation arrangements. For additional information concerning our indebtedness, see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K. Targeted Assets Real Estate-Related Loans We originate, structure, fund and manage commercial real estate loans, including mezzanine loans, first mortgage loans, subordinated mortgage loans and preferred equity investments related to high-quality commercial real estate in the United States. We may also, to the extent consistent with our qualification as a REIT, acquire equity participations in the underlying collateral of some of such loans. We originate, structure and underwrite most, if not all, of our loans. We, in reliance on our Manager, use what we consider to be conservative underwriting criteria, and our underwriting process involves comprehensive financial, structural, operational and legal due diligence to assess the risks of financings so that we can optimize pricing and structuring. By originating, not purchasing, loans, we are able to structure and underwrite financings that satisfy our standards, utilize our proprietary documentation and establish a direct relationship with our borrower. Described below are some of the types of loans we own and seek to originate with respect to high-quality properties in the United States. We continue to see attractive lending opportunities, and we expect market conditions to remain favorable for our strategy for the foreseeable future. Mezzanine Loans . These are loans secured by ownership interests in an entity that owns commercial real estate and that generally finance the acquisition, refinancing, rehabilitation or construction of commercial real estate. Mezzanine loans may be either short-term (one to five years) or long-term (up to 10 years) and may be fixed or floating rate. We may own mezzanine loans directly or we may hold a participation in a mezzanine loan or a sub-participation in a mezzanine loan. These loans generally pay interest on a specified due date (although there may be a portion of the interest that is deferred) and may, to the extent consistent with our qualification as a REIT, provide for participation in the value or cash flow appreciation of the underlying property as described below. Generally, we invest in mezzanine loans with last dollar loan-to-value ratios ranging from 60% to 85%. As of December 31, 2022, we owned five mezzanine loans with a total net principal amount of $26.8 million, which constituted 4.2% of our net loan investment portfolio. Preferred Equity Investments . These are investments in preferred membership interests in an entity that owns commercial real estate and generally finance the acquisition, refinancing, rehabilitation or construction of commercial real estate. These investments are expected to have characteristics and returns similar to mezzanine loans. As of December 31, 2022, we owned five preferred equity investments with a total net principal amount of $121.2 million, which constituted 19.1% of our net loan investment portfolio. First Mortgage Loans . These loans generally finance the acquisition, refinancing, rehabilitation or construction of commercial real estate. First mortgage loans may be either short-term (one to five years) or long-term (up to 10 years), may be fixed or floating rate and are predominantly current-pay loans. Our Manager originates current-pay first mortgage loans backed by high-quality properties in the United States that fit our investment strategy. Certain of our first mortgage loans finance the acquisition, rehabilitation and construction of infill land property and for these loans we target a weighted average last dollar loan-to-value of 70%. We may selectively syndicate portions of our first mortgage loans, including senior or junior participations to provide third-party financing for a portion of the loan or optimize returns which may include retained origination fees. First mortgage loans are expected to provide for a higher recovery rate and lower defaults than other debt positions due to the lender’s senior position. However, such loans typically generate lower returns than subordinate debt such as mezzanine 4 loans, B-notes, or preferred equity investments. As of December 31, 2022, we owned 20 first mortgage loans with a total net principal amount of $456.4 million, which constituted 72.1% of our net loan investment portfolio. As of December 31, 2022, we used $413.1 million of senior mortgage loans as collateral for $261.0 million of borrowings under a revolving line of credit and two repurchase agreements. Subordinated Mortgage Loans (B-notes) . B-notes include structurally subordinated mortgage loans and junior participations in first mortgage loans or participations in these types of assets. Like first mortgage loans, these loans generally finance the acquisition, refinancing, rehabilitation or construction of commercial real estate. B-notes may be either short-term (one to five years) or long-term (up to 10 years), may be fixed or floating rate and are predominantly current-pay loans. We may create B-notes by tranching our directly originated first mortgage loans generally through syndications of senior first mortgages or buy these loans directly from third-party originators. As a result of the current credit market disruption related to the most recent recession and the decrease in capital available in this part of the capital structure, we believe that the opportunities to both directly originate and to buy these types of loans from third parties on favorable terms will continue to be attractive. Investors in B-notes are compensated for the increased risk of such assets from a pricing perspective but still benefit from a mortgage lien on the related property. Investors typically receive principal and interest payments at the same time as senior debt unless a default occurs, in which case