Terra Property Trust, Inc. 10-Q

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk. We may be subject to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates. To the extent that we borrow money to make investments, our net investment income will be dependent upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds and the rate at which we invest these funds. In periods of rising interest rates, our cost of funds would increase, which may reduce our net investment income. As a result, there can be no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income. As of June 30, 2023, we had two investments with an aggregate principal balance of $16.6 million, net of obligations under participation agreements, that provide for interest income at an annual rate of LIBOR plus a spread, one of which is subject to a LIBOR floor. A decrease of 100 basis points in LIBOR would decrease our annual interest income, net of interest expense on participation agreements, by approximately $0.2 million, and an increase of 100 basis points in LIBOR would increase our annual interest income, net of interest expense on participation agreements, by approximately $0.2 million. Additionally, we had 16 investments with an aggregate principal balance of $458.6 million that provide for interest income at an annual rate of SOFR or Term SOFR, plus a spread, 15 of which were subject to a SOFR or Term SOFR floor. A decrease of 100 basis points in SOFR or Term SOFR would decrease our annual interest income by $4.9 million, and an increase of 100 basis points in SOFR or Term SOFR would increase our annual interest income by $5.0 million. Additionally, as of June 30, 2023, we had $27.6 million of borrowings outstanding under a mortgage loan payable that bear interest at an annual rate of Term SOFR plus a spread that is collateralized by an office building; $32.4 million of borrowings outstanding under another mortgage loan payable that bear interest an annual rate of Term SOFR plus a spread that is collateralized by three industrial buildings; a revolving line of credit with an outstanding balance of $105.4 million that bears interest at an annual rate of Term SOFR plus a spread that is collateralized by $165.6 million of first mortgages; a repurchase agreement with an outstanding balance of $37.5 million that bears interest at an annual rate of Term SOFR, as applicable, plus a spread that is collateralized by $51.1 million of first mortgages; another repurchase agreement with an outstanding balance of $85.4 million that bears interest at an annual rate of Term SOFR plus a spread that is collateralized by $120.1 million of first mortgages; and a $15.0 million of term loan that bears interest at an annual rate of SOFR plus a spread of 7.375% with a SOFR floor of 5.0%. A decrease of 100 basis points in Term SOFR would decrease our annual interest expense by approximately $2.9 million, and an increase of 100 basis points in Term SOFR would increase our annual interest expense by approximately $3.0 million. In July 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates the LIBOR administrator, IBA, announced that it would cease to compel banks to participate in setting LIBOR as a benchmark by the end of 2021, which has subsequently been delayed to June 30, 2023. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions convened by the U.S. Federal Reserve, has recommended SOFR as a more robust reference rate alternative to U.S. dollar LIBOR. SOFR is calculated based on overnight transactions under repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities. SOFR is observed and backward looking, which stands in contrast with LIBOR under the current methodology, which is an estimated forward-looking rate and relies, to some degree, on the expert judgment of submitting panel members. Given that SOFR is a secured rate backed by government securities, it will be a rate that does not take into account bank credit risk (as is the case with LIBOR). SOFR is therefore likely to be lower than LIBOR and is less likely to correlate with the funding costs of financial institutions. Whether or not SOFR attains market traction as a LIBOR replacement tool remains in question. As such, the future of LIBOR at this time is uncertain. Potential changes, or uncertainty related to such potential changes, may adversely affect the market for LIBOR-based loans, including our portfolio of LIBOR-indexed, floating-rate loans, or the cost of our borrowings. In addition, changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of LIBOR may result in a sudden or prolonged increase or decrease in reported LIBOR, which could have an adverse impact on the market for LIBOR-based loans, including the value of the LIBOR-indexed, floating-rate loans in our portfolio, or the cost of our borrowings. In the event LIBOR is unavailable, our investment documents 64 provide for a substitute index, on a basis generally consistent with market practice, intended to put us in substantially the same economic position as LIBOR. We may hedge against interest rate fluctuations by using standard hedging instruments, such as futures, options and forward contracts, subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act. While hedging activities may insulate us against adverse changes in interest rates, they may also limit our ability to participate in benefits of lower interest rates with respect to our portfolio of investments with fixed interest rates. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, we did not engage in interest rate hedging activities. Prepayment Risks Prepayments can either positively or adversely affect the yields on our loans. Prepayments on debt instruments, where permitted under the debt documents, are influenced by changes in current interest rates and a variety of economic, geographic and other factors beyond our control, and consequently, such prepayment rates cannot be predicted with certainty. If we do not collect a prepayment fee in connection with a prepayment or are unable to invest the proceeds of such prepayments received, the yield on the portfolio will decline. In addition, we may acquire assets at a discount or premium and if the asset does not repay when expected, the anticipated yield may be impacted. Under certain interest rate and prepayment scenarios we may fail to recoup fully our cost of acquisition of certain loans. Extension Risk Extension risk is the risk that our assets will be repaid at a slower rate than anticipated and generally increases when interest rates rise. In which case, to the extent we have financed the acquisition of an asset, we may have to finance our asset at potentially higher costs without the ability to reinvest principal into higher yielding securities because borrowers prepay their mortgages at a slower pace than originally expected, adversely impacting our net interest spread, and thus our net interest income. Real Estate Risk The market values of commercial and residential mortgage assets are subject to volatility and may be affected adversely by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, national, regional and local economic conditions (which may be adversely affected by industry slowdowns and other factors); local real estate conditions; changes or continued weakness in specific industry segments; construction quality, age and design; demographic factors; retroactive changes to building or similar codes; pandemics; natural disasters; and other acts of god. In addition, decreases in property values reduce the value of the collateral and the potential proceeds available to a borrower to repay the underlying loans, which could also cause us to suffer losses. Credit Risk We are subject to varying degrees of credit risk in connection with holding a portfolio of our target assets. With respect to our loan portfolio, we seek to manage credit risk by limiting exposure to any one individual borrower and any one asset class. Additionally, our Manager employs an asset management approach and monitors the portfolio of investments through, at a minimum, quarterly financial review of property performance including net operating income, loan-to-value, debt service coverage ratio and the debt yield. Our Manager also requires certain borrowers to establish a cash reserve, as a form of additional collateral, for the purpose of providing for future interest or property-related operating payments.