any such payments are made only after any senior debt is made whole. Rights of holders of B-notes are usually governed by participation and other agreements that, subject to certain limitations, typically provide the holders of subordinated positions of the mortgage loan with the ability to cure certain defaults and control certain decisions of holders of senior debt secured by the same properties (or otherwise exercise the right to purchase the senior debt), which provides for additional downside protection and higher recoveries. As of December 31, 2022, we did not own any B-notes. Equity Participations . In connection with our loan origination activities, we may pursue equity participation opportunities, or interests in the projects being financed, in instances when we believe that the risk-reward characteristics of the loan merit additional upside participation because of the possibility of appreciation in value of the underlying properties securing the loan. Equity participations can be paid in the form of additional interest, exit fees or warrants in the borrower. Equity participation can also take the form of a conversion feature, permitting the lender to convert a loan or preferred equity investment into equity in the borrower at a negotiated premium to the current net asset value of the borrower. We expect to obtain equity participations in certain instances where the loan collateral consists of a property that is being repositioned, expanded or improved in some fashion which is anticipated to improve future cash flow. In such case, the borrower may wish to defer some portion of the debt service or obtain higher leverage than might be merited by the pricing and leverage level based on historical performance of the underlying property. We can generate additional revenues from these equity participations as a result of excess cash flows being distributed or as appreciated properties are sold or refinanced. As of December 31, 2022, we did not own any equity participations. Other Real Estate-Related Investments . We may invest in other real estate-related investments, which may include CMBS or other real estate debt or equity securities, so long as such investments do not constitute more than 15% of our assets . Certain of our real estate-related loans require the borrower to make payments of interest on the fully committed principal amount of the loan regardless of whether the full loan amount is outstanding. As of December 31, 2022, we owned a 27.9% equity interest in a limited partnership that invests in performing and non-performing mortgages, loans, mezzanines, B-notes and other credit instru ments supported by underlying commercial real estate assets. Additionally, we owned beneficial equity interests in three joint ventures that invest in real estate properties. We also owned a credit facility that is collateralized by underlying commercial real estate assets. In 2022, in connection with a mezzanine loan we originated, we entered into a residual profit sharing arrangement with the borrower. We accounted for this arrangement as an equity investment. These equity interests had a total carrying value of $62.5 million and the credit facility had a principal balance of $28.8 million as of December 31, 2022 . Operating Real Estate From time to time, we may acquire operating real estate properties, including properties acquired in connection with foreclosures or deed in lieu of foreclosure. In July 2018, we acquired a multi-tenant office building through foreclosure of a first mortgage loan. In January 2019, we acquired a 4.9 acre development parcel through deed in lieu of foreclosure. In June 2022, the development parcel was sold. As of December 31, 2022, the multi-tenant office building had a carrying value of $40.6 million, and the mortgage loan payable encumbering the office building had a principal amount of $29.3 million. Investment Guidelines Our Board has adopted investment guidelines, which may be amended from time to time, that set forth certain criteria for the Manger to use when evaluating specific investment opportunities as well as our overall portfolio composition. Our Board 5 will review the Manager’s compliance with the investment guidelines periodically and receive an investment report at each quarter-end in conjunction with the review of our quarterly results by our Board. Our Board adopted the following investment guidelines: • no origination or acquisition shall be made that would cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT; • no origination or acquisition shall be made that would cause us or any of our subsidiaries to be required to register as an investment company under the 1940 Act; and • until appropriate investments can be identified, we may invest the proceeds of our equity or debt offerings in interest-bearing, short-term investments, including money market accounts and/or funds, that are consistent with our intention to qualify as a REIT. These investment guidelines may be changed from time to time by a majority of our Board without the approval of our stockholders. Disposition Policies The period we hold our investments in real estate-related loans varies depending on the type of asset, interest rates and other factors. Our Manager has developed a well-defined exit strategy for each of our investments. Our Manager continually performs a hold-sell analysis on each asset in order to determine the optimal time to hold the asset and generate a strong return to our stockholders. Economic and market conditions may influence us to hold investments for longer or shorter periods of time. We may sell an asset before the end of the expected holding period if we believe that market conditions have maximized its value to us or the sale of the asset would otherwise be in our best interests. We intend to make any such dispositions in a manner consistent with our qualification as a REIT and our desire to avoid being subject to the “prohibited transaction” penalty tax. Operating and Regulatory Structure REIT Qualification We elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Code commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2016. We believe that we have been organized and have operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and that our manner of operation will enable us to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT. To qualify as a REIT, we must meet on a continuing basis, through our organization and actual investment and operating results, various requirements under the Code relating to, among other things, the sources of our gross income, the composition and values of our assets, our distribution levels and the diversity of ownership of shares of our stock. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year and do not qualify for certain statutory relief provisions, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates and may be precluded from qualifying as a REIT for the subsequent four taxable years following the year during which we failed to qualify as a REIT. Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to some U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income or property. In addition, subject to maintaining our qualification as a REIT, a portion of our business may be conducted through, and a portion of our income may be earned with respect to, our taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”), should we decide to form TRSs in the future, which are subject to corporate income tax. Any distributions paid by us generally will not be eligible for taxation at the preferential U.S. federal income tax rates that currently apply to certain distributions received by individuals from taxable corporations, unless such distributions are attributable to dividends received by us from our TRSs, should we form a TRS in the future. As of December 31, 2022, we had one TRS, but the TRS had no activity and no current or deferred taxes. We will continue to file a return for the TRS until it is dissolved. 1940 Act Exclusion We are not registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act. If we were obligated to register as an investment company, we would have to comply with a variety of substantive requirements under the 1940 Act that impose, among other things: • limitations on our capital structure and the use of leverage; • restrictions on specified investments; 6 • prohibitions on transactions with affiliates; and • compliance with reporting, record keeping, and other rules and regulations that would significantly change our operations. We conduct our operations so that neither we nor our subsidiaries are required to register as an investment company under the 1940 Act. Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the 1940 Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of such issuer’s total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Excluded from the term “investment securities,” among other things, are U.S. government securities and securities issued by majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exclusion from the definition of investment company set forth in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act. The value of the “investment securities” held by an issuer must be less than 40% of the value of such issuer’s total assets on an unconsolidated basis (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items). In addition, we conduct our operations so that neither we nor our subsidiaries will be considered an investment company under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act, as neither we nor our subsidiaries are engaged primarily nor do we hold ourselves out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Rather, we and our subsidiaries are primarily engaged in the non-investment company businesses. We and certain of our subsidiaries may at times rely primarily on the exclusion from the definition of an investment company under Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the 1940 Act, or any other exclusions that may be available to us (other than the exclusions under Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7)). Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the 1940 Act is available for entities primarily engaged in the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate. This exclusion generally requires that at least 55% of our portfolio must be comprised of “qualifying real estate” assets and at least 80% of our portfolio must be comprised of “qualifying real estate” assets and “real estate-related” assets (and no more than 20% comprised of miscellaneous assets). For purposes of the Section 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion, we classify our investments based in large measure on no-action letters issued by the staff of the SEC and other SEC interpretive guidance and, in the absence of SEC guidance, on our view of what constitutes a “qualifying real estate” asset and a “real estate-related” asset. These no-action positions were issued in accordance with factual situations that may be substantially different from the factual situations we may face, and a number of these no-action letters were issued more than twenty years ago. Pursuant to this guidance, and depending on the characteristics of the specific investments, certain mortgage loans, participations in mortgage loans, mortgage-backed securities, mezzanine loans, joint venture investments, preferred equity and the equity securities of other entities may not constitute qualifying real estate assets and therefore our investments in these types of assets may be limited. No assurance can be given that the SEC or its staff will concur with our classification of the assets we hold for purposes of the 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion or any other exclusion or exemption under the 1940 Act. Future revisions to the 1940 Act or further guidance from the SEC or its staff may cause us to lose our exclusion from registration or force us to re-evaluate our portfolio and investment strategy. Such changes may prevent us from operating our business successfully. In order to maintain an exclusion from registration under the 1940 Act, we may be unable to sell assets that we would otherwise want to sell and may need to sell assets we would otherwise wish to retain. In addition, we may have to acquire additional income or loss generating assets that we might not otherwise have acquired or may have to forgo opportunities to acquire assets that we would otherwise want to acquire and would be important to our strategy. Although we monitor our portfolio periodically and prior to each acquisition and disposition, we may not be able to maintain an exclusion from registration as an investment company. If we were required to register as an investment company, but failed to do so, we would be prohibited from engaging in our business, and legal proceedings could be instituted against us. In addition, our contracts may be unenforceable, and a court could appoint a receiver to take control of us and liquidate our business, all of which would have an adverse effect on our business. Emerging Growth Company Status We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”), and as such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not 7 previously approved. A number of these exemptions are not relevant to us, but we intend to take advantage of the exemption from the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can use the extended transition period provided in Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This permits an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have irrevocably elected not to take advantage of this extended transition period and, as a result, we will adopt new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for other public companies. We will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest to occur of (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion, (ii) the date on which we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three-year period, and (iv) the end of the year in which the five year anniversary of our initial public offering of our common stock occurs. Competition We compete with other REITs, numerous regional and community banks, specialty finance companies, savings and loan associations and other entities, and we expect that others may be organized in the future. The effect of the existence of additional REITs and other institutions may be increased competition for the available supply of our targeted assets suitable for purchase, which may cause the price for such assets to rise. In the face of this competition, we expect to have access to our Manager’s professionals and their industry expertise, which may provide us with a competitive advantage in sourcing transactions and help us assess origination and acquisition risks and determine appropriate pricing for potential assets. The more conservative underwriting standards used by many large commercial banks and traditional providers of commercial real estate capital following the 2008 downturn has and we believe will continue to constrain the lending capacity of these institutions. However, we may not be able to achieve our business goals or expectations due to the competitive risks that we face. For additional information concerning these competitive risks, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors — New entrants in the market for commercial loan originations and acquisitions could adversely impact our ability to originate and acquire real estate-related loans at attractive risk-adjusted returns” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Governmental Regulations As an owner of real estate, our operations are subject, in certain instances, to supervision and regulation by U.S. and other governmental authorities, and may be subject to various laws and judicial and administrative decisions imposing various requirements and restrictions, which, include among other things: (i) federal and state securities laws and regulations; (ii) federal, state and local tax laws and regulations, (ii) state and local laws relating to real property; (iv) federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances, and regulations, and (v) various laws relating to housing, including permanent and temporary rent control and stabilization laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Fair Housing Amendment Act of 1988, among others. Compliance with the federal, state and local laws described above has not had a material, adverse effect on our business, assets, results of operations, financial condition and ability to pay distributions, and we do not believe that our existing portfolio will require us to incur material expenditures to comply with these laws and regulations. Employees; Staffing; Human Capital We are supervised by our Board consisting of six directors. We have entered into a management agreement (“Management Agreement”) with our Manager pursuant to which certain services are provided by our Manager and paid for by us. Our Manager is not obligated under the Management Agreement to dedicate any of its personnel exclusively to us, nor is it or its personnel obligated to dedicate any specific portion of its or their time to our business. We are responsible for the costs of our own employees; however, we do not currently have any employees and do not currently expect to have any employees. 8 Information About our Executive Officers The names, ages, positions and biographies of our officers are as follows: Name Age Position(s) Held with the Company Vikram S. Uppal 39 Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer Gregory M. Pinkus 58 Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Treasurer and Secretary Daniel J. Cooperman 48 Chief Originations Officer Vikram S. Uppal has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors since November 2021, one of our directors from February 2018 to November 2021 and as Chief Executive Officer for our company, our Manager, Terra Fund Advisors and Terra Capital Partners since December 2018 and as a director of RESOF since October 2020. Mr. Uppal has also served as Chief Investment Officer for our company, Terra Capital Partners and our Manager since February 2018. Mr. Uppal served as the Chief Executive Officer of Terra Income Advisors and Terra BDC from April 2019 to October 2022 and as the Chairman of the board of directors and President of Terra BDC from November 2019 to October 2022. Prior to joining Terra Capital Partners, Mr. Uppal was a Partner and Head of Real Estate at Axar Capital Management since 2016. Prior to Axar Capital Management, Mr. Uppal was a Managing Director on the Investment Team at Fortress Investment Group's Credit and Real Estate Funds from 2015 to 2016. From 2012 to 2015, Mr. Uppal worked at Mount Kellett Capital Management, a private investment organization, and served as Co-Head of North American Real Estate Investments. Mr. Uppal holds a B.S. from the University of St. Thomas and a M.S. from Columbia University. Gregory M. Pinkus has served as the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of our company and the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of our Manager, and Terra Fund Advisors since January 2016, October 2017, and October 2017, respectively. He has served as (i) the Chief Financial Officer of Terra Capital Advisors, Terra Capital Advisors 2 and Terra Income Advisors 2 since May 2012, September 2012 and October 2016; (ii) the Chief Operating Officer of Terra Capital Advisors, Terra Capital Advisors 2 and Terra Capital Partners since July 2014; (iii) the Chief Operating Officer of Terra Income Advisors 2 since October 2016; (iv) the Chief Financial Officer of Fund 5 International, Terra International and Terra Fund 7 since June 2014, October 2016 and October 2016, respectively; (v) a director of RESOF since October 2020; and (vi) the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Terra Income Advisors and the Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary of Terra BDC from May 2013 to October 2022 and the Chief Operating Officer of Terra BDC from July 2014 to October 2022. Prior to joining Terra Capital Partners in May 2012, he served as Assistant Controller for W.P. Carey & Co. from 2006 to August 2010 and as Controller from August 2010 to May 2012. Mr. Pinkus also served as Controller and Vice President of Finance for several early-stage technology companies during the period of 1999 to 2005. Additionally, he managed large-scale information technology budgets at New York Life Insurance Company from 2003 to 2004 and oversaw an international reporting group at Bank of America from 1992 to 1996. Mr. Pinkus is a Certified Public Accountant and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. Daniel J. Cooperman has served as Chief Originations Officer of our company, our Manager, and Terra Fund Advisors since January 2016, September 2017 and September 201, respectively. Mr. Cooperman has served as Chief Originations Officer of (i) each of Terra Capital Advisors and Terra Capital Advisors 2 since January 2015, having previously served as Managing Director of Originations until January 2015 of Terra Capital Advisors and Terra Capital Advisors 2 since April 2009 and September 2012, respectively; (ii) Fund 5 International since January 2015, having previously served as Managing Director of Originations of Terra BDC from June 2014 to June 2014; (iii) Terra Income Advisors and Terra BDC from February 2015 to October 2022, having previously served as Managing Director of Originations from May 2013 until February 2015; and (iv) each of Terra Income Advisors 2, Terra International, and Terra Fund 7 since October 2016. Mr. Cooperman has 18 years’ experience in the acquisition, financing, leasing and asset management of commercial real estate with an aggregate value of over $5 billion. Prior to the formation of Terra Capital Partners in 2001 and its commencement of operations in 2002, Mr. Cooperman handled mortgage and mezzanine placement activities for The Greenwich Group International, LLC. Prior to joining The Greenwich Group, Mr. Cooperman worked in Chase Manhattan Bank’s Global Properties Group, where he was responsible for financial analysis and due diligence for the bank’s strategic real estate acquisitions and divestitures. Prior to that time, he was responsible for acquisitions and asset management for JGS, a Japanese conglomerate with global real estate holdings. Mr. Cooperman holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado at Boulder. 9 Available Information We are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act. Therefore, we file periodic reports and other information with the SEC. Stockholders may obtain copies of our filings with the SEC, free of charge from the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov or from our website at www.terrapropertytrust.com. We will provide without charge a copy of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including financial statements and schedules, upon written request delivered to our principal executive offices. We are providing the address to our website solely for the information of investors. The information on our website is not a part of, nor is it incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.